People news: Rashid joins MVHS Orthopedic Group

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UTICA, N.Y. — Dr. Aymen Rashid has joined Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Orthopedic Group as an orthopedic spine surgeon. Prior to MVHS, Rashid

Environmental conservation police officer recruits begin training academy in Oswego County

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Health Care, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Subscriber Only

PULASKI, N.Y. — On May 22, 20 new environmental conservation police officer (ECO) recruits from 15 counties across New York state, began their 29-week training at the Pulaski Academy in Oswego County. Recruits will log 1,520 hours of training in how to perform ECO job duties centered on enforcing the 71 chapters of New York

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Five Star Bank parent company to pay next quarterly dividend in early July

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, New York News, Regional News, Subscriber Only

WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent of Five Star Bank, recently announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 29 cents per common share outstanding. The banking company will pay the second-quarter dividend on July 5, to shareholders of record on June 17. It is the same

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KeyCorp to pay Q2 dividend of 19.5 cents in mid-June

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, Subscriber Only

KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) — parent of KeyBank, the No. 2 bank ranked by deposit market share in the 16-county Central New York area — has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 19.5 cents per share of its common stock for the second quarter. The dividend is payable on June 15, to holders of record as

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Hourigan named to Oswego Industries board of directors

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Manufacturing & Engineering, People on the Move, Small Business, Subscriber Only

FULTON, N.Y. — Oswego Industries announced it has added Michele Hourigan of the Oswego Health Foundation to its board of directors. The agency, which has been operating in Fulton since 1968, says it “empowers people with disabilities to live rich, fulfilling lives of their own choosing.” Prior to joining Oswego Health, Hourigan was the HR

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Illegal turkey harvested in Jefferson County

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ANTWERP, N.Y. — A hunter in Jefferson County was recently cited for illegally killing a turkey, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced. On May 1, while patrolling a Fort Drum training area, New York environmental conservation police officer Max Woyton observed vehicles parked in an area closed to hunting/recreation. One of

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Finger Lakes Land Trust buys Bell Station property in Lansing

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

LANSING, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has acquired the Bell Station property in Lansing in Tompkins County, which FLLT says was the largest privately owned parcel of shoreline remaining in the Finger Lakes region. FLLT bought the 480-acre parcel from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), per its May

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FLLT bought the 480-acre parcel from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), per its May 24 announcement. NYSEG originally acquired the property for a nuclear-power plant “that was never built,” per the FLLT website.

Located on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, the Bell Station property has wooded hillsides overlooking the lake, extensive fields, and several small streams with cascading waterfalls, FLLT noted. It includes 3,400 feet of Cayuga Lake shoreline.

FLLT used a $2 million loan from the Park Foundation, $500,000 raised from individual donations, and an internal loan from the FLLT’s Opportunity Fund to pay for the land purchase. The organization’s announcement didn’t include a specific dollar figure for the purchase price.

The FLLT plans to sell the lakeshore portion of the property to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which will manage the property for recreational uses. Those could include hiking, cross-country skiing, wildlife watching, hunting, and fishing.

In partnership with the Town of Lansing, the FLLT is also exploring the feasibility of utilizing 200 acres of the property for solar-energy production.

“This is a tremendous win for the region and everyone who loves the Finger Lakes,” Andrew Zepp, executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, said. “The Bell Station project will help maintain Cayuga Lake’s water quality while providing new opportunities for outdoor recreation and the generation of renewable energy. We are grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and all of our elected officials and community members who acted together to make this possible.”

The FLLT will formally open the Bell Station property to the public on an interim basis for low-impact recreation on June 10. The public is invited to attend an open house from 2-4 p.m. The event will include refreshments and guided hikes. Those interested can visit fllt.org/events for directions and more information, FLLT said.

Purpose of purchase

Acquisition of the site for conservation will “greatly enhance” public access to the east side of Cayuga Lake, which is 90 percent privately owned, FLLT contends. Permanent conservation will also prevent residential development on the steep hillsides bordering the lake, “helping to safeguard” the lake’s water quality and “prevent future harmful algal blooms,” per the FLLT announcement.

For these reasons, the FLLT has been pursuing the conservation of the Bell Station property for “a number of years.” The New York State DEC, Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Town of Lansing, Tompkins County, and other key stakeholders supported the FLLT effort, the organization said.

FLLT cites the efforts of Gov. Hochul, concerned citizens, and other support for NYSEG agreeing to cancel a public auction that was scheduled for October 2021 and enter into a purchase agreement with the FLLT.

