PAGE A-6 THE POST-STANDARD Tuesday, March 8, 2011
LOCAL NEWS
Elbridge continues volunteer fire service Agent searched home
Firefighters applaud the
village board at the end of
Monday’s meeting.
By Catie O’Toole
Staff writer
The Elbridge Volunteer Fire
Co. is back in service.
The village board voted
unanimously Monday night to
cancel a state of emergency
and a resolution to abolish the
fire department. The board
also canceled a referendum
that would have allowed voters
to decide whether to abolish
the department. A public hear-
ing scheduled for next Monday
also has been called off.
‘‘I hope we’re never to this
point again,’’ Elbridge Mayor
Hank Doerr said.
The board agreed to lift the
state of emergency because of
recent changes and improve-
ments in leadership, training,
compliance with physicals —
which increases the ability of
fire department members to re-
spond to calls, and recent im-
provements in plans to in-
crease membership and update
bylaws, Village Attorney
Harry Armani said.
Tim Ganey resigned as fire
Don’t cut staff, say J-D parents and students
DON’T, FROM PAGE A-3
should not touch every ele-
mentary student in J-D,’’ she
said.
Jamesville Elementary li-
brarian Colleen Tierney said
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ELBRIDGE VOLUNTEER Fire Co. president Bob Chuff (right)
and Jarrod Smith, a lawyer, meet with the Elbridge mayor
and village trustees Monday night to talk about the state of
affairs between the fire department and the village.
chief Thursday but he remains Chuff is now taking on the re- never get back to the member-
a member.
About half of the depart-
ment’s 44 active firefighters
along with some past members
attended a special meeting at
Village Hall Monday. The
firefighters told village trus-
tees that since the leadership team, dammit.
has changed, more volunteers
are responding to calls and the We
morale has improved.
Elbridge Fire President Bob We have to work together and cotoole@syracuse.com or 470-2134.
librarians are ‘‘information
specialists’’ and don’t just
check books out to kids.
‘‘J-D is a district people will
follow,’’ she said. ‘‘If we say
OK to this, other districts will
follow suit. You need to con-
that hasn’t been happening.’’
Past Elbridge Fire Chief
Paul Czarnecki said there have
been personality conflicts and
leadership problems in the de-
partment the last couple of
years. For example, he said the
former chief would remove
volunteers’ fire gear if they did
not complete their physicals or
sign policies. Czarnecki said
the volunteers would find their
gear missing and a note hang-
ing in its place.
‘‘People should have been
talked to face-to-face,,’’ he
Gary Walts / The Post-Standard
said.
‘‘I think we need to talk
more,’’ Elbridge Rescue Capt.
Bill Champlin added.
The mayor agreed.
‘‘We would tell the (former)
chief something and it would
sponsibilities of the chief until ship,’’ Doerr said.
the department’s April elec-
tions. After the vote, firefighters
applauded the board.
‘‘Everyone in this room
wants a strong, viable depart- ‘‘Thank you for putting
your confidence back into the
ment,’’ Trustee Al Webster
said. ‘‘We’re all on the same department,’’ said past chief
Gordy Franz. ‘‘I think we all
We’d like to
have your back if you’d let us. feel a sigh of relief and we’ll
do our best to make you
met with the (former) chief
and we turn around and he’s proud.’’
downgrading us at the station. Contact Catie O’Toole at
sider the impact,’’ she said.
Others spoke against other
cuts, saying the district
shouldn’t stray from its mis-
sion of excellence.
Kendrick said the district’s
aim is to use some reserves to
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AGENT, FROM PAGE A-3 ‘‘These
camera, three videotapes, fin-
ancial documents, phone re-
individuals will
cords, papers, letters and tax often store the
returns from 2007 to 2009,
according to papers filed in
material in a
U.S. District Court, in Syra- locale where they
cuse. could have access
In his report, Special Agent but not within
Scott Bolduc explained why he
visited the Martins’ home: their immediate
‘‘Based on my training and ex- vicinity to reduce
perience, I know people who
commit espionage often ac- the likelihood of
quire the national defense ma- detection and
terials prior to transmitting
them to an agent of a foreign immediate
power. association with
‘‘These individuals will that individual.’’
often store the material in a lo- — Scott Bolduc,
cale where they could have ac-
NCIS agent
cess but not within their imme-
diate vicinity to reduce the
All-Star and was highlighted
likelihood of detection and im- in a newspaper article, in
mediate association with that which he said his career goal
individual,’’ he wrote. was to be a website designer.
