Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Members of the Royal Church of God in Christ collected about eight boxes of canned and other nonperishable food on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Rev. William Washington, pastor of the church on Sawyer Road in Kent, delivered the food today to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee in Albion. Rev. Washington is pictured in the top photo with his nephews, Mark Washington (center) and Anthony Washington.

The donations for the food pantry come at a good time, said Nate Varland, director of housing and supportive services for Community Action. The agency sees a surge in donations around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but giving tends to drop after the holidays.

“Post holidays we have a lull in donations,” he said. “Mid-winter is a time when we don’t see a lull in need.”

Nate Varland of Community Action is pictured with Rev. William Morrell Washington, pastor of the Royal Church of God in Christ.

Washington said the church wants to make service a big part of honoring Dr. King every year his holiday is celebrated. About 100 people attend the church, and Washington said the group would like to work with Community Action with other projects during the year.

“This is just a start,” he said about the food donations. “We’d like to see the real needs for Community Action so we can assist them on a regular basis.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association is playing Santa this holiday season giving out donations to several local organizations.

OONA met with the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company officials tonight to give them a $700 check. The following are pictured, from left: Deanne Borrie, OONA membership secretary; Jeanne Lauta, OONA vice president; Jim Tabor, president of Carlton Fire Company; Andrew Niederhofer, Carlton fire chief; Ed Bellnier, OONA president; Sue Zeppetella, OONA treasurer; and Eileen Wuethrich, OONA member.

Carlton will use the funding to help buy new cold water rescue gear, Tabor said.

The fire company in October mailed letters to town residents and they have responded with about $12,000 in donations, with many from seasonal residents who spend the winters away from Carlton, Tabor said.

OONA wanted to support the fire company “because of what they do in our community,” Bellnier said.

OONA also have given other donations with money coming from its annual concert series, sponsorships and membership fees.

The organization approved $700 for the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Association with $500 of that as a memorial for the late Joette Haines; $200 each for Hospice of Orleans, VALOR (Volunteer Alliance Linking Orleans Resources) and Project LIFE. In addition, OONA donated $173 t0 the Just Friends program through the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.

County plans work on 6 more bridges next 3 years

Photos by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – Pictured in a ribbon cutting this morning for the reopening of the Waterport Bridge on Route 279 include, from left: Kathy Blackburn, executive director of Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor; Jackie Tarricone, secretary to county highway superintendent; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; Legislature Chairman David Callard, County Legislator Bill Eick, Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray (with scissors); Legislator John DeFillipps; Legislator Fred Miller; John Papponetti, project manager for LaBella Associates; Chris Bayer, structural engineer with LaBella; Scott Scharping, chief engineer and project manager for Keeler Construction; Tom Keeler, vice president at Keeler Construction; Lucinda Mayer, resident engineer for LaBella; and Tracy Sheffer, project supervisor for Keeler.

The bridge was closed for five months while it received $1.5 million in upgrades, including new railings, repairs to concrete piers, a new deck, asphalt top, two new fascia beams and drainage improvements.

With proper maintenance, the bridge should last another 50 years, said John Papponetti, project manager for Labella Associates, a Rochester engineering firm.

The bridge is the longest county-owned span at 700 feet, crossing Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard River.

“It was inconvenient while it was closed,” said Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor. “We’re glad it’s back open.”

David Callard (center), chairman of the Orleans County Legislature, praised county employees, Labella Associates and Keeler Construction for their efforts with the project.

The federal government paid 80 percent of the costs, with the state contributing 15 percent and the county the remaining 5 percent. The county opened another bridge last week on Hulberton Road after a new bridge was completed. Federal and state funds paid 95 percent of that project’s cost.

Those state and federal dollars for bridges will be hard to come by for rural counties in the next few years.

The county has opted to borrow $8 million for capital projects, including about $5 million to repair or replace six bridges, with two being tackled annually from 2015 to 2017. The two targeted next year include a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton, and a bridge from 1968 in Barre over Manning Muckland Creek on Oak Orchard Road.

“We’re continue with our efforts,” Callard said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony today.

Other bridges identified for improvements include a 1959 bridge in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.

Photo by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – Local officials are planning an 11:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting on Monday for the Waterport bridge, which reopened on Oct. 22 after about five months of construction work.

