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Original canal loop, only section west of Rochester, is easy to miss in Holley

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – A small sign on a tree in a ditch in Holley notes that this was part of the original Erie Canal loop that meandered to the Public Square area of Holley.

The state veered the canal from a relatively straight line in 1823 due to the high banks and engineering challenge in dealing with Sandy Creek.

This map in the Holley Post Office shows how the Erie Canal used to loop about 2,000 feet towards the Public Square.

There was an unusually deep ravine formed by the east branch of Sandy Creek, which presented a difficult engineering problem for builders of the original Erie Canal in the early 1820s, according to display on the north side of the canal by the Holley lift bridge. The State Canal Corp. put up that display about “The Holley Loop.”

This historical marker is next to the railroad depot used by the Murray-Holley Historical Society near Save-A-Lot. The original canal went near the depot and Public Square and some stone and remnants are still visible in the community.

Rather than try to build the canal on the ravine, engineers opted to take a sharp turn near the current lift bridge and cross over a relatively narrow section of the creek.

“The sharp curve required boaters to slow down, which made a promising location for canal-oriented businesses,” according to the state display. “The Village of Holley grew at this bend in the canal.”

The village created a canal park about 15 years ago and the path follows close to where the canal loop passed through nearly 200 years ago.

The canal was widened throughout the 363-mile-long system from 1905 to 1918 and much of the original canal was replaced by the wider and deeper canal.

But in Holley, some of the original remained because it wasn’t touched as part of the Barge Canal widening in the early 1900s.

Another map, this one displayed in the office of Dr. Dan Schiavone, shows the Holley Loop. It linked back to the canal just west of Bennetts Corners Road.

The state in 1854-61, decided the original loop needed to be straightened out in Holley to create a shorter, more navigable waterway. A new section of the canal was built over a very high and long embankment.

“Because state law did not allow canal sections to be abandoned in villages or cities, the old loop was still used for several decades to serve local businesses,” according to the state display about the Holley Loop. “Canal traffic no longer stopped in the village, however, and eventually the loop was drained and eliminated. Traces of the original canal can still be seen east of the Public Square.”

This culvert from the old canal can be seen from Route 31, a few houses east of Glenside Automotive.

I wrote about trying to find the original canal in Holley last week while on a nature walk on the Holley trail system off the canal.

I couldn’t find any signs pointing to the old canal, and wasn’t sure if I was seeing any remnants from the original canal.

Three people offered to show it to me on Tuesday. I was joined by Holley dentist Dan Schiavone, Erin Anheier from the Clarendon Historical Society, and Mark Scarborough, who lives on Bennetts Corners Road where the former trolley passed by his home until the trolly closed in the 1930s.

This trail runs from off Route 31, west of Bennetts Corners Road to the canal. The canal once ran along side this path. However, Mark Scarborough said this was a companion to the original canal, which is more to the left with lots of stone and other remnants from the original.

Scarborough says invasive plants, including Wild Rose, have proliferated in the old canal bed.

Holley’s trail system doesn’t have any wayfinding signs that would point to the original canal. The only sign is the small one nailed to a tree.

So, I wonder if the old canal bed is a big deal, or maybe a really big deal? Should it be cleared out and perhaps made into a walking trail that could be explored? Would people come check out the only original canal bed west of Rochester on the canal system?

I would encourage the village and canal to at least have signs pointing to the canal bed, and interpretive panels that talk about the “Holley Loop” and this bit of Holley and canal history. There could be interpretive panels on the trail near the canal and also in the Public Square. That wouldn’t cost too much. (The state information display is on the north side of the canal away from the gazebo and the canal park. I doubt many people look at it.)

The village created this trail system in 2000 and used sandstone to line one side. The stone isn’t from the original canal project, but the path follows close to the Holley Loop.

Holley named the canal trail in honor of Andrew Cuomo, who was the HUD secretary at the time and directed some federal funds to the village for the project.

The historical marker is close to the start of the trail.

Years of work pays off with big economic development projects

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Editorial

Photos by Tom Rivers – Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, faces a gauntlet of reporters following last week’s announcement that a high-tech company would be the first tenant in the STAMP site in the Town of Alabama.

