Cazenovia College to hold job fair for employees Thursday

Cazenovia College in collaboration with the Department of Labor will hold a Job Fair on Thursday, April 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Hubbard Hall.

The event will be focused on connecting employers with current job openings with Cazenovia College employees.

“Connecting our talented workers with employers looking to hire is a critical part of our efforts as we approach the closing of the College,” stated Dr. David Bergh, president, possess some delusion of being able to reverse the course of the project. Instead, his intention was simply to start a pragmatic, solution-oriented dialog with his village leadership and to request that the board members work with the residents to hold Housing Visions accountable as they execute their development plan.

“Help mitigate the damage already done by this Housing Visions development project, work to proactively solve for the near-certain disasters this project is bound to create, and avoid putting our community members in similar situations moving forward,” he said.

In response to McDermott’s remarks about insufficient vegetation for privacy, Mayor Kurt Wheeler said that Housing Visions has agreed to meet with the concerned residents and work on reevaluating their screening plan once the spring vegetation has started to come in.

“This would not be a prudent time to try to evaluate screening right now since everything is bare,” he said.

Wheeler also said that Public Works Administrator Bill Carr has been up to the site multiple times to ensure that the plan, as approved, is being carried out in terms of vegetation.

Wheeler next addressed McDermott’s comments that his neighborhood lost access to clean running water multiple times in December, including on Christmas Day, and that he is concerned that the new development units will put even more strain on the existing water system.

According to Wheeler, the disruption in drinking water was due to environmental factors and had nothing to do with the project. The village also experienced water main breaks on Clark Street and East Lake Road around that time.

Carr assured the residents that Dunn & Sgromo Engineers reviewed the water system and determined that it is “very adequate” to accommodate the development. He also stated that the project was reviewed by Jim Cunningham, who operates the Cazenovia Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“We follow the State Environmental Quality Review Act process, and all the documentation is part of the public record and has been available since this process began five years ago,” Wheeler said.

Burton Street resident Suzanne Munger then asked the mayor to explain the relatively recent changes made to the scope of the project, specifically the introduction of the development’s supportive housing units for individuals with mental illness, survivors of domestic violence, and young adults.

According to Wheeler, the original proj- culture.”

Cazenovia College. “Just as we are working to ensure that our students will be placed at another institution for the Fall 2023 semester, we want our workforce to have the opportunity to find new positions for the next phase of their ca- ect proposal back in 2018 included affordable housing for seniors and families.

“That went through the process and was approved,” he said. “As Housing Visions went through the very comprehensive funding process — looking at tax credits and other mechanisms that they used to fund this, to make it affordable — [the supportive housing] element was added.”

The village was informed of the addition around December 2020.

“We reviewed that,” Wheeler said. “With our zoning, we can control use. We can say a site can be used for single-family housing, multi-family housing, commercial uses. That’s what our zoning covers. Our zoning does not cover who lives in a residential unit. So, for us to reverse the approval and say, ‘OK, you can have residential multi-family housing, but you can’t have person X, Y, or Z living in that housing,’ that does not fall within our legal scope.”

Wheeler also stated that, with respect to the residents with mental illness, no one who is a danger to themself or to others will be eligible for this housing.

“It’s people who are very high functioning and who are going to be able to live independently, but they are going to get support from CAP,” he said.

He also emphasized that all the populations that will be served by the supportive housing are part of the greater Cazenovia community already.

The board heard from several other residents before wrapping up the public comment period.

“We are here to listen,” said Wheeler. “We are your elected board, and we are here to hear your concerns. I do want to dispel the misconceptions that somehow this didn’t follow an appropriate process, a thorough process. We follow a legal systematic process for everything that comes before us that is bound by local law and by New York State law. We have a very good planning board that is also very diligent. We have professional experts, like engineers and attorneys, who guide us in that process. We do our utmost, as people who are essentially volunteers, to be the watchdogs and to manage those processes on behalf of the community. And all of us care deeply about the community. I say that sincerely. And it doesn’t mean that reasonable people aren’t going to disagree and people aren’t going to have different perspectives on one project or another project.”

He concluded by saying that he will be sure to follow up with the residents who had specific questions and that the village will continuously work to ensure that the development is well managed, well run, safe, and a wonderful place to live.

“I hope that when it’s done and every- reers after the College closes.”

With the announcement of the College closing prior to the start of the fall 2023 semester, the department of labor has assisted with services for employees including resume development, employ- ment counseling, civil service information, and job market information.

The college anticipates approximately 30 companies from a variety of employers from both the public and private sectors in the area to thing is replanted and everything is complete, [there] will be a sense of tranquility restored to the neighborhood,” Wheeler said. “I truly hope that. I know that is [Housing Vision’s] intention.”

