Weekly top reads: Owasco golf course sold, Elbridge pizza shop owner pleads not guilty (2024)

When 13-year-old Joseph Wade Czyz was located after a two-day search in Owasco last week, relief quickly gave way to questions.

Why were police bloodhounds and a helicopter being used to find this local youth but few, if any, of the others who go missing?

And how did the teen manage to enter Owasco Elementary School and elude searchers from under their noses for almost two days?

The answers, The Citizen has found, involve several unique and unlikely circ*mstances. Among them, Joseph "basically just disappeared without a trace,"Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said.

When most youths go missing, authorities have reason to believe they ran away to a friend's home or another familiar destination. But Joseph's disappearance was so unique, Schenck told The Citizen, because he didn't have a history of running away. The teen didn't have a cellphone, either. His parents, Joshua and Rachel Czyz, posted on Facebook that he didn't even take any of his shoes.

"If we had evidence to suggest he was a runaway or he had a place to go, certainly he wouldn't have gotten that much attention," the sheriff said. "It was just a unique situation."

Without any indication that Joseph was intentionally hiding, as authorities would learn when they found him, they had to consider the possibility he was a victim of abduction or another form of foul play. That's why, after he went missing from his family's Owasco home the night of Monday, Aug. 14, Schenck's office was joined by a New York State Police K-9 unit to canvass the neighborhood the next day.

As the search intensified, the missing teen received significant interest on social media. The Facebook post from the sheriff's office announcing the disappearance was shared more than 5,000 times. While that interest led hundreds of volunteers to help with the search, Schenck stressed that it did not influence the search itself — nor did Joshua Czyz's role as chaplain for the sheriff's office.

"(That) did not trigger a different response than would have been given for any other child missing under the same circ*mstances," Schenck said.

That Wednesday, the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office's Air 1 helicopter swept the area as Cayuga County Highland Search and Rescue and others searched and handed out fliers. But it was the criminal investigation division of Schenck's office that traced Joseph to Owasco Elementary that evening, the sheriff said, by determining he was accessing the internet from a school in the Auburn district.

"Being in that area, we went to search the school for him, and sure enough we found him," Schenck said. "Looking back, people might say that was a lot of resources to find a kid who wasn't very far from his own house when he was found, but we didn't know that at the time. ... Had we found that he did in fact meet foul play, or was being held against his will, would the question be — did we do enough?"

Joseph entered Owasco Elementary by jimmying a window, Auburn Enlarged City School District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo told The Citizen. A security camera recorded him working on the window's lock for about five minutes before breaking it. But the school's alarm system was disarmed at the time due to capital projects underway there, including an upgrade to that very alarm system.

For the same reason, Pirozzolo continued, the teen's presence in the halls for two days didn't set off any motion sensors. No staff was at the school on those days, either, because the county sheriff's office was holding a school resource officer training. If the janitors were there, the superintendent said, they likely would have spotted the food wrappers Joseph left in the teacher's lounge.

"I don't want people breaking into our buildings. But at least the school provided an environment that kept him safe," Pirozzolo said. "I'm just so glad it was a happy ending."

A Rochester metal band featuring an Auburn native on vocals will celebrate the release of its latest album this weekend.

Perspectives, a "nu core" band whose influences include Slipknot and The Acacia Strain, released the album "Coalescence" last week.

Moosic Entertainment said in a review, "From blistering riffs to emotional hooks, they've not only created a solid album but also a space for listeners to grapple with mental health, authenticity, and the struggles of life. ... 'Coalescence' deserves a prime spot on your playlist. Perspectives has truly etched their mark in the world of metal with this release, and it's a journey well worth experiencing."

The band will play an album release party at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, and will also play at Hallowfest on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Sharkey's Bar & Grill in Liverpool.

Formed in August 2018, Perspectives features Auburn native Brian Hart on vocals. "Coalescence" is the band's first full-length album with Chad Douglas of A Greater Danger on vocals as well.

Hart joined the band last year, he told The Citizen.

"I used to be a 300-pound kid with a silly dream and now that dream is slowly becoming a reality," he said. "You can follow your dreams anywhere you live no matter who you are."

Perspectives will embark on its Initis Novis Tour in October with Dread Engine, stopping in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Columbus and more.

"Coalescence" is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

For more information on Perspectives and "Coalescence," visit facebook.com/perspectivesnys.

Getting to Aurora Brewing Co. used to mean going out of your way.

The brewery's original Ledyard taproom, overlooking Cayuga Lake since 2015, is 30 minutes from Auburn and 30 minutes from Ithaca. Most of its customers travel at least that long for a pint or two.

