By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Site, a National Historic Landmark, opens on Mother’s Day
Photo by Tom Rivers – Matt Ballard and Sarah Karas, the co-directors of the Cobblestone Society Museum, are pictured in front of the Ward House (built in 1836) with the Cobblestone Universalist Church (built in 1834) in back. The museum has eight historic structures. It opens on Mother’s Day, about six weeks earlier than its usual schedule.
CHILDS – Since they started as co-directors in February, Matt Ballard and Sarah Karas have been busy at the Cobblestone Society Museum, revamping the museum web site, booking weddings in the historic church from 1834, and getting ready for the season.
The museum includes eight historic structures near the intersection of routes 98 and 104. It is in the only site in the county that has been declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior. The museum opens next Sunday on Mother’s Day, about six weeks earlier than in a typical year.
The extended season will make the museum eligible for more grants to help maintain the historic buildings and add programming, said Ballard.
“There is a lot of potential here, we just have to think outside the box,” said Ballard, 26. “There’s a lot of good ideas out there. We want to try some new things.”
Ballard and Karas both graduated in the Class of 2006 at Albion, and they both have master’s degrees in library science at the University of Buffalo. They commuted together for classes. They are friends and both have a love of local history.
They have different strengths and interests, and they said that is benefitting the museum.
Karas, 25, is organizing the weddings, training volunteers and docents, redesigning the gift shop and working on the museum’s social media with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
“Matt and I are constantly organizing,” Karas said.
She volunteered at the museum for over four years, making an inventory of the books at the one-room cobblestone school house. She also organized the materials in the used book sale.
“I really love getting my hands on the old artifacts,” she said. “I really see the potential in this museum. There is such a variety of buildings. There is something here for everyone.”
Karas works part-time as a reference librarian at Genesee Community College in Batavia. Ballard is a part-time library supervisor for Hilbert College in Hamburg.
They are sharing the workload at the museum, which is open every day but Monday and Tuesday from May 12 to Oct. 12.
The cobblestone school house is part of a museum complex that has been declared a National Historic Landmark.
Ballard brings a passion for genealogy and research to the position. But there are plenty of maintenance tasks to tend to, including a recent leak that had to be fixed in the bathrooms.
The two have been connecting with businesses in the county to offer deals as part of a museum pass. They are pushing for more memberships, whether at the individual, family or corporate levels.
Ballard sees the collection of buildings and the artifacts inside as a tremendous showcase of local and regional history. The museum’s designation as a National Historic Landmark will be part of the museum’s branding strategy.
“We want to sell that message to the larger community that this is an important site,” Ballard said. “It is a unique style of construction. We have a wide variety of things. There is something for everybody.”
The museum has a one-room school house built in 1849, a cobblestone house with furnishings from the 1880s, and the church from 1834 – the oldest cobblestone church in North America.
There are several historic buildings on Route 98, just south of Route 104. Those structures include a blacksmith shop, print shop, harness shop, farmer’s hall and even a fancy outhouse. Together the sites provide a snapshot into life in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Many local students used to tour the sites as part of local history programs, but Ballard said those tours dwindled in recent years. He wants to reach out to schools and welcome them to the museum.
He also sees potential in a “Cobblestone Corridor” or Cobblestone Trail along Route 104. The cobblestone homes could all be highlighted with a map that would appeal to tourists.
“The museum would be the centerpiece,” he said.
For more on the Cobblestone Society Museum, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Palette project, $200K grant program on agenda for 2014
File photo by Tom Rivers – Stacey Kirby created this palette, which was on display in Bindings Bookstore in Albion, during last year’s Palettes of Orleans. The Chamber of Commerce plans to do the effort again this year.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce will elect a new board president on Wednesday, and at least two new members are expected to join the board.
The Chamber will have its annual meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday at its office, 102 North Main St., Suite No. 1. The meeting is open to the community, but the Chamber would appreciate an RSVP by calling 589-7727.
