By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2013 at 7:55 pm
Garage and contents melt from blaze on 104
Photos by Tom Rivers – Albion firefighter Jared Thomson hoses down the smoky ruins of a garage on Ridge Road in the town of Gaines. (Thomson is wearing Brandon Zwifka’s turnout gear.)
GAINES – The garage is a total loss, with tools, four-wheelers and a tractor all destroyed from a blaze late this afternoon.
The fire melted some of the shingles off the house at 13113 Ridge Rd. The flames could have spread.
“When you have a chance to save the house or save the garage, you save the house,” said Paul Wagner, the Orleans County emergency management coordinator.
Fire officials said there didn’t appear to be any interior damage to the home owned by Glenn Woody. But his garage was gone.
The house is located near Allens Bridge Road. Firefighters responded from Albion, Barre, Carlton, Lyndonville and Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2013 at 12:00 am
District also proposes $25 million capital project
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Kendall Junior-Senior High School is eyed for most of the $25 million in a capital project that goes before voters on May 21.
KENDALL – Districts residents would see their school taxes plunge and the district campus would get a vast overhaul as part of initiatives that will go before voters May 21.
The Board of Education has approved a 2013-14 budget that would slash taxes by $1 million, a drop from $5.6 million to $4.6 million. The average tax rate would fall from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The district is shedding about $500,000 annually with a paid-off bond and another $115,000 annually with a bus loan payment. Kendall also will see several students with disabilities, who were educated at costly facilities outside the district, move into other communities. Those factors, plus a $553,000 increase in state aid, are allowing Kendall to drastically cut taxes.
“We wanted to give it back to the people,” Nadine Hanlon, the Board of Education president, said about the tax cut. “We know the circumstances people are facing with increased costs and high unemployment.”
Kendall plans to add an elementary teacher, and at least another teacher to help students meet and surpass more stringent state standards. The board also wants to increase the Building and Grounds staff while the district begins work on the capital project.
Julie Christensen, the district superintendent, said the reduced taxes and revamped schools will make the district even more attractive.
“Hopefully people will want to move here to see what a great place this is,” she said.
Kendall’s overall budget dropped more than $2 million from $16,390,153 in 2012-13 to a proposed $14,051,383. Hanlon said the district has made many staffing changes in recent years to increase efficiency. Kendall also has reserve funds to protect the district from financial swings in the future.
“We figured it would be good to cut the taxes, and we have a long-term plan to keep them stable,” Hanlon said.
Residents won’t see their taxes go up with the capital project, Christensen said. The state would pay 90 percent of the cost. Kendall already has raised its local share through a capital reserve fund.
The project includes new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures. Both sites will also see improvements to parking lots and sidewalks. The classrooms in the junior-senior high school also will be redesigned and upgraded.
There will be a forum on the project 7 p.m. April 30 in the junior-senior high school commons.
The May 21 vote will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the elementary school.
A century ago, Hulberton was home to many quarries and hundreds of immigrant stonecutters and quarry workers. Holley Historian Marsha DeFilipps shared this photograph of a crew. We welcome more “vintage” images from the county. Please send them to tom@orleanshub.com or drop them off at 170 North Main St., Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Chris Walton, a recruiting assistant for Adecco in Batavia, talks with Tristian Curtiss, an Albion resident who is looking for a job. About 40 companies and agencies are at a job fair today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the American Legion in Albion.
ALBION – Orleans County may have a high unemployment rate, 11.2 percent in February, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs available in the county.
About 40 companies and agencies are at a job fair in Albion today. Almost every one is hiring.
Worthington Corporation, which bought Bernz-O-Matic in Medina two years ago, is looking to fill 10 permanent jobs and 10 more seasonal positions in June. The jobs involve small assembly work for a company that makes propane torches.
“We’re looking for someone who comes to work everyday,” said Susan Koleszar, human resources manager for the company with 171 workers in Medina. “You need to be at work on time and be available for some overtime.”
