Gatlen Ernst is no stranger to the business

Photos by Tom Rivers – Gatlen Ernst and his fiancée Danielle Daniels are pictured on a dock in front of Ernst’s Lake Breeze marina. Ernst closed on the property last Thursday, acquiring the business from Doug and Janice Bennett.

POINT BREEZE – The Lake Breeze Marina has a new owner, and he is well-known to customers and the Point Breeze community.

Gatlen Ernst, 30, closed on the sale last Thursday, acquiring the business from Doug and Janice Bennett. Ernst worked for them for 10 years.

“He’s been a good employee and he had the desire,” Mr. Bennett said. “Everybody likes Gatlen and everybody knows him. It should be a smooth takeover for him.”

The marina has 44 dock slips, nine storage barns for boats, and a main service building with gas, diesel, propane and boating supplies, parts and accessories.

“This has been a dream of mine since I started working here,” Ernst said at the marina today. “I love being outside and working with the customers.”

When he was hired 10 years ago, Ernst mowed the lawns and did other odd jobs at the marina. Ernst was 20 at the time, working during the summer while he was a college student. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nazareth College with a concentration in entrepreneurship and marketing.

He praised the Bennetts for investing in the business and steadily upgrading it. They added six storage buildings and expanded the main service building and shop.

“We improved it, and Gatlen was part of it,” Bennett said.

Gatlen Ernst is keeping the two mechanics at the marina and also added a new mechanic. The group includes, from left: Gary Simmons, Ernst, Doug Farewell and Ben Diltz.

Ernst is renaming the business to Ernst’s Lake Breeze Marina. He is keeping two full-time mechanics, Doug Farewell and Gary Simmons, and also has added another mechanic. Ben Diltz of Kent joins the marina after graduating from the Marine Mechanics Institute in Florida.

Ernst has another new face at the business: his fiancée Danielle Daniels. She knows about the commitment to make a small business succeed. Her father, Mike Pilon, co-owned Dale’s Supermarket in Albion for many years.

Ernst is the sole owner of the marina business. He purchased the real estate in a partnership with Rod Farrow, a Lake Breeze customer. Farrow is an apple farmer who lives on the other side of the Oak Orchard River.

Ernst will be handling the day-to-day operations. He sees a lot of potential in Point Breeze, which was named the “Ultimate Fishing Town” last year by the World Fishing Network.

“I’m optimistic that there’s room for growth,” he said. “The river is beautiful. It’s great for fishing.”

Ernst and his crew are ready to start the boating season. It generally runs from April 1 to Oct. 31.

“We’ll be launching boats this week,” he said. “People are anxious.”

CARLTON – The town has hired an Amherst firm to collect data on 2,400 properties as part of an effort to update the assessments.

GAR Associates Inc. will be paid $68,000 to visit every property in town. GAR won’t be going inside the houses and buildings, but the firm will be making note of swimming pools, additions, sheds, garages and property improvements, Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery said today.

The town is working to update its assessment records so accurate and fair values can be designated for the properties. A year ago Carlton was engulfed in controversy 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.

The board also 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 has been an building project at a property.

The Town Board will meet with GAR on April 4, and the firm will present its action plan for the coming months. Besides going door to door, the firm is planning two or three public meetings with residents, Ashbery said.

The updated property data plus the experience of Massey should ensure accurate assessments in the future, Ashbery said.

Most of land likely will be converted to farmland

Provided photos – Lynn-Ette and Sons on Friday closed on a deal to buy Harbor Pointe Country Club on Route 98 in Carlton.

Some of the trees are being cleared.

WATERPORT – A golf course that opened 50 years ago on Route 98 in Carlton has been purchased by a local farm, which will discontinue the site as a golf venue.

Lynn-Ette and Sons closed on a deal Friday to acquire Harbor Pointe Country Club from the Cardone family. The Cardones owned and operated the course since June 1, 1981. The course opened in 1964 as the Oak Orchard Country Club.

The course had several owners before the Cardones bought it in 1981.

“It was a wonderful business to operate,” said Joe Cardone. “My mother and father made a lot of close friends. We appreciate their business and friendships.”

The golf business has struggled in the region in recent years, due to the economy and increased competition with many golf courses, Cardone said.

“There has been a drop off in golf play,” he said. “It’s also an indication of the economic times in Orleans County.”

As part of the deal, Lynn-Ette purchased 93 acres on the east side of Route 98 that have been farmed. The local farm also bought the 100-plus acres that is the golf course.

