By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
GAINES – The plunging temperatures and snow-covered landscape may be a harsh reality of winter. The past month has been particularly brutal, with an ice storm followed by many very cold days.
The photo on the top shows the Erie Canal with a barn just north of the historic waterway. He picture was taken from canal bridge.
I took this picture about two months ago on Nov. 16. It was a warm fall day back then.
Those of us in Orleans County have the pleasure of experiencing a variety of weather, from sub-zero temperatures to 90-degree summer days.
I think the changing seasons is one of the appeals of this area. I wouldn’t want to live in Florida with all of their insects and alligators. Their constant warm days would get a little boring after a while.
Kye, the Medina Police K-9 dog makes some new friends at the Medina CSAT boys basketball game tonight at Medina High School. Kye is a Belgian Malinois that works each day with his partner/handler Sgt. Todd Draper.
“Kye loves meeting new people especially children” Sgt. Draper said. “It is also amazing how he draws the attention of the high school age kids who may not normally want to interact with just a police officer. They all like petting him and want to be around him.”
While Kye’s main duties are tracking, drug detection, building searches and criminal apprehension, the time he spends going to sporting events helps in his training of just being around other people.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina Sandstone Society President Bob Waters, left, is pictured with Hall of Fame Committee members David Miller, Jim Hancock and John Slack.
Press Release
Bob Waters, president of Medina Sandstone Society
MEDINA – Last month the sandstone fame of Orleans County got a regional publicity boost when the “Sandstone Hall of Fame” was unveiled at City Hall in Medina, and now the general public is invited to view a beefed-up and expanded exhibit.
A date has been set for a public open house on Saturday, Feb. 1. That is the same day of Medina’s popular Wine About Winter event.
The December inaugural of the Hall of Fame turned out to be a memorable occasion and one entire wall of the council chamber at the local city hall was dedicated to a large display of plaques awarded to six outstanding stone structures.
“We’ve started to comb the state and this part of the world for dominant buildings made of the famous Medina sandstone,” said James Hancock, committee chairman.
“The idea seems to have rung a bell and it has generated a lot of publicity.”
Hancock was joined by David Miller and John Slack last year in creating the new Hall of Fame, which exists as a program of the Medina Sandstone Society. They received 22 nominations for structures to be honored in the first round (class of 2013) and six were picked. The committee expects to see the idea grow with each passing year.
The City Hall chamber, which houses the Hall of Fame exhibit, will be open to receive the public from 1 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 1 . Visitors are invited to drop in at their leisure during that four-hour period, view the enhanced exhibit, and enjoy a cup of coffee if desired.
The expansion of the Hall of Fame wall is notable because the artwork tells more of Orleans quarrying history. The committee sorted through hundreds of historic photographs to pick some of the best pictures of sandstone quarries, plus a few scenes of the local connection to the Erie Canal. “We are now ready to receive the public,” said the three leaders.
The committee paid additional tribute to Takeform Architectural Graphics and its president, William Hungerford, for producing and presenting the impressive plaques which signify selections in the Hall of Fame.
“Just as a selected company provides the Hollywood ‘Oscars’ each year, now Takeform has honored us by producing our sandstone awards, and they are very special.”
In one lighter moment, the Sandstone Society got a suggestion. A board member said, “If the United States has the Emmy and Grammy awards now it has the Sandy awards for the best of sandstone.”
The Sandstone Society said it is “eager to share” the exhibit of the Hall of Fame with the local public.
Over the coming years the society expects growth in the program and more notice from out-of-town residents.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Mary Anne Braunbach, left, joined the Albion Rotary Club last week. She is pictured with Susan Rudnicky, director of Hoag Library, and Braunbach’s sponsor for the Rotary Club.
ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club added a new member last week who brings a passion for community service to the club.
Mary Anne Braunbach is a past president of the Cobblestone Society Museum. She remains on the board of directors for the museum. She also is president of the Friends of the Library at the Hoag Library. The group plans events and helps raise money for library programs.
Last year she won a state-wide honor from the Library Trustees Association of New York State. She was the recipient of the “Outstanding Friends Award” for her service to the Albion library.
Braunbach worked more three decades as a teacher and librarian in the Newfane school district in Niagara County. She moved from Lockport back to her hometown of Albion about 20 ago and soon joined the Swan Library Board of Trustees.