Adecco in Batavia is working with several businesses to fill positions. The hiring agency just filled 15 jobs for Darien Lake – landscaping positions to get the theme park ready for a new season.
Adecco works with Perry’s Ice Cream in Akron, Freeze Dry in Albion and other local manufacturers.
“There are jobs out there,” said Sarah Levanduski-Surdel, a recruiter for Adecco.
She said people need to apply for jobs, and then follow-up with phone calls.
“You have to do your due diligence,” she said at the job fair at the American Legion on South Main Street.
Tristian Curtiss, 18, of Albion applied for 10 jobs recently but hasn’t heard back. She said she would reach out to those places with phone calls. She is willing to work two to three part-time jobs. Adecco representatives urged her to keep trying.
Carol Miller, director of the Job Development Agency in Orleans County, said job-hunters may need to lower their expectations if they are unemployed.
“If you’re willing to work there are jobs out there,” she said. “It may not be the job you want, but it’s a job. Once you’re employed, you’re employable. People would rather hire someone who has a job.”
Right now there is a push for seasonal positions, and some companies are filling other permanent slots. Miller said there are job opportunities throughout the year.
“All employers are always looking for good employees,” she said.
Vince Iorio, the senior employment specialist with Career Ventures, expects at least 300 people for the job fair, which is now in its eighth year and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. He works with The Arc of Orleans County, trying to connect people with disabilities to employers.
The job fair is open to the entire community.
“It’s a win-win for everybody,” he said. “The employers and job seekers get to connect. The job seekers connect with a human being, rather than filling out an application over the Internet.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:05 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – A chimney fire at this house Fancher Road spread into the eaves and bedroom, causing significant smoke and water damage. Firefighters had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.
MURRAY – About 50 firefighters from several fire companies responded to a fire on Tuesday night at 3504 Fancher Rd.
The fire began in the chimney and spread into the eaves and a bedroom, fire officials said. Chris Pitt, owner of the house, said the fire started about 10 p.m. Firefighters from several departments quickly descended on the site in the town of Murray and had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.
Pitt said the house and belongings inside “are just material things. Everybody is OK.”
He praised the firefighters who answered the call from Albion, Carlton, Clarendon, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Kendall and Morton fire departments.
“I can’t believe all these volunteers that turned out so quickly to save my house,” he said.
The fire filled the neighborhood with smoke late Tuesday night on Fancher Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The state Department of Transportation will meet with the Albion community on April 24 to discuss plans to replace the Clarendon Street bridge.
ALBION – State Department of Transportation officials will update the community next week on plans to replace the Clarendon Street bridge.
The 6 p.m. meeting on April 24 will be at the village office, 35-37 East Bank St. Village officials and the DOT have been discussing the bridge replacement for about a decade. The Village Board voted, 3-2, in January to move ahead with the project.
The project is an estimated at $2 million. The federal government is expected to pay 80 percent, with the state 15 percent and the village the remaining 5 percent. However, the village has to front all the money and wait to be reimbursed.
The 40-year-old bridge was built over the railroad tracks on the Falls Road Railroad, which runs from Lockport to Brockport.
The new bridge will be higher than the current one, which will require longer approaches and some property acquisition. DOT officials are expected to talk about the land acquisition process as well as the design for the new span.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
A group of runners and walkers head up Route 98 near Watt Farms Country Market on Wednesday, two days after bombs killed three people in Boston and wounded nearly 200 others.
About 30 runners and walkers gathered for a 2.62-mile trek tonight along Route 98 in Gaines between the Five Corners and just south of Route 104, where the state Department of Transportation has closed the road due to a culvert project.
Jack Burris of Albion organized the “Boston Marathon HOPE Run/Walk,” which was exactly one-tenth of the marathon distance.
Tabitha Sauls of Albion was among the group that laced up her sneakers. She and five of her friends decorated fluorescent pink shirts in memory of the victims at the Boston Marathon bombing. And then they walked up 98 and back.
