By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2021 at 9:22 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
POINT BREEZE – Workers from CP Ward in Scottsville are building a new boat launch at Point Breeze, a project that is 95 percent funded by the state through the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).
The new launch will be raised about 2 ½ feet and will be more resilient in case of flooding and higher lake levels, said John Papponetti, the county’s DPW commissioner.
CP has put a new foundation in for the boat launch. On Wednesday, the company used a crane to set metal frames in the water to form a perimeter around the boat launch. Tarps will be added to keep out water, which will be pumped out in a cofferdam. That will allow CP Ward to build the new boat launch. The launch will be regraded and concrete poured for the new ramps and docks.
The ramps will be reconfigured and extended by 20 feet to 104 feet. The longer ramps will allow the launch to be used during times of lower water levels because the ramp will extend out to deeper water.
A crane is used to lower metal frames into the Oak Orchard River.
The project includes floatable walkways which will tie into a concrete ramp. The project also includes milling and paving the driveway and parking lot. CP submitted the low construction bid of $439,850.
The boat launch was closed after Labor Day to lessen the impact on boaters during the busier summer season. Construction is expected to continue through November to possibly early December.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2021 at 3:38 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – A Columbus Day holiday with temperatures in the mid-70s had lots of people outside today in Orleans County. The top photo shows Michael Alexander, 12, of Carlton hunting for pumpkins in the pumpkin patch at Rush’s Farm Market on Eagle Harbor-Waterport Road.
Some fly fishermen also tried to catch salmon in the Oak Orchard River near the Archer’s Club.
The temperatures will stay unseasonably warm in Orleans County the rest of the week with highs reaching 80 on Tuesday, 72 on Wednesday, 73 on Thursday, 72 on Friday and 67 on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
These sisters, Rylee (left) and Lillianna Corke of Albion, pose through the pumpkin cutouts at Rush’s.
Abby Alexander, 10, (left) and her sister Maxine, 8, of Carlton work together to pick a pumpkin at Rush’s.
This person tries his luck fishing underneath the Route 279 bridge in Waterport.
The St. Mary’s Archer’s Club at the Oak Orchard River has this sign next to the river. The club started about 75 years ago and offers hospitality to many local and visiting fishermen.
The anglers were out today in brilliant sunlight.
Corey Black is up in a lift painting a building he owns at the corner of Main and East Bank streets in Albion. This building includes HeBrews 5:9 and Hair Fantasy.
This is looking up at Black while he gives the windows a fresh coat of white paint.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 11 October 2021 at 9:17 am
Mary Dooley competed for 30 years in sawing, cutting and axe throwing
Photo by Tom Rivers: World champion wood cutter Mary Dooley of Waterport tried her hand at hatchet throwing at 810 Axes in Medina, when it opened in July 2019.
A Waterport resident and swim teacher at Medina High School has just received notification she has been inducted into the Paul Smith’s College Hall of Fame.
Mary Dooley was informed of her honor in a letter which read:
“The past and present success of PSC and its students were made, in part, by your personal and significant contributions. You and many others, some living and some dead, will be inducted and honored at a special ceremony in the near future.”
Dooley and a classmate were the first female members to compete with the college’s Forestry Club Men’s Woodmen’s Team in 1972. Dooley captured the coveted Tall Tale contest with her tale of coach Gould Hoyt’s fascinating introduction to women entering the woodsmith’s arena. Paul Smith’s fielded the first all-women’s team in North America, of which Dooley was a member. The team would go on to dominate the Eastern collegiate circuit early on and continue to post record accomplishments today.
Dooley said she probably inherited her competitive nature from growing up the second youngest in a family of seven.
She went on to compete for more than 30 years in sawing, cutting and axe throwing, and is a many-time world champion in crosscut log sawing and member of the winning women’s team at the 2009 Olympics at Sydney, Australia.
Dooley’s love of the woods probably began as a child when her parents visited the Adirondacks every summer, she said.
She grew up in Rochester, one of seven children, whose parents she said made sure they excelled. At Paul Smith’s College, she received an associate’s degree in forestry. She also attended Cornell, where she learned to be a farrier.
Then she took a job as a logger and horse teamster in the forests in Wyoming, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. She worked in environmentally endangered areas and lived in logging camps with all men.
