3 new members will take oaths of office

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature will meet Thursday during the group’s annual organizational meeting. The seven-member body will choose its chairman and vice chairman.

Three new members – Fred Miller of Albion, Ken DeRoller of Kendall and John DeFilipps of Clarendon – will all be sworn in and will take the oaths of office.

David Callard has been the Legislature chairman the past four years. He is expected to continue in that position. The Legislature is guaranteed to have a new vice chairman because George Bower of Holley retired as a legislator after 24 years.

DeFilipps was elected to take Bower’s spot on the Legislature. DeFilipps has been a member of the Clarendon Town Board for the past 12 years.

He owned a convenience store and gas station in Clarendon for 10 years before joining the Town Board. He worked 28 years at General Motors in Rochester before retiring six years ago. He recently helped develop the Red Rock Ponds RV Resort in Murray.

DeRoller was elected to succeed Ken Rush of Carlton, who didn’t seek re-election after 14 years in a district that includes the towns of Carlton, Kendall and Murray, as well as the village of Holley.

DeRoller worked 38 years at Kodak, retiring 11 years ago in the information technology department as a business analyst. DeRoller also worked as Kendall’s town assessor and served 25 years on the Town Planning Board, including 15 years as chairman.

He has been a member of the Orleans Economic Development Agency the past 10 years. He also helped shape a waterfront development plan in 2002 for the towns of Yates, Carlton and Kendall, a project that helped those communities secure grants.

Miller will be the first Democrat on the Legislature since Gary Kent was last on the Legislature four years ago. Miller has been an Albion village trustee the past five years. He resigned from the position to become a legislator. He also runs Family Hardware in downtown Albion, a business he has owned since 1986.

Thursday’s meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. in the legislative chambers of the County Clerks’ Building, 3 South Main St.

ALBION Orleans County officials will celebrate the groundbreaking for its new radio and emergency communications system with a 3 p.m. ceremony on Jan. 15 at the Emergency Management Office, 14064 West County House Rd.

The county is building three new radio towers as part of $7.1 million upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system. One will be next to the EMO in Albion.

Another one will be on land owned by the town of Clarendon near its highway garage off Route 31A, and the other will be next to the Medina water tank on Route 31A. Medina and Clarendon both agreed to lease the land to the county at no cost.

Orleans County approved a $5 million deal last year with the Harris Corporation to rebuild the county’s emergency communications systems. Harris is reprogramming 1,100 portable radios and upgrading the dispatch center.

The county’s radio system was last overhauled in 1992. Orleans currently has one transmission tower on Countyhouse Road. That’s about 10 miles from the eastern and western ends of the county. Firefighters, police officers, and other first responders for years have complained that the county’s current radio system is often unreliable, particularly on the edges of the county.

The county was awarded a $2 million state grant towards the project from the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Orleans has taken out a $4.5 million bond to help finance the costs of the upgraded system.

Photo by Tom Rivers – JPMorgan Chase closed its Albion call center in September after the company worked five years out of this East Avenue site, which was previously home to Washington Mutual. Claims Recovery Financial Services will be the new tenant in the building, which will house 750 workers for CRFS.

There was a lot of news in Orleans County in 2013. Orleans Hub has weighed the stories, and we have our list of the top 10. We gave preference to stories with impact on the community as a whole.

1. CRFS helps fill void from shut-down Chase site

It was devastating news in June when JP Morgan Chase announced it was shutting down its Albion operation and would lay off 413 workers by September.

Chase once had nearly 1,000 workers in Albion, but had gradually reduced its workforce over five years in Albion.

The company worked out of a massive former tomato processing facility on East Avenue. The site didn’t sit idle for long. Roger Hungerford, owner of the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina, bought the 60,000-square-foot site and started renovations in September for the new tenant: Claims Recovery Financial Services.

That home-grown company, led by Orleans County resident Jodi Gaines, announced it had outgrown sites in Albion and Medina and would consolidate its operations at the former Chase site, employing 750 people in Albion. As part of the move to the Chase site, CRFS announced it would add 150 workers, bringing much-needed jobs to a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

2. SAFE Act triggers sustained outrage

Conservative talk show host Bob Lonsberry addresses a crowd of nearly 200 people in front of the Orleans County Courthouse during a protest about the SAFE Act on April 13.