“I’m thinking of the people who lost loved ones,” she said. “I’ve suffered a loss. I know exactly how they feel.”
Two participants, Jerome and Teresa Pawlak, bottom, have a son, Kevin, who finished the Boston Marathon on Monday. Mr. Pawlak attended the race to watch his son, who crossed the finish line about two hours before the bombs went off.
Cleanup crews will be working this Saturday to collect brush and garbage along the canal in Albion and Medina. The effort is part of the 8th annual “Canal Clean Sweep.”
In Medina, the Sons of the American Legion is hosting the project. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Legion at 9 a.m. They will start picking up debris along the Towpath going towards Bates Road. For more information, contact the Legion at 798-0318.
Volunteers also will meet in Albion at the firehall beginning at 9 a.m. They will pick up litter, brush and debris on the south side of the canal between Gaines Basin Road boat launch and the Brown Street bridge. The Albion Main Street Alliance is sponsoring the event. For more information, contact Lisa Stratton at 590-7987 or at slb14411@yahoo.com.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring along a rake and some work gloves.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Budget restores modified sports, 2 positions
MEDINA – The Board of Education approved a $33,805,130 budget for 2013-14 that won’t raise school taxes and will restore some staff and modified sports.
Medina two years ago slashed 30 positions and eliminated many extracurricular activities. The district responded to a state aid cut of about $2 million for 2011-12.
The district is in better shape this budget. It will keep the tax levy at $9,135,636. The overall budget increases spending by $377,200. Teacher and staff benefit costs – health insurance, contributions to the retirement system, worker’s compensation – are up $640,428 to $8,107,706.
A $414,255 state aid increase will help pay for the rising expenses. Medina also is budgeting for a $150,709 reduction in transportation costs. The district this school year shifted to a combined morning and afternoon bus run. That has saved 75,000 miles on the bus fleet. However, the district purchased three buses because of the single bus runs for 2012-13. Next year, the district won’t have to add buses outside of its regular replacement schedule.
Medina also will see a $137,309 drop in debt service payments.
The Board of Education has talked about bringing back programs since the cuts two years ago. Modified sports for students in junior high will return next school year at a $35,500 cost.
“We’ve maintained our programs and added back modified sports, which I think is important,” said BOE President Carol Heiligenthaler.
The district also is bringing back a curriculum director, and will add a network specialist to focus on the school’s technology needs.
“This budget is fiscally sound while at the same time increasing opportunities for students,” Jeff Evoy, the district superintendent, said at Tuesday’s BOE meeting. “We have to remember we are here for our students.”
District residents can comment on the budget during a 6:30 p.m. public hearing May 7 at the district office. Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. on May 21 at the district office.
Voters will also decide whether Medina can spend $200,000 to purchase one 66-passenger bus and two 30-passenger buses.
Another proposition would establish a capital reserve account for up to $2.5 million. School officials said they want to modify an existing reserve fund to allow for more money to be set aside. The district plans to use surplus funds at the end of fiscal years to put in the account.
Four seats on the Board of Education also will be up for election. The terms for Virginia Nicholson, Wendy Pencille, John McCarthy and Susan Squires are all expiring. The deadline to submit petitions to run for the BOE is 5 p.m. April 22.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The praise team at the Free Methodist Church in Albion leads the congregation in singing today at the remodelled sanctuary, which includes a platform and two projectors from the ceiling.
ALBION – After holding church services the previous two Sundays at the Hoag Library, the Albion Free Methodist congregation returned home today following extensive remodeling in the sanctuary.
The pews were removed from the church following a service on Oct. 27. The carpet was ripped out. The sanctuary was repainted, new carpet was put down and 220 cushioned seats were added by today.
The sanctuary also changed from facing the east wall to facing north. A platform was built, and a sound booth was created out of a former closet.
The Rev. Randy LeBaron preaches today in the Albion church after the Free Methodists had church the previous two weeks at the Hoag Library. LeBaron led the church in a dedication service for the redone sanctuary.
