By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Today is National Wear Red Day, and people are encouraged to wear the color to help raise awareness about heart disease as the leading cause of death for men and women.
On Thursday, members of the Albion Rotary Club wore red. Rotarians are pictured next to their sign by Tillman’s Village Inn. Cindy Perry is the club president. She also is the director of health education, wellness and outreach for Orleans Community Health.
The Orleans Community Health Foundation will be posting photos of workplaces in the county that are dressed in red. To check those photos, click here.
The Courthouse dome also was red on Thursday night in honor of today’s effort. County employees have been encouraged to wear red, and donate $5 to the American Heart Association if they dress in the color. The Chamber of Commerce also is encouraging its members to dress in red that day.
Perry said heart disease is often a “silent killer” without noticeable symptoms. Heart disease is the cause of death for 38 percent of women, she said.
Orleans County has some of the worse health statistics in the state. The annual County Health Rankings report places Orleans 52nd out of 62 counties for overall community health.
Orleans fares particularly bad with a high smoking rate, 29.9 percent of adults compared to 16.2 percent state-wide. There are 63 percent of adults in Orleans who are overweight or obese, compared to 59 percent in the state.
Workers are putting up the 180-foot-high radio tower in Shelby on Route 31A next to the village of Medina’s water tank. Gary Hill took this photo of Patriot Towers workers on Thursday. They are using a crane from CP Ward in Rochester.
The first of three new radio towers has been built as part of the county’s new radio system. The first tower was constructed on West Countyhouse Road in Albion. A tower will also be built in Clarendon near the highway garage on Route 31A.
The towers are part of $7.1 million upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system. The project is rebuilding the emergency communications system, including 1,100 reprogrammed portable radios and an upgraded dispatch center.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion residents Clarence Winkelmann, left, and Gary Kent volunteer to pump gas for senior citizens every Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Crosby’s gas station and food mart. Gary Westlund is another dedicated volunteer.
ALBION – Almost every Wednesday morning Donna Loughborough of Albion pulls into the Crosby’s gas station. Loughborough knows she will see a friendly face and she won’t have to leave her vehicle to get gas.
Every week, for 520 weeks and counting, a group of volunteers has been there to pump gas for senior citizens. The volunteers will also check car fluids, and walk the money inside the store.
“They’re a good bunch of guys,” Loughborough said about the volunteers. “They’re really dedicated.”
Before heading to a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday with her husband Allan, Loughborough stopped for gas. Clarence Winkelmann took care of it for her. He is part of a volunteer corps that typically includes Gary Kent and Gary Westlund.
“The people they really appreciate it,” said Winkelmann, a Marine and retired corrections officer. “It’s like giving a little bit back to the community.”
Winkelmann has been volunteering with the effort for more than nine years. He was bundled up for the cold on Wednesday.
“You can see it in the people’s faces,” he said. “They really love it, especially on a day like today.”
Kent, a retired Kendall social studies teacher, has been volunteering since the first Wednesday in February 2004. He wants to make the area more senior-friendly. He would like to recruit more volunteers to help seniors with small tasks around their homes, which could include changing light bulbs, installing railings, and changing smoke alarm batteries.
“We’re trying to develop a senior support system,” he said.
Kent praised Winkelmann and Westlund for their commitment to pumping gas. In good weather, about 40 seniors stop by on a Wednesday morning. On cold or rainy days, maybe 12 or 15 will pull up at the pumps.
Westlund drives to Albion from Spencerport to volunteer pumping gas. He is also a Marine. He is a retired materials manager at Delphi in Rochester. Westlund often helps the seniors figure out new electronic controls in their vehicles, technology that can be daunting for them.
“These two are freaking awesome,” Kent said about the Marines. “They are so dedicated and they take it so serious.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A group tasked with finding a buyer for The Villages of Orleans, a 120-bed nursing home in Albion, could decide today which company will be the new owner.
The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed last year by the County Legislature, will meet today at 1:30 in the legislative chambers of the County Clerks’ Building, 3 South Main St.
The three-man board of directors will go into executive session to discuss a purchase agreement for the county-owned nursing home.
