(Rome, NY – July 23, 2010) “Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is the Chief Executive Officer for the County, and I certainly believe that this decision to hold Medicaid reimbursement payments to New York State is within his jurisdiction as the people’s representative.  I too have read recent media accounts that have mentioned this issue, and the County Executive has to do what he believes is in the best interests of this community.

As Assemblywoman for the Mohawk Valley region, I have made my concerns known to the Executive and Budget Director Robert Megna that all localities should receive the reimbursement payments that they are owed by the State of New York whether that involves health care expenditures, aid to our public schools as well as local assistance aid for our counties, cities and towns.  My Assembly colleagues and I recently voted for a complete and balanced budget so I expect that the monies owed to Oneida County ought to be released as soon as possible.

Director Megna has said that his office will pay these obligations so that county governments especially Oneida are not held hostage to the budget process in Albany.  It is disturbing to know that our county executive has been forced to take this action which is not in anyone’s best interest especially during these difficult economic times.”

As part of our efforts to bring about reform, transparency, and accountability of our New York State Government we support the concept of establishing an independent citizen reapportionment commission to review existing congressional and state legislative district boundaries and to submit recommendations for redistricting to the Legislature for approval, in accordance with the State Constitution. We believe that this reapportionment commission should be comprised of people who are not public officials or their relatives, lobbyists, or political party officeholders.

This independent and non-partisan reapportionment commission would help to insure a fair and competitive election process. This independent citizen reapportionment commission would end the process of gerrymandering; a process which is often used to reward, punish, or protect based upon legislative politics. We support the establishment of district boundaries based upon geographic area including: population, local boundaries, community character, and also with respect to voting rights.

We encourage our elected officials to embrace a bipartisan effort to establish redistricting reform legislation. Only through significant reform of our government processes and structure can we restore the confidence of the voting public.

(Utica, NY) Stephen Frisbee, the Director of College Library Services at Mohawk Valley Community College and winner of MVCC’s inaugural “Aeries Award,” presented the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley with a check for $1,000 on Monday, July 12. The funds will be used to support Willow Commons, a YWCA initiative to help women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.

The $1,000 grant was given to Frisbee to present to the local non-profit of his choice. Frisbee earned this privilege as the winner of MVCC’s Aeries Award, which recognizes a faculty or staff member for dedication in giving back to the community through volunteer service activities. The award was presented to Frisbee at the conclusion of MVCC’s 2009-2010 academic year during the “Hawks Who Soar” employee recognition program. Funding for the grant is provided by the MVCC Foundation, Inc.

The criteria for the Aeries Award call for nominees who are actively involved in the betterment of MVCC’s campuses as well as the community at large. For his part, Frisbee has led several initiatives by MVCC Libraries and the College as a whole and advised the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society in several donation drives and community service projects. He attends nearly every Team MVCC community service event organized by the College and is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and other local organizations.

Frisbee, a New Hartford resident, chose to direct the $1,000 grant to the YWCA to support efforts to end racism and empower women and children.

“I wanted the donation to go to an organization which provides valuable local resources and services to women and children who have been victims of domestic violence,” said Frisbee. “The YWCA’s Willow Commons program is wonderful for providing essential resources, including transitional housing and counseling, to people in need here in the Mohawk Valley.”

Willow Commons is one of many programs offered through the YWCA. Others include direct service for people in sexual crisis, housing services, childcare centers, emergency shelters and violence prevention education.

The new brand strategy – the result of more than two years of analysis and research – was introduced at a National Press Club event that included leaders from the philanthropic and nonprofit communities.  As part of the event, the YMCA unveiled a new, more forward-looking logo that reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the organization, and a framework that focuses resources on three core areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.  In another major change, the nonprofit will be called “the Y” to align with how people most commonly refer to the organization.

“The YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley is truly excited about the new brand strategy and the opportunity to engage more people in the areas of healthy living, social responsibility and youth development,” said Maryalice Golden, director of marketing of the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley.  “There are many exciting changes taking place at the Rome, Oneida and New Hartford Y’s – we are building momentum, and this strategy is getting everyone from our volunteers to our members and donors very excited.”

The Y will begin showcasing the revitalized logo immediately; changing letterhead, marketing materials, etc.

“This August we will be re-finishing the gym floor at the Rome Family Y and the new logo will be a focal point,” said Randy Hirshey, Regional VP of Facilities Management for the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley. Other logos will be changed on an ongoing basis. Ys across the country will fully transition to the new brand within five years.

“This is a very important, exciting time for the Y,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA.  “For 160 years, we’ve focused on changing lives for the better.  Our commitment to building greater awareness for the important work we do will enable us to expand our efforts and further strengthen communities across the country.”

