Provided photos
KENDALL – About 50 volunteers were out picking up trash along Kendall roadsides on Saturday during the Kendall Lions Club’s annual Environmental Cleanup Day.
In addition to the Kendall Lions, volunteers included Kendall Central School Leo Club, local Boy Scouts, area church groups, Kendall town officials and other Kendall community members.
Volunteers arrived at the Town Highway Building and were given a safety vest purchased by the Lions club to wear while covering almost 34 miles of town roads.
At the end of the morning a flat-bed trailer was filled with the bags of trash and several items were recycled through the e-waste program.
MEDINA – More than hundred students at Medina High School spent several hours working on community service projects in the community on Monday.
The top photos shows an IMPACT group from Medina that includes, from left: Teacher Julie Webber, Johann Anderson, Renee Masters, Lydia Battaglia, Karizma Lathrop and Jessica James.
Students had an option of remaining at school and helping out around the campus or going out in the community.
“We were very impressed with the turnout of students that wanted to volunteer their time,” said teacher Kim Zakes. “We had a lot of underclassmen who wanted to get involved which was great. The students actually came up with the idea on their own from their IMPACT group, which stands for Influencing Many People As Concerned Teens. We all thought it was a fantastic idea.”
Teacher Krista Duhow says they reached out to Village of Medina Public Works Superintendent Peter Houseknecht to see where the students could lend a hand.
Allison and Jake Bensley get ready to head out to clean Butts Park.
“We had groups going to the canal, Boxwood Cemetery and Butts Park to help clean up,” she said.
Teacher Julie Webber helped to coordinate the activities around the campus of the school district.
“We had students cleaning the trophy cases, making signs around the school to help people navigate better, making trash receptacles, decorating cubbies, hanging up college signs, making care packages for the military and planting flower gardens,” she said.
Students were fed lunch, attended a kick-off rally and then divided into teams with a teacher mentor to work on their tasks. Mrs. Webber said when the students returned for their ice cream social, teachers heard nothing but positive feedback.
“They loved it,” Webber said. “They had a lot of fun and really enjoyed helping out.”
Freshmen Renee Masters said, “I believe it was a good day to bond with other classmates that you don’t usually associate with. It was a good thing to do for our community. I really think we should do this more often.”
ALBION – Orleans County residents turned in more than 300 pounds of unused household pharmaceuticals during a collection on Saturday at the Holley Fire Department, Orleans County Public Safety Building and Medina Fire Department, Sheriff Scott Hess said.
The photo shows Chief Deputy Tom Drennan, left, with Scott Wilson, the jail superintendent.
Residents were able to turn in unwanted or expired medications, as well as drug paraphernalia. The items will be destroyed.
The local agencies work on the collections in a collaborative effort with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Orleans County Health Department, and the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse.
Hess said he expects there will be another collection in the fall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Dedicated group committed to Orleans vets
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A line of 14 veterans from Albion and Holley, including Al Pulcino of Holley at right with beard, stand at attention in the Honor Guard on Friday at a graveside service for Frank Sidari of Albion. Sidari, 90, served in World War II.
Many of the veterans in the Honor Guard knew Sidari and wanted to honor him on Friday during the service at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
The Honor Guard from Albion and Holley goes to about 50 funerals a year for veterans. They will fold the American flag and present it to the veteran’s family. They will give a gun salute and play Taps, either with a live bugler or with a recording.
Sometimes they even serve as pallbearers and chaplain Ron Ayrault may be asked to pray.
Two veterans, Jim Coates (left) of Holley and Joe Gehl of Albion, go take their places in the Honor Guard during the graveside service on Friday for Frank Sidari.
Ayrault, 83, averages about a funeral a week with the Honor Guard. Sometimes he goes to two in one day, and occasionally the services may be two or three weeks apart.
He is glad to go, even in the cold weather.
“This is for a fellow veteran,” Ayrault said. “He served his time.”
The Honor Guard stands at attention while Frank Sidari’s family and friends arrive at the cemetery.
Every veteran who has been honorably discharged is entitled to a military funeral, free of charge. The Honor Guard detail needs to include at least two members of the Armed Forces. The veteran is also entitled to ceremony that includes the folding of a flag and the playing of Taps.
Many communities do not have enough veterans willing to volunteer for the Honor Guard, said Paul Fulcomer, director of the Veterans Service Agency and also the county’s burial officer. Veterans may need to be brought in from outside the community to perform the duties in other counties.