The group is considering more than price, LDC chairman Russ Martino has said. The board wants the new owner to work with Albion Central School to continue an alternative education program at the site. At-risk students at Albion take classes at the nursing home and do an internship or job shadowing with staff.
The nursing home also currently prepares meals for residents at the hospice residence down the road. Martino wants that partnership to continue.
The LDC and county hired Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group, a Chicago firm that specializes selling nursing homes. The firm helped find purchase offers and is working with the LDC on the sales agreement. Marcus and Millichap will get a 2.5 percent commission as its fee.
BATAVIA, NY – Genesee Community College encourages students who want to quit smoking to join a state-wide study that uses an innovative, internet-based program to help beat the cigarette habit. Conducted by University of Rochester researcher Dr. Scott McIntosh, the study is testing the effectiveness of a promising new tool in smoking cessation, Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention (WATI).
Dr. McIntosh is looking to recruit 1,440 community college students of all ages from around New York to participate in the study. So far 400 students from SUNY community colleges have signed up.
“Community college students are a growing population, and smoking remains a substantial health concern in their demographic,” Dr. McIntosh said.
Statistics indicate that while 16% of the general population smokes, the number is substantially higher, 28-30%, at community colleges.
Students can register online to participate in the study at wati.urmc.edu or they may call (585) 276-6243. Once registered, they’ll be asked to complete surveys at 1, 6, and 12 months into the program. Each completed survey earns them a financial reward; $10 at 1 month, $15 at 6 months, and $20 at 12 months for a total of $45, whether or not they quit smoking.
“This is a great opportunity for students who want to quit smoking but haven’t figured out what the first step is,” said Dr. Virginia Taylor, GCC vice president for Student and Enrollment Services. “We hope many of our students who smoke will give quitting a try. They have nothing to lose and much to gain.”
WATI requires no special travel and students are able to go at their own pace. All they need is an internet connection. All students who are ready to quit and who want help quitting on the internet will be referred to a FREE treatment website, even if they decide not to join this study. The study is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Harriger
A pastor who used to lead a church in Lyndonville has been indicted by an Orleans County grand jury on charges of incest, first-degree sodomy and course of sexual conduct against three children.
The Rev. Roy Harriger, currently pastor of the Community Fellowship Church in the town of Hartland in Niagara County, allegedly committed the crimes between September 2000 and September 2001, when he was pastor of the Ashwood Wesleyan Church in Lyndonville.
Harriger, 70, of Middleport was charged on Nov. 27 by the State Police with two counts of Course of Sexual Conduct (B Felony), two counts of Incest (E Felony), and four counts of Sodomy 1st (B Felony).
A state police investigation revealed the alleged crimes were perpetrated in New York, as well as the states of Michigan and Pennsylvania between 1974 and 2003. The alleged incidents in Michigan and Pennsylvania have been referred to their respective State Police agencies, New York State Police said.
Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone is prosecuting the charges against Harriger, who was the pastor at Ashwood Wesleyan for 12 years before he was terminated by the church in 2009 after a falling out with denomination leaders. Harriger then started a new church, Community Fellowship Church in Johnson Creek, which is in Niagara County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a county-owned nursing home since 1960, has been acquired by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC for $7.8 million.
ALBION – It’s been a long-dreaded day that supporters of the county-owned nursing home hoped wouldn’t arrive. The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center was sold today for $7.8 million to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC.
The new owner likely won’t take over until next year. It needs to get through the certificate of need review process by the state Department of Health. That usually takes 12 to 18 months.
“I am bitter because it’s too bad,” said Gary Kent, one of the leaders of Concerned Citizens of Orleans County, a group that fought the sale. Concerned Citizens tried to stop the sale through a court fight, public protests and the recent county election.
Kent believes the county owes it to its seniors to maintain a quality nursing home with dedicated employees. He worries the quality of care could suffer under private ownership.
Kent, a former county legislator, said the $7.8 million price was “ridiculous” given that the county spent more than $10 million on a renovation and addition in 2007. It also added a wing in the mid-1990s that Kent said is “just like new.”
That price exceeded the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.
“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.
Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services recently bought three nursing homes in Buffalo that were owned by Catholic Health Services. Comprehensive also owns a site in Albany.
County officials toured the Albany site and one of the Buffalo nursing homes. The group was impressed by the investment in the facilities.
County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt went on the tours with Karen Wygal, director of nursing at the Villages. They were joined by Russ Martino, Richard Moy and Richard DeCarlo Sr., all members of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation.
The County Legislature last February voted to transfer the nursing home to the Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed to sell The Villages.
The group is pleased with the sale price, said Martino, the group’s chairman.
He also praised the company for agreeing to allow space at the nursing home to continue to be used for an alternative school program at Albion. Comprehensive also will keep an existing agreement to prepare meals for the Hospice of Orleans residence.
Comprehensive principal owners include Joshua Farkovits, Bernard Fuchs and Mordy Lahasky. They have ownership stakes in other nursing homes besides the ones in Buffalo and Albany.
The new owners acknowledged the change of ownership can be upsetting to some residents, their families and employees. Lahasky said he and his partners were immediately “…very impressed by the facility and, more important, by the people at The Villages of Orleans, staff and residents alike. The Villages is a gem – it is clearly a well-run facility and we intend to keep it that way. Our aim is to provide even more support and enhance the services offered at the facility.”
Comprehensive, as part of the 45-page agreement signed today, agreed to own the site for at least 10 years. It also pledged not to reduce employee wages.
Cindy Troy, president of the CSEA union, worries about the employees and the residents of the county nursing home.
Troy expects benefits will be cut to employees, leading to more turnover and diminished care for residents in the 120-bed nursing home.
“I’m really concerned, not just for the employees but for the community,” Troy said this afternoon after the county announced the sale. “I’m worried about whether we’ll have a stable workforce. You don’t have a good nursing home if you don’t have a stable workforce.”
The new owners didn’t specify whether workers would see a reduction in healthcare or retirement benefits. County officials have cited employee benefits as a prime driver of operational costs – and deficits at the site.
The nursing home employs about 125 workers. They currently are eligible for the state retirement system.
The sale will reduce the county’s overall workforce by about a third. Kent, the former legislator, said the seven-member county Legislature should cut its pay by least 25 percent when the sale is final.
“Their workload will be down,” he said.
Kent has disputed many of the numbers put out by the county about the deficits at the site.
County officials have said deficit have topped $2 million in recent years. It was listed as a $825,000 deficit on the 2013 county tax bill. Callard and county officials feared the nursing home could require a $4 million or more in county contributions in the future due to shrinking federal aid.
Richard DeCarlo, one of the LDC board members, said those deficits would be too much for county taxpayers.
“We could not, in good conscience, allow this to go on,” he said.
The new owner brings expertise and resources to the site, Callard said. The sale preserves the nursing home as a resource for years to come, he said.
“I have great expectations,” Callard said. “I think you’ll see capital investment and innovative ideas.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The “Squirrel Slam” fund-raiser for the Holley Fire Department is already sold out with 650 people buying tickets to compete in the Feb. 22 event.
The event drew nearly 1,000 entries last year. The Fire Department decided to cap the participants at 650 because 1,000 proved too many for the reception at fire hall, said Fran Gaylord, Fire Department president.
The event, which has been protested by some animal rights activists, drew national attention to Holley last year. The Fire Department quickly sold out this year with only word of mouth advertising, Gaylord said.
Some of the people who buy tickets don’t intend to hunt. They just want to support the department, Gaylord said. The Fire Department next year may sell tickets for those that want to hunt and then have tickets for non-hunters who want a chance to win raffle prizes.
The Squirrel Slam generates about $6,500 in revenue for the Fire Department. After it pays out $1,500 for prizes, $500 for food and $440 to Holley for police overtime, Gaylord said the event nets about $4,000.
“That’s not bad for a one-day event,” he said.
This is the eighth year the Holley Fire Department has planned the fund-raiser.
In the Holley competition contestants pay an entry fee and then go hunting for squirrels. Hunters as young as 12 can win prizes for biggest squirrels shot.
