By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center of Greater Orleans started offering free HIV testing last week. The center in Albion also provides free ultra-sounds, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted infection testing and resources to families in crisis. Center Director Gloria Lear, left, is pictured with nurse manager Mary Jane Jimenez, center, and Sara Moore, the nurse manager in training.
ALBION – A center with a 25-year history in Orleans County has expanded its services and also changed its name.
The Care Net Center of Greater Orleans is now the Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center of Greater Orleans. That name more clearly reflects the center’s work and mission, said Director Gloria Lear.
She started working at Care Net in September and many people have told her they weren’t sure what the center did. Care Net is funded with donations from churches and community members. It provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, tests for sexually transmitted infections, and other resources for families, including peer support and material aid.
Last week it started offering free HIV tests. The center takes a blood draw for those tests. If there is a positive test, Care Net will connect the person to medical professionals in Buffalo or Rochester.
A detection is needed to help people access HIV treatment and care. Many people with HIV live long and productive lives with proper medication, Lear said.
The Care Net center worked with 155 new clients last year, and already has served 102 new clients since Jan. 1.
Mary Jane Jimenez has worked as the nurse manager for the center the past eight years, and has watched the organization add ultra-sounds, STI testing and now HIV testing. It also moved from the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex to the former Lipton’s office building across from McDonalds on Route 31.
“It’s getting better and better and we’re serving more people,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Damien Darrell of Lockport was out fishing on April 19 from the bridge on Route 279 in Waterport. The bridge will be closed to traffic beginning on Monday so it can receive $1.5 million in upgrades.
WATERPORT – The Waterport Road bridge over Oak Orchard Creek will close on Monday and a detour will be posted on Hanlon, Harris and Ashwood roads.
The detour and construction are expected to last throughout the summer. Keeler Construction of Barre has been hired to do $1.5 million in repairs and preventive maintenance on the bridge.
The 700-foot-long bridge is the longest county-owned span in Orleans. The federal government is paying 80 percent of the costs, with the state 15 percent and the county the remaining 5 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2014 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – Residents have more time to submit comments about a proposed quarry in the town of Shelby near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.About 250 people attended a public hearing last week at the Shelby Town Hall. The state Department of Environmental Conservation set a May 12 deadline for written comments about the project. Town of Shelby officials have posted on the town web site that the comment period has been extended until June 9.
Those comments should be directed to Scott Sheeley, regional permit administrator, DEC Region 8, 6274 Avon-Lima Rd., Avon, NY 14414-9519.
Frontier Stone LLC of Wilson is proposing a new, 215-acre dolomite/limestone quarry on a 269-acre parcel about 3.7 miles south of the village of Medina. Residents last week said the project would threaten the refuge, nearby property values and reduce the quality of life for residents and wildlife with dust, traffic and noise, as well as other potential dangers.
For more information about the project and contacting the DEC, visit dec.ny.gov.
MEDINA – The Village of Medina Fire Department recently had a fire call in the village that could have been very destructive to both life and property had it gone undetected a little while longer. We would like to highlight this call with you now to prevent further property damage and/or loss of life.
The Fire Department responded in the early hours one recent morning for a reported structure fire. First arriving units found a bale of hay next to the structure on fire with some extension to the structure. The fire was quickly knocked down, keeping damage to the house minimal. The cause of the fire was determined to be an improperly discarded cigarette igniting the bale of hay. Not a big fire, not a lot of damage, no one injured. No big deal, right? WRONG!
For a fire to happen you need three things readily available: fuel, heat (ignition source) and oxygen (air). In this recent scenario, remove the hay bale (fuel) from being near the structure and you wouldn’t have had fire extension to the structure. Properly dispose of the cigarette (ignition source) and neither the hay bale nor the house would have caught fire.
Simple actions or inactions can have catastrophic results. Keeping fire wood, brush, hay, straw and other combustibles away from your home is an easy action you can take that could prevent your house from catching fire. Properly extinguishing and disposing of smoking material is very quick and simple. Not putting the material out can be costly and even deadly.
