Former local man is nominated for a national award

AUBURN — Cayuga Community College’s student-run radio station, WDWN-FM, was nominated for two 2012 CMJ National College Radio Awards, including a nod for Jeff Szczesniak, station adviser and former St. Johnsville resident, nominated for Best Taste in Music.

The second CMJ nomination was for Most Creative Programming, an accolade that Szczesniak is especially proud of, as he stated that cutting edge programming, “is what college radio is all about.”

While neither the station or Szczesniak were chosen to win those awards, Szczesniak was proud to take the College Radio Day title of “Advisor of the Year”. The nomination for that award — given to Szczesniak during the second annual College Radio Day — was submitted by his colleagues at the station.

The CMJ national nomination announcements provided an exciting moment for Szczesniak, who stated that it took two weeks for the idea that he’d been recognized by a national, influential and prestigious entity to set in, at which time he came the realization that “all the hard work and countless hours that I put into listening to music and trying to make it presentable on radio actually paid off.”

“It’s nice that other people are impressed by the work I do,” said Szczesniak, who explained that the process of selecting music to play on the station is time-consuming, and requires constant attention. New music is submitted constantly, and CMJ consistently provides a guideline of trends in college radio, the landscape of which changes on a weekly basis, as college students are a group always in search of the next new sound, digesting and spreading new music before it hits the masses.

“To find the best stuff that we feel is suited for our station,” has become an even larger task in recent years, noted Szczesniak, due to the fact that accessible technology has widened the spectrum of people able to play and produce their own music.

To stay one step ahead, college radio has to be the place “where you can hear the next big band,” before it breaks, said Szczesniak, who, in charge of programming and content, handles day-to-day operations at the station, also overseeing student employees.

After graduating from St. Johnsville Central School in 1995, Szczesniak moved to Auburn in the fall of 1998, remaining a student at Cayuga Community College for five years on and off, obtaining two Associate’s degrees, including one for Audio and Radio Broadcasting, and another for Radio and Television Broadcasting. He has worked for the college radio station since 2005.

Szczesniak will retain the title of Advisor of the Year until the next College Radio Day awards are given out, October, 2013.

— Joshua Thomas

Root moves forward with storage shed construction plans

FLAT CREEK — At the February 13 Root Town Council meeting, board members further discussed construction plans for the town’s new salt/sand storage shed.  

Building Committee Member Paul Toleno reported that he contacted four different companies for prices on both prefab and local formed wall structures (either wood or fabric covered). All of the companies contacted would provide engineering services and help write the bid based on the town’s specifications, as well as meet all specifications.

Toleno will provide Councilwoman and Building Committee Chair LuEmma Quackenbush with the company summaries, which will then be provided to council members.

Toleno’s specs for the structure include dimensions of 80 feet by 120 feet with a 5,000-6,000 yard storage capacity. The estimated cost for the structure is $250,000-$280,000.

The town would complete the foundation/floor of the structure with help from the County Highway Department if necessary. Town Council members thanked Toleno for the work he’s done to move the project forward.

Town Supervisor John Thayer emphasized he wants to have construction on the structure begin in the spring, to be completed no later than mid-summer. Toleno said the structure could potentially be complete in a week.

Town Assessor Bob Harris reported that he received annual figures from New York State. The computer assisted report generated by the state with residential totals equals 98.9 percent of market value. Harris said incorporating his data increased the figure to 100.78 percent of market value for the town’s properties.

Supervisor Thayer reported that he received the fourth quarter sales tax check from the county for $110,210.04. In comparison, the 2011 amount was $107,917 and the 2010 amount was $97,516. The snow contract funds for $123,427.50 were also received.

Town Justice Tom Eriksen provided a year-end report for 2012 and a monthly report for January 2013. Highlights are as follows from those reports: 2012: total monies reported to the Comptroller were $148,074 with total court revenues released to the town of Root in the amount of $60,916. For January 2013, total monies reported to the Comptroller were $9,815.

The town council approved the appointment of Steve Fredenburg as alternate rabies response officer at an annual salary of $200.

Supervisor Thayer reviewed the benefits of purchasing a postage meter for the town, which includes saving postage, using exact postage, fewer trips to the post office and eliminating some of the accounting issues with having to secure stamps and cash. Thayer will get further information and present it at the next town council meeting on March 13.  

