By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 19 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Sixth graders from Holley Central School learn about water and boating safety from members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Dept. and the NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Police.
KNOWLESVILLE – Sixth graders from around Orleans County traveled to the 4-H Fairgrounds Tuesday and Wednesday for the 48th annual Conservation Field Days. The event provides students with hands-on learning about the environment, wildlife conservation, safety, healthy eating and more.
This year, educational stations included a habitat walk with exploration of a variety of animal habitats; composting with Orleans County Master Gardeners; the use of hunting and trapping in wildlife management with the Gregoire family of Murray; how pesticides, herbicides and other wastes affect local watersheds with the Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District; green power with Scott Dean of the NYS Public Service Commission; Rabies with Nola Goodrich-Kresse of the Orleans County Health Department.
Other stations included Mammal ID with staff from the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge; the tree factory with staff from the NYSDEC’s Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center in Depew; Heritage Sheep with Orleans County 4-Her Andrew Dreschel of Holley; dog agility with members of the Orleans County 4-H dog program; water and boat safety with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and the NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Police; and Natalie Heller, nutrition
educator, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, with information on healthy and fluid-replenishing drinks for the summer.
Students prepare for a “drag race” of tiny solar-powered cars with Scott Dean of the NYS Public Service Commission, who talked to them about green energy.
Products and items on the table overseen by staff from the NYSDEC’s Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center are all made from trees.
Students were able to explore varieties of local wildlife as well as hunting and trapping equipment with Mark Gregoire, who explained why wildlife management is necessary and how it helps the environment.
Orleans County Master Gardeners explain the process and benefits of composting yard and kitchen waste to students from Lyndonville Central School.
Kim Hazel of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, tells students about wildlife habitat, including habitat created by garbage cans like the ones stored under the trees in the background of the photo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 10:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers-The Rev. Eddie English, pastor of The Lord’s House in Waterport, and his wife Rose greet church attendees on Sunday following a church service.
WATERPORT – A congregation that started a decade ago remains committed and optimistic in serving God and helping the Orleans County community.
The Rev. Eddie English, pastor of The Lord’s House, is grateful for the church’s first 10 years, and the way many people have stepped forward to work with the church, particularly with renovations of a former United Methodist building in Waterport.
The Lord’s House started a decade ago when English and his wife Rose succeeded Ella Mae and Le Roy Hawkins, who ran the Faith Power Mission next to their home on Root Road in Barre.
English said he prayed about the church’s future, and felt led to bring The Lord’s House to storefront on East Bank Street in Albion. The Lord’s House opened in downtown Albion in 2007, with prayer meetings, Bible studies and Sunday church services.
Rose and Eddie English are pictured outside The Lord’s House at 2038 Eagle Harbor Rd. The church acquired the former United Methodist building in Waterport at an auction in 2011.
The Lord’s House was cramped on East Bank Street in Albion. Eddie English felt God leading the congregation to a bigger building, a former United Methodist site in Waterport, a church building that had been vacant for 20 years.
English attended the county’s tax auction, when properties with several years of back taxes are put up for sale. It was May 2011, and The Lord’s House bought the building for $500, plus $2,500 in back taxes.
The building was in disrepair, in need of major repairs. English was called a fool by some in the community. Some church members also were skeptical about moving to a building out on the country that needed so much work.
English, with help from church members and some local residents, worked diligently to make the building ready for worship services. They painted, upgraded electric and plumbing, and put in a new bathroom, an outside ramp, a new pulpit and other improvements.
Eddie English stands in the sanctuary of The Lord’s House in this photo taken looking out from the pulpit with an open Bible.
Eddie and Rose English believe the efforts to redeem a building that was left to rot is a metaphor for how God can transform any life, including people scorned by society.
“When people come here they will feel love,” English said. “Here it is God led. We hope people will see what is going on and that we’re progressing.”
There are about 30 regulars for Sunday services, but English said that sometimes grows to 60 when farmworkers, including many Jamaicans, are in the area working at fruit and vegetable farms. The church plans to take the Jamaicans up on their offer to help with building repairs, play in the worship band and help as ushers. English uses a church van to pick up many of the farmworkers and some other church attendees.
