By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 10:04 pm
Photo by Annalise Steier
CARLTON – A day after a severe thunderstorm took down trees, knocked out power and strewn debris over Orleans County, a radiant rainbow appeared this evening at sunset.
Annalise Steier, 11, of Carlton took the top picture from her front porch on Route 98 after 8:30 p.m.
Her dad, John Steier, shared it on Facebook with this message: “Proof God is not going to destroy Carlton.”
Power has been nearly restored to the county, but National Grid reports that 79 people remain without power in Waterport/Kent with it expected to be back on by 11:30 p.m. tonight.
Another 289 people are without electricity from the storm north of Route 104 near the Carlton/Yates town line.
They are expected to be restored by 11:59 tonight.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 7:25 am
Provided photo
CARLTON – Much of Carlton remains without electricity this morning after a storm Tuesday night knocked down trees and power lines.
The top photo shows Park Avenue Extension in Carlton, where trees remain down and the road impassable this morning.
National Grid reports that more than 3,000 customers in Orleans County remain without power this morning. That includes 1,479 just north of the village of Albion, from between Sawyer Road and Eagle Harbor. The power company reports it is assessing the condition.
Those numbers don’t include 836 customers without power in Carlton. National Grid is estimating they will have power restored at 6 p.m.
There are also 720 customers wit no electricity from Knowlesville to East Shelby and West Barre. National Grid is assessing the condition in that area.
Provided photo – The storm snapped poles in Waterport near the dam and power plant.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photos – Several telephone poles fell down along Route 98 in Carlton after fierce winds hit around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
CARLTON – It felt like a tornado hit on Tuesday evening for Matt and Sharon Sugar. They were driving back towards Albion after visiting Point Breeze with their two sons and one of their friends.
They were on Route 98 in Carlton when the wind picked up and the rain turned into a torrential downpour.
“We were driving and I couldn’t see because of wind and rain,” Mr. Sugar said. “I never experienced anything like that. We couldn’t see two feet in front of us. It was like a whiteout in June.”
He decided to pull over, about a quarter mile north of Ho-Jack’s. Then a row of telephone poles snapped. Six or seven fell with the Sugars between two of them. Some of the live wires landed on their van, a Chrysler Town and Country.
“It was very scary,” he said.
The Sugars, their two sons and a family friend were trapped in the vehicle for the next two hours. When National Grid was assured the power was cut, the wires were removed, including one on the passenger side mirror, not far from where Mrs. Sugar was sitting. Carlton firefighter Ed Cooper then helped Mr. Sugar navigate the van through the maze of debris.
Mr. Sugar said he is thankful he stopped where he did. If he was 20 feet ahead, a pole would have landed on the vehicle. Their van only had a scratch on it.
“The Lord was with us,” he said. “It could have been much more serious.”
The Sugars were joined in their van by sons Isaac, 5, and Eli, 12, and their friend Cody Wilson, 12.
“It’s a miracle,” Sugar said about their escape from the storm. “Thank God we’re here to tell about it.”
CARLTON – The town and its consultant as part of a reassessment process announced the data collection phase of the project is complete and residents will be getting letters, beginning on Friday.
Those letters will include a summary of information about each of the respective 2,400 properties in Carlton. Property owners will be asked to review the information. If the information is correct, no further action will be required. If the inventory does not appear to be correct, instructions will be included as to how to submit any requested changes.
A dedicated help line will be set up to assist property owners with questions.
Carlton hired GAR Associates Inc. to be contractor for compiling the data. GAR Associates Inc. was hired for $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 2014.
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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Organizers see big potential in Oak Orchard Open
Photos by Tom Rivers – The winning team – Yankee Troller – poses with their trophies and $10,000 in prize money. The group includes, from left: Craig Hajecki, Justin Botting, Walter Piecuch, Joshua Ranaletta, Jeff Curcio (kneeling) and Rich Hajecki, the charter boater captain.
POINT BREEZE – The inaugural Oak Orchard Open completed a two-day fishing tournament this afternoon with more than $20,000 in prizes distributed to top teams.
The event whet the appetites of fishermen for competition, generating lots of talk on-line and in the fishing community.
“I think this will really take off,” said charter boat captain Paul Czarnecki, one of the organizers of the new tournament. “This will only grow. The Internet will be blowing up in the coming days about it.”
The new tournament attracted 36 teams that each paid a $400 entry fee. The tournament was put together after the Orleans County Pro Am ceased after last year.
