By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Resident tries to raise awareness of deterioration
Photos by Tom Rivers – Dave Nixon stands in front of the Canal Culvert in the town of Ridgeway. He said the structure is showing deterioration and should be repaired.
MEDINA — Dave Nixon drives through the tunnel often. The Canal Culvert, the only road that goes under the canal, carries a sense of mystery and awe.
Nixon, a retired car dealer, is amazed at the engineering and might that was used to create the culvert in the 1820s. The site has been featured on Ripley’s Believe it or Not.
Nixon the past three years has been trying to get State Canal Corp. officials to take notice of the deterioration in the stone in the culvert, particularly on the south side.
Chucks of the stone have flaked off. Nixon spends his winters in North Carolina. He returned to his Culvert Road home two weeks ago and was startled to see more damage on the Culvert.
“The water freezes and it breaks up the stone,” Nixon said, pointing to the damage. “I want to save the Culvert. It’s on its way to being lost.”
Nixon has contacted other state officials about the decline and so far hasn’t seen any attention to the problem. He wants to see the stone repointed and other repairs made to preserve one of the county’s most iconic structures.
“This is important to the community not only for transportation, but for its historic value,” he said.
He also knows it’s part of the area’s charm.
“People go through and blow their horns,” Nixon said.
Photos by Sue Cook – Bruce Sidari holds up a hand transmitter, which usually transmits only a couple of miles, but can be boosted with a repeater device to reach much further. There is a repeater at the Orleans County Civil Defense Center, which is connected to the very tall antenna on top of the building.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
ALBION – The Orleans County Amateur Radio Club is encouraging new participants in ham radio. The group held a presentation at the Orleans County Health Department on Wednesday to explain the hobby to the public and provide a starting point for those interested.
“There’s so many aspects of ham radio you can do cheaply or more expensively depending on the way you want to go with it,” said Terry Cook, Club President.
There are over 7,000 ham radio clubs and over 2 million amateur radio operators worldwide. Every operator around the world has a unique call sign, which is the ham radio version of a phone number.
The Orleans County Club is around 60 years old. The original call sign for the group (WA2DQL) used to belong to Albion dentist Doctor Jackson. When Jackson passed, the club took over his call sign in honor of his memory. The club has 35 members, but there are close to 50 people in Orleans County that are radio operators.
“You can have a lot of fun at this hobby and not know anything about technology,” said Program Manager Bruce Sidari.
The club doesn’t want people to be intimidated by the technology. Radios can be purchased inexpensively and can offer a gateway into further education with very minimal effort.
To receive a license to operate a ham radio with a call sign, a person must take a test. Someone seeking a license would attend a four-hour class and then take a test at the end to receive the lowest license level of technician. They learn the basics and regulations to be able to operate a radio. Other more advanced classes can be taken to become licensed further by the FCC to allow for use of different frequencies.
These are QSL cards. They are sent out as a confirmation of a conversation over ham radio or as a reminder that the call signal on the card would like to continue contact with the recipient. Some of the cards in this photograph are from Germany, the Azores, Russia, Wales, Japan and Chile.
Anyone young or old can become an amateur radio operator. The Radio Club wants kids to become involved because it’s a great skill to have, despite other modern technology like the internet being so prominent. It can help with learning other skills like robotics or basic electronics.
“If there’s anything we love, it’s to see kids interested in amateur radio,” Sidari said.
Anyone can benefit through ham radio, whether from the communications aspect or studying other cultures by speaking directly to a person from another country.
Ham operators are especially important during emergencies. When Hurricane Katrina brought down communications systems in Louisiana, ham operators were able to help emergency crews and to pass messages from family members in different areas. Locally, when the a snowstorm struck in October 2006, the ham operators helped with emergency calls until normal operations could resume.
The signals are nearly instantaneous by traveling at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second. Some operators like to bounce Morse code signals off the moon as a personal challenge. The moon is 238,900 miles away. The signals take about one and a half seconds to arrive at the moon and then travel back in another one and a half.
Many astronauts are ham operators and communicate as they pass over various landmasses. The club showed a video of astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock communicating with the United States and Mexico as the International Space Station passed over North America.