The bridge is 700 feet across. It’s the longest county-owned bridge. It stretches across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard River.

Keeler Construction in Barre served as the contractor for the $1.5 million project.

Another county bridge that has been under construction reopened earlier this week. The bridge on Hulberton Road near Route 104 is brand new, a $1.3 million project over Sandy Creek in the Town of Murray.

Insurance company will help ID cause

Photos by Tom Rivers – Firefighters use the Albion ladder truck to help douse the house fire in Carlton on Friday.

CARLTON – The fire that destroyed a Carlton home on Friday afternoon remains under investigation, said Walter Batt, a fire investigator for Orleans County.

The insurance provider for the house owned by Tim and Terry Keller will have personnel on the scene early next week to help sift through the rubble and look for a cause.

Firefighters from several departments were on scene after the initial call went out at about 12:30 p.m. for the fire at 1830 Kent Rd. It took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters struggled to snuff out the fire due to windy conditions on Friday.

Firefighters get into position to work out the fire at the back side of the house.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Firefighters from several fire departments are on scene at a house fire on Kent Road. The house is fully engulfed with flames and firefighters are struggling to put it out due to windy conditions.

The house is owned by Tim and Terry Keller. They live at 1830 Kent Rd., next door to the Carlton Fire Station. Firefighters were dispatched at about 12:30 p.m.

Firefighters from throughout the county as well as from Hamlin responded to the call.

Carlton firefighters Ed Cooper and Ben Diltz direct water on the back of the house. The Albion ladder truck gets in position to spray water from up high.

The dark smoke from the blaze can be seen from miles away.

One firefighter suffered a muscle sprain in his knee and was taken from the scene by ambulance.

Heather Stone of Kent sent in this photo taken at about 1 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A fire that tore through a home in Carlton was finally brought under control at about 3:30 p.m. today. (The top photo shows the scene at about 4:15 p.m.)

Firefighters battled the fire for about three hours. The house at 1830 Kent Road is owned by Tim and Terry Keller. Mr. Keller is a past chief of the Carlton Fire Company. The house is located next to a Carlton fire station.

Fire investigators are on the scene, sifting through the rubble to determine a cause. It appears to have started in a back corner of the house by a wood stove, but that hasn’t been determined as the cause.

Dan Strong, a Carlton firefighter, was taken from the scene by ambulance. He suffered a muscle strain in his knee, and has been released after being treated, Carlton firefighters said.

The fire spread through the house and took about three hours to bring under control.

Firefighters are barely visible through the smoke in this photo taken at about 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – Brown’s Berry Patch has hosted a 5-kilometer run and walk at its farm since 1996. The Oct. 11 event raised $3,615 for Hospice of Orleans, one of the highest totals in the race’s history.

Margy Brown, right, director of the race stopped by Hospice on Monday and presented a check to Bonnie Reigle, administrative assistant for the agency. They are pictured in the new garden next to the Martin-Linsin Residence.

The residence opened almost two years ago and includes eight residential suites for Hospice patients.

WATERPORT – The bridge over Lake Alice and Oak Orchard Road is reopened today after about five months of work.

The bridge, originally reported as only open to emergency vehicles, is open to all motorists.

Keeler Construction in Barre is the contractor for the $1.5 million project on the longest county-owned bridge. It stretches 700 feet across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard Creek.

WATERPORT – A bridge that has been closed the past five months for $1.5 million in repairs will reopen today to emergency vehicles.

Fire trucks and ambulances can get through, but other motorists will have to wait until a final inspection on the bridge on Route 279. This is the longest county-owned bridge. It stretches 700 feet across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard Creek.

Keeler Construction in Barre was hired to make repairs to the bridge. Many of the concrete box beams that support the bridge were badly deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The bridge also has a new surface with concrete, rubber membrane and blacktop.

CARLTON – A consultant hired by the town to collect data on 2,400 properties is nearly done with the effort.

GAR Associates Inc. is being paid $68,000 to visit every property in the town and make note of swimming pools, additions, sheds, garages and exterior property improvements. GAR has been working on the project since March and should wrap up its work this month, Town Councilman Robin Lake said.

