news

County has stepped up efforts to combat welfare fraud

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Kuryla, commissioner of the Orleans County Department of Social Services, is pictured in the hallway outside the DSS offices on the second floor of the County Administration Building on Route 31. He started as DSS commissioner in 2010, and welfare fraud recoveries and cost avoidance have doubled since then.

ALBION – The raid at the Murray Superette on Tuesday, when three people were arrested in a food stamp trafficking scheme, is the latest sign Orleans County officials, including the district attorney and law enforcement agencies, are taking welfare fraud very seriously.

Three Salamaca brothers – Alexander, Myron and Olec – were all arrested on Tuesday and jailed on $20,000 bail. Police believe their fraud could reach into “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The Salamaca family owns the Murray Superette on Route 104. Police say store owners and some employees accepted customers’ food stamps for cash at 70 percent to the customer, and then allowed customers to purchase items not authorized by the food stamp program, including cigarettes and lottery tickets.

At least 50 people have been identified for using their food stamp benefits in exchange for cash and that number should grow, said District Attorney Joe Cardone.

The arrests on Tuesday followed 15 months of investigation, including work from the county’s Welfare Fraud Unit in the Department of Social Services. The two full-time investigators, Marie Snyder and Scott Twitchell, have a solid understanding of the social services programs, and know the red flags that can show welfare fraud, DSS Commissioner Tom Kuryla said.

“If there is welfare fraud, we’re going to find out,” Kuryla said. “We owe it to the taxpayers to show that we’re working on their behalf, too.”

Kuryla joined the Orleans County DSS as commissioner in 2010, after being deputy commissioner in Seneca County, where he oversaw the fraud investigations.

The Orleans fraud numbers have doubled in the past five years.

Year	Fraud recovery	Cost Avoidance
2009	$39,313	$352,938
2010	$40,417	$968,742
2011	$75,984	$1,423,272
2012	$84,472	$1,598,814
2013	$83,100	$1,610,684
2014	$88,613	$1,799,478
2015*	$52,013	$1,401,658

Source: Orleans County DSS. The 2015 data represents the first nine months of the year.

The county added a second full-time investigator in 2013. Orleans County leads similar-size nearby counties in welfare fraud detection and recovery.

Wyoming County investigators prevented an estimated $1,343,000 in unentitled benefits in 2014, and also recovered $62,000 in fraud, according to an April 18, 2015 article from The Daily News in Batavia. That report also said Genesee County prevented $787,716 in improper benefits and recovered $20,000 in fraud in 2014.

When the investigators with Orleans DSS detect fraud, they will often work with local law enforcement, which makes the arrests.

Tom Drennan, chief deputy of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, went over the game plan for making arrests and executing search warrants with about 20 officers from several agencies on Tuesday morning when the Murray Superette was raided and three people charged in a food stamp trafficking scheme. Drennan and the officers are pictured at about 6:30 a.m. at the Gaines Town Hall. Orleans County’s Welfare Fraud Unit has been involved in the case.

Some of the candidates for county-wide offices have said the county isn’t doing enough to crack down on welfare fraud. Kuryla said the county is a leader with its efforts and is doing everything “reasonable” to detect fraud and prevent it when people seek public assistance.

He said there has been some pushback from people who don’t like seeing people arrested, denied benefits or forced to pay back assistance.

“Some people think we’re beating up the poor,” Kuryla said. “That is not the case. We want to give people the appropriate assistance that they need. We’re absolutely trying not to hurt anybody who deserves benefits.”

An improving local job market and the county’s welfare fraud crackdown has brought down the county’s overall welfare caseload and cost, Kuryla said.

The caseloads for Family Assistance and Safety Net (assistance for people without children or who have been on welfare for more than 5 years) have been reduced from 758 in 2014 to the current level of 592, Kuryla said.

The reduced caseloads should reduce the county’s welfare costs by at least $200,000 this year, “conservatively,” Kuryla said.

“The numbers are coming down,” he said. “Many people realize it’s easier to get a job than to come in here and try to fool them.”

He said identifying the fraud takes people with their sole focus on looking for the red flags, and responding to referrals from the public and a hotline. Kuryla said county officials are discussing adding a third welfare fraud investigator to keep up with the workload and pursue more leads.

