By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2014 at 12:00 am
No independent candidates step forward; London unopposed
ALBION – Dean London, Albion’s retired police chief, will be unopposed on March 18 in the election for village mayor.
London has been endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic parties. No independent candidates stepped forward by the deadline Feb. 11 to run for mayor or village trustee.
London, a Republican, worked for the Albion Police Department for 20 years before retiring in April 2011. He currently works for Baxter Healthcare in Medina in the service department.
While London is unopposed for mayor, three trustee positions have both Republican and Democratic candidates.
Republicans have backed incumbent Eileen Banker and Stan Farone for four-year terms. The party also endorsed Gary Katsanis for a two-year term.
Democrats endorsed Terry Wilbert and Patricia Cammarata for four-year terms. Cammarata wasn’t at the Democratic caucus on Jan. 28, but she has accepted the party’s nomination to run.
Democrats also endorsed Sandra Walter to run for the two-year term that fills the vacated seat by Fred Miller. He resigned in December so he could become a county legislator.
The village election will be noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall, 35-37 East Bank St.
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department
Isn’t it fun watching children laughing and smiling? When anyone smiles or laughs in fun it usually lifts the spirit of those who can hear and see the person doing the laughing and smiling.
When someone is having problems with their teeth they don’t feel much like smiling or are embarrassed by the way their teeth or lack of teeth look.
How can you have a better smile? It really starts before you are born by making sure women who are pregnant eat fruits, vegetables and other foods rich in Vitamin D and calcium. Making sure you have good dental care practices before and during pregnancy go a long way in helping your child have strong teeth as they get older.
Taking care of a newborn’s mouth even before teeth are formed can set the stage for continued dental health care. Wiping a baby’s mouth with soft gauze or a clean wash cloth can prevent build up of acid in the mouth from the baby’s food and drink.
Never put a baby down for a nap or to bed with a bottle. Juice, formula and/or breast milk or sugar sweetened drinks causes baby bottle decay which can cause painful dental and tummy problems for the baby.
If your baby must have something to drink give baby a bottle of plain water. As soon as the first tooth appears start using a soft baby toothbrush (talk with your doctor or dentist about whether or not to use toothpaste). Introduce your baby to the dentist between 6 and 12 months of age.
Baby teeth are just as important as permanent teeth. As children get older it may seem a challenge to make sure they keep up with brushing their teeth properly. They may need to see you model good dental health.
Make sure you brush your teeth with your own soft toothbrush (no sharing here!) at least twice a day for about 2 minutes (longer if you have braces or other dental work) and flossing at least once a day. Make sure your whole family visits your dentist twice a year for cleanings and fluoride treatments for strong teeth and to catch any cavities before they get worse.
Consider dental sealants. Dental sealants are different from fillings. Fillings are used to fill in the space from a cavity where the plaque bacteria (the sticky film on your teeth) changes sugar and starch from food and drinks into harmful acids that attack tooth enamel.
Repeated attacks of this acid cause the enamel to break down causing a cavity, which in turn can lead to infections. Proper brushing and flossing helps to remove the acid from your teeth, however teeth that have grooves or deep pits, such as the molars (back teeth) may hold on to the plaque. This is where dental sealants come in to protect the back teeth from decay.
Sealants are easy to apply and only take a few minutes to seal each tooth. A special thin, plastic coating is painted on each tooth after it is cleaned and prepared for the sealant. As long as the sealant remains intact, usually about five years or more, the tooth surface will be protected from decay. Make sure you and your child continue proper brushing, flossing and rinsing as well as visiting your dentist regularly to keep the sealants working to prevent tooth decay.
It is important to protect your teeth no matter how old you are. Having an unhealthy mouth can affect your overall body’s health. Poor oral health, tooth loss and gum disease, can be connected to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and strokes.
Eating healthful foods that have calcium and vitamin D help teeth grow properly. Limit sticky, sweet snacks that encourage the bacterial plaque to make acid attacks on tooth enamel. Talk with your doctor or dentist about fluoride supplements to help build strong enamel.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Small cities get far more in aid per capita
State Sen. George Maziarz calls the disparity in state aid to villages and small cities “unbelievably unfair.” Maziarz has seen the Jan. 27 article in the Orleans Hub that details the vast difference in funding from the state for small cities versus villages that provide similar services. (Click here to see the original article.)
