Berkshire Bank to sell East Syracuse branch to Pathfinder

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It’s also selling nine other New York state branches to other financial institutions EAST SYRACUSE — Boston–based Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc., (NYSE: BHLB) announced it

New York home sales slip nearly 4 percent in January

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

But pending sales, home prices rise ALBANY — New York realtors sold 7,203 previously owned homes in January, down 3.8 percent from the 7,486 existing homes they sold in January 2023. However, pending sales rose almost 9 percent, foreshadowing a rebound in closed home sales in the next couple of months, according to the monthly

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But pending sales, home prices rise

ALBANY — New York realtors sold 7,203 previously owned homes in January, down 3.8 percent from the 7,486 existing homes they sold in January 2023.

However, pending sales rose almost 9 percent, foreshadowing a rebound in closed home sales in the next couple of months, according to the monthly housing report that the New York Association of Realtors (NYSAR) issued on Feb. 22.

“Low housing inventory continued to slow the New York housing market and with interest rates still fluctuating near 6.5 percent, 2024 began much the same as 2023 ended in the Empire State,” NYSAR said to open its news release about the January housing report. “New year, same story for New York State housing to start 2024” was the headline that NYSAR used for the release.

Interest rates moved marginally lower from December 2023 to January 2024 in month-over-month comparisons. NYSAR cites Freddie Mac as indicating the average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped from 6.82 percent in December to 6.64 percent in January. For comparison, a year earlier, the interest rate stood at 6.27 percent.

New York housing data

The inventory of homes available for sale across the Empire State totaled 35.492 in January, a decline of 10.2 percent from the January 2023 figure of 39,544.

New listings of homes dipped 1.5 percent to 9,279 this January from 9,423 a year prior, per NYSAR.

Pending sales in New York state totaled 7,221 in January, an increase of 8.9 percent from the 6,629 pending home sales in the same month in 2023, the data shows.

Amid continued tight inventory, home prices jumped. The January 2024 statewide median sales price was $400,000, up 9.6 percent from the January 2023 median sales price of $365,000.

The months’ supply of homes for sale at the end of January stood at 3.9 months, unchanged from the end of January 2023, per the association’s monthly report. A 6 month to 6.5-month supply is considered a balanced market, NYSAR said.

All home-sales data is compiled from multiple-listing services in New York, and it includes townhomes and condominiums in addition to existing single-family homes, according to NYSAR.

Timing was right for Symphoria name change to Syracuse Orchestra

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The group performed for 11 years as Symphoria but is now moving forward as The Syracuse Orchestra. Executive director Pam Murchinson said the “timing was right to once again, make it clear that our symphony orchestra belongs to the local community.” The performing-arts organization made the announcement on Feb. 17 prior to its

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Calling all entrepreneurs: SBA’s T.H.R.I.V.E. business-training program seeks applicants

Small Business

SYRACUSE — Interested entrepreneurs can now apply to participate in the T.H.R.I.V.E. program through the Syracuse-Upstate New York district office of the U.S. Small Business

ConMed to pay Q1 cash dividend in early April

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

ConMed Corp. (NYSE: CNMD), a surgical-device maker with roots in the Utica region, says its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 20 cents per share for the first quarter of this year. The dividend is payable on April 5, to all shareholders of record as of March 15. At the company’s

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Coughlin & Gerhart relocates Bainbridge office

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BAINBRIDGE — Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP started the month of March with a short move to a new office down the street in Bainbridge in Chenango County. The move better positions the law firm to serve its clients in the area, Rachel Abbott, the firm’s managing partner, says. Coughlin & Gerhart moved out of its

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BAINBRIDGE — Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP started the month of March with a short move to a new office down the street in Bainbridge in Chenango County.

The move better positions the law firm to serve its clients in the area, Rachel Abbott, the firm’s managing partner, says. Coughlin & Gerhart moved out of its old office on March 1 and opened in the new one on March 4.

The new office at 109 N. Main St. is just one-tenth of a mile away from the prior location at 29 N. Main St. but offers much more to both the firm and its clients, she says.