“The fraud is there and it’s constant,” he said.

Could be stormy, windy later today

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

Here is another look at those flags in the West Ridgeway Cemetery.

RIDGEWAY – Flags at graves in the West Ridgeway Cemetery are pictured on Tuesday with bright sunshine breaking through the foliage of the cemetery along Route 104.

Today, western and central New York could see hazardous weather, the National Weather Service said.

There is potential for a thunderstorm to develop along a cold front boundary that is expected to cross the area this evening, the Weather Service said.

“Should these thunderstorms develop, stronger and possibly damaging winds will be possible,” the Weather Service said.

Today is forecast for a high of 64 degrees with a 100 percent chance of rain.

Thursday will see a high of 52 degrees with showers likely, while Friday will have a high of 47 and slight chance of rain, according to the Weather Service.

Memorials, appreciative public stir emotions on Honor Flight

Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

(Editor’s Note: Michelle Restivo of Albion joined her grandfather, Richard “Dick” Heard, on the Honor Flight this past weekend from Rochester to Washington, D.C. Heard, 91, is a life-long Albion resident who lives in his childhood home. He enlisted during World War II and was a radar mechanic. In February of 1943, he was called to active service from reserve status. He was stationed in six states throughout his time serving. Restivo is a kindergarten teacher in Batavia.)

By Michelle Restivo

ROCHESTER – “Folks, we’ve got a slight problem, but nothing we can’t handle.”

Steve, our Honor Flight trip leader, addressed the 54 American Veterans and their guardians at the airport gate early this past Saturday morning.

My Grandpa Dick and I were among the group waiting to board a plane to begin our Honor Flight trip to Washington DC. Our pilot had called in sick! The backup pilot was completing his FAA mandated 10-hour crew rest, and would be unable to fly our plane until 10 a.m., 4 hours later than our scheduled departure time.

The 4 other local Southwest pilots were already out on flights for the morning. So, we settled in for a bit of a wait.

Michelle Restivo and Richard Heard pose for a “selfie” from their seats on the plane.

The Rochester Honor Flight Organization is amazing. Now that I’ve seen it in action, I am in total awe. These people bend over backwards while standing on their heads, to accommodate and please our Veterans.

Soon after the delay was announced, HFO volunteers started coming around offering decks of playing cards and newspapers they had bought at the airport newsstand. Then, came the start of the continuous passing of snacks, candy, and water.

“What would you like? Can I get you anything? Please, have another.” My grandpa was in his glory. He never passed up an opportunity to dip his hand into the snack or candy bag, and at one point in the trip he had a stockpile of various snacks, four water bottles, and a Gatorade.

About halfway into our delay, Steve came back onto the PA system and told us, “Alright, we usually do this on the bus ride in to DC, but since we’re getting a late start and we’ll be here a while, we’re doing it now. Time for something you haven’t heard in a while. Mail call, guys.”

Just like in the service, he called out each service man or woman’s name, and a volunteer brought over a pack of letters. My grandpa received 8 letters, addressed to Corporal Heard.

The letters were written by Monroe County students of varying ages. He received letters from kids in 3rd, 8th, and 11th grade, as well as one teacher. Each letter was unique in its own way, but all had the same theme: gratitude for his service and his sacrifice.

The letter writers had been given information about the Vet they were writing to, including the branch of service and in which war they served. Grandpa Dick was in the Army Air Corp in World War II. Many letters included personal connections.

“This boy is interesting,” Grandpa said about one letter. “His family was from the Ukraine, and his great grandfather died while fighting on the Eastern Front.”

I took a closer look at this letter, which opened with, “I am merely a high school student,” and continued later, “I consider anybody who was in the military a war hero, whether they were in Europe, the Pacific, or stateside. People tend to forget there were people back at home helping the soldiers at the fronts get through the Imperial and Nazi empires.”

My Grandpa spent his 4 years in the service stateside, and this young man made sure to recognize the importance of that.

As promised, the pilot arrived promptly at the end of his crew rest, and our short flight to Baltimore was smooth. Hot cocoa was Grandpa’s drink of choice when the beverage service came around, and of course, he enjoyed another snack.