After two years of leading the Chamber, Cindy Robinson of Medina is expected to step down as president and be replaced by Brooke Pontillo of Toshiba, the current VP. Mark Merithew of Apple Blossom Florist is expected to become the vice president. Brett Hill of Albone & Hill Plumbing and Joseph Organiściak of Sandbox Union have agreed to join the board.
“We have a younger generation stepping up that believes in Orleans County, that wants to come back and raise their families here,” said Kathy Blackburn, Chamber executive director.
The Chamber plans to announce it will continue the Palettes of Orleans public art project this year. The program debuted last year with 73 palettes on display in businesses throughout the county.
The Chamber also is administering a $200,000 grant program from an anonymous donor that provides matching grants in Medina for building improvements at homes and businesses.
Provided photo – Lyndonville Envirothon Team members include, from left: Lily Boyd, Heather Mufford, Zachery Karp, Jeremy Foss and Kenneth Kalson.
Press release
Lyndonville Central School
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Central School District team of Lily Boyd, Jeremy Foss, Kenneth Kalson, Zachery Karp and Heather Mufford won first place at the 2014 Niagara-Orleans Regional Envirothon. The team advisor is teacher Kathy Wronski.
They beat out 13 other teams at a competition at Bond Lake in Lewiston. The event is celebrating its 25th year and tests high school students’ knowledge in five areas: soil, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues.
Not only did the teams have to prepare a 10-minute presentation on sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on local farms, they had to take exams administered by professionals in the soil, aquatics, forestry and wildlife fields.
It is a combination of classroom study, research and hands-on field experience. The Lyndonville team will be moving on to the New York State competition May 21-22 at SUNY Morrisville.
The local event was sponsored by the Niagara and Orleans Soil and Water Conservation Districts, State Sen. George Maziarz, U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, M&T Bank, Albion Sports and Graphics, Sanborn Lions Club, Orleans Poverty Hill Farm and Newroyal Orchards.
ALBION – Officers of the Catholic Daughters are shown here with Father Eugene Slomba, assistant priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, back in the mid-1960s.
Front row, from left: Florence Pilato, Cecelia Leigh, Grace Monacelli and Dorothy Murray.
Back row: Lena Manella, Catherine DiLaura, Jean Shervin, Father Slomba, Elizabeth Eckert and Corinne Pahura.
This picture was taken at what was then the new K of C hall on East Avenue in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The lift bridge in Knowlesville is limited to one lane and a 6-ton weight limit. It is among several in the county that aren’t equipped to handle heavier traffic.
Orleans County officials thought their push for more state resources for canal bridges would get more attention if town and village leaders are joined the rallying cry.
The towns and villages are responding, and passing resolutions asking for more state funds to keep up the bridges. There are 25 state-owned canal bridges in the county, including seven lift bridges. (The village of Medina owns the Glenwood Avenue bridge.)
Twelve of the 26 bridges have been declared “functionally obsolete.” Another six are considered “structurally deficient” by the state Department of Transportation.
Two are closed – Brown Street in Albion and Hindsburg Road in Murray. The Knowlesville lift bridge is limited to one lane and 6 tons. Other bridges have reduced weight limits below 10 tons, including Transit Road in Albion at 9 tons, Allens Bridge Road in Albion at 7 tons, Presbyterian Road in Albion at 5 tons, and Groth Road at 9 tons in Murray.
The county has a report about the bridge conditions at orleansny.com. It used state DOT data from bridge inspections to create the report.
Most of the bridges are about 100 years old. They were installed when the canal was widened in 1909 to 1914.
The County Legislature has passed two recent resolutions seeking more state attention for the bridges. The first resolution expressed the Legislature’s growing concerns about the limited access due to closed bridges or reduced weight limits.
That forces longer trips for school buses, fire trucks, tractor trailers and big farm equipment, hindering public safety and commerce in the county, legislators said.
