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Holley school budget holds tax levy steady

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am

HOLLEY – The Holley Central School District Board of Education has adopted a $23.3 million budget for the 2015-2016 school year.

Holley residents will vote on the budget, Board of Education candidates and other propositions on May 19 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Holley Middle School/High School Foyer.

The budget includes a 0 percent increase in the tax levy and overall spending is down 7.06 percent or $1.77 million from the 2014-15 budget while maintaining current services.

According to district budget information, $1.4 million was used from the Appropriated Fund Balance to balance the budget.

Sharon Zacher, district assistant superintendent for business, says the reduction in the budget was possible without cuts because the district, “… chose to pay down additional debt,” in 2014-15. She says putting the budget together is, “challenging every year,” but the district is pleased with this year’s results.

In a letter to residents from the Board of Education, members state, “At this time, we are in the best shape we have ever been in. Soon we will begin Phase III of our Capital Project. Our district is financially sound and our physical plant and grounds are in very good condition.”

The Board of Education annual meeting, including a public hearing on the budget, will be 6 p.m. on May 5 in the Board Room located in the District Office.

3 sites will take unused pharmaceuticals on Saturday

Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Sheriff Scott Hess
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will once again sponsor a Household Pharmaceuticals Collection Event on Saturday.

Sheriff Scott Hess and Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson are pleased to announce that the Sheriff’s Office will again participate in this semi-annual undertaking, which will takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:

Orleans County Public Safety Building, 13925 State Route 31, Albion
Holley Fire Department, 7 Thomas St., Holley
Medina Fire Department, 600 Main St., Medina

This is 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.

This is a great opportunity for the public to surrender unwanted and/or expired medications and drug paraphernalia for safe and proper disposal. Events such as these have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion and abuse, as well as increasing awareness of this critical public health issue.

Similar collection events held in the past have been touted by all involved as having been very successful.

Special thanks to the Holley and Medina fire departments for providing space in their facilities for this event.

Hawley not happy to see SAFE Act repeal shot down in committee

Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Assemblyman says Assembly majority holding other key legislation in committee

Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the Assembly Majority Codes Committee killed two bills that would have repealed the unconstitutional SAFE Act.

Despite an impressive showing from pro-Second Amendment sportsmen, members of the Assembly Majority killed two bills sponsored by Hawley, A.2651 and A.3350, that would have repealed the NY SAFE Act, which was passed controversially in 2013, Hawley said.

The SAFE Act continues to violate New Yorkers’ Second Amendment rights, Hawley said, and was irresponsibly jammed though the Legislature in the middle of the night as a political stunt by Gov. Cuomo.

“I have, and always will be, a supporter of the Second Amendment,” Hawley said. “Any legislation that takes away a law-abiding citizen’s ability to possess firearms is an unconstitutional act of government tyranny. I am from a rural district in Western New York and my experience with gun owners has been exemplary.

“Most gun owners are responsible hunters or firearm enthusiasts, and to prohibit them from adequately protecting themselves or their families is indefensible and governmentally oppressive. New Yorkers, in no way wanted this bill to become law, that is why it was rushed through the process in the middle of the night using a message of necessity. A truly fair and transparent government would allow this bill to come to the floor for a vote, but apparently that is not how New York functions.”

Hawley also criticized Assembly Majority members of the Governmental Operations Committee for voting to reject Assembly Bill 520 rather than sending it to the floor for a vote. This legislation, championed by Assembly Minority Leader Brain M. Kolb (R-Canandaigua), would establish lifetime mandatory supervision requirements and prohibit good behavior sentence reductions for those convicted of certain violent crimes.

Hawley said this law is necessary to protect New York’s women from violent predators who have a high propensity to commit serious crimes even after completing their prison sentences.

“It is a mistake for this legislation to be held in committee,” Hawley said. “Unfortunately, there have been numerous tragic cases where women have been victimized because their assailants were released from prison unsupervised. Each day that this legislation sits dormant we run the risk of another sister, mother, wife or daughter becoming a victim of a violent crime. That is a risk we should not be willing to take. It is disgraceful that members of the Assembly Majority do not have the same regard for the safety of women as I do.”

Hawley also blamed Assembly Majority members for keeping legislation on higher education in the committee rather than bringing it to the floor for a vote. In 2009, Hawley introduced Assembly Bill 3093, which seeks to provide free college tuition and expenses for dependent family members of military personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. The Assembly Majority has never allowed this bill to leave committee and come before the entire house for a vote.

“I am discouraged by today’s committee vote,” Hawley said. “As a veteran, I know the personal and financial struggles of children who lose their parents in the line of duty. This legislation would lift some of the financial burden that comes with attending college and allow military families more freedom in pursuing their educational aspirations. We owe it to those who have paid the ultimate price to assist their loved ones in any way we can. It is disappointing that Assembly Majority members do not feel the same urgency to support those who sacrificed their lives for us.”

Albion Main Street bridge reopens

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The lift bridge on Main Street in Albion reopened Wednesday afternoon after being closed since March 25.