We de-boarded the plane and walked off the jet way, to be greeted by thunderous applause and a line of people waving American Flags. The first person in line was a young naval cadet. He reached out to shake my grandpa’s hand, “Thank you for your service, sir.” It was a phrase we would hear over and over again during the next 24 hours.

We continued down the line, Grandpa shaking hands with many thankful people along the way. After leaving our gate, we proceeded through the airport, past gates filled with people. All were on their feet, applauding the Vets with a standing ovation.

Many called out, “Thank you for your service!” as we wheeled by. It was an amazing sight, one that brought out some very raw emotion from Vets and guardians alike.

My grandpa is a man of few words, when it comes to feelings. He would love to tell you all about the latest news story he read, or information about a rare species of bird in East Africa. But, he rarely talks about himself.

Once we were situated on the bus moving on our way to Washington DC, I asked him what he thought about the airport arrival. “That was nice. It was so nice.” Indeed it was.

The bus ride included a box lunch for each of us. We were attempting to make up time, so we omitted our 1-hour stop for lunch. Grandpa was surprised to find a ham wrap inside his box.

“Oh, this is wrap. I’ve never had one of these before.” Earlier in the day, Honor Flight served us an airport breakfast of McDonald’s breakfast meals, and Grandpa had his first ever Egg McMuffin. He deemed both items, “good.” It was a day of firsts for him, that’s for sure.

As you can imagine, traveling with 54 WWII and Korean War Vets is not an easy task. The youngest Vet in our group was 81, and the oldest, 98. Each Vet was provided with a wheelchair, though I noticed some never used it. Good for them!

But, that means everywhere we went, we were loading and unloading these chairs, and transporting many of the guys in and out of them. My grandpa is ambulatory and still drives around town, does his own grocery shopping, and ventures out to his great-grand kid’s sporting contests.

However, he agreed to use a wheelchair for much of the trip, as we were often covering longer distances than he was used to. Usually, once we reached our destination, we would park the wheelchair and he would use his handy collapsible cane to motor around the historical monuments.

Noticing the similarity of when my family and I visited Disney World where each amusement ride had a large area denoted for “stroller parking” and our line of wheelchairs parked at stops all over DC, I chuckled to myself at one point.

Our first stop was Arlington Memorial Cemetery, where we watched the very respectful changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Our trip leaders told us to look for the Sergeant and the guards to scuff their foot as they passed by our Veteran group.

Apparently, it is how they acknowledge the former servicemen, even though they are not supposed to ever scuff their feet during the ceremony. We looked and listened, and sure enough, we saw it. The inspection and changing of the guard ceremony was incredibly precise and showed the utmost respect. “That was really something,” my grandpa said after we had moved on.

Our next stop was the Women’s Memorial. We had 5 women veterans in our group, and all had asked to add this stop to our trip. Even with the lengthy delay, our HFO trip leaders made sure to honor their request.

This stop is where my grandpa was surprised when getting off the bus was another granddaughter of his, her husband, and 2 of their 3 children. They live just outside of DC, and I had been coordinating with her all morning arranging the meet up. They followed our bus for the rest of the day and toured many of the memorials with us. “Wow!” my grandpa said upon seeing our family.

Back on our bus, we circled the Marine Corp memorial, Iwo Jima, and saw the Air Force memorial from afar. Due to our altered schedule, we did not get off at those as planned.

The next stop was a big one and we covered the Lincoln Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall, in that order per my grandpa’s request. After seeing all three, he said the Lincoln was his favorite.

Although when I asked him later in the day on Sunday, he said he liked all of the memorials for different reasons, and that he really liked the way the Korean War Memorial was depicted.

It was at this memorial that he explained to us about the very long antennae on the radios that the soldiers carried. Since he went to radio school, he shared with us that, “low frequency antenna was used so as not to be detected.”

Grandpa also talked about Korea as being the “forgotten war” and told us that it never really ended. “That war is still being fought now,” he said.

It was here at the Korean War Memorial, that I saw one of my most memorable moments, my grandpa sitting near a wall inscribed with the words,” Freedom is not free.”

It was a poignant picture, one that really brought tears to my eyes. Squeezing all three of these memorials in during just the 45 minutes we had at this stop was tight (most people only saw two out of the three). It was a bit of a race back to our bus, but we made it thanks to speed walking/pushing skills of my cousin’s husband.