Other local service clubs are welcome to send news about their clubs to news@orleanshub.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Schools are all open and life goes on
Photos by Tom Rivers
The sun fights to shine through the clouds in this photo taken a little after 9 this morning on Gaines Basin Road in the town of Gaines. It’s another cold day in Orleans County, with temperatures forecast to peak at 7 degrees.
An old barn on Gaines Basin Road shrugs off the cold. The barn is just north of the Erie Canal.
Sandy Andrews, a member of the First United Methodist Church in Albion, shovels the steps and sidewalk this morning. The church provides a ministry for people taking their driver’s license tests. The drivers and their families are served coffee and provided a warm spot from the cold.
Andrews said the weather isn’t too bad.
“The sun is out and the wind isn’t blowing,” she said.
The Orleans County Courthouse is a silhouette while the sun fights to make its presence felt today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Hanlon and Wilson both went ‘above and beyond’ in 2013
Photos by Tom Rivers – Scott Wilson, the Orleans County jail superintendent, and Nadine Hanlon, the clerk of the Legislature, were both named employees of the year for 2013.
ALBION – Two Orleans County employees were recognized for going “above and beyond” the duties in their jobs, earning both “Employees of the Year.”
The county’s Employees Assistance Program picked an Employee of the Year from a pool of 12 employees of the month. Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the Legislature, and Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson were both honored.
Scott Wilson, the jail superintendent, was picked employee of the month in May. He was instrumental in $1 million of construction renovations and improvements at the jail last year.
Five years ago Orleans County officials worried the state was going to force construction of a new $30 million jail in Albion, a cost that would fall squarely on county taxpayers. The jail on Platt Street, built in two stages around 1970, was crowded and falling into disrepair mainly due to water infiltration.
The state Commission of Corrections gave the county the option of upgrading the Platt Street site. Wilson has been jail superintendent since 2011. The facility has been steadily been improved under his watch, with projects requiring careful coordination on his part due to the presence of inmates and staff.
The project was substantially complete by the end of the summer, but Wilson continued to go “above and beyond,” said Jack Welch, the county’s personnel director.
Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, left, and Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt stand on a new roof on top of the county jail in this file photo from August. The roof is part of more than $1 million in upgrades at the jail.
Wilson added about 50 video camera s to the jail at no county cost. Those cameras improve the safety for inmates and staff, Welch said.
Wilson also swayed the Legislature to change a policy, having inmates’ medical costs and prescriptions be billed to their private insurance companies if they have insurance. Before, the county always picked up the tab.
Wilson also works with DSS to see if inmates in the jail are on Medicaid. Their medical costs can then be billed to Medicaid, rather than directly to the county. Welch praised Wilson for being “proactive in reducing the jail’s operating costs.”
Wilson has worked 15 years at the jail, starting as a part-time corrections officer. The Lyndonville native worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant, shift commander and then jail superintendent. Before working at the jail, Wilson served in the Army, including a tour in Desert Storm.
“There is still a lot of work to do,” he said about the jail.
Hanlon, the Legislature’s clerk the past seven years, was recognized as employee of the month in December.
She works with all of the county departments in her role as Legislature clerk, and also helps prepare the agenda for the Legislature’s twice-a-month meetings.
She worked with the Youth Bureau to plan and promote a “Family Fun Night” on Oct. 17, a first time event in Orleans County. Nearly 200 people attended the game night at the fairgrounds. It occurred the same night as the massive fire in Albion at Orleans Pallet.
Nadine Hanlon is shocked when she was awarded “County Employee of the Year” today by Legislature Chairman David Callard, center, and Jack Welch, the county’s personnel director.
The game night gave families a chance to “unplug” from the TV and computers. Hanlon also worked with the departments in the county to set up displays about the services they offer in the county during the game night.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to get families together,” Hanlon said about the event. “This year we have plans to make it bigger and better.”
Welch said Hanlon and Wilson were both recognized because they took on big projects after they had already won the employee of the month.
“When the good stuff floats to the top you have to acknowledge it,” he said.
The following were named employees of the month between October 2012 and September 2013:
Thomas Ashbery in computer services, October; Janet Cheverie, Department of Social Services, November; Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the Legislature, December; Sandra Pszyk, mental health, January; Troy Phillips, buildings and grounds, February;
William Culverwell, buildings and grounds, March; Jeannine Larkin, DSS, April; Scott Wilson, Sheriff’s Department, May; Patrick McGurn, computer services, June; Maria Garcia, mental health, July; Patricia Urquhart, mental health, August; and Ryan Woolston, computer services, September.