Provided photo: Mary Dooley, left, and her partner compete in crosscut sawing at the New York State Lumberjack Association meet in Old Forge.
After several injuries, Dooley decided she had enough and moved back to Western New York, where she took a job with Terry and Sue Williams of Royalton, owners of the Olympic champion Abdullah.
It was there she met her first husband, Wayne Bruning, who had a farm on Chestnut Ridge Road.
They were married in 1980 and had four children. In 1991, when the oldest was 9, their twins were 6 and the baby was 3, Wayne was killed when a farm wagon overturned on him.
Dooley was left with a farm to run, 60 cows to milk and four small children to care for.
She would get up at 4 a.m., milk the cows and then get the kids dressed for school. At the time, she had a baby sitter so she could go to work at Zwicker’s Aquatic Club on Dysinger Road. She hired someone to milk for her at night, and on weekends, she played catch-up, she said.
Wayne had been friends with Carlton Plummer of Waterport, also a farmer, and he came to check on Dooley after Wayne died, she said. In 1993, they were married and she moved to his home.
When Plummer asked what she wanted for a wedding present, she replied, “A competition saw.”
“I still have it,” Dooley said. “I earned a couple of world championships with it, some of which still stand.”
Paul Pfenninger of Chili was her sawing partner for 15 years, and their world record still stands. She still has five world records standing in Jill and Jill and Jack and Jill sawing.
She has been a world champion in sawing, chopping and axe throwing.
Carlton died in November 2019, and at 67, Dooley has retired from the competition circuit but continues to teach swimming at Medina High School, a job she said she loves. While working at Zwicker’s, she coached the USA Swim Team in Lockport, and in 1996, she started coaching in Medina. She has been teaching swimming in Medina since 1998.
“Being able to swim every day is like a fountain of youth,” she said. “It’s the next thing to being outside.”
$627,000 project includes new boat ramp and abutment, sloping of roadway to the new boat ramp, and regrading remaining portion of roadway
Rendering courtesy of Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative: The rebuilt boat launch will have floating walkways that tie into the concrete ramp.
Press Release, New York Department of State
CARLTON – The New York Department of State announced the start of construction of a $627,000 resiliency project awarded to Orleans County, through the State’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).
The Point Breeze Boat Launch is located near the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, within Oak Orchard Harbor, in the Town of Carlton. During the historic flooding of 2019, the boat ramp became submerged, preventing access to the floating docks, and forcing the boat launch to be closed.
This project seeks to mitigate future flooding of the Point Breeze Boat Launch, ensuring recreational boaters have continued access to the dock system, the boat launch ramps, and to local businesses and popular tourist attractions. The boat launch, which was open to the public this season, is now closed in preparation for construction and will reopen in the Spring of 2022.
New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, “Through the REDI initiative, we are helping Lake Ontario communities revitalize their waterfronts and strengthen resiliency against future flooding and low water events as well as climate change. The improvements underway at Carlton’s Point Breeze Boat Launch will help enhance accessibility to the docks and create safer and more flood resilient conditions for residents and visitors. The Department of State is proud to work with Orleans County and its elected officials to help protect this important recreational asset and bolster the local economy.”
Resiliency measures to be implemented in this project include:
Installation of new boat ramp and abutment above high water level;
Sloping of roadway to the new boat ramp; and
Regrading remaining portion of roadway.
State Senator Robert Ortt said, “I thank New York State and the Lake Ontario REDI Commission for addressing the need for this new boat launch at Breeze Point. By installing this improved launch, we are resolving a water access issue that exists for local boaters during flooding events. With this update, boaters will now spend less time on the road searching for different launch sites during times of high water, and more time on the water with family and friends enjoying our state’s valuable resources.”
Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, “When it comes to projects like the Point Breeze Boat Launch site, time is of the essence. We saw how urgent the need for this work was in 2019 when the boat ramp became submerged, so I am glad this project will be breaking ground shortly so that the launch can reopen as planned in the spring of 2022.”
Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynn Johnson said, “The Point Breeze Boat Launch provides a gateway to Oak Orchard Creek and Lake Ontario for economic, recreational and tourist activities. During the Lake Ontario high water events of 2017 and 2019 the Point Breeze Boat Launch became partially submerged resulting in limited access to safely launch boats. Thanks to the efforts of the REDI Commission, we can fortify a very important piece of County infrastructure and sustain long-term use. These improvements will make our infrastructure more resilient to future high-water events while improving our ability to support economic and recreational activities.”
Town of Carlton Supervisor Gayle Ashbery said, “When the Point Breeze Boat Launch is forced to be closed during high water events, the businesses that call Oak Orchard Harbor home pay the price. The work that is being undertaken will support our local businesses by ensuring that the launch remain open and accessible to both residents and visitors of Carlton. REDI continues to show the positive path that can be taken when state and local governments work in tandem.”
In response to the extended pattern of flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, REDI was created to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region. Five REDI Regional Planning Committees, comprised of representatives from eight counties (Niagara and Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, and Jefferson and St. Lawrence) were established to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns.
The REDI Commission allocated $20 million for homeowner assistance, $30 million to improve the resiliency of businesses, and $15 million toward a regional dredging effort that will benefit each of the eight counties in the REDI regions. The remaining $235 million has been allocated towards local and regional projects that advance and exemplify the REDI mission.
Google Maps: This map shows the peninsula in Carlton that includes Lakeside Park Road, which was battered by flooding and erosion in 2017 and 2019.
Posted 15 September 2021 at 3:03 pm
Press Release, NYS Department of Transportation
CARLTON – The New York State Department of Transportation announced that construction has begun on a $261,000 resiliency project awarded to the town of Carlton, Orleans County, through the State’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).
The shoreline along Lakeside Park Road, which runs along a peninsula of land located in between Lake Ontario and Johnson Creek, has experienced degradation due to repeated flooding events. The shoreline erosion has caused the access road to become unusable, resulting in the loss of land protecting homes, and approximately 300 linear feet of public water line at risk of being exposed and compromised.
This project seeks to mitigate future flooding and reduce the erosion of the Lakeside Park Road, while ensuring safe access for residents and emergency responders, and protecting critical infrastructure.
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Flooding and extreme weather have plagued the town of Carlton and surrounding areas, causing disruption on local roadways and issues for the local communities especially during emergency situations. The Department of Transportation is always proud to partner with our local and state REDI partners to serve these shoreline communities. With this project we are building back stronger to ensure access to local residents and emergency personnel during extreme weather events. Our continued goal is to build a more resilient infrastructure that will stand up to what mother nature sends our way.”
Resiliency measures to be implemented in this project include:
Construction of a new access road
Placement of riprap stone along the shoreline to protect the public water line during future high-water events
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Town of Carlton Highway Department uses a payloader to carry pallets of sandbags across a washed out section of Lakeside Park Road West on June 2, 2019. A chunk of road washed out from Lake Ontario flooding. Residents at three houses needed to walk through the washed out road to reach their houses. The road will protected with riprap in one of the REDI projects.
Senator Robert Ortt said, “By attending to the issues surrounding Lakeside Park Road, New York State and the REDI Commission are taking proactive measures to ensure not only the safety of local residents but are also addressing the issue of erosion that may further impact the ability of first responders to access the road. This forward thinking will also protect critical infrastructure utilities located along the road and will minimize the potential impact of any naturally occurring emergencies in the future. I applaud New York State and the REDI Commission for identifying this situation and implementing the necessary solutions.”
Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, “Preserving the shoreline means preserving our local economy, and giving the people who live and travel along Lakeside Park Road the peace of mind they deserve in their daily lives. I am very pleased to see this proactive project break ground, and hope all goes well as the project proceeds.”
Town of Carlton Supervisor Gayle Ashbery said, “The flooding that occurred in 2019 caused severe erosion along the shoreline of Lakeside Park Road, leaving critical infrastructure exposed and vulnerable. The town of Carlton is pleased that through our partnership with New York State, the shoreline will be stabilized, and the waterline will be protected.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: An excavator scoops sediment from the Oak Orchard Harbor last week at Point Breeze.
Posted 30 August 2021 at 1:28 pm
Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office
POINT BREEZE – Governor Kathy Hochul announced today dredging is underway at Oak Orchard Harbor, a navigation channel in Orleans County, used by boaters to access Lake Ontario.
