By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Employees get no raises in 2015, 2 percent for each of following 4 years
ALBION – The County Legislature and about 200 county employees have reached a new 5-year labor deal where employees won’t get a raise in 2015, but will get 2 percent raises each year from 2016 to 2019.
The CSEA membership approved the pact on Friday with the Legislature giving it an OK on Wednesday.
“I am very proud of our negotiating team for putting together a creative, fair and very practical deal,” said David Callard, Legislature chairman. “I am very appreciative of the CSEA team for being open minded and being respectful to the needs of the taxpayer. We worked together and came up with what I believe is a win-win contract.”
The agreement calls for all employees to pay towards their healthcare costs. Some employees had been excluded, but starting in 2017 all will pay towards health insurance costs.
All employees will also begin migrating to a high deductible healthcare plan with a health savings account. Deductibles will be $1,500 for singles and $3,000 for family plans, with the county continuing to pay 50 percent of the annual deductible.
The deal should save the county about $75,000, “conservatively,” in overall costs when the healthcare savings are factored in with the pay raises over the five years, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.
“This has been another successful step in a long-term strategic plan to work closely with our bargaining units to make cost-effective benefit changes to employee healthcare,” Nesbitt said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ashley Ward, left, served as a leader of Orleans County Fishing Derby, an event run by the Albion Rotary Club, for three decades. Bill Downey is the event’s new volunteer director. Ward will remain a key advisor for the derby.
ALBION – In 1982, three local Rotary clubs decided to help lure more fishermen to the area with an annual derby, with prizes awarded for anglers who catch the biggest Chinook salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout, and lake trout.
In 30-plus years the derby has grown to about 700 annual entrants who receive nearly $10,000 annually in cash and other prizes, including the $4,000 grand prize for biggest fish.
The Albion Rotary Club has been running the derby since 1984. The event generates about $4,000 in profits and that money is directed to community projects. (Some of that money paid for the big welcome sign at Point Breeze.)
Ashley Ward has been helping to run the derby for three decades. He and his late wife Bonnie owned a bed and breakfast in Carlton from 1980 to 1999. They saw how the influx of fishermen gave the economy a boost with anglers going to restaurants, bait and tackle shops, gas stations, and local lodging establishments.
A fishing derby draws more of those fishermen, Ward said, and gets them to stay longer.
“That’s one reason why we’ve kept at it,” Ward said. “It brings a lot of people here.”
This year’s derby will run from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16. It includes weigh stations in Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties.
Debbie Murphy of Pennsylvania keeps up an Orleans County Fishing Derby tradition by kissing the winning fish in the derby. Murphy won the $4,000 grand prize with the heaviest fish, a 27-pound, 7-ounce Chinook salmon, during the 2014 Orleans County Fishing Derby.
The derby has made some changes for this year. Ward remains a key advisor for the derby, but he has passed the chairman duties to Bill Downey, who has volunteered with the derby for 12 years.
The derby committee has been selling ads and lining up sponsors for the annual 16-day contest. The committee has changed from a printed journal to a website with a list of rules, advertisers and other derby information. Click here to see the Orleans County Fishing Derby.
Downey believes the website format will be more useful to the fishermen in the contest. They can check the website for daily updates on the fishing leaderboard and get other relevant information with a touch of their smartphone.
The derby committee created a smaller rack card with the derby date and other registration information. That card was taken to eight fishing shows and also will be mailed to anglers who make inquiries with the Orleans County Tourism Department about local fishing resources.
Mike Waterhouse is the county’s sportsfishing coordinator. He said he appreciates the work of the Rotary Club in organizing the annual derby. He said the derbies draw anglers who seek the prize money and the thrill of landing a big fish. He knows many fishermen will stay in the community longer, trying to catch a winning fish.
“They like the prizes and the competition,” Waterhouse said about the derby competitors. “There are people who want to fish in derbies.”
Ward said bringing in more fishermen gives the local economy a boost. That has been his biggest motivation in volunteering with the derby for so many years.
“I realize how important it is because it ties in with our tourism,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Gary Sicurella, a firefighter with the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company, is pictured on May 4 when a brush fire spread to a wooded area in Murray at Red Rock Ponds.
