By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Astorino will visit sites in Holley and Medina on Thursday
The Republican candidate for governor will make three stops in Orleans County on Thursday.
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino will first be at Precision Packaging Products in Holley at 2 p.m. for a tour of the manufacturing plant. He is scheduled to tour Western New York Energy’s ethanol plant in Medina at 3 p.m. He will then go to tour the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina at 3:45 p.m.
Astorino was endorsed by Republicans last week to challenge incumbent Andrew Cuomo as governor.
A poll released today shows Cuomo has a commanding lead over Astorino, 57 to 28 percent. Cuomo today announced former Congresswoman Kathy Hochul was his choice for his running mate for lieutenant governor. Hochul represented a district that included Orleans County.
Astorino will spend nearly the entire day in Western New York on Thursday with an 8 a.m. meeting with Rochester area business leaders at the Rochester Business Alliance. After visiting three locations in Orleans County, he will be in Niagara Falls for dinner with the Niagara County Republican Party.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Claudia Dreschel, a freshman from Holley, shows sixth-graders a heritage sheep, a Navajo Churro, as part of the 46th annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days today at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville.
About 500 sixth-graders from the Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina school districts attended the conservation event on Tuesday and today.
Kim Hazel from the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension and master gardener Michael Klepp tell students about composting. It was one of 13 conservation stations.
Tom Hicks, a salesman for Bentley Brothers in Albion, tells students about a four-tiered engine, which has less emissions and is better for the environment.
Dennis Kirby, district manager for the Soil and Water Conservation District, talks about soil health and erosion control.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Several candidates running for Holley Village Board
HOLLEY – Skip Carpenter, a former Holley mayor and current village trustee, is challenging John Kenney, the incumbent, in the June 17 village election.
Carpenter is running under the Independent Party and Kenney is on the ballot under the Family Party.
The race for a two-year term as mayor highlights the election, but there are also five candidates seeking two trustee positions. The incumbents – David Dill under Citizens Party and Don Penna under Justice Party – face challengers Connie Nenni (Peoples Party), Kevin Lynch (Happy Party) and Shawn O’Mara (Taxpayer Party).
The election will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Office, 72 Public Square.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
Farmers are a few weeks behind the planting season due to a wet spring. An operator at Root Brothers Farm gets the ground ready this morning at the corner of Long Bridge Road and Route 31 in the town of Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Albion students and their physical education teacher Jay Kovaleski (in green) were out in kayaks on the canal at about 11:30 this morning. These photos were taken as they headed east between the Main Street and Gaines Road sections of the canal.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Village officials say bridge demo, blocked-off street likely outcome for Clarendon Street
Photo by Tom Rivers – Rich Perrin (right), executive director of the Genesee Transportation Council, meets with Albion and state Department of Transportation officials this afternoon at Village Hall to discuss the Clarendon Street bridge. Perrin confirmed there wouldn’t be additional state or federal dollars to help with escalating costs of the project.
ALBION – The village of Albion won’t be getting an increase in state or federal dollars to help with the escalating costs of the Clarendon Street bridge replacement, village officials were told this afternoon by Rich Perrin, executive director of the Genesee Transportation Council.
The dollars simply aren’t there, and if there was more money it would go to projects in the region with higher traffic volumes than the Clarendon bridge, which sees 1,600 vehicles a day, Perrin said.
The village was told last week that costs were up nearly $600,000 from what was budgeted for the project, and that increase would have to be paid for with local dollars. The $2 million project was supposed to be an 80 percent share federally, 15 percent share by the state and 5 percent by the village.
But now the village cost could be as high as $775,000 rather than $200,000 in what the village saw as a worst-case scenario.
The local burden has prompted Mayor Dean London and the majority of the board to look at canceling the bridge replacement and demolishing the bridge. The section of the street by the railroad tracks would be blocked off in that scenario.
That would be far cheaper than building a new bridge. State and federal dollars would more than cover those reduced costs, Perrin and DOT officials said this afternoon.
One village trustee, Stan Farone, doesn’t want to see a torn down bridge and closed off street.
“We’re trying to build up our village,” he said at an afternoon meeting today with Perrin and DOT officials. “We’re trying to make our village look presentable.”
Farone said Clarendon Street is an important artery in the village, especially for morning and afternoon school traffic. The street also runs along Bullard Park, which the village wants to see upgraded with new playground equipment. He worries about a blocked off street that would be turn unsightly at the endpoints by the railroad tracks.
