Carlton

Retiring Carlton town clerk enjoyed working with residents

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Pam Rush is retiring on Dec. 31 after 31 years as Carlton town clerk. There will be a retirement party at the Town Hall on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

CARLTON – When Pam Rush started as Carlton town clerk 31 years ago, there weren’t any computers in the Town Hall. She entered records by hand.

The job was a lot simpler. She collected taxes, and gave dog, hunting and marriage licenses.

The job became more complex, mainly as the state imposed different systems for keeping track of licenses.

The town services would grow, with the town-wide water district increasing from 300 customers three decades ago to 1,500 now. Carlton would add a town park behind the Firemen’s Recreation Hall on Route 98.

The Town Hall was expanded in 1987, and last year it was remodeled.

“It’s not the kind of job where you just walk in off the street,” Rush said. “It’s a million-dollar business we run here.”

Rush will retire Dec. 31. She has agreed to stay on as a part-time deputy clerk to help with the transition to a new clerk. Karen Narburgh is the current deputy and is expected to be appointed as town clerk by the Town Board.

Rush said she will stay on for a few months in a part-time role, especially during the busy tax season, to assist the new town clerk.

That is another example of Rush’s dedication to the town, said Gayle Ashbery, the town supervisor the past 10 years.

“I could not have been town supervisor without her,” Ashbery said about Rush. “Not only has she been a good friend, but she is a rock. First and foremost, she’s always had the taxpayers and the town in her best interest.”

Rush grew up in Batavia and married Brian Rush of Carlton. She was working as a bank teller at the former Albion Federal Savings & Loan when she was encouraged to pursue the job as town clerk.

“I have enjoyed all of it,” Rush said about the position. “I’ve loved dealing with the people.”

She and her husband have three grown children and grandchildren. Mr. Rush retired last year after a career working in the Village of Albion’s water treatment plant. The couple wants more time to travel to see their family.

“Life is too short not to,” she said.

Archer’s Club praised for 70 years of hospitality to fishermen

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Fishermen try to catch trout and salmon in October by St. Mary’s Archer’s Club at the Oak Orchard River.

The club started 70 years ago and offers hospitality to many local and visiting fishermen, especially during its annual fishing derby.

The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday presented the Archer’s Club with a Special Recognition award for its 70 years of dedication and service to the community. The Archer’s Club has 142 members.

Pictured from left include: Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportsfishing promotion coordinator; County Legislator John DeFillipps; Alan Hackenberg, Archer’s Club president; Jim Wooldridge, past president; and John Page, past president.

Big cottage from late 1800s will be turned into B & B

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – This lakeside cottage owned by Fred Nesbitt at Oak Orchard on the Lake could open in the spring as a bed and breakfast.

CARLTON – Dan Conlon has watched Oak Orchard on the Lake change in the past half century, with the original smaller cottages from about a century ago renovated to become, in many cases, year-round residences.

“This is a beautiful community, but it’s all getting new,” Conlon said about Oak Orchard on the Lake.

Conlon, 58, lives in one of the cottages off Archbald Road. His home happens to be next to one of the biggest of the original cottages at Oak Orchard on the Lake.

Dan Conlon and Fred Nesbitt say the cottage offers striking panoramic views of the lake. They have some renovations to do before the cottage will be opened to the public. They say they will upgrade the site without taking away from its historic charm.

The Hart family of Albion had a big cottage built by the lake in the 1880s. The same family owned a large mansion in Albion, the Hart Hotel in Medina and an island in the Thousand Islands with an 80-room summer “cottage.”

After Hart died in 1892, Hart Island was acquired by George C. Boldt, who dismantled Hart’s cottage and built a mammoth castle, which today attracts thousands of visitors annually.

The cottage at Oak Orchard isn’t a castle, but it is a special spot, perhaps the only one like it on the southshore of Lake Ontario, Conlon said.

Dan Conlon looks out from the top porch at the former Hart cottage that may be called “The Lodge” when it opens as a bed and breakfast.

The Hart cottage has retained many of its original characteristics with hardwood floors and stone fire places. Conlon and the cottage’s owner, Fred Nesbitt, want to make some modifications – upgraded plumbing and electric – so the site could be used as a bed and breakfast. There are six bedrooms in the cottage.

The site has a breath-taking view of Lake Ontario. There once were a row of poplar trees by the shore. Conlon said the trees were used as a marker for boaters to let them know they were near the Oak Orchard Harbor.

