By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Civil War, after four brutal years of fighting, came to an end today in downtown Medina.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee (re-enactor Thomas Schobert of West Seneca) and Union General Ulysses Grant (Ed Brodbeck of Cheektowaga) shook hands on Main Street in a recreation of the surrender ceremony at the Appomattox Court House in south central Virginia.
The war was over on April 9, 1865. Genesee Community College has organized Civil War Encampments on the 150th anniversary of the war since 2012, with the first encampment at the Lima campus. Medina has hosted the event the past three years. The encampment continues Sunday at the GCC campus on Route 31A. This is the final time the college will be organizing the event.
The following photos are in chronological order and show the re-enactors at first moving from State Street Park and walking on East Center Street to the downtown for the surrender ceremony.
Confederate soldiers, after losing a battle at State Street Park, walk on Route 31 to downtown Medina.
The Union Army makes its way to Main Street, walking past Rotary Park.
Derek Maxfield, Civil War Encampment coordinator for Genesee Community College, also served as narrator for the surrender ceremony. He is standing at a podium by the Bent’s Opera Hall, which was built during the Civil War.
The two sides stand across from each other on Main Street.
Robert E. Lee hands the terms of surrender to General Grant.
Thomas Schobert, the Lee impersonator, has participated in other surrender ceremonies near the 150th anniversary of the war’s ending.
Today was the first time the Grant impersonator, Ed Brodbeck, participated in a surrender ceremony. Brodbeck said it was emotional, and he felt great respect for Lee and the Confederacy.
Grant demanded the Union soldiers not celebrate their victory.
“There was no shouting or taunting,” Brodbeck said.
The onlookers along the street in Medina also observed “a respectful silence,” which Schobert said he appreciated.
Union and Confederate soldiers shake hands after the surrender.
The fighting over, soldiers pause on Main Street in Medina.
The Confederate soldiers walk down main Street to a flag-raising at Rotary Park.
Confederate and Union soldiers join together to raise the American flag at Rotary Park.
These Union soldiers remove their hats during the flag-raising.
A Union soldier salutes the flag.
General Grant (Ed Brodbeck), Abraham Lincoln (David Kreutz of Lancaster) and General Robert E. Lee (Thomas Schobert) watch the events.
After the surrender ceremony, the soldiers head down Main Street to return to the Civil War Encampment at GCC in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – An expansion project at H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville, adding a new 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building, was approved by the Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday night.
The site plan for the project on Millers Road now goes to the Town of Yates Planning Board for a final review.
The County Planning Board looked at the application last month and deemed it incomplete because the board didn’t believe Dobbins had addressed the need for a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. That is needed when an acre or more is disturbed with a project.
The application last month showed 3 acres would be disturbed, but Dobbins has revised its plan to show it would disturb 0.86 acre of land, which is below the 1-acre threshold required for the stormwater plan.
Planning Board members said the new building fits in on a rural road with agricultural land, woodlots, a general store and a replacement window business.
Dobbins plans to start work soon on the $5 million project and wants to have it ready for the fall harvest.
In other action, the Planning Board:
Recommended the Town of Shelby approve the site plan and special use permit for Shelby Crushed Stone to operate a building material reclamation operation.
The company wants to run the enterprise using 3.5 acres on the northwest corner of its 109-acre quarry site at 10830 Blair Rd. Materials may include concrete, asphalt, stone, brick and soil. Shelby Crush Stone estimates it will process about 5,000 yards of uncontaminated material each year.
Recommended the Town of Murray approve a special use permit for a home occupation at 17067 Brockport-Holley Rd.
Robert Benedict plans to run a part-time barber shop in his garage on Route 31. He won’t be putting on an addition. He has four parking spots at the location.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Orleans Renaissance Group and students from Oak Orchard Elementary School joined with other community members to dedicate a historical marker today for Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist who visited the area several times in the mid-1800s.
Douglass lived in Rochester and was a powerful orator and newspaper editor. The historical marker unveiled today on Main Street in Medina highlights two speeches he gave in Medina.
