By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Gary Withey, owner of Fischer’s Newsroom on North Main Street, waits on customer Larry Harvey this morning at the North Main Street business.
ALBION A downtown Albion merchant admitted to stealing from a fellow business owner in court on Wednesday.
Denise VanWagner, 60, of Medina pleaded guilty to attempted petty larceny. She will be sentenced in County Court on Sept. 10.
VanWagner will pay partial restitution to Fischer’s Newsroom, where police say she stole $28,303. VanWagner, owner of the Place To Go consignment shop, would go to Fischer’s and watch the store while owner Gary Withey took a bathroom break.
Withey became suspicious about the theft and marked $20 bills that VanWagner then allegedly stole. One time he hid behind a door and witnessed her taking the money. He then called the Albion police.
In March, VanWagner was arraigned on charges of third-degree grand larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The plea on Wednesday means the case is resolved and won’t go to trial.
“Are we happy? Yes and no,” Withey said this morning. “We’re happy she finally pleaded guilty. And we avoided a trial which saved the taxpayers a lot of money.”
Withey and his wife Denise had the business for sale until taking it off the market about a month ago. Once the theft was stopped, Withey said Fischer’s proved to be a healthy business.
“We’re solvent again, and we’re no longer for sale,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
DeFilipps, DeRoller are backed in first runs for Legislature
Photo by Tom Rivers – John DeFilipps, left, and Ken DeRoller were both endorsed tonight by the Orleans County Republican Committee for the County Legislature.
GAINES – The Orleans County Republican Committee endorsed a slate of candidates for county positions tonight, including two who are new to county elections.
However, John DeFilipps of Clarendon and Ken DeRoller of Kendall both have long-time ties to the community. DeFilipps was endorsed for a county-wide legislator position currently held by George Bower, who is retiring after 24 years as legislator.
DeRoller was backed to represent a district that includes the towns of Carlton, Murray and Kendall. Ken Rush currently serves in that position. He chose not to seek re-election after 14 years on the Legislature.
DeFilipps, 55, has been a member of the Clarendon Town Board for 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.
DeFilipps and DeRoller both met with the 10 town GOP committees in recent weeks before the countywide meeting tonight. The Republicans are concerned about local taxes, DeFilipps said.
“The consensus is we’re at a turning point with the way government is running and with what we can afford,” DeFilipps said after the endorsement meeting at The Village Inn.
DeRoller worked 38 years at Kodak, retiring 11 years ago in the information technology department as a business analyst. DeRoller, 66, 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.
DeRoller said his experiences, especially with economic development and land use, will be an asset to the seven-member Legislature.
“I want to make a difference in the rural community,” DeRoller said. “With the Legislature, I thought it was time for me to step up.”
Ed Morgan, the Republican Party chairman, said DeRoller and DeFilipps are both well-rounded candidates with years of business and community service. They’ve also proven themselves at the town level, Morgan said.
The GOP committee also endorsed five incumbent legislators: David Callard of Medina, Bill Eick of Shelby, Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville, Don Allport of Gaines and Henry Smith Jr. of Gaines.
The committee also supported two other incumbent candidates running for county-wide positions: Susan Heard of Albion for country treasurer and Karen Lake-Maynard of Medina for county clerk.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Williams, a member of the Elks Lodge in Albion, opposes a plan to turn a daycare next door into 10 efficiency units.
This former childcare center is eyed for 10 apartments.
ALBION – A proposal to turn a former child care center at the end of West State Street into 10 apartments has riled neighbors, including the Elks Lodge, which is next door to the former Agri-Business Child Development site.
“It’s not a good thing,” John Williams, a member of the Elks, told the Village Planning Board. “You could have sex offenders in there and ex cons. It’s no good.”
Williams and other neighbors said the site, if turned into 10 apartments, would bring down the property values in the neighborhood.
Linda Smith of Albion wants to buy the site from the state and turn it into 10 “efficiency units” that would be about 550 square feet each with their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. She said she does criminal background checks on all applicants for her apartments.