The Beals Road bridge in Ridgeway is pictured during the winter. The bridge is one of 12 of the 26 canal bridges in the county declared as functionally obsolete by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Town Boards at Barre, Clarendon, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby all have passed resolutions stating their concern about the limited access with the bridges. The Medina Village Board also joined the effort with a formal resolution on Monday.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the issue is particularly hard on villages that have several of the canal bridges. The village would like to see the governor and state develop a bridge plan to better maintain the spans over the historic waterway.
“Hopefully the governor pays some attention,” said Mark Irwin, a village trustee.
The Legislature also passed a resolution in March calling on the state to not raid a fund that was supposed to be dedicated for road and bridge work. If that fund wasn’t diverted for other purposes, county legislators said there would be more state resources for infrastructure.
Residents and taxpayers pay billions in taxes and fees into the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund. They pay through highway taxes, motor vehicle taxes and fees, petroleum business taxes and other fees. However, county legislators said more than 75 percent of the funds or $1.6 billion was diverted to other agencies in the last state fiscal year.
The County Legislature passed a resolution urging the governor and State Legislature to develop a multi-year plan for the fund to meet the infrastructure needs for bridges and roads in the state.
The towns of Clarendon and Shelby have passed formal resolutions supporting the issue.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Bruce Good’s Lotto win proved popular with Orleans Hub readers. It was our most viewed story of April.Orleans Hub on April 16 was the first to report Good won $300,000 on a scratch-off ticket he bought at Fischer’s Newsroom in Albion. (Click here to see “Albion man wins $300K in Lotto.”)
“I hit the mother lode,” Good told Orleans Hub. “It’s a game changer. It’s nice to know there will be a nest egg for retirement and that I can help out some friends and family if they need it.”
Our other top stories for the month, ranked 2 through 5 include:
“Lyndonville ranked as one of best high schools by U.S. News” on April 22 (Click here).
“16 face drug charges after arrests in Albion and Carlton” on April 1 (Click here).
Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans Hub was quick on the scene when this fire broke out in Eagle Harbor at about 1 a.m. on Easter.
“Fire engulfs Eagle Harbor home” on April 20 (Click here).
“3 Albion sisters hurt in Ridgeway crash” on April 12 (Click here).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Albion site will have new monthly exhibits through December
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Marti’s on Main, a fine arts gallery in Albion, kicked off its sixth season tonight.
The gallery will have new exhibits each month through December. Marti’s owner Kim Martillotta Muscarella highlighted local youth artists for the season-opening show.
The top photo shows work by Albion High School senior Nathanael Sugar. Willow Groth, 7, also has several pieces of artwork on display. Her mother, Laura Genagon Groth, works as an artist.
“You got to catch them while they are young and nurture that love for art,” Muscarella said at the gallery, located at 227 North Main St. “It gets snuffed out by the world, which is a shame.”
Muscarella also has works from six of her grandchildren, including these creations by Maleah Knight, 9. She made these about two years ago.
Maleah also made this artwork, which was based on the famous Starry Night painting by Vincent van Gogh.
To see the line-up of exhibits for the year, click here to see Marti’s Facebook page.
More than 200 members of the House of Representatives, from both parties, are joining Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) in telling the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to back off its plan to expand federal control under the Clean Water Act.
Both agencies are seeking a rule change to give the federal government more authority by expanding the already overly broad definition of ‘navigable waters’ under the CWA.
Congressman Collins (R-Clarence) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) authored a letter to the EPA and USACE outlining strong concerns about the negative impact the proposed rule will have on farms all across the country. The letter attracted a total of 231 signatures from both Republicans and Democrats, representing more than half of the House.
The EPA and USACE proposed rule would redefine the scope of federal power under the CWA, giving the CWA jurisdiction over almost all physical areas with a connection to downstream navigable waters.