New York State Fair has new interim director

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, New York News, Nonprofits, People on the Move, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

GEDDES, N.Y. — The New York State Fair has new interim leadership, while the previous director has a new role with different duties related to fairs across the state. Sean Hennessey will serve as the State Fair’s new assistant director and as interim director for this year’s State Fair, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard

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GEDDES, N.Y. — The New York State Fair has new interim leadership, while the previous director has a new role with different duties related to fairs across the state.

Sean Hennessey will serve as the State Fair’s new assistant director and as interim director for this year’s State Fair, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball announced May 25.

He has been serving as assistant commissioner for operations at the New York State Department of Transportation.

At the same time, Ball also announced that former State Fair director Troy Waffner will move into the newly created position of agricultural fair development director.

This year’s State Fair is scheduled to run between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5.

Waffner’s new position

In his new role, Waffner will evaluate ways to increase marketing and promotion of county fairs as well as opportunities to improve youth and agricultural programming initiatives at all fairs statewide.

Waffner’s move to the new role is “part of Gov. Hochul’s bold investment in agriculture and plan to support growth and revitalization opportunities for all fairs in New York,” per the online announcement.

This announcement comes as part of Hochul’s September 2021 plan to “facilitate greater coordination” among county fairs in 2022.

“The Great New York State Fair is a tradition and cultural institution across the state and it has been an honor and a privilege to be part of the dynamic team that runs it. With the support of Governor Hochul and Commissioner Ball, we have made huge strides in growing the Fair,” Waffner said. “I am most excited for the next chapter in working with our agricultural fairs to assist them in marketing, promotion, and programming — these fairs are truly the heartbeat and highlight of agriculture in New York State.”

About Hennessey

The state says Hennessey has a “proven track record of successful management” of employees and systems within public agencies, including administration of large annual budgets and multimillion dollar capital projects. His additional experience as executive board member, booking agent, and spokesperson for the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival gives him “tremendous experience in coordinating and promoting large-scale cultural events such as the Fair.”

“The Great New York State Fair is an iconic attraction known around the world for its focus on entertainment and showing the best of New York agriculture. I am extremely grateful and humbled to be chosen as interim director, and to become a part of the team that makes the magic happen,” Hennessey said. “The team at the Fair is first rate, and I know that my extensive operations and emergency management experience, coupled with my years of volunteer work, will be a great complement to their hard work. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves immediately and get to work with the team to put on the best possible show for fairgoers in 2022.”

Rome Health emergency department receives award of excellence

Health Care, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ROME, N.Y. — The Midstate Regional Emergency Medical Services Council recognized Rome Health at its May 20 annual awards banquet, which celebrates the people and organizations that provide the system of care that supports the community through emergencies. Rome’s emergency department (ED)received the Commissioner of Health’s Award of Excellence for remaining open and accessible even

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Rome’s emergency department (ED)received the Commissioner of Health’s Award of Excellence for remaining open and accessible even as the patient volume surged with each COVID wave.

In his nomination, Paul Taylor, AmCare Ambulance Service, Inc. president and CEO, praised the Rome Health emergency department, under the leadership of Medical Director Andrew Bushnell and Director Kelly West, for never turning away emergency medical services (EMS) units and working quickly to get those units back into service to meet the community’s needs.

“During the pandemic, all facilities were receiving a significant increase in their case loads,” he said in a news release. “Rome Health was no exception. While all Mid-State regional facilities went on ‘diversion’ at some point when their EDs were inundated, Rome Health did not, not once. The comment coming directly from administration was, ‘We are not closing, the community depends on us too much. We are the safety net, and we will not go on diversion.’”

“The emergency department staff went out of their way to clear room for incoming EMS units, knowing that they were the only ambulances available for Rome and the surrounding communities,” Taylor continued. “It was truly a rare occurrence that any patient had to wait on an ambulance stretcher more than 10-15 minutes.”

In 2021, more than 25,500 people received care in Rome Health’s emergency department, a patient volume that was up 9.2 percent over 2020 levels.

The Midstate Regional Emergency Medical Services Council also honored Chris Durfee, RN at Rome Health, as the Emergency Department RN of the Year for consistently holding himself and others to the highest standards.

A nonprofit health-care system based in Rome, Rome Health provides services including primary, specialty, and long-term care. It is an affiliate of St. Joseph’s Health and an affiliated clinical site of New York Medical College.

Hamilton Mayor Loveless elected 2nd VP for NYS Conference of Mayors

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Nonprofits, People on the Move, Regional News, Subscriber Only

HAMILTON, N.Y. — On May 5, at the 113th annual meeting of the New York State Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), the NYCOM membership unanimously elected RuthAnn Loveless, mayor of the Village of Hamilton, to serve as NYCOM second VP for the coming year. “I am honored to have been selected to serve as NYCOM’s Second

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