“If I think they are a danger, I can refuse them,” she said about applicants.
The efficiency units wouldn’t be a “flop house” or boarding house, and residents would stay for at least a month. Smith said the project would improve a building that has sat empty for at least three years and would return the site to the tax rolls.
“I take pride in them,” she said about the properties she owns in Albion. “I keep them up. I try to put good people in them.”
The building is in a residential neighborhood. Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said it’s highly unlikely the building would be converted into one- or two-unit housing.
He wrote a proposal for adaptive reuse overlay districts that would target buildings older than 1996 that are vacant with more than 5,000 square feet of space. The zoning would provide some flexibility for reusing the properties, but also provides conditions for the Planning Board to consider the project’s impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Planning Board Chairman Dan Gleason said there are many vacant or underutilized sites in the village that need creative solutions. The Planning Board and Village Board would need to adopt the adaptive reuse zoning for the building before Smith could proceed. The Orleans County Planning Board also would need to weigh in on the proposal.
Several neighbors said they didn’t want a 10-unit site in their neighborhood. Matt Passarell, a member of Town Board, said the proposal is contrary to the recently approved Albion comprehensive plan, where community members they wanted less rental properties in the village.
“We established a vision in our comprehensive plan and we should stick to it,” Passarell said.
Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti is looking for creative ways to reuse vacant buildings that are bigger than 5,000 square feet. He has proposed an adaptive reuse overlay district for those properties.
His parents, Jim and Barbara Passarell, both addressed the board and said the West State Street neighborhood has sharply declined in their 30 years on the street. Mrs. Passarell said the street has turned into “a slum.”
She also told Vendetti he should be neutral in enforcing codes, not working to create new zoning.
Vendetti said he was asked by the Village Board to draft a proposal for reusing some of the larger vacant buildings in the village that don’t lend themselves a one- or two-unit housing.
“It’s a hard thing to figure out,” Vendetti said about the properties.
The village’s tax assessed value has been shrinking in recent years. Gleason, the Planning Board chairman, said the village would benefit if sites were reused, rather than sitting vacant or being torn down. He said the board wouldn’t make a decision soon on the adaptive reuse zoning or on Smith’s project.
“It gives you an idea of what we’re up against,” Gleason said. “If you look around Albion, there’s a lot of empty buildings. We’re looking for ways to reuse some of those buildings and increase our tax base.”
(left to right) Front Row – Aaron Arnett (Albion), Mason Miller (Albion). Second Row: Teacher Matt Anastasi, Chris Balk (Newfane), Jamal Christian Jr. (Lockport), Codie Miller (Newfane). Third Row: Nate Martin (Newfane), Andy Stone (Newfane), Dylanger Spry (Lockport), Kyle Clark (Lockport) and Travis Ellnor (Lockport).
Press Release: Orleans/Niagara BOCES
The Orleans/Niagara BOCES Building Trades program has been helping out Habitat for Humanity throughout the school year. The organization has asked Matt Anastasi’s class for one more favor. They wanted to know if the class, which is located at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center, would be willing to use their skills on a smaller scale and make a playhouse for them to auction off at the Orleans County Fair to help them raise money.
“Of course we are more than glad to help out,” says Mr. Anastasi. “The students love helping out on something that benefit the people in this community. It is a great organization.”
Press release
Community Partners at Orleans Community Health
LYNDONVILLE – Medina sisters Charlene Pratt, left, and Darlene Rich, a breast cancer survivor for seven years, were among the 300 people who attended the 17th annual “For Women Only” event on May 1 at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.
Rich has attended the event for the past 15 years, except for one miss. That was the day of the event seven years ago when she got the news that she had breast cancer. She had since had treatment and is very doing well. She encourages all women to get screened.
The event on May 1 included speeches from holistic nutritionist Sara Vacin and cancer survivor Aleka Schmidt.
The benefit raised about $5,000. Those funds will assist cancer patients for expenses not covered by the Cancer Services Grant for women who are uninsured or underinsured in our area.