The last time two people were named employee of the year was in 2001 when Sharon Ludwick and Jim Niederhofer shared the honor.
MEDINA – In the lower left corner of this picture we note, “Ideal Restaurant, Medina NY.”
The Niagara-Orleans directory of 1930 lists this as located at 112 East Center St., which would have been the Cooper Block.
The two women in white dresses are probably waitresses while the man in a white shirt is the cook. The tables are set with white linen tablecloths and napkins.
Notice the wild wall paper and exposed heat duct to another floor.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Peggy Barringer
ALBION – Peggy Barringer has seen numerous photos of Snowy Owls posted on Facebook, Orleans Hub and other media outlets for the past month. She felt envious and wanted to see one with her own eyes.
She did a funny spoof of a Snowy Owl sighting that was featured on the Hub on Jan. 6.
Yesterday, she finally saw the owl in person while in Batavia. The owl was near the Genesee County Airport on Saile Drive. Barringer snapped a few photos. She says she didn’t have her good camera, with the long lens, but these are pretty good.
Another Hub reader, Art Graton, sent in this picture of a Snowy Owl he took on Jan. 14. The owl is by Barber Road in East Shelby.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2014 at 12:00 am
5 districts in Orleans would get $3.5M more
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed an $807 million increase in education aid for schools in 2014-15, a 3.8 percent increase. That includes about $1.6 million more in operating aid for five districts in Orleans County and about $3.5 million more in overall funding, including building aid.
The governor also proposed a $2 billion “Smarts Schools” initiative that would add technology to schools, including high-speed Internet. The initiative also invests in classroom space for full-day pre-kindergarten.
The five Orleans districts would get $7.25 million of the Smart Schools money as part of a budget proposal unveiled today by Cuomo. Albion would receive $2,228,441 in Smart Schools funding, with the Holley at $1,311,463, Kendall at $967,959, Lyndonville at $733,151 and Medina, $2,000,222.
The State Legislature will weigh in on the budget, which has an April 1 deadline to be adopted.
Here are the numbers for each district:
Albion’s overall aid would increase 2.05 percent or by $488,487, increasing from $23,817,833 to $24,306,320. That includes building aid. The operating aid would be up $455,093 to $21,552,139.
Holley would see an overall increase of 15.65 percent or by $1,973,600 – from $12,608,780 to $14,582,380. That is driven by the state’s share in a capital improvement project at the school. Holley’s operating aid is up by $153,466 or 1.3 percent to $11,775,746.
Kendall’s overall aid increases by 3.8 percent or $345,342 from $8,899,710 to $9,245,052. Its operating aid would rise 3.0 percent to $8,620,585.
Lyndonville actually sees a slight drop in its overall state aid, according to the governor’s budget proposal. The district’s aid would decrease 0.2 percent or $15,890 from $7,813,809 to $7,797,919. Lyndonville’s operating aid would increase by $946 or by 0.1 percent to $6,348,586.
Medina would see a 3.8 percent increase or $736,887 more in overall aid, going $22,431,071 to $23,167,953. The district’s operating aid would increase 3.3 percent to $19,250,084.
The governor also proposed $1.5 billion over five years for full-day pre-kindergarten, $720 million over five years to expand after-school programs, and teacher excellence awards that would provide up to $20,000 in annual compensation for teachers that are rated “highly effective.”
Timothy G. Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, said the budget is “austere,” and doesn’t meet the $1.5 billion in state aid needed to maintain existing programs at 700 districts across the state.
“While the governor’s budget contains many laudable issues such as state-funded universal prekindergarten and after-school programs, his state aid allocation falls way short of the mark,” Kremer said.
He said he hopes the state Legislature will boost the state aid increase from the $807 million proposed by Cuomo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation is “very close” to choosing a buyer for the 120-bed county nursing home, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said this morning.
The corporation was created by the County Legislature last February. The Legislature transferred ownership of The Villages of Orleans to the HFC and tasked the group with finding a buyer for the site.
The Legislature appointed former Yates Town Supervisor Russ Martino to serve as the group’s chairman. He is joined on the three-person board by former Gaines Town Supervisor Richard DeCarlo and Richard Moy, the current Clarendon town supervisor.
