Ovid Library Expanding into New Spaces

Except for a pile of bricks sitting behind the library and a few outside projects, the major components of the capital project to restore, expand and update the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library in Ovid are complete.

The project got board approval in late 2006 and began fundraising in the summer of 2007, said Barbara Gerlach, treasurer of the library’s board of trustees.

“It’s totally amazing what’s gotten done in two years, we wouldn’t have believed it ourselves,” she said.

Ovid Considers Right to Farm Law

The Town of Ovid Board of Trustees is looking at a “right to farm” law that protects farmers’ rights and establishes a dispute committee to resolve issues between neighbors.

Chris Verrill, a planning board member, first brought the law to the town board in August 2008, said David Dresser, town supervisor. It was referred to the planning board for approval and has been sent to several county boards for review.

“The town board has consulted with the Agricultural Enhancement Board and has sent the proposal to the Seneca County planning board and just received this month their recommendation for approval,” Dresser said.

Cayuga, Seneca Wine Trail Host Winter Party

Events where people can hop from one winery on the Cayuga Wine Trail to the next for a day or weekend aren’t out of the ordinary. But an event that doesn’t require a ticket and includes wineries on the Cayuga Trail, the Seneca Wine Trail and vineyards not affiliated with either trail only happens once a year. The seventh annual Between the Lakes Winter Wine Party will be held from 11 am until 5 pm on January 10.

The party is partly the brainchild of Kip Kalfs, manager of the tasting room at Sheldrake Point Vineyard, and isn’t an official Cayuga Wine Trail event.

“It started about seven years ago when me and the former manager at Knapp Winery were talking and saying that there’s nothing [in the winter] to let the people know that we’re still open and the wineries still exist,” he said.

The party now features 31 wineries along Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. Kalfs said every winery between Ventosa Vineyards and Atwater Estate Vineyards on the Seneca Trail and between Montezuma Winery and Americana Vineyards on Cayuga is participating this year.

South Seneca Seeks Substitute Teachers

In early October the South Seneca Central School Board of Education raised its daily wage for substitute teachers. The district, like many areas, has been having issues getting enough subs to fill openings.

South Seneca uses the substitute assignment system at Tompkins Seneca Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). The computerized system, called Sub Finder, is accessible to substitutes and teachers in the entire BOCES region, said Heather Sheridan-Thomas, BOCES assistant superintendent.

“The teachers all have a password to get into the system and if they have an absence they record it in the system, and if they need a sub and for how much of the day,” she said.

Janie Nusser, superintendent of South Seneca Central School District, said a large part of why the district has trouble attracting substitutes is because of its distance from BOCES. Ovid is 30 miles from Ithaca, the regional headquarters of BOCES.

“If [subs] can make the same or more money in a district that’s closer to home they’re going to do that,” Nusser said. “Maybe we’re going to see a lessening of this now that the gas is going down.”

Ovid Mayor Takes Over From Son

David Terry has replaced his son in the Village of Ovid mayor’s office until March, since David Terry Jr. stepped down from the position in October to move to Lodi.

After Terry Jr. announced he would be leaving before the end of his term it fell to the Village of Ovid Board of Trustees to appoint a replacement until elections in March 2009. There are only five months remaining on Terry Jr.’s four-year term. Terry said he is not surprised the board selected him to fill in for his son.

“I went and talked to each and every one of [the village board members] and told them that I was available and willing,” he said.

Terry, who has previously served on the village board, said he is retired and has time to dedicate to working for the village. He has been interested in being mayor of the Village of Ovid for years but abdicated the desire when Terry Jr., who was a village trustee at the time, expressed an interest.

“I was going to run when Leon Kelly retired years ago, but my son indicated that he wanted to and of course I wasn’t going to run against him,” Terry said.

Mystery Dismissal

Former Seneca County Undersheriff Wayne Brewer is consulting an attorney and reviewing his rights regarding his recent termination from the sheriffs office.