All women 40 and over should have a mammogram. If someone does not have insurance or they have a high deductible – please call Community Partners 585-798-6641 for a free mammogram.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo Courtesy Richard Margolis – The former Holley High School, which sits in a high-profile spot on Route 31, has fallen into disrepair and has been mostly vacant for two decades.
HOLLEY – The former Holley High School has been identified by a preservation organization as one of five sites in desperate need of investment in the Rochester region.
The Landmark Society of Western New York today announced the “Five to Revive” list. The group intends to annually publish a list of five properties in need of improvement.
“Whether buildings, landscapes, or structures, they are significant historic properties whose rehabilitations can become catalytic projects for the neighborhoods and communities that surround them,” the Landmark Society stated on its Web site.
Landmark Society staff picked the five sites, calling them “irreplaceable historic resources.” The Landmark Society offered to work collaboratively with owners, municipal officials and developers to facilitate investment and foster rehabilitation so that these structures can again play an active role in their communities.
In addition to the Holley school, the Landmark Society picked the following as Five to Revive: the Pulaski Library, 1151 Hudson Ave., Rochester;Former Eastman Dental Dispensary, 800 Main St., Rochester; Pedestrian Bridges in Genesee Valley Park, Rochester; Sampson Theatre, 130-136 East Elm St., Penn Yan.
The Holley school was last used about two decades ago by Liftec Manufacturing, which went bankrupt. The site was last used as a school in the early 1970s.
Here is what the Landmark Society wrote about the school:
Holley High School
Wright Street (NYS Route 31) at Main Street (NYS 237)
Village of Holley, Orleans County
Built in 1931, the former Holley High School is a strategically located and well-recognized landmark, which occupies a prominent site in the village at the central intersection of Wright and Main streets (NYS Routes 31 & 237).
This Neo-Classical Revival building is located within the Holley Village Historic District, which has been declared officially eligible for listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
This historic district, situated in the core of the village, is a significant collection of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century commercial, religious, residential, and educational architecture.Between 1825 and the early twentieth century, Holley was a small, yet bustling, canal-side transportation hub, as well as a center of commercial activity for the surrounding rural, agrarian region.
The very irregular street pattern is a reflection of the village’s earliest decades of prosperity, when its primary thoroughfare (Route 31) developed along the curving route of the west bank of the 1825 Erie Canal.The canal was rerouted to the north during the 1850s-’60s, although the southern loop through the center of the village was in local service well into the early twentieth century.
The highly visible site of this former school has been the location of two high school buildings, one constructed in 1896 and its successor, the present building, which was erected in 1930. Designed by Rochester architect and school specialist, Carl Ade, the former Holley High School was described as “the latest type of modern school construction” and featured fire-proof construction with structural steel frame, reinforced concrete floors, and brick exterior walls.
Its restrained Neo-Classical design included a handsome columned portico on the façade. This prominent building served as the community’s high school into the mid-1970s. There has been only intermittent use of limited sections of the school in the intervening years. The former high school is a major visual anchor in the village business district.
A contributing building in the proposed “Holley Village Historic District,” the former Holley High School also appears to be individually eligible for listing in the State and National Register of Historic Places.
WHY SELECTED
A highly visible anchor in this historic Erie Canal village, the former Holley High School is one of the most important civic buildings in Orleans County. Its notable historic and architectural significance, combined with its prominent location and scale of design, make it an important candidate for rehabilitation and re-use after nearly 30 years of vacancy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley has recommitted to keeping Albion as his district office, even though the redistricting process shifted the center of his district to Elba.
The 139th Assembly District was changed about a year ago during redistricting, with the boundaries moved south to include all of Genesee County. The new lines make northern Genesee the geographic center of the district.
Hawley’s district used to include all of Orleans, but Shelby was removed, as well as the town of Somerset. He picked up the southern border of Genesee, which previously wasn’t in the district. The 139th also includes four Monroe towns: Hamlin, Clarkson, Sweden and Riga.
Hawley’s predecessor, Charles Nesbitt, picked Albion as the district office in 2002, moving it to his hometown after the office was based in Brockport.