Two big economic development projects are coming to the area, and those projects should have a ripple effect, leading to other support businesses and boosting the local economy with more spending money at local restaurants and businesses.

The projects were years in the making, and show the importance of vision and laying the groundwork.

In Orleans County, Pride Pak will build a 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing plant on Route 31A in Medina, across from the GCC campus. Pride Pak is from Canada, and the Medina site will be its first U.S.-based facility.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency has welcomed several Canadian companies to the community in recent years, with Brunner International and Hinspergers Poly Industries among the group that has tackled expansions in Medina.

Medina and other villages have the sewer and water infrastructure that are critical to attracting manufacturing and processing plants. But many villages don’t have the open space for those sites. Medina village officials about 30 years ago, back when Marcia Tuohey was mayor, worked to develop a business park on Maple Ridge Road.

The site drew BMP and the former Trek. The Orleans EDA has worked in recent years to expand the business park, and those efforts are paying off with Pride Pak coming to town.

It can be a slow, expensive process, acquiring land, running infrastructure and access roads, mapping out wetlands, sometimes taking down decrepit buildings with asbestos, and trying to come out with the dollars to do it all.

The EDA deserves lots of praise for getting Pride Pak to the finish line and committing to Medina. The company has a site plan that is under review by the local Planning Boards. It expects to break ground next month and have the new building ready with 85 to 100 employees by next June.

Steve Karr (right), chief executive officer for Pride Pak Canada, last Tuesday meets village officials and others working on the company’s new 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility. He is pictured with Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance for Pride Pak (center); Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency (far left); and Marguerite Sherman, village trustee (second from left).

The EDA also has been working for several years to make other spots in Medina ready for businesses. The agency has about 300 acres that are “shovel ready” with the infrastructure in place.

Those efforts should pay dividends now that the first tenant has committed to the STAMP site just down the road in the Town of Alabama.

1366 Technologies Inc. of New Bedford, Mass., was joined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last Wednesday at GCC in announcing an initial $100 million manufacturing plant at STAMP, which is about 1 mile south of the Orleans County line.

The company has revolutionized manufacturing silicon carbon wafers – considered “the heart” of solar panels. It looked at 300 sites for its new factory.

1366 Technologies expects to expand and make a $700 million investment in the area, starting with 600 full-time workers and growing to 1,000. The company will use about 100 acres of STAMP, a 1,250-acre site.

Genesee County Economic Development Center officials expect STAMP will draw more companies that that the first tenant is committed. The site will be a big user of the Medina sewer.

Steve Hyde, GCEDC chief executive officer and president, started working on STAMP a decade ago. Back then, the economic development focus was putting new business parks along the Thruway. Genesee County added sites in Batavia, Bergen and Pembroke.

Hyde started talking about a “mega-site” in the Town of Alabama. A lot of folks seemed skeptical. STAMP is about 10 times the size of a typical business park and it is located near a swamp with little infrastructure.

Hyde saw the example in Albany with the Luther Forest Technology Campus, a mega site that has attracted global nanotech leaders, investing billions.

Alabama in rural Genesee County was remote, a “quiet site” like Luther Forest for the delicate manufacturing in nanotechnology. It also is a huge site. The high-tech companies, like 1366 Technologies, need a lot of room to grow. The Thruway business parks don’t have the land.

Hyde and Genesee County officials spent a decade building support for the project in the community, the region and state. New York committed $33 million to bring the infrastructure to the site.

While working on STAMP, the Genesee EDC had major successes bringing two yogurt plants to Batavia, projects that helped the agency build credibility in the region and state, leading to more confidence in STAMP.

Steve Hyde and Jim Whipple, the leader of the Orleans EDA, often say, “Economic development isn’t a sprint, but a marathon.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo urges communities to develop plans for shaping their future and be tenacious in implementing them.

Too even be in the economic development race, communities need to have an inventory of buildings and land that would be attractive to companies.

If they don’t have the assets in place, they need to work on getting them there, and they could be in for years of effort with lots of upfront costs before they see a nickel of return.

