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Job-seekers turn out for Medina employment event

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Pride Pak gets big response for new jobs

Provided photo – About 200 people poured into the Medina United Methodist Church in the first 15 minutes of a job fair this afternoon. About 15 businesses were on site during the job fair from 1 to 5 p.m.

MEDINA – The first-ever Medina Area Job Fair was packed with job hunters this afternoon. There were about 15 companies at the job fair, with Pride Pak drawing the most attention.

Pride Pak has a vegetable processing plant under construction on Maple Rudge Road. The company is eyeing Aug. 1 for the opening of the facility, but will hire staff before then for training, said Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance.

Pride Pak expects to have 40 employees in the first year, and will hire for the production line, maintenance, clerical, fork lift operations, and janitorial. LoRusso said he was impressed with the long line of potential employees at the job fair.

“It’s more than I expected,” he said about the turnout.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Pride Pak Canada, which is opening a new vegetable processing facility in Medina, had a long line of job seekers looking for employment at the site on Maple Ridge Road. The following company officials are pictured at the Pride Pak booth today, from left: Mauro LoRusso, vice president for finance; Amanda Chronis, human resources administrator; and Angelo Karr, vice president.

Medina village officials pushed for the job fair with the Orleans County Job Development Agency. Michael Sidari, Medina mayor, said there are many companies in Medina looking to fill jobs, from technical skills to human services.

“There are quite a few jobs around,” he said.

Two extra tables had to be added after the job fair opened to accommodate people filling out job applications. Sidari was pleased to see so many residents show up.

“You get the feeling that people really want to work,” he said.

Kelly Kiebala, the Job Development director, said there at least 200 open positions in the county. The job fair included representatives from agencies that provide child care, transportation and housing. Kiebala said those agencies can help fill barriers to employment.

Sarah Levanduski-Surdel, client program manager for Adecco, has worked as a job recruiter for the past decade for Adecco in Batavia and Lockport. She said it is a tight labor market currently, with companies looking to fill many positions. The businesses have also boosted their wages, partly because of the increase in the minimum wage for fast food workers to $9.75 per hour.

“We don’t have enough people to fill all of the jobs,” she said.

Some people are still reluctant to start at entry level positions. Levanduski-Surdel urges people to take those jobs.

“You have to start somewhere,” she said. “The jobs are out there. Don’t be afraid to get some experience in a job you don’t see yourself in in 10 years.”

Sarah Levanduski-Surdel lives in Shelby and has watched the 62,000-square-foot Pride Pak facility take shape.

“Something new with new opportunities for people is awesome,” she said.

Lord’s House celebrates 10 years of ministry in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 10:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers-The Rev. Eddie English, pastor of The Lord’s House in Waterport, and his wife Rose greet church attendees on Sunday following a church service.

WATERPORT – A congregation that started a decade ago remains committed and optimistic in serving God and helping the Orleans County community.

The Rev. Eddie English, pastor of The Lord’s House, is grateful for the church’s first 10 years, and the way many people have stepped forward to work with the church, particularly with renovations of a former United Methodist building in Waterport.

The Lord’s House started a decade ago when English and his wife Rose succeeded Ella Mae and Le Roy Hawkins, who ran the Faith Power Mission next to their home on Root Road in Barre.

English said he prayed about the church’s future, and felt led to bring The Lord’s House to storefront on East Bank Street in Albion. The Lord’s House opened in downtown Albion in 2007, with prayer meetings, Bible studies and Sunday church services.

Rose and Eddie English are pictured outside The Lord’s House at 2038 Eagle Harbor Rd. The church acquired the former United Methodist building in Waterport at an auction in 2011.

The Lord’s House was cramped on East Bank Street in Albion. Eddie English felt God leading the congregation to a bigger building, a former United Methodist site in Waterport, a church building that had been vacant for 20 years.

English attended the county’s tax auction, when properties with several years of back taxes are put up for sale. It was May 2011, and The Lord’s House bought the building for $500, plus $2,500 in back taxes.

The building was in disrepair, in need of major repairs. English was called a fool by some in the community. Some church members also were skeptical about moving to a building out on the country that needed so much work.

English, with help from church members and some local residents, worked diligently to make the building ready for worship services. They painted, upgraded electric and plumbing, and put in a new bathroom, an outside ramp, a new pulpit and other improvements.