The new tournament challenged the teams to catch 10 fish each day – five salmon and five trout. Teams would earn points for each fish they caught of the 10, with additional points for each pound of fish.
Only two of the 36 teams were able to meet the maximum of 10 fish each day.
“It was a skill tournament,” said Justin Botting of Lockport, who was a member of the first-place team, Yankee Troller.
Botting and his teammates focused on salmon from 5:30 to 9:30 in the morning before then going after trout. Fishing had to be done by 2 p.m. and the Yankee Trollers tried to catch bigger salmon after noon before the time was up.
Many other tournaments don’t require two species of fish. The Oak Orchard Open forced teams to strategize because salmon and trout generally don’t hang around together.
First-place trophies have a fishing theme.
The Yankee Trollers earned 432.27 points over the two days – 20 points for catching 20 fish and another 417.27 for the weight of the 20. That was 55.50 more than the second-place team.
Czarnecki said he only heard positive feedback from the participants. He expects to see even more people entered in the competition next year.
“We set a new gold standard for tournaments on Lake Ontario,” he said while fishermen gathered for the weigh-in outside the Black North Inn. “We brought back the fun. This will generate excitement in the tournament format.”
Eliot Zielinkski, 30, of Rochester liked the new format. His team finished in seventh place. He has been competing in fishing tournaments for seven years. He said they are intense, with the competitors focused for more than eights hours while on the water.
“You stand on the edge of the boat for the whole thing,” he said. “You’re adrenaline is just skyrocketing.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Oak Orchard Open includes 36 teams in debut
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Oak Orchard Harbor will be busy Saturday morning at 5 a.m. when boats line up in the channel before heading out to Lake Ontario.
POINT BREEZE – A new fishing tournament – The Oak Orchard Open – will cast off before sun up on Saturday when 36 teams leave the Oak Orchard Harbor at 5 a.m.
The new tournament fills a void left after the Orleans County Pro Am was discontinued after last season. The new tourney has a different format and guarantees $20,000 in prizes, including an $8,000 grand prize.
About 150 anglers will be out early Saturday and Sunday for the 2-day tournament. Each team has four members. They earn points based on 10 fish each day – their five heaviest salmon and trout. The teams get a point for each fish and additional points for each pound of their collective catch.
“We all love fishing and the competition,” said charter boat captain Richard Hajecki.
He was one of the main organizers of the tournament with charter captains Bob Songin and Paul Czarnecki, as well as fisherman Mark Lewis.
Charter boat captain Paul Czarnecki, one of the organizers of the new Oak Orchard Open fishing tournament, goes over the rules with fishermen gathered at the Black North Inn.
The teams each paid a $400 entry fee. Sponsors also helped to push up the overall prize winnings. Hajecki said the tournament is good for the area, drawing outsiders to the Oak Orchard.
“It brings a lot of people to the community and they spend money at the businesses,” he said after a captains’ meeting this evening at the Black North Inn. “It showcases the fishery out here.”
The Oak Orchard Open differs from the Pro Am. Instead of a maximum of 12 fish per day at the Pro Am, there are 10. There also aren’t class distinctions between professionals and amateurs in the Oak Orchard Open. They are all vying for the same prizes.
The fishing stops at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and the fish must be weighed by 3:30 at the Black North to qualify.
“It’s a new format and a new idea,” said Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator. “It’s new and exciting.”
Press release, Orleans County Undersheriff Steve Smith
CARLTON – A Lockport woman remains hospitalized and in guarded condition this morning after being run over by her own car Saturday night in the Town of Carlton.
The incident occurred at about 8:15 p.m. The car was parked with the engine running in a private driveway at a residence in the 12700 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18). Alexis N. Thompson, 28, had just secured her 4-year-old son into an approved child restraint seat in the rear seat area of the car. Her 10-year-old daughter was in the front seat listening to the radio. The driver’s door was open.
Thompson was standing outside the car when the floor shift lever of the 1999 Dodge sedan was somehow moved from the “park” position and the vehicle began to move. Thompson apparently attempted to reach into the car to stop it when she was knocked to the ground by the open car door and the car ran over her in the driveway. The vehicle continued out into the roadway before coming to the rest. Neither of the children was injured.
Thompson was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight helicopter. Carlton firefighters and Medina Fire Department ambulance personnel also assisted.
