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Comptroller critical of Carlton for managing town finances

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2018 at 12:10 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: A Carlton town sign notes the community is the “Ultimate Fishing Town.” The town received a $25,000 grant for winning that contest. The state comptroller said expenses from that $25,000 award weren’t audited and presented to the Town Board for approval.

CARLTON – An audit from the State Comptroller’s Office is critical of Carlton Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery for her handling of the town’s finances.

The comptroller says Ashbery did not ensure accounting records were accurate and did not have deposit receipts in a timely manner.

“We found that 93 percent of receipts reviewed totaling $1.47 million were deposited, on average, 35 days after receipt,” according to the audit. (Click here to see the report.)

The town’s annual budget is $2.5 million. A five-member Town Board governs the town and is led by Ashbery, the town supervisor.

“We appreciate the issues raised by the NYS Comptroller in its audit,” Ashbery wrote to the comptroller’s office on Feb. 7. “It has helped us recognize areas where we can improve. We believe we have addressed many of them and we will continue to address other issues that small municipalities likes ours face.”

The comptroller’s office reviewed town finances from Jan. 1, 2015 to Oct. 2, 2017.

• Some of the specific concerns identified by the comptroller include a $25,000 award from the World Fishing Network after Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fish Town contest.

The comptroller said the town supervisor did not properly account for and report cash receipts and disbursements relating to the $25,000.

The Supervisor deposited the money in its own separate bank account and made 34 disbursements totaling $19,619 from the account during the period September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2017, the comptroller said.

However, the supervisor did not have the bookkeeping firm record the receipt or disbursements in the town’s accounting records and did not report the activity to the Town Board.

The comptroller reviewed the bank statements and cancelled check images, and discussed the payments with town officials and found the payments were appropriate, although they weren’t audited or approved by the board.

• The comptroller also highlighted a 2015 mortgage tax payment of $18,733 from Orleans County that was not deposited or recorded in Town records until April 2016. That resulted in the revenue being recorded in the wrong fiscal year for which it was intended.

“Had the Supervisor been performing an appropriate review of the monthly financial reports and budget to actual comparisons, it would have been apparent the Town had not received its mortgage tax payment as budgeted,” the audit states.

• The Supervisor also misplaced two checks totaling $2,015 from the town justices, who remitted the April 2016 collections of fines and fees to the Supervisor on May 2, 2016. The justices had to reissue the checks several months later because the town supervisor never deposited the original checks.

• The comptroller also faulted the town supervisor for not submitting an annual accounting to the Town Board for fiscal years 2015 and 2016, and not providing the public accountant hired to audit the books and records with adequate information. “As a result, the 2015 and 2016 annual audits have not been performed.”

• The comptroller recommended Carlton maintain complete and accurate accounting records and deposit all money in a timely manner. The town supervisor also needs to submit annual financial reports to the Town Board and cooperate with the public accountant hired to audit the books and records.

In her response to the Comptroller’s Office on Feb. 7, Ashbery acknowledged the audit is “highly critical of the fiscal oversight” for the audit period from Jan. 1, 2015 to Oct. 2, 2017.

“We also understand that we are a small municipality where elected officials are part-time,” she wrote. “We have made changes during this audit period by engaging professional services that will supplement our ability to be available to meet our fiscal responsibilities and to ensure that accounting records are accurate and complete.”

Ashbery also said the town is depositing receipts in a timely manner and has engaged a CPA firm to audit the town books.

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County legislator says best future for Parkway is improved maintenance as current 4-lane highway

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 January 2018 at 4:21 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Lake Ontario State Parkway in Orleans County has suffered from deteriorating road conditions in recent years, which has deterred some motorists from using the road. A study is looking at the future of the Parkway.

An Orleans County legislator believes keeping the Lake Ontario State Parkway in its current form as a four-lane divided highway offers the best benefit for the Orleans County and likely makes the most sense for the state financially.

Ken DeRoller, a county legislator and member of the board of directors for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, is part of a committee looking at the future of the Parkway in Orleans County.

