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Gallagher barn hosts first wedding today

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Jenna and Martin Bruning turn iconic barn into events center

MEDINA – After more than a year of hard work with lots of imagination, Jenna and Martin Bruning hosted their first wedding today at The Gallagher, one of the area’s most iconic barns.

The barn on North Gravel Road has been transformed into an events center. Today Alex Shuknecht married Kate Eberlin in an outside ceremony next to the barn. The couple is having the reception inside the barn, which has room for 250 people.

Alex Shuknecht and the his wife, the former Kate Eberlin of Holley, walk down the aisle after getting married today in a service outside the Gallagher barn on North Gravel Road.

The Shuknechts looked at the barn about a year ago. It was in rough shape then, but the Brunings assured them they would have the barn repainted, and redone inside in time for the wedding.

“It looked pretty rough a year ago,” Mr. Shuknecht said today before the wedding. “Kate and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We wanted a rustic look. I love this place. I wish them all the success in the world.”

The barn has been a landmark on Route 63 since the 1880s. The Brunings had the barn repainted to its original colors last year, with large painted letters, WM J. GALLAGHER STOCK FARMS.

The Brunings each grew up on dairy farms. Jenna’s parents, Mike and Cyndi Van LieShout, own a dairy farm in Barre. Martin grew up on a dairy in Waterport. The couple was married in a barn at the Van Lieshhout farm on Route 98.

Barns have become popular as wedding venues in recent years. Kate Eberlin grew up in Clarendon. She was a student in GCC’s vet tech program with Shuknecht’s brother, who introduced Kate to Alex. That was in December 2011.

Kate now works as a vet tech at the Brockport Animal Hospital. Alex owns a dairy farm in Pavilion with his brothers, Eric and Adam.

They looked at barns for their wedding in Rochester, but those sites were booked two years in advance, and they didn’t give the couples options for catering and DJ services.

The Brunings say they are fortunate several friends and family helped create “The Gallagher,” including Tyler Palmer of Lyndonville who made the tables using reclaimed wood from three other barns that had fallen down due to neglect. Palmer also used wood from rotted fence posts for some of the table legs.

The Brunings allow people to pick their own caterer, DJ, photographer and anyone else they want to provide services at the wedding.

David Barone, a wedding photographer from Buffalo, said barns are becoming popular as wedding venues. He has taken wedding pictures at barns before. The Gallagher is much bigger than other barn venues he has been in for weddings.

“This is one of the biggest barns I have seen,” he said. “I like the rustic look. I like the light inside.”

He expects The Gallagher will be very popular for weddings.

“People like the originality,” he said. “They want to step out of the box.”

Alex Shuknecht holds his daughter Avery, who served as a flower girl at her parent’s wedding today.

The Brunings worked diligently on the property while juggling their own full-time jobs and raising three young children. Mrs. Bruning is a district manager for Aldi and Mr. Bruning is a milk truck driver.

They cleared brush, redid masonry work, installed new support poles, put in bathrooms and a bar, and redid a third of the wooden floor, as well as numerous other projects.

The Gallagher has new bathrooms and other modern features while preserving a rustic look. James Kyle put in the bathrooms, a bar, a dance floor and back doors.

“We had a lot of great people help with this,” Mrs. Bruning said.

The new Mrs. Shuknecht said the barn setting exceeded her expectations.

“I’m beyond happy,” she said. “It’s gorgeous in here.”

The table is set for guests at today’s wedding at The Gallagher. The table is made from reclaimed wood from another barn on the property.

The Shuknechts are the first of 10 weddings already set for this year at The Gallagher. Three more are booked for 2017.

Mr. Bruning said he sometimes questioned if the project was too much for the young couple. But Medina residents always seemed to stop by at the right time, offering encouraging words. Family and friends also stepped up to help get the barn ready for its first wedding.

Mr. Bruning went without a haircut from October until early this afternoon. He said he wasn’t go to get it cut until the barn was ready. He showed up at the wedding with much shorter hair.