This would put features such as ditches, natural or man-made ponds, flood plains, and prairie potholes, among others, under federal control. The Members say the new rule would directly contradict prior U.S. Supreme Court decisions and is based on incomplete scientific and economic analyses.
“EPA’s overreach is already causing real harm for farmers and stalling business development across our country,” said Congressman Collins. “When I visit with farmers in my district, the heavy burdens under the Clean Water Act come up each and every time. When the bureaucrats at the EPA decide to call a divot in the ground that fills with rain a ‘navigable waterway’ under the CWA, we know our federal government has run amuck. The fact that the EPA and USACE are now looking to formally broaden the definition of ‘navigable waters’ is an insult to hard working farmers all across this country.”
“The EPA’s proposed rule is going to cause more harm than good,” said Congressman Schrader. “By adding yet another layer of unnecessary regulatory burden on our agriculture and business communities, this proposal will further hinder our country’s economic recovery and stifle job creation. The Clean Water Act is working, but this rule will create needless confusion based on bad science. I hope the administration acknowledges our concerns and heeds the advice of myself and my colleagues when we say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
“It is refreshing to see that members of Congress agree with the American Farm Bureau that it is time to ditch this rule,” said Don Parrish, senior director of regulatory relations for American Farm Bureau Federation. “This regulatory proposal is an end run around Congress and the Supreme Court, and we appreciate the efforts of Mr. Collins and Mr. Schrader to highlight the many concerns our members are expressing about the rule.”
You can read the letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Department of the Army Secretary John M. McHugh and see a list of co-signers by clicking here.
More than 100 state and national organizations are lending their support to block this proposed rule.
Public vote hasn’t been scheduled for project on 98
Photos by Sue Cook – This rendering shows what the new fire hall could look like if Barre taxpayers approve this proposal.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
BARRE – The Barre Fire District is proposing a new fire hall that fire commissioners say will actually save money in the long run, rather than staying in the existing site on Route 98.
The new fire hall is estimated to cost $1.55 million with $1.25 million for construction and $300,000 for soft costs (planning, engineering, land purchase, etc.). A capital fund contribution would cover $150,000 of that. The remaining share would be paid by local taxpayers at $1.4 million although grants could lower that cost.
The proposed new location is farther north on Route 98 on the west side of the road, a little past the Barre Town Park. Fire District officials have already spoken to Keeler Construction, which owns the land and has given verbal approval to sell the property if the proposed fire hall is approved by taxpayers.
“The idea is to have a long-lasting building, a 50-year-plus building,” said Tom Carpenter of Clark Patterson Lee of Rochester.
Carpenter and fire commissioners discussed the project during a public meeting on Wednesday night.
The new building would be 7,300 square feet. It would have five truck bays, three on the front and two on the back. This will allow two of the lanes to be pull-through. There would also be more space for all the storage and other room that are lacking in the current building.
“It’s going to be very energy efficient and have lower life-cycle loss like some other construction types like you might have,” Carpenter said.
Tom Carpenter shows the building layout on the plot of land.
The building would be masonry construction with insulated metal siding and a standing seam metal roof. Energy efficiency has also been incorporated into the proposed structure. There would be radiant-heat flooring. The building was also designed at an angle to the road to prevent westerly winds from sucking out all of the heated air.
If grants are approved, solar panels could also be added to the structure. There would also be asphalt driveways and parking and concrete pads for truck parking in front of the bay doors. On-site utilities of septic, water, electric, gas and storm water have also been incorporated into the proposed design.
Last year the Barre Fire Company responded to 246 calls. Without their statistics in front of them, Fire Company leaders estimate that 60 percent were emergency medical services and 40 percent were fires and other incidents. The number varies from year to year depending on disasters and weather, such as ice storms.
The current hall was built in 1960 as an addition to a schoolhouse from 1910. The hall currently needs repairs and a roof replacement. It is also too small for standard-sized fire vehicles. The most recently purchased truck cost an extra $100,000 to be custom created to fit inside the small, short space available inside the current fire hall.