While the neighbors have lost their poplar trees, four of them remain on Nesbitt’s property. They offer shade, and provide some protection for the backyard from erosion.

“I get chills down my spine with the sunsets,” Conlon said about the spot. “I think everyone should enjoy this.”

Nesbitt and Conlon are pushing to have the site opened as a B & B in the spring. They want to cater to fishermen, and people visiting families in the area. They also said it would be a nice retreat center for church groups.

They also think the site should be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We’re losing so much in Orleans County and this deserves to be recognized,” Conlon said.

Conlon and Nesbitt gave a tour of the property last week to Erin Anheier of Clarendon. She has helped put together the National Register applications for several sites in Holley and Clarendon.

Fred Nesbitt, left, and Dan Conlon give Erin Anheier a tour of the former Hart cottage.

Anheier noted that many cottages and homes were modernized beginning in the 1950s.

Conlon and Nesbitt credited one of the cottage’s recent former owners, Gordie Gardner, for keeping the site’s rustic features while also protecting it from decay.

Nesbitt is a retired fruit farmer in Albion. Conlon was a service manager for a car dealership. Conlon will continue to live next door and he said he will prepare breakfast for the guests.

“We both like old things and we like people,” Nesbitt said.

Conlon is eager to open the cedar-shingled cottage to guests.

“This is the last one of the lakefront like this so let’s show it off,” he said.

Snowy Owls have returned

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Ben Jones

CARLTON – Ben Jones of Kendall sighted a Snowy Owl standing on the edge of Sawyer Road in Carlton Saturday evening. Jones had his phone camera and used it to get these pictures at night.

“It was pitch dark and couldn’t get too close before he’d fly off again,” Jones said.

The Snowy Owls have been a popular phenomenon in this area the past two winters with sightings all over Western New York.

The owl has a wingspan of five feet. It nests in the Arctic tundra and usually winters south through Canada.

Waterport-Carlton bridge latest effort by county to improve infrastructure

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

Provided photo – Orleans County officials gathered on Monday morning to cut the ribbon for a new bridge on Waterport-Carlton Road Bridge over Beardsley Creek. The new bridge replaced one from 1934, with the new bridge costing $486,606. C.P. Ward of Scottsville was contractor on the project. Those pictured, from left, include: John Papponetti, project manager for LaBella Associates; County Legislator John DeFilipps; County Legislator Fred Miller; County Legislature Chairman David Callard; County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; and Chris Bayer, structural engineer with LaBella.

CARLTON – A bridge on Waterport-Carlton Road from 1934 was replaced with a new one at a cost of nearly $500,000. The county celebrated the new bridge with a ribbon-cutting on Monday.

That project is the latest effort by Orleans County officials to upgrade its infrastructure. It is doing much of the work without any state or federal asisstance.

The county is also paying $322,935 this year to Redman Construction in Brockport to replace a bridge from 1968 in Barre on Oak Orchard Road over Manning Muckland Creek.

The county replaced two bridges last year, two culverts this year, and will do two more bridges and two more culverts next year, all to be paid with county dollars. The projects will cost about $5 million.

Many of those projects used to be funded 80 percent by the federal government, 15 percent by the state with only a 5 percent local share. But the federal and state dollars have been hard to come by in recent years.

County officials worried the bridges would be closed due to deteriorating condition.

“The county is doing it’s part to repair our roads and bridges,” Legislature Chairman David Callard said.

He wants the state and federal governments to follow that example, particularly directing more resources to fix canal bridges. Some of those have weight limits less than 10 tons.

Local farmers have complained for several years that the weight-reduced or closed bridges force them to take long detours. It’s the same with fire trucks and school buses.

And now, with winter approaching, Callard said it could be the same dilemma for snow plow trucks.

“Our snow plows won’t be allowed over some of these bridges,” Callard said.

He has a meeting on Friday with state legislators to press the issue. Callard said he will be meeting with State Sen. Joe Robach of Rochester, who is chairman of the Transportation Committee in the State Senate. Callard said State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. Robert Ortt will also be part of the discussion.

Rain doesn’t keep fishermen away

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – The St. Mary’s Archer’s Club on the Oak Orchard River in Carlton has been busy with anglers this week despite a lot of rain.

This group is pictured on Wednesday afternoon after a big downpour that morning.

Andrew Lang of Pittsburgh, Pa. caught this brown trout. He arrived on Sunday and is spending the week fishing in Orleans County.

Some of the fishermen said the fish haven’t been as plentiful as in the past, but they said the rain will raise the water levels in the Oak Orchard and bring more fish up the river.