Meanwhile, Aurora has been winning fans from afar by distributing and, for a time, directly shipping its hazy IPAs, heavily fruited sours and other styles ranging from the traditional to the experimental.

Last week, the Cayuga County brewery learned just how many fans it has won when it opened a second taproom somewhere people don't have to go out of their way to get to: the Rochester hamlet of Bushnell's Basin. Located along the Erie Canal and between the bustling suburbs of Perinton, Victor and Pittsford, the hamlet alone has more than five times as many people as the village of Aurora.

Aurora co-owner Mark Grimaldi told The Citizen that customers have been calling, messaging and even coming through the doors of the new location, previously Seven Story Brewing, for months.

"We can't believe how many fans we actually have that we didn't really know about. A lot of them didn't travel down to Aurora that much," he said. "People are hungry for our beer and that's awesome."

Grimaldi said he and Aurora co-owner Joe Shelton had been looking to open a second location for years. After sharing that intention with Rochester beer writer Will Cleveland in a March interview, they learned about the opportunity to lease the former Seven Story. The remodeled farmhouse-style building and hamlet are "beautiful," Grimaldi continued, in addition to seeing robust foot and vehicle traffic.

The Bushnell's Basin location has 10 taps of Aurora beer, plus a Czech side-pull faucet that gives the brewery's lagers a foamier head. Grimaldi, Shelton and their team are not producing any beer there, but they will bring fresh kegs from Ledyard every week. They also plan beer releases exclusive to that location. Rounding out the beverage menu are wines, co*cktails, ciders and nonalcoholic options.

Food is limited to snacks for now, but that menu will expand to small plates and, eventually, a kitchen if the space can fit one. Adding lunch and dinner six days a week to Aurora's Ledyard taproom has business "absolutely cranking" there, Grimaldi noted. Until then, he and Shelton will consider hosting food trucks in Bushnell's Basin, and customers are encouraged to have takeout delivered there.

The Aurora owners have even more ambitious plans for outside. If the necessary permits can be obtained, this spring they hope to open a large canalside area with fire pits, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Bands could play at a nearby dock, and a tap shack could serve customers beer without them having to walk back to the taproom. As Grimaldi knows all too well, such travel can be discouraging.

"We're really happy to be in this area," he said. "It's a nice addition to our business and the people have been overwhelmingly positive."

Officials in Sempronius have agreed to take corrective action after a state audit revealed that the town had approved $1.4 million in property tax exemptions without collecting all of the required documentation.

A report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the Cayuga County town's assessor "did not properly administer all of the real property tax exemptions reviewed and did not ensure applicants provided documentation required to grant an exemption or maintain the documentation."

The audit showed that the assessor granted 278 exemptions on the 2022 assessment roll, collectively reducing the town’s 2023 taxable assessed value by approximately $6.2 million.

A review of the supporting documentation for 58 property tax exemptions, which included agricultural, veteran, senior citizen and other exemptions totaling approximately $2.7 million, found that 32 of them (55%) totaling approximately $1.4 million in town-exempted assessed value lacked one or more pieces of supporting documentation to verify eligibility and the accuracy of the exemption calculation.

Because each exemption impacts the tax roll, the report said, a miscalculated or inappropriately granted exemption can cause inequity among taxpayers.

The report said that exemptions granted may have lacked the original application, soil group worksheet, income support, proof of age or property information.

The key recommendations highlighted in the audit include:

• Ensuring applicants provide supporting documentation before granting exemptions, retaining documentation to support eligibility and periodically verifying that those granted exemptions qualify.

• Reviewing data entered in the real property tax system periodically to ensure accuracy.

Town officials responded to the audit by saying they agreed with the findings and plan to initiate corrective action.

The Elbridge pizza shop owner arrested earlier this month on a charge of forcibly touching a minor there has pleaded not guilty.

Sotirios "Sam" Gotsis, 57, pleaded not guilty to the class A misdemeanor as well as a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, also a class A misdemeanor, in Elbridge Town Court on Monday.

Gotsis was arrested by state police Aug. 4 for allegedly having sexual contact with "a female under the age of 17" at his restaurant, Dimitri's Pizza, located in Elbridge Plaza at the time, on June 15.

An order of protection for the victim was issued Monday.

According to a copy of the arrest report provided to The Citizen, the victim was an employee of Dimitri's since September 2022 whom Gotsis allegedly touched in an inappropriate manner "constantly," such as rubbing her thigh, pulling her onto his lap and putting his hand on her hip, beginning the following January.

