By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2016 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – This staircase will be replaced as part of an improvement project at the Orleans County Marine Park on Route 98 in Carlton
CARLTON – A new playground with a Jungle Gym and swing set are expected to installed this spring at the Orleans County Marine Park, with additional upgrades to follow at the park.
The County Legislature on Wednesday voted to spend $19,497 for a new playground system from Miracle Recreation Equipment Company in Syracuse.
Additional work planned for this year includes new shore power at all 36 docks for boaters, and a new stairway and walkway on the north side of the park.
All of the projects, including the playground, could total about $166,000. The state is providing a $81,500 matching grant for the upgrades. The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association is chipping in $3,287 towards the local share of the projects.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2016 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – For years Medina police officers or a village animal control officer have picked up stray dogs and cats in the Village of Medina and maintained a dog pound at the police station.
But the Village Board, feeling the strain of tight budgets in recent years, did away with the part-time animal control officer. Police officers would still pick up animals, and Jose Avila volunteered to maintain a dog pound, feeding the dogs and cleaning kennels and cages for the animals.
Avila retired as police chief a month ago.
Village officials have been trying to work out a deal with the county for animal control services. Village residents pay for the service in their town taxes, Deputy Mayor Mike Sidari said. Dale Stalker, a Shelby town councilman, confirmed that village residents pay in their town taxes for animal control.
Medina and Shelby officials have reached out to the county about picking up animal control services in the village, and Sidari said the county responded it doesn’t have the staff to assume those duties.
Village Trustee Marguerite Sherman said during last week’s Village Board meeting she wants the county to put in writing that it is refusing to provide animal control for the village.
In the meantime, new police chief Chad Kenward said the village should look at hiring a part-time employee to care for animals, walking and feeding dogs, and cleaning the kennel. The police officers can continue to pick up animals in the short-term.
Village Board members said the county should provide the service, picking up animals and taking them to the county animal shelter in Barre at the routes 98 and 31A intersection.
In other action at last week’s meeting:
The Village Board gave Kenward permission to move the chief’s office from the police station upstairs to the second floor of City Hall in the former judge’s chambers. Kenward said that would give him more space and allow the current chief’s office to be used for an interview/interrogation room.
“I can hardly breathe in their right now,” Kenward said about the cramped office.
The board also gave Kenward permission to go ahead with a $3,600 engine repair for one of the police cars.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – David Bellavia, a Lyndonville native, addresses the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday.
GAINES – A war memoir by Lyndonville native David Bellavia, detailing his experiences as a staff sergeant in the second battle of Fallujah in Iraq, is being made into a film by Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.
Bellavia wrote House to House with John R. Bruning, detailing the efforts of front line forces in urban combat against insurgents. Bellavia was part of a campaign that took the heavily fortified city. He was recognized with a Silver Star.
The project as a film had languished in recent years, but became sought after by studios after the success of American Sniper, a film about Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle’s pinpoint accuracy. The film grossed $350 million domestically and nearly $550 million worldwide.
Bellavia said famed movie director Ron Howard will be a part of the House to House project. Bellavia also said he will be a part of the film’s development and production. He said the film could be released in December 2017. He is hopeful the film will include scenes of Lyndonville, where he grew up as son of local dentist Bill Bellavia.
During the Albion Rotary Club meeting on Thursday, Bellavia was reminded by a Rotarian of his high school starring role in Lyndonville’s musical production of Into The Woods. Bellavia played Jack in the show.
David Bellavia lives in Batavia and now works as a radio talk show host and as an advocate for veterans in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
During his message to the Rotary Club on Thursday, Bellavia said he was in Iraq during their first free elections, and helped guard residents when they went to vote in 2005, in the famous “purple finger” elections. Residents who voted had a finger dipped in purple ink. Images of smiling residents with purple fingers became iconic images around the world.
Bellavia said one woman that day was shot in the stomach and jaw while waiting at the polls. As she lay dying, she insisted she cast a ballot before getting medical care.
Bellavia contrasted that determination with the low turnout at American elections.
In Orleans County, during a hotly contested election season this past November, turnout countywide was 38.2 percent.
Provided photo – New York Farm Bureau’s State Board of Directors presented banners on Wednesday to the capitol offices of Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Heastie. The banners, which were signed by NYFB members, ask the leaders “to keep the barn doors open” and say no to the $15 minimum wage.
Press Release, NY Farm Bureau
New York Farm Bureau this week released its 2016 state priorities that focus on improving conditions in New York State to allow for agricultural growth. The number one issue for New York Farm Bureau this year is to strongly oppose the $15 minimum wage.
The plan for higher wages, raising the minimum from $9 to $15, would dramatically impact farms’ competitiveness and cost them an estimated $500 million in additional annual labor costs alone. That would be crushing in a year like this one, when milk and commodity prices are significantly lower.