Martin and Jenna Bruning turned a dilapidated barn into an events venue. They are pictured inside the barn before today’s wedding.

“Everything that we wanted it turned out better than we expected,” said Mr. Bruning, 31. “There is more to do. The wish-list goes on.”

The Brunings have church pews outside the barn for people to sit during the weddings. The pews were acquired less than two months ago from a Lutheran church in Wolcottsville, which Mr. Bruning attended as a kid.

The Brunings also added a barn door and wrought-iron gates as a backdrop for the weddings.

“We’ve been able to make a lot of things beautiful that originally had a utilitarian purpose,” Mrs. Bruning said.

The ring bearers, Camden and Norah Eberlin, make their way down the aisle during today’s wedding.

The wedding as pictured through one of the side barn doors.

The Gallagher property includes 14 acres, including space next to the barn for weddings.

Alex and Kate Shuknecht kiss after being pronounced as husband and wife.

Boaters bask in summer sunshine

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2016 at 12:00 am

POINT BREEZE – A group of boaters, including many with sailboats, were out Thursday evening in Lake Ontario near the Oak Orchard Harbor. The sailboats have a friendly race most Thursday evenings.

Today there will be a high of 76 with showers likely between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Saturday will be sunny with a high of 75, followed by more sun and high of 79 on Sunday. Monday, July 4, will be sunny with a high near 82, according to the Weather Service.

A chair is pictured in a backyard at Oak Orchard on the Lake.

This boater heads back to the harbor on Thursday evening.

It was another striking sunset at Point Breeze.

Orleans officially suffering drought conditions

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This photo last Sunday shows a soccer field at Albion with yellowed grass. Many of the lawns, crops and vegetation are suffering with a shortage of water so far this growing season.

The United States Drought Monitor on Thursday announced that nearly all of Orleans is in “moderate drought” conditions. Niagara, and portions of Erie and Genesee counties also are considered to be in “moderate drought.” Many other counties in New York are considered “abnormally dry,” according to the Drought Monitor. (Click here to see the map.)

The Orleans County did get some rain late this afternoon when a severe thunderstorm briefly passed through the area.

Burrito business opens on Albion Main Street

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Ryan Lockhart and Andrea Tombari opened U-Need-O Burrito today at 33 North Main St. They were busy during the lunch hour. The business will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day but Monday, when it is closed.

Lockhart brings 25 years of experience as a chef, working in Maine fishing communities, Colorado ski resorts and Myrtle Beach.

He prepared 50 lunches in an hour and a half today.

“It’s fast, it’s consistent,” he said the burritos, tacos and other menu items. “The food will always be good.”

Lockhart prepares a burrito for lunch today. He and Andrea Tombari opened the business today in the spot that used to be El Gallo.

U-Need-O has several types of tacos and burritos, with chicken, pork, and ground beef. Customers can pick numerous other toppings and fillings.

“We’re going to see what sells and what doesn’t,” he said. “We’ll see what the people want and we’ll experiment.”

U-Need-O plans to add fish fries on Fridays, a Southwest burger and other daily specials.

Tombari, a Lyndonville resident, said the site is in a prominent location and the business should be a boost to Main Street.

Adam Johnson, the Albion Merchants Association president, agrees. He had a chimichanga for lunch at U-Need-O. Johnson opened the Frosty Bucket about a month ago, just a few storefronts from U-Need-O. Johnson sells ice cream and just added a lunch menu.

Adam Johnson ordered this chimichanga.

“I’m thrilled to see another storefront filled,” Johnson said about U-Need-O. “This is the type of business that generates a lot of repeat traffic and that’s good for downtown.”

For more information about U-Need-O, call (585) 283-4435.

Kids at Yates library learn science while blowing bubbles, analyzing ice cream

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 1 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

LYNDONVILLE – Popular presenter Rick Merritt returned to the Yates Community Library on Thursday afternoon with a special kids’ program entitled “Pop Secret and I Scream for Ice Cream!” Participants learned about the science behind bubble gum and ice cream.