“Hurry up and wait” was something I heard many of the Vets and guardians say during our trip. Through listening to their comments and conversations, I deduced that this was a common phrase heard in the military.

One serviceman told a story about moving out, sitting in the heat all afternoon, waiting, then retreating, moving out again, and then retreating back for the night. Many of them said “hurry up and wait” originated in the military, and that they were all very good at following those orders.

Fortunately for us, it wasn’t too long of a wait before we arrived at our final stop for the day, the World War II Memorial. Our most anticipated stop, and one that exceeded anything we could have imagined.

(Michelle Restivo will have more on the Honor Flight.)

NY makes $1 million available for new farmers

Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced $1 million in funding is available to assist new farmers begin their careers.

Now in its second year, the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund will build upon a successful 2015 when more than $610,000 was awarded to 19 farms across the state in order to support the continued growth of New York’s agricultural industry.

“Farming remains an important industry in New York and an essential part of this state’s economy,” Governor Cuomo said. “By creating new opportunities for early-stage farmers to expand and diversify agricultural production across the state, we are bolstering the growth in this sector and helping to ensure its vitality for years to come.”

The $1 million New Farmers Grant Fund will provide grants of up to 50 percent of total project costs. Funds may provide a minimum of $15,000 and maximum of $50,000 for up to 50 percent of project costs with the remaining 50 percent being matched by the recipient.

Eligible project costs include the purchase of farm machinery, supplies and equipment, and construction or improvement of farm buildings. Empire State Development, in consultation with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, will administer the fund which is open to New York farmers in the first 10 years of having a farm operation of 150 acres or less.

The application and guidelines for the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund are available online and the deadline for submission is January 22, 2016. Visit regionalcouncils.ny.gov for both the application and guidelines.

“Beginning farmers are as an important resource to the future of New York agriculture as land and water,” said New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton. “The grant fund and loan forgiveness program will kick start necessary investments that may be needed on growing farms and in turn support the agricultural economy statewide.”

Additionally, the New York State Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program, which encourages new college graduates to pursue farming careers in New York State, is now accepting applications for 2016.

The Incentive Program, available through New York State Higher Education Services Corporation, provides loan forgiveness awards to individuals who obtain an undergraduate degree from an approved New York State college or university and agree to operate a farm in New York State, on a full-time basis, for five years. In its first year, funding was provided for up to 10 awards and all 10 awards were given to eligible farmers.

The application for the New York State Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Program is available online and the deadline for submission is Dec. 1, 2015. Click here for the application.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, a former hog farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau president, released this statement about the NY “New Farmers” program:

“As the owner of our family-owned farm for many years, I know firsthand how difficult life in the agriculture industry can be,” Hawley said. “Profits from produce and livestock sales fluctuate and the possibility of drought and flooding is always real. I can imagine the trepidation many young men and women feel as they begin their career in farming and agriculture, and this funding is a tremendous opportunity for aspiring farmers to get on their feet. Up to $50,000 in matching grant funds are available for everything from tractor and plow purchases to construction of barns and silos. I am proud of the work we have done to bolster the agriculture industry in New York State and I pledge my continued support going forward.”

Task Force raids Murray Superette in food stamp trafficking scheme, untaxed cigarettes

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Members of the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force raided the Murray Superette on Route 104 this morning at about 7 a.m., following a 15-month investigation.

MURRAY Three brothers that run the Murray Superette have been charged following a 15-month investigation into a food stamp trafficking scheme and the sale of untaxed cigarettes.

The three Salamaca brothers – Alexander, Myron and Olec – were all arrested this morning and are in jail on $20,000 bail, said Joe Sacco, supervising investigator for the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.

Police executed search warrants at Murray Superette, a winery started by the family last year on Hindsburg Road and the residences of the brothers.

Sacco said the total fraud could reach into the “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The Task Force and the county welfare fraud unit through the Department of Social Services have been investigating the Murray Superette since July 2014.

Sacco said the store owners and some employees accepted customers’ food stamps for cash at 70 percent to the customer, and then allowed customers to purchase items not authorized by the food stamp program such as cigarettes (including untaxed cigarettes), alcohol, Lottery tickets, gasoline and other items.