NYFB President Dean Norton noted that the average agricultural wage in New York State is $12.39 per hour, well above the current minimum, but an increase will force wages up across the board, including those already making more than the minimum based on skill and experience. Additional costs will rise as well for payroll taxes like unemployment insurance and FICA. Other expenses will come from increased costs for goods and services that farms must purchase.
“The Governor’s minimum wage proposal makes New York completely uncompetitive with the other agricultural states,” said Norton, a dairy farmer from Elba. “When Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25 and New York’s is $15, how can our farms and other businesses compete? The answer, unfortunately, is to reduce labor costs or shut down.”
State funding for critical farm programs is also a top priority for New York Farm Bureau. The Governor included a number of things in his budget plan that would help the farm industry, including increased funding for the Environmental Protection Fund, which will assist farms with water quality, conservation and farmland protection programs.
New York Farm Bureau also remains committed to securing funding to assist schools in starting up new FFA programs as well as for agricultural education programs. The USDA estimates that there will be 60,000 new jobs a year in the farming and food industries, and we will need to have a workforce ready to meet those demands to help grow the industries right here at home.
“We have an abundance of school districts looking to add chapters and this funding would help get those chapters off the ground and started,” said Norton.
A third priority related to the budget is the investment in road and bridge funding for upstate New York. The Governor is committing $20 billion to match infrastructure efforts happening in and around New York City. The parity in upstate-downstate funding remains a priority because our farms need access to good roads and safe bridges in order to transport their goods to market.
“Many of the bridges that cross the Erie Canal are no longer accessible to agricultural equipment and vehicles because of the weight limit and restrictions,” said Norton. “This increases time and costs for farmers who may have to travel miles out of their way to get to a farm field or deliver milk.”
Another new priority for our members this year is support for transferring farm assessment functions from the Department of Taxation and Finance to the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Agricultural land assessments are determined by Agriculture and Markets under Agricultural District Law.
However, when it comes to administering the assessments, it falls to Tax and Finance which can create some confusion for assessors not well versed in Agriculture District Law. Moving the process to be entirely housed within the Department of Agriculture and Markets will not only streamline the process, but it would be a common sense move to improve a valuable program for our farms.
“There is a real sensitivity and understanding of our industry in the Department of Agriculture and Markets and we feel that assessment program and functions would be much better served in that department rather than Taxation and Finance,” said Jeff Williams, NYFB’s Public Policy Director.
Finally, energy is another major priority for New York Farm Bureau. Reducing costs and increasing efficiencies for farms, while also helping farms transition to renewable energy sources, provide many benefits for agriculture.
The Governor’s initiative, known as Reforming the Energy Vision or REV, is looking to be a more market-based plan than current energy policy incentives. In the past, NYSERDA has worked with farms to open up opportunities for solar, wind energy and bio mass as well as increasing the use of anaerobic digesters on dairy farms.
The digesters convert animal nutrients into electricity that is returned to the grid. New York Farm Bureau will work this year to ensure REV is implemented in a fair and effective way so that rural New York is able to take advantage of the programs available, and farms can contribute to a more resilient grid and power their neighborhoods.
“We are watching this process very closely, because at the end of the day, we want to make sure that farms who want to employ more renewable energy technologies are making out equally in rate pricing and that their efforts are economically viable,” said Williams. “At this time, we don’t know how this will impact farms or rate payers.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2016 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Firefighters from Albion and Medina are pictured on Sept. 11 during a memorial service on the anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
ALBION – Albion Fire Chief Harry Papponetti worries about the future of the all-volunteer Albion Fire Department.
He said it is increasingly difficult to find volunteers able to spring into action for fire and other emergency calls. Many families have both parents working, and there are other demands on people’s time, making it a challenge to find volunteers who can put in the needed training, respond to calls and complete other tasks in the Fire Department.
Papponetti has seen the success of junior firefighter programs at other departments, including the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. Shelby has welcomed a new wave of younger firefighters in recent years.
“We have to start this program or else we won’t have volunteers in the future and the village will need a paid fire department,” Papponetti told the Village Board on Wednesday.
Albion used to have an Explorer program but Papponetti said those participants were limited in what they could do in training.
“Our hands were tied with the Explorer program,” he said.
With junior firefighters, they can’t be interior firefighters, but they can take state firefighter courses and work towards becoming a certified firefighter. They are also covered through the Fire Department’s insurance program.
“We have to look at recruitment,” Papponetti told the Village Board.
The board gave Papponetti permission to pursue the program, although the board wants a final say after it sees the application process and more details.
Papponetti said the Fire Department responded to 430 calls in 2015 and already has been on 40 calls the first 27 days of 2016.
