Friday, February 4, 2011 THE POST-STANDARD PAGE A-7

LOCAL NEWS

Census backtracks over size of Oneida Nation

Redrawn map showed land ing to the U.S. Census Bureau. said in a statement. for advice from the federal De- cials just discovered it last Interior letter noted.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer partment of Interior, which month. They protested, and
claim area. Madison County announced Thursday that the
For years, Census Bureau
said the reservation created Schumer became involved. The 307,000-acre reserva-
maps showed a 32-acre Oneida tion remained on the Census
officials objected. Census Bureau will put the reservation in Madison Coun- 200 years ago was never re-
A letter from an Interior of- website as of Thursday. Cen-
reservation back to 32 acres ty. The Oneidas last June duced and was indeed 307,000
until a batch of federal court acres. That follows the bound- ficial on Thursday to the Cen- sus officials said in a statement
By Glenn Coin asked the Census Bureau to in-
Staff writer suits are resolved. The bureau aries of the 36-year-old Oneida sus Bureau noted that the bu- they would begin work imme-
last fall redrew the map to stead draw the map to show Indian land claim, which was reau can’t redraw a map if diately to redraw the map by
As quickly as it swelled move into nation land 307,000 the original reservation bound- tossed out of federal court last there is ‘‘any unresolved liti- April 1. That’s the date by
from 32 to 307,000 acres, the acres of Madison, Oneida and aries that encompass parts or month. gation’’ over the boundaries. which the bureau must provide
Oneida Indian reservation ap- Lewis counties. all of at least 18 towns and Census geographers had The Oneida reservation bound- maps to states for redistricting.
pears to be shrinking back ‘‘Reversing this decision three cities. drawn the new map in Octo- aries are being contested in six Contact Glenn Coin at
down again — at least, accord- was common sense,’’ Schumer The Census Bureau asked ber, but Madison County offi- lawsuits in federal court, the gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251.

City to CAZ EQUINE

limit HUD
funds to
housing
That cuts off nonprofits
that do good work, they
just don’t do housing work.
By Tim Knauss
Staff writer
Syracuse is giving less fed-
eral money to some nonprofit
agencies this year so that the
city can spend more of its $7
million federal Community
Development Block Grant on
programs to improve housing.
The narrower focus has left
some deserving organizations
out in the cold, said Paul Dris-
coll, commissioner of neigh-
borhood and business develop-
ment. Many of those agencies
showed up Thursday night for
a public meeting to discuss the
allotments.
Driscoll listened as repre-
sentatives from a variety of
local groups spoke for or
against the funding plan.
Agnes McCray, a board
member of Arise Inc., offered
CENTER
MOUNTS
PRECAUTIONS
College’s students warned
after horse at local barn
dies of strangles.
By Alaina Potrikus
Staff writer
Cazenovia College officials
are taking precautions to pro-
tect horses at their stables from
a contagious disease that
causes the growth of abscesses
that can block the animal’s
windpipe.
Equine Business Program
manager Barbara Lindberg
alerted students and staff in an
e-mail Monday about a con-
firmed case of strangles in a
horse boarded at a local barn
that died last month at Cornell
University’s Equine Hospital.
Mike Greenlar / The Post-Standard ‘‘Every so often,
ONONDAGA BLUES A Team goalie John Chase Renzi defends the net during a floor hockey practice Wednesday at something like
St. Patrick School, 216 N. Lowell Ave., in Syracuse. The team competes Saturday in the Special Olympics New York
State Winter Games in and around Syracuse. this rears its
head. If people