Press Release
Governor’s Office
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that New York State has extended the ban on residential brush burning until May 21 due to continued dry conditions across the state. Open burning of debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in the state.
“State officials have worked hand-in-hand with local firefighters to help contain a rash of wildfires that have broken out across New York in recent weeks,” Cuomo said. “With dry weather conditions persisting, I am extending this burning ban to better protect the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers who may find themselves and their property in harm’s way. I urge everyone to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves, their neighbors and the first responders.”
The eastern, central, southern and far northern regions of the state are rated as having a high risk of fire danger, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The Southern Tier, Lake Ontario, and Adirondack regions are rated as having a moderate risk of fire danger. Additionally, the red flag warning is a short-term, temporary warning, indicating the presence of a dangerous combination of temperature, wind, relative humidity, fuel or drought conditions which can contribute to new fires or rapid spread of existing fires. This year, 110 fires have burned nearly 3,600 acres.
While all wildfires in New York are now contained, numerous state agencies deployed resources over the past two weeks to help battle wildfires in the eastern New York.
On May 5, Governor Cuomo activated the Fire Operations Center at the New York State Emergency Operations Center in Albany to monitor and assist with a large brush fire in Ulster and Sullivan counties.
The Roosa Gap Fire in Sullivan and Ulster counties was caused by debris burning and consumed more than 2,700 acres. The fire is now contained. Patrols continue to monitor the site to ensure there are no flare ups.
All trails in the Hunter-West Kill Wilderness area in the town of Hunter, Greene County, are now reopened. The Department of Environmental Conservation closed these trails on May 8 while the Heavenly Valley Road Fire burned over 110 acres.
“We are urging the public to be mindful that during periods of dry weather and gusty winds, brush fires can ignite from anything that can create a small spark,” said Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner John P. Melville. “A lightning strike, a discarded match, or even a car backfiring, could cause a dangerous fire. It is important to take precautions to protect our neighbors and our property from situations that can quickly go from bad to worse.”
Since 2009, New York State has enforced a residential brush burning ban for towns with less than 20,000 residents from March 16 through May 14, the period when most wildfires occur. Some towns, primarily in and around the Adirondack Park and Catskill Park, are designated “fire towns,” and open burning is prohibited year-round in these municipalities unless an individual or group has a written permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Burning garbage is prohibited year-round. Violators of the open burning regulation are subject to both criminal and civil enforcement actions, with a minimum fine of $500 for a first offense.
Campfires using charcoal or untreated wood are allowed except in the Catskill Forest Preserve. All campfires in the Catskill Forest Preserve continue to be banned through May 21 due to the continued high fire danger as a result of the dry weather conditions. Campfires should never be left unattended and must be extinguished.
Since the ban was enacted, the average number of spring fires per year has decreased from 3,297 to 1,425 or 43.2 percent. To view an updated map of fire danger ratings in New York, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Chris Bourke, long-time lieutenant at Sheriff’s Department, would be Bower’s undersheriff
Photo by Tom Rivers – Randy Bower, right, and Chris Bourke want to lead the Sheriff’s Department. Bower is running for Orleans County sheriff.
HOLLEY – Randy Bower is staying in the race to be Orleans County’s next sheriff. Bower has the Conservative Party endorsement and will appear on the November ballot.
Last Thursday, the Orleans County Republican Party Committee endorsed Tom Drennan, the current chief deputy, to be sheriff. Drennan secured just over 60 percent of the GOP Committee’s support, getting 6,151 votes to 3,951 for Bower, a long-time dispatcher for the county. The committee has 75 voting members and uses a weighted voting system.
Bower said on Tuesday he hasn’t decided if he will force a Republican Primary. But he said he isn’t withdrawing from the race.
He will be campaigning with Chris Bourke, a lieutenant in the Sheriff’s Department. Bourke started his 31-year career as a corrections officer in the county jail and has worked as a deputy on road patrol. He has been a lieutenant the past 18 years and is the department’s K-9 handler.
Burke and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association support Bower for sheriff.
“Randy is an organizer,” Bourke said. “I have no doubt he can do the job.”
Bower, 50, has worked with Bourke for nearly three decades. Bower has been a dispatcher, relaying information to Bourke and other officers in the field. Bower has been active in the community in numerous other ways, running a custom apparel company with John Cole, coaching youth soccer, basketball and baseball.