The land won’t be orchards. The farm is cleaning up the property and clearing some trees. It will need to do soil tests to determine a good crop match for the ground.

The farm’s owners weren’t available to comment today, but an employee said Lynn-Ette will likely keep the existing buildings. The farm is still evaluating how it wants to use the site.

Cardone said he was happy to have a local buyer – Lynn Roberts and his family – pursue the property.

“We were thankful we were able to work something out with the Roberts family,” Cardone said. “They’re a wonderful family and they’re working hard down there.”

World Life Institute is working with students from China, Brazil, Mexico, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Indonesia

Photos by Tom Rivers – Lifeng Lei, a student from China, addresses an ESL class on Monday, her final day with the group. She is headed back to China after a year in Orleans County, working at Intergrow Greenhouses in Albion and taking classes through the World Life Institute.

The class of ESL students poses for a picture with their teachers on Monday night. Students from six countries as well as Puerto Rico are enrolled in the program. Many of the students work at Intergrow Greenhouses.

WATERPORT – For a decade teachers at the World Life Institute partnered with the Orleans-Niagara BOCES to teach English to Mexican farmworkers.

The program has won state awards, and teacher Linda Redfield has been named the state’s top ESL teacher.

The program has become more diverse in the past year with students from Brazil, China, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Indonesia joining Mexican farmworkers in the classroom.

Many of those students are spending a year in Orleans County, interning at Intergrow Greenhouses. Those students have degrees in agriculture from universities in their home countries.

Students work in the computer lab using the Rosetta Stone program to learn English.

At Intergrow, they learn how to grow hydroponic tomatoes. They learn about irrigation, pest control and plant health, among many issues.

“It has been nice to meet so many new people,” said Oksana Kazakutsa, 26, of the Ukraine.

She will complete her year stay in the U.S. in two weeks. She wants to work in international business, perhaps in food and agriculture.

She praised the teachers at the World Life Institute, and also Dirk Biemans, owner of Intergrow, who welcomes the interns from around the world. Intergrow has 63 acres of greenhouses on Route 98 in Gaines. The company embraces students who want to learn about sustainable agricultural practices.

Oleksii Nepomniashchyi, 27, also is a student from the Ukraine. Like the other students, he works during at the day at Intergrow, and then takes English classes three evenings a week through the WLI, meeting at the Waterport school on Stillwater Road. The students also meet at Hoag Library for classes once a week.

The students have staggered internships at Intergrow so some students have been in the WLI program for several months when newcomers are enrolled.

“They all help each other,” said Linda Redfield, one of the teachers and the program director.

Tiangi Wang, 24, of China shares a slide show about his home country on Monday with other students in the ESL class.

The students share about their culture, sometimes bringing in prepared dishes of favorite foods in their countries. Redfield marveled at how multi-cultural the program has become.

There are 15 students in the program who are interning at Intergrow. Those students all live in Albion. The WLI continues to work with Mexican farmworkers, teaching ESL and helping some prepare for their citizenship test.

Octaviano Gomez, 41, of Medina has worked at local farms for many years. He passed the citizenship test on Jan. 9 and will soon be sworn in as a U.S. citizen.

“The teachers have helped me a lot,” he said on Monday at the school.

He wants to keep improving his skills, especially his English. That’s why he is back at the school.

“I want to learn more,” he said.

Cheryl Lieberman, a volunteer teacher with the WLI, works with a student who is preparing for his citizenship test.

Monica Beck is one of the teachers in the program. She said the students are highly motivated, which makes her job much easier.

“The students want to be here and the teachers want to be here,” she said. “It’s not like regular school where the students would rather be home playing video games.”

One of the students, Tiangi Wang of China, addressed the class on Monday. It was the last class for the 24-year-old. He thanked the group for their friendship and for helping him improve his English. He praised the staff at the school.

‘The teachers put their whole heart into it,” he said.

However, both say they won’t put personnel in danger

Photo by Tom Rivers – Nora the cat was perched on top of a telephone pole with numerous wires and a transformer for about three days before being rescued on Saturday morning in Waterport.

WATERPORT – If a cat is stuck in a tree in Carlton, residents are welcome to call the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company.

Firefighters will try to get the cat as long as the firefighters aren’t in a dangerous situation, Carlton Fire Company President Jim Tabor said.

“In most situations would be more than happy to rescue the cat,” he said. “But when there are live power lines involved we just can’t put our people in jeopardy.”