The Genesee Transportation Council in Rochester and the county are studying the future of the Parkway, looking at possible alternatives for the westernmost 12.7 miles of the Parkway that runs along the lake through Kendall and part of Carlton.

One idea was to close the northern side, currently the western lanes, and have the Parkway be a regular two-lane state road on the south side. That could free up the northern side for possible housing development. Except, DeRoller said, there wouldn’t be enough room to accommodate new development because the road is too close to the lake.

DeRoller said the idea of lakefront housing by the northern lanes of the parkway “is a fallacy.”

“There is not enough room to build on the north side,” DeRoller told the EDA board on Friday.

The Transportation Council also is considering closing off either the north or south sides to traffic and designating one side for cyclists and snowmobiles. But DeRoller said snow doesn’t seem to “stick” too well on the Parkway surface.

And the state would need to modify the interchanges if traffic was allowed on only one side. The cost of redoing the interchanges might negate any maintenance savings from closing off one side to traffic, DeRoller said.

The committee looking at the Parkway also is considering a reduced speed of 40 miles per hour for the Parkway, or perhaps an elevated speed limit to make the road faster for motorists.

DeRoller told the EDA board he favors more maintenance and paving in the current Parkway setup. He thinks the roadway should be better marketed as a connector to popular state parks at Lakeside Beach in Carlton and Hamlin Beach. Those two state parks together draw 443,000 visitors annually, DeRoller said. They each have about 250 camp sites.

The state Department of Transportation last year resurfaced the Parkway from Route 19 in Hamlin to Payne Beach Road in Parma. This year the resurfacing will continue west from Route 19 in Hamlin to Route 237 in Kendall in 2018. Altogether, the DOT is spending about $14 million on the paving projects.

DeRoller sees the road – when it’s in good shape – as an asset for the county, leading to the state park in Carlton, sites at Point Breeze, and a revamped marina and other businesses in Kendall.

“It’s very important to our southshore and tourism,” DeRoller said about the Parkway.

To complete a survey about the future of the Parkway, click here.

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Fire destroys Carlton home on Sawyer Road

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 December 2017 at 2:19 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A house at 2089 Sawyer Rd. was destroyed in a fire around noon today in Carlton.

The fast-moving blaze spewed dark smoke that could be seen from about 10 miles away.

The owner of the house, Sheldyn J. Dysard, was out of town working and is making his way back today, Chief Deputy Michael Mele said.

Carlton firefighter Seth Dumrese, left, puts water on the fire.

The fire was originally sent out by dispatch as a possible furnace fire at 11:47 a.m. Investigators will work to determine the cause of the blaze.

Carlton, Albion and Medina firefighters all responded to the scene.

Chief Deputy Michael Mele of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office walks the perimeter of the fire today.

Provided photo: The house was engulfed in flames.

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Fundraiser established for family after house burned down in Carlton

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 December 2017 at 9:11 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to support Dan and Rose Mawn, the owner of a house that burned to the ground on Sunday evening.

“This has been their home for over 15 years and they lost everything,” their son, Daniel Mawn, writes on GoFundMe. “The house is a total loss. Thankfully everyone is safe including their dog.”

Mawn said he is assisting his parents as they work with their insurance company.

The house was located on Route 18 at the eastern end of Carlton, right next to the Kendall town line.

“They will need to rebuild from nothing,” Mawn said. “100% of funds raised will go directly to the affected family and will be used to replace everything that they have lost.”

The Mawns need to replace clothing, household goods and supplies, furniture – “everything that you see when you look around your own home right at this moment!” Mawn said.

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Cause of Carlton fire undetermined for now

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 December 2017 at 10:18 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – The house owned by Dan and Rose Mawn is consumed by flames on Sunday evening. The house is located on Route 18 near the Carlton-Kendall townline.

The extensive damage of the site has made it unsafe for fire investigators to go inside and try to identify the cause of the blaze, said Dale Banker, director of Orleans County’s Emergency Management Office.

The Mawns’ insurance company will be sending out investigators and Banker said the county fire investigators will likely work with them to determine a cause. The county investigators took photos of the scene and did an outside assessment.