With governments cash-strapped, many municipal leaders may be inclined to pull back of economic development. Who wants to spend $50,000 cleaning up a brownfields site when there are so many other needs in the community? Who wants to build roads through farm fields, especially ones by a swamp?

Twenty years ago, when Vicki Pratt was leading the Orleans EDA, she pushed to create the Holley Business Park, putting together a game plan to extend the village’s low-cost electricity, and water, sewer, and roads to the site. That Business Park emerged with efforts from the Village of Holley, Town of Murray and Orleans County. It was a farmfield. Now it’s the home of Precision Packaging Products and other businesses.

Our communities should take stock of their assets for bringing in businesses, an honest appraisal of strengths and weaknesses.

There is still space at the Holley Business Park and lots of room for businesses in Medina. I worry about Albion. There is 6 acres available in the Albion Business Park by Butts Road. I don’t see a lot of other options.

There is the Route 98 corridor from 31A to the village, but there isn’t sewer for a manufacturer or processing plant. Albion officials should try to make that happen.

It makes sense because Albion has the capacity in its water and sewer plants to serve big users. Other communities don’t have the water or sewer to serve a big user.

Albion has the resource, but it needs options with vacant land with existing sewer for someone to build a Pride Pak-type facility.

I’d also look at the Point Breeze area and what could be done to make that a bigger draw. For years I’ve heard people talk about the need for a big investment in sewer infrastructure in that area. With STAMP bringing hundreds of high-paying jobs, the Point and all of the Orleans County lakefront could be in demand if there was more infrastructure in place.

The governor, while speaking at GCC last week, praised the efforts to prepare STAMP for the next generation of high-tech companies. Those businesses will shape the region for years and decades to come.

The governor said communities that want to succeed need to be laying the groundwork now. It’s a highly competitive environment as cities, regions and states vie to land manufacturers and businesses.

“The future isn’t just going to happen,” the governor said. “The future is what you make of it.”

Friends of paralyzed Albion teen trying to raise funds for van

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Ashley Wiegele is pictured in her senior photo.

ALBION – Ashley Wiegele was only a few days away from her high school graduation when she was in a boating accident on Lake Ontario on June 20, 2014.

Ashley, then 17, wasn’t able to participate in commencement. She was paralyzed from the chest down.

She is home in an apartment with her mother, and receives physical and occupational therapy. Ashley is hopeful she will one day walk again.

For right now, she is mostly limited to her apartment, which isn’t handicapped accessible.

Her friends and the staff at Albion Central School want to give her more freedom to be out in the community. They have organized a benefit on Oct. 24, with a goal to raise at least $10,000 to buy a van with a wheelchair for Ashley.

“Rock ‘n Roll for Ashley” will feature live music from several local musical acts from 3 to 10 p.m. at the Albion Elk’s Lodge, 428 West State St. in Albion. The event also includes a giant basket raffle, pumpkin decorating for kids and adults, and side raffles.

“Albion and Orleans County are great. When somebody is in need they’re there to help,” said Scott Green, a guidance counselor at the high school and also the event chairman.

Ashley’s injuries have required her mom to become her full-time caregiver, resulting in a loss of income for the family.

Ashley has been mostly confined to a bed at her apartment. She only leaves the house for doctor’s appointments, which requires calling for a special van to transport her, Green said.

“This is about her mobility, to allow her to get up and go,” Green said. “Having a van will give Ashley some independence, allowing her to do things that other people take for granted, like grocery shop with her mom, or visit the library, or catch a movie with friends.”

Solo performers at the Oct. 24 “Rock ‘n Roll for Ashley” include Gregg Albertson and Shannon Vanderlaan, who will open the event. They will be followed by several local bands including Delano Steele and Atomic Swamis.

Food will be available for purchase at the event. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or by calling (585) 944-0678.

There is also an on-line fund-raising page for Ashley at CrowdRise. Click here for more information.

New granite benches added outside Albion library

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Three new granite benches were added outside Hoag Library on Tuesday. The benches are the work of Brigden Memorials in Albion and were paid for with donations.

Connie Archbald paid for this bench in memory of her parents, Ed and Jean Archbald of Carlton.