Animal rights activists protested last year and urged Holley to cancel the event. The Village Board and Fire Department let it continue and participation surged from the usual 250 to nearly 1,000. Outside police were brought in to help manage the protest.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
The front lawn of the Orleans County Courthouse as it appeared at about 8 p.m. today when it was 16 degrees outside.
The temperatures will drop tonight. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday. The 15 to 25 mile per hour winds, combined with the cold temperatures, will make it feel as low as 20 degrees below zero.
The wind chill advisory has been issued for all of Western New York, except for the counties of Monroe and Wayne.
The Weather Service said the dangerously cold wind chills carry the risk of hypothermia and frostbite for anyone outdoors for an extended period of time who isn’t dressed appropriately.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The county-owned nursing home has been sold for $7.8 million to a company that recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo.
Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC will be the new owner of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 120-bed nursing home on Route 31. The final approval for the sale will come after the state Department of Health reviews the company’s certificate of need. Those reviews often take at least a year.
The sale won’t become effective until after Jan. 1, 2015. That will honor the time frame put out by the County Legislature about two years ago when it told the public and nursing home employees the site would stay county-owned until at least 2014, Legislature Chairman David Callard said this afternoon.
He is pleased with the price, which exceeds the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants with the sale, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.
“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.
Provided photo – Thanks for the Lift! Hospice nurses Shari Ettinger, left, and Mary Hicks, right, show their new Hoyer Lift to Orleans County Foundation representatives (middle, from left) Hank Lehning, Jerome Pawlak and Andrew Meier.
Press release
Hospice of Orleans
ALBION Patients at the Martin-Linsin Residence at Hospice of Orleans are more comfortable and secure, thanks to the generosity of two local foundations.
The first, a family foundation requesting to remain anonymous, contributed $5,500 that paid for a special transfer chair to ease patients’ transition from wheelchair to therapy tub. Nurse Manager Mary Hicks said this encourages greater usage of the hospice home’s spa amenities.
The Elizabeth Dye Curtis Foundation, working through the Orleans County Foundation, granted Hospice $6,000, which covered the cost of additional equipment, including a Hoyer Lift to safely move patients in or out of their beds or chairs.
“The Hoyer Lift and tub transfer chair not only improve the comfort and safety of the residents, but also of the nursing staff,” said Mary Anne Fischer, Hospice of Orleans’ executive director. “These grants are very helpful in helping us manage the costs associated with the Residence. In addition to our home care services, we are all working as a team to care for our neighbors facing serious illnesses.”
Members of the Curtis Foundation Board of Directors recently came for a tour of the Martin-Linsin Residence, where they saw the equipment and met some of patients and staff for whom it is making a difference.
Hospice of Orleans observed the first anniversary of the Martin-Linsin Residence in December 2013. In October of this year, the organization will mark 20 years as a hospice home care provider.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Orleans County has been pounded by storm today
Photos by Tom Rivers – A Village of Albion plow truck is on East Park Street, preparing to turn on Platt Street. It’s been a busy day for the DPWs and highway departments.
It has been snowing almost constantly since this morning, but the snow has slowed its pace and it should taper off tonight, the National Weather Service advised.
A travel advisory remains in effect for Orleans County. I went for a walk by the Courthouse Square around 8:30 p.m. There was hardly any traffic out. I saw more plow trucks than other vehicles.
Main Street was mostly deserted. Here is a photo looking south by the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. The historic marker notes that journalist Terry Anderson grew up in Albion.
The First Presbyterian Church shrugs off the latest winter storm. The church was built in 1874 from local Medina sandstone. It has endured many winters. The Orleans County Courthouse, built in 1858, is the focal point of the district that is named to the National Register of Historic Places.
The snow shows off the sandstone blocks in the Presbyterian Church.
A plow truck heads up Route 98 in front of the Presbyterian Church.
The County Treasurer’s Office looks peaceful after about a foot of snow fell today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub photographer Cheryl Wertman was in Medina earlier today when she took this photo through a windshield, showing the treacherous driving conditions in Orleans County.
By Tom Rivers, editor
ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess is urging people to avoid driving unless it’s necessary. The sheriff has issued a travel advisory due to the rough driving conditions.