The incident was investigated by Sergeants D.W. Covis and G.T. Gunkler. Since there were no adult witnesses to the incident, deputies are hoping to interview Thompson at some point to gain additional perspective as to what occurred.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2014 at 12:00 am
WATERPORT – A bridge over Lake Alice has been blocked off from motorists so contractors can make repairs to the site over the next five to six months. But the barriers haven’t stopping residents from fishing and jumping from the bridge into the water.
Many people were spotted over the weekend on the bridge. Cameras have been installed and residents are warned they could be arrested if they are on the bridge before the construction project is complete, said Jennifer Vazquez, the construction inspector for Labella Associates.
“It’s for everyone’s safety,” she said this morning.
Keeler Construction of Barre will work on $1.5 million in repairs and preventive maintenance on the Waterport Road bridge over Oak Orchard Creek. The 700-foot-long bridge has been popular for fishermen and thrill-seekers.
Concrete barriers have been placed at the ends of the bridge to block motorists, but pedestrians are still getting on the bridge. Vazquez urged them to stay off until the project is done.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 May 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – A historical marker on Ridge Road, next to the Gaines Carlton Community Church, honors pioneer settler Elizabeth Gilbert.
GAINES – The federal government last month approved naming a creek that runs from Gaines to Carlton for a pioneer settler along Ridge Road.
Al Capurso has been working on the effort to name “Gilbert Creek” for more than a year, researching the issue and lining up the needed government support. He is planning a May 24 dedication of the creek at noon at the Gaines Carlton Community Church. There will be a reception with music and comments from local historians and dignitaries.
The creek begins from feeder sources south of Route 104 near Brown Road. It then marries Proctor Brook in Carlton, and then flows into the Oak Orchard River.
Early settlers liked to build log cabins close to a source of water. Mrs. Elizabeth Gilbert and her family chose the north side of Ridge Road, building their home where there was a rise in the land.
The cabin is long gone, but a historical marker notes the pioneering efforts from Mrs. Gilbert, one of the first settlers on the Ridge between Monroe and Niagara counties. Her husband died in 1808, leaving her to raise the children, and tame the nearby wilderness.
Capurso wanted to name the creek and recognize the pioneering efforts of Mrs. Gilbert.
Capurso said it meets three standards for naming a creek: The feature is currently unnamed; The stream has an independent and distinct source of flow; and it is historically significant.
The Bureau of Geographic Names last month approved naming the waterway “Gilbert Creek.”
Capurso is working on a wooden sign that will match the one for Proctor Brook. Capurso said the Gilbert Creek sign will blend in with Cobblestone Society Museum, which includes eight historic structures near the routes 98 and 104 intersection.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Damien Darrell of Lockport was out fishing on April 19 from the bridge on Route 279 in Waterport. The bridge will be closed to traffic beginning on Monday so it can receive $1.5 million in upgrades.
WATERPORT – The Waterport Road bridge over Oak Orchard Creek will close on Monday and a detour will be posted on Hanlon, Harris and Ashwood roads.
The detour and construction are expected to last throughout the summer. Keeler Construction of Barre has been hired to do $1.5 million in repairs and preventive maintenance on the bridge.
The 700-foot-long bridge is the longest county-owned span in Orleans. The federal government is paying 80 percent of the costs, with the state 15 percent and the county the remaining 5 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Paula Nesbitt starts The Vintage Apple Garden at former Bertsch’s site
Photos by Tom Rivers – Paula Nesbitt is pictured with her daughter-in-law Jillian and granddaughter Isabel at The Vintage Apple Garden, which opened today at the former Bertch’s Good Earth Market on Route 98.
CARLTON – The change in long-established businesses continues in Carlton with a new owner at the former Bertsch’s Good Earth Market.
Paula Nesbitt today opened The Vintage Apple Garden at 1582 Oak Orchard Rd. She is running the business with her daughters-in-law Jillian and Tiffany, and Paula’s daughter Nicole.
The site will continue to sell flowers and gardening supplies. The Nesbitt women are adding a gift shop and antiques. They will have produce – peaches, pears, apples and vegetables, as well as cider – when they are in season.
“I appreciate beauty and I want to share that with people,” Nesbitt said today. “I love to create.”
Nesbitt also wants to make the site available for small parties. She expects a fairy house will be ready on Thursday, and she said that should prove popular with little girls. She also wants to have tea parties at the location.
Paula Nesbitt is pictured inside one of the greenhouses at the business.