The church made the changes after the previous setup became crowded. By shifting to the layout and adding individual chairs, rather than pews, the church was able to boost capacity by about 50 people.
Church members did about 90 percent of the work of the remodeling themselves.
The Albion church is historic. It’s the first one in a denomination that has grown to more than 1,000 churches in the United States since its original in Albion more than 150 years ago.
The Free Methodists in Albion have worked on the building over the years, including putting on an addition about 30 years ago.
The Rev. Randy LeBaron is pictured in the church last month before the renovations.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Lisa and Michael Misiak marked 20 years as professional chiropractors today. They gave away free T-shirts and food to many of their patients at Oak Orchard Family Chiropractic.
ALBION – Twenty years ago Michael and Lisa Misiak graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis. The new professionals would marry and build a business in Albion.
They say they are happy they settled in Orleans County, where they are active community members. Their chiropractic offices are part of the couple’s house at 3912 Oak Orchard Rd. That has been convenient while they have raised three children.
Mr. Misiak grew up in Buffalo and first worked in Amherst, “where there are 100 other chiropractors.”
He came to Albion 18 years ago to fill in for Dr. Richard Shraven. Misiak went to the local diners every day and saw many of his patients. He joined the Albion Fire Department and the Elks Club, where he remains a member.
“I liked the way everybody knew each other,” he said. “It was quite different than in Amherst.”
His wife was working in her hometown in Fairview Heights, Ill. She joined Mr. Misiak in Albion more than 16 years ago. She served recently on the steering committee that helped pick the location for the new Hoag Library.
The couple’s diplomas hang on a wall in the waiting area of Oak Orchard Family Chiropractic. They both graduated on April 17, 1993. On Wednesday they celebrated by handing out T-shirts and food to patients.
Both of the chiropractors said they made the right choice with their profession. They work with patients to have properly aligned spines and nervous systems that are free of interference. They have seen patients debilitated by headaches and musculoskeletal imbalances turn into long-distance runners.
“I see miracles every day,” Mrs. Misiak said. “I love watching the body heal naturally without drugs and surgery.”
Mr. Misiak said the couple strives to help people live as healthy as possible. They also promote nutrition and orthotics when needed.
“We can be an intercessor, helping patients to be healthier,” he said.
The couple is looking forward to marking 20 years in Albion.
“We’ll have an even bigger celebration then,” Mrs. Misiak said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The community is invited to a 2.62-mile run/walk on Route 98 tonight, a trek that will begin near the parking lot at Watt Farms, head north 1.3 miles and then return to the Five Corners. The entire route is blocked off because of the construction at a culvert just south of Route 104.
Jack Burris measured the distance this morning while out for a morning jog. He noted the distance was exactly one tenth of a marathon. The “Boston Marathon HOPE Run/Walk” begins at 7 p.m. Burris said it will give a chance for grieving people to connect and be inspired.
Burris is one of the leaders of a “Run for God” group at the Albion Free Methodist Church. About 60 people are in the program, training for the 5-kilometer race at the Strawberry Festival on June 8.
Everyone is welcome tonight and participants can park in the lot at Watt Farms at 3121 Oak Orchard Rd.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Kevin Pawlak, 20, of Albion holds his medal from finishing the Boston Marathon on Monday. Pawlak completed the 26.2-mile course in less than 3 hours, a personal best in his first time running the legendary Boston race. But he said that really doesn’t matter compared to the loss of life and injuries suffered from the terrorist attack.
ALBION – Kevin Pawlak was euphoric crossing the finish line on Monday, completing the grueling Boston Marathon in less than 3 hours.
But that mood changed about two hours later when two bombs went off near the finish line.
Pawlak, his brother, father and two coaches from high school were back in a hotel in Boston when they saw the news reports about an explosion on the course.
Initially, people at the hotel speculated it might have been an overloaded generator. But the media then reported bombs were placed near the finish line, designed to hurt and kill a big crowd of people.