There is also limited space for offices, storage, equipment and HVAC. The site also has limited handicapped accessibility.
There is also no fire suppression system inside the current building, which contains old wiring, so a fire inside the current fire hall could result in a loss of all the trucks if they were unable to be removed in time.
Grants are unable to be applied for until a proposal is approved. If taxpayers say yes to a plan, the fire district can then apply for grant money that reduce the costs.
“This process is similar to doing a water district,” said Fire Company Treasurer Barry Flansburg. “All the estimates on everything are considered high so that the goal is we tell you, in theory, the worst possible scenario. This is the highest possible cost.”
Barry Flansburg explains what the monetary benefits could be to owning a new building.
The current yearly budget for paying the loans that the district would incur is $65,000. The fire company (which supplies the manpower for the district) currently gets $15,000 in rent for the use of the current hall by the district (which is responsible for providing the services), which would be moved to use for the new building’s construction and mortgage.
Taxes were also raised by the district and were already reflected in this year’s January statements that add the other $50,000 to the total. Homeowners with a $100,000 assessment saw an increase from $1.07 to $1.45 on their tax bill. Next year, that will decrease to $1.39 with no changes in assessment.
Estimates for maintaining the current building average out to nearly the same. However, the department says the maintenance would be ongoing and costly. Many of the costs would come as a lump sum requirement, such as the roof replacement, instead of a cost spread out over a 30-year loan period with the proposal for the new building.
They also say that taxpayers should consider the cost of vehicles into their decision, too, reminding them that the custom-sized vehicles are significantly more expensive and need to be replaced as the insurance company requires new standards.
While the department had considered rebuilding in the space that the hall is currently in, Fire Company leaders are not finding this to be a possibility. The driveway on the south side of the building belongs to a different property owner and the driveway on the north side has the water line from the water tower running directly underneath of it.
The current space also would not easily contain many of the new features and required standards that are being proposed with the new building, including the possibility of containing larger trucks. The trucks would also need some form of storage during the construction.
The district will own the building, opposed to the company. This means that the taxpayers will own the building. It will not have public space and is not open to the public due to laws requiring the building being for the function of firefighting only.
The fire company will retain ownership of the current building and will vote and decide what they would like to do with it later if the approval is given for new construction. Fire officials have discussed the possibility of using the space for fundraising or other events since the trucks would not require the space and the doors along the front could be sealed.
Other considered locations for the new firehall were either too expensive or not right for the fire company. The Barre Town Park was rejected because during sporting events the driveway would become clogged and the fire trucks would not be able to get out.
A second driveway would be unable to be added due to laws about driveways added to state highways. The proposed new location would have the main driveway for the fire station and Keeler Construction has agreed to share their connected driveway in the event the fire department needs it.
“It’s very important and we want to answer as many questions as we can,” Flansburg said. “We’re still available to talk to. We want to hear your feedback. The commissioners want to know. They’ll decide if they want to wait a month or two to vote.”
The fire commissioners have meetings at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month in the current fire hall. The meetings are open to the public. They will be meeting next Tuesday and will be deciding when the vote will be for the proposal.
Once they have made a decision, they will send a notification letter to all registered Barre voters informing when the vote will be. The approval will require at least a 51 percent yes vote, regardless of the voter turn-out numbers.
If approval is given by the taxpayers, the district will begin to apply for grants and loans. They will also finalize architectural plans with Clark Patterson Lee. Public bidding would begin in the winter and if a bid is approved, the construction phase would start in spring 2015 and could be finished as early as fall 2015.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Erie Canal is pictured on Tuesday evening in this photo taken from the top of the stairs at the lift bridge in Knowlesville. The canal’s opening has been delayed due to the rainy weather.
ALBANY – The recent heavy rainfall has delayed the opening of the Erie Canal’s navigational season. The canal was due to open on Saturday for its 190th season.