They are scheduled to meet today at 1:30 at the Health Department building next to the nursing home on Route 31. The group will meet behind closed doors to discuss the purchase offers for The Villages of Orleans.
Nesbitt is working with the group to make the decision. He doesn’t expect the group to decide today, but the board could make the decision next month.
The HFC narrowed the bids to two firms. One is Mordy Lahasky, Benjamin Fuchs and Benjamin Landa, which has multiple facilities in the Albany, Long Island and New York City. The other group is led by Kenneth Rozenberg and has multiple facilities across New York State.
The HFC will pick the buyer. The County Legislature gave the HFC that authority last Feburary when the nursing home was transferred to the local development corporation.
The sale will need final approval from the state Department of Health, and that review often takes a year or more to go through Albany.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Chris Keller fills top spot after Heiligenthaler resigns
MEDINA – The Board of Education has a new leader after Carol Heiligenthaler resigned last month. The board last week voted to support Chris Keller as the new president.
He will be sworn in this evening at 6:30 during the BOE meeting at the district office. Keller had been vice president. He works as a teacher at Albion Central School.
Heiligenthaler led the board since July 2012. Although she resigned as BOE president, she has agreed to stay on as a board member.
Heiligenthaler has recently been hired as the business administrator for Barker Central School. She resigned as Medina BOE president due to the demands of her new job.
The BOE is expected to soon name a new vice president after Keller vacated the spot to become president.
Photos by Sue Cook – Eggs collected by Stuart John Flintham are displayed by the entrance of the Hoag Library.
Many eggs in the collection are from birds that are now much more rare because of human interference, such as the black-crowned night heron.
The emu and ostrich eggs are enormous compared to the others in the collection.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
ALBION – Stuart John Flintham may not be a familiar name, but many who have visited the old Swan Library’s downstairs children section or the new Hoag Library have seen his contribution to our community.
In two glass cases near the entrance of Hoag are dozens of bird eggs that Flintham collected throughout his teenage years at Albion High School and even into his 20s. The eggs have long been popular in the library, with visitors stopping to look at eggs that range in size from small stones to softballs.
Collecting eggs used to be a very popular pastime in the 1800s, Library Director Susan Rudnicky said. During this time there was a considerably sparser population, which meant more areas for birds to nest, she said.
When Flintham collected the eggs, he used a process called egg blowing to remove the insides of the eggs and leave them hollowed out, which leaves a small hole in the shell visible on some in the collection.
Flintham was born in Albion in 1879 and later went on to Cornell and then Yale to earn a master’s degree in forestry, moving on to become a Los Angeles County firefighter.
Changes in farming, fewer or smaller hedgerows, and even clearing land for building diminished the presence of birds over the years. When DDT used to be sprayed to cut down on mosquitos, insect-eating birds would ingest them. When the birds went to lay eggs, the DDT in their systems caused their eggs to be so fragile they would simply collapse causing many birds to become unable to produce new generations.
Rudnicky commented that people often put their own needs and wants before other animals which can cause them to be crowded out of their natural habitats or killed. “We need to have room in our lives for other species,” she said.
While nearly all of the eggs are from local species, there are a few in the collection from outside the area. The ostrich and emu eggs are not local, but are the largest eggs in the collection, each much larger than a baseball. Though the library has only a nest from hummingbirds, their eggs would be the smallest and only about the size of a Tic Tac.
The display cases were chosen specifically for the eggs so that they could be displayed in a well-trafficked area. While the number of eggs in the cases has remained the same from the old library to the new, Rudnicky said more nests are now displayed. They used to be in storage.
County Historian Bill Lattin helped Rudnicky move the eggs to the new library using lunch trays and cardboard can trays. This allowed them to leave the eggs on their individual stands with the paper labels so that nothing became mixed up during the move.
The egg collection makes an excellent teaching tool and Rudnicky offers her knowledge to tour groups that come through. It is especially important since the New York State Legislation made it illegal to collect eggs, nests, and even feathers of birds with laws such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
It is best to leave things as you find them because sometimes even a person trying to help can instead cause more damage than good. “Take only pictures; leave only footprints,” Rudnicky said.
If you bring a picture, you can compare it to what is on display or ask a librarian for help to find a book to learn more. The library does not accept any eggs from old collections, instead keeping the display reserved for only Flintham’s collection.