On June 15, the victim said in a deposition, Gotsis allegedly took her to the new Dimitri's location on 1124 Route 5 in Elbridge. While there he grabbed her inappropriately for about 30 seconds and tried to kiss her. When she told him that she didn't like what he was doing, Gotsis allegedly gave her $100 and said "don't tell anybody."

Gotsis is scheduled to next appear in court on Oct. 16.

After more than 100 years, Lakeview Golf & Country Club in the town of Owasco will host its last putt this fall.

The scenic golf course will next host paintings, as it has been purchased by the nonprofit West Lake Art Conservation Center. The $1.45 million sale closed today.

West Lake will make Lakeview's 13,500-square-foot clubhouse its new headquarters, said Holland Gregg, chair of the center's board of directors. That will occupy about eight of the club's 250 acres. But most of the land, Gregg told The Citizen, will be sold to the town of Owasco later this year and turned into a park and nature preserve with hiking trails.

The center made the purchase thanks to a gift of more than $1 million from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, which Gregg called "a key supporter" of West Lake. The foundation, a philanthropic arm of Inns of Aurora founder Pleasant Rowland, has no financial stake in the nonprofit and therefore no ownership of the 6642 E. Lake Road property, Gregg noted.

West Lake will lease Lakeview to previous owners John and Cindilee Mendillo through the end of the season, Gregg continued, so golf can continue until then.The Mendillos wanted to focus on running their bowling alley, Starlite Lanes in Aurelius, as they approach retirement age. Formerly Auburn Golf & Country Club, the 18-hole course opened in 1916.

The purchase is part of a succession plan, Gregg continued. The nonprofit is the next phase of West Lake Conservators, a company founded by Susan S. Blakney in Skaneateles in 1975. The company will be formally absorbed by the center this fall, and its handful of world-class conservators will begin working in Owasco after the clubhouse is repurposed.

Along with conserving paintings and other works of art, West Lake staff works with old photos and documents. Their work will be "more public-facing" in Owasco than it was in Skaneateles, Gregg said, as the nonprofit wants to become more educational in nature. Plans include relationships with local universities and museums, school tours and a small gallery.

"We want to become a centrally located resource center ... a home base statewide where people can learn how this industry works," Gregg said. "It's a fascinating craft, and we think the public will really get something out of learning how this works. It's about promoting our cultural heritage and making sure critical and important pieces of art are preserved."

Gregg continued, "This is a true win for Auburn, the town of Owasco and the art and cultural heritage communities throughout New York state."

The project will cost $1.7 million overall, with additional support coming from the Regional Economic Development Council. The Cayuga Economic Development Agency assisted West Lake as well.

The nonprofit will receive another $900,000 from the town of Owasco in October, when it buys 232 acres of the club for a different type of conservation project.

Owasco Supervisor Ed Wagner told The Citizen the town wants to protect the wetlands on the course, as well as Willow Brook, which runs through the property and into Owasco Lake. Meanwhile, Wagner said the dry areas are ideal for recreation, with old growth trees and miles of golf cart paths that can easily become walking or snowshoeing paths.

But water quality and recreation weren't the town's only reasons for the purchase. Officials also learned a solar farm developer was interested in the land, Wagner said.

"They were going to cover all 250 acres in solar panels," he said. "We didn't think that was an appropriate use of recreational land."

The town of Owasco, and West Lake, had additional competition for the golf course fromformer Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, whopurchaseda $6 million home on Skaneateles Lake in 2020.

At the town board's June 22 meeting, Wagner said Newsted submitted a $1.45 million offer for Lakeview the day after an initial $1.3 million offer from West Lake. Upon consulting with the Rowland foundation, Wagner continued, the nonprofit raised its offer to $1.45 million as well, and won the bidding war because the Mendillos "wanted us to get it."

Half of the $900,000 the town will pay for the property will come from cash reserves or bonding, Wagner said. The other half, he hopes, will come from a grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The town sought assistance with applying for it from the Finger Lakes Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy.

Wagner added that the town of Owasco does not anticipate the park and preserve creating any significant expenses nor requiring any new personnel.

"We're just trying to protect the natural beauty of the land and protect the lake," he said. "It's a premier location."

After returning last year for the first time in almost a decade, AuroraFest will once again be held this weekend.

The village of Aurora's traditional late summer celebration will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26. The theme of this year's festival is "Grateful Dead or Alive," inspired by the Dead & Company anniversary concert at Cornell University in May. Some members of the band stayed in the Cayuga Lake village that month, festival organizers told The Citizen.