The state Canal Corporation has pushed back opening day until next week.
“Conditions permitting, the Canal Corporation expects to be able to open most portions of the Canal System during the week of May 5,” the Canal Corporation advised today.
A revised opening schedule for the 2014 navigation season will be published as soon as possible, Canal Corp. officials said.
For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2014 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – A boost in state aid is allowing Kendall Central School to narrow a tax increase. Kendall school officials were looking at a 1.9 percent hike but that was trimmed to 1.36 percent in the budget that goes before voters on May 20.
Kendall school officials cut taxes by $1 million in the 2013-14 budget, reducing the tax levy from $5.6 million to $4.6 million. The average tax rate fell from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The tax levy will slightly rise in the new budget, from $4,606,613 to $4,669,245. That is about $110,000 below the district’s tax cap.
The overall budget increases spending by 5.5 percent from $14,051,383 to $14,826,116. The new budget doesn’t cut existing programs. It adds a student services coordinator and two special education teachers, one each at the elementary and high school levels.
School officials will have a budget presentation at 7 p.m. on May 7 at the Junior-Senior High School Commons. The vote will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 20 at the elementary school gym.
District residents last year approved a $25 million capitol project. The district has submitted the design specifications and other documents to the state Education Department and is waiting on SED approval, said Julie Christensen, district superintendent.
She expects the state will give approval to the project this summer and bids will go out in the fall. Some work could start in the winter, such as construction of a more secure entrance at the school.
The bulk of the work will likely be in the summer 2015, “when there will be major renovations at both buildings,” Christensen said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Changes in the village code and zoning for wineries and microbreweries will go to the Orleans County Planning Board for review.
The Village Planning Board has suggested several changes to make the village ordinance more friendly to allow the businesses.
The Village Planning Board approved the changes last month that welcomes wineries, breweries, distilleries, cideries and meaderies. The Village Board will have the final vote but not after a public hearing and the review from the County Planning Board.
No winery has presented a proposal for a project, but Code Enforcement Officer Martin Busch said there are interested parties in the projects in the downtown area.
The current village code doesn’t prohibit the projects, but doesn’t say they are an allowed use in the Downtown Historic District. Spelling out the projects in the zoning will make it easier for the projects to become a reality, Busch said.
The Village Planning Board is recommending they be allowed, although the owner of the businesses will need to secure a Special Use Permit. That will give the village more say in the operations.
The Planning Board doesn’t want to limit those businesses to the downtown. They would also be allowed in the General Business District as well as the Light Industrial and Industrial Zones.
The changes will go before the County Planning Board on May 22.
Village officials see potential in Medina for wineries and breweries because the Niagara Wine Trail has been extended from Niagara County through Orleans and to Rochester. Medina is now central located along the trail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken Printup lives on Bigford Road near a proposed quarry. He said the project would be a detriment to the neighborhood and the wildlife refuge.
SHELBY – Residents in rural southern Shelby said they moved there for the peace and quiet, and the proximity to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches over about 11,000 acres and is home to about 300 different species of birds.
That tranquility would be threatened by a new limestone quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road, residents said in a public hearing attended by about 250 people on Wednesday night. Frontier Stone LLC is proposing to excavate 172 acres in four phases in the next 75 years.
Residents packed the Shelby Town Hall during the public hearing about the draft environmental impact statement, a 1,000-plus page document the company has been working on since 2006.
“The people in this room span the political spectrum but we are united in opposition to this proposal,” said Gary Kent, who is active in the Bluebird Society and Sportsmen Federation in Orleans County.
He said the county has already been losing wildlife habitat with many hedge rows taken out as more land is farmed.
A quarry so close to the wildlife refuge “is ill conceived,” Kent said during the hearing. “It does not have the support of Orleans County residents.”
Gary Kent addresses Molly McBride, an administrative law judge for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, during a public hearing on Wednesday at Shelby Town Hall.