The Hoag Library is located at 134 South Main Street in Albion. The hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The egg collection is always on display by the entrance.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2014 at 12:00 am
David Lewis led the agency the past 8 years
David Lewis
ALBION – The leader of the board of directors for the Orleans Economic Development Agency is stepping down after eight years in the position.
David Lewis of Waterport has agreed to stay on the seven-member board, but he will not continue as chairman of the EDA. He has been on the board for 15 years. The EDA board is expected to pick a new chairman at its Feb. 14 meeting.
Lewis is retired from Kodak as a senior research associate. He traveled the world for the company, and chose to settle in Waterport at Oak Orchard on the Lake.
He was praised by EDA officials for a steady hand and calm demeanor leading the organization through staff restructuring early on as chairman.
“He’s been a great chairman,” said Jim Whipple, CEO of the Orleans EDA. “He’s a very easygoing, level-headed guy who doesn’t get fazed.”
With Lewis as chairman, the EDA helped facilitate one of the biggest economic development projects in the county’s history, the construction of a $90 million ethanol plant in Medina in 2007.
“That was huge,” Lewis said. “Watching that was just incredible.”
The plant uses about 20 million bushels of corn annually to produce about 55 million gallons of ethanol. It has a big ripple effect in the agricultural industry, giving farmers an insatiable buyer for corn locally. Many farmers have invested in new grain storage facilities and improved land since the ethanol plant opened.
The EDA has worked with many developers and companies with projects in the county in recent years. It also has kept up a commitment for a small business program, providing businesses with training and low-interest loans.
The agency has worked with some larger companies to access state grants and loans, and also to get a discount on property taxes.
“We need to do whatever we can to create employment,” Lewis said. “I think we’re doing the best we can.”
The agency will soon have a new chairman. It also is looking to fill one vacancy.
Orleans County legislators George Bower and Ken Rush were the legislative representatives on the board, but both didn’t seek re-election in November.
They have been replaced on the EDA board with new legislators, John DeFilipps of Clarendon and Ken DeRoller of Kendall. DeRoller was already on the board as an at-large member. That spot is now vacant. The Legislature will appoint someone to fill that spot.
MEDINA – The Medina Historical Society will hold its annual “Show and Tell” meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, 620 West Ave.
Members and non-members are invited to bring along their treasures from the past to share at this popular program.
There are no rigid criteria. Items pertaining to Medina history are of special interest, but all older items will be welcome. Items shared at the 2013 meeting included matchbooks from local businesses, an ornate pocket watch from Hurd’s Jewelers, a metal pin curler for hair, an ash tray made at Tucker’s, and a rock proof fender protector, to name but a few.
“This is such a fun evening,” said Reinhard Rogowski, board president. “There are surprises every year and always a few mystery items.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans Economic Development Agency is working for certified shovel ready status for the Medina Business Park on Bates Road.
MEDINA – National Grid will pay $45,000 towards advancing two sites in the Medina area, making them “certified shovel ready” for businesses looking to build in Orleans County.
The grant from National Grid is planned to go towards engineering, borings, wetlands identification and other permitting issues for the Medina Business Park and a 120-acre cow pasture on Route 31A.
“We’re going to cut down the time to put the shovel in the ground,” said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The cow pasture is used by the Keppeler family. The land will give the Orleans EDA perhaps the largest site of certified shovel ready property in Western New York, EDA officials said Friday.
The Medina Business Park has 65 acres on Bates Road. Both sites have water and sewer access, and they fall within the eligibility zone for cheap hydropower electricity through the Niagara Power Project.
National Grid approved a matching grant to clear hurdles that sometimes slow down the permitting and development process.
“We’re taking it to the highest level we can take it,” Barone said about the certified shovel ready status.
Medina and Shelby have both committed $20,000 towards the costs of obtaining shovel ready status. The EDA has agreed to spend $4,367.75 from the Orleans Land Restoration Corporation.
To reach “shovel ready” status, the sites need nearly $90,000 of services, including boundary, topographical and survey work ($26,010); geotechnical information ($16,000); concept plans and traffic study ($15,000); State Historic Preservation Office application ($1,500); environmental impact report ($3,500); meetings and coordination with Empire State Development ($15,000) and an application to Empire State Development for “shovel ready” status for the site ($7,500). The costs also include a 5 percent contingency for $4,225.50.