Some community were upset when Nora, a cat owned by Venita Nauden, was stuck on top of telephone pole in the freezing cold for nearly three days. Carlton firefighters declined to try the rescue. The pole had numerous wires and a transformer attached to it.

“We are not equipped to deal with live power lines regardless of the situation,” Tabor said. “If someone has a motor vehicle accident and there are live power lines involved, we would still need the power company to cut the power before we can perform any life-saving measures.”

Tabor has volunteered in the fire service for 25 years. He doesn’t recall Carlton firefighters rescuing cats, but he said the group would happily try as long as there aren’t power lines in the way.

Jeremy Arnold, owner of JG Tree Service in Holley, uses a bucket truck with a 60-foot-ladder to get to that cat.

National Grid also was contacted by one of Nauden’s neighbors to help get the cat, but the company allegedly declined. Company spokesman Steve Brady said he wasn’t aware of the situation on East Avenue in Waterport.

“I’m not sure what happened in this case, but we have rescued an assortment of animals from our facilities (including, recently, someone’s pet lizard),” Brady wrote in an email. “I can’t say we will rescue every animal or respond to every call – a lot will depend on crew availability, of course – be we have responded to such requests.”

Brady believes time is often the best course for getting an animal to come down.

“We often find that when an animal gets hungry enough, they will find their way back down the pole,” he said. “I know that’s of little solace to the pet owner but it would be quite unusual for animal to be able to climb up and not be able to climb down.”

One of Nauden’s neighbors used a ladder on Friday and nearly got to the top of the pole to get the cat, but Nora wouldn’t get close enough to jump into a basket.

Jeremy Arnold, owner of a tree service in Holley, arrived Saturday with a bucket truck with a 60-foot-ladder. He was able to scoop up the cat and reunite it with its owner.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jeremy Arnold, owner of JG Tree Service, gets ready to catch a cat that had been stranded for nearly three days on top of a telephone pole in Waterport.

WATERPORT – After nearly three days on top of a telephone pole, Nora the cat was rescued late this morning by Jeremy Arnold, owner of a JG Tree Service in Holley.

Arnold, 27, has a bucket truck with a 60-foot ladder. He was happy to help after he heard the cat had been stuck and no one seemed willing to give a rescue a try.

“Everybody says it’s just a cat or an animal, but people get attached to their pets,” Arnold said after getting Nora down and handing her to her owner, Venita Nauden.

Venita Nauden is happy to be reunited with her cat, Nora.

Venita thanked Arnold and her neighbors for working to bring down the cat. Lauren Rayner, Nauden’s friend and neighbor, reached out to National Grid, the local fire company and animal shelters, but couldn’t sway anyone to try the rescue. The telephone pole had numerous wires including a transformer.

“It’s nice to see people help, otherwise the cat would have been left to die,” Rayner said.

The neighbors suspected a nearby dog chased the cat up the telephone pole. The cat was perched up there in the cold.

The cat was a little leery to come to Arnold, perhaps spooked by the hiss of the hydraulics with the bucket truck and a flock of geese that passed overhead during the rescue.

Nora didn’t immediately jump into Arnold’s arms. She seemed spooked by the noise from the hydraulics with the bucket truck. A big flock of geese also passed during the rescue attempt.

But after about five minutes, Nora came close to Arnold and he scooped her up.

“I’m just glad it worked out,” Arnold said. “I was worried she might get scared and take off running along the wires.”

Venita’s father Thad Nauden watched the rescue. He praised Arnold and Rayner for caring about the cat.

“I’m so appreciative for the tree surgeon and for my neighbor,” Mr. Nauden said. “I’m shocked that people would go to that extent. My daughter has been very upset about it because she is a cat lover.”

Arnold gets the truck set up on East Avenue while a small crowd gathers.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Nora, the cat, trapped on top of a telephone pole is surrounded by wires and power lines.

WATERPORT – A cat that has been on top of a telephone pole for at least two days survived another cold night and should be rescued later this morning.

A private contractor will be down on East Avenue with a bucket truck to get the cat. Jeremy Arnold of Holley will attempt the rescue.

WATERPORT – A cat climbed to the top of a telephone pole in Waterport two days ago and has been stuck up there since, unable to get down.

Lauren Rayner, a friend of the cat’s owner Venita Nauden, has reached out to National Grid, the Carlton Fire Company and animal shelters, seeking help. No one has been willing to try to rescue the cat which is stuck on East Avenue.