Many of the fishermen made long treks across the state or out-of-state to try to catch salmon and trout from the Oak Orchard.

This trio from Orange County crosses the river, with fast-moving water from the rain, together on Wednesday. The group has been coming to Orleans County to fish the past 10 years.

The grounds at the Archer’s Club include lots of muddy footprints from all of the rain.

This fisherman has a net close by in case he hooks a big fish.

While the fishermen are in town to catch fish, they said they enjoy being outdoors with the changing leaves. Catching a big salmon or trout is just a nice bonus.

Woman who grew up in Mexico without schooling earns diploma

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 October 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Gloria Jasso last week received her high school diploma from Brockport after years of study, beginning with English classes at her Kendall home in 1998.

WATERPORT – Gloria Jasso was 22 when she went to her first class, English as a Second Language.

It was 1998, and she and some of her farmworker friends gathered in Gloria’s home in Kendall to be taught by Linda Redfield.

Jasso grew up in rural, impoverished Mexico and never attended school. That wasn’t unusual for girls in Michoacan, the poorest state in Mexico. Jasso grew up in a mountainous region. She learned some reading and writing from her aunt.

“There were no schools or teachers,” Jasso said.

She started working at Herberle Farms in Hamlin in 1994. She would work there for 19 years, picking apples, trimming trees, planting strawberries, and working in the warehouse.

Gloria Jasso is pictured with one of her tutors, Deanne Borrie (left) and teacher Linda Redfield, right.

After work, she would take classes. In the winter, when she wasn’t working for the farm, she could spend even more time learning, attending classes in Medina and later in Brockport. She also learned splelling, English, math and other skills by helping her four children with their homework.

Once she learned words in English, she wanted to learn more. It was the same with math. As she mastered some skills, she kept pushing herself.

“As soon as I was learning a word in English it made me more excited to learn more,” Jasso said.

For 17 years she learned, improving her English, math, computer skills and education.

She considered getting a General Equivalency Diploma, but opted for a more challenging high school diploma. Last week, she was presented with that diploma through the National External Diploma Program.

“She had the intention to always improve herself,” said Linda Redfield, one of her teachers.

Redfield is the education director at the World Life Institute on Stillwater Road in Waterport. The school hosted a celebration for Jasso on Wednesday.

Jasso said her teachers and several volunteer tutors were instrumental in her success, in completing the many classes and building her confidence.

She completed many of her classes on-line and met with teachers twice a week at the public library in Brockport. She was looking for a tutor to help check her work. Several people stepped forward, including Deanne Borrie of Kent.

Borrie and the tutors declined any payment, even gas money, despite Jasso’s offers. Borrie said she is grateful to have Jasso as a friend and is inspired by her work ethic and her generous nature.

Jasso and her husband Efrain Arellano recently moved into their own house in Brockport. They have four children, including daughter Tania, who was the valedictorian at Kendall in 2015.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Tania Arellano was a star for Kendall in athletics and academics. She was the valedictorian of the Class of 2015.

Tania now plays soccer and basketball at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. Tania is a business and accounting major, and scholarships are covering her college costs.

“She is very smart,” Jasso said about her daughter. “I am so proud of her.”

Tania was deeply committed to her schoolwork at Kendall, and took a rare absence from school in 2011 to accompany her mother to Albany, when Jasso was honored as a “student of the year” by the New York State Association of Adult Continuing and Community Education.

Jasso and her husband have three other children: Johnny, a 10th grader; Princesa, a sixth grader; and Diego, a fourth-grader. They attend school in Brockport.

Jasso said she is looking to update her resume and may pursue job training.

“I have to see what’s available,” she said.

Redfield said Jasso’s achievement is remarkable.

“She never had an education in her home country,” Redfield said.

Jasso thanked her teachers and tutors for their help on the educational journey. In addition to Borrie, Frank and Jeanne Lauta, Bill and JoAnne Camaan, and Frank and Tracy Panczyszyn all volunteered as tutors with Jasso.

Circle R puts emphasis on quality produce

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2015 at 12:00 am

Chamber Agricultural Business of the Year: Circle R Fruit Farms

Photos by Tom Rivers – Bernie Heberle, general manager and co-owner of Circle R Fruit Farms, checks on some SnapDragon apples in an orchard along Route 18 in Carlton. Heberle joined Circle R in 1998 and has helped boost production and quality.

CARLTON – In 1991, after about 30 years of growing vegetables, Lynn Roberts decided to make a big push into fruit.