Brewer was relieved of his position on October 17 by Sheriff Jack Stenberg. In an email Brewer said he was not expecting the action and was unaware there was even a problem with his work.

“I was told by the sheriff, as recently as this month, that I was doing a great job,” he said in the e-mail.

Stenberg said issues leading to the dismissal had been addressed before Friday.

“Some of the issues had been discussed for some period of time,” he said. “The actual termination was not discussed seriously prior to last week.”

South Seneca Awards Bids

At the October 22 meeting of the South Seneca Central School, Stuard Mattey noted the district had secured funding for its capital project. In a special meeting on October 27, contractor bids were approved. The school will now move forward with the capital project.

Money for the project will come from the Dormitory Authority, Mattey said. The interest rate has not been secured yet but the loan will cost taxpayers approximately $38,000 over 15 years, he said.

The board met on Monday, October 27 to approve bids. The board award five contracts for its capital project at a special meeting on Monday, October 27. The largest bid approved is for $9,380,000 awarded to Fahs Construction for general construction. Edgar Enterprises was selected for the project’s site work after submitting a bid of $2,069,220. HMI Mechanicals will do the Heating-Ventilation-Air Condition (HVAC) work for $2,501,000 and Billitier Electric, Inc. was chosen for the electrical work with a bid of $3,305,250. The contract with the lowest price tag was awarded to Unified Mechanical Contractors for plumbing work at $876,076.

All contracts were awarded unanimously and were the overall lowest bids in their categories. The contracts bids came in lower than the district originally anticipated, enabling the board to accept all five bids with the optional alternatives. Overall, $27,981,000 of voter approved money for the capital project was awarded.

Board Sits on Contract Awards

South Seneca Central School opened contract bidding for its capital project on October 2 with the intention of awarding contracts at the Wednesday, October 8 Board of Education meeting. However, the board did not award any contracts at the meeting because it is unclear whether or not the district will be able to secure finances for the project with the current global economic situation.

Stuart Mattey, business administrator, told the board that he had spoken to the district’s financial advisor, Bernie Donogan, who recommended not awarding contracts at this time. Bids are in and by law contractors must hold to those prices for 45 days. Donogan recommended waiting to see what happens to the financial markets during that 45-day window, Mattey told the board.

Mattey said that few banks are willing to lend money to anyone except the most stable investments and even if loans are granted, interest rates are becoming unreasonable.

“It’s what we’ve been hearing but it’s sort of been out there,” he said. “Now it’s hitting close to home, in the small school district of Ovid, NY.”

Wineries Host Halloween Parties

Costume contests, pumpkin carving and mixed drinks with spooky names are all par for the course when it comes to Halloween. Except this time, the party isn’t at a neighbor’s house or in the school cafeteria, it’s at some local wineries.

Cobblestone Farm Winery, Americana Vineyards and Bellwether Cider Mill are all holding holiday celebrations, some are kid-friendly, others are especially for adults.

On October 18 and 19, Cobblestone, located in Romulus, will be holding it’s second annual Pumpkin Festival. Bob Rozzano said the winery decided to plant pumpkins on the property last year because Cobblestone is a working farm in addition to a winery. Cobblestone also holds yearly cherry and grape stomping festivals.

“We’re a farm and we just thought it’d be nice to have pumpkins for the families to come pick,” he said. “You’d be surprised of how many people come and take pictures of the pumpkins in the patch. A lot of city people.”

Freshman Academy Helps Students Stay Focused

Freshmen at South Seneca High School are experiencing increased class bonding and a heightened sense of responsibility thanks to the school’s new Ninth Grade Academy.

The program was designed to give students the opportunity to help each other and form a sense of class identity, High School Principal Robert Waller told the South Seneca Central School Board of Education at its September 10 meeting. The mission statement for the Ninth Grade Academy said the program intends to “support ninth grade students academically, socially and emotionally as they transition to high school standards and expectations.”

“We’re having a hard time transitioning from middle school to high school and the kids really buying into it, and homework every night,” said Lisa Chalifoux, one of the teachers who run the program.