For example, Salamanca in Cattaraugus County gets $928,131 in state aid for a city of 5,815 people. That’s $159.61 per person.
But the village of Albion, population 6,056, gets only $38,811 or $6.41 a person. Medina and its 6,065 residents receive $45,523 in state aid or $7.51 per person.
Maziarz and staff from the State Senate are researching how the state came up with a formula for distributing the funding to cities, towns and villages. The formula for Aid and Incentives to Muncipalities or AIM goes back before Maziarz joined the Senate in 1995.
“We’re certainly going to take a look at it,” he said.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley also has Assembly staff looking at the formula, trying to determine the state’s rationale for distributing the aid, said Eileen Banker, Hawley’s chief of staff.
Village of Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos said villages should be receiving significantly more in state funding. Many villages like Albion operate much like cities with police departments, water and sewer plants, and many other services. The villages also are challenged with aging infrastructure that is costly to maintain.
Theodorakos has reached out to the New York Conference of Mayors, an association of villages and cities. He wants the group to advocate for a change in the state aid distribution so villages receive more dollars.
The tiny state aid dollars is a prime factor for the villages’ high tax rates. Albion’s village rate is $16.86 per $1,000 of assessed property while Medina property owners pay a $16.45 rate. If those villages received $160 per person like they do in Salamanca, Albion and Medina would each receive nearly $1 million in state aid. That would be enough to cut the village taxes by about 40 percent.
The City of Batavia in Genesee County receives $1,750,975 in state aid for its 15,465 residents or $113.22 per person. City taxpayers pay a $9.29 rate per $1,000, far less than in the Orleans villages.
Village taxpayers have the added pain of paying town taxes. City residents don’t pay taxes to towns as well. That additional $3 or $4 rate means village residents in Albion and Medina are paying about $20 combined in village and town taxes, about twice the rate in the city of Batavia.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the high rates in the villages are driving out residents, businesses and investment. Medina officials are looking at dissolving the village to reduce taxes and the disparity in tax burden between village and the surrounding area outside the village boundaries.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub photographer Cheryl Wertman took this photo of the pine trees at Lyndonville High School on Sunday. The trees are a natural block between the Varsity Soccer field and Varsity Baseball diamond.
It may not feel like it today, but a thaw is coming. It was 0 degrees out early this morning, but the temperature is on the rise. It should get up to 22 degrees today.
It will break freezing on Wednesday with a high of 39 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That will be followed by a high of 47 on Thursday and 44 on Friday.
The NWS warns those temperatures could lead to flooding later in the week. The Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather warning for Orleans and the following counties: Niagara, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis, Erie and Genesee.
Wertman also took this picture of the cannons at Boxwood Cemetery in Medina. They are by the road on Route 63.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The stretch of bitterly cold weather in recent weeks, with some slight warm-ups, has produced a bumper crop of icicles. I’ve been on the lookout for some of these fine formations. Some of them I didn’t dare get too close, not wanting to get impaled.
I’ve admired the nice row of icicles on the Center for Worforce Development building on Route 31 in Albion, right next to the GCC campus. I stopped by around 5 p.m. today when the place was desolate without the hustle and bustle of college students and job hunters.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A staffing agency that worked with CRFS the past 18 months to meet the company’s exponential growth on Saturday told 50 to 60 workers in Albion their services were no longer needed.
Areotek was called “an important partner” for CRFS by Cecelia Raine, CRFS president and chief strategist.
She said CRFS and Aerotek expect to keep working together in the future.
A few of the workers let go sent messages to Orleans Hub saying that 50 to 60 people were let go on Saturday. They were told the reasons were “low sales volume.”
CRFS and Aerotek issued this joint statement today:
“Last week, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC and Aerotek came to a private agreement regarding staffing requirements that Aerotek was assisting with for the past 18 months. CRFS remains a growing and vital organization, and is committed to the Orleans county and San Antonio communities. CRFS appreciates Aerotek fulfilling their contract and we look forward to our continued partnership.”