The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

Driscoll her ‘‘heartfelt thanks’’
for $60,000 to help Arise build
wheelchair ramps at homes.
Oscar Vergara, youth ser-
vices director at PEACE Inc.,
criticized the decision not to
fund his organization’s Big
Brothers Big Sisters program.
‘‘I’m just shocked that our
program got de-funded,’’ he
said.
Driscoll said city officials
made a lot of changes this year
to the CDBG program, putting
the focus on four areas: hous-
ing production, services for
people in substandard housing,
economic development and
services for special needs pop-
ulations.
Some nonprofit officials, in-
cluding Sharon Sherman of the
Greater Syracuse Tenants Net-
work, applauded the changes
as ‘‘definitely the right direc-
tion.’’
But Steven Felder, a
16-year-old student at Central
Technical High School, ex-
pressed disappointment that
the Center for Community Al-
ternatives was denied money.
Felder said he participated in a
CCA job readiness program
after he got in trouble at
school, and it helped him.
The Center for Community
Alternatives has received
CDBG funding since 1995,
said Chris Abate, deputy direc-
tor of the Syracuse office.
The CDBG grants are the
biggest portion of $9.4 million
in federal housing funds the
city expects in May from the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
The city will continue to
take comments on the plan
through Feb. 26; the Common
Council votes on it Feb. 28.
Special Olympians compete this weekend in Syracuse area
By Lorenzo Arguello
Contributing writer
Mary Lee Chase wanted
her 12-year-old autistic son
to have friends, learn sports-
manship and exercise. But
he did not fit in on a typical
athletic team, she said, so
she enrolled him in Special
Olympics.
Her son, John Chase
Renzi, now 24, has been
participating in the summer
and winter New York state
games ever since.
‘‘My favorite part is
being with my friends,’’ he
said. ‘‘I like enjoying every-
thing that’s going on at the
event.’’
Renzi, from Eastwood,
will be the goalie for the
Onondaga Blues floor hock-
ey team this weekend at the
Special Olympics New York
State Winter Games in and
around Syracuse. He is one
of more than 500 athletes
from across the state who
will compete.
The opening ceremonies
are 7 p.m. today at the Nich- help, but organizers expect the locations on Saturday
olas J. Pirro Convention
Center.
On Saturday, the games’
six events will be held at
five locations, including
floor hockey at the conven-
tion center, snowshoeing at
Thornden Park and alpine
skiing at Toggenburg Moun-
If you go
The Special Olympics New
York State Winter Games
will be held today and
Saturday. All the events
are open to the public:
7 p.m. today:
Opening ceremonies,
Nicholas J. Pirro
Convention Center.
Saturday
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
4 Floor hockey, Nicholas J.
Pirro Convention Center.
4 Figure skating and
speed skating, War
Memorial.
4 Alpine skiing,
Mike Greenlar / The Post-Standard
Toggenburg Mountain.
MARY LEE CHASE helps her son John Chase Renzi, 24,
4 Nordic skiing at
put on his jersey before a floor hockey practice Wednes- Highland Forest.
day at St. Patrick School. Renzi plays goalie for the
4 Snowshoeing, Thornden
Onondaga Blues A Team and will compete this weekend
Park.
in the Special Olympics.
Details: www.special
olympicsny.org.
tain. Registration begins at have a fan station where
8:30 a.m. Competition is 9 those volunteers can get
bagpipes during the opening
a.m. to 2 p.m. with a closing pom-poms and make signs ceremonies.
ceremony at each location. so they can cheer on the ath-
So far, more than 700 vol- letes. Anyone wishing to be
Renzi taught himself how
unteers have signed up to a fan can show up at one of to play when he was 18, and
his mother credits the games
more than 1,000 people by morning and sign up. for it.
the time the events start, Opening ceremonies will
said Melissa Fleischmann, feature a performance by the ‘‘If it wasn’t for Special
chair of the public relations City of Syracuse Highland Olympics, I don’t know that
committee for the games. Pipe Band. Renzi is a mem- Johnny would’ve matured
Three hundred of the vol- ber of the band. Although he enough to be in the band,’’
unteers are part of a group is busy preparing for the she said. ‘‘We’re so lucky to
known as ‘‘fans in the floor hockey competition be able to have this experi-
stands.’’ Each location will Saturday, he will play the ence.’’
are careful, we
can keep it from
being a big deal.
When we know
something is
going around, we
are hyper
vigilant . . .’’
— Barbara Lindberg,
Cazenovia College equine
business program manager
As part of the college’s
heightened bio-security proce-
dures, Lindberg asked students
to change into clean clothes
and spray their boots with a
disinfectant before entering the
college’s equine facility off
Route 92.
‘‘If you live with someone
who goes to other barns, please
do the same,’’ her e-mail read.
‘‘If you get a ride with some-
one who goes to other barns,
please do the same. If in doubt
— just do it!’’
Cornell spokeswoman Step-
hanie Specchio could not con-
firm the case, citing the hospi-
tal’s confidentiality policy.
Veterinarian Norm Duch-
arme, medical director for Cor-
nell’s equine and farm animal
hospitals, said the disease is
spread ‘‘from nose to nose,’’
through ingestion or inhalation
of nasal discharge.
He said the fluids can be
passed in shared water buck-
ets, equipment like halters and
even from contact with stall
doors. Visitors can pass the
disease with their hands or
boots.
Ducharme likened the ail-
ment to mumps in humans,
and said the disease is com-