English said there is a lot of work remaining. He wants to create a fellowship hall in the basement and also a room for people to do homework, or check the Internet.
The building could use more fresh paint to improve the looks.
“People see a lot of work has been done,” English said. “We’re bringing back something that was dead. It was an eyesore.”
Willie Graham, an elder at The Lord’s House, speaks from the pulpit this past Sunday.
English felt called to the ministry about a decade ago. He had a full-time job as a head cook at the Margaret House, a child care center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He had been a deacon for about 25 years at the Royal Church of God in Christ in Carlton, where his brothers-in-law, William Morrell Washington and Mark Washington, are leaders.
When they started the church, Mrs. English was working as a public relations executive for the RIT Inn and Conference Center. She now serves as administrator for The Lord’s House. The couple has been married for 38 years and has three grown children.
Their daughter Angela heads up the youth ministry, including a liturgical dance team that has performed in Tampa, Fla. at a conference for the Church of God in Christ denomination. The dancers regularly are part of the church service at The Lord’s House.
Olivia Peterson, 7, practices as part of the liturgical dance team following church on Sunday. Her grandfather is the church pastor.
English admits the church restoration hasn’t always been easy. He has sometimes doubted himself and the call to take on the project. When he feels low, he said God comes through. One time a stranger showed up and handed him $2,000 to help with a new furnace.
Other donations and help have arrived including a Henrietta church that gave The Lord’s House a pulpit, communion table, sliding doors and a refrigerator. English said the gifts, often unsolicited, strengthen his resolve and faith.
“I have learned so much as I have taken this journey,” he said Sunday. “Sometimes I didn’t know which way to turn and the burden became heavy. Every time I wanted to throw up my hands and quit, a still small voice told me, ‘I cleaned you up and now I want you to clean up this church.'”
Eddie English preaches on Sunday.
Some of the church members who were originally skeptical of the move to take on the Waterport church now praise English, and thank you for following that vision, and for being so committed.
“We had a small membership, and some people didn’t think we could do it,” English said. “People wanted to take a chance, but there was fear. By faith we’re trying to be a light in the community.
The church has Sunday School from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., followed by worship from 10:30 to about noon.
Eddie and Rose English are often at the church on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the evenings. They said they would welcome a chance to give residents a tour of the building on those days, or on a Sunday.
The church has a Facebook page (click here) with more information.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today bashed downstate members of the Assembly’s Social Services Committee for blocking legislation to curb the bloating and rampant abuse of New York’s welfare programs.
The bill, A.3960 (click here), authored by Hawley, would place a 90 day residency requirement on individuals applying for social services benefits in the state.
“New York is quickly becoming the nationwide safe haven for those looking to live off of our state’s taxpayers,” Hawley said. “Nearly a third of our state’s budget, over $50 billion, is spent on Medicaid alone, and we spent more on Medicaid in 2014 than Texas and Florida combined.
“It is for these reasons that people are moving into our state and immediately applying for social services, which places an added burden on taxpayers and perpetuates rampant abuse that people are sick and tired of. By enacting a 90-day residency requirement, we can assure individuals are moving here permanently, will pay taxes for an extended period of time, and contribute to society instead of taking free handouts from the government.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Sandy Church, an Albion attorney, discusses advanced directives during an end-of-life seminar Tuesday evening at Hoag Library’s main meeting room.
The Albion Rotary Club organized the seminar, which attracted about 75 people to the library. Several speakers discussed issues to help senior citizens and caregivers better prepare for the end of life. In addition to the speakers, there was a vendor fair with about 15 different businesses and agencies.
Susie Miller, assistant director for the Office for the Aging in Orleans County, discusses some of the services at the agency, including assistance for younger people.
Miller said many members of the Baby Boomer generation are now taking care of their elderly parents.
Earl Schmidt, director of the Veterans Service Agency, is pictured with the agency’s new display for public outreach events. Schmidt was among the vendors at Tuesday’s seminar.
John Zonitch, an attorney with Oak Orchard Legal Services, discusses how Medicare and Medicaid can pay for nursing home care. Zonitch said a single person can still have $14,850 in savings and be eligible for Medicaid, and married people can have at least $74,820 and still be eligible for Medicaid. Those funds allow for “rainy day” expenses, such as roof repairs, new furnaces, and other costs.