The second half of the yummy science program involved analyzing the effect of salt on ice and making ice cream. Here, participants work in pairs to agitate ice cream ingredients and ice with salt in plastic bags to make the frozen treat.

Merritt and his sons, Nate (in white T-shirt) and Kory show participants how to measure the s-t-r-e-t-c-h (thanks to elastomers) in bubble gum.

After participants tested and recorded data regarding the elasticity of various bubble gums, a bubble blowing contest was held.

Merritt helps participants dish up the ice cream.

This year’s family of swans on the Johnson’s Creek millpond adjacent to Yates Community Library includes six babies or cygnets. The family could be seen swimming serenely around the pond during the library program which was held outside.

Community rallies to support baby Ella

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Nearly 200 gift baskets will be raffled off Monday during Lyndonville’s Fourth of July celebration

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Brittany Button, one of the organizers of a basket raffle to benefit Ella Suhr and her family, is pictured with the baskets today inside the Lyndonville school. The raffle on Monday is the latest effort by the community to support a young couple and their baby daughter who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“I know as a community how well we can all come together,” Button said. “This is a small community that is very close knit.”

Joe and Meagan Suhr spent this week in Florida, where their daughter Ella had a tumor removed. An MRI showed no more signs of cancer, Meagan posted on Facebook.

Mrs. Suhr is a high school teacher in Batavia and her husband is a social studies teacher in Lyndonville.

They were on vacation in March in St. Petersburg when Ella became sick. They took her to the emergency room. She would be diagnosed with stage four of a rare form of brain cancer.

Joe’s colleagues at Lyndonville donated their sick days so he could take the rest of the school year off to care for his daughter.

Many in the community wore Lyndonville Tiger colors of orange and black with the message “Suhr Strong” to show support for the family and help raise money for medical costs.

The community is putting on a big basket raffle on Monday during Lyndonville’s Fourth of July Celebration. Nearly 200 baskets have donated. They will be on display on the school front lawn from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jan Heideman wraps one of the gift baskets today. She is among several volunteers helping with the basket raffle on Monday.

“It’s an absolutely phenomenal cause,” she said. “In this small town, people really rally around each other.”

The volunteers said they were all encouraged by the good news shared by the Suhrs this week, that Ella’s tumor was gone.

Abby Button works on the ticket bags for the basket raffle. Her mother, Jen Button, has been one of the lead organizers for the raffle.

Jack Buckner, his wife Janice and the Buckner family also have worked hard on the event.

Abby said people and businesses from all Western New York have donated baskets for the auction. She said it has been emotionally moving to see the donations come in.

“All of Western New York is coming together for our little town,” she said.

There are several items donated by the Buffalo Bills, including this autographed hat by Rex Ryan, the team’s head coach.

Bills star wide receiver Sammy Watkins signed a pair of cleats that will be in the auction. There will also be a helmet signed by quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

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Teaching Kitchen opens at Fairgrounds

Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – In 2013, the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors set a goal of transforming the 40-year old Trolley Building kitchen into a modern, commercial grade teaching kitchen.

Three years and $60,000 later, the kitchen is ready for food and nutrition education, small batch food processing, and large scale cooking for events that can be held in the adjacent 50′ by 70′ space.

The kitchen features stainless steel countertop table units with an ample 3-bay sink, hand wash sink, and two prep sinks – each in one of the large stainless steel work islands.

It includes a commercial dishwasher, 54″ two-door refrigerator and freezer units, a chest freezer, and four floor to ceiling stainless storage cabinets. Additional items include a 10-burner range with two 36″ ovens, a fire suppression hood, and the honorary butcher block table refinished by Albion dairy farmer, Jeremy Neal.

New flooring, RFP board along the south wall, and a stainless steel serving window were installed as well.

A majority of the upgrades were funded through grants from local foundations and a recent award of $25,675 from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority. Private donations, including support from the Fern Blackburn Memorial and Mrs. Ann Preston, along with funds raised by the Orleans County 4-H Fair Committee and Leaders’ Association helped as well.