This bench lists the members of the library board of trustees in 2013, including President Kevin Doherty, and members Jan Albanese, Linda Smith, Colleen McKenna, Mary Anne Braunbach, Dele Theodorakos, Terry Wilbert and Patricia West. Susan Rudnicky, the former library director, also is listed on the bench.

The classmates of Duann J. Zicari paid for this bench. (It was raining earlier today so some of the letters have water on them, making them look less crisp.)

Historical marker honoring Gaines pioneer gets fresh look

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

Here is how the sign looked about two years ago.

GAINES – A historical marker on Ridge Road, next to the Gaines Carlton Community Church, honors pioneer settler Elizabeth Gilbert.

The marker had flaked off paint and was getting hard to read to motorists on Route 104.

Late last month the sign, with a fresh coat of paint, was reinstalled. Melissa Ierlan, president of the Clarendon Historical Society, has been repainting many historical markers in the county. She had help from Matt Ballard, the county historian, with the Gilbert marker.

There is a creek near this sign that last year was officially named “Gilbert Creek” in honor of Gilbert.

Early settlers liked to build log cabins close to a source of water. Mrs. Elizabeth Gilbert and her family chose the north side of Ridge Road, building their home where there was a rise in the land.

The cabin is long gone, but a historical marker notes the pioneering efforts from Mrs. Gilbert, one of the first settlers on the Ridge between Monroe and Niagara counties. Her husband died in 1808, leaving her to raise the children, and tame the nearby wilderness.

Local resident Al Capurso worked on the effort to name “Gilbert Creek” for more than a year, researching the issue and lining up the needed government support.

The creek begins from feeder sources south of Route 104 near Brown Road. It then marries Proctor Brook in Carlton, and then flows into the Oak Orchard River.

International students speak of long commutes, difficult entrance exams back home

Staff Reports Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am

GCC hosts panel of international exchange students

Provided photo – Students at the Oct. 6 panel discussion at GCC in Albion include, front row, from left: Kichan Ahn(South Korea), Gyuho Jung (South Korea), Labonte Valiendia (Haiti), Baohua Wang (China, Lee Jong Hyeon, (South Korea), Ma Xin (China), Bruce Thomas (Jamaica) Yazhou Zhang (China), and director Linda Redfield Shakoor of the World Life Institute. Orleans-Niagara BOCES Adult ESL teachers from World Life Institute Education Center, in back, are Monica Beck and Harris Lieberman.

Jim Simon, dean of the Albion campus center, presents gifts to the students.

ALBION – Genesee Community College’s Albion Campus Center on Oct. 6 hosted a panel discussion of international exchange students led by Linda Redfield Shakoor, director of the World Life Institute.

The event is part of GCC’s Global Education Committee efforts to increase college students and the community on the rich diversity of education across the globe. The eight participating students were from China, South Korea, Haiti and Mexico. Linda led the panel with questions, and then GCC students and faculty were also able to ask questions.

These students are graduate-level students from their respective countries working in the United States and striving to increase their English language skills. Their academic and work-related efforts are focused on agriculture. Each of them is working at Intergrow in Albion and attending night classes administered at the World Life Institute Education Center in Waterport, and taught English by Orleans-Niagara BOCES teachers such as Monica Beck and Harris Lieberman.

The panel topics discussed ranged from the 12-hour school days the students from China and South Korea experienced preparing for their college entrance exams (the rough equivalent of the SAT). In the case of the Chinese students, they shared the striking fact that approximately 9 million Chinese students take the exam and only half of them score high enough to go to college.

The students also shared how difficult it can be to obtain higher education – either because of devastating earthquakes like what occurred in Haiti a few years ago, or because of the significant distances (sometimes up to 2-hours one way) students in Mexico have to travel to go to school.

The panel discussion was taped and will be part of the featured Global Education Day events scheduled for GCC in Batavia on Thursday, Oct, 22, 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the college forum.

Hawley, Assembly minority host WNY health fair Thursday at RIT

Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

HENRIETTA – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) will host a free community health fair, sponsored by the Assembly Minority Conference on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the RIT Inn and Conference Center at 5257 West Henrietta Rd. in Henrietta.

