By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Three people, including two with lengthy criminal histories, were arraigned in Orleans County Court this week.
Charles A. Verstreate, 46, of Rochester is in Orleans County Jail on $100,000 bail. He was arrested on Aug. 11, following an undercover buy operation of oxycodone pills by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Verstreate was charged with one count each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, both felonies.
He has seven prior felonies, 17 prior misdemeanor crimes and twice has failed to appear at court appearances, District Attorney Joe Cardone said when Verstreate made his first court appearance in August.
Judge James Punch set bail at $100,000 for Verstreate due to his “profoundly serious criminal history.”
Bennie Coger, 63, of Medina was arraigned on 2 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree, and 2 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in 3rd degree.
The judge set bail at $25,000 for Coger, who is currently on state parole due to two prior felonies.
Stuart J. Rodden, 25, of Medina was arraigned for driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree.
Rodden was charged on Aug. 7 following the investigation of a motor vehicle accident with an unregistered dirtbike on South Lyndonville Road (Route 63) in the Town of Ridgeway. Rodden posted $2,500 bail in Town Court. Judge Punch is keeping the bail at $2,500.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Urger proves popular with fourth-graders
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The historic Urger, a tugboat from 1901, was in Holley on Tuesday as part of its state-wide educational mission. The tugboat was a working vessel on the canal, hauling machinery, dredges and scows on the canal system for 60 years until the boat was retired from services in the 1980s.
The boat was built in 1901 in Ferrysburg, Michigan, and was a commercial shipping vessel in Michigan before joining the canal fleet in the 1920s.
In 1991, the Urger got new life as a “Teaching Tug.” It visits canal communities from early May until late October, educating children and adults about the canal system, which opened in 1825.
Fourth-graders from School No. 2 in Rochester visit the boat on Tuesday morning. Holley students stopped by in the afternoon before Urger headed to Brockport.
The Rochester students used to tour the Mary Jemison boat until it retired two years ago.
When the lift bridge went up in Holley, the cameras and Smart Phones came out to capture the sights and sounds of the century-old bridge.
A modern boat passes by Urger and the lift bridge, heading east towards Brockport on Tuesday.
Students were welcome to tour the boat and see a small kitchen, a bathroom and the sleeping quarters for the crew.
A crew of four lives on the boat from early May until late October, sharing New York State history with a focus on the how the canal, completed in 1825, turned NY into an economic powerhouse for business, and breathing life into many small towns along the canal.
“They learn how important the canal was to New York State, and how important it could be,” said Mike Byrnes, a deckhand on the Urger.
He lives in Waterford near Albany and has spent 13 seasons on Urger.
“The fourth-graders are a lot of fun,” he said.
The Urger captain sounded the horn on top of the boat. It has a light sound, like a whistle, and a deeper signal. The fourth-graders enjoyed the loud, low noise the most.
There isn’t much in the way of fancy technology at the helm of the boat. The captain uses a wheel and bell that rings in the engine room.
The Urger is 75 feet long and weighs 83.7 tons. The engine weighs 19.5 tons. It is a 1944 Atlas Imperial engine that was surplus from World War II. It replaced a steam engine.
The Urger is shown in this photo looking under the lift bridge in Holley.
Mike Pelletier, the engineer on the boat, is in his second season with Urger. The Newark resident said it has been eye-opening serving on the vessel and seeing the canal communities.
He gave Holley high marks for developing a nice park with amenities by the canal for boaters, and also for lots of signage pointing them to businesses and other services nearby.
“This has been a very educational adventure,” Pelletier said. “There is so much to the canal and not just for boaters. It’s beautiful now for walkers, runners and cyclists (who use the towpath).”
Pelletier said more canal towns should work on signage for boaters, directing them to restaurants, local businesses, libraries and other services. He’d also like to see more displays by the canal about local communities’ histories, giving visitors a historical snapshot about the town or village.
“The towns and villages need to incorporate it more,” he said. “Before I had this job I was as guilty as anyone of taking the canal for granted.
The Urger will be in Brockport the next few days before heading to Spencerport on Oct. 13. Click here to see the schedule and a contact number for local schools to get on the Urger agenda for 2016. The Urger crew urged local schools to arrange tours for next year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – A sign on Route 63, just south of the Ham Road intersection, advertises the STAMP project, which includes 1,250 acres in the Town of Alabama. The Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park is near the southern border of Shelby in Orleans County.