Spring has finally arrived and everyone is out cleaning up their yards. It is a perfect time to discuss another fire safety issue. We had a harsh winter that caused many limbs and branches to fall. We field a lot of questions and phone calls related to open burning. Simply put, per the Village of Medina Code, there is no open burning inside the Village allowed, at any time during the year.
Recreational fires are allowed but they must be in approved containers and other guidelines established by the NY State Fire Code must be followed.
Thank you! Have a fun but safe spring and summer!!
Code of the Village of Medina
§88-1. Burning of combustible material.
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to burn trash, lumber, leaves, straw or other combustible material in any street or alley or in any vacant lot or open area within the village limits of the Village of Medina.
§88-2. Penalties for offenses.
Any person committing an offense against any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be guilty of a violation pursuant to the Penal Law of the State of New York, punishable by a fine not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars ($250.) or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen (15) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Fire Code of New York State
Section 307
Open Burning and Recreational Fires
307.1 General. A person shall not kindle or maintain or authorize to be rekindled or maintained any open burning unless conducted and approved in accordance with this section.
307.2 Authorization. Where required by state or local law or regulations, open burning shall only be permitted with prior approval from the state or local air and water quality management authority, provided that all conditions specified in the authorization are followed.
3073 Prohibited open burning. Open burning that will be offensive or objectionable because of smoke or odor emissions when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous shall be prohibited.
307.4 Location. The location for open burning shall not be less than 50 feet from any structure, and provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within 50 feet of any structure.
Exceptions
1. Fires in approved containers that are not less than 15 feet from a structure.
2. The minimum required distance from a structure shall be 25 feet where the pile size is 3 feet or less in diameter and 2 feet or less in height.
307.4.1 Bonfires. A bonfire shall not be conducted within 50 feet of a structure or combustible material unless the fire is contained in a barbeque pit. Conditions which could cause fire to spread within 50 feet of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition.
307.4.2 Recreational fires. Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material. Conditions which could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition.
307.5 Attendance. Open burning, bonfires or recreational fires shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished. A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 with a minimum 4-A rating or other approved on-site fire-extinguishing equipment, such as dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose or water truck, shall be available for immediate utilization.
KENDALL – In this picture from around 1890 we see people relaxing at the Ontario House. Located at Troutburg on Lake Ontario, north of Morton, this was a resort destination.
The Ontario House provided lodging, dining and entertainment. A summer hamlet of cottages were built here beginning in the late 19th Century.
The Ontario House was destroyed by a fire in 1940.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Opinions run gamut, but most speakers oppose dissolution
Photos by Tom Rivers – Neil Sambovski of Ridgeway, outside the village, speaks against a dissolution of the village because it would drive up taxes for residents in the town outside Medina.
MEDINA – It’s been a topic of conversation for months in coffee shops and the community.
“Everyone has an opinion,” Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Medina Dissolution Committee, said about a plan to dissolve the village’s government. “If you talk to anyone in the village or in the towns, you have an opinion.”
Tonight residents were welcome to air their opinions in public, and many seized the opportunity.
“They’re diverting the tax from people in the village to people outside the village,” said Hannah Brant, a village resident with property in the two towns. “It’s driving a lot of fear into the community.”
Brandt was one of 300 people who attended a public meeting at Wise Middle School about the draft dissolution plan. It calls for dissolving the village of Medina and having its government services picked up by the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby, and other taxing districts or entities.
Colquhoun and the Medina Dissolution Committee approved a draft plan last month. Many residents spoke at the nearly the 2 ½ hour meeting and were against the village dissolution – for many different reasons. Their comments will be considered in any changes to the plan that would then go to the Village Board.
Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Medina Dissolution Committee, said the group will next meet in late May or early June to consider residents comments and whether the draft dissolution plan should be altered.