He was also the Holley girls varsity basketball coach for four years. That team lost every game its first two years with Bower, but it became a playoff team his third season. Bower was Genesee-Region coach of the year that year in 2010.
He also has been chairman of a bocce tournament the past 15 years in Hulberton, part of the St. Rocco’s Festival the Sunday before Labor Day. That tournament draws teams from throughout Western New York and Ontario, Canada.
Bower is in a wheelchair. He has been paralyzed from the waist down since a car accident when he was 18.
“I’m challenge-driven,” he said. “I love a challenge. I’m self-motivated and I have the ability to motivate others.”
Bower said very supportive friends and family helped him recover quickly from his accident 32 years ago. He said he lives a blessed life with his wife Robin and their children: Jessica, 23; and Jacob, 20.
The accident hasn’t prevented him from an active and athletic life. He said he loves his job as dispatcher. (He also was a member of the Sheriff’s Department’s Off-Road Patrol from 1992-1998, riding all-terrain vehicles to help locate missing persons, stolen property and respond to other situations.)
Bower wants to be sheriff because he said he has the leadership skills, vision and communication skills to run the department and serve the public.
“I’m seeking the endorsement of the people of Orleans County,” Bower said at his home on Route 31 in Holley. “I know how to treat people.”
Randy Bower
Bower was 18 when he worked for the Group W Cable company in Brockport, a company that was precursor to Time Warner. He installed cables on the telephone poles.
After his car accident in October 1983, Bower was hospitalized for three months. He returned to work at Group W, this time as a dispatcher.
He was hired as an Orleans County dispatcher in 1986 by former sheriff David Green.
Bower has worked 29 years as a county dispatcher, teaming with law enforcement and other emergency responders, including firefighters and ambulance staff. The dispatcher position has evolved over the years with more technology and training, working with members of the public in crisis situations.
It’s a job that Bower says requires “strict composure” and the ability extract vital information while remaining diplomatic and compassionate with the callers.
Before a big upgrade in 1998, when dispatch moved from the jail to the Public Safety Building, Bower and the dispatchers also ran the jail control room, a key part of the facility’s security.
Bower’s campaign for sheriff has picked up support from many Republican Committee members, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Conservative Party leaders. He presented to them a plan for the five divisions of the Sheriff’s Department, a plan that he said would make for a more efficient department, better service to the community and more revenue for the county.
The jail is the largest division of the Sheriff’s Department with 33 corrections officers, two cooks, a superintendent and eight other part-time COs.
The jail has a capacity for about 80 inmates. Bower said many of the inmates are “chemically dependent,” suffering from heroin, opiate and other addictions. He would like to see more services in the jail for those inmates to help them break the cycle of addiction.
“There is a revolving door right now,” he said.
He said he would pursue state funding to finance the drug addiction programs.
“There would be 0 tax increase to the county,” he said.
He would also push to have the county’s K-9 team regularly visit the jail to ensure no drugs are being brought in.
The county currently has two welfare fraud investigators through the Department of Social Services. Bower would like to add a fraud investigator to the Sheriff’s Department, a position that could ultimately save taxpayers’ money.
Bower and Bouke want to see more community policing with more police visibility, especially in the Lyndonville and Kendall communities.
The Sheriff’s Department Civil Division handles papers for evictions, orders of protection, summons and executions, and income and property executions. Those duties are currently handled by deputies while on patrol. But emergency calls often prevent deputies from delivering the paperwork in a timely manner.
Bower would like to have an officer assigned to that function to ensure the papers are delivered without delays. It would also free up deputies to focus on their other work. The civil work can generate revenue. Some attorneys have hired private contractors to do the work because the Sheriff’s Department often didn’t deliver the papers on time, Bower said.
The dispatchers also work with Kathy Smith, the county’s animal control officer. Bower said she handles about 2,000 calls a year, and also cleans the animal shelter and feeds the animals. It’s a big job. Bower would like to see a deputy on staff who would assist with the animal control calls and also be deployed for other police calls.
With dispatch, the county about six months ago started handling calls for the State Police. However, Bower said the state police cars aren’t tracked by the dispatch center, meaning dispatchers don’t know where the closest car is for a call. He would push to have the state troopers be full participants in the county dispatch system, and he also said the state should pay the county some money for the dispatching work.