Dave and Sharon Bertsch and their daughter Heather Tabor and her husband Jim opened Bertsch’s 14 years ago. Dave Bertsch will continue to have a part-time presence at Vintage Apple.
Nesbitt said she grew up with a love for gardening instilled in her by her father. Now that her five children are grown, she said she can pursue her gardening and business passion.
“It’s time to take a new journey,” she said about the business.
She is working alongside her daughters-in-law Jillian, who is married to Nick Nesbitt, and Tiffany, who is married to the younger Steve Nesbitt. Paula’s daughter Nicole, a sophomore at Colorado State University, will also be a leader in the operation. She is studying agriculture business and greenhouse management.
The change in ownership at Bertsch’s is the latest in the Point Breeze area. The Cardone family sold the Harbor Pointe Country Club to Lynn-Ette and Sons in March and most of that site has been turned into farmland.
Gatlen Ernst in March also acquired the Lake Breeze Marina, which had been owned by Doug and Janice Bennett.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – Damien Darrell of Lockport was out fishing Saturday evening from the bridge on Route 279 in Waterport.
Fishermen are often casting lines from the bridge. The 700-foot-long bridge is the longest county-owned span in Orleans. It is expected to close next month so repairs can be made. The bridge could be closed for about five months so contractors can complete nearly $2 million in upgrades.
The bridge stretches across Lake Alice. Many of the concrete box beams that support the bridge are badly deteriorated and will need to be replaced. The bridge will get a new surface with concrete, rubber membrane and blacktop.
The federal government is paying 80 percent of the project with the state paying 15 percent the county covering the remaining 5 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2014 at 12:00 am
WATERPORT – The longest county-owned bridge will shut down next month so it can be repaired, a project that could take five months, County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray said.
The bridge on Route 279 stretches 700 feet across Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard Creek. Many of the concrete box beams that support the bridge are badly deteriorated and will need to be replaced. Gray also said the bridge will get a new surface with concrete, rubber membrane and blacktop.
The entire project is estimated to cost about $1.7 million. The county will open bids from contractors later this month and the work should start in May.
The federal government is paying 80 percent of the project with the state paying 15 percent the county covering the remaining 5 percent.
A detour will be posted as soon as construction gets started, Gray said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Law enforcement arrested 16 people today following a six-month investigation into the sale and distribution of crack cocaine, heroin, prescription narcotics and marijuana in the village of Albion, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.The Task Force, Albion Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed six search warrants in the village of Albion and one in the town of Carlton.
As a result, police arrested 16 people on multiple sale and possession charges and seized powder cocaine, crack cocaine, prescription narcotics and marijuana.
The following were arrested:
Hardy
J.W. Hardy Jr., 56, of 262 East Bank St., Albion, who was charged with three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance (CSCS) in the third degree, four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance (CPCS) in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, three counts of criminal nuisance in the first degree, and four counts of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
Hardy was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Gary Moore. He remanded Hardy to county jail on no bail to his previous criminal history.
Julie A. Hardy, 46, of 262 East Bank St., Albion, who was charged with one count of CPCS in the third degree, one count of CPCS in the fifth degree, and four counts of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
Hardy was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, and committed to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. She is to appear in Town Court on April 4 at 10 a.m.
James
Joseph B. James, 33, of 2 Garden Park Apts., Apt. No. 2. in Albion, who was charged with four counts of CSCS in the third degree, four of CPCS in the third degree, one count of criminal nuisance in the first degree, one count of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree, and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana.
James was arraigned in the Town of Gaines Justice Court by Judge Bruce Schmidt, who sent James to the Orleans County Jail on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. He is due back in court at 10 a.m. on April 7.
Warren
Melissa A. Warren, 28, of 2 Garden Park Apartments., Apt. No. 2, Albion, who was charged with 3 counts of CSCS in the third degree, four counts of CPCS in the third degree, six counts of criminal nuisance in the first degree, and one count of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
Warren was also arraigned by Judge Schmidt and remanded to county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. She is due back in court on April 7 at 10 a.m.
Ingram
Charles G. Ingram, 58, 175 North Main St., Room No. 20, Albion, who was charged with three counts of CSCS in the third degree, three counts of CPCS in the third degree, four counts of criminal nuisance in the first degree, and one count of CPCS in the seventh degree.
Ingram was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore. He remanded Ingram to county jail on no bail to his previous criminal history.