BATAVIA – A Massachusetts company that revolutionized manufacturing silicon carbon wafers – considered “the heart” of solar panels – looked at 300 sites for what could be a $700 million factory.
1366 Technologies picked a farm field near a swamp for the project.
The site off Lewiston Road on Crosby Road is “perfect” for the producing high efficiency multi-crystalline wafers, company leaders said today during an announcement about the project with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and leaders from the Western New York and Finger Lakes region.
1366 Technologies needs a lot of room, and access to major utilities with water, electric, natural gas, as well as access to a highly skilled workforce.
“There is a tremendous talent pool in the region,” said Frank van Mierlo, chief executive officer of 1366 Technologies, which is based in Bedford, Mass. “If you want to change the world, you need talented people.”
The site in the Town of Alabama is close to major gas lines, is only a few miles from the State Thruway, and can tap the labor markets in Rochester and Buffalo. It will also use sewer from the Village of Medina as the company occupies 105 acres of the STAMP site, a 1,250-acre park for high-tech manufacturing.
1366 Technologies also is within the 30-mile radius of the Niagara Falls Power Project, where companies are eligible for low-cost renewable power. 1366 Technologies was approved for up to 8.5 megawatts of hydropower.
The cheaper electricity, with no CO2 emissions, appealed to 1366 Technologies, van Mierlo said.
The company has a new way of manufacturing silicon wafers at 50 percent of the cost of its closest competitor, van Mierlo said. The company forecasts it will produce 600 million high-performance silicon wafers a year, enough to power 360,000 American homes.
At full capacity, the company says it will create more than 1,000 new full-time jobs for the region.
The company runs a site in Bedford, Mass., but the new plant in Genesee County will allow it to go commercial scale. Van Mierlo said his goal is to produce solar at less cost than coal. The company’s manufacturing breakthroughs, as well as other improvements in the solar industry, could drive solar costs down to 5 cents per kilowatt hour, cheaper than coal.
The state put together a package of incentives for $56.3 million. With local incentives, the company could receive $97 million over 10 years if it has a full build-out on the $700 million manufacturing facility. Phase 1 will be $100 million from the company.
Some of those incentives are discounts on property taxes. The land has been low-production farmland.
In the next 10 to 15 years, the STAMP site could attract a dozen companies and become one of the “semi-conductor and nanotechnology centers in the world,” said Joseph Morelle, a Rochester state assemblyman who spoke during today’s announcement. He is also one of the leaders of the State Assembly.
“I think innovation and entrepreneurship is what rebuilding the state is all about,” he said.
Provided photos – Brandi Guild talks with Robert Batt, a 4-H Youth Development Educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County.
Press release Medina Central School
MEDINA – While many schools are dropping their community service requirements for students, Medina High School is making it an integral part of their learning experience.
This is the third year that social studies teachers, Todd Bensley and Michael Pickreign, have used their creativity to get students to talk to local agencies and be able to sign up on the spot for their minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time.
The teachers invite about 12 local organizations to set up tables in the cafeteria and then the high school seniors spend a period going from table to table to learn more about the agency and what kind of help they need.
“In the past, we had students who wouldn’t sign up for their community service,” Mr. Pickreign said. “They wouldn’t know where they could go to volunteer or what would be expected of them, so they didn’t bother. This way they have to go to each table, talk to the representative and then they get to pick which one is the right fit for them.”
Morgan Nashwenter, Aracely Hernandez with Sue Metzo from the Medina Area Association of Churches (MAAC).
Mr. Bensley said that not only is community service a nice thing for students to do in order to develop empathy, but makes a difference in their hometown, helps them build their resume and become more well-rounded individuals.
“A lot of them are surprised by how much they enjoy it,” he said. “It is eye-opening for them and makes them feel good about positively impacting the community. Some of them end up volunteering more time than the requirement.”
At the end of their volunteer experience, students give a presentation to the class about the history of the agency they chose and what their experience was.
“We hear a lot of positive feedback from the students and the agencies,” Mr. Pickreign said.
“I think in terms of education, this gives the students a chance to apply what they learn in class to real needs in the community,” Mr. Bensley said. “It’s an enriching experience for everyone.”
ALBION – A Holley woman is accused of smuggling drugs into the Orleans County Jail, and two other people also face drug charges, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force announced today.