However, Zonitch said people can’t give their money away to family and charities soon before seeking Medicaid assistance if they are near the Medicaid eligibility thresholds.
“It does get complex,” he said about the rules.
Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, said families with an unattended death can always call 911, a funeral director or a coroner for help.
MEDINA – The community shouldn’t be alarmed if they see a large presence of police at Medina Memorial Hospital today.
Orleans Community Health, parent organization of the hospital, is holding a “Dangerous Person” drill at Medina Memorial, preparing staff and law enforcement in case a gunman or somebody else threatens the site.
Medina residents and hospital visitors should expect a large police presence at the hospital today from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The hospital’s leadership staff also will be in a four-hour training on Tuesday with a certified instructor to prepare and respond to dangerous situations.
Hospital officials have been preparing for the drill for several months.
Wendy Jacobson, CEO and president of Orleans Community Health, said there has been an increase in “drug-seeking behavior” at hospitals, in general, with people showing up demanding prescription narcotics.
Medina Memorial and the Urgent Care site in Albion have both bolstered security. Medina Memorial wants staff and law enforcement to be prepared in case a dangerous person is on site.
A dangerous person could be someone seeking prescription narcotics, or perhaps a partner of a staff or patient with a restraining order.
The hospital in the past has been the site for large drills for hazardous materials and mass casualties, but never for a “dangerous person.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Adam Krenning, an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Albion, shows buds and blossoms on apple trees to elementary students last week at the FFA land lab. Krenning has led the FFA program for 16 years.
ALBION – It was 16 years ago when Adam Krenning was hired as Albion’s agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. The program then was in danger of being shut down because of limited student participation.
The program has thrived and grown under Krenning, tripling in size. It is considered one of the strongest in the state. in 2014, the New York Association of Agricultural Educators named Albion the state winner of the “Outstanding Middle School/Secondary School Program.”
Albion has twice hosted the state FFA convention in Krenning’s tenure, and several Albion students have served in state leadership roles, including Sara Millspaugh who was state FFA president this past year.
The program can add another honor: Ag Teacher of the Year in New York for Krenning. He will receive the award from the New York Association of Agricultural Educators on June 28 in Albany.
Krenning is being recognized for how the program has grown and excelled, as well as the strong ties to the local farm community. The local farmers give 30,000 pounds of produce after the harvest season to benefit Community Action and local food pantries, a collection organized by the Albion FFA.
The farmers also work with students to plant and harvest crops at the FFA Land Lab on school property along Clarendon Road.
“With Adam you can see his true commitment to students in the activities that he does,” said Erin McCaffrey, president of the NYA Agricultural Educators and FFA advisor and ag teacher for Stockbridge Valley Central School.
Krenning teaches classes on ag business, ag science, leadership, vet science and more. Many of the students complete supervised ag education projects, documenting cost of raising livestock or other farm products, and comparing that with revenue.
Krenning pushed to create the 5-acre Land Lab to make his classes “as hands-on as possible.” The Land Lab functions like “an experiential learning classroom” where Krenning said students measure the distance between apple trees and crops, and try different fertilizers to see which are most effective, among their many assignments.
FFA Advisor Adam Krenning, left, and Albion apple grower Steve Nesbitt discuss apple tree planting strategy at the FFA Land Lab in this photo from 2014. Barry Flansburg is behind the steering wheel. Nesbitt donated many of the trees, an example of the local farm community’s support of the Albion agriculture program.
Krenning said the community support has allowed the Albion program to grow and thrive. He said students are committed to the program, and community service, whether it’s the annual food collection for Community Action, reading to elementary students in Ag Literacy Week, or hosting a Mini Farm where students can see farm animals brought in for a day at the ag shop.
McCaffrey said the number of farm families is declining in the state, yet the FFA is seeing a resurgence as many students, including those who don’t live on farms, join the FFA to gain leadership skills, learn about food production and try to connect with service projects.
Ag educators feel a little vulnerable, McCaffrey said, because the programs aren’t state mandated. The ag teachers have to continually work hard to prove their worth. Some schools without FFA and ag programs see the success in other school districts and are trying to start programs, McCaffrey said.