As funds were raised, work was completed. The hardest part was closing the kitchen for new plumbing and electrical installed in the concrete floor to the island units.

Extension staff and volunteers were ready for the new kitchen and have already held food preservation workshops and pie-making workshops to prepare for the annual 4-H Fair to be held July 25-30 this year. They are also planning for 4-H Cooking Camp, July 18 & 19, along with using the kitchen to host concessions and dinners for 4-H activities. The nutrition program uses the kitchen as well to prepare foods for workshops held throughout Orleans County.

While the kitchen supports Extension work, it is intended to achieve a greater goal of increasing the consumption of local fruit and vegetable products. Growers or food entrepreneurs are encouraged to consider the kitchen for processing foods into ready-to-eat products or hosting workshops for consumers.

The kitchen rents at $125/day and meets all food and safety codes. Information about using the kitchen can be found on Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension’s website under Facility Use at cceorleans.org or requested at 585-798-4265.

Hall of Fame Santa was proud to serve at Christmas Park in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo courtesy of Fred Cond – This photo from the late 1950s shows Santa Claus portrayed by the George Cond of Holley with his three sons, Fred Cond, bottom; George Cond III, middle; and Roger Boyce, top.

ALBION – George Cond delighted in making children happy, spending the Christmas holiday season portraying Santa Claus.

“He really liked kids,” his son Fred Cond said. “He prided himself on being Santa Claus.”

The Holley resident in the mid-1950s enrolled in the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Albion. At the time, Cond was working three jobs, but he gave up two of the part-time positions to become Santa. (He quit his job as a cook at a restaurant and a position at Sears, but continued to work as a setup man for the punch press machines at Delco in Rochester.)

Cond was so good at portraying Santa that Charles Howard embraced Cond as the Santa at Christmas Park in Albion, Howard’s entertainment venue at Route 31 on Phipps Road. Christmas Park included a Santa School, toy shop, reindeer, train, motorized swans and other activities.

Charles Howard is pictured as Santa in this program promoting the Santa Claus School, which he started in 1937 in Albion.

Howard is one of the most respected Santas in the world by the men who portray Santa today, even 50 years after Howard’s death. His Santa Claus School was moved from Albion after Howard died in 1966, but the school continues today in Midland, Mich., and still bears Howard’s name.

George Cond also is held in high regard by the Santa community. Next week, Cond will be inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame during the Santa Convention in Branson, Missouri.

“A student of Howard’s Santa Claus School, Cond assumed the role of Santa at Christmas Park in late 1950s and continued until the close of the park in 1966,” according to the Hall of Fame. “With Howard busy as the Executive Director and away on business during the Christmas Season, Cond handled most of the day-to-day Santa appearances throughout the park. He appeared in and around the Western New York State region on behalf of Christmas Park.”

Fred Cond keeps one of his father’s business cards, noting his service as Santa Claus.

Cond worked as the Santa at Christmas Park for about a decade and many of the photos from that time, showing kids with a Santa at Christmas Park, actually are more likely to show Cond as Santa than Howard. Fred can tell the photos of his father.

George Cond injured his right hand and two of his fingers seemed to be permanently “frozen” in a bent position. Many of the photos from Christmas Park show a Santa waving, with middle and ring fingers in that bent position. That’s a giveaway that Cond is wearing the red suit, not Howard.

Cond wasn’t the only family member to work for Howard at Christmas Park. Cond’s wife Elaine also worked there and Fred would help as an elf.

Fred, now 63, remembers when as a boy he was asked to bring lunch to Santa. Fred carried the meal over to Santa, who was on break. Fred discovered his father in the Santa suit without the beard and wig. It was the first time Fred realized his father portrayed Santa.

“My father told me that Santa can’t be there all the time,” Fred recalled at his home in Brockport. “He said, ‘I’m helping Santa out. I’m helping him take some of the orders.'”

Fred Cond holds his father’s Santa suit, which was originally worn by Charles Howard. The suit, No. 191, bears Howard’s initials. Fred now wears the suit when he portrays Santa. (All of the suits made at Christmas Park were individually numbered.)

