Assembly Resolution No. 287

BY: M. of A. Manktelow

HONORING Mark DeCracker upon the occasion of being
named the 2018 Citizen of the Year by the Lyons
Chamber of Commerce and Lyons Main Street Program on
April 8, 2019

WHEREAS, A great community is only as great as those persons who
provide exemplary service, whether through participation in voluntary
programs, through unique personal achievement in their profession, or
simply through a lifetime of good citizenship; and

WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has given not only of his time and energies
but also of his competence, intelligence and leadership and consequently
has been designated for special recognition; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Mark
DeCracker upon the occasion of being named the 2018 Citizen of the Year
by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and Lyons Main Street Program to be
celebrated with a dinner on Monday, April 8, 2019, at Maitre D' at
Trombino's, Lyons, New York; and

WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker attended Finger Lakes Community College,
Monroe Community College, and Arizona State University, where he
graduated in 1977, earning a degree in outdoor recreation; and

WHEREAS, This industrious man worked as a recreation leader at Alex
Eligh Community Center from 1977-1979; he then was employed as a senior
recreation therapist at Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service
Office from 1979-2010, where he continued until his retirement in 2010;
and

WHEREAS, In 1988, Mark DeCracker started a business, Past and
Present Personal Videos, a complete event videotaping service in the
Finger Lakes and Wayne County; and

WHEREAS, A lifelong advocate for the town of Lyons and the Finger
Lakes region, Mark DeCracker founded Erie's Restoration Interests
Everyone (ERIE) in 1988, an organization that works for the
revitalization and restoration of the Erie Canal; and

WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has been called upon to contribute his time
and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and has always
given of himself unstintingly; and

WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker has been a vital part of his beloved
community for most of his life; he held the esteemed position of
President of the Lyons Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2010; and

WHEREAS, In 1997, Mark DeCracker and his wife, Diane, opened a bed
and breakfast, Peppermint Cottage, where they now reside; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, Mark DeCracker and the late Noel Dobbins founded
Mural Mania, the Preservation of History through Community Art; Mural
Mania was selected to host the 2016 Global Mural Conference in Fairport,

New York, and in 2010, received the Erie Canalway Award of Excellence
Honorable Mention; and

WHEREAS, Mark DeCracker established the Forever Wild for Everyone
accessibility trails into nature; one of these trails, the Trail of Hope
in Lyons, received the Outside the Box Award from Parks and Trails of
New York, and the Erie Canalway Award of Excellence Honorable Mention;
and

WHEREAS, Currently, Mark DeCracker serves as President of Trail
Works Inc., an organization dedicated to the development and enjoyment
of hiking trails in Wayne County; as an avid hiker and skier, he joined
the Adirondack 46er club, completing all 46 peaks in 1986; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Diane, with him throughout have
been his three daughters, Jessica, Colleen and Hannah, as well as three
grandchildren, Anderson, Cal, and Brianna, all of whom feel privileged
to be a part of his life and rejoice in his achievements; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Mark DeCracker upon the occasion of being named the 2018 Citizen
of the Year by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and Lyons Main Street
Program on April 8, 2019; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Mark DeCracker.