VILLAGE OF MANLIUS – During the Dec. 10 Village of Manlius Board of Trustees meeting, Village Attorney Brad Hunt provided an update regarding the uncertain future of the two male and two female mute swans currently maintained at the Manlius Swan Pond. The village holds a 2024 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) license authorizing the possession of its four adult swans. Issued in February 2024, the license allows Manlius to keep its mute swans for education/exhibition but prohibits them from reproducing. The agency has given the village until the end of this year to decide between sterilizing all four swans or keeping only two same-sex swans to prevent the propagation of the invasive species. Intent on maintaining its longstanding, successful mute swan breeding program, the village applied on Oct. 31 to renew its current license for 2025 with key modifications; the principal change would allow the village to maintain one pair of breeding swans on an ongoing basis. During the December village board meeting, Hunt reported that the village had heard nothing from the DEC regarding the 2025 permit application. He noted that he would be happy to contact the agency to follow up. Hunt reminded the board that the village has been directed under the terms of its current license to either sterilize its swans or remove two same-sex swans by the end of the year to prevent breeding. “I just wanted to raise this because I don’t know if you want to make some determination on what we are going to do [regarding] that now,” he said. “Otherwise, I will reach out to the DEC. Hopefully, we will hear this month. We could potentially need to hold another meeting or something to address this.” He added that the DEC just sent the village what appears to be a standard license renewal application form. “It doesn’t acknowledge the fact that we have these restrictions in our current license or that we have applied to renew it while removing the restrictions,” Hunt said. “We don’t have to do anything tonight, but there is a deadline at the end of the year to do something. What we have to do may change if the DEC issues a ruling, but they haven’t yet.” Mayor Paul Whorrall proposed that the village wait to act until Hunt calls the DEC and learns why the agency just sent the village an application. “We submitted all the paperwork [over] a month ago,” Whorrall said. In other news During his report, Whorrall encouraged the board and the community to visit A.W. Wander, Manlius Cinema, and Manlius Supply Co. on East Seneca Street. “They’ve all completed most of the work on their buildings,” he said. “Manlius Cinema right now, starting I think yesterday or today, is putting all new seats in. . . . I was at Manlius Supply Company, and if you haven’t been in there, stop in there, it’s pretty nice. A.W. Wander has their front patio done. They just have their lighting to finish up for their gas lanterns, and then they will be all set. That will look nice this summer.” Village board meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the Manlius Village Centre Board Room at 1 Arkie Albanese Ave., Manlius. For more information on the Village of Manlius, visit manliusvillage.org.