For more information visit us at www.ymcatrivalley.org

The community will have the opportunity to view exciting sculptural contemporary work in a wide range of media created by emerging and mid-career professional visiting artists, Loren Erdrich (Brooklyn, NY), Jimmy Kuehnle (San Antonio, TX), Maria Michails (Bayside, NY), and Joe Winter (Long Island City, NY). These artists have spent up to two months at Sculpture Space making new art.

“The art is original, experimental and cutting edge and always totally intriguing,” said Sydney L. Waller, Sculpture Space executive director. “The artists are articulate, inventive and delightful. They are each so different from one another, demonstrating a broad spectrum of approaches to contemporary art making. We hope the public will enjoy this glimpse into the creative process.”

About the Artists:

The newest arrival to the 34-year-old international artist residency program- that has been attracting professional artists to the Mohawk Valley since 1976- is Joe Winter. Winter received his BA in New Media from Brown University and his MFA in Visual Art from UC San Diego. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Great Britain. During his time at Sculpture Space, Joe Winter will be developing a series of works that treats provisional displays (cork boards, chalk boards, dry erase boards) as devices for measuring the passage of time. His project is in part made possible with a regrant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Loren Erdrich is a multi-disciplinary artist working in video, performance, drawing and sculpture.  She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Painting and Drawing. During her stay in Utica, Loren Erdrich is pursuing a new body of work involving drawings, hand-made objects and performances, which reconcile an interior world of fantasy and emotion with the physical reality of everyday life. Loren has also been working extensively with sheep’s wool, a non-traditional sculptural material.

Jimmy Kuehnle received an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and subsequently researched public art and practiced sculpture as a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellow in Japan. While at Sculpture Space, Kuehnle has constructed a gargantuan inflatable suit “Make it Look Rich”, which strides a thin line between spectacle and the absurd, and will be almost as tall as the building.  Since the suit does not lend to simple categorization, the artist envisions that the viewers’ minds will become vulnerable and therefore open to new thought patterns and ideas. He conducted a trial inflation of the suit on Boiler Maker Road Race weekend, across from Boiler Maker Park.

Maria Michails, originally from Canada, has a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal and an MFA from Arizona State University. Maria Michails is an interdisciplinary artist whose art projects bridge the sciences, engineering and architecture.  Her current research interests focus on the relationship between energy consumption and environmental problems specific to place.  She has exhibited widely in solo and group shows in North America and Europe. During her residency, Maria has used bicycle parts to create human-powered mechanisms that generate electricity to power art works.  She is currently working on a mechanism resembling an old railway handcar. It will power a pump and irrigation system with video for a planter growing native prairie grass. Her project is in part made possible with a regrant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

About Sculpture Space:

Sculpture Space is an international artist in residence program, the only one of its kind in North America. Work created at Sculpture Space is subsequently shown in museums, sculpture parks and galleries around the globe. Sculpture Space is a recent recipient of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award for its non-profit category.

A unique cultural resource within the City of Utica, the Mohawk Valley and Upstate New York, Sculpture Space promotes interaction between international visiting artists and the local community by placing works in the public domain, hosting studio tours, and collaborating with other organizations to exhibit artists’ projects. Several hundred artists apply annually. Twenty national and international artists are accepted each year to enjoy two-month residencies. They receive stipends, subsidized housing, 24-hour access to the studio and technical assistance. The program is in part made possible with support from the NYS Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts (which believes that a great nation deserves great art), the Milton and Sally Avery Foundation, area foundations and corporations and generous friends.

For further information, please call 315-724-8381 or visit www.sculpturespace.org.

According to their web site (mohawkvalleyghosthunters.com), “The Mohawk Valley Ghost Hunters Society is a group of individuals who work on a scientific basis & seek out paranormal activity associated with ghosts.”  In March 2010 the historical society welcomed the Ghost Hunters into its facility, where the group conducted a thorough investigation, using both audio and video recording equipment.

The Oneida County Historical Society is located at 1608 Genesee Street in Utica.  For more information, call the society at 735-3642 or visit the OCHS web site, www.oneidacountyhistory.org.  All exhibit galleries will remain open during this event.

(Utica, NY) On July 16, local fashion designers will have the chance to display their creations – all for a good cause – as E.V.A. Promotions holds their first-ever Second Chance Couture Fashion Show, with all proceeds to benefit Rebuilding Together Mohawk Valley, or RTMV.

The event, which will be held at Club O2 on Bleecker Street in Utica, will feature the exclusive works of local clothing designers Heather Neil and Harley Jones, both of Iamme Designs.

