By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Rachel Miller
Editor’s Note: Due to a recent death in the Miller famiy the dedication of the room has been delayed until January.
ALBION – Rainbow Preschool will dedicate a room in memory of Rachel Miller, a beloved coworker and speech-language therapist. The dedication will be Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex, 243 South Main St., Suite 220. Refreshments will be provided.
The new room will be a socio-dramatic play center. It will be in honor of Miller, who worked 15 years for the Arc of Orleans at Rainbow Preschool.
Miller was killed last March 4. Her boyfriend Frederick Miller has been charged with second-degree murder. He is scheduled to go on trial, beginning Jan. 13.
Rachel Miller was 53 when she died as a result of blunt force trauma combined with multiple stab wounds, according to an autopsy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Welfare, radio upgrade, nursing home main culprits
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County had a public hearing on its budget tonight inside the county courthouse. Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt is standing at the podium. About 30 people attended the hearing
ALBION – Orleans County property owners will see the average tax bill go up about 5 percent with county taxes in 2014, according to a proposed budget.
The budget totals $79,786,629, a 4.8 percent increase over the $76,133,318 in 2013. Property taxes account for about 20 percent of the revenues to pay for the budget. Property taxes would increase 5.0 percent, up from $15,661,104 to $16,441,366.
“A 5 percent increase is unacceptable,” said Paul Lauricella, vice chairman of the Orleans County Conservative Party and the lone resident to speak out during the hearing. “Come on guys, give us a break.”
The budget increases the tax rate 40 cents from $9.71 to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property. The fee for solid waste and recycling is up $5 to $190 for the year.
The tax impact could have been worse, but the county will see its pension contributions drop by $169,376 to $4,271,017. The county’s health insurance costs also will go down by $157,340 and worker’s compensation is budgeted to decrease by $100,376.
But the declines aren’t enough to offset other big increases, including $558,000 more for welfare costs with most of that the result of cost shifts in the Safety Net program. The county also is upgrading its emergency communication system for $7.1 million. The county will make its first $475,000 debt payment for the project next year.
“The coverage will be virtually 100 percent,” Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said about the radio system’s signal strength throughout Orleans. The current system has many weak spots, especially on the eastern and western ends of the county.
“It will be an incredibly significant upgrade,” Nesbitt said.
Sprint Nextel is paying $3.3 million towards the upgrade and a federal Department of Homeland Security grant will also pay $2 million of the project.
Chuck Nesbitt details the county budget during a hearing tonight.
The county will also repair the Waterport bridge over Lake Alice for $1.5 million, with the county responsible for 5 percent of the project or $75,000. The Hulberton Road bridge will be replaced at an estimated cost of $1,386,970. The county will pay 5 percent or $69,348. The federal government pays 80 percent with the state covering the other 15 percent.
The nursing home will consume about $1.9 million from the county. The 120-bed Villages of Orleans, which the county is trying to sell, is forecast to operate at a $2,734,844 loss. The operating expenses are budgeted at $11,817,649 and revenue totals $9,986,502. That leaves a $1,831,147 gap. The county also has to pay $903,697 in debt service for recent renovations and an expansion at the site in 2007. That adds up to a $2,734,844 loss for 2014.
The county and federal government will each contribute $825,000 in Intergovernmental Transfer (IGT) shares that help offset Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates that don’t fully cover expenses.
In addition to the IGT, the county will use $1,084,844 from a reserve fund. County officials say those reserves will soon be depleted. If the nursing home stays county-owned, the tax burden would be significantly higher in the future once the reserves are gone, legislators have said.
Legislators did get some praise after the budget hearing. Charles Pettit, a member of the board of directors for the Cornell Cooperative Extension, thanked the county for not cutting the Extension. Legislators have budgeted to maintain the same funding for agencies that receive county dollars.
Here are the funded agencies and how much they receive from the county: Cornell Cooperative Extension, $219,150; Orleans Economic Development Agency, $150,000; Soil and Water, $57,750; Libraries, $10,000; Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, $1,000; and the Sportsman’s Federation, $500.
The Legislature will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday to vote on the budget. That meeting will be in the legislative chambers at the County Clerks’ Building.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Despite a death this week in Rachel Miller’s family, the family wants a dedication of a room in Miller’s memory to go forward on Thursday.
Earlier today the Arc of Orleans County said the dedication would be delayed until January. But Miller’s family wants the dedication to stay on schedule.
The dedication will be Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex, 243 South Main St., Suite 220. Refreshments will be provided.