The Village Board will have public hearings if it decides to proceed with dissolution. It would then go to a public referendum for village residents only.
Several residents outside the village in the two towns said outside-village residents should have a vote as well. One resident called the plan “taxation without representation.”
The plan shifts some of the current villages expenses to the two towns, in particular to Ridgeway. Outside-village residents in Ridgeway would see a 46 percent increase in their town taxes while Shelby residents outside the village would see a 10 percent increase in town taxes. More village streets happen to be in Ridgeway, and so is Boxwood Cemetery, which would become the responsbilty of Ridgeway as part of the plan.
“If my taxes go up 46 percent, I’m leaving Orleans County,” said Neil Samborski of Ridgeway. “We can’t afford it.”
Village resident J.C. Hobbs said village residents have long been overburdened with taxes. He said there needs to be a push to reduce the village taxes.
“It’s all about fairness,” he said.
Village resident J.C. Hobbs said village residents pay too mch in taxes, especially compared to outside-village residents.
Village residents would see a drop ranging from 27 percent in Ridgeway to 34 percent in Shelby. The rate in Ridgeway would drop from $19.49 per $1,000 of assessed property to a projected $14.30, according to the plan. That $5.20 reduction would save a homeowner with a $70,000 house $363 a year in taxes.
Village residents in Shelby currently pay a combined $19.80 rate ($16.45 to the village and $3.35 to the town). That would drop 34 percent to $13.10 and would cut the tax bills from $1,386 for a $70,000 house to $917.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the current taxing structure artificially makes the village taxes about 20 percent higher than those just outside the village borders. Dissolving the village would make the tax rates more equitable.
He worries the current system funnels too much tax burden on village property owners. It is chasing away residents and investment, leading to blight and shrinking tax assessments.
“A healthy town requires a healthy village,” Meier said.
Even with dissolution, village residents will pay about $4 more per $1,000 of assessed property than the outside-village residents. The village debt would stay with the village property owners until it is paid off in abut a decade. That accounts for $2 of that projected tax rate. A new fire district also is suggested to maintain the Medina Fire Department.
The Ridgeway residents outside the village currently pay a $6.71 rate for town, lighting and fire protection. That would rise 46 percent to $9.83 if the village dissolves and services are picked up according to the plan.
Shelby residents would see a 10 percent increase with dissolution with the current rate for outside-village residents going from $8.36 per $1,000 of assessed property to $9.17. That would raise taxes for a $70,000 home from $585 to $642.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said village residents are unfairly burdened with high taxes.
The committee is suggesting a new debt district, two lighting districts, a water/sewer local development corporation, and a new fire district. Ridgeway would take over a town police force that would be contracted to include Shelby, according to the proposal.
Former Mayor Marcia Tuohey said she expects taxes would increase overall because of the new layers of government that are less accountable to residents.
“In the long run we’d be abdicating a lot of our services for more money,” she said.
Marguerite Sherman, a new village trustee, also said dissolution would result in less efficient government, trading one layer for up to five.
She and Mike Sidari, another new trustee, made a point of saying they aren’t necessarily in support of dissolution. Sidari said he moved to the village 29 years ago because of the police protection and other services, which he said naturally results in a higher tax burden compared to the rate outside the village.
“If the village goes by the wayside, there will be less control and who knows where the taxes are going,” he said.
The plan sees $277,000 in cost savings and $541,000 in additional state aid for $818,000 in overall benefit. But with combined budgets of more than $10 million, the $277,000 was called a small amount in operational savings.
The number could have been higher, but the Dissolution Committee didn’t want to eliminate any jobs or curtail services.
Village resident Todd Bensley doesn’t think the savings are enough to warrant dissolution of the village. He thinks the tax burden could be cut with more shared services with the two towns, and a push to become the City of Medina. That would result in siginifciantly more in state aid. Right now Medina receives about $45,000 in state aid as a community of about 6,000 people. Similar-size cities, such as Salamanca, get nearly a $1 million in state aid.
