An Update on What's Been Happening: May 23, 2025
SMART SPENDING: USING TAXPAYER MONEY WISELY
Improvements are coming to two Onondaga County facilities, thanks to the smart spending of taxpayer money.
Department of Transportation Commissioner, Martin Voss, explained to the County Facilities Committee their plan to do much-needed work at the Jamesville & Marcellus Maintenance Shops by using funds leftover from the $10 million approved in 2017 for extensive renovation work at the DOT’s North Area Highway Maintenance Facility.
“Instead of tearing it down and building a new house, we had a really concerted effort to do the things that needed to be done to get it where it needed to be, which cost us about $7 million” Commissioner Voss said. “So that residual money is what we’re asking to spend on these other projects.”
Work at the two shops will include renovations to employee work areas (new furniture, flooring, paint, and ceilings), replacing overhead garage doors, HVAC and plumbing, plus infrastructure work deemed critical by the DOT.
Commissioner Voss also publicly thanked Legislator Julie Abbott for facilitating communication between the county and Marcellus officials as they worked to coordinate the connection of the DOT facility there to the municipal sewer line.
NEW AGREEMENT WITH NYS COULD HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
Melting snow and thunderstorms often bring flooding to Onondaga County, and thanks to a new agreement with New York State, local first responders will soon be better equipped to handle it.
The Legislature approved an agreement with the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to house and deploy state-owned flood mitigation equipment.
Gerald Payne with the county’s Department of Emergency Management shared details at a Public Safety Committee meeting. “It’ll be really good for us to be able to quickly and easily deploy these resources to first responder agencies, DPWs, DOTs, or whoever might need it, during any kind of flood situation in the county” he said.
Resources expected include pumps, hoses, strainers, a sand bag filler, 10,000 sand bags, chainsaws, generators and light towers.The equipment will be housed at the Emergency Management facility on Electronics Parkway in Liverpool.
Committee Member Ken Bush Jr. asked if these resources will be used exclusively in Onondaga County or if they will made available to surrounding counties. Mr. Payne replied that the needs of Onondaga County come first, but if the equipment is available, it would be made available to other counties in their time of need.
Committee Chair Mark Olson likened it to the Labor Day storm of 1998. “We had people from Cayuga County and Oswego County in Onondaga County to help us and just get us through with resources” he said.
Committee Vice Chair Rich McCarron added, “It’s a great reciprocal agreement and we have the facilities to be able to store where other counties may not. So, I think it’s a great program.”
The County’s Department of Emergency Management will alert all necessary agencies once the equipment is available.
ONONDAGA COUNTY DONATES UNUSED EQUIPMENT TO SU
The Republican Caucus passed a resolution allowing for the donation of laboratory equipment previously used by the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences to Syracuse University.
While the equipment is past its useful life for the County, it’s of high teaching/training value to SU’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute. The equipment to be donated includes three jumbo refrigerator/freezer thermometers.
Legislator Cody Kelly spoke about the donation after the April Session. “Donating obsolete equipment provides a more sustainable pathway to keep things out of landfills. By donating these items to Syracuse University, Onondaga County is supporting the development of people who may ultimately decide to join Onondaga County’s tremendous workforce.”