“Fortunately in our county we have enough guys to do it,” Fulcomer said.
Pallbearers for Frank Sidari pass through the Honor Guard and head to Sidari’s gravesite.
Holley and Albion used to have enough veterans for their own Honor Guards. But about 20 years ago, Holley and Albion joined to form an Honor Guard unit.
Some of the members in the Honor Guard are World War II veterans in their 90s.
George Bakeman, 61, is one of the younger members. He has been active in the Honor Guard the past five years.
“Someone needs to do it and it’s the least we can do,” Bakeman said.
George Bakeman has been a dedicated member of the Honor Guard in Albion and Holley.
Sometimes the Honor Guard may be short some members, with people sick or out of town. Veterans from Medina may be called to help provide a presence at the funeral. The Albion and Holley members also will often help Medina at a service.
Fulcomer said Medina and Lyndonville currently have their own Honor Guards and those two communities will often work together.
He likes to see several veterans in the Honor Guard, more than the minimum of two.
“It adds a lot to the service to have the Honor Guard lined up with the flag,” he said.
The Honor Guard provides a presence at local funerals for veterans.
The Honor Guard welcomes more members, especially a new generation of younger veterans.
“Five to 10 years from now, I don’t know what we’ll have here,” Ayrault said about the Honor Guard. “The ranks are getting thin.”
Fulcomer said many of the funerals are during the workday when younger veterans are at their jobs.
As veterans retire and have more availability, Fulcomer said he hopes they will consider serving in the Honor Guard.
Andy Eibl is 73. He would like to see more volunteers be part of the Honor Guard.
“It’s getting worrisome because we have a lot of guys who are getting into their 80s and 90s,” he said.
The Honor Guard gives Frank Sidari a gun salute at his service on Friday.
Ayrault has volunteered in the Honor Guard the past 23 years. He estimates he has been to 1,000 funerals for local veterans.
“It’s an honor to do it for these veterans,” he said. “A lot of these guys were my friends. I feel good afterwards and people say they appreciate it.”
Ayrault and Chuck Pulaski of Holley work together folding the flag. Ayrault will usually address the family, thanking the veteran for his service to the country.
Nathaniel Bauder, the great nephew of Frank Sidari, plays Taps at the service on Friday.
Some of the Honor Guard members said they get nervous if they have to fold the flag. Some would prefer not to speak at the services.
Pulaski, 66, said he can be moved to tears at the funerals, especially if they are for his friends or if he hands the flag to a young child of a veteran.
Ayrault admits he, too, can sometimes struggle to get the words out.
“If it’s for a friend you get choked up,” he said.
Ron Ayrault, right, and Chuck Pulaski fold the flag during Frank Sidari’s service on Friday.
Pulaski and the Honor Guard about five years ago added a new element to the local services for veterans. He had heard about an Honor Guard that included three empty shell casings and placed them inside the flag. Those shells represent the veteran’s commitment to honor, duty and service to country.
Pulaski shared that message on Friday in discussing Sidari’s life of service.
(Sidari’s family would share those shells with his grandchildren.)
“People have commented that they think it is a nice gesture,” Pulaski said about the three shells.
Chuck Pulaski holds an empty shell, one of three he would tuck into the folded flag.
Sidari’s family said they appreciated the Honor Guard’s efforts at the service.
“It’s great thing that they do, that’s for sure,” Sidari’s son Frank said.
Ayrault said the group is committed “to trying to give them a good sendoff.”
Pulaski was at a relative’s burial recently in Cheektowaga and only three people were in that Honor Guard.
He is proud of the local veterans for their dedication to the Honor Guard in Orleans County.
“We still want to bring a certain honor and dignity,” Pulaski said.
A local veteran salutes Frank Sidari at his service on Friday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Medina village residents, including Ed Weider (left) and Dave Barhite, voice concerns about a sizable tax increase during a budget hearing on Monday.
MEDINA – Village property owners are looking at a sizable tax increase, barring some last-minute budget slashing or a boost in revenues for the village.
The Village Board on Monday presented a budget to the public that increases the tax rate by nearly $2 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The village tax rate is $16.44 in 2014-15, but would rise to $18.36, an 11.7 percent increase, in the proposed 2015-16 budget.
Village Board members and department heads say they have been working diligently on the budget all month and have already made many cuts. The board will meet this evening, Wednesday and Thursday to try to reduce the tax impact. Thursday is the deadline to approve a budget.