The Navy determined that
no classified information In January 2008, Martin
worked at the Navy Reserve
ended up in the hands of unau-
thorized people. Unit Defense Intelligence
Agency at the former Griffiss
During high school in Mexi- Air Force Base, in Rome, and
co, Martin took computer pro- served at one time at the Naval
gramming and Web page de- Operational Support Center, in
sign at Oswego County
Syracuse.
BOCES. During his senior Contact Debra J. Groom at
year, he was named a Post- dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or
Standard BOCES Academic 251-5586.
offset the budget shortfall, trim
the budget without cutting pro-
grams and moderately increase
the tax levy.
‘‘We’re trying to cut as far
from the classroom as possi-
ble,’’ she said.
Stephen D. Cannerelli/ The Post-Standard
WORKING ON SETTING UP a pinsetter Monday at the Nicho-
las J. Pirro Convention Center are (from left) David DiRito, of
Brunswick Bowling and Billiards; Sam Thomas, a local con-
tractor; and John King, of Brunswick Bowling.
USBC will spend $1.5M
to create tournament site
USBC, FROM PAGE A-3 ‘‘Things seem to be —
Eric Pierson, USBC tourna- knock on wood — going very
ment manager. The USBC tra- smoothly,’’ he said.
ditionally has chosen to hold Pierson laughed thinking of
the women’s tournament at the what the result of so much
National Bowling Stadium in work will be once the tourna-
Reno, Nev. ment begins.
An early concern for the
crews was the size of the con- ‘‘In the end, it’s about
vention center, Pierson said. rolling a marble ball to knock
Last year’s tournament in El down some wooden pins,’’ he
Paso, Texas, was held at a said.
larger venue that allowed ‘‘People won’t really under-
trucks to drive into the space stand until they walk in and
and deliver materials. say, ‘I’ve been in this building
This year, materials were before and never seen this,’ ’’
placed in tents in the parking Pierson said.
lot across State Street before Once the tournament is
they were brought into the over, workers will take a week
convention center. With the
to 10 days to tear everything
amount of wood being used, down — and then it’s on to the
wet weather and high humidity next tournament.
were an early concern, but no Contact Lorenzo Arguello at
problems occurred, Pierson 470-2259 or at
said. larguello@syracuse.com.
Liverpool board goes through schools budget
The Liverpool Central School District Board of Education
met Monday night to discuss the superintendent’s proposed
budget.
Board members went through Richard N. Johns’
$132,852,400 proposed budget for the 2011-2012 school year
line by line to find areas to make cuts. Johns’ proposal calls for
a 4.4 percent tax increase, which is about an $84 increase on a
$100,000 home in the district.
‘‘On a dollar standpoint, we’re in between a rock and hard
place,’’ said Don Cook, board president. ‘‘But the money has to
come from somewhere, and nobody’s got a magic wand.’’
The board did not make any decisions, but began the discus-
1
sion on the FOCUS Academy and the technology plan.
The next board meeting is 7 p.m. Monday at the district of-
®2 fice on Blackberry Road, in Liverpool.
Reception kicks off oral history of Erie Canal
3
‘‘Heartland Passage: The Oral History of the Erie Canal’’
opens Friday at the Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, with a recep-
tion from 5 to 9 p.m.
Dan Ward, the museum’s curator, will talk about the oral his-
tory project and provide commentary on videos shown. The vid-
eos will be played at noon and 3 p.m. from Friday to April 30 at
the museum.
‘‘Heartland Passage’’ is a series of nine high-definition vid-
eos featuring a person who grew up or worked on the canal.
They include stories of a canal family, and interviews with Rob-
ert Coles, Don Meixner, Robert Montross, Evamay Wilkins,
Steve Wunder and Jesse Wimett on driving mules.
‘‘Heartland Passage’’ is the first of several planned products
dealing with the inland waterways of New York and will culmi-
nate in a feature-length documentary film about boom and bust
cycles along the canal. It is nearing completion. Visit Erie Ca-
nalway National Heritage Corridor website at www.eriecanal
way.org to view the videos.
— Staff reports