Eddie English stands in the sanctuary of The Lord’s House in this photo taken looking out from the pulpit with an open Bible.

Eddie and Rose English believe the efforts to redeem a building that was left to rot is a metaphor for how God can transform any life, including people scorned by society.

“When people come here they will feel love,” English said. “Here it is God led. We hope people will see what is going on and that we’re progressing.”

There are about 30 regulars for Sunday services, but English said that sometimes grows to 60 when farmworkers, including many Jamaicans, are in the area working at fruit and vegetable farms. The church plans to take the Jamaicans up on their offer to help with building repairs, play in the worship band and help as ushers. English uses a church van to pick up many of the farmworkers and some other church attendees.

English said there is a lot of work remaining. He wants to create a fellowship hall in the basement and also a room for people to do homework, or check the Internet.

The building could use more fresh paint to improve the looks.

“People see a lot of work has been done,” English said. “We’re bringing back something that was dead. It was an eyesore.”

Willie Graham, an elder at The Lord’s House, speaks from the pulpit this past Sunday.

English felt called to the ministry about a decade ago. He had a full-time job as a head cook at the Margaret House, a child care center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He had been a deacon for about 25 years at the Royal Church of God in Christ in Carlton, where his brothers-in-law, William Morrell Washington and Mark Washington, are leaders.

When they started the church, Mrs. English was working as a public relations executive for the RIT Inn and Conference Center. She now serves as administrator for The Lord’s House. The couple has been married for 38 years and has three grown children.

Their daughter Angela heads up the youth ministry, including a liturgical dance team that has performed in Tampa, Fla. at a conference for the Church of God in Christ denomination. The dancers regularly are part of the church service at The Lord’s House.

Olivia Peterson, 7, practices as part of the liturgical dance team following church on Sunday. Her grandfather is the church pastor.

English admits the church restoration hasn’t always been easy. He has sometimes doubted himself and the call to take on the project. When he feels low, he said God comes through. One time a stranger showed up and handed him $2,000 to help with a new furnace.

Other donations and help have arrived including a Henrietta church that gave The Lord’s House a pulpit, communion table, sliding doors and a refrigerator. English said the gifts, often unsolicited, strengthen his resolve and faith.

“I have learned so much as I have taken this journey,” he said Sunday. “Sometimes I didn’t know which way to turn and the burden became heavy. Every time I wanted to throw up my hands and quit, a still small voice told me, ‘I cleaned you up and now I want you to clean up this church.'”

Eddie English preaches on Sunday.

Some of the church members who were originally skeptical of the move to take on the Waterport church now praise English, and thank you for following that vision, and for being so committed.

“We had a small membership, and some people didn’t think we could do it,” English said. “People wanted to take a chance, but there was fear. By faith we’re trying to be a light in the community.

The church has Sunday School from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., followed by worship from 10:30 to about noon.

Eddie and Rose English are often at the church on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the evenings. They said they would welcome a chance to give residents a tour of the building on those days, or on a Sunday.

The church has a Facebook page (click here) with more information.

Albion’s Krenning named top ag teacher in NYS

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Adam Krenning, an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Albion, shows buds and blossoms on apple trees to elementary students last week at the FFA land lab. Krenning has led the FFA program for 16 years.

ALBION – It was 16 years ago when Adam Krenning was hired as Albion’s agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. The program then was in danger of being shut down because of limited student participation.

The program has thrived and grown under Krenning, tripling in size. It is considered one of the strongest in the state. in 2014, the New York Association of Agricultural Educators named Albion the state winner of the “Outstanding Middle School/Secondary School Program.”

Albion has twice hosted the state FFA convention in Krenning’s tenure, and several Albion students have served in state leadership roles, including Sara Millspaugh who was state FFA president this past year.

The program can add another honor: Ag Teacher of the Year in New York for Krenning. He will receive the award from the New York Association of Agricultural Educators on June 28 in Albany.

Krenning is being recognized for how the program has grown and excelled, as well as the strong ties to the local farm community. The local farmers give 30,000 pounds of produce after the harvest season to benefit Community Action and local food pantries, a collection organized by the Albion FFA.

The farmers also work with students to plant and harvest crops at the FFA Land Lab on school property along Clarendon Road.