Besides hand transmitters, other simple, but more powerful radio equipment can be purchased for people who want to dabble in the hobby and not commit to costly equipment.
Amateur radio operators can also have far reaching capabilities. Operators with the right equipment can reach out to anywhere in the world that has an operator that answers back. The local Radio Club has spoken to many countries. The operators from most countries frequently speak a little English to communicate at least briefly.
The club also participates in several contests throughout the year. On the fourth Saturday in June is Field Day. The club sets up two radio stations at the Orleans County Emergency Management Center and competes against other groups around the world to try and contact as many other operators as quickly as possible in a 24-hour period.
Another major event the group participates in is the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse. The event is a contest with the goal to contact as many lighthouses in a day as possible.
The group will be having a meeting this coming Monday and would love for people to come see what they do, whether to observe or start on the path of becoming an operator. The club holds meetings every second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Orleans County Emergency Management Center located at 14064 West County House Road in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Medina Mayor Andrew Meier sees a dissolution of the village and the consolidation of the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway as the best chance to significantly reduce the community’s taxes, which are currently the highest in the Finger Lakes region. He was joined at the press conference today by Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Medina Dissolution Committee (center), and Nathan Pace, chairman of One Medina.
“Unless we unify and fix our tax problem once and for all we will miss the boat. This is our one bite at the apple, at meaningful reform perhaps in our entire generation.” – Medina Mayor Andrew Meier
MEDINA – The Medina community has so much potential with the renaissance in its business district, a rich heritage, architecture and close proximity to the STAMP manufacturing site in the town of Alabama, said Mayor Andrew Meier.
However, all of that potential is threatened by a combined tax rate that is the highest in the Finger Lakes region, Meier said today during a press conference at City Hall.
Meier has been leading the push to dissolve the village government. It would effectively put him out of a job as an elected official. But Meier sees removing the village government as a critical first step in reducing that tax burden that drives out investment and oppresses many senior citizens, families and businesses.
“We have many seniors and families in this community that struggle to get by and we owe them our best efforts in putting together a solid plan,” Meier said about the village dissolution.
He is part of a Dissolution Committee that today voted to support a plan that would cut village taxes by 25 to 34 percent, and raise them 46 percent for Ridgeway residents outside the village and 10 percent for Shelby residents outside the village.
The dissolution would cut about $6 off that combined tax rate for village residents who are currently the highest taxed in the region.
“Unless we unify and fix our tax problem once and for all we will miss the boat,” Meier said. “This is our one bite at the apple, at meaningful reform perhaps in our entire generation. It’s why we forged ahead today.”
Meier addresses the media after the Dissolution Plan was accepted by a committee this morning.
Meier is part of a new “One Medina” effort that is led by local attorney Nathan Pace. He was chairman of a committee that studied the benefits of consolidating the two towns and the village into one entity in 2010 and 2011. That committee recommended the dissolution of the village followed by the merger of the two towns.
“If Medina decides to dissolve we have to make some hard decisions,” Pace told reporters today. “Sometimes when you’re faced with difficult decisions you have an opportunity to do something good.”
He is chairman of the One Medina effort and welcomes Ridgeway and Shelby officials to join the effort. They can follow the dissolution plan from the committee or weigh in with ideas to make it better.
The Dissolution Committee will have a public meeting on 7 p.m. on May 6 to take questions from the public. (The location hasn’t been determined yet.)
The Committee may tweak the plan depending on the public comments. The Village Board will then get the plan and may hold hearings and could make changes. Village residents could vote on the issue in a public referendum this year, Meier said.
The Dissolution Committee and Village Board are eyeing Jan. 1, 2017 for the dissolution to take effect. That gives the towns at least two years to prepare for the dissolution of the village.
‘One Medina’ is a grassroots group led by attorney Nathan Pace. He said the group will likely soon have meetings and welcomes input from Ridgeway and Shelby officials.
“We have to step forward,” Pace said. “With ‘One Medina,’ the intent is to pull together the good people of Ridgeway, Shelby and the village and sit down at the table and solve this problem together. If the village is going to dissolve, we need a plan.”