The health fair will be aimed at informing seniors about services available to them and how they can best manage their health. Free services at the fair will include blood pressure and glucose screenings, hearing, laser and vision screenings, flu shots and organ and tissue donor registration information.

“I am excited to host this free community health fair to give back to our seniors and help them access a multitude of free services,” Hawley said. “Healthcare is becoming increasingly expensive, and unfortunately, many residents lose access to certain services when they retire. I encourage all of my constituents to take advantage of this free health fair, and I look forward to seeing them in attendance.”

PILOT plan would save Pride Pak $1M in property taxes over 20 years

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am

This rendering of the new Pride Pak vegetable processing plant was presented to the Medina Village Board last week.

MEDINA – The company that expects to break ground next month on a new 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing plant in Medina will do so with a tax-savings plan that would spare Pride Pak from paying $1 million in property taxes over the next 20 years.

The proposed payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for the company would save Pride Pak $992,250 over 20 years, according to Orleans Hub calculations.

The PILOT also commits Pride Pak to paying $897,750 over 20 years to the Town of Shelby, Village of Medina, Medina Central School and Orleans County.

Without the PILOT, the company would pay $1,890,000 in property taxes over 20 years on a $2.1 million assessment and a tax rate at $45 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The PILOT is still being worked out by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. It will likely go before the EDA board on Nov. 13 for a vote.

There has already been a public hearing on the schedule for the PILOT that calls for the company to pay 0 percent of the taxes in the first year, with 5 percent of the tax bill added each of the following 20 years.

Pride Pak is based in Canada and wants to build on 13 acres of land currently owned by the EDA. The land is tax exempt. Local government leaders have backed the PILOT plan, noting the land currently doesn’t generate tax revenue and Pride Pak will add to the municipal coffers over 20 years.

The company will also add 85 to 100 jobs in phase 1 of the project. It expects to add two more buildings after the first one is up and operational next year. Any structures after the first building are not part of the proposed PILOT and those buildings would result in additional tax revenue for the local governments, said Jim Whipple, EDA chief executive officer.

The EDA expects the new Pride Pak building will be assessed at $2.1 million. The EDA also fixed the combined tax rate for the four municipalities at $45 per $1,000 of assessed property. That’s about $10 less than the combined rates for the village, town, school and county.

Based on a $45 tax rate, the owner of a $2.1 million assessed property would pay $94,500 a year in property taxes.

The PILOT calls for Pride Pak to pay $0 the first year, then 5 percent ($4,725) in year 2. Each following year adds another 5 percent or $4,725. That would be $18,900 in year 5, $42,525 in year 10, $66,150 in year 15 and $89,775 in year 20, according to Orleans Hub calculations. After the 20 years, the company pays the full $94,500 if the tax rate stays at $45.

If the company was paying a combined $55 tax rate over 20 years instead of a $45 rate, it would have to pay an additional $420,000 based on a $2.1 million assessment.

The EDA usually offers 10-year PILOTs where the tax payments are ramped up 10 percent each year. The agency was more aggressive with Pride Pak because the company was being wooed by other sites in Western New York and Pottsville, Pa., where one of Pride Pak’s customers has a facility.

In addition to the PILOT, Pride Pak is being offered a sales tax exemption for up to $4.1 million in taxable purchases for construction and equipment in building the new $15 million vegetable processing plant. That sales tax break would save the company up to $328,000 in sales tax.

Pride Pak would also be spared the 1 percent mortgage tax on the project up to $6.5 million. That would save the company another $65,000.

Altogether, the EDA is proposing a tax savings plan of nearly $1.4 million.

EDA goes with big, bold sign for Medina Business Park

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Courtesy Orleans Economic Development Agency – This new sign will be installed along Bates Road for the Medina Business Park. The sign will be 9 feet high and 6 feet wide.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Here is how the former sign looked.

MEDINA – The old sign with its flaking paint is gone. Soon a new, almost futuristic sign, will be installed that will be bigger and bolder than any other sign in Orleans County promoting the business parks.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency worked with Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina for the new sign, which will be 9 feet high by 6 feet wide at the Medina Business Park along Bates Road.