The state Department of Transportation hired L.C. Whitford in Wellsville to repair the cover plates on the bottom of the Main Street lift bridge. Besides working on the cover plates, L.C. Whitford fixed the floor beams and replaced some of the stringers on the bridge.

DOT inspectors will be out soon to check the bridge to see if the posted weight limit can be raised from the current 19 tons.

The bridge was originally built in 1911 and is one of 16 lift bridges on the canal, with seven of those in Orleans County.

Medina school budget keeps existing programs, doesn’t increase taxes

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The Board of Education approved a $34,802,870 budget on Tuesday evening that won’t increase taxes.

The budget goes before district residents for a vote from noon to 8 p.m. on May 19 at the District Office board room next to Medina High School.

The budget maintains existing programming and will increase enrichment offerings in the elementary and middle school. Board of Education President Chris Keller said the district has worked in recent years to restore some of the cuts made about five years ago.

Keller said the district is in solid financial shape for the coming years, as long as the state doesn’t chop education funding like it did about five years ago, forcing Medina and many other districts to cut staff and programs.

The Medina budget will keep the tax levy at $8,863,394, the same as in 2014-15. Total expenses will be up 0.94 percent or by $324,876 to $34,802,870.

However, the budget includes vehicles purchases, which used to be a separate proposition. Taking those out of the regular budget would show a $25,124 decrease compared to the 2014-15 budget, said David Boyle, the district’s interim business administrator.

DEC delivers 100,000-plus salmon to Oak Orchard

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Department of Environmental Conservation officials were at the Oak Orchard River today to deliver Steelhead and Chinook Salmon from the Altmar Hatchery. The fish will spend the next month in pens by Ernst’s Lake Breeze Marina.

The fish are about 2 inches long and will double in size before they are released from the pens. The month in the Oak Orchard will allow the fish to imprint on the river, increasing the chances they will return to spawn when they are mature.

Andy Domachowske, a fish culturist for the DEC, empties the truck of the Chinook Salmon.

The DEC released 106,560 Chinook in five pens at the Oak Orchard River, plus another 4,960 Chinook by the two bridges at Captain’s Cove. Another 9,920 steelhead were delivered for two pens in the Oak.

Leigha Townsend, left, and James Boccacci guide the fish into the pens. Leah’s parents, Tracy and Chas Townsend, are charter boat captains. Boccacci is a volunteer.

Keeping the fish in the pens and releasing bigger fish in about a month increases their chances of survival. They are less likely to be eaten by bigger fish in the lake and river.

Bob Songin, a charter boat captain pictured in back left, led the pen-rearing project since its inception about 15 years ago. He has handed over the duties to a group of five volunteers – Mike Lavender, Bob Stevens, James Cond, Chris Efing and Ian Scroger.

The volunteers will feed the fish five times a day over the next month.

Leigha Townsend and another volunteer direct the fish into a pen in the Oak Orchard River today.

James Cond said the pen-rearing project has made a big difference in the fall fishery. Many of the 20-pound-plus Chinook are in the Oak Orchard to spawn. Their presence attracts anglers from all over the country for the fall fishery.

Without the pen-rearing, Cond doubts the county would have such a vibrant fall fishery. Those fish would likely head back to the Salmon River near Oswego where the fish were initially raised.

“Since we’ve stocked, we notice more of the fish come back to the river,” said Cond, a charter boat captain.

He praised Songin for leading the effort for so many years.

“He’s put a lot of time and energy into it,” Cond said.

Cond (pictured on dock) said the group of volunteers is ready to step up and tend to the fish for the next month.

“We got to give back to the lake,” he said. “A lot of guys will just take, take and take.”

Medina school leader vents frustration over Common Core tests

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Medina Board of Education President Chris Keller, left, and District Superintendent Jeff Evoy lead the BOE meeting on Tuesday at Wise Middle School Library.

MEDINA – The school district had 21 percent of eligible students opt out of standardized tests last week for grades 3 through 8, which was a big increase from the 2 percent that refused the test the previous year.

Board of Education President Chris Keller said there has been “a lot of healthy discussion” in the community and state-wide about the ELA and math tests and the opt out movement. Some districts in Erie County had more than half of their students refuse the tests.

Keller thanked the Medina parents and students that declined to opt out last week. (The math tests start today and continue until Friday.)

Keller teaches English at Albion and voiced his concern that tests, for 90 minutes daily over three days in a week, are too lengthy and disruptive to the school day. He said the testing could be concentrated to two days instead of three.

The tests then continue to take teachers out of their classroom in the days after the exams because the teachers have to grade them.

“I have a lot of severe concerns about the test,” Keller said.

He didn’t detail those issues because he said he is grading some of them for Albion and he signed a nondisclosure agreement. But he did say that many educational experts view the tests “as developmentally inappropriate.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature want to see more of a teacher’s evaluation be tied to student scores on the Common Core tests. Currently, 20 percent of a teacher’s score is linked to the test results. Cuomo wants to push that to 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.

“Politics has gotten involved in education in New York and it has gutted education,” Keller said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We have a problem right now in that kids can’t read very well, and it’s not just Albion and Medina. It’s state-wide.”