CRFS has about 600 workers in Orleans County, with most of them at the former JP Morgan Chase site on Route 31 in Albion. The company also has about 80 workers in San Antonio.
The workers let go on Saturday are employed by Aerotek. CRFS officials declined to comment beyond the statement.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Couple dies a day apart after 60 years of marriage
Provided photos – Floreen and Edward Hale of Batavia were inseparable for 60 years. They are pictured about five years ago on one of their many social outings.
They met at a dance in the Knowlesville Hotel. For 60 years of marriage, Ed and Floreen Hale were inseparable. They were well-known in Batavia for frequenting many diners and restaurants.
Mrs. Hale, an Albion native, often wore colorful foo foos in her hair. She loved to dress up. She had a spark in her personality and she made people laugh with her sense of humor.
Mr. Hale, who worked as an engineer in Batavia, loved to dote on his wife, always bringing her a treat or present when he went to the grocery store. They took daily drives around Batavia. He was proud of the city and the residential and commercial development he helped to shape.
Mrs. Hale died on Feb. 7. Her husband died the following day. They were together, in the same room, at United Memorial Medical Center surrounded by family.
“He was a gentleman right up to the end, waiting for her to go first,” said the couple’s daughter Renee Hirsch.
Determined love
Floreen grew up in Albion on East Park Street. She married when she was 19. She and her first husband were driving in Fredonia, on their way back to Batavia from Biloxi, Miss., when they were in a serious car accident two days before Christmas.
Floreen’s husband died in that accident, just three months after they married. He was a serviceman stationed down South. Floreen was seriously injured in the crash. She wasn’t able to leave her family’s home in Albion for six months while she recovered from her injuries.
When she and Ed started dating, Floreen’s mother Sarah Papponetti was adamant Mr. Hale should not marry her daughter. She was too sick and would be too much of a burden. But Mr. Hale wouldn’t accept that answer.
His response to her has become part of Hale family lore: “I don’t care if I have to carry her in my arms everyday,” Hale responded. Mrs. Papponetti gave her blessing to the marriage.
Floreen and Edward Hale married in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion on May 12, 1953.
The Hales had two children – Renee Hirsch of San Diego and Ricky Hale of East Bethany. The couple lived in Batavia, in a house on Belvedere Lane designed by Mr. Hale. He was happy to see a community where small-town merchants and the big box stores could co-exist. When he retired from Batavia, he continued to work as an engineering consultant for Le Roy.
But his great joy was pampering his wife, his daughter Renee said. He did most of the grocery shopping, and he brought her home a flower, a cookie, or some other present or treat – every time he went to the store. When she worked as a telephone operator at the former St. Jerome Hospital in Batavia, Mr. Hale would bring her dinner and often coffee and baked goods for her co-workers.
He would warm up the car around 10:30 p.m., brush it off in the winter, and have it ready for her in the parking lot when her shift ended at 11. In the family he was known as “Saint Edward.”
He never acted like it was a burden, all the attention and care he showered on his wife, said Floreen’s sister Marlene DeCarlo of Albion. Floreen’s brother Harry Papponetti also lives in Albion.
Some of Floreen’s family and friends would tease her. They would say,”What are you ever going to do without your husband?” Mrs. Hale said he wasn’t allowed to go before her. She meant it.
“She’s been saying for years if anything happens to him, I’m going too,” said her sister Marlene DeCarlo. “She had a great sense of humor about it. She admitted to being pampered.”
Battling illness
Mr. Hale was high energy and active, all of his life. He slowed down a little about 5 ½ years ago when he needed dialysis treatments three days a week for five hours each session. Hale despised the treatments, but he soldiered on.
Doctors predicted he would live two to five years, tops, once he started the treatments, his daughter said.
Mr. Hale endured heart attacks and diabetes, in addition to his failed kidneys. He still doted on his wife, taking her for car rides and for dinner almost every day.
“His heart was so strong and so was his will to survive,” daughter Renee said. “He kept dodging illnesses because she didn’t want him to leave her.”
Mr. Hale was at Unity Hospital in Rochester when his wife became seriously ill on Feb. 4.
Mrs. Hale has battled chronic illnesses – asthma, bronchitis and other ailments – for many years. She endured open-heart surgery and took many medications to keep her body going.