There were about 250 acres of fruit up for auction, and Roberts bought the land, establishing Circle R Fruit Farms.

Circle R has grown to 554 acres. It is one of the biggest local fruit operations, producing 450,000 bushels of apples a year. (State-wide, there are about 25 to 30 million bushels of apples to be harvested each year.)

The Chamber of Commerce has recognized Circle R as the “Agricultural Business of the Year.”

Circle R added this farm market with ice cream five years ago along Route 18. Nearly all of the produce is from Circle R or the Roberts vegetable farm, Lynn-Ette and Sons.

Circle R has planted new popular varieties, such as Honeycrisp and SnapDragon, in high density orchards. Bernie Heberle joined Circle R in 1998. As general manager and co-owner, he has pushed for high-quality produce.

He also oversees the Circle R farm market on Route 18, just west of Lakeside Beach State Park. That started as two wagons by the road 14 years ago. Heberle put out 75 quarts of strawberries with people paying on the honor system, leaving cash in a locked box.

Five years ago, Circle R put up a farm market to better display fruits and vegetables from the farm. The site also sells lots of ice cream. Heberle says the market continues to see big growth in business each year. It has helped fill some of the void with closing of Brown’s Berry Patch’s retail site this year.

“This year there has been an incredible amount of business,” Heberle said.

The farm market is a popular spot in Carlton for people looking for ice cream, fruits and vegetables.

Heberle arrives at the market early, often by 6 a.m. and likes to get displays of fruit and vegetables ready. He enjoys the quiet before the workday gets busy around 8 a.m.

Circle R has 80 workers harvesting apples and fruit. Heberle directs them. He admires their work ethic and commitment to excellence. The workers are from Mexico and Jamaica.

Looking into the future, Heberle said the country’s unresolved immigration policies threaten agriculture, especially operations that are labor intensive. Circle R has 80 workers through the H2A program, which allows temporary legal workers for seasonal farm labor.

Heberle said the program is expensive, with lots of paperwork and often the workers are delayed in their arrival due to the government bureaucracy.

“I love working with my help,” Heberle said. “But I worry about the future. Americans don’t want to do these jobs.”

Heberle is pictured in a high-density orchard, where trees are planted close together.

When Heberle joined Circle R, the orchards were planted with about 90 to 120 trees per acre. The trees were tall and a bit ungangly with long branches projecting in wild directions.

Most of those trees are gone, replaced with shorter trees, planted close together in high-density orchards. The trees are easier to pick from (workers don’t have to spend much time high on ladders). The trees bear fruit quicker after being planted. And the total output per acre, with up to 1,400 trees, is far more than a generation ago.

The high-density orchards should allow Circle R to reach 500,000 bushels of apples annually, Heberle said.

Photo courtesy of Roberts family – Lynn Roberts is pictured about two years ago at Circle R Fruit Farm with his son Darren Roberts, center, Bernie Heberle, manager of Circle R.

The Chamber, in recognizing Circle R, praised the farm “for producing exceptional local produce to Orleans County and beyond.”

Heberle credits Lynn Roberts, patriarch of the farm, for diversifying into fruit, and for pushing for superior produce.

“I owe a lot of Lynn Roberts,” Heberle said. “He took me in as a son.”

Mr. Roberts was 80 when he died on June 13. Heberle accepted the Chamber award on behalf on Lynn, and has placed the award in Lynn’s office at the farm.

5K at Brown’s on Oct. 10 will honor the late Joyce Harris

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 September 2015 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – Runners are pictured at the start of last year’s Brown’s Berry Patch 5-kilometer Cross Country Run and Memory Walk. This year’s race will be Oct. 10 and will feature a new course and a new starting time at noon.

CARLTON – The race and memory walk will go on at Brown family farm this year. It will be the 20th 5-kilometer cross country walk and run at Brown’s.

The Brown family has raised $35,000 for Hospice of Orleans through the event. This year’s walk and run will start at noon on Oct. 10. Participants should gather at the former retail site for Brown’s Berry Patch on Route 18.

The Brown family retired from the retail side of the business – the gift shop, ice cream, bakery and playground – this year after more than 30 years.

Margy Brown, the race director, decided to keep the 5K event going to raise funds for Hospice and provide some motivation to exercise in the fall.

This year’s event will be in memory of Joyce Harris, an active member of the Carlton community who died from cancer at age 65 on April 24.

Brown wanted to honor the memory of Harris, who was her neighbor.