Hawley, who has served in the Assembly since 2006, isn’t going to pull up stakes from Albion.
“It’s accessible,” he said about his office at the Albion Visitors’ Center, 121 North Main Street. “It’s right in the center of Orleans County. People are familiar with it.”
The village owns the site at 121 North Main St. The Village Board requested a 2 percent increase in Hawley’s lease, which includes utilities. Hawley’s office paid $14,832 this past year for the space. The Assembly’s majority conference will decide if the increase is approved. Hawley said he supports paying a little more for the space.
“I don’t think that’s outlandish at all,” he said.
The Albion building also gives him access to a conference room and he said there is plenty of parking close by.
Hawley has stepped up outreach efforts with residents in Genesee and Monroe counties. His staff has office hours every Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Genesee Community College in Room T123 of the Conable Technology Building. His staff also will be available on Wednesdays at Brockport State College.
Hawley said he will meet with residents personally throughout the district if they schedule an appointment by contacting hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling the district office at 585-589-5780.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The village hasn’t increased its water and sewer rates in a decade. That will soon change.
The Village Board will meet 7 p.m. May 28 to schedule a public hearing for an increase. First, the board needs to determine how much the rates will go up for village users and out-of-village customers in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.
“We have 10 years of increases to catch up on,” said Mayor Andrew Meier.
Medina has been working with a consultant, Paul Bringewatt of Canandaigua, to determine how much the rates should increase. The village also has been looking at how personnel and other budgeted expenses are credited to either the water or general fund.
Some of the village fund expenses, which are paid solely by the village-only property owners, may be shifted to the water budget, which includes both village and outside-village users. That would ease some pressure on the general fund, and village property owners.
Meier said the issues will be discussed May 28 and during the public hearing, which has yet to be set.
Medina buys its water from the Niagara County Water District. Village residents pay a retail rate to the village, while the towns receive a wholesale rate from Medina. The towns of Shelby and Ridgeway then sell then water to residents in their water districts.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presents the 2013 Artist Road Show in Orleans County this Saturday from 10am to 3pm. This event is free for all attendees.
Previously called the Open Studio Tour, this sixth annual event features an Art Trail with five artists in a variety of media at three studios and galleries in Orleans County, all open for guests to experience art and meet the artists in person.
The Artist Road Show is envisioned to provide an exciting opportunity to see artists at work, view or purchase art, raise awareness of art and culture and contribute to tourism in Genesee and Orleans counties. A map of all sites and artists may be picked up at GO ART!, Seymour Place, 201 East Main Street in Batavia and at participating sites as well as online at www.GOart.org.
Sites and Artists featured in Orleans County include:
At Marti’s on Main:
Connie Mosher, Kim Martillotta & Chris Versteeg
227 N. Main St., Albion, NY 14411
Connie Mosher
I am primarily a painter experimenting in other mediums,such as Polaroid transfers and scanner photography. I love capturing the image of fresh flowers in all their delicate beauty on the scanner. They are alive!
Kim Martillotta
First of all, I am an artist. I sculpt, collage, paint, and I am a photographer. That is what I do, and who I am. I also have a great little Fine Art Gallery. It has given me the opportunity to meet other artists and show the world their art. I want to inspire, and in the process have been very inspired myself. We have First Friday events from May thru December and I encourage folks to stop by any time. Meet the artists and have some fun!
Chris Versteeg
My goal is to encourage people to really look at, and enjoy our surroundings. And, to generate a smile, perhaps.
Artwork by the Mental Health Association
At MHA of Orleans County:
MHA Art Workshop artists
20 S. Main St., Albion, NY 14411
MHA of Orleans County
Creative individuals meet every Wednesday for Art Workshop, and are thrilled to be part of The Road Show. View their unique styles and techniques within this large group of student artists. Pieces range from sculpture, hand crafted beads, watercolors, oils and acrylics. You will find Abstract and Realism in this workroom. Stop in to MHA, where these semi-pros are happy to talk to you about their work! Artists will also be working on some new pieces as you tour. Some pieces are for purchase.