Eleven of the 12 fire companies in the county responded to the fire on Sunday evening, with most of those fire companies bringing tankers full of water to the scene.

Firefighters were dispatched back to the scene this morning at about 5:30 a.m. after the fire rekindled.

Firefighters set up a dump tank for water. That water was then sucked into a pumper fire truck. Hoses were connected to the pumper so the water could be sprayed by firefighters onto the house.

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Fire destroys Carlton home on Route 18

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 December 2017 at 7:05 pm

Many fire departments battle blaze

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A house owned by Dan and Rose Mawn is engulfed in flames this evening on Route 18. The address is near the townline for Carlton and Kendall, between Carr Road and Petersmith Road.

Numerous fire departments are at the scene. They were dispatched there at 5:24 p.m.

There isn’t public water at the site so firefighters can’t hook into fire hydrants. Many fire departments are using tankers to haul water to the location.

The Mawns were able to safely get out of the house, along with their dog.

The house was damaged in the March windstorm when a tree fell on the structure. Friends of the Mawns said renovations had been approved by the Mawns’ insurance company but the work has been held up by a bank. The Mawns were frustrated with the delays, the friends said.

Firefighters get water on the back of the house. The entire building was engulfed in flames.

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Boxes of donated clothes head to Puerto Rico

Provided photo: Pat Haines of Waterport is pictured with a truck and driver from Mobile Air Transport which will take 20 boxes of donated clothes that are headed to Puerto Rico. The boxes will be flown to San Juan, and taken to the community of Moca, a town on the western side of Puerto Rico.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 December 2017 at 10:52 am

WATERPORT – The community donated numerous shirts, pants and other clothing items during an Oct. 29 fundraiser for a town in Puerto Rico.

Those clothing items were packaged in 20 boxes and on Monday they were picked up by a truck and driver from Mobile Air Transport. The boxes were flown from Rochester to JFK in New York City and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

From there, they will reach their final destination in the town of Moca in western Puerto Rico. The company, REI, is shipping the boxes at cost – $50 each.

Orchestrating the shipment of the boxes has been a hurdle in a local effort to assist a town that remains without electricity after Hurricane Maria hit the island in September.

The Carlton United Methodist Church hosted a fundraiser on Oct. 29 for a community in Puerto Rico, home of Betty Garcia Mathewson’s relatives. Garcia Mathewson lives in Albion and attends a yoga class led by Pat Haines. Haines also attends the Carlton United Methodst Church.

The church and yoga class put on the fundraiser that has raised $5,500. That money has paid for 80 solar powered emergency lights and 20 water filtration systems and extra filters, the $1,000 needed to ship the boxes of clothes, and $1,500 that was sent to a church to provide a Thanksgiving meal for the Moca community.

“It’s really impacting peoples’ lives,” Haines said this morning. “We far exceeded my expectations. It’s amazing what small group can do.”

The Centro Cristiano Nueva Vision – the New Vision Christian Center in Moca – is the distribution point for the donations. Garcia Mathewson’s cousin is a leader in that congregation.

People are still welcome to send checks to the Carlton United Methodist Church, 1196 Archbald Road, Waterport, NY 14571.  If someone sends a check to the church, they should note “PR Fundraiser.” The church will then wire the funds to the New Vision Christian Center in Moca. Donors also are welcome to sponsor a box for $50.

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Volunteers have 100-plus baskets, lots of cookies ready for Sunday’s Puerto Rico benefit

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2017 at 4:28 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON — Laurie Frederick works on a table full of baskets that will be raffled off on Sunday as part of a fundraiser for the community of Moca in Puerto Rico.

The Carlton United United Methodist Church is hosting the fundraiser from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. More than 100 baskets will be raffled off.

The church and a yoga class led by Pat Haines are leading the fundraiser on Sunday. Betty Garcia Mathewson of Albion is in the yoga class. Her cousin and other family live in Moca on the western side of Puerto Rico.

Betty shared with the yoga class the initial difficulty of contacting family to make sure they were OK after the hurricane hit the island.

Pat Haines bakes cookies at the church today for Sunday’s fundraiser. People who drop often clothing will receive a raffle ticket on Sunday.