More information is expected soon.

Apex says local support grows for wind energy project

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

YATES – Apex Clean Energy says public support is building for the company’s plan to build 60 to 68 turbines in the towns of Yates and Somerset that would peak at 570 feet high.

The company issued a press release about “political posturing” by Save Ontario Shores, a citizens group opposing the turbine project.

SOS on Oct. 16 opened 421 surveys of Yates property owners, asking their opinions about the turbine project. Of the respondents, 77.9 percent of Yates property owners say they oppose the project. Somerset town officials also did a survey of residents that showed strong opposition to the turbines.

Last Friday, Save Ontario Shores and Somerset town officials gathered at the lighthouse in Barker for a press conference and rally against the turbine project. The town has retained Dennis Vacco, a former state attorney general, to fight the Apex project.

Apex issued a statement saying it will continue to do public outreach about the project. As more residents learn about the plan, they tend to support the turbines, the company said.

“More and more residents in the project area are choosing to participate in the project,” said Dan Fitzgerald of Apex Clean Energy. “We continue to add participants as people have the opportunity to research and learn about this.”

Apex said the recent surveys in Yates and Somerset “deliberately excluded residents” of both towns.

The company released quotes from a resident in each town that support the wind energy project.

Floyd Koerner of Somerset said the town is paying Vacco $270 an hour “in a clear attempt to score political points for the election, based on a well-funded misinformation campaign against advanced energy solutions in our local community.”

“In direct contrast, we are local residents and landowners interested in progress over politics, based on scientifically supported facts, benefits and the long-term future of our community,” Koerner said. “When the election is over, we’ll still be here fighting for the good of our community.”

Susan Campbell of Lyndonville has written letters to the editor to the Orleans Hub in support of the wind energy project.

“SOS claims to be worried about the health of the people in Yates and Somerset, but in truth I feel that they just want to continue to pollute our air and water with outdated energy technology,” said she in a news release from Apex. “In my opinion, the only fact that SOS brings up that cannot be disputed is that they don’t like the way the turbines look. This is the only planet we get and it is time we take the responsible steps to preserve it. The wind turbines will be a big step in that direction.”

Bronze statue sought for monument by Medina Armory

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Rendering courtesy of Company F Memorial Committee – A fund-raising effort has started for a bronze statue of a soldier about 7 feet tall that would be on top of an existing stone base that is 6 feet, 10 inches in height.

MEDINA – In October 2008, a stone monument was dedicated with plaques listing soldiers who trained at the Medina Armory and fought wars on behalf of the United States.

Now, seven years later the Company F Memorial Committee wants to put a finishing touch on the monument: a bronze statue of a soldier with a rifle over his shoulder.

The statue would be almost 7 feet high. That project, plus replacing a vandalized plaque and making name changes and additions on others, would cost about $90,000, said Bill Menz, chairman of committee.

The new fund-raising campaign would also pay for a flag pole about 30 feet high for the American flag. Right now it shares a pole with a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag.

Menz would like to have the project complete next year.

“This is the history of Orleans County,” said Menz, who led the efforts for the Company F Monument’s first phase. “We’re trying to wake up the historic spirit of the community.”

The Medina Armory opened in 1901 for Company F, which formed in 1891. It trained at a different location prior to the Armory. In 1977, the National Guard left the Medina Armory, a site on Pearl Street. The site has been used as a YMCA for more than three decades.

Courtesy Medina Sandstone Society – Company F prepares to leave Medina Oct. 24, 1940 for training at Fort McClellan and active duty in WWII. Saturday was the 75th anniversary of their departure.

Menz was one of the soldiers to train in the Armory. That was for 18 months when he was in the National Guard in the 1950s. He served on active duty in Greenland. He attained the rank of a corporal E-4.

The monument includes 550 names of local soldiers who fought in wars on behalf of the United States. The soldiers enlisted and trained at the Medina Armory for conflicts from 1898 to 1945 including the Spanish-American War, Mexican-American, World War I and World War II.

In 2006, a group of Medina veterans, their family members and representatives from the Medina Sandstone Society embarked on a project to provide a permanent tribute to the 550 soldiers from Orleans County and the surrounding area who joined Company F.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Bill Menz is pushing to have a statue and another flag pole by the monument next to the Medina Armory.