“With Adam you can see his true commitment to students in the activities that he does,” said Erin McCaffrey, president of the NYA Agricultural Educators and FFA advisor and ag teacher for Stockbridge Valley Central School.

Krenning teaches classes on ag business, ag science, leadership, vet science and more. Many of the students complete supervised ag education projects, documenting cost of raising livestock or other farm products, and comparing that with revenue.

Krenning pushed to create the 5-acre Land Lab to make his classes “as hands-on as possible.” The Land Lab functions like “an experiential learning classroom” where Krenning said students measure the distance between apple trees and crops, and try different fertilizers to see which are most effective, among their many assignments.

Adam Krenning, Steve Nesbitt and Barry Flansburg

FFA Advisor Adam Krenning, left, and Albion apple grower Steve Nesbitt discuss apple tree planting strategy at the FFA Land Lab in this photo from 2014. Barry Flansburg is behind the steering wheel. Nesbitt donated many of the trees, an example of the local farm community’s support of the Albion agriculture program.

Krenning said the community support has allowed the Albion program to grow and thrive. He said students are committed to the program, and community service, whether it’s the annual food collection for Community Action, reading to elementary students in Ag Literacy Week, or hosting a Mini Farm where students can see farm animals brought in for a day at the ag shop.

McCaffrey said the number of farm families is declining in the state, yet the FFA is seeing a resurgence as many students, including those who don’t live on farms, join the FFA to gain leadership skills, learn about food production and try to connect with service projects.

Ag educators feel a little vulnerable, McCaffrey said, because the programs aren’t state mandated. The ag teachers have to continually work hard to prove their worth. Some schools without FFA and ag programs see the success in other school districts and are trying to start programs, McCaffrey said.

“Schools are trying to rejuvenate programs, but it’s hard to find teachers like Adam. That’s the biggest hurdle, finding teachers with passion.”

Krenning also is eligible to be considered for the national ag teacher award. A committee will pick six regional winners to compee for the national award.

Krenning, who grew up on a fruit farm and hog operation near Knowlesville, wants to add more to the Albion program, including a Field to Table initiative wherestudents would make meals from food they grow in the Land Lab. Krenning would like to see the students develop recipes that could be handed out during the annual food drive for Community Action.

NY will accept comments online on how to improve state’s business climate

Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Gov. Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that the temporary Business Regulation Council is accepting comments and recommendations online through May 26.

Recommendations can be submitted to brcnys@exec.ny.gov.

“We are committed to reducing the cost of doing business in New York State and this action builds upon the progress we’ve made,” Governor Cuomo said. “I look forward to receiving the recommendations and I thank the committee members for their work to help us build a stronger New York for all.”

Charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the state’s business climate, the council will make recommendations to the Governor, Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker by June 3 on ways to decrease the cost of doing business in New York State without compromising protections for workers.

Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan said, “The Business Regulation Council is critical to our overall efforts to reduce barriers and make it easier for businesses to create new jobs, invest and grow in New York. I am pleased that the Business Regulation Council has begun its important work and look forward to receiving their recommendations on June 3.”

Since its formation last month, the seven-member Council has met weekly to discuss a range of issues, including unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, temporary disability insurance, energy and taxes, among other costs to businesses. The Council has solicited input over the past several weeks from business associations and labor groups and is reaching out to businesses and all stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “The Assembly has always been committed to passing legislation that offers hardworking New Yorkers comprehensive benefits that are also good for businesses. The inclusion of Paid Family Leave and a higher minimum wage in this year’s budget reflect that commitment. We look forward to hearing the recommendations and finding more ways to ensure a brighter economic future for New York.”

The Business Regulation Council members are:

Governor Cuomo’s appointees: Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO; Ted Potrikus, President and CEO of the Retail Council of New York State; Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

Senate Majority Leader Flanagan’s appointees: Heather Briccetti, President and CEO, The Business Council of New York State, Inc.; Dean Norton, President, New York Farm Bureau.

Assembly Speaker Heastie’s appointees: Gary LaBarbera, President, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York; Robert Grey, Chair, New York Workers’ Compensation Alliance.

The Council will review each online submission.

Hawley says 90-day residency requirement needed for welfare applicants

Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today bashed downstate members of the Assembly’s Social Services Committee for blocking legislation to curb the bloating and rampant abuse of New York’s welfare programs.