The City of Sherrill has half as many people as the village of Medina, but gets nearly $400,000 in state aid, Bensley noted.
The average village property owner would see $363 in tax savings, according to the plan.
“That sounds good, but look at all of the things we’re losing,” he said.
Bensley serves on the Village Planning Board, which he said has been committed to preserving the downtown historic district, while also welcoming businesses.
“The residents have worked hard to make the village what it is and I want it maintained,” Bensley said. “The mayor is asking us to get rid of a village with a 182-year-old tradition to save a few hundred dollars.”
Bensley also said he didn’t like that the village’s reduction comes with an increase to residents outside the village.
“I don’t want to save money on the backs of my neighbors,” he said.
Dave Kusmierczak said state and federal policies have hurt small-town upstate New York, providing too little aid and too many mandates.
Several residents were critical that the Dissolution Committee didn’t include more representation from outside-village residents. Only Cindy Robinson, a downtown business owner, lives outside the village. Other committee members include Colquhoun, Meier, Village Deputy Mayor Mark Irwin, Charlie Slack and Thurston Dale.
Meier said village residents are also town residents. The committee acted with the best interest of the community at heart, he said.
Leaders from the two towns and village met often in a consolidation and shared service study in 2011. The group suggested the village and two towns merge into one government entity. Meier and village officials wanted to make that happen, and town leaders said then a village dissolution would need to be the first step.
Meier said the bigger savings will come if the two towns join into one town, after the village dissolves. There would be more state aid and more cost efficiencies, bringing down the community’s overall, tax rate, Meier said.
In the mentime, he has sought concessions to village residents from the towns. Meier said village residents pay to plow and maintain village streets. They also are taxed for town streets. He wants an exemption in that portion of the town tax bill, which he said could knock $1 off the tax rate for village residents.
He cited the reconstruction of Gwinn Street, a popular thoroughfare in the village used by school buses and other traffic. Village taxpayers footed the entire $900,000 cost for improvements to that street, depsite its widespread use by motorists outside the village.
Residents enter the gymnasium at Wise Middle School. They walk past a display showing the tax savings annually for residents in the village, depending on the assessment of the property. About 300 people attended the meeting.
Kit Trapasso is a retired psychologist at Medina Central Scool. He lives in the village and has witnessed an exodus of residents, not only from the village but Orleans County and Western New York. (The eight WNY counties all had a population loss from 2000 to 2010.)
Schools have experienced significant drops in student enrollment, prompting some districts, including Medina, to close a school. The Towne Primary School closed about two years ago.
“In New York State we are taxing ourselves to death,” Trapasso said. “I hope as a community we’re willing to work together to say let’s be in for a change.”
Trapasso said he favors dissolving the village and merging the two towns because it has the most savings and promise for reduced tax bills.
Tom McGrane, a retired teacher, said the dissolution process hasn’t gone well. The two towns have sent out information “that has been dividing us.” McGrane said Meier as mayor, Skip Draper as town supervisor of Shelby, and Brian Napoli as town supervisor of Ridgeway need to get over “turf wars” and find a solution for the high taxes.
“We need to really sit down and say let’s do it for the community,” McGrane said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Paula Nesbitt starts The Vintage Apple Garden at former Bertsch’s site
Photos by Tom Rivers – Paula Nesbitt is pictured with her daughter-in-law Jillian and granddaughter Isabel at The Vintage Apple Garden, which opened today at the former Bertch’s Good Earth Market on Route 98.
CARLTON – The change in long-established businesses continues in Carlton with a new owner at the former Bertsch’s Good Earth Market.
Paula Nesbitt today opened The Vintage Apple Garden at 1582 Oak Orchard Rd. She is running the business with her daughters-in-law Jillian and Tiffany, and Paula’s daughter Nicole.
The site will continue to sell flowers and gardening supplies. The Nesbitt women are adding a gift shop and antiques. They will have produce – peaches, pears, apples and vegetables, as well as cider – when they are in season.