Hey, Cicero, what’s your property’s tax value?

For the first time in at least
50 years, the town is
updating its assessments.
By Sarah Moses
Staff writer
Many town of Cicero prop-
erty owners will have their
homes reassessed for the first
time in more than 50 years.
They’ll find out their new as-
sessments shortly — they go
out today.
‘‘There hasn’t been a town-
wide review and adjustment of
assessments probably since the
1950s,’’ said Geoffrey Gloak,
speaking for the state Office of
Real Property Tax Services.
Gloak said his records only
go back to 1954 and Town As-
sessor Brad Brennan said he
couldn’t tell if the town has
mon among young horses,
rarely fatal and generally re-
solves on its own or with anti-
biotics.
In more serious cases, ab-
ever done a reassessment. The
Want to know more?
for property owners to under-
scesses that form near the
town hired GAR Associates stand that the reassessment
about two years ago to bring GAR Associates, the company hired to do the townwide process will not help the town throat and windpipe can ob-
about 13,800 properties to full reassessment, will put information for all the assessments collect more taxes, it will struct airways.
Lindberg said the disease
market value. online and at the following locations. The information will be merely redistribute who pays
available Monday through March 18: what percentage of the taxes. can be highly contagious in
The company will mail out winter months, when humans
2011 assessment notifications 4 Cicero Family Sports Center, 5575 Meltzer Court, Cicero. ‘‘Think about it like a pie,’’ and horses share close quarters
and packets of information to 4 Libraries: 5437 Library St., Brewerton; 8686 Knowledge Gloak said. ‘‘Reassessment in stables. Similar protocols
Cicero property owners today. Lane, Cicero; and 100 Trolley Barn Lane, N. Syracuse. doesn’t make the pie bigger, it were observed last year after
4 Senior Center: 5924 Lathrop Drive, Cicero (Monday-Friday, just makes sure that it is cut up an outbreak of neurologic
Cicero Superintendent Judy fairly.’’
10 a.m to 3 p.m. only). equine herpesvirus in the Fin-
Boyke said the goal of the re-
assessment project was to The information will also be available on the town’s website Gloak said those who will ger Lakes, she said.
www.ciceronewyork.net starting on Saturday. see their property taxes rise ‘‘Every so often, something
make assessments fair for all
property owners. were paying less than their fair like this rears its head,’’ she
share of taxes and those that said. ‘‘If people are careful, we
‘‘The purpose is to make it 2011 assessment notifications the letter, which will announce see their taxes decrease were can keep it from being a big
equal so that everyone would in the next few days with their dates for workshops, informal paying more than their fair deal.
be assessed at full market new assessed value and market reviews and how to file a share. ‘‘When we know something
value, which doesn’t mean ev- value. The notification will grievance. is going around, we are hyper
‘‘Our goal with this reas-
eryone’s taxes will go up. also show an estimation of ‘‘Residents’ first call should sessment is to get the assess- vigilant and ramp it up a
Some will go up and some will county, town and school taxes be to GAR Associates because notch,’’ she continued. ‘‘We
ments fair and accurate,’’
go down and some will stay based on last year’s levies. I won’t have their information Brennan said. don’t want it here.’’
the same,’’ Boyke said. Brennan said a packet of in- available yet,’’ Brennan said. Contact Sarah Moses at Contact Alaina Potrikus at 470-3252
Residents will receive the formation will be included in Gloak said it is important smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. or apotrikus@syracuse.com.