By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jim Graziano, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department, is honored by Pat Crowley, project director for the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
ALBION – Human service agencies in Orleans County have a friend in Jim Graziano, leader of the Orleans County Mental Health Department the past eight years.
Graziano worked well with other agency leaders, and has been committed to providing services for residents, said Jan Albanese, a member of the Community Services Board and leader of the Act Program.
When Graziano was hired eight years ago, some in the community worried he might not be fully committed to the job because he lives in Erie County. But Albanese said Graziano showed his dedication to Orleans.
“He quickly reached out and collaborated with local agencies,” she said Wednesday when Graziano was honored at the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
Graziano, who is retiring, also was presented with a “Special Recognition Award” during the County Legislature meeting on Wednesday.
“This presentation is bittersweet,” said Legislator Bill Eick. “We hate to see you go.”
Mark O’Brien, the Mental Health’s clinic coordinator, will succeed Graziano in leading the department.
Albanese praised Graziano for taking a leadership role with the coalition of agencies. He moderated two public forums, one on underage drinking and another on prescription drug abuse. The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse in 2007 presented him with a director’s award for his work in the county.
Graziano commended the department’s partner agencies for their commitment to residents.
“I’m glad I’ve been able to make a difference,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone presents the Milford Phinney Victim Advocate Award to Margarita Aldaco during a crime victims’ vigil Thursday at the county courthouse.
ALBION – The recipient of the annual Milford Phinney Victim Advocate Award told crime victims they aren’t alone.
“You have a voice and a choice and a way out,” said Margarita Aldaco, the program advocate administrator for PathStone’s domestic violence services in Orleans County.
Aldaco received the Victim Advocate award during a crime victims’ vigil and rally at the Courthouse steps.
Aldaco has worked with local domestic violence victims for nine years. She sees about 25 to 30 victims and their families a year, assisting them in receiving counseling, transportation and other supportive services.
“You make a difference in their lives,” Aldaco said. “You see them make it on their own when they didn’t think they could do it.”
The award is named for Phinney, a former assistant district attorney. The annual vigil and rally included a testimonial from a victim of domestic violence, who said “help is out there” and urged other victims to leave their abusers.
“I’m back on my feet and I’m going strong again,” the domestic violence victim said.
Sister Delores O’Dowd shares a reflection from the Orleans County Courthouse steps during a crime victims’ vigil on Thursday.
The vigil was part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Sister Delores O’Dowd from Holy Family Parish in Albion shared a reflection during the rally.
“We realize that violence done to one of us effects all of us in one way or another – it steals part of our humanity,” she said in addressing a crowd of about 25 people.
She urged the group to work towards eliminating violence from the community.
“Let us embrace with healing kindness hose who are victims and call to a just accountability those who would make victims of others.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Al and Andrew Cheverie
ALBION – Some of Andrew Cheverie’s earliest memories are taking a soapy sponge and wiping off the big tires on Albion fire trucks. He often joined his father, Al, in the fire hall.
Andrew, 16, has grown up as a part of the Albion Fire Department. Now, he is a cadet member, a step above the youth explorer program, but not quite a basic firefighter. He can do many of the firefighter duties, but isn’t allowed to go into a house on fire.
“It’s always been a lot of fun, even cleaning the fire trucks,” Andrew said about the fire department. “It’s definitely been exciting having grown up here and to now become a part of it.”
Andrew and Al Cheverie are one of many firefighting families in the department. Some families, such as the Sidaris, have been active volunteers for four or five generations.
Al Cheverie, an AFD volunteer for 23 years, enjoys working alongside his son as firefighters.
“You’re definitely doing something constructive together,” Al said.
Firefighters say the volunteer jobs consume a lot of time with training, work around the fire hall and responding to emergencies. Having family members in the department makes the time away from home more bearable.
Michael and Spencer Misiak
“It’s a camaraderie,” said Michael Misiak, an AFD firefighter the past 12 years. “It brings a father and son closer together.”
His son Spencer, 16, is president of the explorer post, which currently includes four people 14 and older. It’s run through the Boy Scouts of America.
“It’s fun, but it’s a commitment,” Spencer said.
The department started the explorer post in 1974. Tim Irwin was in that initial group. He spent four years as an explorer before become a full member 35 years ago. He now helps run the explorer program. His daughter Allyson, 15, is one of the explorers.
“I put her in a fire truck when she was 2,” Irwin said.
Tim and Allyson Irwin
Allyson has been a frequent presence in the fire hall she was a baby. As an explorer, she has joined firefighters on tasks in the community, including basement pumping. She is eager to gain more skills to help the department.