In January Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators approved the SAFE Act, which they said was designed to tighten gun control laws.

The new law, which was passed without public comment, was loudly protested in Orleans County and throughout much of Upstate New York. The Orleans County Legislature called for the law’s repeal.

Every town and village elected board in the county also formally opposed the new law, which was called an attack on Americans’ Second Amendment Rights. Orleans is the only county to have every town, village and county elected board pass resolutions against the SAFE Act.

A new citizens group, New York Revolution, formed and was active at local parades and community events. The organization is trying to unseat Cuomo in the 2014 election for governor.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone told a crowd in October that he wouldn’t prosecute “John Q. Public” for violating some of the provisions of the SAFE Act, including cosmetic requirements that now make some guns illegal.

3. ‘Concerned Citizens’ fight against sale of nursing home

Ondrea Pate, an employee at The Viilages of Orleans, and about 20 other people rallied in a rainstorm on April 10 for the county to keep its nursing home publicly owned. Concerned Citizens of Orleans County picketed on Main Street during many County Legislature meetings, trying to sway the body not to sell the 120-bed site in Albion.

In February, the County Legislature announced it would sell The Villages of Orleans, a 120-bed nursing home in Albion. The Legislature said the site operated at too much of a loss, burdening local taxpayers by at least $2 million a year with prospects for $4 million in annual deficits.

The decision prompted protests from residents of all ages and political parties. Many protested outside Legislature meetings, standing in storms. Two lawsuits failed to stop the county’s push to sell the nursing home.

A slate of candidates also ran trying to save the nursing home, but they failed to unseat the Republican majority. The Legislature formed a local development corporation to temporarily own the nursing home and to find a buyer for the site. The LDC could select the buyer in January.

4. Massive warehouse fire threatened Albion neighborhood

The fire at Orleans Pallet quickly spread through the building and turned into an inferno, threatening the neighborhood.

A fire on Oct. 17 destroyed a big warehouse and threatened to damage other nearby structures. But the blaze was contained to Orleans Pallet’s main warehouse, a huge Medina sandstone structure built in 1901.

Smoke from the blaze could be seen from 20 miles in one of the community’s biggest fires ever.

The fire started after a spark from a grinder caught the wooden timbers on fire inside the warehouse. About 150 firefighters kept the blaze from spreading next door to Empire Coating.

Shawn Malark, owner of the warehouse and Orleans Pallet, used the site to store wooden pallets, which he then sold to farms and other businesses. Malark’s main production building survived the fire and he has stayed in business.

5. Burglars terrorized community with summer break-ins

Police agencies in three counties worked together to arrest Jonathan Banks, top left; Isaiah Bonk, top right; Jasper Lloyd, bottom, left; Thomas Shingleton, bottom right.

Burglars terrorized Albion and Medina neighborhoods with a series of break-ins over the summer. The burglars would remove window screens or enter through unlocked doors, typically committing their crimes while people were asleep late at night.

Police from multiple agencies in three counties arrested four people in December who are accused of 32 burglaries in August and September, a rash of break-ins in Albion, Medina, Oakfield and Lockport.

One of the suspected burglars, Jonathan Banks, 21, of Medina, was arrested by Lockport police in September. After his arrest, there weren’t additional burglaries, police officials said. Besides Banks, 21, police arrested Isaiah Bonk, 20, of Medina; Jasper Lloyd, 20, of Albion; and Thomas Shingleton, 36, of Medina.

There were other high-profile crimes in the county in 2013, including a bank robbery, murder and attempted murder.

6. Lakeside closes in Brockport and Medina Memorial Hospital makes changes at top

Strong West in September opened the former Lakeside Memorial Hospital as an urgent care center.

Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport, a site that served many Orleans County residents, closed in April due to mounting financial losses. The facility would reopen in September as an urgent care center.