Stephanie M. Rauch
The Task Force and corrections officers at the county jail on Oct. 1 conducted an investigation involving drugs being brought in the jail during inmate visits, which resulted in the seizure of a controlled substance, marijuana and the arrest of a Holley woman who was charged with numerous drug charges, the Task Force reported.
Stephanie M. Rauch, 27, of 4 North Main St., was charged with 1 count of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony), 1 count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony), 1 count of attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of unlawful possession of marijuana.
Rauch was arraigned in the Ridgeway Town Court by Town Justice Joseph Kujawa. She was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $10,000 cash bail. Rauch is to appear in Albion Town Court today.
Corey A. Brown
Two others were arrested on Monday after an investigation into the sale and distribution of suboxone in the Village of Holley. The Major Felony Crime Task Force along with officers from the Division of Parole, arrested a parolee and his girlfriend for criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Corey A. Brown, 29, of 175 North Main St., Albion, was charged with 1 count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony) and 1 count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony).
Roxanne M. Thomas
He was arraigned in Murray Town Court by Town Justice Theodore Spada Jr. Brown was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $50,000 cash bail. He is to appear in Murray Town Court on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The New York State Division of Parole filed a parole detainer for Brown with the Orleans County Jail.
Roxanne M. Thomas, 29, of 17 Jay Drive, Holley, was charged with 1 count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony) and 1 count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony).
She was arraigned by Murray Town Justice Theodore Spada Jr. and committed to the county jail on $10,000 cash bail. She is to appear in Murray Town Court on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – This sign on Route 63 in the Town of Alabama advertises STAMP and lists partners in the massive project. The Genesee County Economic Development Corporation already has acquired most of the land for STAMP, which is just south of Shelby.
BATAVIA – Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be in Batavia on Wednesday afternoon to make a major announcement that is expected to be about the STAMP project in the Town of Alabama, just south of Orleans County.
Whether the governor will announce the first tenant for the 1,250-acre site or a major state investment in the park – or both – could not be confirmed.
Medina village officials said they have been invited to the announcement at 2:15 p.m. at Genesee Community College. STAMP would be a big user of the Medina sewer plant.
Although STAMP (Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park) is outside Orleans County, local economic development officials say the project will be offer huge benefits for Orleans communities and the nine-county region.
The STAMP project is about 1 mile south of the Orleans County border along Route 63. The 1,250-acre site will accommodate nanotechnology companies including semiconductor 450mm chip fab, flat panel display, solar manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The dome of the Orleans County Courthouse is shining purple the first half of this month for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The county’s domestic violence unit responds to about 400 referrals each year.
The dome is pictured on Monday night on the courthouse.
The second half of the month the courthouse dome will shine pink at night for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. About 70 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Orleans County.
Watt Farms is again hosting the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this month. The 11th annual event has been moved to a Saturday. It will be an open course from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event has raised $325,000 in its first 10 years. Click here for more information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Members of the Albion Police Department are wearing pink pins with silver angel wings on their uniforms this month in honor of Breast cancer Awareness Month.
“Breast cancer has in some way affected everyone in our community,” said Police Chief Roland Nenni. “The Albion Police Department hopes that by aiding in awareness we can help in a small way to find a cure.”
Pink ribbons are also being displayed on all police patrol vehicles.
“The more we can raise awareness as professionals and public servants, it may prompt women to be checked or someone to make a donation,” Nenni said.
Sgt. Gary Van Wycke, a member of the Albion PD for 21 ½ years, stands by a patrol car that has a pink ribbon on the door.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Hopes to start construction next month on new facility
Photos by Tom Rivers – Steve Karr (right), chief executive officer for Pride Pak Canada, meets village officials and others working on the company’s new 62,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility. The site plan for the project was presented to the Medina Village Board this evening. He is pictured with Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance for Pride Pak (center); Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency (far left); and Marguerite Sherman, village trustee (second from left).
MEDINA – A company coming to Orleans County looked at several sites, including into Pennsylvania, but Medina turned out to be a great fit for Pride Pak, the company’s CEO said this evening following a Village Planning Board meeting when a site plan for the 62,000-square-foot building was presented.
Steve Karr said Medina is close to the border for the Canadian-based company and also sits in an agricultural region with close proximity to a big population base in the U.S.
Ultimately, Karr said the Orleans Economic Development Agency was very responsive in helping the company find a location “that makes sense for us.”
The company expects to start construction next month on the new vegetable processing facility, a site that will likely be expanded in phases and could see 200 employees at full build-out.