Haines said the community has stepped up with many donations so far.

“People have been eager to help,” Haines said. “It restores your faith in humanity.”

The money raised on Sunday will be wired from the Carlton United Methodist Church to the Centro Cristiano Nueva Vision – the New Vision Christian Center in Moca.

Garcia Mathewson said much of the humanitarian relief is focused on San Juan and the more populated areas in Puerto Rico. She worries especially for the small towns that don’t get much media or political attention.

Cindy Chaplin bakes cookies for Sunday’s event.

The church is located at 1196 Archbald Rd., Waterport.

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Former restaurant at Point Breeze, most recently a residence, to become banquet facility

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2017 at 2:47 pm

CARLTON – The former Barbary Coast restaurant at Point Breeze, most recently the home for Gene and Joette Haines, will find a new use as The Lakeland, a banquet facility.

The late Mr. and Mrs. Haines used the site at 14361 Ontario St. as their residence. They also were generous in allowing the site to be used for community events.

Kevin Pilon of Holley is proposing to use the site as a banquet facility.

The Orleans County Planning Board met on Thursday and approved the site plan for the project. The board also recommended the Town of Carlton approve a special use permit for Pilon to operate the banquet facility in a Waterfront Development District.

The Lakeland will be managed by Kevin and Elizabeth Pilon, and Francis and Evana Daniels.

The site will have catered meals and a bar, and will be available for wedding receptions, bridal showers, baby showers, parties and other events. The Lakeland could be open by the end of the year, according to the company’s business plan which was submitted to the Planning Board.

Mr. Pilon has worked the past 23 years with Pilon Construction. His wife works at Strong Memorial Hospital. Mr. Daniels is a retired supervisor from the 3M corporation. Mrs. Daniels had her own floral business for 27 years and also was the development director for Hospice of Orleans.

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Fly fishermen return for annual tournament at Archery Club

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 October 2017 at 4:04 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – The St. Mary’s Archery Club on the Oak Orchard River has welcomed about 50 participants in the club’s annual fly fishing tournament from today through Friday.

The fishermen include Joe Harkay, front, who made a 400-mile trip from New Jersey to fish in the tournament. Harkay, 79, is a past champ of the event.

He has been a regular at the Oak Orchard River the past decade. He used to go to the Salmon River at Pulaski, but Harkay said the crowds are big and it’s much more costly to fish up there.

“They’re all gentlemen here,” he said about the fishermen. “This is pure fishing.”

The Oak Orchard is deeper than usual and that has made it tougher to catch fish because they are harder to see in the water and they are more elusive. Harkay likes the challenge.

“The fish have a better chance,” he said. “At the (Waterport) Dam the fish are corralled. The fishermen there are meat hunters.”

The Archery Club runs a catch-and-release tournament with prizes for the biggest Chinook salmon, brown trout, Atlantic salmon and steelhead.

Out-of-state participants have come from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Maine, Connecticut and two from South Korea.

It is a beautiful day to be on the river with the sun shining and high temperatures at about 70.

The Oak Orchard River is a popular spot in the fall with anglers trying to catch big salmon and trout.

Ben Smith, 12, peers into the water, trying to see a salmon. Ben was fishing with his father and two younger brothers. They traveled about 300 miles from near Harrisburg, Pa.

Shane Smith, right, fishes with his youngest son, Beckett, 7. Shane is the father of Ben Smith, in the above photo. Ben’s other brother, Brayden, is 10. The three brothers had a friendly rivalry to see who could catch the biggest fish.

Shane has been fishing at the Oak Orchard for nearly 30 years, first going with his father. Now it’s a three-generation trip for the family.

Duane Putnam, a member of the Archery Club, has a batch of French fries ready for the fishermen. Jeff Holler, in back, checks on chicken. The Archery Club is serving breakfast and lunch daily through Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. There is a cost for the meals, and a $10 fee to park at the club to go fishing.

The club last year built a new pavilion to extend the kitchen. Putnam and Holler said the extra space has made it much easier to have food ready for the fishermen.