Frontier representatives urged the public to study the DEIS. The project can coexist with the wildlife refuge and Frontier has mitigation plans for dust and other concerns with the project, said Kevin Brown, an attorney for Frontier.
The project is on land owned by the Zelazny family about 3.7 miles south on the village of Medina. Frontier would need to dewater the quarry and estimates it will pump 554,000 gallons of water daily into a drainage ditch.
The company expects 30 truck trips per hour, with 15 coming and going during the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. operational hours from Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Most of the truck traffic would be on Route 63 and Oak Orchard Ridge Road.
Town Highway Superintendent Mike Fuller said the truck traffic would damage town roads at an expense to local taxpayers. He said he opposed the project for that reason and its location by the refuge.
Frontier has completed numerous studies about the possible impacts on wildlife and also groundwater, the top two environmental issues with the project, Brown said. He said the gradual expansion of the mine, about 10 acres of quarrying in the first decade, gives animals at the refuge and nearby plenty of time to adapt.
Phase 1 of the quarry, those first 10 acres, will also become a reservoir and that water will normalize flows out of the quarry and will prove an asset for the area, Brown said. He urged people to read the environmental impact study, which he said is based on science and shows the project can work at the site.
If the quarry proves a problem for local wells, Brown said Frontier would pay to deepen wells or to run a public waterline to the homes.
“If you honestly look through the EIS and the science, you’ll see we’ve reviewed the environmental impacts and this quarry is in the right place,” he said at the hearing.
Kevin Brown, an attorney for Frontier Stone LLC, says the proposed site will not endanger the refuge or nearby residents.
Residents’ comments from the hearing will need to be addressed during a final EIS through the DEC. If Frontier can meet the DEC’s approval, the company still needs to get the support of the Town Board for the project.
The land would need a zoning change from Residential/Agricultural to Industrial, and the town would need to grant a mining permit.
Many residents urged the DEC to reject the environmental study from the company, and they asked the town to keep the land Rural/Agricultural.
Holly Roesch lives a half mile from the proposed site on Fletcher Chapel Road. She doesn’t want “the constant murmur of a quarry” or all the dust drifting onto her property.
Frontier said it would create 15 jobs with the project, but Roesch said that isn’t enough of a benefit for the disruption to the neighborhood and refuge.
She and other residents noted there are many other nearby quarries and the new one would just take business from them. The new quarry may not result in a net increase in jobs.
Roesch and others said the big job creator is proposed on the other side of the refuge. Genesee County officials have been working with regional and state leaders to develop the 1,250-acre Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the town of Alabama.
The STAMP site is a mile south of Orleans County and is projected to create 10,000 jobs in high-tech manufacturing, as well as 50,000 other jobs in support businesses. The site, however, needs to be quiet without ground vibrations and dust.
Genesee County officials are submitting written comments, asking the DEC to insist on studies to make sure the quarry doesn’t make STAMP unusable for nanotechnology and other high-tech manufacturing.
“Mining and nanotechnology do not go together,” said Francis Domoy, a nearby resident who has a doctorate in resource management.
Domoy said mining provides little benefit to a community in a cost-benefit analysis.
The new quarry has the support of the NY Construction Materials Association. The site in Shelby meets the association’s criteria for a successful mine: high quality and quantity of material, ability to be mined, and access to market, said David Hamling, the association president.
The association represents a $5 billion annual industry in crushed stone, asphalt and sand gravel production. Those materials are essential for roads and building projects, Hamling said.
New York uses 175 million tons of aggregate each year or about 10 tons per person, Hamling said.
“It’s a nonrenewable resource,” he said. “Because of its nonrenewability, it’s incumbent on us as a society to plan for the future.”
The Lockport formation runs from Michigan to Rome in New York, said Wendi Pencille, a Ryan Road resident and president of the Citizens for Shelby Preservation. Frontier could find other sites in less environmentally sensitive areas for the quarry, she said.