Harris was a member of the Carlton Town Board for 11 years. She enjoyed promoting the community and getting things done on the Town Board, said her husband of 47 years, Will.

“She liked to get involved and see if she could get something accomplished,” her husband said.

Joyce Harris

He will be at the Brown’s 5K with the couple’s two grown daughters, and other family, friends and colleagues.

Mrs. Harris worked as a secretary/bookkeeper for her family’s farming operation and then for Torrey Farms before retiring with Shelby Stone.

Mr. Harris grew up in the Village of Albion and started dating his wife in high school. They moved out to rural Carlton.

“We liked the country atmosphere,” he said. “It was a great place to raise kids.”

For more information on the Brown’s 5K, including registration information, click here.

Former Kenyonville church reborn as country lodge

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

Photos by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – Joan Page has spent the past three years working on the Bell Tower Lodge, turning a big open space into four bedrooms, a private three-story suite and a common area with a kitchen.

Bell Tower Lodge, the former Kenyonville United Methodist Church, opened in June. Page had an open house over the weekend at the location on Oak Orchard River Road.

She is pictured in the second floor of the private suite, which has a sliding door that can be closed for privacy or opened to show the common room.

The former church was originally built in 1833. It was closed as a church in 1983, when three United Methodist churches joined to build a new church in Carlton.

Page bought the property, including a neighboring house in 1989. She wanted the house and the church building was included in the deal.

Page put a new roof on the church soon after she bought it. She also made some foundation repairs. The building wasn’t changed too much while she used it for a gift shop and later as a wood-working business.

Three years ago she began the ambitious task of turning the structure into a lodge.

“I couldn’t let this building go,” said Page, a Kendall graduate who now works as postmaster in Barker. “I have this need to bring things back to life.”

Page envisioned the building as a lodge. The property overlooks Lake Alice at the Kenyonville Road bridge.

She thought it could be popular with fishermen, and families in town for reunions and other events.

She stopped by the Waterport Dam about three years ago and asked visiting fishermen if they would like an upscale lodge as an option to stay. Many told her they thought that type of lodge would be a success. Many wives of fishermen want to travel with their husbands to Orleans County but they don’t want to stay in motels, or more rustic sleeping arrangements.

The Salmon Room is one of four bedrooms with two full-size beds and a private bathroom and shower.

Page furnished the rooms with repurposed furniture. She fixed many discarded furniture pieces, and bought others at auctions and thrift shops.

She removed the plaster from the ceiling in the old church and discovered the original wooden beams.

This room, part of a three-story private suite, used to be part of a Sunday School classroom.

Page opened the lodge in June and she said people have been enthusiastic and surprised by what they see inside.

“Because we’re in this area they don’t think there will be a boutique lodge,” she said.

The private suite leads to the top of the cupola, which offers this view of Lake Alice and the bridge on Kenyonville Road.

Page had lots of help from family and friends in the renovation.

Page uses three hemlock logs as support for the stairway to the second floor and also for ambiance.

She has a church pew on the first floor. It wasn’t original to the church. Page said the building was stripped of all the pews before she bought it. She found a pew in the lodge at an auction.

She pulled up carpeting on the floor and discovered the original floors, which have been sanded and repainted.

Below her is the common area for socializing and preparing meals.

“I wanted it to be a lodge and to be comfortable,” she said.

Page has the program from the final service at the church in this frame near the entrance of the lodge.

A historical marker is next to the former church. It notes the church was built in 1833, with the first Methodist class organized in 1818 by Barber Kenyon.

For more on Bell Tower Lodge, click here.

3 charged with hate crime in vandalization of Waterport mosque

Staff Reports Posted 8 September 2015 at 12:00 am

WATERPORT – Three people who allegedly burnt a shape of two crosses into the lawn of a mosque in Waterport will be arraigned in Carlton Town Court today at 4:30 p.m., Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone said.

The individuals allegedly entered the mosque property on Fuller Road last Thursday at approximately 9:30 p.m. They used an ignitable fluid and set fire on the lawn in the form of two crosses, Cardone said.

They will face charges of criminal mischief in the fourth degree as a hate crime; aggravated harassment in the first degree; arson in the fifth degree; interference with religious worship in the second degree; and trespass.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has charged Jarod Biemans, 20, of Gaines with the crimes, as well as two others, ages 17 and 18. Because of their potential as youthful offenders, the district attorney and Sheriff’s Office aren’t releasing their names.