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Carlton church plans fundraiser on Oct. 29 for community in Puerto Rico

Jeffry Garcia, pictured top right, and his family survived Hurricane Maria, but their rural community of Moca was badly damaged from the hurricane.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2017 at 12:10 pm

CARLTON — A local church will host a fund-raiser on Oct. 29 to help a small town in Puerto Rico that has been devastated from Hurricane Maria.

Jeffry Garcia lives in the town of Moca on the western side of Puerto Rico. He is the cousin of Betty Garcia Mathewson of Albion.

Betty Garcia Mathewson

Betty attends a yoga class, Inspired Yoga, led by Pat Haines at the Carlton United Methodist Church. Haines and the yoga class are spearheading a fundraiser on Oct. 29 to help Jeffry Garcia’s community.

Betty Garcia Mathewson said much of the humanitarian relief is focused on San Juan and the more populated areas. She worries especially for the small towns that don’t get much media or political attention.

“This is one rural community helping another,” she said about the upcoming event.

The yoga class and the church will raffle off gift baskets, and they will also accept gently used clothing and money. The funds will be wired from the Carlton United Methodist Church to the Centro Cristiano Nueva Vision – the New Vision Christian Center. Jeffry Garcia is an active member of the that church. The donations will be given beyond the church community in Moca, Puerto Rico.

Checks can also be made out to the Carlton United Methodist Church or CUMC and mailed to the church at 1196 Archbald Rd., Waterport, NY 14571.

Moca is an agricultural community and the crops have been destroyed by the powerful hurricane. The electricity and most of the phone lines have also been knocked out.

The funds raised on Oct. 29 could help pay for solar powered lights, hand-cranked flashlights and water purifiers, Garcia Mathewson said.

Anyone interested in giving a gift basket or making a donation to the effort is welcome to call Haines at (585) 764-9975, Garcia Mathewson at (585) 590-0504  or Laurie Fredrick at (585) 755-5253.

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Celebrating 20 years of welcoming war orphans for summers in Orleans County

Photos by Tom Rivers: This photo shows supporters of Project Life gathered Sunday for a 20th anniversary party for the program. The program has welcomed 131 children, including three that have stayed longer term due to medical issues. Two of the children in the program are pictured in front center. Fauzia Aajan arrived in 2004. She graduated No. 7 in Lyndonville's high school class sin 2014. She is entering her final year at the University of Buffalo where she is majoring in early childhood education. Mohammad Meer is entering eighth grade in Albion. He plays on the soccer team and is vice president of the middle school student council. He has a life-threatening blood disorder that requires blood transfusions every three weeks.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 August 2017 at 12:08 am

Project Life has embraced 131 children from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Sri Lanka

WATERPORT – It was 20 years ago when five boys from Bosnia arrived to spend the summer in Orleans County. The boys had all lost fathers to war.

They arrived shy and a little underweight. They left 10 weeks later, knowing English, more confident and with some added pounds from being so well fed.

The World Life Institute has run Project Life for 20 years, welcoming 131 children for summers of respite. The children have all lost parents to wars in Bosnia, Chechnya and Afghanistan. Project Life also welcomed orphans after the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

This photo from 1997 shows Amel Lipa of Bosnia, who was part of the first group of war orphans to come to Orleans County. The photo appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and was displayed on Sunday during a 20th anniversary celebration for Project Life at the World Life Institute.

Project Life leaders have visited many of the children years later when they were adults. They also connect often through Facebook and social media.

The children are leaders in their communities, and they remain thankful for the chance to come to Orleans County, learning English, visiting Niagara Falls and other tourist sites, and spending time with local host families.

“We try to help them very intensely,” said Chris Wilson, international director for the World Life Institute. “We can feel proud in our own small way we’ve done something good. I personally don’t think it’s small. There is so much evil in the world that any good should be celebrated.”

Wilson was among the speakers during a celebration on Sunday at the World Life Institute on Stillwater Road in Waterport. The WLI building has been used for numerous art classes and other programming for the children the past two decades. There have been numerous intense soccer games also played in the backyard.

