news

Watt turbine taken down for repairs

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 April 2016 at 12:00 am

GAINES – The turbine at Watt Farms was taken down today for repairs. The turbine needs a new alternator and will also get new blades. The replacement parts are on order and an installation hasn’t been scheduled.

The turbine was the focus of a lawsuit from the Town of Gaines, which claimed the 154-foot-high turbine needed to be moved farther away from a farm market and storage building.

Judge James Punch, acting as a State Supreme Court justice, ruled in December the turbine didn’t need to be moved. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets also sided with Watt Farms, saying the turbine location met the proper setbacks.

The 10-kilowatt turbine is expected to be repaired and placed back on a tower soon.

A big crane was brought in to bring down the turbine so repairs could be made. The turbine is located behind Watt Farm Country Market on Route 98, next to a fruit orchard.

Route 104 expected to be closed several hours after accident in Ridgeway

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 April 2016 at 3:05 pm

Provided photos
RIDGEWAY – No one was injured at about 12:30 p.m. in an accident on Route 104 involving a tractor trailer and a pickup truck.

The accident left debris and the tractor trailer in the road. An Orleans County dispatcher said at about 2:45 p.m. the road could be closed for several hours due to the cleanup.

The accident occurred on Route 104 between Murdock and Marshall roads, near the Millers Bulk Food Bakery, a popular Amish-owned business.

First responders said it was a miracle no one was injured in the accident.

Carlton’s new assessments include big jumps for ag land

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 April 2016 at 9:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Beef cattle are pictured on Tuesday as the sun sets on Route 98 in Carlton.

CARLTON – The Town of Carlton mailed out nearly 2,400 letters with property assessments to landowners in mid-March. This was the first town-wide reassessment in six years, and the data shows big increases in farmland.

Town Assessor Gene Massey said those landowners shouldn’t be alarmed because the taxable value will likely go down to small increases when ag exemptions are factored in. He bases assessments on comparable sales, and he said farmland has been selling for high prices. The last two sales in Carlton include farmland at nearly $8,000 an acre and another one at $6,500 per acre.

Carlton was mired in controversy when it attempted a town-wide reassessment three years ago. Residents were outraged when some properties saw big increases, and others didn’t. Residents questioned the fairness of the town’s assessing.

The Town Board voted to freeze assessments at 2012 levels and not use the 2013 numbers, unless there was new construction and other property improvements.

Carlton hired a consultant, GAR Associates Inc., to visit every property in town and make note of swimming pools, additions, sheds, garages and exterior property improvements. Carlton also appointed Gene Massey the new assessor. He also works as Kendall’s assessor.

Massey said the reassessments show small changes for old-style homes, ranches and most other houses.

Overall, the town’s tax base grew 7.3 percent or by $14,089,207 (from $192,067,296 in 2015 to $206,156,503).

However, he said farmland has nearly doubled in assessed value. Poorer quality farmland with clay was assessed at $1,000 an acre in Carlton and Kendall last year, but the new assessments push the value to $1,600 in Kendall and $1,800 in Carlton. Higher quality soil, such as sandy loam, jumped in assessed value from $1,400 an acre in Carlton to $2,600.

One Carlton farmer, Robert VanWuyckhuyse, said his ag land increased 77 percent, or by $89,000, with the latest assessment. That will make it difficult for Lee Farms, a beef operation on Sawyer Road, to stay in business, he said.

VanWuyckhuyse said he has hired an attorney to contest the big hike in his assessment.

Carlton Town Board members declined to discuss the assessments in public on Tuesday. Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery said residents should first meet with Massey for his rationale on their assessments. If they contest the valuation, they can file a grievance and go before the Board of Assessment Review on May 25.

Ashbery said she has heard few complaints about the new assessments.

“I am very confident in Gene’s work,” she said about Massey after the meeting on Tuesday.

Public Safety Telecommunications Week shines light on dispatchers

Staff Reports Posted 13 April 2016 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – Sheriff Randy Bower (right), a former Orleans County public safety dispatcher, is pictured with dispatchers Bill Oliver, left, and Mike Draper, in back.

This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, which shines a light on the important work of dispatchers.

“In a time of crisis, public safety dispatchers are the calming voice on the other end of the phone line, the one with answers or advice,” said Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower. “They’re the life blood of public safety, the true first responders. This is where it all starts.”