Keller said the state in recent years has put too much emphasis on testing. Rather than recognize that mistake, the state is “doubling down on testing,” Keller said.

Keller prefers the Scholastic testing materials over Pearson, a business that sells education products and services. Scholastic tests are taken on a computer and teachers have immediate access to the results and can respond to students who are struggling, Keller said.

Teachers won’t know the results of the Pearson exams, given last week and this week, for individual students until August or September.

“At that point the students have moved on to the next grade,” Keller said.

CRFS adds investors with push to grow in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – CRFS isn’t laying off employees and its principal owner, Jodi Gaines, isn’t selling out her control of the business.

Gaines said the company is looking to grow and diversify in Albion, and she has welcomed new investors so the company is in a better position to expand.

“We’re here and we’re committed to Albion and the Orleans County community,” she said. “We have a long-term lease and we’re excited about our future.”

She made the comments today amidst concern and rumors in the community that the company was leaving the area and that she had relinquished some of her ownership stake.

Gaines said neither is true. She hasn’t sold any of her stake in the company.

“We’ve brought in additional investors to help us because there are a lot of tremendous opportunities for CRFS,” she said. “We’re looking to make additional investments in our technology and we are planning to expand service offerings.”

She also said the company will remain committed to several local causes, including the United Way and other charitable efforts.

Deputy DeFilipps says huge ‘thank you’ to community

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

County Legislature honors first responders, dispatchers in March 21 shoot-out

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Deputy James DeFilipps (right), who was wounded in a March 21 shoot-out in Clarendon, made a public appearance today at the Orleans County Legislature, joining other law enforcement officers, first responders and dispatchers in accepting “Special Recognition” awards from the Legislature.

DeFilipps is pictured with deputies Brian Larkin, left, and Kevin Colonna.

DeFilipps was shot twice in the abdomen. A bullet proof vest blocked the bullets, but DeFilipps sustained deep bruising in his torso. He is recovering from those injuries.

He was shot twice by James Ellis, 44, of Wyoming County. Ellis allegedly pulled a handgun on an ex-girlfriend in Shelby on March 21. Ellis was then chased by law enforcement before crashing his vehicle into a telephone pole on Route 31A in Clarendon.

DeFilipps was working the east end of the county and responded to the scene in Clarendon. Police say Ellis open fired on responding officers, including DeFilipps. After DeFilipps was shot twice, he fired at Ellis, killing him.

Evidence from the incident will be presented to a grand jury to review the actions by DeFilipps and law enforcement. DeFilipps declined to speak extensively about the incident until the grand jury is done reviewing the case.

He said he looks forward to offering “a huge thank to the community” for its support.

The Legislature honored police, firefighters and dispatchers involved the incident, including from left: Deputy Kevin Colonna, State Police Trooper Kevin Bentley, Deputy Brian Larkin, State Police Trooper Scott Gregson, Holley Police Officer Guy Burke, County Legislator Lynne Johnson, Deputy James DeFilipps, County Legislator Ken DeRoller, Albion Police Sergeant William Scribner, Orleans County Dispatcher Julie Vendetti, Dispatcher Michael Schultz, and Jon DeYoung, fire chief for the Clarendon Fire Company.

Orleans County Sheriff Deputy Josh Narburgh also was recognized, but he was not present at the meeting today.

The “Special Recognition Award” stated the following: “At a moments notice, First Responders risk their own safety in the execution of their duties to protect others. Courageous men and women are the first to arrive and assist at an emergency scene and are our first line of defense against all public safety threats.

“On the 22nd of April 2015, we do hereby recognize your devotion to duty and unwavering commitment to our fellow citizens, specifically in the early morning hours of March 21, 2015. Orleans County is fortunate to have such excellent and distinguished Responders who are ready to quickly react and assist in times of emergency and crisis.”

The certificates were signed by all seven county legislators: David Callard, Lynne Johnson, John DeFilipps, Don Allport, Bill Eick, Fred Miller and Ken DeRoller.

Orleans-Niagara BOCES grows, local school districts shrink

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2015 at 12:00 am

Dr. Clark Godshall

MEDINA – The 13 school districts in the Orleans-Niagara BOCES have shrunk from about 44,000 students eight years ago to 36,000 today, a result of a low birth rates locally and an out migration of residents, Dr. Clark Godshall, BOCES superintendent, told the Medina Board of Education on Tuesday.

However, the BOCES program has grown during that time from 1,400 students to 1,600 currently.

BOCES has career and technical centers in Medina and Sanborn with a 99 percent graduation rate, Godshall said.

“We have a 100 percent job placement in some of our programs,” he said. “You have a set of skills in your back pocket.”

BOCES continues to assess its programs to make sure students are learning skills that are needed in the local workplace. That has resulted in expanded welding and culinary programs, and a push for more STEM (science technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Godshall said some of shrinking school districts are sharing programs and staff to maintain programs for students.

“It has implications on how small can we get,” he said about the shrinking schools.

The rate of reduction has slowed and Godshall believes school districts will soon see their enrollments level off without more significant decline.