It is now owned by the University of Rochester Medical Center, which renamed it “Strong West.” The site doesn’t currently have an emergency room, meaning fire departments and ambulance squads form Orleans County now have a longer transport for patients on the east side of the county. Lakeside handled 17,000 ER calls in its final year.

Small-town hospitals are struggling, and Medina isn’t immune. The hospital’s board of directors announced in June that long-time hospital CEO Jim Sinner had resigned after 15 years.

The board of directors hired HealthTech Management Services to manage the hospital and healthcare organization. In late October, the board hired Dolores Horvath from HealthTech to serve as CEO.

She said hospitals are challenged and there will be a shift to more outpatient care in the future.

7. Assessments spark uproar and worry

Carlton residents packed several town meetings this year, including this one in April, to sound off about assessments they say were set too high for many properties. The Town Board opted against reappointing the town assessor and is hiring a firm to establish values for the properties in Carlton. The board includes, from left: Dana Woolston, Joyce Harris, Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery, Robin Lake and Jim Shoemaker.

Orleans County completed its once-every-three-year reassessment in 2012, and the new values were sent to property owners this past spring.

In Carlton, residents were in an uproar over assessments that showed big increases for many sites. Crowds packed Town Board meetings to complain about the assessments.

The backlash prompted the Town Board not to reappoint assessor Karen Adams. The town is hiring a private firm to help establish values for 2,400 sites in the town.

The reassessments painted a gloomy picture for the four villages in the county. While Carlton saw big increases for some properties, the villages collectively went down in value, which may be unprecedented during a reassessment for an entire municipality.

The village of Albion declined nearly $3 million, the biggest loss. The shrinking assessed values results in a smaller tax base to pay for services, likely driving up the tax rate.

8. Some changes at historic churches

The United Methodist Church in Medina meets for the first time in the former Apple Grove Inn on Oct. 27. The church transfromed the former restaurant int a modern church setting.

One congregation at a historic church in Medina left its building and moved to the former Apple Grove Inn, following an extensive three-year renovation.

Another congregation in Albion voted to abandon its historic building, although that congregation continues to meet there.

The Medina United Methodist Church celebrated its first service in the former Apple Grove Inn on Oct. 27. The church bought the landmark building for $100,000 at an auction. Most of the building was gutted, walls were taken out in some spots and new ones put in. The west end of the building was extended to accommodate the sanctuary. The project cost nearly $1 million.

It was a lot of work, and church members did the bulk of the construction, painting and carpeting themselves. The congregation of about 50 people had a final service at their old building at 222 West Center St. Then they walked or drove a mile down the road to the former Apple Grove.

In August, the First United Methodist Church in Albion voted to walk away from its 150-year-old building. The church faces about $1 million in repairs. The church is trying to find a buyer for the site and is looking for a new home. It will continue to meet in the building in the near future. The church is one of seven in Albion named to the National Register of Historic Places.

9. ‘Squirrel Slam’ cast media glare on Holley

The national media doesn’t often pay much attention to an Orleans County community, but for weeks leading up to the annual “Squirrel Slam” in February, news organizations from throughout the world were talking about a fund-raiser at Holley.

The Holley Fire Department for six years held a competition where contestants paid an entry fee and then went hunting for squirrels. Hunters as young as 12 could win prizes for biggest squirrels shot.

Animal rights activists protested and urged Holley to cancel the event. The Village Board and Fire Department let it continue and participation surged from the usual 250 to about 700. Outside police were brought in to help manage the protest.

10. Point Breeze wins ‘ultimate’ fishing title

Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard gives Narby’s Superette and Tackle owner Sharon Narburgh a hug on June 26. The Point Breeze community received a trophy and check for $25,000 after winning the “Ultimate Fishing Town” competition.

Orleans County has new bait to lure visitors for the county’s top tourism draw, its fishing industry. Point Breeze was named the “Ultimate Fishing Town” in 2013 by the World Fishing Network, topping 700 other fishing communities in the U.S. and Canada for the crown.

Thousands of votes were cast on-line in support of Point Breeze and the Oak Orchard River. It appeared during the competition that Cape Hatteras in North Carolina would win, but voting irregularities for that community led to WFN giving the top award to Point Breeze.