“I appreciate beauty and I want to share that with people,” Nesbitt said today. “I love to create.”
Nesbitt also wants to make the site available for small parties. She expects a fairy house will be ready on Thursday, and she said that should prove popular with little girls. She also wants to have tea parties at the location.
Paula Nesbitt is pictured inside one of the greenhouses at the business.
Dave and Sharon Bertsch and their daughter Heather Tabor and her husband Jim opened Bertsch’s 14 years ago. Dave Bertsch will continue to have a part-time presence at Vintage Apple.
Nesbitt said she grew up with a love for gardening instilled in her by her father. Now that her five children are grown, she said she can pursue her gardening and business passion.
“It’s time to take a new journey,” she said about the business.
She is working alongside her daughters-in-law Jillian, who is married to Nick Nesbitt, and Tiffany, who is married to the younger Steve Nesbitt. Paula’s daughter Nicole, a sophomore at Colorado State University, will also be a leader in the operation. She is studying agriculture business and greenhouse management.
The change in ownership at Bertsch’s is the latest in the Point Breeze area. The Cardone family sold the Harbor Pointe Country Club to Lynn-Ette and Sons in March and most of that site has been turned into farmland.
Gatlen Ernst in March also acquired the Lake Breeze Marina, which had been owned by Doug and Janice Bennett.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Three people were arraigned in Orleans County Court for felony crimes ranging from driving while intoxicated to drug possession and sale. All entered not guilty pleas.
Jesse Boldt, 38, of Medina was arraigned in court on Monday on two counts each of criminal possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.
Boldt of 723 South Main St., Apartment 1, was arrested on March 5 by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. Boldt allegedly was selling LSD.
He was been in jail on $25,000 bail since his arrest. Judge James Punch agreed to reduce bail to $10,000.
In other cases:
An Albion man accused of selling cocaine was arraigned on one count each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
James Herring III, 24, of East State Street had his bail raised from $10,000 to $25,000. He was arrested for allegedly selling cocaine on May 22, 2013.
A Rochester resident was arraigned for felony DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
James Isaacs, 34, of Ardella Street was charged with the crimes on Feb. 3 in the town of Yates. He has a prior DWI. He has posted $5,000 bail set at the Yates court. Punch agreed to keep bail at $5,000.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Emily Shabazz calls off the numbers during a game of Bingo in the cafeteria.
ALBION – It’s an annual tradition at Albion High School: Senior Citizens are welcomed to the gym and cafeteria for food and games for “Senior Citizen Day.”
The High School Student Council today hosted about 125 senior citizens. It’s an annual tradition that goes back to the 1970s. The Student Council picks a theme for the event and decorates the gym for the occasion. Today’s theme was “Welcome to the Jungle.”
About 40 students helped put on the program, which included music, art work and many games.
“The kids love this,” said Emily Wemmer, Student Council advisor. “It’s one of their favorite events of the year.”
Dawn Parker, right, works on a craft project with students.
Albion senior Brett Zicari makes a move during a game of chess.
Students play Wii bowling with a local senior citizen.
By Kathy Dreyfus
Publicity Chair for the
Medina Mustang Band Boosters
MEDINA – As the school year nears its close, the Medina Mustang Band Boosters held elections at the Monday meeting. The following individuals will serve the Boosters organization for the 2014-2015 school year.
Front row, from left: Doug Waild/Transportation; Karen Furness/Student Accounts; Julie Keller/Delegate; and Alan Bilicki/Delegate.
Back row: Trisha Laszewski/President; Mindy Kenward/VP; Kathy Dreyfus/Publicity; Diane Grosslinger/Uniforms; Debbie White/Delegate; Julie Granchelli/Secretary; Kelly Allen/Treasurer; and Marcia Toussaint/ Delegate. Not pictured, Amy Strickland/Chaperones.