After two years of planning, fund-raising and building the monument, it was dedicated on Oct. 14, 2008.

The Company F Memorial Committee is working with the Orleans County Joint Veterans Council and Lincoln Post No. 1483 VFW for the additions to the monument, including the statue.

Any donations for the statue can be mailed to Company F Monument, P.O. Box 522, Medina NY, 14103. For more information, click here.

Fraud at Murray Superette could be in hundreds of thousands of dollars, police say

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Members of the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and outside agencies raided the Murray Superette on Route 104 this morning at about 7 a.m.

MURRAY Three brothers – Alexander, Myron and Olec Salamaca – have been charged with grand larceny, welfare fraud and other crimes following a raid today by police officers.

The raid followed a 15-month investigation where the brothers and some employees allowed customers to illegally exchange food stamps in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) at 70 percent of their value, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.

Customers were given cash, and then often used that to buy items not authorized by the food stamp program, such as untaxed cigarettes, alcohol, lottery tickets, gasoline and other non-permissable items, said Joe Sacco, supervising investigator for the Task Force.

The Task Force and other officers executed search warrants at the Murray Superette, the Salamaca Estate Winery, and the brothers’ residences this morning.

Police seized 64 cartons of untaxed cigarettes, more than $22,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, several rifles and shotguns, numerous financial records, several NYS benefit cards and PIN numbers, several computers and an EBT terminal for food stamps.

The following were charged:

Alexander R. Salamaca, 49, of 2900 Kendall Rd., Holley; Myron B. Salamaca, 60, of 2874 Kendall Rd. Holley; and Olec L. Salamaca, 62, of 16569 Ridge Rd., Holley.

They were all charged with 1 count of misuse of food stamps, food stamp program coupons, authorization cards and electronic devices, which is a Class D felony.

They also have been charged with grand larceny in the third degree (Class D felony), 1 count to scheme to defraud in the first degree (Class E felony), 1 count of criminal possession of untaxed cigarettes – more than 10,000 cigarettes (Class E felony), 1 count of criminal tax fraud in the fourth degree, intent to evade NYS sales tax exceeding $3,000 (Class E felony), and 41 counts of criminal sale of untaxed cigarettes.

Alex Salamaca

Myron Salamaca

Olec Salamaca

Olec Salamaca faces an additional charge of criminal use of a public benefit card in the first degree (Class E felony).

All three Salamacas were arraigned in the Gaines Town Court by Justice Bruce Schmidt. They were committed to Orleans County Jail on $20,000 cash bail. They are to return to Gaines Town Court at 3 p.m. on Nov. 2.

“This investigation is ongoing with more arrests and charges pending,” said Joe Sacco, supervising investigator for the Task Force. “The total fraud could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

District Attorney Joe Cardone said he expects people who traded their food stamps for cash will also be kicked off public assistance. He said at least 50 people have been identified for misusing their benefits, and the list is expected to grow.
The raid this morning follows an investigation going back to July 2014 by the Task Force and the Welfare Fraud Unit in the Department of Social Services.

The Task Force was aided with seven search warrants this morning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General; NYS Department of Taxation and Finance; the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office; and the Welfare Fraud Unit at DSS.

Buffalo Armory cited as perfect example of Medina Sandstone – on a massive scale

Posted 26 October 2015 at 9:00 am

Provided images – This shows a drawing of the massive Armory in Buffalo, which last Thursday was inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.

Press Release, New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs

BUFFALO – The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs Connecticut Street Armory was one of four structures inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 22.

The massive 116 year-old building was recognized by the Medina Sandstone Society during a ceremony in which it’s photograph and a short history was added to the Hall of Fame located in the Medina City Hall.

Other structures honored by the group, which is dedicated to noting the importance of the local sandstone in the architectural history of the region, are St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina; Martin Manor, a private residence in Buffalo; and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Holley.

Like most monumental 19th Century buildings in western New York and Buffalo, the Armory, which occupies 4.87 acres on Buffalo’s west side, was constructed of a specific type of sandstone which was discovered in Orleans County during the 1820s as the Erie Canal was being built.