2013 appointments presented by Supervisor Thayer at the town council’s January 9 meeting were as follows: Laurel Sherrie Eriksen, tax collector, registrar, records officer; Karen Kruppenbacher, deputy clerk, registrar, tax collector; Gary Kamp, deputy town supervisor; Kenneth Stevens, deputy highway superintendent; Jane Hubschmitt, health officer; Robert Subik, attorney; Clifton Dorrough, code enforcement officer; Richard Rickard, dog control officer; Virginia Clinansmith, court clerk; William Maring, historian; NBT and Key Bank, official banks; and Courier-Standard-Enterprise, official newspaper.

— Deborah Buck

Grimshaw talks safety plan changes & reimbursements

CANAJOHARIE — During last Thursday’s Canajoharie Central School Board of Education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Deborah Grimshaw provided her monthly report, first speaking about updates to the district’s safety plan.

The district’s safety plan, first created in 2001, received a 2013 revision, and was recently posted on the CCS website. Since then, Grimshaw said she acquired information regarding potential reimbursements, stating that the district could possibly receive 10 percent additional state aid funding for items such as security cameras and card reader systems, as long as these items are listed in the district’s safety plan.

The plan has been revised to include the need for such items. Grimshaw stated, “We don’t know what we need yet in terms of security cameras,” noting that although she feels the Canajoharie High School is well equipped, the Elementary and Middle Schools could use additional security work.

She also spoke about a recent Class Rank Task Force meeting, which drew not only members of faculty, but 16 members of the community. An excited Grimshaw stated, “People are really interested in this topic, which is great, and they want to participate, which is even better.”

The next Class Rank Task Force meeting will take place on Feb. 27.

After listening to an inspiring speaker recently, Grimshaw said she’s been filled with ideas regarding the role of the teacher in relation to student education. Grimshaw brought up the idea of a teacher not just as a “dispenser of information”, but a “partner in learning.”

Grimshaw stated that teachers and students can form a partnership in learning, with students taking an active role in their own education, the teacher not just facilitating information, “but truly involved in engaging students so that their brains are activated.”

She said she’d like to explore ways to reframe thinking so that teachers become “change agents and activators,” and noted that she’s already considering ways to work with staff and teachers to integrate these inclusive concepts.

On a related note, Grimshaw stated that the district’s foreign language teachers have been tasked with coming up with new ways to develop their programs, and will soon provide ideas about how to enhance learning opportunities for students.

— Joshua Thomas

Undersheriff tapped as DWI coordinator

Montgomery County Undersheriff Jeffery T. Smith was recently appointed as the county’s coordinator of the Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated.

STOP-DWI, as the program is commonly referred to, is aimed at reducing the number of people killed or injured in alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes.

“I believe in its importance,” Smith said of the cause. “I’ve been working 25 years to support the organization and try to get the message out.”

In that 25 years, Smith said was formerly a DARE instructor, and worked with both the district attorney’s office and former Youth Bureau Executive Director Jennifer Petteys, who held the role as STOP-DWI coordinator before her January resignation.

Smith said he also sought the appointment because it’s a cause he’s been personally impacted by — on Dec. 30, 1999, he was driving to work and was struck head on by a drunk driver.

“I was out of work for quite some time because of injuries, and I had my K-9 with me, and he was also hurt. I have an injury now that bothers me daily, and for all those reasons combined, it’s put me in a position to do what I believe is right,” Smith said.

As coordinator, Smith said he’ll be responsible for the program’s budget, receipt of revenues that he’ll distribute to local police agencies for enforcement, and crafting educational programs about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“I have some different ideas. Right now I’m working on creating educational materials for eighth to tenth graders concentrating on the impacts of driving under the influence of prescription drugs, because it seems to be a hot button locally,” Smith said. “I’ll also be looking at the budget numbers, and concentrating on getting extra enforcement patrols during high school prom and graduation season to ensure we don’t have any fatalities.”

STOP-DWI was created by the state Legislature in 1981, and functions as a financially self-sustaining alcohol and highway safety program. It’s funded entirely from fines paid by convicted drunken drivers, and no tax dollars are used, according to the program’s website.

Fines for alcohol offenses range from $300 to $10,000, and court surcharges ranging from $260 to $520 are applied to each offense, the site says.

But after adding Department of Motor Vehicle assessments and typical fees for re-issuing a license, plus legal fees and increased insurance premiums, estimates of the total financial cost of a typical DWI is $4,000 to $15,000.

— Heather Nellis