The bill, A.3960 (click here), authored by Hawley, would place a 90 day residency requirement on individuals applying for social services benefits in the state.

“New York is quickly becoming the nationwide safe haven for those looking to live off of our state’s taxpayers,” Hawley said. “Nearly a third of our state’s budget, over $50 billion, is spent on Medicaid alone, and we spent more on Medicaid in 2014 than Texas and Florida combined.

“It is for these reasons that people are moving into our state and immediately applying for social services, which places an added burden on taxpayers and perpetuates rampant abuse that people are sick and tired of. By enacting a 90-day residency requirement, we can assure individuals are moving here permanently, will pay taxes for an extended period of time, and contribute to society instead of taking free handouts from the government.”

Seminar on end-of-life issues packs Hoag Library

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Sandy Church, an Albion attorney, discusses advanced directives during an end-of-life seminar Tuesday evening at Hoag Library’s main meeting room.

The Albion Rotary Club organized the seminar, which attracted about 75 people to the library. Several speakers discussed issues to help senior citizens and caregivers better prepare for the end of life. In addition to the speakers, there was a vendor fair with about 15 different businesses and agencies.

Susie Miller, assistant director for the Office for the Aging in Orleans County, discusses some of the services at the agency, including assistance for younger people.

Miller said many members of the Baby Boomer generation are now taking care of their elderly parents.

Earl Schmidt, director of the Veterans Service Agency, is pictured with the agency’s new display for public outreach events. Schmidt was among the vendors at Tuesday’s seminar.

John Zonitch, an attorney with Oak Orchard Legal Services, discusses how Medicare and Medicaid can pay for nursing home care. Zonitch said a single person can still have $14,850 in savings and be eligible for Medicaid, and married people can have at least $74,820 and still be eligible for Medicaid. Those funds allow for “rainy day” expenses, such as roof repairs, new furnaces, and other costs.

However, Zonitch said people can’t give their money away to family and charities soon before seeking Medicaid assistance if they are near the Medicaid eligibility thresholds.

“It does get complex,” he said about the rules.

Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, said families with an unattended death can always call 911, a funeral director or a coroner for help.

Police will be at hospital today for dangerous person drill

Staff Reports Posted 18 May 2016 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The community shouldn’t be alarmed if they see a large presence of police at Medina Memorial Hospital today.

Orleans Community Health, parent organization of the hospital, is holding a “Dangerous Person” drill at Medina Memorial, preparing staff and law enforcement in case a gunman or somebody else threatens the site.

Medina residents and hospital visitors should expect a large police presence at the hospital today from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The hospital’s leadership staff also will be in a four-hour training on Tuesday with a certified instructor to prepare and respond to dangerous situations.

Hospital officials have been preparing for the drill for several months.

Wendy Jacobson, CEO and president of Orleans Community Health, said there has been an increase in “drug-seeking behavior” at hospitals, in general, with people showing up demanding prescription narcotics.

Medina Memorial and the Urgent Care site in Albion have both bolstered security. Medina Memorial wants staff and law enforcement to be prepared in case a dangerous person is on site.

A dangerous person could be someone seeking prescription narcotics, or perhaps a partner of a staff or patient with a restraining order.

The hospital in the past has been the site for large drills for hazardous materials and mass casualties, but never for a “dangerous person.”

Medina woman seriously injured in accident late last night

Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo from NY State Police – This 2006 Chevrolet Impala was split in two after hitting a tree on Platten Road last night at about 11:30 p.m.

Press Release, NY State Police

YATES – Troopers are investigating a one-car accident which occurred just before midnight on Platten Road in the Town of Yates.

Melanie Cantabrana, 23, of Medina was operating a 2006 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on Platten Road at a high rate of speed when she drove off the roadway and struck a large tree. The force of the impact split the vehicle in two ripping the motor and transmission from the vehicle.

Cantabrana was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with multiple fractures and internal injuries. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the accident. This accident is still under investigation.

School budgets pass by big margins

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am

The school budgets and propositions at all five school districts in Orleans County passed by big margins today.Medina and Lyndonville presented budgets that reduced taxes, while Albion and Kendall didn’t raise taxes. Holley will increase taxes by 1.99 percent.