“Schools are trying to rejuvenate programs, but it’s hard to find teachers like Adam. That’s the biggest hurdle, finding teachers with passion.”
Krenning also is eligible to be considered for the national ag teacher award. A committee will pick six regional winners to compee for the national award.
Krenning, who grew up on a fruit farm and hog operation near Knowlesville, wants to add more to the Albion program, including a Field to Table initiative wherestudents would make meals from food they grow in the Land Lab. Krenning would like to see the students develop recipes that could be handed out during the annual food drive for Community Action.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that the temporary Business Regulation Council is accepting comments and recommendations online through May 26.
“We are committed to reducing the cost of doing business in New York State and this action builds upon the progress we’ve made,” Governor Cuomo said. “I look forward to receiving the recommendations and I thank the committee members for their work to help us build a stronger New York for all.”
Charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the state’s business climate, the council will make recommendations to the Governor, Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker by June 3 on ways to decrease the cost of doing business in New York State without compromising protections for workers.
Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan said, “The Business Regulation Council is critical to our overall efforts to reduce barriers and make it easier for businesses to create new jobs, invest and grow in New York. I am pleased that the Business Regulation Council has begun its important work and look forward to receiving their recommendations on June 3.”
Since its formation last month, the seven-member Council has met weekly to discuss a range of issues, including unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, temporary disability insurance, energy and taxes, among other costs to businesses. The Council has solicited input over the past several weeks from business associations and labor groups and is reaching out to businesses and all stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “The Assembly has always been committed to passing legislation that offers hardworking New Yorkers comprehensive benefits that are also good for businesses. The inclusion of Paid Family Leave and a higher minimum wage in this year’s budget reflect that commitment. We look forward to hearing the recommendations and finding more ways to ensure a brighter economic future for New York.”
The Business Regulation Council members are:
Governor Cuomo’s appointees: Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO; Ted Potrikus, President and CEO of the Retail Council of New York State; Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
Senate Majority Leader Flanagan’s appointees: Heather Briccetti, President and CEO, The Business Council of New York State, Inc.; Dean Norton, President, New York Farm Bureau.
Assembly Speaker Heastie’s appointees: Gary LaBarbera, President, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York; Robert Grey, Chair, New York Workers’ Compensation Alliance.
Photo by Thom Jennings – Pictured with the Trac-Fab wheelchair, includes, from left: Joe Pionessa, Peter Zeliff Jr., Ed Spence and Jim Tignanelli.
By Thom Jennings, Correspondent
SHELBY – The Warrior House of WNY has access to a new vehicle that will allow them to serve more injured soldiers thanks to a phone call and five anonymous donors.
Last week Jim Tignanelli, president of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, presented a specially modified wheelchair to former US Marine Corporal Ed Spence of Operation Injured Soldier, Peter Zeliff Jr. of The Warrior House of WNY and Joe Pionessa of Christian Bow Hunters.
The Trac-Fab wheelchair is designed to assist persons with disabilities so they can participate in hunting and fishing. The $15,000 price tag makes it prohibitive for many individuals and organizations but when Spence gave Trac-Fab’s Ed Humpert a call, he reached out to Tignanelli who found five anonymous donors, all of whom are military vets themselves, to pay for the chair that is now in Orleans County.
“It’s going to continue, we will keep looking for the next place to give one away,” Tignanelli said. “Last week I saw this 17-year-old kid at McDonald’s when we were on the way to deliver one of the chairs and he told me it restored his faith in humanity. Hearing that from a 17 year-old restored my faith in humanity.”
Tignanelli noted he is “a car guy that can take a transmission apart” but does not hunt. “It’s guys like you that drive us to do this, we love the things you are doing here with The Warrior House. It is very gratifying, we would not have a place to bring these things without guys like you.”
Zeliff owns the property on Salt Works Road that has become The Warrior House. He makes the property available for veterans, many with injuries, to go hunting. Zeliff has assembled a team of volunteers to provide the veterans with food, and also to serve as guides while they pursue geese, pheasants and deer.
The Trac-Fab wheelchair saw its first action this past weekend as The Warrior House hosted a turkey hunt. Spence said he plans to make use of the chair as often as possible and it will soon be a familiar site at The Warrior House of WNY’s weekend hunts.