Chris Busch, on platform, is chairman of the Orleans Renaissance Group, which secured the funding and worked out the details for the marker.
In 1849, Douglass delivered a speech in Medina at the former Methodist Episcopal Church on Main Street (the current Fuller block, home of Main Street Appliance). He also visited Medina in 1869 and gave a celebratory address for Emancipation entitled “We are not yet quite free.” That event on Aug. 3 was attended by African-Americans from throughout the state.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Michael Kracker, district director for U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, both addressed a crowd of more than 100 people at the dedication, praising the Medina community for honoring Douglass.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley addresses the group of students and other community members on Main Street.
Hawley said Douglass deserves the praise and the permanent marker “for all of the work that he did for all of mankind.”
The dedication has been timed with the Civil Encampment organized by Genesee Community College. Medina is hosting that event on the 150th anniversary of the final year of the Civil War. The Encampment continues until Sunday. For a schedule of events, visit https://civilwaratgcc.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/encampment-schedule_2015_final.pdf.
David Kreutz, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, helps dedicate the historical marker. Ed Brodbeck, who portrays General Ulysses Grant, is at right.
Several community members donated to the marker, including Judge James Punch, Gabrielle and Andina Barone, Medina Sandstone Society, David and Gail Miller, Wilson Southworth, Nunzio Maiorana, Katherine Bogan, Bill Hungerford, Mark Kruzynski, Chris and Cynthia Busch and an anonymous donor.
Busch addressed the group with these closing comments:
“Let these words here, cast in iron, now and for all time, give us pause to remember our intrepid and beloved countryman, Frederick Douglass, and our forebears who stood with him in the cause of freedom and emancipation, in dark and dangerous times, when few had the courage to do so. Let us with this marker never forget their courage, and solemnly pledge to preserve their legacy for all generations.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Heritage Hero: Sue Starkweather Miller
Provided photo – Sue Starkweather Miller is pictured at Mount Albion Cemetery with Mike Thaine, left, and Gary Simboli. The trio coordinate the annual Ghost Walk at the cemetery, which typically includes about 60 student participants. About 500 community members come out for the Ghost Walk.
ALBION – Sue Starkweather Miller remembers the project in 1995 that would kick off a new culture of community service by students and staff at Albion Central School.
Jeff Evoy, now Medina Central School superintendent, was a social studies teacher for Albion in 1995. He and his students were studying the Vietnam War.
Evoy wanted students to talk with local Vietnam veterans, and get their stories. The students learned that many of those veterans felt forgotten. Evoy and the students decided there should be a memorial for the Vietnam veterans, and it would be dedicated in front of the Middle School.
File photo by Tom Rivers – The monument for Orleans County residents who served in the Vietnam War was dedicated in 1995 in front of the Albion Middle School.
The monument was dedicated in memory of Vietnam War veterans from Orleans County who served in the war, and lists the names of local soldiers who died in the war. The oral histories recorded by students were also compiled into a book.
That project energized the district and community. A memorial for veterans from World War II would be relocated from behind the Middle School to the front of the building by the Vietnam memorial.
Deacon Ben Jones, a prominent leader in the black community, shared with some school leaders that Albion has many historical markers and monuments, but none for black residents.
Provided photo – Deacon Ben Jones speaks at a dedication ceremony for a monument to pioneer black residents in Orleans County.
Students and Albion teachers connected with local historians and then went researching into Census records from the 1800s, which detailed if residents were black and listed their occupations and family members.
Those pioneer black residents of Orleans County were honored with a large stone monument, listing their names, in Mount Albion Cemetery. The monument was dedicated on June 17, 2000.
Sue Starkweather Miller has been in the background for many of the district’s service learning projects, connecting students to historians, and other resources in the community.
She is co-leader of the annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery, where about 60 students portray residents in the cemetery or serve as tour guides or with lighting and setup.
She is being honored at 7 p.m. today as a Heritage Hero along with three others in Orleans County. The event is part of the Civil War Encampment in Medina at the GCC campus center.
“This is really a district award,” said Starkweather Miller, who works as the district’s grants manager.