“We want to bring people to the village not make it a dump,” Farone said.
The village is working with Bergmann Associates to have a rendering of how the blocked off section could look. The village would like to have that ready by a 7 p.m. meeting June 11 at Village Hall.
The community, including the school district, should weigh in on the impacts of blocking off the street. Perrin said it will create a 2/3 mile detour to McKinistry Street. With 1,600 vehicles each day that is about 1,000 extra miles daily for Albion drivers due to the detour, he said.
The village has been working on the Clarendon Street bridge replacement since 1999. That’s when the project was first on the GTC radar. Money was appropriated for the project but it didn’t get done within the 10-year window established for the projects.
The village reapplied and was awarded the funding again in 2010. But construction, which was set for this fall, now is in limbo. Village officials either need to forge ahead with construction or a demolition, said Rick Papaj, local projects unit supervisor for the DOT.
There can’t be more delays or else Albion could lose the $1.3 million set aside in state and federal money for the project, he said. The DOT and GTC want the village to pick a plan by August.
Perrin said he sympathizes with the village. Sometimes the budgeted amount is approved and then the costs jump for projects that are years in the making. The state and federal government haven’t allocated additional funding to help with those increases, he said.
He expects to see more closed off or demolished bridges due to dwindling funds.
“We’re dealing with a managed decline,” he said about the region’s infrastructure. “Bridges are being posted or closed on a regular basis. Eventually you can’t Band Aid major wounds.”
The DOT faulted the village for a series of delays with the project. The village in 1999 said it intended to have a new bridge built, but then looked at taking the bridge out and establishing an at-grade crossing at the railroad tracks.
The village abandoned that when it was told it would have to remove two other at-grade crossings in the village. It also previously looked at removing the bridge and blocking off the street.
Papaj, however, said the village was in an unusual spot. Most bridges the size of Clarendon Street are owned by counties, which are accustomed to the process of working with the DOT and GTC to move the projects along. Counties also have more cash flow to handle the financial demands of the projects.
Bigger municipalities also have a full-time manager or engineer that can keep the projects moving forward, Papaj said.
Village trustees Eileen Banker and Gary Katsanis said the village needs to move on the demolition, or risk losing the federal and state dollars. They both said the local share – at nearly $1 million – is too much for the village.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 May 2014 at 12:00 am
POINT BREEZE – There will be two formal dedication ceremonies this week declaring Route 98 in Orleans and Genesee counties as the “Genesee/Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway.”
The ceremony in Orleans County will be 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Point Breeze Exit off Lake Ontario State Parkway.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. George Maziarz are scheduled to attend the dedication ceremony, which is open to the public.
“In memory of the soldiers who gave their lives to defend our freedoms, we are dedicating the Genesee/Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway,” Hawley said. “As we enter Memorial Day weekend, I hope that people will take time to reflect on the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers and commit their lives to the service of their neighbors. This is how we can truly honor their memory.”
Genesee County will have a dedication ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Friday in Attica at the Genesee-Wyoming County line on Route 98 at 11281 Alexander Rd.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Albion woman built company with 650 employees
Jodi Gaines
Every year the Boy Scouts of America Iroquois Trail Council honors a “distinguished citizen” from each of the five counties that are included in the Council. This year the Council’s Orleans County honoree is an Albion woman who has built a company that employs about 650 people locally.
Jodi Gaines, the CEO of Claims Recovery Financial Services, will be recognized during the BoyPower dinner Wednesday at Genesee Community College.
CRFS has been in expansion mode in recent years. Earlier this year the company moved into the former JP Morgan Chase site on East Avenue in Albion. Gaines started Claims Recovery Financial Services from her kitchen about a decade ago.
The company has become the leader in its industry, helping banks and investors recoup money when a home is foreclosed. Gaines and her 650 employees are committed to knowing the industry regulations in all 50 states and meeting all deadlines for clients.
CRFS employees work with attorneys, county clerks, utility companies and investors from all over the country. CRFS works to recover past-due interest, unpaid principal, unpaid taxes and unpaid insurance on houses.
Other distinguished citizens at the BoyPower dinner will include William Hayes from Genesee, Craig Bolesky from Livingston, Peter Robinson from Niagara, and James Rutowski.
The keynote speaker for the 39th Annual Boypower Dinner will be the Honorable Jeremiah Moriaty, NYS Supreme Court Justice and an Eagle Scout.
There are about 3,000 Scouts in the five-county Council. For more information about the Council, click here.