“This will give us an opportunity to reach more veterans and expand our program,” Zeliff said. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes that make this possible, especially all our wives.”
For more information on The Warrior House of WNY email Zeliff at nyfarmer@me.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A man who broke into a convenience store in Medina last year and stole $350 was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison on Monday.
Gregory Thompson, 48, of Medina was ordered to pay restitution, and Judge James Punch also issued an order of protection for the owner of the Stop N Shop on East Center Street.
Thompson has a lengthy criminal history. He apologized for the crime in court on Monday.
“He does have a long history of substance abuse,” said his attorney, Dominic Saraceno. “It has affected and it has been a contributing factor in his criminal conduct.”
Thompson requested he be sentenced to the Willard Drug Treatment Center in the state prison system. Thompson has spent the past nine months in the county jail, and he said he has used that time to reflect on his life and commit to a new way of living.
“I’m just trying to put myself back on track,” he told Punch. “I do need help.”
Punch said he has sentenced Thompson several times before, and Thompson was often “an angry, difficult defendant.” But the judge said he was willing to give Thompson a chance at Willard. If Thompson was unsuccessful there, he would complete his sentence in a regular state prison, Punch said.
“Your record is horrible, but this is your first time admitting fault,” Punch said. “I hope you get some help.”
In another case in County Court, a Rochester man pleaded guilty to selling cocaine to an undercover informant from Orleans County.
Alexander J. DeHoyos, 34, will face a maximum of 4 years in state prison. He admitted to selling the cocaine on May 19, 2015. He will be sentenced on Aug. 22 for attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.
DeHoyos was admitted to the Elmira Correctional Facility in March after being sentenced in Monroe County for second-degree assault.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Dan Beam receives his honor cords from his mother, Debbie DiBacco, while his father, Roger Beam, looks on during an Academic Honors Convocation Dinner on Monday.
Albion recognized 37 seniors who will soon be graduating with cumulative grade point averages at 90 percent or higher.
Alyce Miller is congratulated by Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent. Alyce’s mother Betsy Miller, left, is ready to give Alyce her honor cords. High School Principal Matthew Peterson is in back, along with Eileen Banker from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office.
The convocation dinner includes a keynote address from an Albion graduate. This year Sarah Brown Dirkes, Class of 2005, delivered the message to the crowd at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
Dirkes was the class president when she was a senior, active in FFA, the school musical and many other activities. She worked in admissions for Cornell University and she said Cornell values well-rounded students.
She is director of external relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C., meeting with many corporate leaders from Whole Foods, WalMart and other companies in the U.S. food supply chain.
Dirkes grew up on a family farm, Brown’s Berry Patch, and she said she learned the values of grit and hard work. Her father, Bob Brown, also impressed on her the importance of nurturing relationships in the community. She urged the Albion honor grads to develop a network, and to roll up their sleeves and work hard.
She has been successful in her career by “daring to fail,” which for her is sometimes building up the confidence to meet with CEOs, forging through a crowd during a stockholder meeting. When she was class president, Dirkes led the push to move the Albion prom from Buffalo or Rochester to Hickory Ridge. That site in Murray has remained the prom location, with a popular red carpet scene for parents and friends to see the prom attendees.
Dirkes also told the students they should know their strengths and match those skills with their profession.
Desiree Barber is congratulated by her parents during the convocation dinner at Hickory Ridge.
Elijah Van Epps goes through a receiving line of well-wishers, including District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell.
Bruce Landis, a local professional photographer, prepares the honor grads for a group picture.
The 37 honor graduates include: Marella Albanese, Miranda Allen, Dylan Bader, Matthew Baker, Desiree Barber, Daniel Beam, Bethany Bowman, Scott Daniels, Matthew DeCarlo, Alex DeSmit, Wynter Dumont, Cheyanna Eagle, Randall Eblacker, Kelley Flanagan, Matthew Flanagan, Madeline Gibbs, Sarah Graham, Mckayla Hastings, Meghan Hurley, Miranda King, Caitlin Malanowski, Alexis Manning, Alyce Miller, Evan Pappalardo, Meredith Patterson, Katelyn Perry, Katlin Pieniaszek, Aliya Rayner, Zachary Shaffer, Kelsee Soule, Melissa Symonds, Kyle Thaine, Nathaniel Trembley, Elijah Van Epps, Chloe Weis, Raven White and Mikayla Yaskulski.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The walkway to the Albion Middle School is pictured Monday evening while the trees are in bloom in front a Vietnam Memorial.