Starkweather Miller is an Albion graduate who was hired to work for Albion 24 years ago to coordinate a Community Schools grant that paid for before and after-school programming for at-risk students. The grant included summer school and parenting programs.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Alyssa Lawrence speaks during a recent Ghost Walk at Mount Albion and tells the story of Jane Lavery, who was 16 when she died in a bridge collapse in Albion on Sept. 28, 1859.
Ron Sodoma, the former district superintendent, wanted to open the schools to the community and see students commit to service projects. He asked Starkweather Miller to push along some of those efforts, in addition to Community Schools program.
“It’s always been about opening the school up to the community with the school being the hub of the community,” she said.
The district has a walking trail inside the elementary school that is busy from 4 to 8 p.m. on many weekdays. There is also an outdoor walking trail.
Starkweather Miller also coordinates an internship program where high schoolers work with local businesses and agencies.
She has managed the grants since 2000, and also has worked as the district’s public information officer. Unofficially, she is often the face of the district in the community, said Mary Leto, the assistant superintendent of instruction. Leto also has worked with the district for 24 years and watched Starkweather Miller take an idea and build support for it in the district and community.
“She is the facilitator,” Leto said. “Susie is the coach and the conductor, who orchestrates all of the parts.”
Photo by Lisa Mannella – Students are pictured in June 2011 with the rededicated cemetery for residents of the Alms House on Countyhouse Road.
Starkweather Miller is active with the Albion Alumni Association and also Holy Family Parish. She also can seem ubiquitous at community events.
She is trusted by the community, and the district’s partners in many of the projects know if Starkweather Miller is involved, the district will be committed.
“Susie is a natural leader,” Leto said. “What she brings to the table is her commitment to Albion.”
Starkweather Miller said she is most proud of the project to clean up and rededicate a cemetery for residents of the County Alms House. This was the precursor to the Orleans County Nursing Home. Many poor residents stayed at the Alms House on West Countyhouse Road before the nursing home opened in the early 1960s.
When residents from the Alms House died, they were often buried in a cemetery on the property with numbered tombstones, but no names.
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin visited a seventh grade classroom in the fall of 2010 to talk about local history. He made a passing comment about the Alms House, how the road, Countyhouse, was named for the county-owned home.
Lattin told the students the cemetery was overgrown and many of the gravestones had fallen over.
His comments piqued students interest, and a group of them joined their teacher Tim Archer and Starkweather Miller on a site visit. They were shocked to see the cemetery so neglected.
They would clean it up and reset the stones with help from the County Highway Department. Students researched who was buried there. That was difficult because many of the records were destroyed in a fire but Albion Town Clerk Sarah Basinait helped track down some information.
Starkweather Miller secured a large piece of sandstone from Keeler Construction for the cemetery sign and a historical marker went up by the side of the road, noting the history of the sight.
The rededicated cemetery was celebrated in June 2011.
Photo by Lisa Mannella – A historical marker notes the Alms House on West Countyhouse Road.
“I remember when we first went there and we walked through the mud and the stones were knocked over,” Starkweather Miller said. “To see what it is now is just amazing.”
The district has won a national award for its service learning projects, and Starkweather Miller presents at many conferences about the Albion projects and the importance of community partnerships.
The greatest reward is seeing the students take more pride in Albion.
“It’s about remembering, sharing and educating others,” Starkweather Miller said. “It’s important to know a sense of place and to be proud of your community.”
The district motto is “Achievement, Character, Success for Life.” Leto said Starkweather Miller has been an important leader in promoting that message, and living it.
“Susie gets that we’re trying to get the kids to be the people they were created to be,” Leto said.
Contributed Story Posted 24 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided Photos
MEDINA – The village celebrated Arbor Day today by planting a tree on West Avenue in front of the Medina Historical Society.
In the top photo, Medina Mayor Andrew Meier addresses a group of elementary school students by the Historical Society. Meier is standing on a carriage step while reading the Arbor Day proclamation.
