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Medina again wins ‘Tree Growth’ award

Posted 24 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release

MEDINA – The community will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday by planting trees and accepting a “Tree City Growth Award” from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.

Medina is one of the few local communities with the “Tree Growth” designation. It puts the village in the company of well-known urban forestry communities such as East Aurora, West Point, Mount Vernon and Ithaca, said Chris Busch, chairman of Medina’s Tree Board. It is also the sixth year Medina has received the Tree City USA designation. Overall, this year Medina will plant over 60 trees, an increase of 10 trees from last year.

Medina’s annual Arbor Day Celebration is scheduled for 9 a.m. this Friday at 1018 West Ave. Hundreds of elementary school children from neighboring Oak Orchard Elementary School are expected to attend and participate along with FFA members from Medina High School.

“This will mark the first year we have had participation with our FFA chapter at Medina High School,” said Nicole Goyette, Medina’s Arbor Day coordinator. “This will be a great opportunity for them to interact with our younger students at an agri-based event like Arbor Day.”

Medina Mayor Andrew Meier is an advocate of his community’s forestry program.

“We’re extremely proud to be a Tree City USA and a Tree City Growth Award community,” he said. “It demonstrates the kind of commitment to the environment that helps make our village an attractive place to live, work and visit.”

The Tree City USA program and Tree City Growth Award is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service. Tree City USA and Tree City Growth are national designations.

“We commend Medina’s elected officials, volunteers and its citizens for providing vital care for its urban forest,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation.

“Trees provide numerous environmental, economical and health benefits to millions of people each day, and we applaud communities that make planting and caring for trees a top priority.”

Kendall school project focuses on security, improved educational atmosphere

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Kendall students in grades 7 through 12 eat lunch in the commons, where Principal Carol D’Agostino, left, is pictured with Julie Christensen, the district superintendent. A $25 million capitol project would move the cafeteria to a different part of the school, so nearby classrooms will be less disrupted by the cafeteria noise. Many other projects are part of the plan that goes before Kendall voters May 21.

KENDALL – When Todd Reichlmayr gives his social studies students a test, he often feels frustrated by the outside noise that pours into his classroom. He can hear other teachers leading class discussions. He hears locker doors slam, and people walking by in the hallways.

Reichlmayr and other teachers in the junior-senior high school have classrooms without back walls and doors. Kendall’s school was built in 1971 in the “open classroom” model.

The rooms were all built in the center of the school building. They don’t have access to the windows on the outer walls. Hallways line the perimeter on the building.

“I’m most concerned about the noise level,” Reichlmayr said Monday in his classroom. “Surprisingly, the kids are so used to it, it doesn’t seem to phase them.”

The classrooms have partitions to help block out some of the noise.

“From a safety end, I don’t have a door,” Reichlmayr said.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. A capital project would give all the classroom four walls and their own door.

The district is proposing a $25 million capital project that tackles a number of improvements at the two school buildings, including a reconfiguration of the classroom wings so each room has four walls and a door. That will go a long way to improving the learning atmosphere and security for teachers and students, said Julie Christensen, the district superintendent. The project goes before voters May 21.

“There will be better instructional space,” she said. “It will be fresh and safe.”

Another classroom disrupter, the cafeteria, will be relocated to a wing of the building occupied by the current weight room and another classroom. Right now, the cafeteria “is smack in the middle of the building,” Christensen said.

The commons area, where students eat their meals, will stay put and will be used for other purposes. The new cafeteria will be designed in a way to increase student flow so they can get their meals quicker. The current setup allows for one slow-moving line.

The hallways would also be moved so classrooms would be near the outer windows, giving most of the classrooms access to natural light during the school day.

“We’re finding it a challenge to get the kids through the line in a timely manner,” said Carol D’Agostino, the junior-senior high school principal.

The capital project would give both school buildings new roofs, create secure entrances and lobbies, and upgrade heating systems. The junior-senior high school will receive the most work, including new septic, pavement, track and tennis court surfaces, and solar panels.

Christensen said the upgrades will make the school campus more energy efficient, and will reduce maintenance costs for years to come.

The state will pay 90 percent of the project with Kendall’s local share already saved in a capital reserve account.

There will be a forum on the project 7 p.m. April 30 in the junior-senior high school commons. The May 21 vote will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the elementary school.

Moon over Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

A nearly full moon gave downtown Medina a nice glow last night. The downtown will host a Civil War parade this Saturday at 10 a.m., part of the three-day Civil War encampment in the community. Re-enactors will battle by the GCC campus at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Broken sign no easy fix at Mount Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – A driver smashed the sandstone sign outside Mount Albion Cemetery last December.