“But there’s a twist to this design show,” said Eva Sarsfield, owner of E.V.A. Promotions and event coordinator. “The participants will be required to create their fashions from vintage clothing.” Sarsfield explained that the designers will take used clothing that has been donated by second-hand stores and recreate it into new designs.

“We have some very exciting fashions that will be unveiled for the first time at this show,” said Sarsfield. “It should be interesting to see what our up-and-coming designers create.” She said that in addition to the fashions on display, there will also be a scotch and three-olive drink tasting, live music provided by S-Dot of KISS FM, and hors d’oeuvres provided by the Huddle on Main of Waterville.

“We felt that RTMV was the perfect organization to benefit from this,” Sarsfield said. “This fashion show is all about “upcycling” – taking old items and making them like new again – and that’s exactly what RTMV does for our neighborhoods.”

For example, RTMV most recently made extensive repairs to the home of a Utica veteran, which included a new roof, new exterior paint, and a fully renovated kitchen.

“We’re very excited that E.V.A. Promotions is holding this benefit for us,” said RTMV President Matt Wilson. “We truly hope this event makes people want to learn more about RTMV and become involved.”

Tickets to the show are limited, and can be purchased for $25 at the Saranac Brewery, the Green Onion Pub, the Tramontane Café, and Café Domenico, or by contacting E.V.A. Promotions at 717-8594. The event will begin at 9 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. All proceeds from the show will benefit Rebuilding Together Mohawk Valley.

About Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together Mohawk Valley continues to generate support for low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled, members of the military, veterans and their families by providing home repairs, improvements or modifications. To find out more about Rebuilding Together Mohawk Valley, how to refer a family or how you can help please visit www.rebuildingtogethermv.org, or e-mail info@rebuildingtogethermv.org.

(Rome, NY – July 8, 2010) Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito (D-Rome) is reminding Utica and Rome taxpayers that the deadline to apply for Basic and Enhanced STAR property tax savings is approaching.  For the city of Utica, the deadline is August 1 and for the city of Rome, it is July 27.

“Basic and Enhanced STAR can provide Mohawk Valley taxpayers with a big break on their property taxes,” Destito said. “I encourage homeowners to apply for these savings by the deadline.”

The Basic STAR exemption is available for owner-occupied, primary residences regardless of the owners’ ages or incomes.  Originally, the Basic STAR program worked by exempting the first $30,000 of the full value of a home from school taxes and the Enhanced STAR worked by exempting the first $46,000 of the full value of a home from school taxes.

When equalization amounts are taken into account, the Basic STAR program works by exempting the first $22,960 in the City of Utica of the full value of a home from school taxes and in the City of Rome by exempting the first $22,830 of the full value of a home from school taxes.

Enhanced STAR is available to homeowners who will turn 65 by the end of 2010 and have 2008 federal adjusted gross income up to $74,700.  Based upon 2009 rates, most homeowners in Utica who have Basic STAR save approximately $567 a year on their property taxes, while Enhanced STAR saves homeowners roughly $1139.  Similarly in Rome, the average savings for homeowners is approximately $615 for Basic STAR and $1231 for Enhanced STAR.

Applications for Basic or Enhanced STAR can be downloaded at the New York State Office of Real Property Services Web site at orps.state.ny.us/star.

Once you are approved for Basic STAR, you do not have to reapply unless you move to a new primary residence.  However, if you have Basic STAR and are turning 65, you have to complete a separate application for Enhanced STAR because it is based upon income levels.  If a senior citizen enrolls in the Income Verification Program (IVP), they would not have to reapply despite a change in their income that would trigger the need to reapply in the first place.

“In these difficult economic times STAR property tax savings will provide homeowners with much-needed relief,” Destito said. “Residents can contact my office for assistance or to ask questions.”

(Utica, NY) The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, Inc. partnered with 19 area not-for-profit organizations during the first half of 2010. The Foundation awarded grants totaling $367,395 to enhance the organizations’ services to local residents. The Foundation awarded the following grants:

• To make recreational and competitive sports more available to people with disabilities, Charles T. Sitrin Health Care Center, Inc., in partnership with the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Upstate Cerebral Palsy, will use a $36,262 grant to expand the CNY Adaptive Recreation and Sports Program.
• A $60,000 grant will allow the Children’s Museum to replace a leaky roof with green technology materials, providing a safe and sustainable space for the families of Central New York to visit.
• Compassion Coalition used a grant in the amount of $10,000 to expand and better promote their services to local residents.
• Veterans share an experience that others can only imagine. Sometimes, adjusting to life after combat – whether two months or 20 years later – is difficult. Compeer of the Mohawk Valley, Inc. will partner with Utica Center for Development to offer a “Vet 2 Vet” mentoring program that matches volunteers with veterans requesting support.
• Community gardens benefit neighborhoods by promoting interaction, creating beautiful spaces and providing nutritious food. Cornerstone Community Church received a grant for $8,065 in order to create such a garden for the residents in the vicinity of Oneida Square in Utica.

• Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. put a $25,000 grant to work by investing in employee training to improve the care they provide to patients and their families.
• The House of the Good Shepherd will have a wellness program for the children and families in their care thanks to a $33,000 grant.
• Imagine being in a country where you did not know the language well, yet had to navigate the legal system to get your new life in order. It is an intimidating proposition and one that Multi-Cultural Association of Medical Interpreters of Central NY, Inc. will help alleviate by using a $2,500 grant to expand its certified court interpreter program.
• Peacemaker Program, Inc. used a $21,256 to upgrade computer equipment, which will allow them to run their office and their programs more efficiently.
• Rome’s Rising Stars Soccer Club received a grant of $2,300 to build a picnic pavilion to better accommodate groups and students on field trips.
• Our region is home to many halls of fame. They are points of pride in the community that showcase how far hard work and dedication can take a person. The Rome Sports Hall of Fame & Museum used a $7,824 grant to preserve and upgrade exhibits that demonstrate these values.
• Technology improves the lives of people in nursing homes in ways that are not always obvious. St. Joseph’s Nursing Home is implementing an electronic medical records system that will increase accuracy and efficiency and allow staff to provide the best care to residents.
• Sculpture Space is home to an internationally renowned artist-in-residence program. Many of these artists are from outside Upstate New York and need accommodations during their time here. Thanks to a $13,862 grant, the organization can renovate a residence to house those in the program.
• Every child deserves the opportunity to play outside in fresh air and sunshine. Thanks to a $20,900 grant, Thea Bowman House, Inc. will be able to renovate its playground area so the children enrolled in programs there can do just that.
• Town of Webb Historical Association will be able to hire an intern to archive and preserve materials documenting the town’s history with a grant of $9,895.

• A home is a major investment, and understanding the various types of financing is very important. UNHS NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center will use a $16,250 grant to expand its reverse mortgage counseling program in order to help people manage finances related to their homes wisely.
• Utica College’s Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program received $5,000 as the recipient of The Community Foundation’s 2010 Community Impact Award. The funds will be put toward the program, which includes extra classes, field trips and college visits for the high school students in the program.
• The Van Hornesville Community Corporation will be able to serve the public during the cold winter months at its community center, thanks to a grant of $9,375 to replace outdated furnaces in their two buildings.
• Public television provides quality programming while remaining independent of advertisers. In order to ensure that Central New Yorkers can still access shows such as Sesame Street and Nature, WCNY TV/24 will use a $25,000 grant to purchase equipment that will enhance their coverage in the Utica area.

The Community Foundation has been a force for improving lives and promoting philanthropy throughout Herkimer and Oneida counties since 1952. The Foundation has made more than 4,300 grants totaling over $35 million in support of causes ranging from education to health care, the arts to the environment. Grants are generated by the more than 270 funds that comprise The Foundation’s endowment, established and advanced by area individuals and families.

For more information about The Community Foundation, call 315-735-8212 or visit www.foundationhoc.org.

(Utica, NY) United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica area will hold a forum on July 14, at the 270 Genesee Street office from 8:30 to 10:00 AM. The purpose of the event is to present recently completed research on the most pressing issues facing the Mohawk Valley community and lay the foundation for building solution based partnerships.

“We know there are many complex and converging factors that are impacting children, families and individuals in Herkimer and Oneida Counties,” said Executive Director, Phil Hayne.  “For more than a year we convened volunteer panels of area experts and created an environment that allowed a laser focus on the needs that impact the most people in our community.” Hayne added, “At the same time our United Way formed an alliance with Mohawk Valley EDGE and The Community Foundation to fund the indicators’ project and community website www.hocindicators.org <http://www.hocindicators.org>, which provides data about our region in ten important subject areas and is accessible to the entire community. This combination of expertise and sound data provides a solid foundation for United Way to lead the way by ensuring programs are collaborative, effective, meet the greatest need and produce measurable solutions.”“Outcomes from the forum will support our mission to promote individual well-being, strengthen families and improve the quality of life in our community,” said Hayne.  “We are proud of what has been accomplished through our donors and volunteers for 88 years, and are committed to achieving even more for the community we serve.”

The event is geared to Oneida and Herkimer County area leaders of social services programs, initiatives and organizations not currently receiving United Way funding. Seating is limited; please call 315.733.4691 ext. 240 to register on or before Friday, July 9.