At Solace Pointe:
Betsy LaMere
1882 Kent Rd., Kent, NY 14477
Betsy LaMere
Betsy specializes in equine/canine art and is a member of the IEA and CAG. Known for her distinctive style in pen and ink, Betsy also creates images of companion animals, nature and florals in photography, acrylics and colored pencils.
This event is made possible with the generous support of The Bank of Castile and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, please call 585-343-9313, email info@GOart.org or visit www.GOart.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Russ Martino, chairman of Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation, jots down notes during a presentation today during the organization’s meeting at the public health department. Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, is pictured across from Martino.
ALBION – The consultants and firms are lining up to help Orleans County sell its 120-bed nursing home, The Villages of Orleans on Route 31.
From accounting, legal and real estate services, several firms are pitching their services to Orleans County and its newly created entity, the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation. The County Legislature in February voted to transfer the Villages of Orleans to a three-member Local Development Corporation, which that group tasked with finding a buyer and selling the facility.
County officials want to be out of the nursing home business because projections show $2 million to $4 million annual operating losses at the site.
Despite the deficits, the county nursing home has plenty of value to other operators, said a real estate professional who helps counties sell the properties.
“These nursing home are a commodity and they’re extremely valuable if run the right way,” said Josh Jandris, a senior associate with Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group, a Chicago firm that specializes selling nursing homes.
That firm is working to sell nursing homes for nine NY counties – Chautauqua, Chemung, Essex, Ontario, Orange, Rockland, Saratoga, Steuben and Ulster.
Shrinking government reimbursement rates plus rising employee costs for publicly owned facilities have led to a big push to sell the municipally owned sites in the past three years, Jandris told the LDC during its meeting today.
Josh Jandris, a senior associate with Marcus and Millichap’s National Seniors Housing Group based in Chicago, discusses how the firm can help get a good price for The Villages of Orleans.
The firm is working with 21 governments in six states to sell nursing homes. Jandris said the company has helped governments sell sites at 25 percent above the minimum bid. The firm can help determine the market value for The Villages and then market the site to 2,500 potential buyers, Jandris said. His firm would receive 2.5 percent of the sale price.
Another organization, the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, said it would work with the county to sell the property for a fee that would likely range from $60,000 to $100,000, depending on the services. CGR’s cost also includes the services from Health Dimensions Group, which has connections with potential buyers throughout the country, said Don Pryor, CGR’s director of human services.
CGR would also work to determine the market rate for The Villages, and could research potential buyers to make sure they are good fit for the county, committed to quality care and serving “hard-to-place” residents who may have behavioral problems or be on Medicaid.
Jandris said Marcus and Millichap would also vet potential buyers to make sure they have good track records for serving patients and employee retention.
Don Pryor, director of human services research for the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, meets with county officials and members of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation on Wednesday to discuss how CGR could help sell the 120-bed county nursing home.
Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said the county wants a buyer that would continue the Communty As Schools program with Albion Central School, where at-risk students take classes and work in internships at the nursing home. Jandris said the county can stipulate that and set other demands on the buyers, but that may result in a lower sale price.
Nesbitt also wants to hear proposals from potential buyers on how they would reuse the entire facility, including wings from the early 1960s that are mostly empty. That space might be able to be used for a senior daycare or respite site.
The new LDC will seek proposals from firms to market the nursing home and provide consulting services for the sale. That proposal will go out May 17 and will be due June 3. The LDC is expected to meet soon after June 3 to review the proposals.
The LDC during today’s meeting approved two agreements for professional services. The Harris Beach legal firm in Pittsford will represent the group on an as needed basis and will bill by the hour, including defending the county in a lawsuit filed by two citizens who say the county illegally transferred the nursing home and its assets to the LDC.
The Bonadio Group, a Pittsford accounting firm, will charge $8,500 annually to make sure the LDC submits the appropriate regulatory filings with the state.
“We assure you they will be done and be done on time,” said Nick Mazzo, a municipal consultant with Bonadio.
The LDC is aiming to complete a sale by Dec. 31, 2014.