The law firm’s lease at its old space was up, Abbott says, so Coughlin & Gerhart began looking around just to see what else was out there. While functional, the former space in a renovated house included stairs and didn’t include off-street parking.

The new office, which shares space with Germond Chiropractic Healthcare and Wellness Center, has a stepless entry and a wheelchair ramp along with a better office flow for the law firm, Abbott says.

“This is just a better space for the clients to come to,” she notes.

Along with improved visibility, the new Bainbridge office also includes ample on-site parking, making things easier for staff and clients alike.

On top of that, the new office is bigger, providing room for the growing practice, Abbott says. Since the Bainbridge office opened around 2011, it has doubled in size.

“For a small, rural area, we’ve actually grown quite a bit,” she says. The firm has doubled the number of attorneys from two to four and also has three paralegals and three secretaries on staff.

Abbott attributes the office’s growth to several factors, including Coughlin & Gerhart’s client-focused, community-driven value system.

“A lot of attorneys are retiring and closing their offices,” she adds. New attorneys also seem reluctant to set up shop in more rural areas.

Coughlin & Gerhart is more than happy to fill that void, Abbott says, bringing its full array of legal services to Bainbridge and surrounding areas. The firm’s practice areas include business and banking, litigation and trial, labor and employment, real estate, trusts and estates, accident and injury, workers’ compensation and disability, and public law.

While small, the Bainbridge office is usually bustling, Abbott notes. “It’s got a lot of energy.” The office sees a lot of foot traffic with clients frequently popping in to drop off paperwork or request an appointment. Each year, the Bainbridge office opens anywhere from 750 to 1,000 files a year, although some of those may be for repeat clients, she says.

“You never know who might show up on a given day with a legal issue,” Abbott says.

Although it boasts a small-town feel, the Bainbridge office has the full Coughlin & Gerhart firm and the expertise of its more than 50 attorneys across all its locations behind it, Abbott notes.

“It’s really a unique way of doing things,” she says of the law firm’s ability to pull resources from its larger offices when needed.

Headquartered in Binghamton, Coughlin & Gerhart has more than 50 attorneys on staff and has additional offices in Cortland, Hancock, Ithaca, Walton, Montrose, and Owego.

Hofmann Sausage Company is now operating under the ownership of a Florida firm

Manufacturing & Engineering, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CICERO — A Florida company is the new owner of a famous Syracuse–area business and brand that has been in operation for more than 140 years. The Miami Beef Company, Inc. of Miami, Florida announced the acquisition of the Hofmann Sausage Company in a Feb. 13 Business Wire news release. The company didn’t disclose any

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CICERO — A Florida company is the new owner of a famous Syracuse–area business and brand that has been in operation for more than 140 years.

The Miami Beef Company, Inc. of Miami, Florida announced the acquisition of the Hofmann Sausage Company in a Feb. 13 Business Wire news release. The company didn’t disclose any financial details of its purchase agreement.

Hofmann Sausage Company is located at 585 Stewart Dr. in the town of Cicero.

Founded in 1879 in Syracuse, Hofmann is described in the announcement as “the leading sausage and hot dog brand” in the Central New York area. Hofmann’s product portfolio includes beef and pork franks, smoked sausage, bratwursts, beef jerky, and condiments. Hofmann is joining Miami Beef’s growing family of brands, the Florida firm said.

Hofmann Sausage Company announced the acquisition in a post on its Facebook page.

“Miami Beef is a family owned and operated company that has been around since 1972. It aligns well with Hofmann’s core values and produces high quality products like we have been doing for well over a century. Hofmann will continue to call Syracuse home, producing our famous, classic franks and sausage recipes while also creating new, tasty products for you to enjoy. Miami Beef is investing in the Syracuse market by keeping our operations ‘business as usual,’” Hofmann Sausage Company said in the post.

Frank W. Hofmann came to New York in 1861, bringing his popular German recipes with him and starting a meat market. His family settled in Syracuse and incorporated Hofmann in 1879, per the Hofmann website.

