MANLIUS — Jim Dunaway is retiring as head of school at Manlius Pebble Hill School (MPH) at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

“By next spring, at my fifth MPH graduation, I will be 70, and it is time to turn over the reins to a younger leader who can guide this great school into its bright future,” he wrote in a letter to the school’s board.

John Mezzalingua, president of the board, responded with a note expressing his admiration for Dunaway, noting that the school’s financial situation and enrollment has stabilized during his tenure.

“An already strong academic program is even stronger at all levels. In addition, the school successfully underwent the periodic two-year process of reaccreditation by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) and remains the only NYSAIS-accredited school in Central New York,” Mezzalingua wrote.

He said the MPH board would oversee the search for a successor to Dunaway, “and there will be multiple opportunities for community involvement in the process; input from faculty, staff, parents, students, and alumni will be essential.”

SYRACUSE — The former North Area Athletic Club building located at 507-509 Pond St. in the city of Syracuse was recently sold. 

Masjid Bilal of Syracuse purchased the 21,330-square-foot, 3-story building for $300,000, according to a news release from Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company.

Don O’Leary and John Sposato of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage, exclusively represented the marketing of the property and facilitated the sale on behalf of the seller, North Area Athletic Club. Onondaga 

County online property records list Raymond Rinaldi of North Area Athletic Club as the property owner. The 0.4 acre property was assessed at nearly $140,000 for 2018.

DeWITT — The 8,000-square-foot office building located at 6707 Brooklawn Parkway in the town of DeWitt was recently sold. 

Bowers Development LLC purchased the 1.5 acre property for $335,500 from Brooklawn Real Estate LLC. Donald O’Leary of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company exclusively marketed the property and represented the seller in this transaction, according to a news release from the real-estate firm. David Carnie represented the buyer.

The property is assessed at $400,000, according to Onondaga County online property records. It was last sold for $315,000 in June 1998.

ALBANY — New York State’s utility regulators are threatening to undo the cable merger that created Spectrum, saying the company has failed to keep its promises to expand internet access.

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) ordered Spectrum to pay two $1 million fines and ordered that the company unequivocally accept the terms the state set in 2016 for the merger of Time Warner Cable and Charter “or face the risk of having the merger revoked,” the PSC said in a June 14 release.

In 2016, the PSC approved the acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Charter, and required the combined company to add internet availability for 145,000 previously unserved or underserved homes or offices within four years.

The PSC said in the release that Spectrum has fallen short of required milestones toward the goal of 145,000. State staffers investigated a list of addresses Spectrum claimed to have made reachable by internet and rejected 18,363 addresses — including more than 4,000 Upstate — saying they were either along existing internet access or were supposed to be reached by Spectrum under other orders.

The PSC had previously rejected thousands of addresses Spectrum claimed to have brought internet access to.

In addition to fining Spectrum $2 million, the PSC called out the company on its claim that it was not bound by the 2016 rules. “Given the company’s continued intransigence, the commission today ordered that the company unconditionally accept all of the conditions and requirements spelled out in its 2016 order or face subsequent commission action,” the PSC said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement supporting the PSC. “If Charter had not agreed to the build out, the franchise would not have been approved, and the company would not have profited from the large New York State market.”

Cuomo went so far as to blast Spectrum News for its coverage of the matter. “Spectrum news coverage has not only conveniently failed to fairly cover the company’s violations, but they also make false claims as to their performance for New Yorkers. Their broadband build out is not on time. Nor is it a voluntary effort to benefit our citizens, as the company might have people believe. Instead, it was an express condition of their franchise approval, which is very lucrative.”

In its own statement, Spectrum said it has expanded its network infrastructure, “to bring broadband to tens of thousands of residences and businesses in New York State; we exceeded our last commitment and we continue to meet our merger obligations.”

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 5 points in June to 25.0, “indicating a faster pace of growth than in May.”  

The index rose 4 points in May to 20.1.

The responses in the June survey indicated that business activity “continued to grow strongly” in New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its news release issued June 15.

A positive reading indicates expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative reading on the index indicates a decline in the sector.

The survey found 38 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 13 percent reported that conditions had worsened.

Survey details

The new-orders index advanced 5 points to 21.3 and the shipments index rose 4 points to 23.5, readings that reflected “strong growth,” the New York Fed said. 

Unfilled orders increased, inventories edged higher, and delivery times “continued to lengthen.”

The index for number of employees climbed 10 points to 19.0, its highest level thus far in 2018, “pointing to a pickup in employment levels.” 

The average-workweek index was little changed at 12.0, indicating an increase in hours worked. 

Price increases remained elevated. At 52.7, the prices-paid index was “little changed” from last month’s “multiyear” high of 54.0, and the prices-received index held steady at 23.3, suggesting “ongoing moderate” selling-price increases.

After slipping in April, optimism about the six-month outlook increased for a second consecutive month. 

The index for future business conditions climbed 8 points to 38.9. Employment was expected to increase in the months ahead, and the indexes for future prices remained “elevated.” 

The capital-expenditures index edged down 2 points to 27.1, and the technology-spending index fell 6 points to 17.1.

The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.          

Sonbyrne Sales Inc. recently sold buildings at 7 Salina St. in the Village of Baldwinsville and 6832 Genesee St. E. in the village of Fayetteville that formerly housed Byrne Dairy stores.

Brian Kalfass purchased the 2,400-square-foot Baldwinsville property for $155,000. Ed Perry bought the 2,400-square-foot Fayetteville property for $325,000, according to a Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company news release.

William Evertz of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage exclusively represented the marketing of both properties and facilitated the sales on behalf of the seller, Sonbyrne Sales.