“Everybody sitting up here owns property in the village,” Village Trustee Mike Sidari said during a public hearing on Monday. “We don’t want to see our village taxes increase either, but some things have to be done.”
Village Board members say they are challenged to maintain services for the community without increasing taxes. The village’s overall tax base fell by $292,276, from $166,544,439 in 2014-15 to $166,252,163, giving the village less tax base to share the fiscal burden.
The shrinking tax base is a factor in the rising tax rate. The budget calls for increasing the tax levy by $315,319 to $3,052,921. The equipment budget would see a $173,907 increase with a new ambulance driving most of that.
The village also has put off some needed equipment upgrades, mainly a new ambulance. The Fire Department has four ambulances and Mayor Andrew Meier said the department should be on a cycle of replacing one a year.
The last new ambulance was in 2013. A new ambulance costs about $140,000. The village is carrying over $66,000 in a reserve fund to help pay for the new ambulance.
Village Board members said they have reached out to Shelby and Ridgeway to contribute to the ambulances. Those towns used to contribute $5,000 each annually to Rural Metro when it provided ambulance services in the community. But they haven’t contributed that money to Medina since its fire department became the primary ambulance provider for Western Orleans County in the past decade.
“We’re a very important piece of the pie for emergency services and they should help contribute,” David Barhite, a former village trustee, said during a public hearing.
He would like to see Yates contribute to the service, as well as Ridgeway and Shelby.
Mitchell Harmer, a local resident, said the towns shouldn’t be expected to pay. When Medina pitched the ambulance service to the community about a decade ago, it didn’t tell the towns it should pay towards the service.
“You wanted to be in the ambulance business,” Harmer said.
Village Trustee Owen Toale said he doesn’t understand why the towns gave money to Rural Metro, “for shoddy ambulance service,” but won’t give money to the village for the service.
Village officials are meeting with representatives from the two towns in renewed shared service discussions following a rejection of dissolution of the village in January.
Toale was elected last month on a campaign for cooperation over consolidation. He believes the coming months will show real progress with the towns helping the village taxpayers.
That won’t have much of an impact in the 2015-16 village budget, but village trustees are hopeful the effort with the two towns can make a difference for the village in the future.
The Village Board is looking for a boost in revenues, outside of raising property taxes. The board on April 13 approved a resolution for the County Legislature to change the formula for sharing local sales tax. The county keeps about 92 percent of the $15 million in sales tax locally.
But only about $400,000 of the total, less than 3 percent, is redirected to the villages. The county shares $1,366,671 of the $15 million with the 10 towns and four villages. That overall town and village share has been frozen since 2001.
Medina receives $159,586 in sales tax revenue. The county divvies up the village and town shares based on assessed values of each municipality. Because the village’s tax base is dropping and the towns are increasing, the villages are getting less in sales tax with the towns getting more.
Trustee Sidari said he would like to see the other villages push for a fairer sales tax formula, and an increase in funds. Freezing the money to the towns and villages is a factor in the rising village tax rate over the years, village officials said.
The board will continue to look at the village budget, for ways to reduce costs. Sidari said Medina already runs a lean operation.
But he thinks there could be some small savings perhaps through a uniform phone provider, by using state bids and perhaps some immediate shared services with the towns.
“These are nickels and dimes,” he said. “But the small stuff can add up.”
Barhite, the former village trustee, urged the board to reach out to the employee unions and seek a wage freeze.
Village resident Mary Hare said an 11.7 percent tax rate increase would be “a good whack” at homeowners, raising their taxes by $100 to $200.
She praised the services provided by the village, and she thanked the department heads and the village employees for their commitment to Medina.
She knows those services come with a cost, but she urged the board to find ways to reduce the tax increase.
“I love the village,” she said. “Our services are fabulous and they don’t come cheap.”
The board will meet 5 p.m. today at the village offices on Park Avenue, with additional budget meetings at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and 6 p.m. on Thursday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A Holley man who broke into an Albion house and stole guns was sentenced to six months in jail, with the sentence to start May 9, a day after he takes his college final exams.
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch on Monday gave Jacob Haundenshield, 24, the six months in jail despite a request from Haundenshield’s attorney, Michael O’Keefe, for probation and no jail time.
The victim of the crime, a 77-year-old man, asked the judge for leniency in sentencing Haundenshield.