“It was a very popular building material because of its strength and beauty,” explained Donald Colquhoun, one of the Medina Sandstone Society trustees and a member of the hall of Fame committee. “At one time there were over 30 quarries here in Orleans County.”

The Connecticut Street Armory is a perfect example of Medina sandstone construction on a massive scale, he said. The building is 280,362 square feet.

When picking nominations for its Hall of Fame, the group looks for historically and architecturally significant buildings that have weathered the period of time. It also needs to be a building that is beautifully maintained, Colquhoun said.

For these reasons, the Armory was an easy pick to make the 2015 list of outstanding Medina sandstone buildings maintained by the Sandstone Society, Colquhoun said.

The Medina sandstone is an amazing building material, said Joe Murray, the regional superintendent for the state armories in western New York. The stone in the Connecticut Street Armory looks just as good today as it did when the structure was completed in 1899, Murray said.

The Armory in Buffalo is monstrous at nearly 300,000 square feet.

Taking its name from the village of Medina which was in the heart of the quarry area, the sandstone was durable, came in shades ranging from white, to red, to brown, to pink, and was fireproof.

“It last literally forever,” Colquhoun said. “In buildings that were built 150 years ago the sandstone looks the same.”

In the days prior to steel framed, concrete structures, Medina sandstone was the go-to material for large-scale construction, Colquhoun said.

The famous “Million Dollar Staircase” in the New York State Capital is constructed of Medina sandstone and blocks were shipped across the country. There is even Medina sandstone incorporated into work in Buckingham Palace in London, Colquhoun said.

So when the New York National Guard’s 74th Regiment began building its massive new home in 1897, it was only natural that the building designer, Williams Lansing, who was a captain in the 74th Regiment, decided to use sandstone from the nearby quarries around Medina.

The initial cost of the building was too high. The state was willing to pay $400,000 for the armory and the low bid was $600,000 for a Medina sandstone building.

But Lansing didn’t want to build the armory of brick, so the modified the design to get the contractor to come in under budget.

When it was finished in 1899 the Connecticut Street Armory was the largest National Guard armory in the United States. It was also empty inside.

The state had agreed to pay for the building, the interior details had to be paid for by the 74th Regiment. So from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, 1899 the soldiers hosted a bazaar inside the armory, which included food vendors and exhibits.

This picture shows the Armory under construction during the horse-and-carriage era.

Among those exhibits, according to the book New York’s Historic Armories were a 30-foot-high replica of a medieval castle filled with period weapons and armor and a reproduction of San Juan Hill, which was stormed at regular intervals by the Guardsmen of the 74th.

One of the selling points of sandstone construction was its resistance to fire. When the massive drill hall of the armory caught fire in 1982 – 120 trucks were stored there – the Medina sandstone pretty much performed as expected, Murray said.

While the roof and interiors of the drill shed burned, the Medina sandstone walls remained mostly intact.

The sandstone walls didn’t go totally unscathed, Murray said. When DMNA rebuilt the structure some sandstone on the west end of the building had to be replaced. Doing so meant reopening the quarry the stone came from in 1898 and cutting stone to match, he said.

Murray, who is responsible for 31 armories from Gloversville to Jamestown, thinks it was worth it.

“It is a castle that is incredibly kept up by DMNA,” he said. “It is a showplace of the community, of an era when things were outstanding in the 1880s and 1890s.”

Albion DPW beats the cold with paving work

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jay Pahura, a motor equipment operator for the Albion Department of Public Works, runs a roller over fresh pavement on Friday on Hamilton Street.

The DPW has been busy with paving projects just before winter hits. The DPW on Monday put new pavement around manhole covers on East Avenue.

The village this year also paved portions of Caroline Street, Brown Street (from canal going north to village line, Lyndon Drive, East State Street and West Bank Street.

Bryan Hazel, an employee with the Orleans County Highway Department, operates the paver while Tim Banker of the DPW works behind the big machine. The county shares the paver and some of its personnel for the paving projects.

Dale Brooks, the DPW superintendent, oversees the project on Hamilton Street. Brooks will likely become the new Barre highway superintendent on Jan. 1, replacing the retiring Dale Ostroski. Brooks is unoppsed on the Nov. 3 election after winning a Republican Primary.