Bower also wants dispatchers to have the capability of getting video links to the five school districts in case there was an incident in the schools needing a police or emergency response. If the schools allowed dispatch the video links, Bower said school officials would be notified if dispatch was in the school system’s video system.
“We want the public school video links,” Bower said. “We could see if there was an active shooter or other problems.”
Bourke said he supports Bower’s goals. He also has worked closely with Bower for 29 years, and witnessed his impact on others on a daily basis.
“It’s a leadership thing and Randy is the person,” Bourke said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2015 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The proposed STAMP site across the Orleans County line in Alabama could become the Village of Medina’s largest sewer customer, using up to 3 million gallons a day at the village treatment plant.
The Village Board agreed on Monday to a memorandum of understanding with the Genesee County Economic Development Corporation. The village would provide sewer for the Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park, with GCEDC paying for running sewer lines to the 1,250-acre STAMP site.
GCEDC would pay the current village rates, although a deal could be made for a break in sewer charges in exchange for a host community agreement with money going to the village’s general fund.
“This will help stabilize the sewer fund for years to come,” said Medina Mayor Andrew Meier.
There isn’t an immediate impact because a tenant hasn’t committed to the STAMP site yet. GCEDC is lining up service providers for infrastructure.
The Medina sewer plant is currently permitted for 4.5 million gallons a day. Medina typically treats 1 to 2 million gallons a day, depending on the weather. If there is a big storm or snow melt, the plant sees more use.
Although the plant has a 4.5 million gallon permit capacity, it could treat least 7 million gallons a day, Meier said. The village is tackling some improvements at the plant to increase the capacity to about 10 million gallons.
Even with the agreement for STAMP, Medina still has plenty of excess capacity to serve development projects in the village and Medina area, Meier said. The final agreement still needs to be approved with GCEDC, and Meier said the deal will allow reserve capacities for Medina to serve businesses in the Medina community.
The final agreement could also include a provision for money for the village’s general fund through a host community agreement. That would generate money for the village’s general fund, and ease some pressure on Medina taxpayers.
If the host community agreement is in place, GCEDC could get a break in the sewer rate.
“We’re still working on the details,” Meier said.
The Village Board wants to support the STAMP project, which could bring an estimated 10,000 jobs to the site in full build out over an estimated 15 years or more, GCEDC officials said. They anticipate another 50,000 jobs from STAMP in the region. Meier said Medina is ideally situated for “feeder industries” that would work with companies at STAMP.
The sewer plant with all of its unused capacity is a major asset for Medina, Meier said.
“It’s a huge economic development resource we have in Medina,” he said.
The route from Medina to Alabama for the sewer lies hasn’t been determined yet. That is being studied by engineers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Walter Jakubowski of Albion is pictured with some of the photographs he has featured in an exhibit about the Pratt Opera House and the restorative efforts from 2013 to 2015.
ALBION – One photo from 10 years ago shows former Congressman John LaFalce and former Albion Mayor Ed Salvatore in the Pratt Opera House. The floor is covered in pigeon droppings and pigeon carcasses.
More recent photos show the same stage in the Pratt Opera House cleaned, sanded and refinished.
Walter Jakubowski, an Albion photographer, has been taking photos in the Pratt since 2013. He documented some of the restorative efforts by Michael Bonafede and his wife Judith Koehler.
About 20 of those photos will be on display in an exhibit opening Saturday at Salih Studio at 24 East Bank St. There will be an opening reception from 2 to 5 p.m. The exhibit runs until June 20, and will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.
One of Jakubowski’s photos shows a ticket from a performance at the Pratt Theatre.
The exhibit also includes old seating charts and some historic photos of the Pratt, where construction on the third floor building started in 1890.
The opera house seated 400 and hosted numerous plays, theater events and other live performances. By World War II, the opera house was largely dormant and its chairs removed so the steel could be salvaged during the scrap metal drives.
The opera house would spend about 70 years pretty much out of the public eye. The site was falling in disrepair when Bonafede and Koehler purchased it in 2005.
The couple was on the tour with LaFalce and Salvatore. The former mayor asked the Bonafede family to take on the project, seeing a restored opera house as a major draw for Albion.
