Elizabeth Carpenter took this picture of the “blood moon” at 7:06 a.m. in Lyndonville today.
This morning there was a total lunar eclipse when the Earth was positioned between the sun and the moon. That full lunar eclipse has been called a “blood moon” because of the reddish glow.
Photo by Tom Rivers
About 12 hours later, the moon was a bright white. This picture was taken with the flag in the foreground outside Brunner International in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 12:00 am
6 new bridges tops the infrastructure list
Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County officials want to see fewer road closed signs in the county. This sign is out while the Village of Medina rebuilds a section of Horan Road.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature approved an $8 million bond today so the county can get to work on replacing bridges, culverts, roofs and other infrastructure work.
The bond will provide $4,963,000 to replace six bridges from 2015 to 2017. The county is moving forward with the projects after getting little state and federal dollars for bridges. Another state and federal funding cycle doesn’t come up until 2017.
If the county waits until they to again seek funding, some of the bridges may be closed. The bridge funds tend to go to projects with high-volume counts, making it unlikely the rural county could rely on state and federal money for its infrastructure needs.
“Failure to act on our part will result in further deterioration of our infrastructure assets and unnecessary closures of county-owned roads and bridges,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.
The county has identified six bridges for replacement, starting with two in 2015: a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton, and a bridge from 1968 in Barre over Manning Muckland Creek on Oak Orchard Road.
Other bridges to follow include one from 1959 in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.
Callard said that plan could be altered if a different bridge is “red flagged” by the state and closed.
The county also plans to replace six culverts for $1,500,000. Those culverts are identified as two on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway, two on Platten Road in Yates, and two on South Holley Road in Clarendon.
The infrastructure investment plan also includes $1,540,000 in work at county buildings, including two new pole barns. Those 60-by-150 foot barns are estimated to cost $230,000 each. One would be used by the highway department and the other by emergency management.
The county also wants to replace the roofs on the County Administration Building and the Public Safety Building, with each at an estimated $510,000.
The remaining project includes a generator for the mental health building for $60,000. That generator will service a new hub for county information technology infrastructure, Callard said.
The bond is expected to cost the county a little over $400,000 annually for the next 20 years. The borrowing terms will be worked out in the coming months. Interest rates have been at about 2 percent, noted Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.
“That’s another factor: the money is so cheap right now,” he said.
The county doesn’t anticipate higher taxes because of the bond because it will be done paying off the debt for the Public Safety Building’s original construction next year, the final $160,000 payment. The county also is to receive $268,000 annually as part of a state gambling compact. The first partial payment arrived this year.
The gambling funds and the relief from the Public Safety Building debt should cover the new borrowing costs for the projects, making the work cost neutral on the county budget, Nesbitt said.
The 1911 Orleans County Directory lists the Hippodrome Theatre at 33 East Bank St. in Albion.
It was established by Louis Smith in 1906 as the first motion theater in Albion. Note his name on the top of the building in the upper left corner of the photo.
Smith is also listed as living over 29 East Bank St. at the time. The 1911 directory also lists Martin Britton as running a saloon at 35 East Bank St. His name appears on the window of the adjacent storefront. A sign in that window advertises: “American Brew Co Vienna Cabinet on Draught Here.”
Admission to the movie was 5 cents and I expect a draft beer was the same.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 9:02 pm
CARLTON – About 700 residents in Carlton were without public water today after a pipe burst this morning, forcing a shutdown in the water lines so an emergency repair could be made.
The water should be back on around 9:30 p.m. and Carlton residents are being advised to boil their water the next two days, said David Krull, the town highway and water superintendent.
A hole in the main 16-inch transmission line emerged around 9:30 this morning in a spot between Brown’s Berry Patch and the Route 18 bridge. The transmission line is owned by the Village of Albion, which provides water for the town customers.
Village of Albion and Town of Carlton crews worked about 12 hours to fix the problem. Krull said the transmission line is a concrete pipe with a steel liner. Some of the concrete had chipped away, and a hole burst in the steel liner.
The town and village had to shut off water so it could weld a patch on the transmission line. Krull said crews were back filling the spot around 9 tonight and he expected the water to be back on soon after that.
