By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Apex Clean Energy will have open house in Yates on Dec. 9
Apex Clean Energy – A 200-megawatt wind farm is eyed for the towns of Yates and Somerset along the Lake Ontario shoreline.
YATES – A company is eyeing the lakeshore towns of Yates in Orleans County and Somerset in Niagara for a 200-megawatt wind farm called “Lighthouse Wind.”
Apex Clean Energy hasn’t made an official proposal for the project yet, but it is connecting with landowners and local officials in the communities. The company had an open house last month at the Barker Fire Hall and will be available for another open house from 3 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the Yates Town Hall.
The company is considering 60 to 75 of the wind turbines that tower about 500 feet. The Orleans Economic Development Agency discussed the project this morning at its monthly board meeting.
The EDA would like to be a part of the project to ensure revenue from the wind farm is directed to Yates, the county and the Lyndonville school district. Jim Whipple, the EDA executive director, said the potential revenue for the community has Yates town officials “excited.”
The electricity from the wind turbines would be tied into the grid near the Somerset power plant, Whipple said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Walter Zelazny & Sons farm in Medina was out harvesting corn late this afternoon in this field at the corner of Route 63 and Fletcher Chapel Road.
The U.S. is forecasting a record high corn crop this year at 14.4 billion bushels. The cold snap pushed up the price slightly to $3.86 a bushel.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – Local officials are planning an 11:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting on Monday for the Waterport bridge, which reopened on Oct. 22 after about five months of construction work.
The bridge is 700 feet across. It’s the longest county-owned bridge. It stretches across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard River.
Keeler Construction in Barre served as the contractor for the $1.5 million project.
Another county bridge that has been under construction reopened earlier this week. The bridge on Hulberton Road near Route 104 is brand new, a $1.3 million project over Sandy Creek in the Town of Murray.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Albion and Medina kids compete in Louisville
In May, Jack Hill won the state FFA competition for delivering the junior creed speech. Hill was an eighth grader when he delivered the 2 ½ minute speech at the State Convention, which was hosted by Medina.
Jack Hill
His success earned him a trip to the National Convention in Louisville, Ky. Hill earned a bronze award, competing against the state champs from around the country.
He needed to memorize the creed and be ready to answer questions from the judges.
Jack was the first Medina student to compete at nationals “in a very long time,” said Todd Eick, the Medina FFA advisor.
Eick and four other students joined Hill at the convention, which they compared to a massive pep rally for agriculture. About 60,000 students were in Louisville from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 for the event.
“You can’t begin to describe the energy of 64,000 kids wearing blue jackets and cheering for agriculture,” Eick said. “It’s definitely been a motivation for the kids that went and have gotten back. They have a different drive.”
Albion sent 10 students and two advisors to the National Convention. Jayne Bannister competed in the extemporaneous speaking competition and finished in the top 20, good for a bronze award.
Jayne Bannister
Jayne, an Albion senior, spoke about the role the United States can play in food production and food security in the future. She sees American farmers sharing good agriculture practices with other countries, including in Africa, to help boost yields and preserve farmland.
She said a growing world population, with a shrinking land mass for food, poses a great challenge to farmers. She thinks the agricultural industry will meet the needs in the future.
“We have to be more efficient and smarter in providing food for the world,” she said.
Jayne has been accepted to Kansas State University, where she plans to double major in animal science and agriculture education. Her family runs a beef and fruit farm in Point Breeze.
Jayne felt drawn to Kansas, the second leading state for beef.
“There are cows everywhere,” she said about the landscape at K State. “It felt like home away from home.”
Another Albion FFA member was recognized at the National Convention. Paige Levandowski is a junior at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, studying agriculture education. She wants to be an ag teacher, and would welcome the chance to return to Orleans County to help with an FFA program.
Paige Levandowski
She earned her American Degree through FFA. It was a continuation of her Empire Degree with a focus in equine science and management. Levandowski tracked expenses and revenues for buying and selling horses.
She buys horses and resells them after riding them and taking them to horse shows. She buys horses when they are “green” with not much training.
Levandowski was state vice president of FFA two years ago when she was a freshman at SUNY Morrisville. She was determined to complete the American Degree.
“It’s the highest ranking for a member,” she said. “It’s really good closure for my FFA career.”