The fire company told her it would be too dangerous to risk firefighters for that task, given the presence of power wires. National Grid also told her the company doesn’t rescue cats. The power company urged her to reach out the fire company.

Raynor is hoping someone with a cherry picker or other equipment would be willing to try to help bring down the cat. She can be reached at (585) 413-7159 or by email at llrayner@gmail.com.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Hubert has turned his front yard into a festival of lights at 1894 Oak Orchard River Rd. Hubert’s display switches to different strands of lights, so the colors change and different elements are lighted up during his 17-minute show.

WATERPORT – The cars start lining up the day after Thanksgiving, when Tom Hubert’s front yard turns into a festival of lights.

For the past five years, Hubert has set up an elaborate display at 1894 Oak Orchard River Rd. He uses 13 controllers and more than 40,000 lights as part of the display. He also has an FM radio transmitter so people can tune into 87.9 to hear a 17-minute music show that is timed with the lights.

“I don’t know who likes it more, the people stopping by or me putting in together,” Hubert said. “People ask, ‘Why?’ and I say, ‘Why not?’”

Hubert welcomes to cars to line up on the side of the road. He runs the show from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 5 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.The lights will be up until New Year’s Eve.

Hubert has been adding new elements to the display since he started it with 10,000 lights.

These pictures show the same trees and elements with different strands of lights lit up. Hubert uses controllers to alternate strands of lights. “I don’t want it to be stagnant.”

“I’ve always had a fascination with Christmas lights,” he said.

At first he decorated his house with some static light displays. Then he researched elaborate light displays on the Internet and learned how to program controllers.

He starts setting up the light display in October, but his work on the computer starts in the summer, so the lights go off in a sequence set to music. Hubert said the lights aren’t too big of a hit on his electric bill because they are off most of the time because of the controllers. He said he may pay $75 in added electricity when the display is on for about six weeks.

Hubert works for the Rochester Housing Authority. He enjoys the open spaces in the country. Christmas lights are a fun hobby, he said, and so are animals. He breeds and sells Nigerian Dwarf Goats at River View Farm.

Hubert’s lighting display is just north of the Route 279 bridge over Lake Alice. After crossing the bridge, turn left and Hubert’s is maybe 50 yards away. You can’t miss it.

Firefighters have been raising funds for equipment

Photo by Tom Rivers – Representatives from the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association presented a $1,000 check today to the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company. OONA members are pictured in front, from left: Ed Bellnier, president; Nicole Wilson-McGurn, treasurer; Jeanne Lauta, co-communications director; and Eileen Wuethrich, secretary. Arianna McGurn, McGurn’s daughter, is behind the OONA members. Carlton firefighters include: Dale Niehaus, assistant chief; Andrew Niederhofer, chief; Justin Niederhofer, EMS captain; Chris Standish, second lieutenant; Jim Tabor, president; Kevin Hurley; Tom Yockel, treasurer; Dan Strong; Dick Brackenbury; Bruce London; John Buckland; and Dwayne Tinkous, captain.

CARLTON – The Carlton Fire Company has received $14,000 from nearly 1,000 donors in response to a fund-raising campaign.

The fire company sent out about 1,700 letters to residents, telling them the fire company needed a utility box for a rescue truck and equipment to respond to water-related emergencies and motor vehicle accidents.

The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association is among the donors to the cause. The group presented fire company leaders with a $1,000 check tonight.

“We’re glad to help out because we need you guys,” OONA President Ed Bellnier told Carlton firefighters.

Carlton has sent out letters the past three years, seeking funds from residents to help supplement the money it gets from the town in a fire protection contract.

Fire company officials tried to boost its contract with the town from about $114,000 to $152,000 for 2014. The Town Board agreed to half of the increase.

That leaves the fire company short for equipment, gear and needed roof and parking lot repairs, said Jim Tabor, fire company president.

Carlton property owners will pay 65 cents per $1,000 of assessed property for fire protection, about half of rate in most towns. Tabor and the fire company wanted to get that rate to 75 cents, but was rebuffed by the Town Board, which agreed to 65 cents for 2014.

“Even if we were at 75 cents we’d still be the lowest in the county,” Tabor said.

Fire company officials worry about the cost of new turnout gear at about $3,000 per firefighter. The company also faces a new roof on the recreation hall on Route 98, and parking lot repairs at the two fire halls on Kent Road and Waterport-Carlton Road.