Village officials are trying to find a replacement that matches the historic flavor of Mount Albion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ALBION – Jason Zicari sensed something was amiss at Mount Albion Cemetery on Dec. 21. He and the staff at the historic cemetery were working on a burial.

Zicari noticed the large sandstone sign in front of the cemetery had been broken off. A chunk of the wrought-iron fence was also knocked out.

A driver late the previous night smashed into the sign and fence. It has been months of haggling with an insurance company since then.

“Everything is waiting on the insurance,” said Zicari, the cemetery foreman.

Zicari is determined to have the sign be made of sandstone and match the historic character of the cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He is still trying to find a sandstone piece that is smooth on both sides and about 5 feet by 7 feet.

Zicari has been scouting old sandstone pieces, including former sidewalk panels. But those sidewalk pieces tend to be smooth on the top side and rough on the bottom. And they are a little too small for the cemetery sign.

“We got to get lucky,” Zicari said about finding the right sandstone for the project. “We’re trying to find a match and put it up like it was.”

He also wants the letters to be carved to match the former sign, which was installed in 1985. The cemetery crew painted the letters of the sign black about six weeks before it was destroyed. The paint made the sign stand out more, Zicari said.

With the new sign, the village may include that Mount Albion is owned by the village of Albion.

The sign also will need a new foundation. Zicari said the section of the gate that is missing will be replaced with a combination of old and new metal.

He is hopeful the entire project will be done by July.

“We’ve had to start from scratch with the whole thing,” Zicari said.

New track opens in Holley

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

Holley residents Della Morales and Frank Balys walk on the school district’s new all-weather track this evening. The district this week opened the track to the Holley community. Residents are welcome to use the facility seven days a week from 8 a.m. to dusk as long as it isn’t being used by the track team or physical education classes. The new track is part of Holley’s capital project that is focused mostly on renovations to the junior-senior high school. The track is open for walking or running with appropriate footwear.Street shoes, cleats, bikes, scooters, skateboards and pets are not permitted.

Candidates step up to run for BOE

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Every school district in Orleans County has at least one person willing to serve as a volunteer on the Board of Education. Residents had a Monday deadline to submit petitions to run as candidates for the May 21 election.

Medina and Lyndonville each have five candidates running, while Kendall and Holley each have one and Albion has two candidates.

Here is a list of the districts and the candidates:

Albion – BOE President Margy Brown of Carlton is running for another five-year term while resident Linda Weller seeks a position. Incumbent Marie Snyder opted against re-election.

Holley – Normally three seats are up for election each year, but this time there will only be one because the BOE is shrinking from nine to seven members. Brenda Swanger is seeking re-election to a three-year term while BOE President John Heise and another incumbent, Dorothy Morgan, are not running again this election.

Kendall – Board member Edward Gaesser isn’t seeking re-election. Martin Goodenberry of Morton is unopposed for a five-year term.

Lyndonville – Four seats are up for election with the top three voter-getters receiving three-year terms and the fourth-place finisher getting a two-year term. Incumbents Terry Stinson, Tara Neace and James Moody are running again. Harold Suhr and Michelle Dillenbeck also will be on the ballot.

Medina – Three incumbents – Wendi Pencille, Virginia Nicholson and John McCarthy – are seeking re-election to three-year terms while David Sevinski and Lori Draper are also running. The top three vote-getters will get full terms while the fourth-leading candidate will receive a one-year term.

Sandstone Heritage: Genesee County Jail, Batavia, NY

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The Genesee County Jail, built in 1902-03, is part of a historic district in Batavia that was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub will be featuring buildings made of Medina sandstone that are included on the National Register of Historic Places.

BATAVIA – It looks like fortress. The Genesee County Jail is one of Batavia’s architectural gems. The building on Main Street has five turrets, a raised foundation and quoins made of rusticated sandstone.

Genesee County Historian Sue Conklin suspects there was a friendly rivalry among counties more than a century ago when they built courthouses, jails and other public buildings. Genesee wanted to out-do its neighbors with the jail, and I believe the county succeeded.

The jail is part of the Genesee County Courthouse Historic District that was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The district represents the civic core of the city and includes buildings from the 1840s to 1920s.

The architect who designed the Genesee County Jail also designed the Attica State Prison.