About 100,000 calls were made to dispatch in Orleans County last year, including informational calls that didn’t require police, fire service or other action.

Dispatchers assigned the following calls to local first responders:

Police calls, 23,792 total – Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, 9,258; Albion PD, 5,146; Medina PD, 4,328; Holley PD, 3,057; New York State Police, 1,922; Lyndonville PD, 81. The Sheriff’s Department calls include 1,061 traffic stops, 888 papers served and 7,309 other police calls.

Dispatch also handled 5,930 ambulance calls, including 2,467 to Medina Fire Department, 2,082 to COVA, 681 to Monroe Ambulance, 318 to Holley Ambulance, 224 to Clarendon Ambulance and 158 to Kendall Ambulance.

Total animal control calls were 1,337 with 1,022 to Orleans County animal control and 315 for Albion animal control.

Total fire calls were 2,566 and include: Albion, 398; Barre, 201; Carlton, 262; Clarendon, 94; East Shelby, 54; Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, 192; Holley, 361; Kendall, 75; Lyndonville, 211; Medina, 249; Morton (in Orleans County), 41; Ridgeway, 261; and Shelby, 167.

Murray holds off on decision banning firearms from town property

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 13 April 2016 at 12:00 am

Town supervisor responds to resident’s questions about water districts

MURRAY – About two dozen residents attended the regular meeting of the Murray Town Board Tuesday evening.

Town attorney Jeff Martin updated residents on the status of the proposed Workplace Violence Prevention Policy local law, which includes a firearm ban for town buildings, property and vehicles. Martin said the town does need such a policy, but how the proposed law addresses weapons should be discussed at a yet to be scheduled Town Board workshop.

“We can make recommended modifications after we have had a chance to do further reviews,” Martin said.

The town had hoped that its insurance carrier – New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR) – would respond to their questions regarding the ramifications of dropping the weapons ban part of the law, but Martin said he has “heard nothing official from NYMIR.” The proposed local law was drafted in light of a recommendation from NYMIR.

Resident Kerri Neale, who lead a rally last month against the weapons ban, attended Tuesday’s meeting and reminded board members that they need to keep the US Constitution in mind as they formulate local statutes.

“Everybody wants to look out for public safety,” he said, but he noted incidents with weapons have never been an issue on town property. “I don’t see any fear of the future, unless I was unable to defend myself.”

Resident Joe Sidonio also attended Tuesday’s meeting and presented town board members with a chart and detailed financial information, which show a spike in the use of fund balance for water districts in the town in 2016. Information he presented shows the amount of fund balance used from 2011-2015 in the $1,000 – $12,000 range. In 2016, nearly $66,000 is used from the fund balance.

“It’s alarming to me,” Sidonio told board members. “Look at the sales of water verses the cost of water, we aren’t making any money. I don’t understand why the numbers don’t add up.”

During his monthly “Supervisor Comments” earlier in the meeting, Town Supervisor John Morriss addressed a number of concerns and issues raised by Sidonio this year.

Supervisor Morriss stated that Highway Superintendent Ed Morgan did not retire from his post, but is “collecting retirement.” Sidonio questioned Morgan’s employment status in February.

In regards to a 2014 NYS Comptroller’s audit, which was critical of the town’s bookkeeping practices and the use of water district debt proceeds for operating and capital purposes, Morriss said the state auditor was new to the job and that he did not like the way the software utilized by the town’s bookkeeper generated financial reports.

Morriss said figures requested by the state were submitted in the preferred format and that the town has either already made changes requested by the state or is in the process of making those changes which will help to eliminate the potential for problems with bookkeeping methods.

He noted the issues found by the audit were procedural. “There was no money missing,” Morriss said. “We could account for all the money.”

Regarding overtaxing in the town’s water districts, Morriss said Rural Development as not found anything out of line and that it is normal to over-levy 10 percent of the bond principal and interest. He explained that in addition to the water it purchases, the town also incurs additional maintenance costs such as monthly meter charges, bookkeeping fees, monthly health test costs and the cost of unmetered water from leaks, fire department training and hydrant flushing. The town has offset operational costs with use of the fund balance to keep the cost down, he said.

He added that he has given figures provided by Sidonio last month to the auditor and is waiting for a response.