When Howard died, the fate of Christmas Park was uncertain. George Cond wanted to buy it and keep it viable for years. But he was outbid by an out-of-town buyer. Christmas Park didn’t last long without Howard.

Fred Cond wishes Christmas Park could have continued.

“If it was still around today, it would be bigger than Darien,” Cond said. “Charlie Howard was a very clever man.”

After Christmas Park closed, Cond continued to portray Santa for local families, schools, churches, and other venues. He was the Santa for Kodak.

He was asked to follow Howard as the Santa in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, but Cond declined out of respect for Howard.

“In his mind, Charles Howard was always Santa Claus,” Fred Cond said.

His father died in 1996. He was an active Santa until the late 1980s. The Santa Claus Hall of Fame induction is a pleasant surprise for his family, Fred Cond said.

The Santa suit used by George Cond was originally Charles Howard’s suit. It bears Howard’s initials. The wing and beard are made of yak hair.

Fred Cond continues the Santa legacy in the family. Fred first portrayed Santa as an 18-year-old at the former Ames in Albion. He continues to be Santa every Christmas season, mostly wearing the suit for friend and family.

His wife Debbie said Fred is changed every year when he brings out the Santa suit.

“Once he puts on that suit, the Christmas spirit invades him,” Debbie said.

Fred said Howard’s family has asked if he would be willing to give up the suit, but Cond said it is too important to him and the Cond family.

“There are very few things I have of my dad,” Fred said. “This was part of my life, growing up with my dad. He was a big part of Christmas Park. He was hand-picked by Charles Howard to play Santa, and my dad did it because of his love for the kids.”

This document shows Cond’s enrollment papers for the Charles Howard Santa Claus School in Albion in October 1958.

Charles Howard signed the enrollment papers for Cond in red ink.

Each student at the school received a red folder from the “Santa Claus School” in Albion, NY. Fred Cond has many of his father’s papers from when he attended the school.

GCC, volunteers working on Heritage Festival Sept. 9-11 in Orleans County

Staff Reports Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – David Kreutz, an Abraham Lincoln presenter from Depew, shows over-sized pennies to people at the Civil War encampment in Medina in April 2013. GCC is no longer hosting the Civil War encampment, but is taking the lead in organizing the first Orleans County Heritage Festival.

MEDINA – Plans for a county-wide celebration of Orleans County history and heritage are progressing for the first annual Orleans County Heritage Festival September 9-11.

Over the course of the weekend participants will be invited to grab the free “heritage passport” at any participating organization and visit a minimum of six historic sites. The passport can then be redeemed for an attractive collectable pin and their names will be entered in a drawing for prizes.

Meant to shine a spotlight on the fantastic historic assets of Orleans County, visitors to the heritage festival will have many choices available to them. Encompassing four main themes: Agriculture, Transportation, Historic Cemeteries and Historic gems, visitors might visit a family farm, walk along the Eric Canal, go on a ghost walk or visit the historic district of Medina or Albion.

In addition, Genesee Community College is participating in the Heritage Festival with its own contributions located at GCC’s two Orleans County campuses. The Medina Campus Center invites visitors to “Epochs in Orleans” – a timeline festival on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., featuring re-enactors and impressionists from all eras of history, from the French and Indian War to World War II and beyond.

Folks might encounter President James and Dolly Madison, Abraham Lincoln and other historic personalities. There will be artisan demonstrations, antique autos, Civil War firing demonstrations and much more. Organizers believe that visitors will feel like they are walking through time.

GCC hosted a Civil War Encampment in Medina for three years. This photo shows re-enactors mounting a charge during a mock battle in April 2015. Some re-enactors may be back for a heritage Festival this September.

Meanwhile, GCC’s Albion Campus Center will focus on “Death, Mourning and Justice in Orleans County History” also on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a recreated Victorian wake in the family parlor.

The exhibit will be accompanied by two public lectures. The first of these will focus on famous crimes and murders with Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone at 10 a.m. Retired Orleans County historian Bill Lattin will give a talk on Victorian hair jewelry at 12 p.m.