She would dress up for her doctor appointments, with shoes and a hair decoration to match her outfits. Her husband was almost always with her when she went to the doctor.
She was admitted to UMMC in Batavia on Feb. 4 for what her family thought was dehydration and anemia, nothing too serious. But her body started to give out, her lungs filled with fluid and she was in a life-threatening situation.
The family was in a crisis. Floreen was dying in Batavia while her husband could die at any moment in a Rochester hospital.
“We didn’t know whose bedside we should go to,” Renee said.
“It was quite a blow to family,” Marlene said. “We were handed two death sentences.”
A husband insists on seeing his wife
Provided photo – Ed Hale and his wife Floreen comfort each other after being reunited at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia on Feb. 6.
Mr. Hale seemed incoherent at Unity, his daughter said. He mumbled and faded in and out of consciousness. Death seemed imminent.
But in the middle of the night on Feb. 6, he woke up and spoke to his daughter in a clear and controlled manner. “I need to see Floreen.”
He didn’t know she was clinging to life in Batavia. Mr. Hale, at 4 in the morning, insisted on joining her. But his family didn’t see how that could happen. He would need to be taken by ambulance, and might not be stable enough for the trip.
Unity would have to release him and he would need to be admitted at UMMC. And what were the chances of being in the same room with his wife?
Renee at 4:30 in the morning called the hospice in Monroe County and relayed the situation. A supervisor there called the hospice in Genesee County.
A hospital social worker reached out to Monroe Ambulance and then tried to reach an agreement between the two hospitals for Mr. Hale to be admitted to Batavia. That could only happen if he could show more strength to make the trip.
Mr. Hale that morning rebounded in health. He became alert and his vital signs showed significant improvement.
“In his dying hours there was a will that he had to see my mom,” Renee said.
He was cleared for the ride to Batavia. He arrived at about 1 p.m. on Feb. 6.
“I want to see my wife,” he declared at UMMC.
The Batavia hospital and the hospice in Genesee County had a room for Mr. and Mrs. Hale. Their hospital beds were pushed next to each other and the couple held hands.
About 20 to 30 family and friends were able to visit with them. They smiled as family recounted some of their adventures together.
Mrs. Hale died the following day at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 7. Her husband died on Feb. 8.
Mrs. Hale loved the color red. She had red wallpaper in her home, red floors, red appliances and many red outfits. She happened to die on National Wear Red Day. That is part of public awareness push by the American Heart Association.
The couple had a joint funeral this past Thursday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Batavia. The Rev. Richard Csizmar, the priest from Albion, led the service. He noted it was the day before Valentine’s Day. The Hales personified love for each other, giving a powerful example for the community, Csizmar said.
Doctors and nurses attended the calling hours and service. So did many of the waitresses and restaurant owners in Batavia.
“People have told us it’s a beautiful story, a real testament of love,” said Marlene’s daughter Lisa Giattino of Albion. “We’re so thankful they were able to be together at the end. People moved mountains to make it happen. It was nothing short of divine intervention.”
(Editor’s note: Before there was an Orleans County Legislature, the county government was run by the Board of Supervisors. That changed in 1980, when the seven-member Legislature started. With the Board of Supervisors, the town supervisor from each of the 10 towns also served on the county board.)
The Orleans County Board of Supervisors posed for this picture in 1897. Seated, from left: Charles Bridgeman of Kendall; Cassius Hard of Carlton; William Luttenton of Barre; Harvey Jones of Shelby; Dennis Evarts of Clarendon; and Ray Cole, messenger, sitting in front.
Standing left to right: Adelbert Chapman of Gaines; Mahlon Reed of Ridgeway; Fred M. Thompson, clerk; George Rolfe of Yates, William Phipps of Albion and N.L. Cole of Murray.
William Phipps of Albion was elected to the State Assembly and served in 1901-1902.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Lucy Sackett of Batavia and her husband Scott are among the 12 vendors in the Uptown Browsery that opened today in Albion at 118 North Main St. Mr. Sackett sells one-of-kind birdfeeders, including the one his wife is holding. She sells fabric creations. They also have vintage collectibles, including the old orchard ladder to the right.