Bill Francis joined the AFD 26 years ago, following 10 years with the Wallace Fire Department in the Southern Tier, where his father was an assistant chief. His two sons – Will, 22, and Matt, 21 – are active firefighters in Albion.
“I’ve always wanted to be a fireman,” Matt said. “You want to help the community you grew up in.”
Matt works in Rochester as a collision technician. His brother works at CRFS in Albion and wants to be a police officer. Will says firefighting “is a family tradition.”
“I still get excited sitting in the front seat with the lights on, going out on a call,” he said.
Bill Francis is pictured with his sons Will, center, and Matt.
The department has 75 active firefighters, but could use more, especially for the day-time calls when many members have work commitments. Harry Papponetti, a past chief, said there are many roles to help the department, and not just fighting fires and providing EMS. Volunteers are needed for scene support and as drivers.
Papponetti has volunteered with the department for 43 years. Four of his sons have served with the AFD, including John, 38; Jimmy, 35; Scott, 33; and Steven, 20.
John remembers when he was a kid riding his bike up and down Platt Street, pretending he was in a fire truck. When John moved from Albion about a decade ago, he joined the Penfield Fire Company, where he is now a vice president.
“It’s in your blood,” he said about the fire service. “You can’t get away from it.”
The Papponetti family, from left: John, Jimmy, Harry and Steven. Scott is also a member of the AFD but is currently stationed with the military in Montana.
His brother Steven juggles a college course load with volunteerism in the fire department. On weekends, he often hangs out at the fire hall, where he said he enjoys the fellowship.
When Harry Papponetti joined the fire department 43 years ago, he said there were 350 firefighters in Albion. There were a lot of fires back then. These days the AFD responds more to motor vehicle accidents, automatic alarms, gas leaks and smoke and odor investigations. However, the department still battled 24 fires last year.
The department welcomes new members, and they don’t need a pedigree in the AFD. Jodi Genno is an example of a newcomer who sought out the department. She was living in Florida when she moved to Albion in 2004.
“I always wanted to be in the fire service and be an EMT,” she said.
In Fort Lauderdale, where she lived, the department was run by career firefighters.
Genno said the AFD has been welcoming. She helps lead the explorer post, where her son Austin, 14, is one of the four members. Austin enjoys shooting pool with the firefighters and helping around the fire hall.
“I want to make the real firefighters’ jobs easier,” he said.
Jodi Genno and her son Austin
The department will have an open house this Saturday from 10 to 3 p.m. Firefighters will do blood pressure checks, offer fire safety tips, and lead demonstrations on the Hurst tool and a fire extinguisher. The fire hall is on North Platt Street next to the canal.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Clarendon Street bridge in the village of Albion is scheduled to be replaced next year with 95 percent of the costs paid by the state and federal governments.
ALBION – After more than a decade of looking at alternatives for the Clarendon Street bridge, construction of the project is now imminent: next year.
State Department of Transportation officials updated the Albion community on the replacement project on Wednesday. The DOT and engineers at Bergmann Associates in Buffalo are working on the final design for the project.
The state was considering a new bridge that would have been higher than the existing one, which would have required longer approaches, but the new bridge will be the same height, easing some neighborhood disruption with the project. The Falls Road Railroad backed off wanting a higher bridge.
Some residents, including former Mayor Ed Salvatore, told the Village Board and DOT to just dead-end the bridge and not bother with a replacement at an estimated price of $1.8 million.
“This is an enormous cost to the village for a few trains,” he said during a public meeting about the project on Wednesday.
The village has to pay 5 percent of the project, or about $90,000. The state pays 15 percent and the federal government 80 percent. The federal money is already approved.
If the village opted against going forward with the replacement, Albion could be on the hook for the $200,000 that has already been spent on engineering and preliminary costs, plus the village would then have to pay the full share of demolishing the bridge at an estimated $200,000.
“The bottom line to me is it will cost the village more to take it down than to have a new one,” Trustee Pete Sidari told the bridge detractors.
The current bridge has “heavily deteriorated” beams, spalling concrete and other problems, said Kevin Miller, an engineer with Bergmann.
The DOT wants to replace the bridge with a smaller precast concrete structure that will improve sight lines and offer wider travel lanes, shoulders and sidewalks. The DOT and Bergmann looked at fixing the problems at the bridge, instead of doing a replacement, but Miller said that would be a short-term fix.
Salvatore and resident Joe Martillotta were both critical of the cost of the project, and said the village wouldn’t move forward with it if the federals and state governments weren’t shouldering the costs.
Mayor Dean Theodorakos fired back at Salvatore, saying the village needs to go after projects supported by outside grants and funding.
“Are we going to sit here and let things fall down?” Theodorakos said. “Is that what you want? Eventually the village will shut down because the people won’t want to spend money here.”