She listed several concerns with the project, including the discharged water from the quarry. The water would be high in minerals, iron and sulfur and would overflow into the refuge and Oak Orchard Creek.
“The effects of this massive amount of contaminated discharge water on species of plants and animals, including the salmon, have not been evaluated,” Pencille said.
Karen Jones, a resident of South Gravel Road, listed several environmental concerns with the proposed quarry, as well as negative effects on tourism and community character.
Pencille said the project should be denied by the DEC due to the impact on fish, wildlife and residents due to hazardous substances, particulates, gasses, dust, vapors, noise, radiation, odors, nutrients and heated liquids from the quarry.
“There are other locations for mining limestone in New York State that do not pose a threat to the environment, to sensitive wildlife species and to communities,” Pencille said.
The Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and also the 11-county Finger Lakes Conservation Council spoke out against the project by the refuge.
“We feel a quarry at this location is not worth the risk to the environment,” said Mike Elam, president Finger Lakes Conservation Council. “Twenty-one thousand acres of wetlands could be compromised. The drilling, blasting, noise and traffic would be disruptive.”
Mining by the site could also effect the aquifer that feeds Oak Orchard Creek and wetlands, he said.
Sandy Mendel, president of the Friends of the Refuge, said the site draws 35,000 to 50,000 a year with 87 percent of the visitors from 30 miles away or farther. That boosts the local economy, returning about $5 for every $1 spent maintaining the site, she said.
The air pollution, noise, lights and traffic from the quarry operation “will almost certainly degrade quality of life at refuge,” she said.
Charles Malcomb, special counsel from the Hodgson Russ law firm, is representing the town with the project’s review. Malcomb asked for a second public hearing because some residents weren’t able to get in the meeting room due to the crowd.
He also asked for more time for residents to submit written comments to the DEC. The deadline has been set at May 12.
The town wants more studies from Frontier and the DEC about the impact on hydrogeology and wildlife. The mining could disrupt the groundwater for residents in the area, including about 250 who live at the Iroquois Job Corps. They use about 35,000 to 40,000 gallons of groundwater a day.
Malcomb said the Town Board wants to maintain the open and rural character of the community. Frontier would need to have farmland rezoned.
About a dozen residents near the proposed quarry spoke at the hearing and asked the DEC to reject the project. Lorraine Davis lives on Baker Road, 1.7 miles from the site, and relies on well water.
“If we lose our water, there is no other source,” she said. “The negative impact of this is tremendous.”
MEDINA – In this view from April 3, 1914, we see the construction that was taking place on the Medina Canal Basin.
The top of the aqueduct over the Oak Orchard Creek shows in the lower left. Wooden forms are seen for the high retaining wall in the center, which is being worked on.
In the middle background is the tower of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Steam-powered equipment was in use at the time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – An Albion man will spend 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated on Sept. 7 in Medina.
Josh Porter, 40, of East Park Street has a prior DWI from Oct. 27, 2011 in Lockport. He registered a 0.13 percent blood alcohol content on Sept. 7, above the legal limit of 0.8 percent.
Porter apologized in court for the crime. He said he has been sober for 7 months and 20 days and is determined to be a better family man and citizen.
“We’re lucky this isn’t a vehicular manslaughter,” County Court Judge James Punch said at sentencing on Monday. “It’s a wonder to me more people aren’t killed by people like you.”
The judge also sentenced Porter to five years on probation and revoked his driver’s license for a year. Porter also must install an inter-lock ignition device for the next three years on any vehicle he drives. That device makes sure he hasn’t been drinking.
In another case on Monday, an Appleton woman pleaded guilty to grand larceny. Dawn Papazian admitted she stole a horse trailer from Lynn-Ette and Sons farm in Kent. She will be sentenced at a later date and won’t receive a state prison sentence, but could receive up to a year in the county jail.