Chris Wilson

‘We can feel proud in our own small way we’ve done something good. I personally don’t think it’s small. There is so much evil in the world that any good should be celebrated.’ – Chris Wilson

Linda Redfield, the program’s director, thanked the community for welcoming the children the past 20 years. Community members have stepped up as host families, and volunteers. Numerous churches from different faiths also have supported the program, donating supplies, clothes, money and taking the kids on trips.

“Project Life has brought together Christians, Muslims, Jews and people from a variety of backgrounds,” Wlson said. “It’s been an interfaith enterprise.”

Wilson has visited Afghanistan, connecting with the children’s loved ones and the embassies, helping to work on the arrangements for the children to come to Waterport. He is amazed by the good-hearted people who have made the program a success.

“Through this small, beautiful program we’ve brought together people of different faiths and from across thousands of miles around the world – all here in Waterport, New York,” Wilson said.

A display at the World Life Institute includes the names of all 131 students in the WLI, as well as photos of them learning in the classroom and having fun on trips and with their host families.

Lisa Ryan of Albion hosted Adela from Bosnia in 1999 and remains in contact with her today.

“It was life-changing to reach someone from around the world,” Ryan said at Sunday’s 20th anniversary party.

Mickey Treat and his wife Diane of Hamlin hosted two girls from Chechnya. The experience brought the family together, and radically broadened their world view, Treat said.

“It was one of the best things we’ve ever done,” Treat said at the celebration.

The two girls have returned home. One is studying to become a lawyer, Treat said.

He praised Linda Redfield, who volunteers in leading the program.

“Thank you to Linda for your dedication,” Treat said. “She is a servant.”

Mickey Treat of Hamlin said he is thankful his family hosted two of the children in Project Life.

Chris Wilson and his wife Deborah also have served as host families several times. The first time in 1997 their son Samuel was only 3 and they welcomed two boys from Bosnia. Samuel would become an active volunteer in the program when he was older.

There were initial challenges with a language and cultural barrier, but Deborah said war orphans felt like family by the end of the summer. The differences seemed to melt away.

“They get over their homesickness, they relax and they enjoy their learning,” said Deborah, who is now the program’s assistant director.

She hears from some of the children through Facebook and they say the program has been a turning point for them. Their families also say their children returned much stronger and more confident. She hasn’t heard from all of the children because some of them do not have Internet access.

The Rev. Alan Dailey

‘It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Western New York.’ – The Rev. Alan Dailey

The Rev. Alan Dailey, interim executive director of Greater Rochester Community of Churches/Faith in Action Network, learned about Project Life during an event at Nazareth College. Dailey, former pastor of the Brockport Presbyterian Church, said Project Life has brought together many churches in a humanitarian mission.

The program deserves more acclaim, he said.

“It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Western New York,” he said.

Project Life last welcomed children to Orleans in 2014 when three orphans came from Afghanistan. Wilson and Redfield said WLI wants to welcome more children next year. They were close to having a group of kids from Afghanistan this summer but all the agreements didn’t come together in time from the US Embassy and the Afghan courts.

One of the Afghan boys from 2014 has stayed in Orleans County. Mohammad Meer was 12 three years ago. He is one of three of the 131 children who is staying long term due to serious medical issues.

He has a life-threatening blood disorder, thalassemia major, that requires blood transfusions every three weeks. Children with the disease cannot produce enough healthy red blood cells to provide their bodies with oxygen. They require regular blood transfusions and without advanced medical treatment they do not survive long.

With the transfusions and medication, Mohammad has excelled in sports and school, said Wilson who serves as Mohammad’s medical guardian.

Mohammad Meer has rebounded with his health since coming to Orleans County three years ago. He is active at Albion Central School, playing soccer and serving as vice president of the middle school student council.

Fauzia Aajan and her brother Sabir both have stayed in country for more than a decade after arriving with life-threatening illnesses.

Sabir struggled to get off the airplane when he arrived with a rare form of hemophilia. He would stay for medical treatments, and would later graduate from Lyndonville Central School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Buffalo and is now pursuing a degree in nursing.

His younger sister Fauzia is entering her senior year at UB as an early childhood education major.