They are told community is rooting for their success
Photos by Sue Cook – Lydia Erakare’s father Jan-Mikael Erakare places her honor cords around her neck during the Academic Honors Convocation Dinner at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
The Albion Class of 2014 Academic Honors Students pose for a picture at Hickory Ridge.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
HOLLEY – Six years ago the Albion School District decided it was time to honor more than the top ten of the graduating class at an annual honors convocation dinner.
The school began to recognize all students with a cumulative average grade of 90 percent or higher throughout their four years of high school. Last night, 35 students were honored at the school’s convocation dinner.
“I think it’s just a great night to recognize those kids who really have over the last four years achieved remarkable success in their coursework,” said Albion School Superintendent Michael Bonnewell. “We recognize a lot of things throughout the year, but tonight really is about our main purpose: academic achievement.”
Albion alum Marsha Rivers was invited as guest speaker for the event. Rivers was example to the students of what success looks like through her career and volunteer efforts. She is currently the Development Director of Hospice of Orleans and serves on various local committees. (Note: Marsha Rivers is also the wife of OrleansHub.com Editor Tom Rivers.)
Marsha Rivers addresses the crowd at the convocation dinner. She is joined at the podium by Gary Simboli, Julie Sanford (in honor of her mother-in-law Elma Sanford), Betty Sue Miller, Linda Kerr, and Karen and Ron Sodoma.
Each person on the stage influenced Rivers. She told a story about teachers and how they can deeply affect your life in big and small ways. They taught her positivity, the blessing of friendship, taking care of one another, using mind over matter, determination, honesty and many more traits that she would use throughout her life.
“You also have what the scriptures call a ‘cloud of witnesses,’ people who have gone before you who have helped you learn and grow, people who care deeply about your success in life. These people, your family, your friends, your community, including some people you have never met, we care about your well-being and are rooting for you,” Rivers told the students.
She explained why she makes an effort to be so giving to others through volunteer work and other ventures in the community. “Others have invested in me, so I want to do my part to help others. No matter what you end up doing for work, people will be what matter most.”
Joshua Raymond accepts a state citation from Eileen Banker, who is the chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. Others in the receiving line to offer congratulations include, from left: Raymond’s mother Holly, Superintendent Michael Bonnewell, and High School Principal Leslie Strauss.
Abigail Squicciarini was at the event with her mother and godfather. When asked why she had pushed herself to succeed in school, Abigail said her mother inspired it in her.
“My mom is a teacher. Just seeing how hard she works with her students makes me want to make her proud and go to college and have a good life,” Abigail said.
Abigail’s mother, Dawn, was a 4th-grade Special Education teacher for 20 years and is now an 8th-grade Special Ed teacher. Dawn said, “Everything Abby does, she does top notch to the best of her ability. She’s amazing. I’m not surprised about this.”
Her godfather, Charles Palella added, “Could not be more proud of her. She’s become such an intelligent, big-hearted, athletic, beautiful lady.”
Chloe Christofaro walks the stage shaking hands with members of the Board of Education. Members of the board who were present for the ceremony include, from left: Brenda McQuillan, Margy Brown, Dean Dibley, David Sidari, Linda Weller, Kevin Doherty and Marlene Seielstad. Chloe plans to attend SUNY Brockport for Biology.
Kali Benjovski said, “It’s been my goal since I was little to be in the top 10.” She said she knew she wanted that since middle school. She believes she is eighth on the school’s top 10 list.
Kali was seated with Kelsey Schmitt. The girls’ mothers, Brenda Benjovsky and Cathy Schmitt, spoke highly together of the girls and their accomplishments.
The class of 2014 students to achieve academic honors: Carley Adamo, Elizabeth Banty, Connor Barleben, Kali Benjovsky, Brooke Chandler, Chloe Christofaro, Julissa Curcie, Mitchell De Smit, Bradlee Driesel, Lydia Erakare, Sabrina Finzer, Samantha Gramlich, Jordan Grimble, Ryan Haight, Tierra Hastings, Emily Joslyn, Robert June, Benjamin Kirby, Nicholas McMullen, Zachary McMullen, Kourtni Mietlicki, Sierra Morgan, Kenda Morrison, Alise Pangrazio, Joshua Raymond, Kelsey Schmitt, Becca Sills, Amber Smarpat, Martha Smith, Abigail Squicciarini, Steven Stauss, Jonathan Trembley, Johnathan Warne, Shannan Wells and Brett Zicari.