The boil water advisory was issued by the Orleans County Health Department and Krull said it will likely be in effect until about 9 p.m. on Thursday.
KNOWLESVILLE – The Lake Ontario counties of Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, the town of Greece and the city of Oswego are jointly undertaking an update and expansion of the Lake Ontario Regional Harbor Dredging Management Plan completed in 2000.
Two Public Meetings will be held, in Orleans and Wayne counties, to review findings and receive public feedback.
The meeting in Orleans County will be 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the Orleans County Cooperative Extension Education Center, 12690 State Rt. 31 (4-H Fairgrounds).
The Wayne County public meeting will be held in November on a date to be announced.
This is the second and final round of public meetings before completion of the Dredging Plan. The Project Advisory Committee and its consultant will present economic impacts of business activity generated at 20 federal and non-federal harbors on Lake Ontario, review their existing conditions and need for dredging, and outline the organizational structure and long-term financing alternatives for plan implementation. A Question & Answer Session will follow.
Safe navigation through our recreational harbor channels provides access to public property, fishing resources and many other water dependent recreational opportunities. These channels also provide safe harbors for regional and international tourists.
Unfortunately, federal funding for maintenance dredging of shallow draft recreational channels has been severely limited, leaving some channels with restricted access. This Regional Plan will serve as a blueprint for efficient and sustainable maintenance of the harbors that are the lifeblood of our coastal communities and businesses.
This project is funded in part by an Environmental Protection Fund grant from the New York State Department of State.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion FFA is partnering with a local farm, Panek’s Pumpkin Pile, to sell pink pumpkins for the first time. The FFA planted the pumpkins last spring at the district’s land lab. The pumpkins are for sale at $8 each with $5 going to the American Cancer Society.
Kerry Panek, owner of the Pumpkin Pile, is pictured with FFA President Sara Millspaugh, center, and FFA member Logan London at Panek’s, 13420 West County House Rd.
Panek’s will be selling the pink pumpkins. The FFA also will have them for sale on Wednesday and Thursday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at ag shop by the high school.
Proceeds from the sale will be presented to the Cancer Society during the Oct. 26 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms.
The FFA grew the pumpkins with a specialty seed. They are also selling giant pumpkins 80 pounds and heavier, apple cider and mums.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Colin Cousins, Emily Dill won fire prevention contest
Photos by Tom Rivers
As the fire truck turned off Main Street and headed down Housel Avenue to Lyndonville Central School this morning, firefighters sounded the horn.
Ashton Lang meets first-graders in Mary Ann Kelly’s class.
LYNDONVILLE – Two first graders, Colin Cousins and Emily Dill, have big smiles after riding a Lyndonville fire truck to school this morning with firefighters Ashton Lang, left, and Larry Lonigan.
Colin and Emily are the winners of a fire prevention contest for the first grade. For the first time ever, the Lyndonville Fire Department gave children a ride to school.
“We thought it was an opportunity to get the kids excited,” said firefighter Ashton Lang.
First-graders are studying fire safety. They were encouraged to design a fire escape plan with their parents and practice the plan. Students who completed the assignment were eligible for the ride on the fire truck. The firefighters drew two names to determine who would ride the fire truck.
Lang and Lonigan pulled up at each student’s house this morning and drove them to the school.
Colin and Emily wore red firefighter helmets made of plastic. They hooked their back packs on the truck where firefighters put their gear.
“He’s very excited,” said Kelly Cousins, Colin’s mother. “He called all of his grandparents and aunts and uncles.”
Two classes of first-graders waited with a sense of awe by the sidewalk in front of the school. The fire truck pulled up and two first-graders hopped out.
All of the first-graders will be at the fire hall around noon to tour the fire trucks, see a hose line, hear the pagers go off and learn more about fire prevention.
The Fire Department wanted to give the kids a ride on the truck after hearing about that incentive provided by the North Greece Fire District. Pete Sidari of Albion is the fire safety officer for North Greece. He helped Lyndonville develop the protocol for this morning’s ride, which needed permission from the Village Board.
Lang said the department will talk about expanding the effort next year, perhaps giving more kids rides from other grade levels.
