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Squirrel Slam is already sold out

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.

Medina will plant 62 trees along Gwinn Street

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – Students from Oak Orchard Elementary School helped plant trees along West Avenue in Medina during an Arbor Day celebration last April 26.

MEDINA – The village’s Tree Board has a plan for 62 new trees along Gwinn Street this spring, part of the village’s ongoing effort to plant new trees on the major arteries in Medina.

The new trees will go north of the driveway leading to the middle school to James Street.

“This will really be a nice impact on that street,” said Chris Busch, the Tree Board chairman.

He is talking with a possible donor about planting a lot of trees on Park Avenue as well.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has given Medina a “Tree City Growth Award” and has designated the community a “Tree City USA” for its commitment to planting trees every year.

Medina last year planted 60 trees, with most of those on Main Street, West Avenue and Park Avenue.

The village made a commitment about a decade ago to add trees after many mature trees were removed in infrastructure projects or fell down due to storms.

Medina is first focusing on the heavily trafficked streets and will then move to the side streets for the tree planting program, Busch said. After this year, Gwinn Street will be nearly done with tree plantings.

“We’ve made incredible progress the last 10 years,” he said during Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting, when that board endorsed the tree planting plan for 2014.

Busch is also the Planning Board chairman. He was praised by Planning Board member Marguerite Sherman for the impact the new trees are having in the community.

Orleans will lift advisory at 11 p.m.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A motorist turns from West Park Street onto Main Street in Albion this evening at about 8:30. Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess issued at travel advisory at 3:30 p.m. today. He is lifting the advisory at 11 p.m.

“Drivers should continue to use caution due to slippery conditions and also in isolated areas of poor visibility due to blowing and drifting snow,” Hess said.

Snow should taper off tonight

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.

Sheriff issues travel advisory for Orleans

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.

Dunham Family Farms honored for conservation efforts

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.”

Medina Kwik Fill will get new pumps and canopy

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.

Winter storm wallops area

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am

All 5 Orleans County districts cancel after-school activities

Photo by Tom Rivers – The photo above shows Gaines Basin Road, just south of Route 104. The photo was taken at about 11:30 a.m. looking south.

It’s nasty with white-out conditions, blowing snow and slippery roads.

Albion, Medina and Lyndonville schools have cancelled all afternoon and evening activities due to the storm. Holley and Kendall will dismiss students early, and both have cancelled after-school events.

Holley will send middle and high schoolers home at 12:30 with elementary students to follow at 1:30 p.m. Kendall will send middle-high school students home at 2 p.m. When the busses return, elementary students will go home.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until 10 tonight for most of Western New York, including Orleans County. The heaviest snow will be late morning through mid-afternoon across the region, according to the Weather Service. We could get 5 to 9 inches of snow today.

Gov. Cuomo has declared a state-wide emergency due the storm. Some downstate highway crews have severely depleted road salt supplies, the governor said.

Statewide, the state has 1,700 plows, 359 loaders and 4,000 operators on the roads, Cuomo said.

“This is a significant winter storm impacting all regions of the state and we are taking all necessary steps to keep New Yorkers safe,” Cuomo said. “I have declared a state of emergency for all counties so that we can continue our effective and quick response in communities that have been hit the hardest. New Yorkers in affected regions should stay off the roads, check on their neighbors and loved ones, and stay inside their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.”

Hojack crew is working on the railroad

Posted 5 February 2014 at 12:00 am

By Bill Lattin, Orleans County Historian

In this rare photo, taken Sept. 11, 1897, we see a section gang on the “Hojack” railroad. The picture was perhaps taken in Kendall or Carlton, with Charles M. Vincent of Holley front and center.

The woman down the road has probably just brought these men their lunches as we see lunch pails on the handcar. A section gang was a crew of workers that kept the rails and ties in perfect condition at all times. When a train approached, these men had to lift the handcar off the track for the train to pass by.

Man who stole kayak could get up to 7 years in state prison

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2014 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – A Medina man who let in a friend’s loose dog and then stole a kayak could be sentenced to 3 ½ to 7 years in state prison.

Brandon Taylor, 33, of Fletcher Chapel Road pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary in Orleans County Court on Monday.

He is second felony offender. He will be sentenced on April 14.

Taylor said he was in drug and alcohol withdrawal on Nov. 6, when he saw his friend’s dog running loose. He returned the dog to a house on Portage Road and discovered an enclosed porch was unlocked. He admitted in court to taking a kayak from the porch. He said he knew he was stealing.

Judge James Punch is keeping bail at $25,000 for Taylor. He also approved a request from the District Attorney’s Office for an order of protection for the victim of the crime.

In other cases on Monday:

Judge Punch set bail at $100,000 for an Albion man who allegedly repeatedly violated orders of protection.

Brian Beach, 42, of West Park Street has two prior felonies. He has been charged with aggravated criminal contempt.

A Batavia man who was banned from Wal-Mart but then allegedly stole from the store in Albion was arraigned for third-degree burglary and petty larceny.

Jason Lang, 33, of Liberty Street in Batavia allegedly stole two coffee machines and a blender from the Albion store on Nov. 20. Because he was banned from Wal-Mart, he faces a charge of burglary.

An Albion man pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and could face up to six months in jail when he is sentenced April 28.

Josh Porter, 40, of East Park Street was charged with DWI after being stopped on Sept. 7 on East Center Street in Medina. He registered a 0.13 percent blood alcohol content, above the legal limit of 0.8 percent.

He has a prior DWI from Oct. 27, 2011 in Lockport. If he receives a sentence of more than six months in jail, he can withdraw his plea.