Pace said Medina isn’t going away with a dissolution. The community will continue to have the same Medina zip code, school district and post office.
“If the village of Medina dissolves and the town of Ridgeway and town of Shelby do not do something unifying us together then we have missed history,” Pace said. “We really will miss the boat. There is so much to gain by sitting down and working out something together.”
The Dissolution Committee wanted to preserve existing services and village jobs, said Don Colquhoun, the committee chairman.
“We were concerned about what would happen to people,” he said. “We built a plan where everyone would be accommodated.”
Meier and ‘One Medina’ want to see the two towns consolidate. If that happens the reduced operating costs and state incentives for a merger should offset the increased taxes from the village dissolution for residents outside the village, Meier said.
He urged residents in the towns and village to study the facts in the issue and voice their concerns.
“This is an opportunity to take our community and our government to the next level,” Meier said at the press conference. “It will involve engagement from the public.”
ALBION – This color post card from around 1910 shows the Orleans Hotel, which was located on East Bank Street and Platt Street in Albion.
Built in the 1860s, it had a two-story porch at the main entrance. Parked in front of that is a hack (taxi), which provided transportation from the N.Y. Central Railroad Depot to the hotel. At the time of this picture it enjoyed a reputation for fine dining.
This building later became Henri’s Inn and was destroyed by a fire 20 years ago.
A demolition crew is pictured around noon today at the former Pizza Hut in Medina. The building will be torn down to make room for a new women’s healthcare site on Maple Ridge Road.
United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia will operate the healthcare site out of a new 4,300-square-foot building. UMMC will be the tenant at the site with developer Chad La Civita of Buffalo the owner of the building. The new facility will be next to McDonalds.
The new building will be close to the eastern side of the property. Pizza Hut sits in the middle of the property.
Courtesy of smartDESIGN architecture PLLC – Once the Pizza Hut building is down, a new 4,300-square-foot healthcare site will be built on Maple Ridge Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The organizers of an Ultimate Fishing Challenge trip for Vietnam War veterans discussed the initiative with the County Legislature today. The group also brought along the trophy from last year when Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town through the World Fishing Network. The group includes, from left: Eileen Banker, chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Mike Waterhouse, county sportsfishing coordinator; Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor; Paul Fulcomer, director of Orleans County Veterans Service Agency; and Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle.
ALBION – The Ultimate Fishing Town will be giving Vietnam War veterans the Ultimate Fishing Experience on June 25.
On that day at least 11 charter boat captains will take Vietnam veterans who live in Orleans County out on Lake Ontario for the chance to catch a big Chinook salmon and other fish.
The Point Breeze fishing community and Orleans County Tourism Department are joining for the five-hour fishing trip, which will be free for veterans.
Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator, wants to express appreciation for the Vietnam War veterans who were often treated with disrespect when they returned home after their service.
“I can think of no other group of service men and women that were so underappreciated for their service to our country,” Waterhouse told the County Legislature today.
Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town contest last year in an on-line voting competition through the World Fishing Network. The WFN awarded the community $25,000 to promote the fishery.
Part of the that money will be used to give the charter captains a stipend for their gas and expenses for the fishing trip on June 25. The charter captains have volunteered their time to be part of the event.
Four or five veterans can fit on each charter boat. The trip is open on a first come, first served basis with a deadline set at May 30. Veterans interested should contact Waterhouse by phone at 585-589-3103 or by email at sportfishing@orleansny.com.
The local committee that is deciding how to spend the $25,000 prize includes Waterhouse, Sharon Narburgh, Joyce Harris, John Denniston, Mark Lewis and Bill Camann.
Paul Fulcomer form the Veterans Service Agency is assisting with the Ultimate Fishing Challenge. The initiative also includes support from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office, Ken DeRoller from County Legislature and Wayne Hale from the County Planning and Tourism Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Ted Broekhuizen is retiring from the board after 25 years
Photo by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Ted Broekhuizen says he has lived a charmed life in Holley.
Broekhuizen, 82, has lived in his childhood home on North Main Street his entire adult life. He worked 40 years as an engineer, including 30 years with Bausch and Lomb.