Rachel Miller was a beloved coworker and speech-language therapist who worked 15 years at Rainbow Preschool, which is located at Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex in Albion.
The new room will be a socio-dramatic play center. It will be in honor of Miller, who was killed last March 4.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting won the grand champion award for his float that show a team of deer pulling a sleigh stacked with presents. The top photo shows the float making its way down Main Street on Saturday. The bottom photo shows the float in the staging area at the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina.
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A float that featured a team of stuffed deer heads, including one with a lighted red nose, has been named grand champion of the Parade of Lights.
Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting won the top award for the parade that included 42 floats. Mundion traveled the parade course in what appeared to be a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Parade organizers praised participants for their added creativity with the floats in the fifth annual Parade of Lights.
Other float winners include:
Not-for-Profit – Orleans YMCA
Religious – Medina Methodist Church
Service Organization – Medina Mustang Boosters
Fire Company – Medina Fire Department
Business – Roberts Farm Market
Other Groups – Medina Central School Transportation Department
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans County YMCA won an award for its Candyland themed float.
Star Award winner for Creativity – Orleans Master Gardeners
Littlest Elf Award for best design for involving youths and adults – Orleans County Town Clerks
Community Service Award for entry best representing their Community – Lyndonville Fire Company
There are other winners from Saturday’s Old Tyme Christmas celebration in Medina, including:
Cutest little elf contest winners: first place to Benjamin Root, second to Jaelyn Castricone, and third to Winry Tester.
Scavenger hunt winners: first place to Bobby Vidovich, second to Jonathan Becker, and third to Cindy Sands.
Coloring contest winners: first place to Saige Woodhams, second to Dakota Alexander, and third to Nathan Sherman.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The former JP Morgan Chase site in Albion has been repainted in preparation for the first wave of CRFS employees, who will move in next month, shifting from a site in Medina.
ALBION – Less than a year ago Claims Recovery Financial Services announced it had outgrown its Albion facility. CRFS said it would move some of its operations to Medina in renovated space in the Olde Pickle Factory.
The company has continued to grow, and a much larger building became available in Albion in September, when JP Morgan Chase closed its Albion site at 231 East Ave.
CRFS saw that big building as a a chance for all of its employees to work under the same roof. The building also was purchased by Roger Hungerford, who owns the Olde Pickle Factory.
He worked out a deal with CRFS for the company to move its Medina and Albion employees into the same building.
Next month, CRFS will relocate 230 Medina employees to the Chase site. Another 227 in Albion are scheduled to make the move in March.
The company forecasts 750 employees in Orleans County. They could all easily fit in the former Chase site, which once housed more than 900 employees for Chase and its predecessor, Washington Mutual.
CRFS is looking to hire about 150 workers as part of its expansion into the former Chase building.
To help with its expansion, CRFS also has hired a new president and chief strategist. The company, which is led by CEO and founder Jodi Gaines, has hired Cecelia Raine to help lead the company with Gaines.
Gaines has worked in mortgage banking for more 28 years. Prior to joining CRFS, she was a senior vice president for Strategy and Business Development in the Office of the Enterprise for Lender Processing Services, Inc.
She managed the company’s relationship with Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae, and Raines also built a servicing and default consulting practice. That business specialized in process re-engineering – making the most of people, €¨process and technology for her client base.
Other career experience includes 11 years with Fannie Mae, managing due diligence teams related to portfolio acquisitions, and several leadership positions in various servicing organizations.
Beyond her work experience, Raine has been recognized for her achievements as a “Woman of Influence” by Buffalo Business First, and was given the Chairman’s Award at Fannie Mae for her volunteer work with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion man also charged with armed robbery in February
Morris Taylor
ALBION – Morris Taylor, an Albion man who already faces charges for an armed robbery in February, was arraigned in Orleans County Court today on first-degree rape, forcible compulsion rape, and criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance, both in the third degree.
Judge James Punch set bail for Taylor at $75,000. He is due back in court on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m.
Taylor, 23, of 239 East State St. is a former state track champion for Albion. He won the 400 meters in 2008.
On Feb. 28, he allegedly was armed with a knife and robbed a pizza delivery person outside Mark’s Pizzeria in Albion. After the robbery, Taylor allegedly left the area with $300.
The rape and drug charges are unrelated to the robbery and will be prosecuted separately, District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Sandstone Society will announce inaugural class on Dec. 12
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion is one of 22 sites nominated for the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. The society will announce which of the sites will be enshrined in the first class of the Hall of Fame on Dec. 12.