Tabor said the fire company appreciates the response from the public to the fund-raising campaign.

CARLTON – After more than a week away from its family in Carlton, a beloved dog named Rori returned to his owners this morning.

Ann Humner and her husband Asi Sveisson adopted Rori, a brindle/white mix, from the SPCA in Erie County eight years ago.

Rori snapped off his tether on Dec. 8 and hadn’t been seen since, until he returned home in Carlton today, scratching his paws against the door at about 6 a.m.

“He is very skinny and he’s been sleeping all day,” Humner said. “He’s exhausted.”

Humner doesn’t know where Rori spent the previous eight days. She thinks he found shelter somewhere, maybe inside a barn or garage.

He appeared to be dropped off at the end of Hillcrest Drive early this morning. Rori’s paw prints started at the end of Hillcrest.

“I don’t know what happened but we’re very happy he’s home,” she said.

Orleans Hub featured Rori yesterday. We’re happy the dog found his way home.

Provided photos – Rori, left, has been missing since last Sunday. Lacey also got away but returned home on Wednesday.

CARLTON – Eight years ago Ann Humner and her husband Asi Sveisson adopted Rori, a brindle/white mix from the SPCA in Erie County.

Rori has been a beloved member of the family because she’s so “sweet and gentle,” Humner said today.

The family has been looking for the dog the past week since she broke off her tether last Sunday afternoon. Both Rori and Lacey, a husky mix, got away a week ago. Lacey returned home on Wednesday.

Humner and Sveisson live on Hillcrest Drive in Carlton. They owned a cottage there for about six years before moving in permanently last January. The location on Lake Alice is “gorgeous” and they wanted to stay there year-round in their retirement, Humner said.

Lacey helped track Rori for about 3 miles before losing the scent on Thursday. Humner asked that snowmobilers and others keep a look out for Rori. She said the dog, which weighs about 50 pounds, is very friendly.

For more information, contact Humner at 716-906-1585.

Rori, left, and Lacey are friends that like to stick together.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The U.S. Postal Service is reducing the hours at the Post Office in Kent, effective Jan. 11. The building is located at 1788 Kent Rd.

KENT – The U.S. Postal Service, in an effort to rein in its costs, is reducing the office hours at the site in Kent at 1788 Kent Rd.

The Post Office will be open 30 minutes less on weekdays andwill keep the same retail hours on Saturdays. The new hours are effective Jan. 11.

The Post Office lobby is currently open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and then from 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.. The lobby is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

With the new hours the site will be open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and then from 2 to 5 p.m.

“Current Saturday window service hours will not be reduced and access to delivery receptacles will not change as a result of the realignment of weekday window service hours,” said Karen Mazurkiewicz, WNY District Communications Coordinator for the U.S. Postal Service.

Customers will have access to their mail receptacles from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Monday through Friday and from 7:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Post Office Box mail will be available daily for pick-up by 10:00 a.m. on weekdays and on Saturday, she said.

The Postal Service in 2011 announced it was going to close under-utilized Post Offices, about 3,500 nationwide, Mazurkiewicz said.

“The Postal Service began conducting community meetings and the Number One response was customers would rather see a reduction in hours than to have their Post Office closed,” she said. “Taking that feedback, USPS decided to modify its original plan and instead proposed an option where communities could keep their Post Office, but with reduced hours.”

CARLTON – There were 49 absentee ballots counted this morning to determine the winner of the race for highway superintendent in Carlton.

Krull lost the Republican primary to Snook, 215-155. Krull, the incumbent, still had the Independence Party line and would be in the Nov. 5 ballot. But it would be a long shot for a minor-party candidate to win against a Republican backed candidate.

Krull refused to give up. He acknowledged he didn’t campaign much in the primary. When he wasn’t working, he was racing to get a roof project done on his home.

The past seven weeks he was out door to door. Many residents also stepped out for him, taking out ads and rallying support.

He won 434-421, widening his lead with the absentee ballots.

Krull said he has tackled many road projects the past four years. He thinks it will take four more years to get caught up on the road infrastructure.

“I’ve worked awfully hard for the people of Carlton,” Krull said after the final results were announced today. “I feel I stand up for the little guy.”

Snook is one of four motor equipment operators in Carlton. Krull said there has been division in the highway department during the campaign. Now that the election is over, he hopes the group rallies to work together for the good of the town.

“Hopefully this can all be put behind us,” Krull said.