Lakeshore Alpacas in Lyndonville sells hats, gloves, scarves and other products made from alpaca hair.
ALBION – The Uptown Browsery opened today in downtown Albion with 12 vendors selling antiques, vintage collectibles, birdfeeders, old tools and other itmes.
“It’s eclectic,” said Maureen Bennett, one of the vendors and president of the group, which will continue to operate the Downtown Browsery on East Bank Street, where it has been for eight years.
That site became too crowded for more vendors. Bennett put the word out to see if there was interest in a second location, and the vendors responded. The second site is on Main Street, fulfilling a goal of Bennett’s to be on Albion’s main thoroughfare in the downtown.
A vendor sells a vintage doll at the Uptown Browsery.
The site at 118 North Main Street, a former coffee shop, also has 36 parking spaces behind the building plus a back door entrance. The site also sells coffee and will have vendors taking turns in the kitchen, selling baked goods.
Kevin Lake, the former director of the Chamber of Commerce, is heading the effort to sell coffee and baked goods. He hopes to expand that to soups and sandwiches.
He likes the model at the Browsery, where vendors share space and time in running the shop. He wants to use that concept for the baked goods and kitchen.
The shop is located at 118 North Main St., in downtown Albion.
The Uptown Browsery is next to Knight’s Pride, a custom furniture store. Uptown is also a short walk from other businesses.
“We’re trying to become a destination with similar stores,” Lake said. “This will create more traffic, and traffic creates traffic.”
The new store had its soft opening today and will have a grand opening on March 1. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays and will add Sunday hours in the summer. The site also has tourism information about the area.
Lucy and Scott Sackett of Batavia have been vendors in the Browsery for seven years. They said isn’t a site like it in Batavia. The sell vintage collectibles, and also work to have items for men, such as decoys, fishing tackle, old tools, rods and reels.
A hunting license from 1941 is for sale.
Mr. Sackett is happy to be in downtown Albion in the bottom floor of the Pratt Opera House building. Sackett said the chain stores drive a lot of commerce out of the historic downtowns.
“It’s nice to repurpose these older buildings,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – I don’t think I had been back to see Mount Albion Tower in a deep snow before so I decided to go on that adventure today.
There are a lot of photos of the 68-foot-high tower during the fall with all the colorful foliage. But there aren’t too many in the dead of winter.
When I got back there today, around 5:45 p.m., a couple teen-agers were working their way down the hill leading to the tower.
The path that leads to the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery.
I ventured up the incline, which took a lot of effort to fight through the snow. It was worth the trip. The tower still looks strong, even in its 138th year.
It was built in 1876 as a memorial to the 463 residents from Orleans County killed in the Civil War.
I also stopped by the Civil War section which is near Route 31 on the west side of the cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – State Sen. George Maziarz has fun answering a quiz about New York State history and facts with Holley third-graders. Maziarz directed $67,800 in funding to Holley to purchase 30 of the SMART Boards.
HOLLEY – Third grade teacher Lynn Vendetti tapped her finger on a white board and the next lesson appeared on the screen, an exercise in math.
The first question was 26 divided by 3. The screen showed 26 images of shells. A student walked to the board and arranged the shells into three rows, moving the shells on the screen with his finger. He had three rows of eight shells each, plus another two left over. His answer to 26 divided by 3: 8 with a remainder of 2.
Vendetti’s class has one of the new SMART Boards in the school district. The whiteboards are far more interactive with students than chalkboards or dry erase boards, said Robert D’Angelo, Holley’s school superintendent.
‘The kids are enthusiastic about engaging with the SMART Board,” D’Angelo said. “They are smiling and they are happy. They love to go up to the SMART Board.”
A third grade student works on a math problem with one of the SMART Boards at Holley.
Vendetti can insert lesson plans into the SMART Board and the information quickly shows on the screen. She doesn’t have to spend time jotting down numbers and information on a chalkboard.
The fast pace with the SMART Board keeps the students engaged, D’Angelo said.
“It has reduced classroom misbehavior,” D’Angelo said. “There is more concentration on learning.”
Holley added 30 SMART Boards this year, using $67,800 in funding from State Sen. George Maziarz. The senator secured “bullet aid” earmarks and he directed $67,800 to each of the five districts in Orleans County. It’s unrestricted aid, giving each district the choice to use it how they feel best.