Wilson referred to the three as “our stars.” The siblings were young when they lost both of their parents.

Sabir and Fauzia arrived malnourished. Fauzia hadn’t been to school before and didn’t know her birthday.

“They both came here at very difficult times in their life,” Wilson said. “It’s fantastic how much they’ve grown and become beautiful young people who have enriched our lives.”

Linda Redfield serves as the program’s director. She thanked the many volunteers locally for embracing the Project Life children.

Redfield praised the local community members for opening their hearts to the children, who have all lost fathers.

“The program had a calming effect on the children,” Redfield said. “The community has poured kindness into them.”

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State reopens Oak Orchard boat launch

Staff Reports Posted 17 July 2017 at 12:43 pm

Photo from State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

The Oak Orchard Marine State Park reopened today to boaters after being closed due to safety concerns from the high water on the Oak Orchard River.

The boat launch is located off Route 18 on Archibald Road.

Orleans County officials have estimated there about 7,000 boat launches each year from the site.

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Lakeshore residents determined that destructive high water ‘never happens again’

Photos by Tom Rivers: Sharon Lochman, a member of United Shoreline, said this year's "travesty" with Lake Ontario should never happen again.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2017 at 2:58 pm

State Sen. Robert Ortt addresses about 200 people who attended a rally and informational meeting about Lake Ontario on Friday at the Orleans County Marine Park.

CARLTON – United Shoreline, a citizens group that formed last month to fight the high Lake Ontario water levels, held its third rally on Friday and attracted more than 200 people to the Orleans County Marine Park.

“We need to ensure this travesty never occurs again,” said Sharon Lochman, a Unted Shoreline leader from Kendall. “Our shoreline is rapidly disappearing. We live daily with the heavy considerations of the surges and pounds. We are still one storm away from disaster.”

There are about 220,000 sandbags placed in Orleans County in Kendall, Carlton and Yates to help protect property. The state also placed 850 feet on an Aqua Dam in Kendall. That rubber dam is filled with water and 9 feet wide and 4 feet high.

Despite the fortification efforts, the lake remains high in mid July. For three months it has been eating away at land  and property.

Orleans County and state officials have estimated there are $11 million in shoreline destruction so far. That number will likely grow with more detailed assessments, said Dale Banker, the county’s Emergency Management Office director.

Dale Banker, the Orleans County Emergency Management director, said Friday was day 87 of the county being in a state of emergency due to the high lake levels along the shoreline in Yates, Carlton and Kendall. Banker praised highway superintendents for working extra hard to have sandbags available for residents.

In addition to the private property damage, the Orleans municipalities have totaled more than $200,000 in costs for overtime and other work in fighting the flooding. The governor has submitted the request for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide aid to reimburse municipalities for the cost.

The State Legislature also has approved a $55 million flood relief package. That includes up to $50,000 for property owners where the damaged lake property is their primary residence.

Second homes are eligible for assistance provided the total annual income of the occupants is less than $275,000.

PathStone is administering the relief program for New York in Orleans County. Click here for more information.

Two state legislators – Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Sen. Robert Ortt – faulted Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not opposing the lake level management plan – Plan 2014 – which was approved by the Internal Joint Commission and the Obama Administration. The IJC has members from the U.S. and Canada. They changed the management plan after 50 years.

“What has happened on this lake is unconscionable,” said Assemblyman Hawley. “What has happened to property along this lake is unconscionable. The property should be protected and should be of paramount importance to the governor.”

Assemblyman Steve Hawley addresses the group on Friday evening. “This should never have happened and it should never happen again,” he said about the destructive high waters.

The new Plan 2014 was opposed by the Orleans County Legislature, Congressman Chris Collins and many elected officials on the southshore before it was finalized last year.

They feared the new plan would lead to more severe lows and highs with the lake levels. The IJC said record levels of rain are most responsible for the high levels this year.

Ortt said the governor should have heeded the southshore concerns last year before the destruction.

“It would have been real leadership to oppose it last year, but he never said anything,” Ortt told the crowd. “He is against it now, but it’s easy to be against it when people have homes and businesses that might be swept into the lake.”