Today’s snowstorm has reduced driver visibility, and created difficult driving conditions with slippery roads.
The sheriff hasn’t issued a travel ban so people can still go to and from work.
“if you don’t have to go out, then don’t,” said a county dispatcher. “Use good judgment.”
The dispatcher said there hasn’t been any serious accidents due to the road conditions. A few vehicles did slide off the roads.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued a state of emergency for the entire state due to the storm. All five school districts in Orleans County have cancelled after-school activities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Mark Dunham and his son Brian appeared on the January cover of the American Agriculturist magazine. The two talked about the benefits of a new tile plow.
KNOWLESVILLE – A seven-generation farm that has embraced new ways of planting crops and preserving soil health has been named the “Conservation Farm of the Year” in Orleans County.
Dunham Family Farms in Knowlesville received the award today at the annual meeting for the Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District at Tillman’s Village Inn.
The farm works 2,000 acres and had adopted many conservation practices, including no-tillage planting, cover crops and installation of drainage tile. Dunham also is working on precision nutrient management.
“We’re honoring somebody who has concentrated on the stewardship of the land,” said Dennis Kirby, district manager for Soil and Water.
The farm about eight years ago started to use no-till for planting. Rather than plowing a field before planting, the farm minimally disturbs the soil for planting. That has kept microorganisms thriving in the soil.
“We’ve seen some big advantages with no-till,” said Brian Dunham, co-owner of the farm with his father Mark. “The soil is a living organism in itself. Every time you disk or plow a field, you disrupt it.”
Dunham Family Farms has seen its yields increase for corn and soybeans through no-till. The farm saves fuel costs because it’s not running as much equipment over the fields, Dunham said.
The farm purchased a tile plow last year and has used that to add drainage tiles to some of its land. That has helped the ground to dry out sooner in the spring for planting and do better at moving water off crops after big storms.
Brian, 31, said the entire farm has embraced no-till and conservation practices. After several years of effort, it is paying off with healthier soils and bigger crops.
“I’m really proud of the effort everyone puts in,” Brian said. “It’s not just one year or one field. It’s a mindset that everyone buys into.”
Brian works closely with his father. Brian’s brother Tim also works part-time on the farm. His full-time job is as a school administrator at Holley.
Richard Dunham, Brian and Tim’s grandfather, remains active on the farm. At one time Richard had the largest hog operation in the state, Kirby said.
Dunham Family Farm now grows corn on 1,000 acres, 700 acres of soybeans, 200 acres of wheat and 100 acres of peas.
The farm is now incorporating precision nutrient management. That involves taking soil tests in the fields and entering those results on a map. A computer records that data and feeds it to GPS systems on farm equipment. Rather than blanketing an entire field with the same amount of fertilizer, precision nutrient management varies the application.
“It is based on need,” Kirby said. “You match the use with the need. That saves the extra fertilizer from becoming run-off.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Kwik Fill gas station on Pearl Street in Medina will be upgraded, including a new canopy.
MEDINA – The Kwik Fill gas station at 118 Pearl St. will get a new canopy and the gas pumps will be upgraded, according to a proposal by the site’s owner, Petroleum Services Inc. of Hilton.
“We are proposing to upgrade the existing facilities at this location to provide a better experience for our customers and the residents of the village of Medina,” George Marek, Petroleum Services owner, said in a Dec. 17 letter to village officials.
The Village Planning Board discussed the application on Tuesday. It was referred to the Orleans County Planning Board for its Feb. 27 meeting. The Village Planning Board could give a final vote of approval for the project on March 4.
Residents can comment on the project during a 7:05 p.m. public hearing on March 4 at City Hall.
The site currently does not have a canopy to provide protection from the weather for customers. The new canopy will also have lights to improve the safety for customers, Marek said.
Petroleum Services will reduce the gas dispensers from four to two. With four dispensers, “you’re jamming too much on the lot,” Marek told the Planning Board.
The concrete pads and gas piping also will be upgraded as part of the project.
Courtesy of Village Planning Board – Petroleum Services submitted this rendering on how the new canopy will look at the Kwik Fill gas station.