To learn more about Housing Visions, visit housingvisions.org. For more information on CAP, visit capmadco.org. In other news

The board held a public hearing to receive input relating to the tentative budget for the year 2023-2024. The total budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be $3,383,321.61 with a two percent tax levy increase. The tentative budget represents a $118,000 increase over the previous year’s budget.

“[A 3.6 percent increase] is certainly more than we would want to have under normal conditions, but in a year with an average 6.2 percent inflation throughout the year — including times when there was 8 percent inflation during the year — holding the cost increase to 3.6 percent is pretty good. We certainly tried to tighten our belts and shave any budget lines that we could.”

A copy of the tentative budget is on file in the office of the village clerk.

After no comments were made during the public hearing, the board voted to approve the tentative budget.

Wheeler and Lauren Lines, executive director of the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association, Inc. (CACDA), provided a brief update on the community’s ongoing planning for the future of the Cazenovia College campus.

Wheeler reminded everyone that the New York State Police are very interested in using the campus as a location for a temporary, secondary training academy.

While that particular use would keep the campus occupied and would be compatible with the property’s existing educational use, it would not be a permanent solution.

The mayor explained that it would serve as a bridge solution since most of the viable long-term options for the campus that the village is exploring are probably going to take a couple of years to develop and bring to fruition.

“We are certainly continuing to engage other institutions of higher learning to bring in another college-type use, which would be probably the highest and best use,” said Wheeler. “We have a number of planning groups in the community that are active at really digging into the details of other potential uses as well.”

Wheeler also reported that he believes 100 percent of Cazenovia College’s students will either graduate this spring or have negotiated a transfer agreement with another next bus to take him to the main street where the school is located. participate.

The event is free to exhibitors.

If you are looking to hire, contact Janis Romagnoli, director of Human Resources, Cazenovia College at jaromagnoli@cazenovia.edu college. Also, a very high percentage of the college’s employees have secured future employment, according to the mayor.

“The people are being taken care of, so now we are really trying to make sure the community is also taken care of,” Wheeler said.

Lines reported that CACDA was able to use the funds that the village and town have committed to the planning process to leverage a state grant through Empire State Development.

“We have a state grant awarded for $46,000 for planning, in addition to what the town and the village have,” said Lines. “Then we are leveraging all of that to apply [for a U.S. Economic Development Administration] grant that is specifically for communities that have lost a major employer. We fit really well in with that, and I think we have a solid chance of getting that funding. All combined, we will have close to $200,000, if that is awarded, to use for planning. We don’t yet know exactly how those funds will be spent. We are trying to do as much of the initial planning locally [as possible].”

According to Lines, there are six or seven working groups that have started meeting surrounding certain ideas for future uses for the campus.

“The goal is to spend the next couple of months, while we are waiting to hear about the federal funding, continuing these working groups and doing fact-finding, and then kind of picking the three or four ideas from that process that we think are the most viable,” said Lines. “Then we will hire experts to do that next-level research on those couple of ideas.” get a good education.

During the board’s public comment period, Wheeler offered an update on the status of the Happy Mart convenience store at 63 Albany St.

He reported that, to his knowledge, the store has ceased operations but still has a lease with the landlord of the building.

“I think it’s just a matter of when they clear out the contents [of the store] and when the landlord leases the space to a new tenant,” he said.

The Village of Cazenovia Police Department has the following found property: a pair of boots and sneakers found at Lakeland Park, a child’s toy cell phone, three pairs of glasses, a necklace found behind Buyea’s, and a Volvo key found on Lincklaen Street. Please contact the department at 315-6553276 to claim the property.

The Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees typically meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Village Municipal Building, 90 Albany St.

“Education in my country is not a really good education, and when I study it will give me more opportunities for higher education,” he said. “Since I have always wanted to study abroad, I found going on an exchange year is a really good idea, especially in the USA.” al-Rubei joined the CHS varsity soccer team last fall and said he made great memories with the team. al-Rubei said he was impressed to discover how calm and quiet it can be out in the countryside versus in Gaza City, where it is “always loud.”

According to the student, one difference between his school in Gaza City and CHS is the number of students. He noted that a single classroom back home might have 40 kids, while even the most packed classroom in Cazenovia does not have more than 20 students.

“When I go to sleep, I do not hear anything — no cars, no people chattering in the street [in the] late hours, nothing,” he said. “So, I really like [Cazenovia], but still, I am a city person.”

According to al-Rubei, not much else about living in the USA has surprised him.