David Krull, center, is the Carlton highway superintendent. The National Guard and community volunteers have all helped the highway departments get sandbags filled for residents. Krull also praised state inmate crews for working about five weeks to fill sandbags.

Ortt praised residents and businesses for their perseverance, but he said they shouldn’t have that kind of stress in their lives.

He wants President Trump to appoint new American commissioners on the IJC that are sensitive to property owners on the southshore. Ortt said the new plan was overly focused on wildlife.

“The (IJC) is more concerned about the muskrat, the frog and toad than the people who pay taxes in New York State,” Ortt said.

Sue Boss, director for PathStone’s flood relief program in Orleans County, said 30 applications have already been completed. Residents don’t need estimates for work to be done. She said the state has modified the process to help expedite funding for property owners. For more on the program, click here.

United Shoreline will hold its next rally from 7 to 9 p.m. on July 28 in Hilton at the High School Auditorium, 400 East Ave. The group wants to build a strong network along the southshore – “a permanent alliance from Niagara to Oswego,” Lochman said.

The group is pushing for restitution to property owners.

“We need responsible adaptive management of Lake Ontario to ensure the protection of this American shoreline with balanced consideration for its inhabitants and its wildlife,” Lochman said.

The Oak Orchard Lighthouse and the Oak Orchard Harbor are pictured at sunset on Friday.

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Friendly deer creates buzz at Point Breeze

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 July 2017 at 8:48 am

Provided photos: Arianna McGurn, 14, of Point Breeze greets a deer nicknamed “Breezy” at Point Breeze in this photo from June 13. Numerous people have met the deer and posted photos on social media with the animal.

POINT BREEZE – A deer nicknamed “Breezy” has become a local social media star, with numerous people posting selfies and videos of the deer accepting food and allowing itself to be petted.

The deer has been at Point Breeze for about two months. It naps in neighbors’ yards and happily accepts food from the public.

Nicole Bellnier, owner of the Breeze Inn Again restaurant, said many of her customers talk about the deer.

“It’s so friendly,” she said. “It nuzzles you like a cat.”

But Bellnier has become concerned about the deer as it gets bigger. One person said the deer head butted a child.

“We all got caught up in it,” Bellnier said this morning. “It’s getting to the point where something has to be done with it.”

The deer even walks the pier looking for food handouts at Point Breeze, going up to fishermen and people relaxing on the rocks. Bellnier is concerned the deer could lose its footing and fall in the lake, or catch some people by surprise who aren’t accustomed to a deer that isn’t spooked by people.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation has received many calls about the deer at Point Breeze, said Michael R. Wasilco, the DEC’s Regional Wildlife Manager, Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Photo courtesy of Karen Manella: Roman Manella, 8, and his brother Hudson Manella, 5, meet the deer at Point Breeze. They are joined by their father, Steve Manella. They recently moved to Albion after living in Oklahoma.

“Deer acting tame and approaching humans and allowing petting is most often a sign that the deer was in captivity at some point in its life,” he said in an email. “This could either be a sign that the deer was raised and released by a licensed rehabilitator who did not do a good job of preventing the deer from being habituated to human, or often it is a sign that the deer was illegally raised in captivity after someone picked it up as a fawn.”

The deer’s tame behavior usually isn’t a problem in does (females).

“But it can be very dangerous in bucks (males) when breeding season approaches, as the tame bucks see humans as potential competition for mates and will try to fight that competition,” Wasilco said.

The tame male deer are usually are removed before fall arrives, he said.

“If a female becomes aggressive, she would need to be removed as well, to prevent safety issues with the humans in the area,” he said.

The tame Point Breeze deer is a doe, Wasilco said. Bellnier and others on Facebook have said they think it is a buck.

Some people have been worried the tame deer may be sick, thinking that is the reason it isn’t showing the normal apprehension around humans.

“It is also possible that the deer is sick, but usually they would exhibit other signs of illness in addition to the tameness, which we have not received any reports of,” Wasilco said.

There also was a friendly deer in Holley in May. This photo shows that deer meeting members of a girls youth soccer team.

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