The overall event is free and open to the public, however contributions to GCC’s Veteran’s Scholarship Fund will be encouraged. To keep tabs on the newest developments for the heritage festival, click here, or check the festival’s Facebook page by clicking here.

You can also contact Derek Maxfield, GCC associate professor of history at ddmaxfield@genesee.edu or Jim Simon, GCC associate dean of the Orleans County Campus Centers, at jsimon@genesee.edu.

CGR hired to help with law enforcement study in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A steering committee studying law enforcement services in Orleans County picked the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester as a consultant on the project.

CGR will be be paid about $74,000 for its work over the next year, presenting options for how law enforcement could best be provided in the future, whether with the current model of three village police department plus the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office or perhaps a full takeover with the county providing the service without the village police.

“We will be looking at multiple options,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

Transitioning from village police departments to a county-only model would require several public referendums. Nesbitt said the committee may consider a phased in approach.

The committee wants to keep the public aware of the initiative, and get feedback from the community, Nesbitt said.

There has already been efforts by law enforcement agencies to share, including Albion and Holley using the same police chief with Roland Nenni.

There may be opportunities for joint training, shared equipment and other projects. CGR will work with the local law enforcement agencies collecting data on services, and will analyze ways for the service to best be provided in the future. The firm has a May 2017 to complete the report.

CGR has done many studies for shared services and consolidation of government agencies, including the report that looked how the Village of Medina could be dissolved.

The steering committee for the law enforcement study includes four village mayors – Dean London of Albion, Brian Sorochty of Holley, John Belson of Lyndonville and Michael Sidari of Medina; Orleans County legislators John Defilipps, Lynne Johnson and David Callard, who are members of the county’s Public Safety Committee; Police chiefs Roland Nenni of Albion and Holley, and Chad Kenward of Medina (represented during Wednesday’s meeting by Lt. Todd Draper); Sheriff Randy Bower; County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt; union representatives including Jeff Gifaldi of the OC Deputies’ Association, Dave Mogle for the Albion police, and Brian Marsceill of the Medina police; and community members, Cindy Robinson (president of the Medina Business Association) and Dan Monacelli (principal of the Albion Middle School).

A state grant for $36,000 was approved for the law enforcement shared service and efficiency study. The county is paying the other $38,000.

Libraries kick off summer reading program

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Victoria Ramos-Perez, 4, of Albion gets ready to throw a ball at the target on the dunk tank. She was able to knock Kirsten Struble into the water. Kirsten’s mother, Nicole Struble, is the children’s librarian at the Hoag Library in Albion.

Hoag kicked off its summer reading challenge today with games and snacks for children. The reading challenge actually starts next week and runs from July 6 to Aug. 13.

Zeke Yohe, 9, of Albion helps his sister Maggie, 1, down an inflatable slide as part of today’s summer reading kick off.

Betty Sue Miller, the library director, watches children having fun outside the library this afternoon.

Charity Garrow, a Hoag Library employee, makes snow cones for children. The treats were popular, drawing a long line of kids.

These friends, Kearston Brennan, left, and Lily Brigham, are happy after getting a snow cone. The two girls, both 7, are from Albion.

Hoag will have several games for children to play in different age groups during the summer, including Plinko (ages 3-9), Tic Tac Toe (ages 10-12), and a punch card for teens and adults.

Hoag will award prizes for participants in the program, including an Amazon Kindle and gift cards for Amazon and the The Book Shoppe in Medina.

Other local libraries also start the reading challenge next week.

County will spend up to $70K for design of addition on administration building

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans County Legislature approved hiring the Wendel firm to design an addition on the County Administration Building on Route 31, behind The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved an agreement with the Wendel firm to design an addition on the County Administration Building, new space that could be used for relocated county offices and perhaps as a meeting room and offices for the Legislature itself.

The Legislature on April 27 announced that is was considering new construction on the County Administration Building at 14106 Route 31 West.

The Legislature on April 27 authorized paying Wendel $30,000 for a feasibility study for an addition to the County Administration Building.