In Albion, the results include:
School budget passed, 444-94;
Authorization to spend up to $460,000 for buses, 452-86;
Approval to collect $687,211 for Hoag Library, 385-153.
Choosing one of four candidates for a five-year term on the Board of Education. Steven LaLonde was elected with 310 votes. Other candidates included Dylan Hellems, 31 votes; Kevin Doherty, 114; and Anitrice Riley, 93.

In Holley, the results include:
School budget passed, 373-207;
Authorization for the purchase of schools buses, 368-213;
Approval to collect $116,061 for Community Free Library, 418-166.
Choosing two 3-year term seats on the School Board. Brenda Swanger, 423 votes, and John Heise, 370, were elected. Christine Klafehn received 266 votes.

In Kendall, the results include:
School budget passed, 282-90;
School Bus Replacement Capital Reserve Fund passed, 294-80;
Voters elected Charles Patt, 218 votes, to another five-year term on the Board of Education. He outpolled Debi Szczepanski, 163 votes.

In Lyndonvile, the budget passed with more than 90 percent approval, 132-11.
Other propositions all passed including:
$91,589 for Yates Community Library, 121-22;
Establish 2016 Transportation Reserve Fund to fund bus and vehicle purchases, not to exceed $720,000 over 8 years, 125-15;
Authorization to purchase one 66-passenger school bus at a maximum estimated cost of $110,000, 124-16;
Three incumbents on the Board of Education – Harold Suhr, Terry Stinson and Rick Mufford – all were re-elected to three-year terms. Mufford received 123 votes, with 118 for Stinson and 116 for Suhr.

In Medina, the budget passed 522-59.
Six people ran for three three-year terms on the Board of Education. Incumbent Board President Wendi Pencille was the top vote-getter with 425, followed by Lori Draper with 384 and Brenda Lindsay with 369. Those three were elected. Other candidates include Timothy Dunham, 181; Virginia Nicholson, 165; and retired Medina school administrator Alberta Suozzi, 160.

Trac-Fab wheelchair will allow more injured vets to go hunting at Warrior House

Posted 17 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Thom Jennings – Pictured with the Trac-Fab wheelchair, includes, from left: Joe Pionessa, Peter Zeliff Jr., Ed Spence and Jim Tignanelli.

By Thom Jennings, Correspondent

SHELBY – The Warrior House of WNY has access to a new vehicle that will allow them to serve more injured soldiers thanks to a phone call and five anonymous donors.

Last week Jim Tignanelli, president of the Police Officers Association of Michigan, presented a specially modified wheelchair to former US Marine Corporal Ed Spence of Operation Injured Soldier, Peter Zeliff Jr. of The Warrior House of WNY and Joe Pionessa of Christian Bow Hunters.

The Trac-Fab wheelchair is designed to assist persons with disabilities so they can participate in hunting and fishing. The $15,000 price tag makes it prohibitive for many individuals and organizations but when Spence gave Trac-Fab’s Ed Humpert a call, he reached out to Tignanelli who found five anonymous donors, all of whom are military vets themselves, to pay for the chair that is now in Orleans County.

“It’s going to continue, we will keep looking for the next place to give one away,” Tignanelli said. “Last week I saw this 17-year-old kid at McDonald’s when we were on the way to deliver one of the chairs and he told me it restored his faith in humanity. Hearing that from a 17 year-old restored my faith in humanity.”

Tignanelli noted he is “a car guy that can take a transmission apart” but does not hunt. “It’s guys like you that drive us to do this, we love the things you are doing here with The Warrior House. It is very gratifying, we would not have a place to bring these things without guys like you.”

Zeliff owns the property on Salt Works Road that has become The Warrior House. He makes the property available for veterans, many with injuries, to go hunting. Zeliff has assembled a team of volunteers to provide the veterans with food, and also to serve as guides while they pursue geese, pheasants and deer.

The Trac-Fab wheelchair saw its first action this past weekend as The Warrior House hosted a turkey hunt. Spence said he plans to make use of the chair as often as possible and it will soon be a familiar site at The Warrior House of WNY’s weekend hunts.

“This will give us an opportunity to reach more veterans and expand our program,” Zeliff said. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes that make this possible, especially all our wives.”

For more information on The Warrior House of WNY email Zeliff at nyfarmer@me.com.