“It is shocking,” said Pawlak, 20, of Albion. “We were right there. We were standing right there.”
Pawlak was at the hotel getting ready to ride to the Logan International Airport in Boston to catch a flight to Baltimore. He is a junior majoring in history at Shepherd University in West Virginia.
But Kevin’s father, Jerome, wouldn’t let him get on the plane.
“My fatherly instincts took over,” the elder Pawlak said this morning at the family’s home in Albion. “I didn’t have a good feeling about it.”
All flights would be cancelled anyway. The group of five just wanted to get back home and drove back to Albion. Along the way they stopped at rest areas, and other Boston Marathon runners were wearing bright yellow shirts from the race. They expressed their disbelief about an attack that killed three people and injured 130 others.
“Runners have such a bond, especially marathon runners,” Kevin Pawlak said. “They’re essentially your brothers in arms. You feel bad for the people who couldn’t finish or who were injured.”
‘You look back and realize we were very lucky.’ -Kevin Pawlak, Boston Marathon finisher from Albion
One woman at a rest stop told the runners she was near the finish line when the second bomb went off. She had a video running, wanting to capture herself approaching and then crossing the line. She showed Pawlak the footage from the second explosion. She wasn’t able to finish the race.
For months Pawlak was up at the crack of dawn, training in the hills of West Virginia. He ran 40 miles a week about four months ago and increased that mileage to about 70, building his strength and endurance for the race on Monday.
He wanted to break 3 hours, a blistering pace. On Monday, the temperature was ideal for a runner, about 50 to 55 degrees. There was a faint wind and the sky was overcast, so Pawlak and the other 23,000 runners wouldn’t have to battle the sun and other elements.
A huge and boisterous crowd lined the course.
“It was wall-to-wall people for nearly the entire 26.2 miles,” Pawlak said. “It was fantastic. The runners fed off the crowd.”
A group of five from the Albion area were in Boston over the weekend. It was a festival atmosphere with Massachusetts celebrating Patriots Day on Monday. Pawlak said people were dressed for the occasion, wearing colonial garb. He spotted a runner dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
“It was a wonderful experience being in Boston,” Jerome Pawlak said. “The whole thing revolved around patriotism.”
Kevin’s brother Joe and two cross country coaches from Notre Dame High School in Batavia – Eric Geiter and Aaron Sherman – joined Kevin and his father for the experience.
The group received automated text messages during the race, giving updates on Kevin’s pace. He was “right on target,” including a 1:28:05 time for the first half of the course, Jerome said this morning.
Kevin Pawlak finished the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Kevin still had to get past three hills between miles 16 and 21, including “Heartbreak Hill,” the last hill near the 21-mile mark. Kevin had been nursing a sore right knee leading up to the race, but it wasn’t any trouble on Monday. He climbed and descended the hills, pushing himself to the end.
He crossed the finish with a time of 2:57:11, nearly 3 minutes to spare from 3 hours. He grabbed a water bottle, a blanket and connected with his family and coaches.
“I was so excited,” he said. “I was sore, but I was so pumped up on adrenaline.”
The group then spent about a half hour getting back to the hotel. Pawlak’s phone was soon inundated with calls and text messages. His friends wanted to make sure he was OK, that he wasn’t hurt in the bombings.
Pawlak was unable to make any outgoing calls. He knew people were worried about him. He posted this message on Facebook:
“Just wanted to let everyone know that I am safe and heading out of Boston back home to New York. Not sure when I’ll be back at Shepherd. Please keep everyone in Boston in your thoughts and prayers.”
This afternoon he is taking a flight from Buffalo to Baltimore. He said he has a lot of studying to do with finals next week.
Right now, his mind can’t focus on school work.
“You look back and realize we were very lucky,” he said.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The lighthouse at Oak Orchard Harbor stands near a port that hasn’t been dredged in nearly 10 years.