The collection of historic structures includes the old county courthouse, former city hall, U.S. Post Office, The Holland Land Office Museum, a county office building and a Civil War monument. The jail is the only Medina sandstone building in the disitrict. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which is close by, also is a striking sandstone structure.

I think the jail is the most impressive of all the buildings in Batavia’s historic district. The building was constructed in 1902-03. It was designed by Poughkeepsie architect William J. Beardsley in a Victorian Gothic style. Beardsley also was the architect for the Attica State Prison and many county courthouses.

The county sheriff and his family used to live in the front portion of the jail building at 14 West Main St. The jail had 10 to 15 cells. There were living quarters for the sheriff and a kitchen in the building until the early 1970s, said Gary Maha, the Genesee sheriff.

The sheriff used to live in the front portion of the jail until the 1970s.

Maha started his career in 1967 as a road patrol deputy. He remembers when the sheriff, deputies and jail were all squeezed into the building.

“It was a house and we were cramped like sardines,” he said.

The county put a brick addition on the jail in 1985. There is now capacity for 97 inmates.

For more than 100 years, the Sheriff’s Office was based out of the building. Maha worked out of the site until 2007, when the county built a new office for the Sheriff’s Department. The county’s back-up dispatch continues to use space in the historic building. The Genesee Justice program also has moved in. The jail takes up most of the space.

Maha marvels at the building, and not just the architecture.

“The woodwork inside there, you just don’t see anymore,” Maha said.

Photo courtesy of Genesee County Historian’s Department.

Early fire apparatus in Albion

Posted 22 April 2013 at 12:00 am

The Albion Fire Department was the first in Western New York with motorized fire apparatus. The Dye Hose Company in 1913 purchased this Thomas Flyer truck. The AFD says it was the first fire truck outside New York City.

The Active Hose Company No. 2, another group of Albion firefighters, acquired a fire truck a year later. Henry Hudson is pictured on the truck. The Active Hose Company No. 2, Hart Protective Hose Company No. 3 and Dye Hose Company No. 5 consolidated in 1976 into the Albion Fire Department. The fire hall on Platt Street displays these fire truck photos and many other historical images of the department’s history, which stretches back to 1828.

Councilman will pass petitions to run for Albion supervisor

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Albion Town Councilman Matt Passarell said he will run for town supervisor under the Republican Party line by seeking support from the rank-and-file party faithful, rather than relying on the party leaders.

The Albion Republican Committee last week opted against endorsing a candidate for town supervisor. The committee interviewed Passarell and Town Councilman Jake Olles, but decided against formally backing either one.

Passarell said he will pursue the petition process to secure the Republican line. He would need a minimum of 5 percent of the 1,375 registered Republicans in Albion to sign his petitions for town supervisor. That would be a minimum of 69 valid signatures.

“I will be a candidate,” Passarell said.

The state Board of Elections hasn’t established a deadline for those petitions to be due, but they typically need to be filed by mid-July.

Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk, a Democrat, isn’t seeking re-election. Passarell and Olles both are interested in the position.

The Republican committee welcomes other candidates to come forward to interview for the position leading the town government, said Dawn Allen, the GOP chairwoman. Albion has until May 16 to make an endorsement for someone to run under the party line in November.

If the committee bypasses Passarell and endorses someone else, he would set up a September primary if he submits petitions with enough signatures.

The committee did endorse two candidates for Town Board: Richard Remley, a former owner of a printing company in Albion, and Todd Sargent, a village of Albion Department of Public Works employee.

Hawley and Maziarz respond to Lakeside hospital closing

Posted 22 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release

Two state legislators who represent the Brockport community in Albany issued a joint statement this evening following the announcement that Lakeside Health System would begin closing its hospital in Brockport.

Lakeside officials praised the efforts of State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, to obtain state funding to help keep the hospital open. But, the state decided against throwing a financial lifeline to Lakeside.

Here is the statement from Maziarz and Hawley:

“Today’s announcement is unfortunate, particularly after working extensively with hospital administrators, top state health department officials, and neighboring health care providers to continue to keep Lakeside’s emergency department viable and accessible. In the end, Lakeside’s financial hole was just too deep.

“This is a painful setback to improving access to health care in our region, and we know the greater Brockport community will never be the same without its hospital. We will continue working to reopen the Emergency Department at the Lakeside Facility with a neighboring health care provider for Eastern Orleans and Western Monroe Counties.

“Today’s announcement is strictly about finances and demographics.Lakeside has a stellar reputation for patient care, and that reputation has been justly earned by a dedicated staff. We sincerely thank them and salute them for all they have done over the years.”