In 2012, Oneida Nation Enterprises and a group of investors made a “significant” investment in the Hofmann Sausage Company and “helped transition the company from a regional icon to a national brand,” per a March 25, 2015 Oneida Nation announcement.

“When the Oneida Indian Nation invested in Hofmann, the company was in a tough economic position. The Nation’s investment ensured that Hofmann stayed in Central New York and continued to successfully expand its brand. We are proud of the work we did to grow the company and put Hofmann in a position to be acquired by Miami Beef,” Joel Barkin, VP of communications for the Oneida Indian Nation, said in a recent statement forwarded to CNYBJ. “We are equally proud of the fact that as part of our sale agreement with Miami Beef, they extended their lease in Syracuse and their collective bargaining agreement with its employees, which keeps Hofmann in Central New York.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Hofmann Sausage to the Miami Beef family,” Robert Young, CEO of Miami Beef, said in the Business Wire release. “Hofmann has a meaningful heritage and deep connection to its loyal customers, employees, and community, which we plan to continue serving through investment in its facilities in Syracuse. We are excited to add hot dogs and sausages to our high-quality hamburger offerings to give our customers the full grilling experience. Our plan is to turbo-charge the growth of Hofmann’s footprint throughout the country and continue to look for complementary brands to acquire.”

Since 1972, Miami Beef has been providing fresh and frozen meat products to retail and foodservice customers nationwide.

Miami Beef brands — including Miami Beef, Free Graze, Florida Raised, Sizzle King, Young Ridge, Brooklyn Burger, Devault Foods, and Hofmann Sausage — are produced out of its South Florida and Central New York–based facilities.

Utica gynecology practice joins Community Memorial in Hamilton

Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only

HAMILTON — The Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) network announced on Feb. 27 that it is continuing to grow through its acquisition of a private gynecology practice in Utica. Dr. Scott Beattie and his team from Medical Arts Gynecology and Infertility, P.C. have joined with CMH and will provide women’s health services from an existing office

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HAMILTON — The Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) network announced on Feb. 27 that it is continuing to grow through its acquisition of a private gynecology practice in Utica.

Dr. Scott Beattie and his team from Medical Arts Gynecology and Infertility, P.C. have joined with CMH and will provide women’s health services from an existing office on Old Burrstone Road in Utica as well as in Hamilton, according to a CMH news release. The practice will see patients at Hamilton Medical Services Center for Women’s Health one day a week with procedures performed at Community Memorial Hospital.

“Dr. Beattie’s decades of experience in comprehensive women’s healthcare make him a valuable addition to the CMH medical staff,” CMH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Walsh said in the release. “We eagerly anticipate collaborating on patient care in both Utica and Hamilton, expanding our commitment to providing exceptional care.”

Also joining CMH alongside Beattie is physician assistant Amy Roberson, who has spent a decade collaborating with Beattie.

“Recognizing the need for women’s healthcare services locally, we are happy to welcome Dr. Beattie and his staff to our network,” CMH President/CEO Jeff Coakley said. “Our joint efforts to increase access to women’s health through collaboration with our primary care providers will improve care coordination for patients. We are excited to continue elevating the quality of healthcare with both Dr. Beattie and Amy Roberson.”

Beattie is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and holds a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from SUNY Oswego. He pursued his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Beattie specializes in minimally invasive and advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Roberson holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in physician-assistant studies from Le Moyne College.

The practice provides women’s health care for patients from adolescence to adulthood and is accepting new patients in both locations.

Community Memorial Hospital, a Crouse Health partner, serves Madison County and portions of Chenango, Oneida, and Onondaga counties as a critical-access hospital. Hamilton Medical Services is a professional corporation of CMH.

FLLT completes largest-ever conservation project

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

Buys almost 1,000 acres in Steuben County CORNING — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has completed the largest conservation project in its 35-year history with the purchase of nearly 1,000 acres, including 1 mile of frontage along the Canisteo River. The 992-acre property is located in the towns of Erwin and Lindley

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Buys almost 1,000 acres in Steuben County

CORNING — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says it has completed the largest conservation project in its 35-year history with the purchase of nearly 1,000 acres, including 1 mile of frontage along the Canisteo River.