The Albion chapter also was recognized at the National Convention with a silver award. It won a bronze award the previous year.
The chapter has 80 members. It was recognized for its community outreach efforts, including a holiday food drive that nets about 20,000 pounds of produce for Community Action. The FFA chapter also puts on a fall festival for the elementary school, welcoming students to paint pumpkins and do other crafts.
“The kids do a great job reaching out to the community,” said Adam Krenning, FFA advisor and ag teacher.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Julie Berry praises upbringing and education in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers
It’s been a busy day for Julie Berry in her return to Orleans County. She led writing workshops and assemblies at Medina Central School earlier in the day, before heading to Albion for a book talk and signing at 3 p.m. at the Hoag Library.
She was back in Medina at 6:30 for another book event at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
Berry, a 1991 Medina graduate, is pictured in her event at the Hoag Library. She is promoting her eighth book, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. That book follows the 2013 Viking release of her highly acclaimed YA novel, All the Truth That’s In Me.
“Loving stories is part of being human,” Berry told a Hoag crowd of about 25 people. “One of the things that distinguishes us from animals is we are a storytelling species.”
Berry shared some of her secrets to a good story: suffering and an underdog.
She develops characters who overcome struggles and challenges. She gives them friends and they are often outnumbered.
“Make them the underdog and pile on the enemies,” she said.
Berry reads from her latest novel, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place.
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place from Roaring Brook Press is a farcical Victorian murder mystery for ages 10 to 14. It tells the story of seven proper schoolgirls in a Victorian finishing school, who bury their dead headmistress in the back yard after she is mysteriously poisoned at Sunday dinner. To avoid being sent home, they carry on as if nothing is amiss. Deception, danger and mayhem abound in this rollicking middle-grade romp.
Berry said she was at a lecture when she heard the phrase “a regiment of maidens.” She thinks people think of maidens as being innocent. In her novel, they try to solve a murder.
“What’s important is coming up with stories that keep people moving the pages,” she said.
Berry said she is grateful for her upbringing on a farm in Medina and for her education by dedicated teachers.
“I had a phenomenal education in Medina,” she said. “I had teachers who cared. I had programs and resources available to me.”
Julie Berry said she enjoys coming back to Orleans County, calling it “a magical place.”
Berry lived in the Boston area for about a decade before moving to the Los Angeles area with her husband and four sons. She welcomes the chance to come to her hometown.
“Orleans County is a magical place for me because of all of my memories of the countryside,” she said.
She told the Albion group, which included many teen-agers, she has been fortunate to have a husband who encouraged her to pursue writing, even when there were “a lot of failures and disappointments.”
“I hope for each of you there is someplace where there are people who believe in you,” she said. “My husband believed in me and cared about me. I’m so grateful I listened to my family and husband.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Two teens – Albion High School senior Carol Pritchard, left, and GCC student Alise Pangrazio – try to buy Lottery tickets from Fischer’s News Stand in a video produced by GCASA.
ALBION – An organization is urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of gambling, warning the kids to not buy lottery tickets and bet money on games.
The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse has produced a 3-minute commercial, warning about gambling addiction. The commercial (Click here to see it) targets teen gambling. GCASA says a survey of students in grades 6 through 12 revealed that about 30 percent gamble through either the lottery or betting on sports.
In the commercial, GCASA states that gambling has become an accepted pastime. The agency urges parents to talk to their children about the dangers of gambling before a serious problem develops.
GCASA has received funding from the New York Council on Problem Gambling for 2014 to increase the number of parents who are committed to talking to their children about the dangers associated with underage gambling, said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
“As with many challenging issues for youth, it is important for parents to talk about gambling,” Crowley said. “It is important for parents to examine their own attitudes and habits around gambling and make sure you are modeling healthy behaviors.”
For more information regarding problem gambling contact GCASA at 585-589-0055 in Albion or 585-343-1124 in Batavia or you can reach the NYS HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY.
KNOWLESVILLE – These ladies were members of a class in the Presbyterian Church at Knowlesville. The picture was taken in 1905, and it shows their teacher, Mrs. John Preston, in the front row center.
First row, left to right: Mrs. Arthur Gillett, Mrs. Preston, and Mrs. Charles Sayers.