Broekhuizen has stayed involved in his hometown as a member of the Presbyterian Church and also by serving on the Village Planning Board.
He stepped down from that board after 25 years on Dec. 31. He also represented the village on the Orleans County Planning Board.
Mayor John Kenney, left, presented Broekhuizen with an award for his service during Tuesday’s Village Board meeting. Broekhuizen also was presented with a certificate from the New York Conference of Mayors for his long-term commitment on the Planning Board.
He is pictured accepting the award with his with of 58 years, Rhoda. She worked as an elementary teacher in Holley for 30 years.
Broekhuizen said he met many of Holley’s entrepreneurs and other residents through the Planning Board.
“I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and had many great experiences,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
WATERPORT – The longest county-owned bridge will shut down next month so it can be repaired, a project that could take five months, County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray said.
The bridge on Route 279 stretches 700 feet across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard Creek. Many of the concrete box beams that support the bridge are badly deteriorated and will need to be replaced. Gray also said the bridge will get a new surface with concrete, rubber membrane and blacktop.
The entire project is estimated to cost about $1.7 million. The county will open bids from contractors later this month and the work should start in May.
The federal government is paying 80 percent of the project with the state paying 15 percent the county covering the remaining 5 percent.
A detour will be posted as soon as construction gets started, Gray said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The Village Board wants to encourage more downtown building owners to be like Bill and Joanne Billotti, who operate a business on the first floor and live upstairs.
But the Billottis say a new village policy, charging a parking fee to use a municipal lot, will discourage people from living in the downtown.
The fee is only $25 for the year. But Mr. Billotti told the Village Board on Tuesday it would be better to exempt building owners who live in the downtown from the fee.
The new policy went into effect on April 1. Village Trustee Brian Sorochty said the parking permit was intended to ensure spots for people who live in the downtown and to make it easy for police to see if the right people – those with permits – are using the municipal lots.
“The fee is minor at best,” he said. “It just covers our administrative cost.”
The Billottis suggested designating spots for downtown residents in owner-occupied buildings, but the board didn’t want to do that.
The village owns two municipal parking lots – one between the library and the old high school, and the other by the fire hall.
Holley used to require two parking spots for any downtown apartment, but did away with that because it seemed a challenge for building owners trying to offer downtown apartments.
Sorochty said the board may consider waiving the $25 fee for downtown residents.
In other action on Tuesday, a village resident objected to a new village policy that doesn’t allow parking by the curb near the Franklin and Ray Street intersection.
The board approved the no parking signs in February for the intersection and also at the West Union and Orchard Street intersection.
Franklin Street resident Tony Carbone said the decision was made without input from residents. He said he believes the move was made as retribution after he complained about snow plowing for his street, that too much snow ended up piled in his driveway.
“This is not fair or equitable,” he said about the no parking policy.
Mayor John Kenney said the board members would discuss the no parking area for Franklin Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Guin Panek, left, holds her son Grady while she and her mother-in-law Kerry Panek, right, present Kathy Jurs with a free membership to the Panek Farm’s CSA in memory of Susan Bennett.
ALBION – Susan Bennett used to stop by Panek Farms, especially in June, on her home to Barre.
“She wanted to know if they were ready yet,” Kerry Panek said about her strawberry crop. “She was always cheerful and had a good word for us.”
Bennett had many friends in the community. She was active at the Barre Presbyterian Church and as bookkeeper at Al Bennett and Sons, a feed and farm supply store in Barre. Her husband Richard was a long-time county legislator.
Bennett was also a customer for Panek Farms CSA, a program the farm started last year offering a 20-week share of berries and other fruit. When Bennett died on Jan. 11 from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, the farm decided it wanted to honor Bennett by giving away a CSA share in her memory.
Panek Farms accepted nominations and received several. Sue Davis sent in one on behalf of her daughter Kathy Jurs. She was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2010 when she was 29. Bennett was a steady encourager for Jurs, sending her notes and gifts while Jurs battled the disease.