Voters will go the polls today at the five school districts in Orleans County to decide whether to pass budgets, propositions and elect members to the Board of Education.
Here is a snapshot of each school district:
ALBION – The proposed $33,890,990 school budget keeps taxes at the same amount, $8,355,939, as the 2015-16 budget. The district’s tax rate for the current school year, $16.06 per $1,000 of assessed property, is the lowest of all districts in Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Monroe counties. The Albion rate is estimated to fall to $15.87 in 2016-17, school officials said.
Other propositions include:
Authorization to spend up to $460,000 for buses;
Approval to collect $687,211 for Hoag Library, which is up 1 percent from the $680,411 for 2015-16.
Choosing one of four candidates for a five-year term on the Board of Education. The candidates include Dylan Hellems, Steven LaLonde, Kevin Doherty and Anitrice Riley.
Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school, conference room A.
HOLLEY – The proposed $24.4 million budget for 2016-17 includes a 1.99 percent increase in the tax levy. The budget is 4.73 percent higher than the current year budget. The nearly 5 percent budget-to-budget increase is due to the district’s share of the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Capital Project, school officials said.
The proposed budget maintains current staffing and programs, and brings the average tax rate to approximately $22.81 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Besides the budget, voters will decide the following: Proposition 2 for the purchase of schools buses – two full-sized and two 30-passenger school buses not to exceed $339,000; Proposition 3 is the budget for the Community Free Library in Holley of $116,061.
Additionally, three candidates are running for two 3-year term seats on the School Board. John Heise and Brenda Swanger are running for re-election, and Christine Klafehn is also running for an open seat.
Voting will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the Holley Middle School/High School.
KENDALL – The proposed budget increases spending from $15,065,842 to $17,392,234, predominantly due to the debt incurred with the recent capital improvement project. The budget-to-budget increase, however, is completely offset by an increase in state aid from $9,884,890 to $11,855,939, school officials said.
The proposed tax levy remains unchanged in the 2016/17 budget, and the tax rate will be $17.39/$1,000 assessed value for a Kendall resident.
One seat on the School Board of Education is up for election this year. Incumbent Charles Patt is seeking another term. Debra Szczepanski is also seeking a term on the Board. The five-year term will run through June 30, 2021.
Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kendall Elementary School Gymnasium.
LYNDONVILLE – The school district is proposing a budget that will reduce taxes by 3.4 percent, continuing a downward trend in the tax burden.
The district is proposing a budget that seeks a tax levy of $4,266,578, which is down from $4,416,578 in 2015-16. The previous year, 2014-15, the district’s tax levy was $4,666,578. Lyndonville has reduced the tax levy by $400,000 in two years, a drop of 8.6 percent.
The district’s $13,254,000 budget is nearly the same in expenditures as in 2015-16. The 2016-17 budget is $108 more than the $13,253,892 in 2015-16.
Other propositions include:
$91,589 for Yates Community Library (up from $90,653).
Establish 2016 Transportation Reserve Fund to fund bus and vehicle purchases, not to exceed $720,000 over 8 years.
Authorization to purchase one 66-passenger school bus at a maximum estimated cost of $110,000. School officials say the bus proposition and Transportation Reserve Fund will not have an impact on the tax levy.
Three incumbents on the Board of Education are all running unopposed for three-year terms. They include Harold Suhr, Terry Stinson and Rick Mufford.
Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the Stroyan Auditorium forum.
MEDINA – The school district’s budget for 2016-17 reduces taxes for the fourth straight year. The $35,825,184 budget is up about $1 million from the $34,802,870 in 2015-16.
The state has boosted aid by nearly $900,000 and Medina is tapping some of its reserve funds to lower taxes in 2016-17, school officials said.
The new state budget boosts aid to Medina from $23,769,997 to $24,860,152. That increase is a big factor in Medina’s ability to cut taxes by 1.3 percent, from $8,774,760 to $8,660,915.
The budget keeps all existing programs and also boosts the gifted and talented offerings.