This year more than 60 trees will be planted in Medina. The village has been designated a Tree City USA and has been a Tree City Growth Award recipient from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, left, joins Mayor Andrew Meier, center, and Michael Kracker from Congressman Chris Collins’s office in tossing some dirt on the newly planted tree.
The new trees in Medina are planned for areas of Park Avenue with additional plantings on West Center Street, West Avenue, Gwinn Street, Elizabeth Street and Mead Avenue.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A fire that started in the back porch of a house in the village was put out by Albion firefighters before it spread into the kitchen and the rest of the house.
Tim Seibert was just returning home a little after 3 this afternoon when he and his wife noticed the smoke and fire from the back of the house at 613 East State St.
Tim Seibert is at the back of house just before firefighters arrived at about 3:20 p.m. today.
Seibert suspects the propane tanks and grill were the cause of the fire. He emptied his driveway of vehicles and his wife and young son left the house while firefighters put out the fire.
Firefighters hurry to the scene to put out the fire.
Firefighters direct water on the fire while Frank Sidari, a friend of the Seibert family, watches.
Brad Driesel, a firefighter from Barre, removes some of the siding so firefighters can check for any hot spots.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The county is moving forward with several infrastructure and capital projects, including the replacement of the roof on the Public Safety Building.
The County Legislature approved a bid on Wednesday to replace the roof at a cost not to exceed $476,820. The Public Safety Building has a large flat roof. It is prone to leaks and the project should not be delayed, said Legislator Bill Eick.
“It’s at the point where we have to do something and we will do it,” Eick said during Wednesday’s Legislature meeting.
The Legislature last October approved an $8 million bond to work on replacing bridges, culverts, roofs and other infrastructure work.
Most of that money, about $5 million, will go towards replacing six bridges from 2015 to 2017. The county is moving forward with some of the projects after getting little state and federal dollars for bridges. Another state and federal funding cycle doesn’t come up until 2017.
The bond will also provide funding for projects at the county buildings, including the roof replacement at the Public Safety Building. That contract was approved for Garland/DBS, a company from Cleveland, Ohio.
Legislators also approved spending $48,814 from the Capital Project Infrastructure Account on Wednesday for a natural gas emergency generator from Southworth-Milton CAT, Inc. in Boston, Ma.
The Legislature also approved engineering agreements for culvert and bridge projects. Labella Associates in Rochester will be paid up to $96,000 for engineering and design work for the Oak Orchard Road Bridge over Manning Muckland Creek in Barre, up to $80,000 for work on Waterport Carlton Road Bridge over Beardsly Creek in Carlton, and up to $40,000 for work on two culverts in Ridgeway on Knowlesville Road over an Oak Orchard River tributary.
The county also approved an agreement with the state Department of Transportation for replacing the Hulberton Road Bridge over the west branch of Sandy Creek in the Town of Murray. That project will be $1,338,900. The county share will be $66,945 with the state and federal governments paying the rest. This is one of the few bridge projects in the county with the federal and state contributions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am
YATES – The Orleans County Planning Board supported a 196.85 foot high meteorological tower in Yates that will measure wind strength and consistency.
Apex Wind Energy wants the MET tower on a 65-acre lot at the southwest corner of Lakeshore and Marshall roads. The company would put the tower up on land owned by Donna Bane.
Apex needs final approval for the tower from the Yates Town Board. The Planning Board’s decision this evening is separate from Apex’s pursuit for a larger wind farm, a proposal for 60 to 68 turbines in Yates and Somerset.
A state siting board will have final say on that project. That seven-member board is supposed to include two representatives from the project area.
About 30 members from Save Ontario Shores, a citizen group that has formed to oppose the project, attended the County Planning Board meeting, but weren’t allowed to address the board.
Planners said they were only looking at the MET tower and the not the overall turbine project.
Apex will need a special use permit from the town for the tower, and that permit would allow the structure to stay for up to two years.
Apex said it is planning to hire Anemometry Specialists from Alta, Iowa, to put up the tower.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Crime Victim Rights’ Week, Motorcycle Awareness and Safety, Older Americans among several recognized
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday issued several formal proclamations to highlight citizens and programs in the county.