Pride Pak will have 85 to 100 employees as part of the first phase. Construction should start next month, pending final approvals on the site plan from the Village Planning Board, and other local and state permits.
Karr would like the building to be done in April for equipment to be moved in. He would like to start processing and packaging vegetables next June.
He knows the weather over the winter will play a big factor in meeting that ambitious schedule.
D.R. Chamberlain Construction of Lockport is the general contractor for the new building.
This shows a rendering of the new building on Maple Ridge Road across from GCC.
The company received a warm welcome from local officials this evening.
“It will be a cornerstone for the rest of the business park,” said Deputy Mayor Mike Sidari.
Village Trustee Owen Toale said the new jobs will be a big boost for the community and many local families, leaving a ripple effect felt at restaurants, stores and in the real estate market.
“Medina hasn’t had a project of this size in many years,” said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans EDA.
The company is privately owned and the business fits well in a agricultural community, Barone said.
Medina also has the existing infrastructure with water and sewer to meet the company’s needs. The EDA has the land, and Pride Pak will buy 13 acres from the agency. That land currenty is not on the tax rolls. Pride Pak will gradually pay the full assessed value for the property in 5 percent increments over 20 years.
Barone said the business park has been a work in progress over 30 years, with the village and EDA working closely to expand the property and provide the needed utilities.
“It looks like this just came together but it has been years,” she said.
Karr said Barone deserves a lot of credit for bringing Pride Pak to Medina.
“She was always there trying to figure out how it could be done,” he said. “The EDA has a very quick response time.”
Karr has been in the fresh fruit and vegetable processing, packing and distributing business since 1983. Pride Pak is Ontario, Canada’s largest fruit and vegetable processor and currently exports 50 percent of its produce to the U.S. market.
The company packs vegetables for other companies, including Wegmans Food Market. The vegetables are packed fresh, not frozen, Karr said.
The company wants to work with local farmers with carrots and other “root vegetables” in the beginning as long as they meet food safety guidelines for the vegetables, Karr said. The Medina site will process vegetables, and Karr said the facility will also package salads, with some of the salads going to Pride Pak’s Canadian customers.
Pride Pak expects about 45 truckloads of product each month, or about 1 ½ a day, according to Mike Simon, project engineer with BME Associates, a Fairport engineering firm.
Most of truck traffic will be vegetables coming in, but some truck traffic will include vegetable waste, about 220 tons a month, that will be delivered to local livestock farms, Simon said.
The company’s site plan also includes 114 parking spaces. The village code for the Maple Ridge Corridor calls for 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet for a building, which would be 310 spaces for a 62,000-square-foot building. Or, if the code for light industrial is applied, there should be 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet or 124 for Pride Pak.
The company will likely seek a variance from that code. Simon said Pride Pak would prefer to keep as much of the site green space as possible.
It will have access roads on each side of the plant, as well as loading docks.
The site plan will go before the Orleans County Planning Board on Oct. 22 for its recommendation before returning to the Village Planning Board for a final vote on Nov. 3.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Three people pleaded guilty to crime in Orleans County during court on Monday and could be sentenced to either county jail or state prison.
Philip A. Riley, 32, of West Bank Street in Albion faces the longest possible sentence – up to 5 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 21.
Riley admitted in court on Monday that he had heroin and sold it for a profit on April 7.
He pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a charge that carries a maximum of 8 years in state prison. As part of a plea deal, his sentence will not exceed 5 years, plus 1 ½ to 2 years of post-release supervision.
Riley was charged in July along with 16 other people in a big drug bust in Orleans. Riley has been in the county jail on $100,000 bail since his arrest.
Jennifer McCarthy-Conklin, 39, of 1 Thomas St., Holley, was part of the drug arrests in July. She pleaded guilty in court on Monday. She admitted she had cocaine and sold it from the Holley Hotel on Feb. 27.
She pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in state prison, plus one year of post-release supervision. She will be sentenced on Dec. 21.
Matthew Ritzel, 26, of Hamlin pleaded guilty to entering a house on Kendall Road in Murray and taking items from the dwelling on June 3.
He pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in the second degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 2 to 7 years in state prison.
As part of a plea deal, Ritzel, who has no prior criminal history, won’t be sentenced to be more than a year in county jail. If the judge gives him more than a year, Ritzel can withdraw the plea and go to trial.