Miles
Stephen W. Miles, 51, of 175 North Main St., Room No. 12, Albion, who was charged with one count of CSCS in the third degree, one count of CPCS in the third degree, one count of CSCS in the fourth degree, one count of CSCS in the fifth degree, two counts of CPCS in the fifth degree, two counts of criminal nuisance in the first degree, one count of CPCS in the seventh degree.
Miles was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore. He remanded Miles to county jail on no bail to his previous criminal history.
Read
Dawn M. Read, 42, of 35 North Main St., Room No. 10, Albion, who was charged with one count of CSCS in the fifth degree, one count of CPCS
in the fifth degree, and one count of criminal diversion of prescription medication in the fourth degree.
Read was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore. He remanded Read to county jail on no bail to her previous criminal history.
Taylor
Freddie Taylor, 45, of 510 Mt. Read Blvd., Rochester, who was charged with one count of CSCS in the third degree, one count of CPCS in the third degree, one count of CSCS in the fourth degree, one count of CPCS in the fifth degree.
Taylor was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, who sent Taylor to county jail on no bail to his previous criminal history.
Poole
Cheryl A. Poole, 51, of 13475 Gaines Rd., Carlton, who was charged with two counts of CSCS in the fifth degree, and two counts of CPCS in the fifth degree.
Poole was arraigned in the Town of Carlton Justice Court by Justice Patricia Russell.
Poole was committed to the county jail with no bail due to her previous criminal history. Poole is to return back to Carlton court on Friday at 3 p.m.
Taylor
Katherine O. Taylor, 22, of 13475 Gaines Rd. in Carlton, who was charged with three counts of CSCS in the third degree and three counts of CPCS in the third degree.
Taylor was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, and committed to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. She is to appear in Town Court on April 4 at 10 a.m.
Forrester
Christine A. Forrester, 43, of 14 Erie St., Albion, who was charged with four counts of CSCS in the fifth degree and four counts of CPCS in the fifth degree.
Forrester was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, and sent to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. She is to appear in Town Court on April 4 at 10 a.m.
Saddler
Christopher A. Saddler, 30, of 304 West State St., Albion, who was charged with one count of CSCS in the fifth degree, four counts of CSCS in the fifth degree, five counts of CPCS in the fifth degree, one count of criminal sale of marijuana in the fourth degree, one count of criminal possession of marijuana in the third degree, one count of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree, five counts of criminal nuisance in the first degree, and one count of criminal diversion of prescription medication in the fourth degree.
Saddler was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, who sent sent him to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. He is to appear in Town Court on April 4 at 10 a.m.
Saddler
Jessica K. Saddler, 22, of 304 West State St., Albion, who was charged with one count of CSCS in the fifth degree, one count of CPCS in the fifth degree, four counts of criminal nuisance in the second degree, one count of criminal sale of marijuana in the fourth degree, one count of criminal possession of marijuana in the third degree, and one count of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
Saddler was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Moore, who sent sent her to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. She is to appear in Town Court on April 4 at 10 a.m.
Thompson
Tony Thompson, 47, of 29 Dale St., Rochester, who was charged with CSCS in the fifth degree and CPCS in the fifth degree.
He was arraigned in Albion court by Justice Moore and remanded to county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. He is to return to court at 10 a.m. on April 4.
Gaddis
Felicia A. Gaddis, 45, of 13475 Gaines Rd. in Carlton, who was charged with one count of CPCS in the seventh degree.
Gaddis was issued an appearance ticket for Carlton Town Court on April 24.
Muscarella
Wade M. Muscarella, 59, of 13475 Gaines Rd. in Carlton, who was charged with one count of CPCS in the third degree.
Muscarella was issued an appearance ticket for Carlton Town Court on April 24.
Law enforcement officers were assisted in the search warrant executions by K-9 units from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Medina Police Department and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.
This investigation is still ongoing and further charges and arrests are pending, Task Force Supervising Officer Joe Sacco said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Lynn-Ette and Sons has been busy the past month transforming the former Harbor Pointe Country Club from a golf course into farmland.
I drove by on Route 98 today and was stunned by the transformation. Many trees have been taken down in the past month at the site.
Lynn-Ette bought the golf course earlier this month from the Cardone family, which owned it for 33 years. A drop in golf play and a rise in corn prices in recent years prompted a change in use for the site.
The golf course opened 50 years ago on Route 98 in Carlton. The course opened in 1964 as the Oak Orchard Country Club.