Clarendon Street can be heavily trafficked, especially during in the morning when school starts and in the afternoon when it lets out. Trustee Eileen Banker said closing Clarendon Street permanently would divert traffic to McKinstry Street, where a lot of students walk to school.
The DOT is working to acquire pieces of five properties between Crimson Drive and Childs Street. The state plans to accept bids for the bridge construction in March 2014. Construction should start the following April and the new bridge should open in November 2014.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
ALBION – A 15-year-old boy was charged with unlawful possession of weapons on Wednesday after he allegedly possessed materials common to the construction of homemade bombs and/or improvised explosive devices, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The department did not release the boy’s name and declined to say which town the boy lived in because of his likely status as a youthful offender. The boy was issued an appearance ticket to Family Court.
“We’re not at liberty to release a lot of information given that he’s a juvenile,” said Undersheriff Steven Smith.
Holley, NY – During its April 23 board meeting, the Holley Board of Education adopted a $22,976,429 budget for the 2013-2014 school year. If approved, the plan will result in a two percent tax levy increase.
The district received an additional $702,000 in state aid and did not have to make any cuts to staffing or programs. Items that were added to the budget include two teaching positions, an athletic trainer, a golf team, and upgrades to the Middle School/High School music room.
“The Board of Education has worked hard with our administrators to build a budget that meets students’ needs while also staying at the two percent cap. We have accomplished this task,” said John Heise, board president. “We are happy to have been able to include a number of items in the budget that will improve opportunities for our students.”
When Holley residents go to the polls on May 21, they also will be asked to vote on three additional propositions. The first is for the purchase of two full-size school buses, two 22-passenger buses, and one nine-passenger vehicle at a cost not to exceed $372,136. The second allows the district to maintain a seven-member Board of Education rather than reducing to five members as authorized by voters on May 15, 2012. The third authorizes the district to raise $102,652 to be used in support of maintenance and operations of the Community Free Library.
In addition, residents will be voting on one Board of Education seat. The three-year terms of office of current board members John Heise, Dorothy Morgan and Brenda Swanger expire on June 30, 2013. In accordance with a proposition adopted by voters on May 15, 2012, the board is being reduced from nine to seven members effective July 1, 2013. As a result of this reduction in membership, two positions on the board are being eliminated as of July 1, 2013, leaving only one vacancy to be filled at this year’s election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to a three-year term of office expiring June 30, 2016.
Additional budget information will be available soon and will be communicated on the district website at www.holleycsd.org, through Facebook, and in the budget newsletter mailed to residents in mid-May.
Holley residents can vote on the school budget and Board of Education election on Tuesday, May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Holley Middle School/High School foyer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2013 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The school district in 2013-14 will restore many programs that were cut in a budget crisis two years ago, while keeping taxes within a state-imposed property tax cap.
The Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $22,976,429 budget that will go before voters on May 21. The budget increases taxes by 2 percent from $7,393,901 to $7,541,779.
The board voted to bring back the marching band, elementary student council, ski club, golf and boys and girls basketball for grades 4 to 6.
“When kids feel connected to the school, they do better in school, they attend school more and they behave better,” said John Heise, president of the Board of Education.
He said some of the restored programs, such as ski club, promote life-long healthy activities.
The board also will add an athletic trainer, a high school social studies teacher and an elementary teacher.
The board decided to return staff and programs that were cut in previous budgets when state aid was drastically reduced for the district. Next school year state aid is targeted to increase by $742,336 from $10,879,581 to $11,621,917.
Residents will vote on the budget May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school foyer.
They will also vote on a bus proposition to spend $372,136, and a proposition to raise $102,652 for Community Free Library. Brenda Swanger is unopposed for a three-year term on the Board of Education.
Another proposition seeks to keep the BOE at seven seats rather than continue a downsizing to five members. Voters a year ago approved a phase-in reduction of the BOE from nine to five members.
Law enforcement officials will discuss SAFE Act at GCC event
Press release
BATAVIA – The public is invited to a forum on Thursday about the state’s new gun laws. The 6:30 to 8 p.m. event at Genesee Community College will be hosted by Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, and includes law enforcement and other government officials.
Hawley urged residents to attend and ask questions about what passage of the NY SAFE Act means to their rights as law-abiding gun owners. Hawley will be joined by New York State Rifle and Pistol Association President Tom King, and Shooters Committee on Political Education President Steve Aldstadt.
“New York’s new gun control laws were jammed through the legislature with no time for public input or review,” Hawley said. “As a result, many law-abiding gun owners are unaware of the new rules, regulations and requirements that now encroach on our Second Amendment rights. This forum will give residents a chance to ask questions and voice their concerns over the NY SAFE Act, helping ensure that we all can protect our privacy and civil liberties to the fullest extent possible.”