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society will announce the inductees in the first class of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Dec. 12.
The 4 to 6 p.m. ceremony at the Medina City Hall also will include an announcement on the Hall of Fame’s location.
The first class will include six inductees, and representatives from some of those sites are expected for the Hall of Fame announcement.
The Sandstone Society on Oct. 10 announced 22 nominees. The Hall of Fame Committee worked to narrow the list to six for the first class.
“This can be an important step for Orleans County in under scoring its great 19th Century heritage as the sandstone capital of the world in fine construction,” Bob Waters, president of the Sandstone Society, said about the Hall of Fame.
BATAVIA – In his first season as the head coach of the Genesee Community College women’s soccer program, Jeff Reyngoudt has been named the 2013 Western New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Reyngoudt took over the program last offseason after a 5-12-1 record in 2012 and led Genesee to a 13-4-1 season this year, the first winning record and the highest win total since 2010. The Lady Cougars were 6-1 in conference play this season.
“He’s done a fantastic job,” said GCC Athletic Director Kristen Schuth. “It starts with recruiting and he’s done a great job working with the players he has brought in. He’s made huge strides with the program.”
GCC was ranked as high as fifth in the NJCAA National Poll this year and earned three victories over Top-10 teams. The Lady Cougars earned the number one seed in the Region III Tournament and reached the Finals where they lost in overtime to SUNY Delhi.
Genesee had seven players receive All-Conference honors and four All-Region selections this year.
Reyngoudt currently resides with his family in Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Residents can comment on budget that raises taxes 5%
ALBION – Residents get a chance Monday to air their views on a proposed $79.8 million county budget that would raise taxes 5 percent.
The county is holding a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. at the Orleans County Courthouse. The Legislature has scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting on Wednesday at the neighboring County Clerks Building to vote on the spending plan.
The budget would increase the tax rate by 40 cents to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property. It exceeds the state property tax cap. The Legislature voted to override the cap last month. The previous two county budgets were under the tax cap, which is set at about a 2 percent increase.
The proposed budget will sustain core services, and it also includes the first payment of $475,000 on an upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system.
Another cost driven is a $558,000 increase in county welfare costs. The state is shifting Family Assistance and Safety Net costs to the local and federal governments, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said in a budget message.
Besides property tax, sales tax is the best weapon the county has locally for paying for county government costs. Sales tax, however, is running behind the 2012 collections through 2013, a lag the county attributes to a drop in gas prices this year.
County officials have budgeted for a modest $25,000 increase in sales tax. The county takes in about $15 million a year in sales tax. More sales tax would reduce the demand on property taxes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Fisher-Price made millions of toys in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers – Fisher-Price started producing toys in Medina in 1970. This Pull-A-Tune Pony was among the first to be produced in the former Heinz factory on Park Avenue.
MEDINA – For nearly three decades the massive manufacturing space on Park Avenue was a major producer of toys.
Fisher-Price turned the former Heinz plant into a manufacturing center for toys, beginning in 1970. It employed 950 people here at its peak, earning Medina the nickname of “Toy Town.” In 1997, the company left town. It was a devastating blow.
The Medina Historical Society has some of the toys made in Medina as part of a display at the society museum, 406 West Ave.
When Fisher-Price came to Medina 43 years ago, the Pull-A-Tune Pony was a new product. One of the first Pull-A-Tune Pony toys is on display in the museum. It was made in Medina on April 1, 1970.
A decade later the company made topped 100 million toys made from the Medina site. The museum has that milestone toy: a ferry boat (pictured above). That toy was made on May 29, 1980.
I moved to Orleans County in July 1996. My first job was as a reporter at The Albion Advertiser, which no longer exists. It used to be part of the Medina Journal-Register.
I remember when Fisher-Price announced the last wave of closings. There was a sense of doom.
But Medina has bounced back. It has been a gradual process and the community is less tied to one major company these days. It is more diversified, with lots of small businesses. It still has some major manufacturers with Baxter Healthcare, Brunner and Associated Brands, all with several hundred workers. Another company, Worthington Cylinders, has nearly 200 employees, but it plans to close its Medina site in mid-2014.
The Fisher-Price workers must have been proud during the holiday season, knowing so many of the toys they made would be part of Christmas for children all over the world.
The Fisher-Price plant closed not long after the company was acquired by Mattel in 1993. Medina’s recent resurgence is a testimony to the community’s resilience after such a crushing blow.