“In 2023, with all the stuff on the internet, we can get information about almost everything,” he said. “. . . When I watch shows on Netflix, I learn lots of things about many cultures, especially the American

Although he will miss the countryside, the friends he has made, and, most of all, his host family, al-Rubei is looking forward to enjoying the activities, food, and architecture of his home city.

“Gaza city is a really interesting place,” he said. “You will find modern architecture, and you can find old places — really old, like the Great Mosque of Gaza, a place with a history of 2,000 years, and the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, a 1,650-year-old beautiful church.”

For Topchiev, who is in the US for the first time, the differences in his everyday life in Cazenovia versus in Bulgaria’s capital city are significant.

In the city, he lives primarily in a second-floor apartment with his mother and younger brother. About once a week, he stays with his father in an apartment on the 14th floor.

“Right outside my apartment building is a 24/7 shop where I can go to buy juice or snacks,” he said. “Where I live in Cazenovia, I’d have to walk 3.5 miles for snacks.”

Topchiev added that, like Cazenovia, the people in the quieter section of the city where he lives tend to know each other.

A notable difference in his daily routine has been his commute to school. In Bulgaria, the multi-step journey takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes with no traffic and involves catching a bus, taking a short walk to get the subway to the city center, switching subway lines to head out of the city, and then waiting for the

“If I attended the public school, it would only have taken me a couple of minutes, but my mother thought the private school was better,” he said. These days, his morning commute takes just six minutes via yellow school bus.

“From the movies, I never thought yellow buses were a real thing, and I remember my surprise when I first saw one coming down the road,” he said. “Houses and cars unlocked — the level of trust was [also] a big surprise. Tax on top of stated price in stores surprised me. When I went to buy something for two dollars and the clerk asked for $2.16. In general, the prices [for technology products, like] phones, are less expensive by a lot.”

Another change in Topchiev’s life recently has been his participation in school sports, which are not offered at his Bulgarian high school.

Since arriving last fall, he has participated in CHS’s football, hockey, and lacrosse programs.

“In the US, high school sports are supported by the community,” he noted. “I love sports. In Bulgaria, I had to travel two hours to the stadium for rugby practice. Here, sports are either next to the school or you get a bus to go there — for instance, hockey in Morrisville. . . The coaches have been great, and I feel I have been supported by them. They want me to improve and get playing time.”

Having grown to love American football, Topchiev is looking forward to playing the sport back in Bulgaria, despite its small teams.

“My most memorable time was after our first football quarter-final victory and the feeling in the locker room afterward,” he said. “We were all so happy, playing music, and seeing the coaches super happy.”

According to Topchiev, he plans to bring home as much gear as his suitcase will allow, making sure to pack the new football he got for Christmas and his new football helmet and cleats. He also hopes to fit his hockey helmet and a plaque he received at the hockey banquet to remember the great times he had in that program as well.

“I will miss most the kids I became friendly with and the coaches I became close to,” said Topchiev. “I loved taking the classes Studio Photography and Food and Nutrition. I’m looking forward to seeing my family, friends, and dog in Bulgaria, but honestly, I’d rather stay in Cazenovia because I like it here. I just like how the people treat me and each other. People are super kind and trusting. I’m hoping to go to a college in the area — SU, Colgate, LeMoyne? Unfortunately, it won’t be Cazenovia College, which I think would have been a good choice. I would like to thank the people at Greenheart International, the [Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program], Catherine Jeannin, my local coordinator, and my host mother, Pat Carmeli.”

According to Carmeli, al-Rubei and Topchiev are sure to return home after the school year with memories of her chickens running around; her horse, mini-donkey, and two minischnauzers; her cats that have been sleeping with them nightly; and their trip down to New York City.

“When I took the boys to NYC, Andy was so excited about having a hotdog from a street vendor,” Carmeli recalled. “Medhat lamented that he couldn’t have one, because it would probably contain pork and not be hallal, [the] Muslim version of kosher. Well, as soon as we arrived at ground level outside Penn Station, we saw that all the food trucks were hallal. What a pleasant surprise for Medhat. He and Andy both got hotdogs but were actually pretty disappointed in the taste. But they had a great time and loved NYC.” al-Rubei described the trip as the best memory of his time in the US.

“[New York City] is my favorite place I have been to in my life, and I got to speak Arabic multiple times,” he said. “It was a wonderful trip.”

The students, who are scheduled to head home on June 4, will depart with not only the memories of their experiences but also photo albums that Carmeli made with pictures from their New York City trip.

Carmeli said that although it will be nice to get her house back to herself and watch what she wants on the television, she knows how much she will miss the students and she will keep them in her thoughts.

To learn more about Greenheart Exchange, visit greenheartexchange. org