Sidonio thanked Supervisor Morriss for his response. Sidonio said he has no issues with the services provided by the town.

“The Comptroller’s report speaks for itself,” Sidonio said, and noted the town was not guilty of fraudulent activity. “It was loose bookkeeping and accounting practices and you said you have addressed that.”

Sidonio said he and the town are in agreement that there is a 15.5 percent increase in the tax rate and that Councilman Paul Hendel has stated the town may have to cut services or raise taxes in 2017 due to the use of the town’s fund balance.

Sidonio said he is still concerned about the “viability and financial stability of the water districts.”

Albion doesn’t intend to fill Town Board vacancy this year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Town Supervisor Matt Passarell said he isn’t in a rush to fill a vacancy on the Town Board, created in February when Town Councilman Todd Sargent resigned after being appointed superintendent of the Department of Public Works in the Village of Albion.

Sargent served just over two years of a four-year term as councilman. The position pays $3,704 annually. The spot on the five-member board will likely stay unfilled for the rest of 2016, with the remaining year of the term up for election this November with the election winner to start on Jan. 1.

“The team we have right now is appropriate,” Passarell said after Monday’s board meeting. Passarell serves on the board with Jake Olles, Richard Remley and Darlene Benton.

In other action on Monday:

The board approved paying $3,000 towards the Albion Strawberry Festival. Festival organizers attended last month’s meeting and requested town assistance in paying for the annual two-day festival. The 30th annual Strawberry Festival will be June 10-11 and includes an Erie Canal theme this year. The event costs about $20,000 to put on with all of the entertainment, including marching bands.

The Albion Town Board gave $3,000 toward the festival for the first time last year. The board said it would ask to be recognized as one of the sponsors, and to have its donation specifically tied to some of the marching bands.

The board extended an agreement with the Town of Gaines that was started last year. Gaines is paying 25 percent of the Albion code enforcement officer’s salary and benefits in exchange for Dan Strong working 10 hours a week as code officer for Gaines. The Town of Albion pays about $76,000 in salary and benefits for Strong. Gaines will pay $19,000 of the cost in the shared services deal.

Bus 142 in Medina collects money to help student with bone marrow transplant

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2016 at 12:00 am

Kasiah Jones, a fourth grader, is moving to Atlanta to be close to doctors

MEDINA – Kasiah Jones, 9, (center) is pictured with her mother, Jennifer Chinn, this afternoon along with other students that ride Bus 142 in the Village of Medina.

Kasiah has Sickle Cell Anemia and Type 1 Diabetes. She is undergoing a medical trial at a hospital in Atlanta, Ga. She has been travelling back and forth each month since January and her family, including five other siblings, are planning to move to Atlanta this summer to be closer to the hospital.

Her friends on the bus collected money with a bucket for loose change last month. That added up to $125 and Rob Dennis, the district’s transportation director, agreed to match what the students raised, making the total donation about $250.

Rob Dennis holds one of the jars used to collect change for Kasiah and her family to help them with the cost of relocating to Atlanta.

Kasiah was born with Sickle Cell Anemia and was diagnosed at age 4 with Type One Diabetes. The diabetes has become more severe. Kasiah’s mother said no hospitals in Buffalo or Rochester do bone marrow trials for the problem affecting Kasiah.

“These kids felt helpless when they heard what Kasiah was going through,” said bus driver Cindy Ames. “This is what they accomplished with pennies, nickels and dimes.”

Kasiah is presented with jars of change from her friends, from left: Elijah Nottingham, Miyah Horn, Kasiah and Zackius Chinn.

Kasiah’s family and friends also organized a benefit last Saturday at Medina Theatre. There were 105 baskets with items up for bid and several bands played.

Jennifer Chinn said she appreciates the support from the community helping the family with their relocation expenses.

“On my God it has been magnificent,” she said about the donations and support. “I just want to say thank you for going above and beyond.”

There is a GoFundMe created to help Kasiah and her family. Click here for more information.

Another donation came in for Kasiah and her family today from her friends on Bus 142. Justine Fitzsimmons, second from right, and Marie Morehouse, right, present a bag full of change to Kasiah.

2 are sentenced to jail for drug crimes

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Two people will be spending time in Orleans County Jail after being sentenced for drug crimes on Monday in Orleans County Court.