“They were both super excited when we rolled up,” he said.
Contributed Story Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
ALBION – Albion capped off Homecoming Week by crowning royalty on Friday during a pep rally. The following were picked as the most spirited members of their class, from left: Garrett Derisley, lord; Natalie DiCureia, lady (freshmen); Kirsten Wroblewski, duchess; Sam Slick, duke (sophomores); Caitlin Malonowski, princess; Nate Trembley, prince (juniors); and Justice Nauden, queen; and Drake Arnold, King (seniors).
The senior class decorated this car and captured the title as most spirited class. About 60 seniors painted the car Thursday night at the home of Aaron Burnside, the class president. The car is a Ford Taurus donated by Frank Strasburger, owner of Frank’s Auto in Albion.
Historic burial grounds picked for ‘Five to Revive’
Photo by Richard Margolis/Landmark Society – Hillside Cemetery includes a chapel built in 1894 that is in need of repairs.
ROCHESTER – A historic cemetery in the Town of Clarendon has been identified as one of five preservation priorities for the Greater Rochester region.
The Landmark Society of Western New York today announced Hillside Cemetery and four other sites were included in the 2014 “Five to Revive” – a list of historic sites it has determined to be in need of targeted revitalization. The announcement was made at the Landmark Society headquarters on Fitzhugh Street in Rochester. The list includes:
Auditorium Theater, Rochester
Designated Buildings of Historic Value, Rochester
Erie Canal Warehouse, Village of Brockport
Hillside Cemetery and Chapel, Town of Clarendon
Former Trinity Episcopal Church, Town of Seneca Falls
“The preservation efforts of The Landmark Society of Western New York continue to be focused on community revitalization,” said Wayne Goodman, executive director. “This is the second year we are announcing a Five to Revive list to call attention to key properties in Western New York that are in need of investment. We can’t stress enough that these are significant historic properties whose rehabilitations can become catalytic projects for the neighborhoods and communities that surround them.
This is the second year a Holley site was picked for the list. Last year’s debut “Five to Revive” included the old Holley High School.
The Five to Revive initiative is chaired by Tom Castelein, Vice-President of Preservation on The Landmark Society Board.
“Our inaugural 2013 list of properties are moving closer to the goal of contributing to economic revitalization in their communities,” Castelein said.
The effort continues to enhance the organization’s ongoing efforts to support revitalization in WNY.
“Preservation is revitalization,” Goodman said. “Preservation creates local jobs, stimulates investment, increases tax revenues and builds sustainable communities. When residents, communities and those in local and state governments work together the possibilities are limitless.”
Here is what the Landmark Society said about Hillside Cemetery:
Hillside Cemetery and Chapel
NYS Route 237 and South Holley Road
Town of Clarendon, Orleans County
Located just outside the village of Holley, Hillside Cemetery is an active town cemetery established in 1866 and developed between 1866 and 1938. Encompassing approximately 30 acres, the cemetery is a significant example of two periods of cemetery design. Built in 1894, the elegant Gothic Revival Chapel is prominently located near the entrance to the cemetery on the west side of South Holley Road and is a primary feature of the cemetery. The Chapel has been vacant and largely unused since the 1960s. Both the designed landscape of the Cemetery and the Chapel suffer from deferred maintenance and lack of funds.
Why Selected:
The Hillside Cemetery and Chapel are important examples of historic landscape architecture and building architecture in Orleans County. They are highly visible resources at the southern gateway into the village of Holley. With such historic and architectural significance, the Hillside Cemetery and Chapel could, with proper funding and maintenance, serve as attractive assets in the Clarendon and Holley communities.
For more information on the Landmark Society, click here.
Contributed Story Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided Photo
ORCHARD PARK – The Orchard Park High School hosted the Cavalcade of Bands on Saturday, where nine bands performed. Medina was the only SS1 participant and scored 81.85.
There are two more shows before – Oct. 11 at Victor and Oct. 18 at Webster – before the championships on Oct. 26 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse starting at 8 a.m. The SS1 Class will start at 6:46 p.m. with Medina performing at 7:12 p.m.