The county may shift several offices to the addition, including the Board of Elections and Public Health Department, which is leasing space from Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services.

Comprehensive purchased the former county nursing home for $7.8 million in January 2014. The county has been leasing space from Comprehensive for Elections and Public Health because those offices are part of the nursing home complex.

The county could also shift information technology (currently in Treasurer’s Office), the legislative chambers (in County Clerk’s Building), the county’s administrative office (also in Clerk’s Building) and create large multi-use rooms to accommodate training for large groups, conference rooms and offices.

The Legislature last week approved paying Wendel up to $70,000 to design the addition to the Administration Building. That scope of work not only includes designing the building, but determining parking and circulation needs, site access, utility service requirements, energy efficiency and sustainability requirements, and other analysis of the site.

David Callard, the County Legislature chairman, said in April that moving Elections and Public Health from leased space will free up money that could go towards the addition, perhaps making the project cost neutral to county taxpayers.

Callard said he and county officials have looked at existing buildings, including sites in Albion’s historic downtown, but those sites wouldn’t improve efficiency of the county government operations.

42 graduate from Lyndonville on Friday

Staff Reports Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Provided photos
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School celebrated commencement Friday when 42 seniors graduated. Jasmine Plummer, valedictorian of the Class of 2016, delivers her speech.

This trio of new graduates includes, from left: Amanda Blackburn, Rhiannon Burgess and Jessica Harling.

Jenna Doran, the class salutatorian, gives her speech at the Stroyan Auditorium.

Graduates, including Thomas Follman, center, sing during the commencement program on Friday.

Veterans Service Agency celebrates renovations

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski
ALBION – The Orleans County Veterans Service Agency held an Open House Monday afternoon at its Albion office. Those attending were able to meet Director Earl Schmidt, administrative assistant Mary Jo Syck and volunteers from the Joint Veterans Council Veterans’ Van Transportation Service.

Additionally, information was provided on benefits and services available to veterans and their families and dependents. The office has undergone renovations recently which include making it handicapped accessible.

The Veterans Service Agency provides veterans in Orleans County with state and federal veterans benefit counseling and application services. Director Earl Schmidt says he will be able to take these new tri-fold display boards to events around the county, such as the 4-H Fair, to help inform veterans of the services the office can provide.

The office is located at 13996 Route 31 in Albion.

Committee studying law enforcement services in Orleans meets today

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A steering committee that will study law enforcement services in Orleans County will meet today at 7 p.m. and is expected to pick a vendor to assist with the project.

The committee will meet in Conference Room C of the County Administration Building on Route 31, and will interview two consultants interested in working on the study.

The county received a $36,000 matching state grant for the law enforcement shared service and efficiency study. The county is paying the other $36,000.

The committee will include police chiefs and elected officials from the four villages and Orleans County, which all provide police services. The steering committee and a consultant will explore the efficiency of current local law enforcement operations and compare them with alternative policing models, including the potential consolidation of all local departments into one.

County officials have set May 2017 for completion of the report with recommendations and alternatives for the community.

The study will look at the operations at the Sheriff’s Office, and the Albion, Medina and Holley police departments. Lyndonville also has a part-time officer.

There may be opportunities for shared administration, joint purchasing and other initiatives that would keep the existing village police departments. Or the committee may suggest the village departments be dissolved with a county-wide force taking the lead.

If the villages dissolved their police departments, it would provide significant tax relief for villages. However, county taxes would likely then go up.

Holley has talked before of dissolving its police department and Medina, as part of a failed dissolution proposal last year, said a town-wide force in Shelby and Ridgeway could be created.

County Legislature Chairman David Callard has said he wants to be proactive in looking at policing services and not be caught off guard by a village that dissolves its force, expecting the Sheriff’s Office to assume village road patrols and calls.

The study will look at alignment of current compensation and benefits agreements, determining the costs of a combined police force. The committee will look at potential obstacles to consolidation and provide guidance to overcome those obstacles, according to the county’s Request For Proposals for the study.