In keeping with the theme, wearing tie-dye or Grateful Dead clothing will be encouraged. There will be a tie-dye station at the festival, as well as AuroraFest bandanas available to purchase.

AuroraFest events will begin with yoga and a run at 9 a.m. in the Wells College Boathouse on Main Street. The Aurora Farmers Market, with crafters, food and other vendors, will begin there at 10 a.m.

The traditional George and Gloria Peter Parade will line up at 2 p.m. and begin at 3 p.m. at the Aurora Fire Department, and proceed down Main Street to Wells. It will feature Grateful Dead-themed floats, marching bands (including official Buffalo Bills drumline DownBeat Percussion), the Wells stagecoach, classic cars, community members and more. A goddess and a cricket for the parade will once again be named, inspired by the story of the goddess Aurora and the prince she asked Zeus to grant eternal life. Though immortal, the prince continued to age, so she turned him into a cricket out of pity.

As the parade concludes, the AuroraFest celebration will take place at the AA Field at Wells College from 4 to 9 p.m. There will be field games like a pie eating contest and sack races, food trucks Pete's Treats, Pizzeria Azzurri and Muzzi's D'Italia Ice, beverages by Grisamore Cider Works and Treleaven and Bright Leaf wineries, and snacks provided by the Southern Cayuga boys soccer program.

Performing live music at the celebration will beSteam Boiler Works from 4 to 4:30 p.m., Flea Circus from 5 to 7 p.m. and Cruise Control from 7 to 9 p.m.

Then, from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, Peter Palooza will serve as a finale for AuroraFest at 461 Main St. in the village. The event will include live music by Radio London, of Ithaca, with a surprise guest recording artist. There will also be free food and beverages, and more can be brought. The event is named after the late George and Gloria Peter, both prolifically active community members.

Admission and parking for AuroraFest is free and open to the public.

For more information, to register as a vendor, to enter the parade or to learn about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities at the festival, email aurorafestcommittee@gmail.com.

A major business in Cayuga County will benefit from record funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission that was included in the 2021 federal infrastructure law.

The Cayuga County Water and Sewer Authority will receive $605,385 for a water infrastructure project at the county industrial park. The project will install more than 5,000 feet of water line to increase capacity by 1 million gallons per day.

Cayuga Milk Ingredients, the industrial park's main tenant, needs the additional water capacity for its $170 million expansion project. The milk plant, which opened in 2014, has needed improved wastewater infrastructure because of limited capacity.

The latest funding is in addition to another federal grant that was awarded in 2022. The Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency received $1.1 million to construct a new wastewater pumping station.

The Northern Border Regional Commission awarded nearly $11 million for 12 projects in upstate New York, the largest annual investment since the program was established in 2008.

According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office, the commission invested more than 28 million to support over 60 projects in a 12-year period, from 2010 to 2022. Last year, the commission provided $5.8 million for upstate New York projects.

Schumer, D-N.Y., noted that the increased funding is from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan law that was signed in 2021. The legislation included $150 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership that supports economic development in upstate New York, Vermont and parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

This year, the commission had up to $45 million in grants available for economic development projects, including $20 million from the infrastructure law.

"I fought to deliver historic increases for the (Northern Border Regional Commission) because I knew that would deliver unprecedented funding for communities across New York, and now communities from Watertown to Plattsburgh are reaping the rewards," Schumer said. "This is a big win for upstate New York, and it is only the beginning."

The largest grant awarded in this round of funding for upstate New York is $2.4 million to support broadband deployment in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Cayuga County has benefited from Northern Border Regional Commission funding in the past. In 2021, Wells College in Aurora was awarded $1 million for water plant upgrades.

A man has been arrested for allegedly exposing himself to a woman in a parking lot in the village of Cato.

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday that Jeremy J. Wagner, 28, of Victory, was arrested by the office's Patrol Division on Aug. 9. He was charged with public lewdness, a class B misdemeanor.

Wagner is alleged to have exposed himself to a woman at a business parking lot in the village on Aug. 7, the sheriff's office said.

Wagner was processed at the Cayuga County Public Safety Building, issued a mandated appearance ticket and released. He was due to appear in town court at 6 p.m. Monday.

The sheriff's office encourages anyone with more information on the incident or similar incidents to contact Deputy Ashley Lawson at (315) 253-1222. Tips can also be left at cayugacounty.us/452/send-a-tip.

Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Many thanks to Tom and Melissa Geherin for sharing this story!