Nathan Brege, 23, of Cape Drive in Lyndonville was sentenced to a year in jail for growing and possessing marijuana. Brege in January pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of marijuana in the second degree, which carries a maximum punishment of up to 1 ½ years in state prison.

As part of a plea deal, he was given a maximum of a year in jail. He was sentenced by Judge James Punch.

Brege and his neighbor David Tower, 36, both admitted in previous court appearances to growing marijuana plants in Tower’s yard on Cape Drive. The plants were seized and weighed more than 6 pounds at a lab in Niagara County. Tower is yet to be sentenced but faces up to a year in jail.

In another case, Kaylee M. Loiacono, 27, of Murray was sentenced to four months of weekends in jail, plus four years of probation.

In an October court appearance, she admitted that she sold cocaine from her home on Taylor Road on April 6, 2015. She pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. That charge normally carries a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison. As part of a plea deal, she faced a maximum of six months in the county jail.

Judge Punch said the drug sale was an “aberration” for Loiacono, who has since been in drug treatment and has no prior criminal history.

Punch told Loiacono to stay away from drugs or she could next face a state prison sentence.

Ortt, State Senate pass bill to expand health benefits for volunteer firefighters

Posted 12 April 2016 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – Firefighters spent hours at this massive fire in Albion at Orleans Pallet on Oct. 17, 2013.

Press Release, State Sen. Robert Ortt

ALBANY – Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) today announced the New York State Senate passed legislation on Monday that would provide volunteer firefighters with more health benefits as they continue to put their lives on the line to protect others.

The bill (S3891) amends the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law to extend levels of protections for volunteer firefighters that develop certain cancer related diseases while on the job.

“Volunteer firefighters provide an invaluable service across our state and especially here in Western New York,” Ortt said. “In the vast majority of my rural district, these selfless men and women are the first responders when emergency strikes. This legislation acknowledges the health risks they face and justly offers them the protections they deserve.”

There are more than 100,000 volunteer firefighters statewide that would have presumptive cancer coverage as a result of this legislation. The number of firefighters diagnosed with cancer has increased in recent years, and medical studies have shown that they are at a significantly higher risk for various types of cancer than the general population.

Dark smoke spewed from the Orleans Pallet fire in Albion on Oct. 17, 2013.

Increased cancer risks are linked to the high levels of carcinogens and other toxins from building fires and other hazardous settings where firefighters serve.

The bill is being sent to the Assembly.

This measure for volunteer firefighters is in addition to the $250,000 the State Senate recently secured as part of the enacted 2016-17 State Budget to support the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

The funding will help to address the shortage of volunteer firefighters throughout the state by using promotional tools to highlight the importance of protecting local neighborhoods and enforcing public safety.

The money will be used for promotional materials, public service announcements, and other tools in an effort to bolster the number of volunteers.

Judge ups bail for Albion man arrested while awaiting sentencing

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – An Albion man who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge on March 1, and has been out of jail awaiting sentencing, had his bail increased Monday from $20,000 to $100,000.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone requested a higher bail after Christopher D. Rivers Jr. was arrested over the weekend for disorderly conduct, a charge that Cardone said could be upgraded to attempted gang assault. Cardone said Rivers is involved with a local gang, the A Squad.

Rivers on March 1 pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm. He could face up to a year in the county jail when he is sentenced on May 23.

Orleans County Court Judge James Punch said he may not accept that plea deal and could force Rivers to go to trial where he could face a prison sentence.

Christopher D. Rivers Jr.

Rivers in January was arrested on charges of kidnapping, robbery, grand larceny, criminal use of a firearm, unlawful imprisonment and menacing for allegedly holding adult male and female victims against their will and forcing a woman to withdraw money from her ATM.

Victims in the crime were reluctant to testify. But Cardone said people are now stepping forward, willing to testify.

Rivers appeared in court on Monday and his attorney said the Cardone’s claims “are merely allegations.”

Cardone said Rivers posted a picture of himself with a gun on Facebook last Thursday. An earlier Facebook picture of Rivers with a Remington shotgun with a shortened barrel was used in court on March 1 when Rivers pleaded guilty to the weapons charge.

Rivers’ attorney said the latest photo may have been from months ago, and not be a recent image. The attorney said Rivers has a job and had made all of his court appearances, and doesn’t warrant higher bail.