The family has done extensive work on the opera house and the entire building. The opera house has more work to be done. It doesn’t yet have a certificate of occupancy.
Jakubowski has many photos of the interior of the Pratt following an extensive cleanup effort and restorative work.
The first and second floors on the building on North Main Street are home to 11 tenants, up from two when the Bonafede family acquired the property.
“We feel like we’ve salvaged the building,” Michael Bonafede said today. “We didn’t achieve our dreams but we’re ready for someone to take it to the next level.”
Bonafede and Koehler said they would consider an offer for the property from “someone with the right vision.”
Jakubowski wanted to document the efforts by Bonafede and Koehler, and also highlight an important building in Albion’s history.
“People used to have rocking times up there,” he said. “It’s part of the cultural history of the area.”
Jakubowski said generations of people have been driving by the building without seeing or appreciating the opera house. He wanted them to get a glimpse of the grandeur.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of what’s up there,” he said today while hanging his photos at Salih Studio. “It’s tucked up on the third floor and people don’t see it or think about it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo disclosed today that his longtime girlfriend and domestic partner Sandra Lee has breast cancer. The governor said he will be taking some time off as Lee undergoes a double mastectomy and recovers from surgery.
Lee, a TV chef, is 48.
Cuomo issued this statement today:
“A few weeks ago we received terrible news. Sandy shared with me that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was devastated. After the news what followed was a blizzard of doctors visits, tests and discussions of treatment options. Sandy is young for her diagnosis, she has no family history, she is healthy and had no symptoms or signals that she was in danger. She has been diligent about going for check-ups and thankfully this was detected in the early stages.
“A situation like this quickly puts life in the proper perspective and reminds one of what’s truly important. To that end, I expect to take some personal time because I want to be with Sandy to support her in any way I can as she handles the trauma of her operation and the pain of the recovery.
“For those of you familiar with Sandy’s life story it will not surprise you that she has met this latest challenge with determination, resolve and grace. She never ceases to amaze me. While she has kept her illness private until now, Sandy has bravely decided to speak openly about her illness in order to remind women of the potentially lifesaving power of early detection. I fully support her decision.
“With heartfelt gratitude for your kind wishes and support, Sandy and I hope and pray to bring you good news of her strong recovery soon.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Deputy James DeFilipps (right) was recognized during an Orleans County Legislature meeting on April 22, along with deputies Brian Larkin, left, Kevin Colonna, and other law enforcement officers in the county. DeFilipps was wounded in a March 21 shoot-out in Clarendon.
When Deputy James DeFilipps was shot on March 21, a bullet-proof vest likely saved his life. It was the 1,912 “save” for the Safariland Group, a company that makes bullet-proof vests, armor and other gear.
Safariland representatives will be in Albion at the Public Safety Building on May 19 for a ceremony to recognize DeFilipps. The company will present him with a plaque and will induct him into the “Safariland Group Saves Club.” The company will also give a plaque to the Sheriff’s Department in the ceremony at 3 p.m.
Members of the “Safariland Group Saves Club” often become advocates for the law enforcement community, sharing the importance of wearing body armor, as well as providing other safety tips derived from their own experiences, the company said.
DeFilipps was shot twice in the vest during a shootout on March 21 in Clarendon with a James Ellis, 44, of Wyoming County.
Ellis crashed his vehicle into a telephone pole on Route 31A in Clarendon at about 3 a.m. on March 21. Police discovered the wreck in a neighbor’s front yard while looking for Ellis. When DeFilipps left his patrol car to search for Ellis, the suspect opened fire from a wooded area near the vehicle, Sheriff Scott Hess said during a news conference later that day.
Deputy DeFilipps was shot twice in the abdomen, and then managed to fatally shoot Ellis.
A bill sponsored by State Sen. Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) could now put certain car passengers under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the hot seat. The New York State Senate today passed “Abbagail’s Law,” which would close the legal loophole that lets impaired licensed drivers supervise, or ride in a vehicle operated by, someone with a learner’s permit.
“Abbagail’s Law will save lives and deter individuals from putting children and others in unnecessary danger,” Ortt said. “Those who are not sober and in charge of supervising someone learning to drive would no longer be able to escape punishment.”
The bill (S2976) would make it a misdemeanor to act as a “supervising driver” while drunk or high, and a felony for aggravated “supervising driver” cases. By definition, a “supervising driver” is a licensed driver supervising someone with a learner’s permit.