“We’re trying to bring more resources back to the districts,” Maziarz said on Thursday afternoon, when he visited Holley to see the SMART Boards.
State Sen. George Maziarz visits Lynn Vendetti’s third grade class and sees a SMART Board in action. The system includes a microphone, which helps Vendetti to be heard by all students in the class.
The five districts used the funding for different initiatives. Medina used it to fund a police officer to work in the district. Some districts beefed up curriculum development for staff and implemented other security improvements. Holley picked the SMART Boards.
“We wanted to put it in the classroom where it has a direct impact on kids,” D’Angelo said.
Maziarz spent about a half hour with third graders on Thursday in Holley. He used the SMART Board to take a 10-question quiz about New York State history. He was able to see how the questions advanced on the screen, and how he could answer them by tapping one of four answers that appeared on the white board.
“This is great,” he said about the SMART Board. “It’s the way of the world today.”
D’Angelo said Holley would like to add a SMART Board to each classroom in the district. They are about a third of the way there. As the technology advances, D’Angelo said students may be able to dissect frogs in biology class with a SMART Board.
MEDINA – A one-vehicle rollover crash Thursday afternoon has resulted in the arrest of a Medina man.
The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m., in the 3100 block of North Gravel Road (State Route 63). Aaron L. Kepner, 25, was operating a 2006 Chevrolet sedan travelling south when he lost control of the vehicle.
The car ran off the west side of the roadway and overturned. Kepner was not injured and refused medical attention at the scene. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Kepner is charged with driving while intoxicated, driving with blood alcohol content at .08 percent or more, speed not reasonable or prudent, and unsafe lane change. He is scheduled to appear in Town of Ridgeway Court on March 10.
The incident was investigated by Deputy K.J. Colonna, assisted by Investigator D.E. Foeller Jr. and Sergeant G.T. Gunkler.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Last year, 23 new houses were built in Orleans County. That’s not too many for an entire county, noted Ken DeRoller, a county legislator and member of the Orleans Economic Development Agency board of directors.
DeRoller, a former Kendall town assessor, said Kendall typically sees one new house go up a year. That pace of development makes it difficult to grow the tax base for the community.
The Cottages at Troutburg, a seasonal resort community in Kendall by Lake Ontario, has the chance to attract 400 new homes to Kendall. The developers of the project, The Wegman Group, believe the site could be full in a decade with houses ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.
“We have to take advantage of one of our best assets here and that’s the lake,” DeRoller said. “The resource of the lake is our main attraction.”
The Wegman Group acquired former Salvation Army Camp by Lake Ontario for $1.5 million. The site had been tax exempt for about a half century. The company has stated the 126-acre site is one of the finest sites along the south shore of the lake.
The Wegman Group expects to spend $2.5 million for a sewer system, new roads and other amenities to make the project attractive to cottage owners.
The company requested a tax incentive plan over 10 years, which would save The Wegman Group $227,000 and also commit it to $186,000 in taxes. The proposal was opposed by town officials and many residents during two public hearings in the past month.
But today the EDA board unanimously approved it. DeRoller sees the project as a big benefit for the community, providing more tax base, more sales tax for the county and more customers for local businesses.
The tax incentives are for the property at a $1.3 million assessment, its current state. As cottages are completed, a sewer system installed and other improvements made, they will be put on the tax roll at 100 percent valuation without any tax breaks.
EDA officials estimate the project, when fully built with 400 cottages, could boost the community’s tax base by $30 million or more. That would help knock down the tax rates for town, county and school district taxpayers.
During public hearings about the proposal in the past month, residents and town officials said they feared the cottages may not get built, resulting in a tax giveaway for a doomed development.
As part of the 10-year tax abatement plan, the EDA added a stipulation that The Wegman Group needs to add at least $500,000 in assessment at the site annually over 10 years or else the tax plan could be voided, with the entire property reverting to full assessed value.
“There were some concerns if it failed or stalled,” DeRoller said. “This gives us an opportunity to cancel the incentives.”
Kendall Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata asked during the public hearings that no incentives be given to a residential project. Cammarata attended the EDA meeting today and said he was disappointed by the vote.