Press release
CARLTON – The Oak Orchard Harbor, a port on Lake Ontario that is critical to Orleans County’s $12 million annual fishing industry, will finally be dredged in 2014, U.S. Rep. Chris Collins announced.
The harbor hasn’t been dredged since 2004, and some boats were grounded last year in shallow parts of the channel. County officials have been pressing for several years for federal funds to be released to remove sediment from the harbor.
Collins said the Oak Orchard, Olcott and Wilson harbors will all be dredged next year. The Army Corps of Engineers has the money lined up for the harbor work.
“The dredging of these three local harbors is long overdue,” Collins said. “Local residents and government leaders have been pushing the federal government to prioritize the work in order to maintain and maximize the harbors’ economic and recreational importance.These waterways are not only used for summer boating and recreation, but play a critical role in supporting the regional economy through the charter fishing industry.”
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers:
Oak Orchard Harbor in the town of Carlton was last dredged in 2004 when 10,700 cubic yards of material was removed.This harbor should be dredged every three to five years.In order to maintain adequate channel depth, 18,000 cubic yards of dredging will be required.The total sediment backlog is estimated at approximately 35,000 cubic yards.
Olcott Harbor in the village of Olcott was last dredged in 1997 when 9,900 cubic yards was removed.This harbor should be dredged every five to ten years.The current sediment backlog is estimated at approximately 55,000 cubic yards.
Wilson Harbor in the town of Wilson was last dredged in 2000 when 5,100 cubic yards was removed.This harbor should be dredged every three to five years.The current sediment backlog is estimated at approximately 55,000 cubic yards.
Collins is co-sponsoring the Realize America’s Maritime Promise Act or RAMP Act (H.R. 335) which would help ensure the funding is in place for routine maintenance dredging.He said the bipartisan legislation guarantees that the funds collected on imports at ports in the United States is used solely for its intended purposed of dredging and maintaining the nation’s waterways.
Collins also supports continued funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.The inter-agency program helps to protect and preserve the Great Lakes ecosystem.The Great Lakes are the source of drinking water for 30 million Americans, and hold 95 percent of our nation’s supply of fresh water. Collins’ congressional district is bordered by Lake Erie to the west and Lake Ontario to the north.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Petition seeks to reduce BOE from 9 to 7 members
LYNDONVILLE – The Board of Education on Monday approved a $13,094,250 budget for 2013-14, a spending plan that would raise taxes by 1 percent.
Residents can comment on the budget during a 7 p.m. public hearing May 13 in the school library. They go to the polls May 21 to vote on the budget.
Residents on May 21 will also decide the fate of a proposition to reduce the size of Board of Education from nine to seven members. Lyndonville is the smallest school district in Orleans County, but it has the largest BOE.
Medina and Albion both have nine-member boards, while Kendall has five. Holley residents last year approved a referendum to shrink the board there from nine to five members. (A new referendum in Holley seeks to stop the reduction to seven members.)
The overall budget represents a slight increase over the $12,964,687 approved for the current school year. The increase in 2013-14 is driven by a $370,000 hike in employee health and retirement benefits, District Superintendent Jason Smith said
Lyndonville is offsetting some of that increase by eliminating one teacher position due to an enrollment drop. Another teacher is retiring and will be replaced with one who earns less money.
The Board of Education also made budget reductions to conferences, supplies and materials.
“We made some cuts, but we wanted to avoid things that directly touch the students,” Smith said today.
The budget calls for raising $4,666,578 in taxes, a 1 percent increase from the $4,620,374 collected in the 2012-13 budget. That keeps the district under a property tax cap set at about 2 percent by the state.
School leaders were eyeing a 1.7 percent tax hike, but state aid exceeded projections, allowing the tax increase to be 1 percent, Smith said.
The budget keeps a $100,000 college readiness program. The state approved that funding in a competitive grant process for Lyndonville last year. The three-year grant – the Advancement via Individual Determination Program or AVID – covers grades six through 11 and goes toward training teachers, salaries, supplies and materials.