“It will reflect our logo and be forward looking,” said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans EDA.

The new monument sign needs a concrete slab and power for the lights before it will be installed. The Medina Department of Public Works will put in the sign.

The Medina Business Park is shovel-ready with infrastructure, including a fully developed access road, in place for companies ready to build.

The Business Park includes space for a “virtual building,” a 40,000-square-foot pre-permitted building site.

Gorgeous weather on a day off for many

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – No school and a day off from work for many people has people outdoors enjoying an unseasonably warm day with lots of sunshine on Columbus Day.

The top photo shows Gene Warner of Ohio getting his hook ready while fishing in the Oak Orchard River. He and five other friends made the trip to Orleans County to try to reel in salmon and trout.

Warner and two of his friends set up where there used to be a small bridge crossing the Oak Orchard River.

This photo, taken from Route 98 past Narby’s, is looking at the two remaining bridges at “The Bridges.”

These folks are out in a boat near the Route 18 bridge over the Oak Orchard.

After a day in the 70s today, the high temperatures will fall to 60 on Tuesday followed by 51 on Wednesday, 55 on Thursday and 52 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

3-man race could open door for Democrat candidate to be next sheriff

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Organisciak says he would ‘lead by example’ in Sheriff’s Department

Photos by Tom Rivers – Don Organisciak is pictured with friends and family during a spaghetti fund-raiser Oct.3 at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. Some of the group includes his son Jimmy, right; Don’s wife Jacky (left); and Jeanne Crane, Democratic Party chairwoman, second from left in front.

MEDINA – Don Organisciak has seen the letters to the editor and a public displays from supporters for both Randy Bower and Tom Drennan, candidates to be the next Orleans County sheriff.

Organisciak winced at many of the letters to the editor during last month’s Republican primary. Some letter writers questioned Drennan’s judgment and other writers doubted if Bower has the qualifications to lead the Sheriff’s Department.

“As a leader you have to stay out of that,” Organisciak said about the letters and also many social media posts. “It degrades the Sheriff’s Department and the men.”

Organisciak is the Democrat candidate for sheriff. Bower won the Republican primary by 21 votes and also will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as a Conservative. Drennan also has two lines for Nov. 3 – the Independence Party and Reform Party line.

Organisciak, a retired Medina police officer and investigator, said the sheriff’s race shouldn’t be a popularity contest. He urges voters to look at the experience and qualifications of all three. He has a 30-year career in law enforcement, capped by two years as the school resource officer in Lyndonville.

“Don is a good candidate with a lot of good experience,” said Jeanne Crane, the Democratic Party chairwoman. “Looking at their experience, Don has done some things the others haven’t.”

He sees a divided Sheriff’s Department, and says he can be a unifying leader for the department.

“They need someone they can look up to, who’s been there, done that,” Organisciak said. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, but we need to bring professionalism and loyalty back.”

Don Organisciak walks in the parade in Lyndonville during the Fourth of July.

It would normally be a tall order for a Democrat to win in a county-wide election. Former sheriff David Green was a Democrat who won several elections before retiring about 20 years ago. Currently, all county-wide elected positions are filled by Republicans.

Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1 in Orleans County. The current enrollment numbers include 5,261 Democrats and 10,099 Republicans.

There are also 1,055 registered members of the Independence Party, 529 Conservative Party members and 147 members of the Working Families Party.
A big wild card is the 4,754 “blanks” or voters who aren’t registered with a political party.

Organisciak and Crane think Republicans will split the vote for Drennan and Bower, with some Republicans also siding with Organisciak.

Organisciak is currently a part-time school bus driver for Medina. He said he has enjoyed the recent months of his campaign, attending community festivals and events, and meeting many residents throughout the county.

“It has been fun,” he said. “The people finally have a choice. It’s better than a two-horse race. It’s now a three-horse race.”

The three candidates will be featured during a forum on Oct. 21, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Albion Elks Lodge, 428 West State St.