The band will not be performing in the Lilac Parade in Rochester, but they will be in the Memorial Day parade. They are also preparing to travel to Washington, DC from May 15-18. They will compete in the Music In The Parks Festival in the nation’s capitol.
Stan Farone, a village trustee, has been active with COVA
Provided photo – Stan Farone, left, of Albion was honored at the state capitol on Tuesday. He is joined by, from left: Robert and Joan Shively of Lewiston, State Sen. George Maziarz, Niagara County Office for the Aging Director Ken Genewick, and Melissa Blanar, director fo the Office for the Aging in Orleans County.
Press release
State Sen. George Maziarz
ALBANY – Stanley Farone of Albion was welcomed to the historic Senate Chamber in Albany on Tuesday during a New York State Senior Citizen’s Day Recognition Event. Farone was welcomed to the event by State Sen. George Maziarz.
Farone just began serving as an elected village trustee in Albion, but his community service goes way back. He served in the Navy and Army Reserves, and is retired from Kodak. He is a co-founder of Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance (COVA) and remains a volunteer and board member.
Farone has also volunteered with the Holley Fire Department and the Albion Fire Department, as well as the Suicide Prevention Coalition. He was joined in Albany by Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County Office for the Aging.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Brooke Pontillo was elected this morning as the new president of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. She is pictured outside the Chamber office on Main Street in Albion.
ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has a new president who is committed to helping local businesses become stronger.
Brooke Pontillo, a senior account executive for Toshiba, has been working in the county for 16 years. The Batavia resident has Orleans as her sales territory.
“The people of Orleans County have been so good to me and Toshiba,” she said this morning.
The Chamber has 350 members. It has nearly $27,000 in the bank. Pontillo credited Kathy Blackburn, the Chamber’s executive director, for leading the organization to a stronger financial position.
A growth in members as well as revenue from events is making the Chamber healthier, and putting the group in a position to do more for the community, said Cindy Robinson, the outgoing president. She served in that role for three years.
Last month’s Home and Garden Show, for example, netted $5,579 for the Chamber. The event at the fairgrounds attracted 3,500 to 4,000 people over two days, Blackburn said.
Last year the Chamber debuted a public art project, the Palettes of Orleans. It included 73 paintings by artists that were displayed at businesses. The artwork was auctioned off in October and some of the proceeds are being directed to each of the five school districts in the county for art scholarships. Each district will receive $250.
The program will be capped at 50 paintings, and this year they will be on 11-by-14-inch canvasses. Artists have a July 1 deadline to complete the paintings.
The Chamber today also elected Mark Merithew of Apple Blossom Florist in Medina as vice president. Brett Hill of Albone & Hill Plumbing and Joseph Organiściak of Sandbox Union were elected as new members of the board.
“We had another year of growth with new events, new members and new board members,” Robinson said during the annual meeting. “The board is moving in the right direction.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – A Medina woman who sold a prescription narcotic and a Medina man who stole a kayak and sold it online were both sentenced to state prison.
Lori Martinez, 46, of Park Avenue in Medina was sentenced to 1 ½ years in state prison by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.
Martinez pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. She is accused of selling hydrocodone and another prescription narcotic on May 18. The prescriptions were prescribed to her. She received $25 for the sale.
Her attorney, Michael O’Keefe, asked that the judge not sentence her to jail or prison. Martinez takes care of two grandchildren and has been volunteering in the community.
“She has learned from her mistakes,” O’Keefe said in court on Monday.
Martinez apologized for committing the crime.
“I know I made a bad mistake and I’m working on making myself a better person,” she told Judge Punch.
The judge said Martinez has a criminal history and she was profiting by selling drugs. He sentenced her to 1 ½ years in state prison, plus another year of post-release supervision. She also has to pay back $970.68 in welfare benefits.
Justin Tillinghast, 19, of 167 North St. was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Tillinghast allegedly took a kayak from a neighbor and sold it on eBay. His lawyer asked for no state prison for Tillinghast, especially because he was only 18 when he committed the crime.