The fire chief also updated the board on the Fire Department’s new fire truck. It is expected to arrive and be in service in April. The new truck will replace two for the Albion Fire Department – a pumper from 1974 and a smaller truck used to respond to motor vehicle accidents. That truck from 2004 has extrication equipment.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Western Regional Off-Track Betting, which is owned by 15 counties and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, has been returning profits to its municipal owners due to the success of Batavia Downs, which recently completed an expansion and major renovations to the gaming center/race track on Park Road in Batavia.
ALBION – The revenue at the OTB branch in Albion has taken a big drop in the past five years, with betting down from $1.3 million in 2010 to $517,000 last year.
However, the county received more revenue from Western Regional Off-Track Betting last year due to the success of Batavia Downs. The casino-like site on Park Road in Batavia is owned by 15 counties and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester.
The municipalities, including Orleans, get a share in the profits from Batavia Downs, which last year topped $52 million in “net win.” That’s the amount of money patrons of the nearly 800 video lottery terminals lost – an average of $1 million a week throughout the year.
WROTB sent $32 million of those profits to New York State, said Michael Nolan, vice president of WROTB.
The municipal owners saw an increase in revenue in 2015 from WROTB, including Orleans. The county’s revenue was up from about $39,000 in 2014 to $52,000 last year, Nolan told county legislators on Wednesday.
Michael Nolan, center, is vice president of Western Regional Off-Track Betting. He addresses the Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday with Ed Morgan (right), the county’s representative on the WROTB board of directors. Sean Schiano (left) is director of branch operations for WROTB.
WROTB expanded the video gaming last year at Batavia Downs and also did major renovations of the race track complex. That $28.6 million project is done, and now WROTB is working with a private developer on a new 84-room hotel that will open this year by the race track.
Since Batavia Downs opened with video gaming a decade ago, it has increased revenues every year from the video lottery terminals. It reported $52.6 million in profits from the machines in 2015, a 7.4 percent growth from the $48.9 million in 2014. That percentage gain led the nine video gaming sites in the state.
Batavia Downs was given a big facelift as part of a $28.6 million capital project.
Nolan said Batavia Downs has led the state in growth in three of the past four years.
He expects the hotel project will be a boost to Batavia Downs. WROTB also is looking to get into fantasy sports betting at its OTB parlors. Nolan said WROTB is awaiting direction from the state attorney general on the issue.
If the attorney general allows the fantasy sports betting at OTB parlors, Nolan said it would be a boost to the sites. WROTB operates 27 OTB parlors, including the one in Albion. That is done from 72 during the peak of OTB about 30 years ago.
Despite the drop in handle or betting in Albion, WROTB is determined to keep the site open, said Sean Schiano, director of branch operations for WROTB.
“We don’t want to lose our foothold in the county,” he said.
WROTB also has 25 E-Z Bet sites where patrons can bet on horses at restaurants, bowling alleys and other establishments. Schiano said he would welcome an E-Z Bet in Orleans County. Those sites draw customers for the host business, and also benefit WROTB by boosting the corporation’s revenue with minimal work on WROTB’s part. The E-ZBets also introduce new customers to betting, he said.
“We’re doing everything we can to squeeze water out of the rock,” Schiano said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Dennis Piedimonte helped see county through big changes with voting machines
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick presents a special recognition award to Dennis Piedimonte who is retiring after 18 years as an elections commissioner.
Piedimonte was appointed as the Republican elections commissioner 18 years ago, succeeding Bob Batt.
Piedimonte and Helen Zelazny, the former Democratic elections commissioner, saw the county through implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. HAVA resulted in the end of the old lever voting machines and transition to new electronic machines that scanned ballots.
Piedimonte said he enjoyed working in the elections office with Zelazny, who was later succeeded by Janice Grabowski. Clara Martin and Eileen Aina have been deputy election commissioners, with Martin switching about a month ago to become confidential secretary for Sheriff Randy Bower. Dorothy Morgan is the new deputy elections commissioner.
“It’s been a wonderful 18 years,” Piedimonte said at Wednesday’s County Legislature meeting. “We never once had an argument in the office. There were never any loud voices. I don’t know how many places can say that.”
The Legislature appointed Sylvia Shoemaker of Carlton to serve as elections commissioner. Shoemaker worked for the county for 17 years as a welfare fraud investigator. She is currently vice chairwoman of the Orleans County Republican Party. Her husband, Jim Shoemaker, is on the Carlton Town Board.
Sylvia has worked part-time the past four years as clerk in the BOE.
“I think she is an excellent selection,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard. “She served the county for many years already and did a wonderful job.”
Shoemaker will be paid $18,860 for the part-time position.