All three are to be arraigned in Carlton Town Court by Justice Kevin Hurley. All three are expected to be released to the custody of their parents. There will also be orders of protection issued for the three to stay away from the mosque and avoid contact with members of the World Sufi Foundation.

Crucifix burned into front lawn at Waterport mosque

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo

WATERPORT – A local family returning home tonight passed by the mosque on Fuller Road and saw a disturbing scene: a cross burning bright in the lawn of the Muslim site.

The crucifix-shape was deep into the grass and burned for about 45 minutes, said Bilal Huzair, deputy director of the World Sufi Foundation, which uses the mosque as a prayer site and for other religious celebrations.

His wife, Alana Ross, is pictured in the photo.

Huzair and his wife drove by the scene at about 9:15 p.m. Huzair said the lawn was probably set ablaze around 9 p.m.

“It’s insane,” he said. “Why would you want a temple of God to be terrorized?”

Orleans County deputies were at the scene tonight. Anyone with information about the incident can call dispatch at (585) 589-5527.

Although the site has occasionally been a target for hate crimes, Huzair said the Muslim community feels welcomed in Waterport and Orleans County.

“Most people here are affectionate,” he said.

Sheriff’s Office is investigating vandalism at Waterport mosque

Posted 4 September 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Sheriff Scott Hess
WATERORT – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation of an act of vandalism that took place at the World Sufi Foundation Mosque in the Town of Carlton.

At around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, deputies were called to 1529 Fuller Rd. Unknown suspect(s) had apparently poured an unknown type accelerant on the front lawn of the mosque, in the shape of a cross, and ignited it. A similar smaller cross was burned in the lawn near the southwest corner of the property.

Sheriff’s investigators were in the area this morning canvassing for any possible witnesses. This incident is being treated as a bias crime and if perpetrator(s) are identified they will be arrested and prosecuted.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator C.J. Laubacher at (585) 589-5527.

3 people identified in vandalism of mosque property

Posted 4 September 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

WATERPORT – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has identified three people responsible for the vandalism that took place Thursday night at the World Sufi Foundation Mosque on Fuller Road in the Town of Carlton.

All three of the alleged perpetrators are under 21 and three live locally. They have been interviewed by investigators with the Sheriff’s Office and they will surrender themselves to the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.

At around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, deputies were called to 1529 Fuller Rd. Unknown suspects had apparently poured an unknown type accelerant on the front lawn of the mosque, in the shape of a cross, and ignited it. A similar smaller cross was burned in the lawn near the southwest corner of the property.

While the investigation is continuing, the Sheriff’s Office does not believe at this time there are any other suspects to be identified.

Hawley pushes for DOT action on deteriorating Parkway

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2015 at 12:00 am

Assemblyman seeks study for future of road, perhaps opening up northern lanes for development

File photos by Tom Rivers – The Lake Ontario State Parkway runs along the lakeshore from Carlton into Rochester.

KENDALL – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) is trying to press the state Department of Transportation and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to improve the condition of the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

The recreational route has increasingly been the source for complaints by motorists and elected officials in lakeshore communities due to the deteriorating condition.

Hawley said he recently sent a letter to Gov. Cuomo urging him to address the condition of the Lake Ontario State Parkway that runs along the shorelines of Lake Ontario in Orleans and Monroe counties.

“I have received hundreds of letters and emails regarding this issue,” Hawley said in his letter to the governor. “I know that local residents have had to put up with deteriorating conditions for far too long, and I know from personal experience the dangers that drivers and passengers are subjected to when traveling the Parkway.”

The bridges over Oak Orchard River were built for the Lake Ontario State Parkway, which ends abruptly 2 miles west of the river.

Hawley, in a news release this afternoon, said his letter further detailed the need to sustain New York’s Great Lakes waterfront as a world-class tourist destination and how popular the Parkway is for businesses and tourists. He also made recommendations as to how to save the state money on infrastructure repair costs during the harsh winter months.

“I am asking if we could do a study to eliminate the northern two lanes and make the southern two lanes a two-lane roadway during the winter months to save taxpayer money,” Hawley wrote. “The northern lanes could be given back to municipalities to be sold to those who want to build homes along the shoreline, enticing more people to live in New York State.”

Orleans Hub has editorialized about the Parkway, in particular the prospect of making it a two-lane road and opening up sections of the Parkway for development.

The Parkway is currently classified as parkland by the state and would need to go through a process of alienation to be developed or turned over to the local municipalities, an action that needs state Legislature approval.

Click here to see an editorial titled, “Open up Parkway to boost tax base, population.”