College had just finished, two years at Erie Community College preceded by two years at Auburn Community College — never thinking I would end up as a licensed optician or have a packing and shipping store called Cases Unlimited, yet here I am 46 years later and going strong.

I was perfectly content managing Friendly’s on North Street with late nights that usually ended with a couple of beers at Curley’s and plenty of Jim Dandy sundaes and Fribbles — when, out of the blue, I was approached to buy the franchise. I went to my father, Jack Geherin, who was quite the entrepreneur himself, owning several businesses in Auburn, including: Geherin’s Music, Diet Workshop, Cut & Curl, and Tail of a Whale Car Wash, to name a few. He never entered a business opportunity lightly. I went to him with my franchise offer and he sat me down with a yellow legal pad and he drew a line down the center with two columns: one "pro" and one "con." He told me to take my time and fill in each column. Well, that didn’t take a lot of time, as the cons outweighed the pros. With that opportunity off the table and money saved from my stint at Friendly’s, the paper route that my brothers Mark and Chris ran with me, a lawn service and of course my first Communion money, I bought an eight-door checkered limousine from Corning Glass and traveled for six weeks across the country with three of my closest friends. That trip came to an end after hitting a 1,200-pound elk in the middle of the night in Wyoming. And so, off to college I went to receive a degree as a licensed optician.

It was 1977, I had landed a job with Henry Renkin over in Syracuse, and I was off to a great start. I was only there six months when I was at the Owasco Member-Guest and my father’s friend Jerry Kirshberg came to swing the clubs and share in some laughs. Sitting at the bar, Jerry had suggested to my father that I should buy into a franchise called California Optical Leather, which sold eyeglass accessories. Cases Unlimited was established after hammering out the details over a round of golf and a couple of Manhattans at Owasco Country Club.

My parent’s garage on Rockingham Road became my new warehouse. They graciously parked their car in the road while 18-wheelers would navigate through that small neighborhood to deliver my inventory of reading glasses, cases, cleaning cloths and a multitude of eyeglass accessories. I hit the road every day as I had the entire East Coast from western Pennsylvania through the New England states. I was selling faster than I could get inventory and business was booming when my parents dropped the bomb on me: They wanted to park in the garage again.

After a short time, I was able to find a space from my friend (who shall remain nameless, as we are friends to this day) renting the third floor of his building. Business was not slowing down, and I was never home during the week — life was good. Then, one Friday, I pulled into town and went to check on my inventory. There it was a massive lock and a notice from the New York State Department of Taxation — the building had been seized! Not to worry, Jack Geherin had connections, and I was able to retrieve my inventory — the problem was, I only had 28 days.

Pat Picciano, another friend and local real estate agent, found me the perfect spot: the old Dares Radio had just gone out, it was 1985, and Cases Unlimited found its new home. It was a great spot on Main Street USA (aka Genesee Street). Business was so good, I had to hire Libby Nali to help with order fulfillment. She would put the orders together while I was on the road, and UPS and FedEx would pick them up. My father would often come by with gifts that he wanted to send to my Aunt Mary, and so UPS and FedEx would pick them up too.

Libby’s husband, Billy, had retired from UPS and suggested that since I was shipping the accessories and Aunt Mary’s gifts, that I should look into becoming an authorized shipper for both companies and pack and ship things for the people of Auburn. With that new addition to my business, I decided to hire sales representatives so I could stay at the store to manage things. It was a great decision as we got busier and busier, especially at Christmastime.

One day in 1992, Pat came into my store and asked me to take a ride, not knowing we were driving up the street to the old Carrols restaurant, which was being used by Domino's. Pat convinced me this would be a great new location for me. He was right: I now had a big building with offstreet parking with a resurrected large warehouse in the back. Sam’s Shoe Service moved off Market Street and bought the first store from me, and they are still at that same location today.

What a fantastic ride it has been for me — 46 years with a successful business right here in my hometown of Auburn. I am still in the optical business, and continue to send out quarterly catalogs to my optical customers. As for the shipping portion of the business, we have shipped so many things:

• Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies

• Car engines

• A grandfather clock from Yale

• So many Christmas gifts to loved ones

• One time, a Picasso to Christie’s Auction House in New York City!

I do hope to retire soon and let someone with the same “vision” I have take it to the next level. I could not have been successful without the help of my parents, perseverance and determination. Most of all, I could not have done it without all of those in the community who entrusted Cases Unlimited over the past several years. Thank you!

Hooray for Cases Unlimited and Tom and Melissa Geherin — you are Legends of Auburn!