Al Lofthouse, a Kendall resident and Conservative Party chairman, said he didn’t think it was fair to other residents – “stressed taxpayers” – who don’t get tax discounts.
The EDA classified the project as a commercial endeavor. DeRoller believes it has the potential to benefit many other merchants in the area, including farm markets, fishing charters, wineries and restaurants.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The Board of Education president expects the school district will reduce taxes in 2014-15, in response to an audit from the State Comptroller’s Office that said Holley’s cash reserves were far too big.
“We plan on reducing them, but we haven’t discussed by how much,” said Brenda Swanger, Holley BOE president.
The district will have several budget meetings in the next two months, and she said a tax reduction will be part of the budget discussion.
She said the district is in a good situation with its fund balance, the rainy day funds a district will sometimes use to cover unexpected costs or drops in revenue.
The State Comptroller faulted Holley Central School for building up surpluses that exceeded the statutory limit by about $7 million.
“This is much better than having no money.”– Brenda Swanger on Holley’s surplus funds
The comptroller’s office reviewed the previous five fiscal years at the school district and found school leaders regularly underestimated revenues and overestimated expenditures. That created about $6.7 million in surpluses over the five years.
Swanger has been on the board for 10 years. She said Holley was in the red about a decade ago.
“This is much better than having no money,” she said today.
Holley has worked to build up its reserves, particularly to guard against swings in state aid funding, Swanger said. The district took a $1.5 million state aid hit about three years ago and faced other reductions before that.
“The state has clobbered us before with state aid cuts, and we had to lay off people,” Swanger said.
Building a surplus helps protect the district from aid reductions, she said.
“We’re trying to balance that,” Swanger said.
The statutory limit for surplus funds is 4 percent of the ensuing year’s budget or about $920,000 for Holley, which operates on a $23 million budget. The district was over the surplus fund threshold by more than $7 million or 35 percent, according to the comptroller’s report. (Click here to see the report.)
Swanger and Kathy Saville, the district’s business administrator, don’t want to reduce the surplus all the way to $920,000. That would make Holley vulnerable to big tax increases if there was an unexpected equipment failure that needed repair or if the state aid was cut.
“Four percent is on the low side, especially if a heating unit goes down,” Saville said.
The cash reserves at their current level allow the district to avoid some costs for short-term borrowing. Holley was also able to use some of the surplus to front costs for the current capital project. State reimbursements can often take months, Saville said.
With a small surplus, Saville said Holley would have to take on more short-term borrowing, which would include interest and costs for bond counsel and financial management fees.
The board will work with its administrators to develop a long-range plan for reducing the surplus. Saville just started with the district in October, replacing Gene Mahaney who retired. Swanger praised Mahaney for pushing to build Holley’s reserves over several years.
That money put Holley in a strong position for its local share of a $30 million capital project, Swanger said. The surplus could be tapped for cost over-runs or for unexpected costs.
Saville took issue with part of the news article Thursday on Orleans Hub about the audit. She said Holley didn’t move $400,000 from the general fund to a capital fund without the required voter approval, as reported in the article.
The funds were moved with the voters’ blessing, she said. However, the comptroller said the district didn’t always spend the money fast enough. Sometimes money was in the capital reserve account and not spent in a timely manner, she said.
“There wasn’t anything fiscally wrong with the district and there wasn’t a mismanagement of funds,” Saville said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2014 at 12:00 am
EDA stipulates $500K annually in cottages need to be built or else no deal
ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency this morning approved $227,000 in tax incentives over 10 years for The Cottages at Troutburg. However, if the developer fails to grow the tax base by at least $500,000 a year with new cottages or other projects, the incentive deal could be cancelled.
Kendall residents and town officials spoke out against the deal in two recent public hearings. Town Councilman Bruce Newell asked that any incentives be tied to performance or new development at the 126-acre former Salvation Army Camp along Lake Ontario.
The EDA board acknowledged today the agency doesn’t typically make performance part of a tax incentive package. But the board added that stipulation.
“That was great language that was negotiated in the process,” said Ken DeRoller, an EDA board member and county legislator from Kendall.
Orleans Hub will have more on the tax incentive deal later today.