The bill is named for 8-year-old Abbagail Buzard of Orleans County. Abby was killed in early September of 2009 in a rollover crash with her underage cousin at the wheel. The cousin, who only had a learner’s permit, was under the supervision of Abby’s intoxicated father. The inexperienced driver lost control of the car and crashed, killing Abby almost instantly.
“After hearing the tragic story about Abbagail, it’s hard to imagine why this common-sense legislation has been held up in the Assembly for years,” said Sen. Ortt. “How many more individuals are we going to let off the hook for being under the influence while supervising an inexperienced driver because of a technicality? Too many lives have been cut short, because of the reckless decisions and actions of intoxicated drivers. An impaired supervisor who lets someone operate a vehicle with a learner’s permit is no different. Abbagail’s Law would close a dangerous loophole and hold a fully licensed individual accountable.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This boater heads east on the Erie Canal in Albion on Monday afternoon. The boater then passed under the Main Street lift bridge. The canal opened for its 191st season on Friday.
The temperatures will drop on Wednesday with a high of 57 and low of 38. On Thursday, it will be a high of 62 and a low of 45, according to the National Weather Service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2015 at 11:54 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
BARRE – This barn on Angevine Road is pictured during a severe thunderstorm on Monday night. I was out near this barn for reports of a house fire. On the way to Angevine Road from Albion, there were numerous flashes of lightning.
This is my first try at a lightning photo. The storm had weakened at this point. I learned from this outing and look forward to trying it again.
The fire was in the basement of the house at 4722 Angevine Rd. The homeowner used a fire extinguisher to take care of the fire. Barre firefighters, and other local departments, responded to the scene.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch from 8:15 p.m. until midnight tonight for Orleans and nine other Western New York counties, including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara and Wyoming.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County was assigned an A1 rating by Moody’s Investors Service, and that positive rating helped the county secure a 20-year bond for $8.03 million at a 2.81 percent rate.
The county is borrowing the money to replace bridges, culverts, roofs and other infrastructure work. Depository Trust submitted the lowest borrowing rate of five bidders. Depository has bought other county bonds before, said County Treasurer Susan Heard.
She said the county has held a high rating by Moody’s in recent decades, which has resulted in low-financing rates for county projects.
Moody’s said the county has a stable $1.7 billion tax base, showing modest growth of about 1.0 percent annually the past five years.
“The county’s financial position should remain satisfactory given conservative budgeting and the recent sale of the nursing home,” according to the Moody’s report.
Moody’s also said the recent sale of the county-owned nursing home for $7.8 million will allow the county to pay off $7.1 million owed for that facility’s debt. Selling the nursing home also eliminates the potential for county subsidies for the facility. The county had to take $900,000 from the general fund to cover budget shortfalls at the nursing home in 2013, Moody’s said.
The county has a “manageable debt level” and average reserve levels, Moody’s said. The county’s rate could go down if reserves are depleted. The rate could be improved with bigger reserves and significant tax base growth.
Moody’s said the county is challenged by “below average wealth indicators” in the community.
The $8.03 million bond will provide $4,963,000 to replace six bridges from 2015 to 2017. Those bridges include two in 2015: a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton, and a bridge from 1968 in Barre over Manning Muckland Creek on Oak Orchard Road.
Other bridges to follow include one from 1959 in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.
The county also plans to replace six culverts for $1,500,000. Those culverts are identified as two on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway, two on Platten Road in Yates, and two on South Holley Road in Clarendon.
The infrastructure investment plan also includes $1,540,000 in work at county buildings, including two new pole barns for $460,000. Those 60-by-150 foot barns are estimated to cost $230,000 each. One would be used by the highway department and the other by emergency management.
The county also wants to replace the roofs on the County Administration Building and the Public Safety Building, with each at an estimated $510,000.
The remaining project includes a generator for the mental health building for $60,000. That generator will service a new hub for county information technology infrastructure.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Heritage Hero: Andrew Meier
Photos by Tom Rivers – Andrew Meier is pictured inside the second floor of the Robert H. Newell Building, which is now home to the law offices of Webster, Schubel and Meier. The building’s reuse and preservation is one of several reasons why Meier was awarded a “Heritage Hero” award on April 25 by Genesee Community College.