The forum will be at the Stuart Steiner Theatre at GCC, 1 College Rd. in Batavia. For more information, contact Hawley’s district office at (585) 589-5780 or email hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Tax rate climbs from $16.37 to $16.86 per $1,000
ALBION – The Village Board approved a $6.3 million budget on Wednesday that will raise taxes 2.6 percent and will allow the village to upgrade some infrastructure.
“We’re still able to do some very nice public works projects with streets and drainage,” Mayor Dean Theordorakos said after the budget was approved tonight.
The board approved taking $300,000 from its reserve fund and pursuing a $100,000 bond to tackle some drainage and road maintenance projects. Trustee Fred Miller cast the lone negative vote for the budget. He didn’t like to see the village borrow for road work.
“You’re pulling out your credit card,” he said.
But the mayor said it’s not uncommon for the village to borrow to get some infrastructure projects done. The biggest project will be milling and repaving West State Street.
“We’re improving our infrastructure to make it more livable,” Theodorakos said.
The village may pursue a bigger state grant for sanitary sewer work on Crimson Drive and East State Street, or it may seek a grant for a sanitary sewer, water main, storm drain and road rebuild on a portion of East State Street.
The village’s overall budget – general, water and sewer funds – totals $6,272,510, which is down from the $6,538,637 in 2012-13. The village will levy $2,419,975 in taxes, which is a 2.6 percent increase or $60,371 more from the $2,359,604 collected in 2012-13.
The budget includes $10,000 for economic development. That money isn’t allocated for a specific project. The board opted against designating the money for the Albion Main Street Alliance, as it did the previous four years, but Theodorakos said the money could go to the group once a contract is worked out.
The village tax rate will go up 3.0 percent or 49 cents per $1,000 of assessed property. It will increase from $16.37 to $16.86.
The village saw its overall assessed value drop $608,407 to $143.5 million. That is pushing the tax rate higher. The previous year the assessed was down $420,688 to $144.1 million. The tax rate went up 45 cents to $16.37 in 2012-13.
The village of Medina also is struggling with shrinking assessments and a rising tax rate.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2013 at 12:00 am
New visitor center and administration building at 10,808-acre site
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Roster, manager of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, stands outside the new visitor center and administration building on Casey Road in Basom. The building includes solar panels and more exhibit space, as well as room for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries.
BASOM – The 50,000 to 75,000 visitors to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge now have a better place to kick off their experience to the 10,808-acre site in the towns of Shelby and Alabama.
The refuge has a new visitor center and administration building. New exhibits will come in the fall. For now the expanded and revamped building includes a bigger store, new bathrooms, and “cams” that show bird nests and a marsh. The marsh cam allows viewers to pan the camera to focus on the wildlife, which includes bald eagles.
“It’s a big improvement,” said Carl Zenger, a long-time volunteer with Friends of the Refuge. “It’s a larger room. There’s more room for exhibits.”
Zenger and refuge staff and volunteers are busy this week preparing for one of the site’s busiest weekends, the annual Spring Into Nature event this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many free activities are planned for the day that will draw on 70 volunteers and other partner agencies.
The $3.5 million project, which gutted and upgraded the previous building and added 5,000 square feet of space, was driven by the co-location of the refuge staff with employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries. The 18 to 20 employees from Fisheries moved from East Amherst to work out of the refuge.
Fisheries employees focus on issues with the Great Lakes and invasive species. They had been leasing space in Erie County.
Carl Zenger, a volunteer with Friends of the Refuge, checks a marsh cam inside the new visitor center.
The refuge has four employees and is looking to fill two vacancies, said Tom Roster, the site’s manager. He said refuge and Fisheries are sharing some duties, and he expects more cost-savings in the future with joint bookkeeping, filing, mailing and some administrative functions.
He is looking forward to new exhibits that will introduce visitors to the refuge. The goal will be to whet their appetites and then send them out to experience nature on the trails.
“At the visitor center we just want to give them a taste of what’s going on the refuge,” Roster said. “We’ll be targeting exhibits that get our message across and can be interactive, without being too high maintenance.”
The new building also includes solar panels that provide electricity and heat water inside the building. Roster said an exhibit will show how much energy the panels are producing, and how many saved trees that represents.
The refuge is located between Rochester and Buffalo and has draw bigger numbers of visitors in recent years. Roster said there is a fine balance in drawing people, while also safeguarding the habitat for the animals.
“We’re not a park,” Roster said. “The National Parks cater to people. Here, our mission is to make wildlife the priority, not that people can’t enjoy the refuge.”