Orleans County legislators Fred Miller, left, and Bill Eick, right, are pictured with the county’s elections commissioners, Janice Grabowski, second from left, and Sylvia Shoemaker, who starts her new job on Feb. 1.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s push to raise the minimum wage from $9 to $15 would cost New York hundreds of thousands of jobs and add to the onerous tax structure in the state, Orleans County legislators said on Wednesday.
New York just raised the minimum wage in three steps over three years from $7.25 to $9. That increase resulted in job losses in the county, the County Legislature said in a formal resolution opposing the proposed minimum wage hike.
“This proposed increase in minimum wage will also create pressure on local governments, as employers, to increase wages in order to attract workers,” legislators said.
Cuomo wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 in New York City on Dec. 31, 2018 and on July 1, 2021 for the rest of the state.
County legislators said the state’s tax cap only allows a 0.12 percent increase in taxes next year due to inflation. That is less than the 2 percent cap that was advertised by Cuomo and the State Legislature.
The wage pressure from Cuomo makes puts local government under strain to meet the tax cap. Legislators said local governments would likely be forced cut non-mandated programs for youth employment and senior citizens.
County Legislator Lynne Johnson serves on the board of directors for Orleans Community Health, parent organization for Medina Memorial Hospital. A $15 minimum wage would be a jolt to the hospital’s bottom line, she said.
“It is one more thing that could cripple our only county hospital,” she said.
Legislator Don Allport said the big jump in the minimum wage would force a lot of local businesses to close or not hire workers.
The County Legislature is sending its resolution to Cuomo and state legislators, asking the state officials to reconsider the proposal.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Ron Albertson, one of the organizers of Rock the Park, is pictured during last year’s music festival at Bullard on July 25. This year’s event on Aug. 20 will run in cooperation with the Metro 10 race in Albion.
ALBION – The Village of Albion may have been denied a state grant for Bullard Park last month, but members of the “Rebuild Bullard” committee are determined to upgrade the park.
Committee members, led by the Albion Lions Club, would like to add new playground equipment this year.
“We’re trying to be part of the solution,” Ron Albertson, a Lions Club member, told the Village Board on Wednesday. “We’re trying lots of things to build up our little community.”
The third annual Rock the Park music festival will also be bigger this year on Aug. 20, Albertson said. That event will partner with the Metro 10 race in Albion and both events should feed off each other. The Metro 10 is a 10-mile race pitting runners from Rochester versus Buffalo. The race concludes at Bullard Park in a party-like atmosphere with a band and food.
Rock the Park will continue after the post-race party with several more bands playing until about 9 p.m.
The first Rock the Park drew about 200 people to the Elks Club. Last year was moved to Bullard and about 2,000 people attended, said Albertson, one of the event organizers.
“It’s getting more exciting with the Metro 10,” Albertson told the Village Board. “We’re thinking 4,000 to 6,000 people now.”
Albertson said his long-term goal would be to develop an amphitheater in the park for larger concerts at Bullard. He believes a concert series at the park with some big-name bands in the region could draw thousands of people to Albion.
They could park in the downtown and take shuttle buses to the park. That way the downtown merchants could benefit from the events.
Albion has tried three times for state grants to upgrade Bullard. The last grant application included a request to help develop a spray park. But Albion was denied.
“The Lions Club hasn’t given up on the park,” said Dale Brooks, a Lions Club member and former DPW superintendent for the village. “We’re still going forward with the park.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Kyle Thaine, a senior at Albion, delivers the speech that won the Orleans County Oratorical Contest, as well as American Legion Oratorical District Competition in Buffalo on Jan. 10. He is shown giving the speech today at the Orleans County Legislature meeting. Legislator Ken DeRoller is at right.
Thaine and another Albion senior, Meredith Patterson, took the top two spots during the competition in Buffalo. They move on to the zone competition at Mt. Morris High School on Feb. 6.
Thaine gave a speech from memory today that was nearly 10 minutes long. He shared about his family lineage, a legacy of service that dates to soldiers serving in the Revolutionary War. One of his ancestors, John Proctor, was a key settler in Gaines and known as the Paul Revere of Ridge Road because he rode along the Ridge warning settlers that the British were coming during the War of 1812.
Other Thaine relatives served in World War II and the Korean War.
The Legion competition teaches leadership qualities and the history of our nation’s laws. The American Legion Oratorical Contest also teaches an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights, and privileges of American citizenship.
The winner of the zone contest at Mount Morris will advance to Department Oratorical Contest held March 4-5 in Albany.
Kyle Thaine said he wants to be a history teacher for his career. He commended Patterson for advancing the zone competition as well.
Thaine and Patterson have both attended Legislature meetings before when they were seventh-graders in a service learning class. Those seventh-graders in 2011 helped fix up the cemetery for the former Alms “Poor” House on County House Road.