New York Revolution and the Orleans County SCOPE are coordinating the forum. Steven Aldstadt, president of SCOPE in New York, will be the moderator of the forum.

Sandstone Trust has small grants available for community projects

Staff Reports Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society is making several thousand dollars available in grants to community organizations and projects.

The grants generally range from $200 to $500 and are awarded to qualifying not-for-profit organizations and/or programs in the Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby region.

Funding is intended to help programs that clearly benefit this community and that have favorable tax and regulatory status.

The community endowment has given out nearly $20,000 over the past five years. The most recent round of grants included funding for improvements to the veterans plot at Boxwood Cemetery, to the Medina Business Association for Old-Tyme Christmas, emergency dollars to fix porch damage at the Medina Historical Museum, dollars to The Arc of Orleans toward kitchen equipment for Camp Rainbow, support for Medina’s Civil War Re-Enactment last April, stone repair from frost damage at the Armory (“Y”), and continuation of student scholarships.

To apply for a grant, organization leaders need to fill out a Sandstone Trust Application form and mail to Sandstone Trust, Post Office Box 25, Medina, by the application deadline, Nov. 14.

Application forms can be obtained as follows: In person at Medina Parts Co. (NAPA) 345 N. Main St. or Michael Zelazny, CPA 511 Main St.; By regular mail request sent to Sandstone Trust, PO Box 25, Medina, NY 14103; or online from the Sandstone Trust web page www.sandstonesociety.org.

Questions may be sent by email at sandstonesociety@gmail.com or calling Michael Zelazny, CPA at 585-798-1006.

Corrections officer celebrated on 25-year milestone

Contributed Story Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo

ALBION – An Orleans County Jail corrections officer was recognized for 25 years of service to the county last week. Lt. John Mignano, right, is pictured with Scott Wilson, the jail superintendent.

Lt. Mignano joined the Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer on Oct. 1, 1990, under then Sheriff David M. Green. Mignano was promoted to sergeant on Feb. 22, 1999 under then Sheriff Merle Fredericks Jr. Mignano was elevated to lieutenant on Feb. 16, 2004 by current Sheriff Scott Hess. Lieutenant Mignano currently serves as the “C” Line Shift Supervisor.

He received a congratulatory letter from Sheriff Hess, and a Certificate of Achievement for “25 Years of Dedicated & Faithful Service to the Sheriff’s Office and the County of Orleans.”

200 jobs that run the gamut are available in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am

EDA says residents don’t need to wait for Pride Pak, STAMP to find local jobs

ALBION – There are about 200 jobs available in Orleans County, ranging from sales reps, food service worker, software engineer, and many others, including Holley police chief.

“There is the full gamut of skills,” Jim Whipple, executive director for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, told the board of directors last Friday. “There is entry level right up to engineers.”

Many of the jobs are listed through the Job Development Agency in Orleans County. (labor.ny.gov). Many jobs are also listed on the Orleans Hub – Click here.

Some of the jobs are seasonal farm work. However, companies such as CRFS in Albion, Baxter Healthcare in Medina, the Arc of Orleans County, Saint-Gobain ADFORS in Albion, Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina and Velocitii in Medina are trying to fill full-time permanent positions.

“These are very tangible jobs that are available,” Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the EDA, told the board of directors.

Orleans County’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in August, higher than the state rate of 5.2 percent, which is the lowest in NY since May 2008.

There will be more job opportunities next year when Pride Pak is expected to hire 85 to 100 people for a new vegetable processing and packaging site in Medina.

Last week, 1366 Technologies also announced it will build a new high-tech manufacturing plant in the Town of Alabama, employing 600 people in phase one of what could be a $700 million build-out.

EDA leaders said the two projects will provide many job opportunities for Orleans County residents. However, residents need not wait on those projects because there are opportunities available right now.

Leaves are changing, a little behind schedule

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – These leaves on a tree at Mount Albion Cemetery show a lot of green on Saturday, although some have changed colors.

Many of the leaves in Western New York are still green, with fall foliage a little behind schedule this year.

It’s going to be a warm holiday weekend with lots of sunshine. Today is forecast for a high of 72 followed by a high of 76 on Monday, Columbus Day.