But Tillinghast has a criminal history, Punch said during sentencing.
“It’s clear to me you’re out of control and you don’t seem to take responsibility for this crime,” Punch said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Hoag circulation jumps 30 percent in first full year
ALBION – Voters on Monday approved eliminating two trustees positions for the Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association. The board now has nine members, down from 11.
Voters also elected three trustees – John Andrews, Karie Deegan and Carol Miller – to four-year positions. There were five candidates in the election and 123 voters. Andrews and Deegan each received 77 votes and Miller, 68. The other candidates included Sandra Walter, 62 votes, and Natalie McCue, 54.
The library added two seats about a decade ago when it was working on a new building. The board at the time thought two additional seats would help with the workload for the volunteer organization. The new library opened in July 2012.
The board has had some vacancies since then and needed to appoint people due to openings and a lack of candidates at elections, including the election a year ago.
The board now includes seven elected trustees and two who are appointed, one by the mayor of the village of Albion and the other by the president of the Board of Education. The board members on Monday re-elected Kevin Doherty to serve as board president.
The Library Association had its annual meeting on Monday. The new library led to a record-breaking year for circulation with 120,957 in 2013. That was up by 30 percent from 93,089 in 2012, when Hoag was open six months of the year. In 2011, the last full year at the former Swan Library, circulation was 77,019.
The library budget totals $685,260 in 2014, which is up 0.9 percent from the $678,978 in 2013. The library is proposing to receive $667,070 in taxes, which is a 2.0 percent increase from the $654,000 in 2013. Voters in Albion Central School will vote on $667,070 during the May 20 budget vote from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school conference room.
The Library Association will step up its efforts to sell the former library building, a historic site and former mansion at the corner of East State and Main streets. It plans to first work with a real estate firm specializing in historic sites. Doherty said keeping the building costs the library about $25,000 a year for maintenance, utilities and insurance.
The library also needs to fill a vacancy with its executive director. Doherty and the board said a new director should be in place this summer.
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department
We all know about the importance about taking care of our health – eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising. Healthy habits positively influence how a person feels and how their body functions.
But good health involves not only caring for our body, but also our mind.
The fact is our mental health is vital to our overall health. Far too many Americans fail to incorporate a principal component into their health choices. Yet overall health and wellness are not possible without it.
What is mental health? If you were to ask your office mate, spouse or neighbor, they may respond that it is a “state of mind,” “being content with life” or “feeling good about yourself.” Simply put, mental health is the ability to cope with daily life and the challenges it brings.
When a person has “good” mental health, they deal better with what comes their way. By contrast, “poor” mental health – such as feeling overwhelmed by stress – can make even day-to-day life difficult.
Poor mental health can also significantly harm a person’s physical health. For instance, research shows that stress is closely linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. It also shows that people who feel depressed or chronically stressed may have a greater risk of physical illnesses.
The good news is there are many healthy choices and steps that individuals can adopt to promote and strengthen mental health – and overall health and well-being.
A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent the onset or worsening of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems. It can also help people recover from these conditions.
This May is Mental Health Month, and the Orleans County Health Department is raising awareness of the role mental health plays in our lives and providing tips and resources so anyone can take steps to promote good mental health.
These include building social support, eating with your mental health in mind, recognizing the signs of stress, and knowing when to reach out for help.
Just as Americans have learned there are things they can do to reduce their risk of heart disease and other illnesses, the Health Department wants to help people learn what they can do both to protect their mental health in tough times and also to improve their mental well-being throughout their lives.
We need to care for both our body and mind. Talk to your health care provider about your mental health at your next visit. You can also learn about mental health services through your county mental health department or the local Mental Health Associations (MHA).
The Orleans County Mental Health can be reached at 589-7066. In Orleans County, the Mental Health Association number is 589-1158. If you are having a mental health emergency, please call 911 or the RAP line at 800-889-1903 (Orleans County).