The firm has been working with Town Assessor Gene Massey. He will use the data from GAR for assessments on all the properties. Those assessments should be out in March.

“I think it will put everyone on an even keel,” Lake said.

The town has been working to update its assessment records so accurate and fair values can be designated for the properties. Carlton was engulfed in controversy in 2013 when new values for properties were assigned. Residents packed the Town Hall to complain about some of the big increases.

Residents also complained some properties were under-assessed. The town’s records didn’t show all the structures and improvements at some properties with low assessments, town officials said.

The Town Board chose not to re-appoint its assessor and worked out an arrangement with Kendall to share its assessor, Gene Massey.

“Gene will be very approachable,” Lake said. “If you have an issue, come on in and he’ll address it.”

The board has voted to freeze the assessments at 2012 levels, rather than allow the big increases to take effect. The board voted again to keep the 2014 data at the 2012 numbers, unless there was a building project at a property.

Carlton pays less for fire protection than most other towns in Orleans County

Photo by Tom Rivers – Jim Tabor, president of the Carlton Fire Company, is pictured on top of a Carlton pumper, using a master stream to direct more intense water at hay bales that caught on fire on Oct. 11.

CARLTON – The Carlton Fire Company can expect $20,000 more from town taxpayers in 2015, an increase that the fire company president says is sorely needed to help keep up with equipment, fuel, insurance, utilities and other expenses.

The Town Board said it would approve the increase when the town budget is approved next month. Carlton currently contributes $132,800 in town funds towards the fire company.

The $20,000 represents a 15 percent increase. Carlton can set aside that money, plus about $3,000 for contingency, and still remain under the 1.67 percent tax cap. The town isn’t giving raises to town employees.

David Krull, the town highway and water superintendent, told the board he supported the tight budget for other departments to better fund the fire department.

“The whole story here is they are underpaid compared to the other towns,” Krull told the Town Board during a meeting this evening.

Even with the $20,000 increase, Carlton is still on the low end of what towns give for fire protection.

Carlton taxpayers paid a 65 cent tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property for fire protection in 2014. That would increase by 10 cents with the additional $20,000, boosting the total town contribution to $152,800.

For comparison sake, here is how much other towns without contracts with village fire departments paid for fire protection in 2014: Barre, $164,000 at a $1.45 rate; Clarendon, $165,774 at $1.00 rate; Kendall, $160,900 at $1.38 rate to Kendall Fire Department and $66,386 at a $1.55 rate to the Morton Fire Department;

Murray, $190,000 at a $1.61 rate to the Holley Fire Department and $104,500 at a $1.59 rate to Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company; Ridgeway, $178,798 at a $1.26 rate to the Ridgeway Fire Company; and Shelby, $232,555 at a $1.44 rate to the Shelby and East Shelby fire companies.

“Our numbers were drastically low,” Jim Tabor, the Carlton Fire Company president, told the Town Board after presenting the data. “We’re still drastically low compared to other departments in the county.”

Carlton used to generate $40,000 a year in bingo profits. But that money is no longer there after an indoor smoking ban was enacted and legalized gambling, including video gaming centers, was expanded, Tabor said.

The fire company pressed for a $40,000 increase from the town last year and received about $20,000. It will get another $20,000 hike next year, and then Town Board members said they will only approve modest increases, likely about 2 percent a year, in the future.

Tabor said the bigger increases have been needed because the fire company used up some its reserves and put off needed equipment upgrades.

“We can’t keep digging because there’s nothing left to dig,” said Todd Ferris, a past chief.

Fire company leaders are projecting $173,200 in expenses in 2015. With the town’s contribution at $152,800, plus another $12,000 in fund-raising revenue, Tabor said the department is still short by more than $8,000.

He said 35 air pack bottles need to be replaced by 2017 at a maximum cost of $1,200 each. A new fire truck will soon be needed and that could top $350,000. The fire company has $190,000 saved in a fire truck reserve account.

The fire company is pursuing grants to help with the equipment upgrades, and volunteers continue to raise funds at the recreation hall. But Tabor said the town may need to bolster its support for the department to safely serve the community.

“It’s very difficult to get blood out of a stone,” Tabor told the Town Board. “I don’t know what our options are.”