The top photo shows legislators Ken DeRoller and Lynne Johnson reading a proclamation in honor of Crime Victim Rights’ Week, which is April 19-25. Terri Drennan, second from left, is the Crime Victim’s Services Coordinator for the county. Christi Waldron, left, works with Restore, providing services for sexual assault victims.
May is also “Foster Care Month.” Legislator Bill Eick, right, presents the proclamation to Jeannine Larkin, supervisor of the foster care program in the county. Holli Nenni, left, is the deputy commissioner of Department of Social Services.
Motorcycle Awareness and Safety Month will be observed in May. Legislators Ken DeRoller and Lynne Johnson presented a proclamation to Chuck Persons, president of the Orleans County Chapter of ABATE of New York. There will be a motorcycle safety and awareness rally at 1 p.m. on May 3 at the courthouse steps. Motoryclists will then go on a ride throughout the county.
Legislators also issued a proclamation for “Western New York Armed Forces Week” with a special appreciation for Gold Star Mothers. Legislature Chairman David Callard, left, presents the proclamation to David Kusmierczak, a veteran from Medina.
Legislators also declared May to be “Older Americans Month.” Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging, is pictured with legislators Bill Eick, center, and Fred Miller.
The Legislature also issued a “Special Recognition” award to Niagara County Legislature Chairman Bill Ross, who is retiring after this year. He has been an elected official in Niagara County for 30 years.
He supported the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance with the two counties working together to fight a plan changing the way Lake Ontario water levels are managed.
The two counties are also working together on a Broadband initiative to bring high-speed Internet to underserved areas in the two counties.
“We can share the problems and solve the problems,” Ross said. “I can’t see a better partnership than with Orleans County.”
Photo by Tom Rivers – Medina Memorial Hospital has been designated a Critical Access Hospital, which will boost the Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates.
MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital has received “Critical Access Hospital” designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which will boost the reimbursement rates for the hospital.
The Critical Access Hospital program is a reimbursement status that allows a certified hospital to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare, and is intended to boost the financial strength of the hospitals, Medina officials said in a statement this afternoon.
The designation could lead to grant money for Medina Memorial through the Flex Program, which provides grants to states to implement a Critical Access Hospital program. This is a method for promoting strength and longevity, encouraging the development of rural health networks, assisting with quality improvement efforts, and improving rural emergency medical services, Medina Memorial/Orleans Community Health officials said in a news release today.
“Lower patient volumes, higher expenses and changes in reimbursement are affecting hospitals of all sizes across the region and country,” the hospital said in the statement. “Achieving Critical Access Hospital status is one of the significant strategic planning steps taken by Orleans Community Health to address these challenges and ensure the long-term success of the hospital.”
Critical Access Hospitals are certified under a different set of Medicare “Conditions of Participation,” a set of stringent health measures designed to regulate how hospitals and other medical establishments utilize Medicare aid, hospital leaders said.
Every health-care facility that receives reimbursement for Medicare related costs must adhere to the guidelines specified by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. These rules make sure that all patients receive a minimum standard of health service, which is the right of every beneficiary.
The first step in achieving this status was for Medina Memorial to successfully complete an accreditation survey by Det Norske Veritas, an accrediting body that assures policies and practices are in place to meet patient safety and quality guidelines. Det Norske Veritas then sent the results of the survey to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which approved the Critical Access Hospital designation.
Other requirements for Critical Access Hospital status include a maximum of 25 acute care inpatient beds. For Critical Access Hospitals with swing bed agreements, any of its beds may be used for either inpatient acute care or swing bed services, Medina Memorial said.
The maximum inpatient stay is four days. Medina Memorial will continue serving the acute care needs of the community with 21 Medical/Surgical beds, four ICU beds, nine Acute Medical Rehabilitation beds and 30 Skilled Nursing Facility beds.
Critical Access Hospitals must also provide 24-hour/7 days a week emergency services, which Medina Memorial will continue to do, hospital leaders said.