The title has been proclaimed on banners and will be used to market the area to more anglers.

“This can help us to stand out,” said Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle.

There were other big stories in the county this year, including Holley Central School’s completion of extensive renovations to the junior-senior high school and elementary school. The district also built a new transportation facility, all-weather track and football stadium

Many of the downtown Albion building owners also painted and did other improvements to their buildings in the most extensive renovation spree in recent memory.

Orleans Hub readers submitted many photos to our web site this year, including some on-the-scene news photos and other more artistic features.

These photos helped us tell the story of Orleans County. We’re grateful for the submissions and welcome more at news@orleanshub.com.

Here are some of our favorites:

On July 2, Jeremy Rothmund robbed the Bank of America in Albion and hopped in a getaway car driven by his girlfriend, Elyse Hoffer, both of Rochester. The two were spotted leaving Albion in a blue Ford Focus and headed east on Route 31 towards Holley.

Police stopped them in Holley at Woodside Court, an apartment complex off Route 31 on the west side of the village. Jeff Schuner lives at Woodside Court and he took this photo of Rothmund being taken into custody.

Peggy Bropst took this photo from a hot-air balloon on June 30. The shadow of the balloon appears in a cornfield. The ride was a belated Father’s Day gift for her father, Chet Wheelock, an 82-year-old farmer from Kent.

Four generations of Wheelocks rode in the balloon, including Wheelock’s grandson Jeremy Mikels and great-grandson Mason Mikels. “You don’t feel any wind up there,” Wheelock said. “You’re traveling with the wind. It’s as still as can be.”

The sun cast an array of colors while setting Aug. 23 at Lake Ontario. Jerome Pawlak of Albion was at Point Breeze and took this photo of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse. I’ve seen a lot of photos of the lighthouse since it was erected in 2010, and I think this is the best one.

Thom Jennings, an event promoter from Albion, took this photo of his son Trevor Jennings, center, playing the drums with Rusted Root after the Pittsburgh band played an encore on Aug. 25 in North Tonawanda.

Before the band would return to stage, they made Trevor, 19, come out and perform with them before 10,000 people. Trevor was backstage with his father Thom. After the song Trevor was invited to take a final bow with the group.

After playing local gigs for nearly a decade, Above the Fog performed for a final time Aug. 22 outside the Hoag Library in Albion. Michael Whiting of Whiting’s Village Studio took this picture of Dylan DeSmit, left, and Taylor Whittier giving an enthusiastic performance during the final concert. The musicians still expect to make an impact on the local music scene.

Chris Busch was out enjoying a gorgeous sunny day on July 23, and talked his way to the rooftop at the R.H. Newell Shirt Factory building at 115 West Center St. He took this photo looking toward the First Baptist Church at 203 West Center. You can also see the Post Office in the front right and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the back right.

Michael Karcz, a frequent contributor to the Hub, took this picture of the fireworks on July 26 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. This photo actually represents several different images.

“The firework shots were taken individually, and the shot of the fair was taken after the fireworks,” Karcz said. “I needed a higher vantage point, and the only place I could think of was on top of my van, so I climbed up and shot away. That’s the fun of photography.”

It was big news in the apple world on Aug. 1 when Cornell University and New York apple growers announced the names and logos for two new apple varieties.  Orleans Hub wanted to be there for the announcement in Geneva, but couldn’t get away for the several-hour commitment. Ingrid LaMont, wife of apple grower Roger LaMont, was there and sent us a photo from her smart phone. We were one of the first news sites to announce the new names and show their logos.

In recent years, Holley dentist Dan Schiavone has traveled to rural Peru in the Amazon, spending a week providing dental care. His daughter Kaci, a biochemistry student at the University of Rochester, joined him in March for the trip.

Schiavone took this photo of his daughter checking a girl’s teeth and dental health during an exam in Peru. “They are gracious and happy people,” Schiavone said. “They appreciate everything you do.”

Heather Beach Smith of Medina took this picture of the Erie Canal lift bridge on Route 63 in Medina after the ice storm on Dec. 22.