The 992-acre property is located in the towns of Erwin and Lindley in Steuben County, just southwest of Corning, per its Feb. 15 announcement.

The land purchase was made possible by the FLLT’s internal revolving loan fund that is utilized for time-sensitive acquisitions and replenished either through fundraising or the sale of land to a public-conservation agency.

The property lies within an identified Habitat Linkage Zone by the New York Natural Heritage Program and is home to black bears and bald eagles. It contains forested hillsides, multiple streams, small meadows, and miles of existing trails.

Visible from Interstate 99, the Steuben County property has an elevation of 1,520 feet at its highest point, the FLLT noted.

The organization says protecting this property will expand outdoor recreation opportunities, safeguard wildlife habitat, and enhance water quality in the Canisteo River and further downstream. The Canisteo is a tributary to the Tioga River in the Susquehanna River basin of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, FLLT said.

The property acquired the name “Bad Bear Hill” many years ago when the previous landowner was planting trees for reforestation. Plastic tree protectors were placed around the young trees to guard against damage from deer. However, curious bears found that the tree tubes were “great chew toys, and pieces were found scattered throughout the forest.”

The FLLT intends to convey Bad Bear Hill to New York State as an addition to the adjacent McCarthy Hill State Forest, which will more than double in size as a result. After developing an interim-management plan, the FLLT will open the property to the public for daytime use, sometime during this spring.

“This was truly an exceptional opportunity,” Andrew Zepp, executive director of FLLT, said in its announcement. “Our projects regularly involve working with multiple landowners to conserve the landscapes of the Finger Lakes. This single acquisition is large enough to provide an immediate positive impact for multiple wildlife species while also providing local residents with room to roam.”

By working with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected more than 32,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland, it said.

The Ithaca–based FLLT owns and manages a network of more than 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 187 properties that remain in private ownership. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s natural resources.

Federal funds to spur cleanup of Ley Creek portion of Onondaga Lake superfund site

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting the cleanup of the Ley Creek portion of the Onondaga Lake superfund site with a funding award of about $23 million. The money comes from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced

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SYRACUSE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting the cleanup of the Ley Creek portion of the Onondaga Lake superfund site with a funding award of about $23 million.

The money comes from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced on Feb 27.

The overall project will include excavating, disposing of, and backfilling about 144,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the floodplains and excavating and disposing of about 9,600 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the bottom of Ley Creek. This funding will pay for about $23 million worth of cleanup work to begin remedial action as the EPA “continues to engage with responsible parties to hold polluters of the site accountable,” Schumer’s office said in the announcement.

“I want to thank New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, the EPA and all those involved for delivering the funding to advance this important cleanup initiative. This issue has languished for decades and proper removal of PCBs from soil and sediments from the GM site and Ley Creek streambed is long overdue,” Edward Michalenko, Ph.D., president of the Onondaga Environmental Institute, said. “The results will provide lasting environmental benefits for the entire Onondaga Lake watershed including fish and wildlife, and critical health benefits for nearby residents, downstream neighbors, and local business.”

The Onondaga Lake Superfund Site includes the lake and seven other waterways, as well as several land-based sources of contamination. Industries around Onondaga Lake discharged pollutants and sewage into the lake for more than 100 years. 12 subsites have been created for the site, including the General Motors–Inland Fisher Guide subsite and the Ley Creek Deferred Media portion of the site, which includes a portion of Ley Creek and its floodplains.

Crews will use the Infrastructure Law funding to address soil on the floodplains and sediment in Ley Creek that are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals.

“Our work is far from finished, but kick starting the cleanup of these long polluted sites and waterways is exactly what the Superfund funding I fought to supercharge in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was meant to do,” Schumer said in the announcement. “I am proud to deliver this federal funding so that cleanup for Central New York can finally get underway and vow to continue to fight for the resources needed to protect our beautiful Central New York waterways.”

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