There are six people running for three three-year terms, including incumbents Lori Draper and Wendi Pencille. Retired Medina school administrator Alberta Suozzi also is running for the board along with Timothy Dunham, Virginia Nicholson and Brenda Lindsay. (Draper and Pencille are seeking re-election and John McCarthy opted against seeking another term.)
Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the District Office.
Photo from NY State Police – This 2006 Chevrolet Impala was split in two after hitting a tree on Platten Road last night at about 11:30 p.m.
Press Release, NY State Police
YATES – Troopers are investigating a one-car accident which occurred just before midnight on Platten Road in the Town of Yates.
Melanie Cantabrana, 23, of Medina was operating a 2006 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on Platten Road at a high rate of speed when she drove off the roadway and struck a large tree. The force of the impact split the vehicle in two ripping the motor and transmission from the vehicle.
Cantabrana was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with multiple fractures and internal injuries. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the accident. This accident is still under investigation.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am
The school budgets and propositions at all five school districts in Orleans County passed by big margins today.Medina and Lyndonville presented budgets that reduced taxes, while Albion and Kendall didn’t raise taxes. Holley will increase taxes by 1.99 percent.
In Albion, the results include:
School budget passed, 444-94;
Authorization to spend up to $460,000 for buses, 452-86;
Approval to collect $687,211 for Hoag Library, 385-153.
Choosing one of four candidates for a five-year term on the Board of Education. Steven LaLonde was elected with 310 votes. Other candidates included Dylan Hellems, 31 votes; Kevin Doherty, 114; and Anitrice Riley, 93.
In Holley, the results include:
School budget passed, 373-207;
Authorization for the purchase of schools buses, 368-213;
Approval to collect $116,061 for Community Free Library, 418-166.
Choosing two 3-year term seats on the School Board. Brenda Swanger, 423 votes, and John Heise, 370, were elected. Christine Klafehn received 266 votes.
In Kendall, the results include:
School budget passed, 282-90;
School Bus Replacement Capital Reserve Fund passed, 294-80;
Voters elected Charles Patt, 218 votes, to another five-year term on the Board of Education. He outpolled Debi Szczepanski, 163 votes.
In Lyndonvile, the budget passed with more than 90 percent approval, 132-11.
Other propositions all passed including:
$91,589 for Yates Community Library, 121-22;
Establish 2016 Transportation Reserve Fund to fund bus and vehicle purchases, not to exceed $720,000 over 8 years, 125-15;
Authorization to purchase one 66-passenger school bus at a maximum estimated cost of $110,000, 124-16;
Three incumbents on the Board of Education – Harold Suhr, Terry Stinson and Rick Mufford – all were re-elected to three-year terms. Mufford received 123 votes, with 118 for Stinson and 116 for Suhr.
In Medina, the budget passed 522-59.
Six people ran for three three-year terms on the Board of Education. Incumbent Board President Wendi Pencille was the top vote-getter with 425, followed by Lori Draper with 384 and Brenda Lindsay with 369. Those three were elected. Other candidates include Timothy Dunham, 181; Virginia Nicholson, 165; and retired Medina school administrator Alberta Suozzi, 160.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Vendors, speakers will cover range of topics
Photo courtesy of Photos by Bruce – Gwen St. John, center, is pictured with her daughters, Cheryl Chladek, left, and Karen Sawicz. St. John, former owner of the Lake Country Pennysaver and a registered nurse, died on Feb. 25 at age 88 after fighting cancer and other illnesses.
ALBION – A seminar on Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hoag Library will explore end-of-life care issues that many people are reluctant to consider.
The Albion Rotary Club has organized the seminar that will include a vendor fair from 6 to 8 p.m. Many businesses and agencies will be available to discuss their services including representatives from nursing homes, Hospice, Brigden Memorials, assisted care facilities, funeral homes, Mount Albion Cemetery, Office for the Aging, a bank that provides long-term care insurance, Medina Memorial Hospital and other service providers.
After the vendor fair, several speakers will then share advice and their experiences from 8 to 9 p.m.