The accumulation of silt, sand, and other debris can cause areas like Oak Orchard Harbor to become obstructed overtime. The dredging project will remove built-up sediment from the bottom of the waterway to allow for continued safe passage of watercraft to support the tourism economy and preserve wildlife in the region. Dredging of the navigation channel is part of a $15 million Regional Dredging Initiative through the State’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative.
“Communities along Lake Ontario have been forced to grapple with the impacts of extreme weather and flooding for the past several years and New York is doing everything within its power to bolster the shoreline and ensure we do not see a repeat of 2019,” Governor Hochul said. “By undertaking these types of dredging and resiliency efforts, we are not only keeping people safe and easing the minds of lakefront homeowners, but also protecting the wildlife in the coastal habitats and helping boost tourism by creating safe recreational access for boaters.”
The Oak Orchard Harbor project will remove approximately 8,400 cubic yards of sediment using mechanical dredging. Mechanical dredging uses heavy equipment, such as an excavator, to dig out the bed of the body of water and then remove the excess built up sediment. The dredging fleet for the Oak Orchard project includes a barge, excavator and two dump scows, as well one tugboat and one work boat to support the overall operation. Removed sediment will be placed in a designated nearshore area to the east of the harbor.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner and REDI Co-Chair Basil Seggos said, “The start of dredging work in Oak Orchard Harbor today marks a critical milestone in New York State’s sustained investments and infrastructure improvements in Orleans County that are strengthening protections along Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shoreline communities and helping New York communities rebuild stronger, smarter, and more resilient. Governor Hochul’s REDI team of experts continue to advance dredging projects that enhance harbor navigation throughout the region.”
The dredging is being done with mechanical means and the dredging fleet includes a barge, excavator, and two dump scows. One tugboat and one workboat are used to support the overall operation. A turbidity curtain is positioned to enclose the dredge area.
State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “These dredging projects will be a great navigational benefit to the regional boating community, which is a vital part of the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River tourism and recreational economy. One of these projects this season allowed for the reopening of the boat launch at Golden Hill State Park in Niagara County, which had been closed due to sediment accumulation. These investments will result in benefits that will continue for years to come.”
Senator Robert Ortt said, “I applaud New York State and the Lake Ontario REDI Commission for identifying and proactively addressing the issue of harbor dredging in the towns and ports along Lake Ontario’s southern shore. For many of these towns, their ports are the reason the town is able to survive from a tourism and economic perspective, and the ability to access these ports is vital to their existence.”
Assemblyman Steve Hawley said, “The Oak Orchard Harbor REDI dredging project getting underway is great news for the residents of Carlton and the Lake Ontario community in general. It will assure that the harbor will continue to allow vessels to pass safely through it, and keep our regional economy growing.”
Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson said, “As we look for ways to support and promote recreational activities along the shorelines of Lake Ontario, the dredging of Oak Orchard Harbor is vital to providing access to the over 400 boat slips and 6 launch lanes within the harbor. This project undertaken by the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative demonstrates the commitment by the Governor to maintaining access to the navigable waterways that contribute to the success of the local fishing, boating and tourism activities within the Town of Carlton and Orleans County.”
To date, the State has completed nine REDI dredging projects, and removed approximately 41,750 cubic yards of sediment, to provide recreational boaters with safe access to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The completed dredging projects include Port Bay, Blind Sodus Bay and East Bay in Wayne County, Sandy Pond Inlet and Salmon River/Port Ontario in Oswego County, Irondequoit Bay and Braddock Bay in Monroe County, Little Sodus Bay in Cayuga County, and Golden Hill State Park in Niagara County.
Through Phase I and II, the dredging initiative is tackling the necessary dredging of up to 20 harbor navigation channels. Upon completion of the project, over 100,000 cubic yards of sediment is anticipated to be dredged.
Jefferson County: Clayton French Creek Marina, Henderson “The Cut”
St. Lawrence County: Ogdensburg “City Front Channel,” Morristown Navigation Channel
During Phase III, the State will provide counties with the information they need to update, expand, and implement an existing Regional Dredging Management Plan to keep the channels operational over time.