Jurs beat the disease and she committed to running a half marathon in January in honor of Bennett. Jurs raised $5,123 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the most of any participant from western and central NY.
Jurs works as herdsman for the Neal family at their dairy farm down the road from the Panek’s. Jurs is well respected for her work ethic and friendliness, Kerry Panek said. Jurs also exemplifies the warm, caring, and encouraging nature of Susan, Panek said.
“She shows kindness and respect, and she was a true friend to Susan,” Panek said.
Jurs said she appreciated the CSA share, and not only for the weekly supply of nutritious food.
“I’m very grateful they chose me for this gift to honor Susan,” Jurs said. “She was a very special friend.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – It’s been raining a lot this morning, which follows a lot of rain on Monday.
I don’t think the farmers will be out planting corn and other crops anytime soon. The top photo shows a flooded field on Clarendon Road in Albion.
The wet fields are also keeping local baseball and softball teams indoors.
Today is forecast to reach a high of 44, followed by a high of 46 on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. It will be partly sunny on Wednesday.
The temperature is supposed to climb to 55 on Thursday with a chance for more showers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley seeks volunteers to help pick up trash along the canal on April 26, about a week before the historic waterway opens for its 190th season.
The village is hosting the “Canal Clean Sweep” from 9 a.m. to noon at the Canal Park on East Avenue. Pawlak’s Save A-Lot is sponsoring the event.
This will be the eighth Canal Sweep state-wide along the canal. The state Canal Corp. is partnering with Parks & Trails New York, and the state Environmental Facilities Corporation for the initiative.
For more information about the cleanup event in Holley, contact Village Clerk Jane Murray at 585-638-6367 x102 or Village Trustee David Dill at 585-943-9188 or dilldavid7@aol.com.
ALBION – The Arc of Orleans has received a $10,000 grant from the NYSARC Trust Services Board for recreational opportunities for people they support.
Last year The Arc received a similar grant from NYSARC Trust Services. Sixty-four individuals with developmental or other disabilities benefited from the 2013 funding. They were able to participate in many great activities they normally wouldn’t have been able to without the NYSARC Trust Recreation Grant.
They attended the Ringling Brothers Circus, Monster Jam, a Buffalo Bills Game, several movies, and eight individuals enjoyed a gym membership for three months. The grant also paid for outings to a Rochester Amerks Game, Stokee Farms, the Lucille Ball Museum, Hamburg Lights, and Rochester Museum & Science Center.
Arc consumers also attended a showing of The Grinch, Polar Express and The Wizard of Oz. They ended the year with a holiday celebration at the Historic Tillman’s Inn. The Arc of Orleans County plans to use the funds in the same fashion this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – As a plan for dissolving the village of Medina nears completion, a new “One Medina” movement is set to launch.
“One Medina” will be led by attorney Nathan Pace. He was chairman of the Medina-Ridgeway-Shelby Study Committee in 2010 and 2011. The group recommended the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway merge and the village dissolve to become one government.
That Pace-led committee saw a 30 percent reduction in taxes for the three governments if they became one entity.
The current village dissolution plan forecast about $1 million in reduction of the local tax burden by dissolving the village and passing its services to the two towns and local development corporations. Those numbers will be presented in more detail on Thursday.
Pace and Medina Mayor Andrew Meier see more savings if the two towns pursue a merger if the village dissolves. That would reduce the cost for delivering government services and also attract state incentives. Both would reduce a tax burden that is a disincentive to attracting residents, businesses and investment, Meier said.
The committee working on a dissolution plan for the village of Medina expects to have numbers on Thursday that will show the impact on taxes for people who live in the village and those who are outside in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.
That data will be discussed during an 8 a.m. meeting at City Hall. The dissolution plan is expected to be voted on by the committee. It will then go to the Village Board. Ultimately, for the dissolution to take effect it will need approval from village residents in a public vote.
Meier will hold a press conference Thursday at 12:30 p.m. He will be joined at City Hall by Pace and Don Colquhoun, chairman of the dissolution committee.
Officials from the two towns have Facebook pages and also a web site about the village dissolution. They call their web site, 2towns4thepeople.com.