MEDINA – It was 2004 and Andrew Meier had a new law degree from Syracuse University after earning his bachelor’s at the University of Rochester.
Meier was 24 then and many of his law school friends settled into jobs at law firms in the big cities.
Meier returned to his hometown, working with David Schubel and Norris Webster at their law firm on Main Street. Meier bought a house in Middleport, renovated it and sold it.
He liked that challenge, of bringing life back into an old building.
“I love architecture and I really love old buildings,” Meier said.
The Robert H. Newell Building is now home to several different businesses and uses.
Meier had long admired the Robert H. Newell Building at 113 West Center St. The building for 86 years was home to the Robert H. Newell Shirt Factory, which manufactured custom-made shirts, including for many famous customers, including Winston Churchill and Bob Hope.
The Newell company left the historic building in 2004 and moved to Maple Ridge Road. The business closed in 2007.
The Village of Medina acquired the building after years of unpaid taxes. The three-story site had been neglected and was in disrepair. It was put up for sale in 2005, and Meier bought it. He was 25 at the time.
“It had great bones and potential,” Meier said about the building. “I knew the risks going in. It was an opportunity that came up that I could not pass up.”
He set about the task of methodically renovating and preserving the 14,000-square-foot building that opened in 1876, a site that was a hotel for its first 14 years before it becoming the Newell building.
Meier is pictured at the check-in for the Hart House, a hotel with four rooms plus two lofts for extended stays.
Meier first worked on preparing the Shirt Factory Café in part of the first floor. That business opened in September 2006 after 18 months of renovations.
Meier believed the café fit in nicely with the Newell building, given its close proximity to the Post Office and other downtown sites that are popular with the public.
“I thought it was a quality of life issue and the type of business the community needed,” Meier said. “I thought it would thrive off existing foot traffic and hopefully generate some new foot traffic.”
The café remains in operation today, with Richard Sarrero now owning and running the Shirt Factory.
Bryan DeGraw, back left, talks about mead with people on the Ale in Autumn tasting event in September in Medina. 810 Meadworks is owned by Bryan and Larissa DeGraw and their friend Morris Babcock.
While Meier was working on the space for the Shirt Factory, a yarn store and barbershop moved into storefronts at the building. Meier knew it would take many tenants, with different types of businesses, to make the building viable.
He envisioned the second floor for professional offices and he found a tenant in the law offices of Webster, Schubel and Meier. The attorneys would move from Main Street to the second floor of the Newell building.
For the third floor, Meier wanted to honor the building’s original use as a hotel. He would create the Hart House with four hotel rooms and two extended stay loft apartments. The Hart House opened in 2012. Meier owns that business which is managed by Kyle Zunner.
The building has space in the back that has hosted outdoor concerts as part of the Boiler 54 performance venue.
Dave Kimball and Dee Adams perform in August 2013 at the Boiler 54 in the back of the former R.H. Newell Shirt Factory.
“That space is one of the most awesome outdoor venues anywhere,” Meier said. “I love it.”
When the barber in the building retired last year, a meadery serving alcohol moved in. 810 Meadworks has proven a draw for people who like alcoholic drinks made by fermenting honey with water and often fruits, spices, grains and hops.
Cindy Robinson, president of the Medina Business Association, marvels at Meier’s transformation for a building that was empty a decade ago.
“He is a visionary on what’s doable in a small town,” Robinson said. “He knew it would take an eclectic mix.”
Robinson owns two historic building on Main Street. Both have been full of surprises, the same with most older historic structures, she said.
“You don’t know what’s under the dropped ceilings and the plasterboard,” she said.
Meier showed faith in the community when he invested in the Newell site, and Robinson believes that example encouraged others to take a chance on Medina, and has been a big part of the downtown revitalization the past decade.
“He was one of the original risk takers,” Robinson said. “He has been a catalyst for the downtown.”
Civil War re-enactors march down Main Street in Medina in April 2013, when the Main Street was closed to traffic for the parade. Meier and village officials have supported many heritage efforts and community projects.
Meier would join the Village Board in 2008 when he was elected as a trustee. He became mayor in 2011. He worries about neighborhood decline and rising tax rates for the Medina community. He pushed for a dissolution of the village, which failed in the public referendum in January.