Second row: Mrs. Avery Andrews, Mrs. Dora Tanner, Mrs. Roscoe Ostrander, Mrs. Eugene Woodford, and Mrs. George Stanley.
Third row: Mrs. John Whitwell, Mrs. Fred Armstrong, Miss Grace Remelee, Mrs. Fred Anderson, Mrs. Frank Howlett, and Miss Mittie Tanner.
Top row: Mrs. George Prudon, Miss Jean Cameron, Mrs. Harry Frost, and Mrs. George Pettingill.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Pete Dragan worked the fields locally for 75 years
Photo by Tom Rivers – This sign was erected last week on Route 98, just south of the village of Albion. It is in honor of Pete Dragan, who owned Dragan Farm for more than 75 years. Dragan died at age 96 on Aug. 7, 2012.
ALBION – Pete Dragan used to joke with his employees that they were attending Dragan College, learning to fix machinery, plant and harvest crops, and get along with other people.
Dragan was a prominent local farmer for about 75 years. He grew soybeans and corn. He died at age 96 on Aug. 7, 2012.
His employees haven’t forgotten Dragan. They put up a sign last week that says, “Dragan College.” The sign is along Route 98, just south of the Village of Albion.
“Pete was a well-known man for starting new things,” said long-time employee Danny Wright.
If a Dragan employee or former worker needed a reference for a job, Dragan told them to put on their application that they went to Dragan College. It was a tongue-in-cheek expression that he repeated often.
Dragan’s daughter Diana Dragan Reed and the farm’s employees decided they wanted to honor Pete with a sign. Dennis Button made the sign and Jim Babcock made the supports. The sign went up last week, and it has lots of people talking about Dragan, who was once a frequent sight in the community with his white farm cars.
“I’m so thrilled that it’s been executed,” Dragan Reed said about the sign. “I thought it would be a great tribute to him.”
She lives in central Florida and has been helping with some of the farm administration. Dragan Farm is in the process of being acquired by two long-time Dragan employees, Steven Swiercznski and his cousin Tod Swiercznski. The sign is great tribute to her father, but she knows he would be most pleased the farm will continue and will keep the Dragan name.
“My father had farming in his blood,” Dragan Reed said. “He wanted to carry on the farm for his employees.”
Dragan Farm works nearly 2,000 acres of wheat and soybeans. It put up a new drying bin this year.
Dragan was active with the farm even at age 96, communicating with employees from his cell phone while he was in the hospital, his daughter said.
“He was talking until the very end, wanting to know what was going on with the farm,” she said. “His mind was very clear.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – For 112 years, this building at the corner of Main and State streets was home to Swan Library. It was vacated in June 2012 when the library moved to the new Hoag Library. It could be sold by the end of the year.
ALBION – A local businessman has submitted an offer to buy the former Swan Library on Main Street. The building has been vacant since June 2012, when Albion’s public library moved to the new Hoag Library.
The Swan Library Association owns the building and has been looking for a new owner. The library has been spending $25,000 to $28,000 annually for maintenance, insurance and other costs for the former library, which was originally a mansion constructed in 1851.
It was donated by the Swan family as a public library, which opened in 1900. The site became too cramped for a modern library and patrons complained there were only a few parking spaces. It is air-conditioned and has an elevator.
Library President Kevin Doherty didn’t disclose who made the offer and what the intended use is for the building. He said the library will be working with Holley attorney Doug Heath on the real estate transaction. Doherty said a local businessman made a cash offer.
“Folks we’re not going to get $500,000 for the building over there,” Doherty said at tonight’s library trustee meeting.
The deal was facilitated by Grace Kent and Linda Smith, Doherty said.
The library will reach out to County Historian Bill Lattin for advice about preserving artifacts inside the building, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
The former library was eyed as a local history museum, but that project didn’t come to fruition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Ashton Lang is a new full-time firefighter for the Medina Fire Department, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Jerry Lewis.
Lang has been working as a temporary firefighter for Medina FD. He also is a volunteer for the Lyndonville Fire Department. He is pictured in the photo at Lyndonville as part of a fire prevention program at the school on Oct. 7.
The Fire Department is now back up to 13 full-time firefighters following the Village Board’s appointment on Monday. The Fire Department now has two vacancies in temporary positions that Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich would like to fill.