Local attorney Sanford Church will discuss advanced directives, John Zonitch will highlight Medicaid Law with nursing home admissions, Scott Schmidt will bring a coroner’s perspective to unattended deaths, Susie Miller from the Office for the Aging will talk about a PRI (Patient Review Instrument), and Karen Sawicz will offer advice from a caregiver’s perspective.
“People don’t want to think about that their parent or that they themselves will come into this situation,” said Grace Denniston, a retired Office for the Aging director and Rotary Club member who helped plan Tuesday’s seminar. “Taking care of some of the issues can make it so much easier for the survivors.”
Denniston suggests pre-paying for a funeral, buying a cemetery plot and gravestone.
There are many issues for the caregivers, and Sawicz will share advice learned from five years of managing her mother’s health care.
Sawicz is president of the Rotary Club. She pushed to have the seminar on Tuesday after realizing there was so much she didn’t know in caring for her mother, Gwen St. John, who had her first surgery for cancer in March 2011. She battled other illnesses until her death at age 88 on Feb. 25 at the Martin-Linsin Residence of Hospice of Orleans.
St. John was a dynamic woman who earned her degree as a registered nurse in 1948 from Rochester General Hospital. She worked many years at the former Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion. She maintained her license until she was 82.
In 1960, she and her husband Vince purchased the Albion-Holley Pennysaver, which they jointly operated until their retirement in 1989. Sawicz has been running the operation since, and serves as publisher of the Pennysaver and the Orleans Hub.
Sawicz was a caregiver for her mother, and organized schedules for home healthcare aides. Her mother was able to stay at her home on Route 279 before moving to Hospice for the final week of her life.
Sawicz had help in hiring home health aides, and planning their work schedules from a friend in the health care field. Sawicz fielded calls from the aides who would share her mother’s condition.
“You have to learn your patient,” she said. “You don’t call the ambulance or doctor every time.”
Sawicz and the aides learned St. Johns baseline temperature, about 97 degrees. If her temperature was 100, that was a worrisome sign. Her mother didn’t tolerate antibiotics well, and her sodium level would plummet.
Sawicz kept records and showed doctors the documentation about how her mother responded to medicine. She often would seek clarification from doctors, making sure they understood her mother’s patient history.
“You need to be assertive and ask questions,” Sawicz said. “Don’t be nasty but be assertive.”
Sawicz kept her mother’s medical history on her SmartPhone. She would suggest people do the same, or print it out on paper so it’s easily accessible when filling out numerous medical forms and meeting with doctors.
Sawicz said she was fortunate to have a supportive family and employees, who would step in at a moment’s notice when she had to care for her mother. St. John battled cancer, a stress fracture, dementia and other health issues. Dementia was the worst to endure because her mother was robbed of her sweet disposition and personality, Sawicz said.
“We just want to help people think about planning,” Sawicz said about the seminar. “It will make things a little easier because people don’t want to talk about death.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bidders and curiosity seekers gather outside the Orleans County Courthouse for the auction today at 3 p.m. for the former Crooked Door tavern. The property at 469 East State St. sold for $135,000.
ALBION – The owner of The Village House, a restaurant that opened 30 years ago on East Avenue in Albion, bought the former Crooked Door tavern today at an auction for $135,000.
Alex Mitrousis, The Village House owner, said his family wants to turn the Crooked Door into a sports bar with finger foods.
“We’re not in a rush,” he said about a timetable for the project.
Mitrousis said he has been in the restaurant business for 46 years, starting when he opened the Brockport Diner. He said they are intense businesses that need many employees. He has 40 workers at The Village House. A sports bar with a downsized menu will be a different experience than The Village House, and a viable business, Mitrousis said.
The Crooked Door, the former Club 469, opened in January 2011 following extensive renovations by Joe and Debbie Martillotta. They operated the business for more than three years, selling it in April 2014 to Susan Holmes. She closed the business in January 2015, nine months after acquiring the property at 469 East State St.
Key Bank held the mortgage, which was $427,740 in arrears. The sale today will go towards that debt.
Key Bank submitted the opening bid of $75,000. Then Steve Gramiak, owner of the Black North Inn and Mitrousis, were in a bidding battle until Gramiak opted not to go above $135,000. Gramiak said he saw the property as an investment that could be leased to someone wanting to run a restaurant with a bar.
The former Crooked Door Tavern closed in January 2015.