Press Release, Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch
CARLTON/YATES – Orleans County works closely with Modern Disposal Services to provide out a countywide solid waste program for all of our residents who participate in our program. From time to time, we unfortunately experience some delays in providing this service as scheduled.
There will be some delays in service on the fire lanes in Carlton and Yates today.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this creates for our residents along the affected routes,” said Jack Welch, Orleans County chief administrative officer. “If these residents leave out their solid waste, Modern Disposal will have your items collected as soon as Modern is able.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2021 at 8:45 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Keeler Construction in Barre has been trucking big rocks to Lakeshore Road in Carlton, part of a project to build a strong breakwall and harden the shoreline from erosion and future flooding from Lake Ontario.
It is part of a $2 million resiliency project that is 95 percent funded by the state’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative.
Construction started on the project last month. Keeler will be putting in big boulders along about 1,500 feet of the shoreline, going east from Route 98 in Point Breeze. The shoreline will also be regraded and will have a new vegetative cover to help stave off some erosion and damage from the waves.
Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller on Wednesday during the County Legislature meeting holds a ceremonial ground-breaking shovel for the Lakeshore Road project. The shovel was signed by Kathy Hochul, who attended the ground-breaking celebration on July 26 in her role as lieutenant governor. On Tuesday, she took office as governor following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo.
She signed the shovel, “We are REDI,” which stands for the Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative.
DeRoller on Wednesday afternoon presented the shovel to John Papponetti, the county DPW commissioner and engineer. He worked on some of the engineering for the project. He said he will keep the shovel in his office at the DPW on West Academy Street in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 August 2021 at 3:35 pm
Sediment has built up since harbor last dredged in 2014
POINT BREEZE – Dean Marine & Excavating Inc. from Michigan is dredging the Oak Orchard Harbor today. The company started on the work Wednesday and the job is expected to take about three weeks.
The dredging barge is near the breakwall at the end of the Oak Orchard channel. The harbor last was dredged in August 2014, which it was done for the first time in 10 years.
Click here to see a video of the dredging this afternoon.
The state is funding the effort as part of the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative.
The scope of the project includes:
Approximately 250 by 90 feet of the entrance channel will be dredged to a depth of 8 feet below low water and approximately 700 x 150 feet of the lake approach channel will be dredged to a depth of 7 feet below low water.
Anticipated volume of dredging is up to 8,100 cubic yards.
Sediment dredged from the channel will be placed in a defined area approximately 1,300 feet to the east of the entrance channel
The dredging is being done with mechanical means and the dredging fleet includes a barge, excavator, and two dump scows. One tugboat and one workboat will be used to support the overall operation. A turbidity curtain is positioned to enclose the dredge area.
Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, said the dredging follows years of effort from the county and is part of regional dredging plan that includes many harbors on the south shore of Lake Ontario.
“As we look for ways to support and promote recreational activities along the shorelines of Lake Ontario, the dredging of Oak Orchard Harbor is vital to providing access to the over 400 boat slips and 6 launch lanes within the harbor,” Johnson said. “This project under taken by the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative demonstrates the commitment by the Governor to maintaining access to the navigable waterways that contribute to the success of the local fishing, boating and tourism activities within the Town of Carlton and Orleans County.”
Boating traffic can still use the harbor while the Oak Orchard is dredged the next three weeks.
The state has committed $15 million to have 20 harbors dredged on the southshore of Lake Ontario, including two sites in Orleans County. Besides the Oak Orchard Harbor at Point Breeze, sediment will be scooped out at Johnson Creek in Carlton near Lakeside Beach State Park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2021 at 9:58 am
Provided photo
CARLTON – A boat sunk overnight at the Orleans County Marine Park and leaked some fuel into the Oak Orchard River.
A spill response team from the state Department of Environmental Conservation will be on scene to help with the cleanup of what is described as a minor fuel spill by the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.
The Carlton Fire Department and Orleans County EMO deployed petroleum booms to contain the spill.
The owner of the boat’s insurance company has contacted a water recovery team in Rochester to get the boat out of the water. Once the boat is lifted up and the water pumped out, a cause for the boat’s sinking should be determined, said Dale Banker, EMO director for Orleans County.