“I’m 77 and my days are waning,” the man told the court during sentencing. “I want him to have a fresh start. He’s 24 and just starting out in life.”
The man said he has been affected by the crime. Some of the guns, which date back more than 50 years, haven’t been recovered.
“My personal space was violated,” he said.
Haundenshield apologized for his actions.
“I’m really sorry for everything that has happened,” he said.
Judge Punch said the crime of third-degree burglary warranted time in jail. Haundenshield will also be on probation for 5 years and must pay $7,609 in restitution.
“You see the effect it has on people,” Punch told Haundenshield about the crime. “Their sense of security is gone. This man worked hard for his property and you walk in and take it.”
After the sentencing, Haundenshield’s mother walked up to the man who was burglarized and hugged him.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – The sun sets on a field behind the Shelby Town Hall on Salt Works Road on Monday evening.
After miserable weather last week with temperatures in the 30s, wind and rain, this week offers highs in the 60s for most of the week.
Today is forecast for a high of 59, followed by 60 on both Wednesday and Thursday, 62 on Friday and 65 on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A grand jury has found an Orleans County deputy was justified in the fatal shooting of a Wyoming County man who led police on a high-speed chase and then opened fire on responding officers on March 21.
The grand jury this afternoon no-billed Deputy James DeFilipps, finding insufficient evidence that he committed a crime.
DeFilipps was shot twice in the abdomen by James Ellis, 44, of Wyoming. A bullet proof vest may have saved DeFilipps’s life. He suffered deep bruises and is recovering from his injuries.
Ellis was involved in a domestic disturbance prior to the shooting on March 21. He was at an ex-girlfriend’s house in Shelby. Her friends were concerned and called 911 at 2:46 a.m. to report the incident, saying that Ellis had a gun. Police discovered later it was a stolen handgun.
The Sheriff’s Department and State Police were given a vehicle and suspect description. The vehicle was observed eastbound on Route 31A in the Town of Albion. Officers were unable to maintain visual contact with the vehicle due to the suspect’s high rate of speed, Sheriff Scott Hess said at a news conference on March 21.
Responding officers located the vehicle on Route 31A in the Town of Clarendon. DeFilipps was on duty working in the east end of Orleans County.
After Ellis crashed his vehicle, striking a telephone pole, he fled to a wooded area with a .45 caliber handgun. He started firing at responding officers when they reached the scene, a dark stretch of Route 31A, Chief Deputy Tom Drennan said at the news conference on March 21.
The officers couldn’t see Ellis, but heard his gun shots and could tell the bullets were close, Drennan said.
Deputy DeFilipps took cover behind his patrol vehicle, then took further cover into a wooded area near the road. While proceeding to the wooded area, DeFilipps confronted Ellis a short distance away. Ellis shot the deputy twice in the abdomen. DeFilipps returned fire with his weapon, killing Ellis, Hess said.
“The whole thing lasted seconds,” Drennan said during the news conference.
The 23-member grand jury met on Thursday and reviewed the evidence in the case.
“The grand jury heard the evidence and decided not to charge Deputy DeFilipps,” District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – A fire that broke out in a garage in Lyndonville at about 4:15 p.m. today was limited to the southwest corner of the structure, which is attached to a house.
Ridgeway firefighters C.J. Ambrose with hose and Rich McAdoo with the pike pole put out any hot spots.
Firefighters said the blaze was confined to an area with a wood-burning stove. The fire occurred at a garage owned by Yvette Seniuk at 2504 Lyndonville Rd., just south of the village line on Route 63. She also owns the house that was spared from the fire.
Ridgeway firefighter Francis Woodworth was among the volunteers who responded to the fire. Lyndonville and Ridgeway both helped put out the blaze.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) will have four town hall meetings on Saturday, May 2, in Orleans County.
“I am excited by the opportunity to listen to the questions and concerns of my constituents in Orleans County,” Hawley said. “I appreciate the compliments about my work in the Legislature and it is one of the large motivational factors that keeps me fighting for my district day in and day out. I use the concerns and ideas of my constituents to shape my policies, legislative votes and the programs I fight for during budget negotiations and floor debates.”
The schedule includes:
Clarendon Town Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at 16385 Church St., Clarendon;
Kendall Town Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at 1873 Kendall Rd., Kendall;
Gaines Town Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at 14087 Ridge Rd., Albion;
Lyndonville Village Hall from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. at 2 South Main St., Lyndonville.
