Kendall passes workplace violence protection law to help keep town employees safe

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 19 April 2017 at 10:30 am

Town officials eager to see improvements on Parkway

Photo by Kristina Gabalski: A bumblebee embraces a blossom on a flowering tree outside the Kendall Town Hall Tuesday evening.

KENDALL –  Town Board members on Tuesday evening  unanimously adopted a new Workplace Violence Prevention Policy for the town. The policy will be filed with the New York State Department of Labor and Supervisor Tony Cammarata says the town will review it on an annual basis.

“All employees are subject to the training process,” he said.

The policy is designed to meet the requirements of New York State Labor Law and defines workplace violence as any physical assault or act of aggressive behavior occurring where a public employee performs any work-related duty in the course of his or her employment. That includes all town property as well as altercations at sites where the town highway department works on projects.

The goal of the policy is to promote the safety and well-being of all people in our workplace, the policy states.

“We want to make sure employees have good, safe working conditions, as well as anyone who comes into the Town of Kendall (town property),” Cammarata said. “We want them to feel safe. We want employees who work late in the town offices to feel safe. We put a lot of thought into this process.”

Under the policy, all incidents of violence or threatening behavior will be responded to immediately upon notification.

The town’s designated contact person is Deputy Town Supervisor Margaret Lynn Szozda.

The policy includes guidelines for managing workplace altercations, general procedure, discipline and procedure for violent incidents.

In other business, Supervisor Cammarata reported that Governor Cuomo’s office has notified him that funding has been approved for the resurfacing of the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Plans are to resurface the Parkway in Orleans County from the eastern border to Rt. 237 in Kendall. Cammarata says there is no word yet on when the paving will take place.

“Maybe by this time next year it might be resurfaced,” he said.

This past January, Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced that work will begin this summer on resurfacing the Parkway from Payne Beach Road in Parma to Rt. 19 in Hamlin – all in Monroe County.

Last summer the state announced paving west from Rt. 19 to Rt. 237 in Kendall would take place in 2018.

Local leaders in both Monroe and Orleans counties have said the entire Parkway – all the way to Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton – needs resurfacing.  The Parkway received attention last year when it was named to the 2016 list of the Landmark Society of Western New York’s Five to Revive list.

Cammarata additionally reported on progress of the review of an emergency disaster plan for the town.

He said he met last week with Kendall School Superintendent Julie Christensen and the school’s buildings and grounds superintendent to discuss the plan.  Another meeting is set for May and will include Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower and members of the Kendall Fire Department, and Morton and Walker Fire Departments.

Cammarata said he wants a plan in place and, “ready to serve the needs of the public,” during emergency situations. He said he welcomed input from other Town Board members regarding items they would like to see on the agenda for the next meeting.

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