“Being mayor and serving on the Village Board is a thankless job,” Robinson said. “You do it out of your hearts and your concern for the community.”
As mayor, Meier has been receptive to heritage projects in the community, most notably Genesee Community College’s Civil War Encampments the past three years. Medina closed sections of Main Street to traffic for re-enactment programs and parades.
He is active with the Orleans Renaissance Group and its effort to bring back Bent’s Hall, a three-story structure on Main Street that includes an opera house.
Meier plays the church organ at Trinity Lutheran Church and the Presbyterian Church. He heard about a Cincinnati church, Christ Episcopal Cathedral, that was dismantling an 1968 Holtkamp pipe organ with 1,800 pipes. Meier helped orchestrate bringing that organ to Trinity Lutheran, replacing a much smaller one. The relocated organ debuted on Easter.
Some of the pipes in a Holtkamp pipe organ at Trinity Lutheran Church are pictured in March while the organ was put together inside the Medina church. The organ was moved from Cincinnati.
Meier said he’s grateful to see so many people working on projects in the community, preserving the downtown and promoting many other heritage initiatives, efforts that set Medina apart.
“We got it and few other places do,” Meier about the community’s historical assets. “If you look at Buffalo, Buffalo is on a huge economic upswing right now, and it’s not because of a huge amount of new employment or because Buffalo’s economy has fundamentally changed. It’s because Buffalo has given new life to historic districts and marketing. People want to come to Buffalo. The tourism market is so much stronger in Buffalo right now because of all the preservation activities going on.”
Preservation can draw tourists, and investment, Meier said, and preservation is also the “highest form of green building out there. Building a new building requires harvesting new resources from the Earth whereas preservation is already using those resources that have been harvested and reusing them. The carbon footprint for preservation is very small compared to new builds.”
One of the rooms in the Hart House includes a picture of Bob Hope, one of the prominent customers of the former Newell company.
The older buildings are also “an art form,” Meier said.
“They will stand for centuries if water is kept from them and they are simply maintained,” he said.
Bent’s hosted wine-tastings in its basement
In regards to Bent’s, Meier said many people are working on a plan to revive the building.
“There are people toiling everyday to bring that project to life and it will come to life,” he said. “It takes a few with the vision to see the potential, and we have those people here. That project could be a real turning point for the village and put us on the same trajectory of what Buffalo is seeing now. It will be a venue unlike anywhere else.”
The Tree Board, Medina Business Association, Orleans Renaissance Group, Medina Sandstone Society and many other groups and citizens are working to better Medina.
“As a village we’ve embraced participation from the community to get projects off the ground, and let them have ownership of them,” Meier said. “There are so many people doing so many things around here.”
Press Release, Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition
Increasing public awareness of substance abuse and mental health issues are at the forefront of National Prevention Week.
The awareness week is held each year in May, near the start of summer, when families try to fit in as many celebrations and recreational activities as possible. It’s also a time when substance use and abuse can happen, such as graduation parties, proms, weddings, sporting events, and outdoor activities.
The percentages of marijuana, cigarette, and alcohol initiates among youth increase between spring and summer, and the timing of National Prevention Week helps to educate young people and their families at this crucial time of year. Each of us can make a difference in our community, starting with the choices we make every day. These choices are important for our health and our future, and they also affect the lives of people in our community.
Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition was selected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to receive a $500 stipend to support a National Prevention Week event from May 11-16.
Pat Crowley, project director for the coalition, noted that each day they have selected a suggested health topic that will be highlighted in the lobby at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse (GCASA) at 249 East Ave., Albion.
“We will have information available on the prevention of tobacco use, underage drinking and alcohol abuse, opioid and prescription drug abuse, illicit drug use, prevention of suicide as well as promotion of mental health and wellness,” she said.
GCASA will finish off the week with a Free Wellness Walk/Run beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the community room at GCASA’s Albion office. The Albion Running Club and Orleans United are co-sponsoring the Wellness Walk/Run.
The first 40 people to register on the event day receive a free T-shirt and everyone that registers and participates will have a chance to win an Apple I-Pod. Contact Pat Crowley for more information at pcrowley@gcasa.org or call 585-331-8732. Join us in spreading the message that prevention works.
