MURRAY – Town resident Joe Sidonio continued to ask town board members to come up with a plan for sustainability of the town’s water districts during the board’s regular meeting Tuesday evening.

Sidonio spoke during public comment at the end of the meeting and presented Town Supervisor John Morriss with documents including copies of the petition signed by residents for the establishment of the town’s Water District #10 extension, and the engineer’s report, which Sidonio said states how the water district is to operate – with tax money covering the bond repayment, and operations and maintenance funded by sale of water to users.

“That’s not happening,” he said. “It is unfair to people…. the long term sustainability (of the town’s water districts) is questionable.  It cannot sustain itself on water rates.”

Sidonio also provided a profitability chart which he said shows that even with mark up on water and an over levy, the town is still losing money. His figures show a total operating loss on the sale of water from 2013-2016 of $370,637.

Morriss noted that some of the town’s water districts are “healthier than others,” and pointed to Water District #1 where the possibility of raising the rates will likely need to be considered to cover operating and maintenance costs, he said.

Sidonio told the Orleans Hub that he feels the supervisor is admitting that the town is over taxing residents on the water districts by stating there are significant problems with long term sustainability.

“Over taxing residents on water districts who are not connected is unjust,” Sidonio said. “They are paying for the operations and maintenance for a system they don’t benefit from.”

Morriss said he has been in contact with Rural Development, which provides funding for municipal water districts, and he said officials there said they feel the numbers are not out of line.

“If you guys were out of line, you would not get money,” Morriss said he was told by Rural Development.

Morriss noted Rural Development is continuing its look at Murray water district finances.

“Your points are well-made,” town attorney Jeff Martin told Sidonio and other residents who attended the meeting. “There should be further consideration of concerns you are raising.”

Martin explained there can be a certain amount flux in bond replacement units per district – which sometimes decrease or increase in number over time, depending on factors such as development. He said it can make a significant difference is smaller districts if the loss of one unit occurs.

“If what I’m hearing is correct, we are not charging enough for water,” board member Paul Hendel said.  He suggested checking neighboring municipalities for their water rates.

Morriss said another possibility for increasing revenue might be imposing a rental charge on water meters.

“It’s clearly a long-range issue,” Sidonio told the board. “I would like to see the board address that and be thinking about how to address shortcomings financially.”

In other business, Town Board members heard a continued complaint from a resident regarding parking around the Holley Central School District during special events, which often spills out onto Lynch Road, causing a safety hazard.

The resident questioned liability issues and suggested the town might want to put up no parking signs along the roadway.  Town attorney Jeff Martin said he would bring the issue to the attention of school district officials during the next Board of Education meeting May 17.

Town Clerk Cindy Oliver requested during her report, that the Murray Town Board – possibly in conjunction with the Clarendon Town Board – host a town hall meeting for veterans to make them aware of the many services provided through the Orleans County Veterans Services Agency.

Oliver said the agency director, Earl Schmidt, spoke recently to Orleans County town clerks regarding the services that are available to veterans.

“I was shocked by all they provide,” Oliver said, and noted the town hall meeting would be a way to “get the word out” to local veterans.  “I don’t know if they realize help is available,” she said.

No date has yet been set, but town board members agreed to move ahead with plans.  Council member Paul Hendel enthusiastically supported the idea.  He said he volunteers in the winter driving vans for the agency.

“It’s heart-warming to help those who have given so much,” Hendel said.

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CLARENDON – Jacob Crandall is working on a new Veterans’ Memorial at Hillside Cemetery for his Eagle Scout project. This photo shows Jacob’s father, John (left), and Jacob’s uncle Tom Crandall, a mason.

They are pictured with a memorial that includes five granite etched stones (for the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard), and a pentagon-shaped concrete base. The memorial also will include a 25-foot flagpole.

John Crandall is pictured with his sons Jacob (center) and Jeremy. The memorial will be dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, after the Memorial Day parade through Holley to the Hillside Cemetery.

The cemetery’s chapel will be open that day for tours from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Many military items will be on display at the chapel.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – The Holley Central High School Concert Choir performs during a breakfast for senior citizens on Thursday.

HOLLEY – More than 100 senior citizens enjoyed breakfast and music with students at the Holley Elementary School on Thursday morning.

District Superintendent Robert D’Angelo said this is the 11th annual Senior Citizen Breakfast and it is one of his favorite events of the year.

“We started it to honor the individuals who do so much for our district,” D’Angelo said. “It warms my heart to do this.”

He noted the event is also an opportunity to provide community members with good information – the school nursing staff was on hand to provide free blood pressure checks, and the Orleans County Office for the Aging also attended.

Holley High School students present long-stem red roses to those attending the annual Senior Citizen Breakfast.

The annual Senior Citizen Breakfast drew a large crowd on Thursday morning.

D’Angelo invited those attending to stroll through the gardens, which are just coming into bloom on campus, visit the Family Fitness Center and, “feel free to enjoy the building, this building belongs to you.”

A breakfast buffet was served and Holley High School students and members of the Student Council assisted with the event. They poured coffee and made sure anyone needing extra help received it.

Holley Central Food Service Director Vicki Scroger worked to coordinate the menu, table settings – which included centerpieces of fresh flowers, and place settings with place mats featuring colorful student drawings.

This is one of many colorful place mats made for the breakfast by Holley Elementary students.

The Kindergarten Class at Holley gave an enthusiastic and energetic performance for senior citizens.

Members of the High School Concert Choir, the 5th and 6th Grade Elementary Chorus and the Kindergarten class performed musical selections.

Clarendon Town Supervisor Richard Moy said he attends the event every year and enjoys the opportunity to visit with friends and neighbors.

“It’s great,” he said. “There’s a lot of people from Clarendon. You get to see a lot of people you haven’t seen at other times of the year.”

D’Angelo agreed, telling those in attendance that, “as a community, it is important that we get together. We look forward to seeing you next year.”

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Holley School Board of Education candidates, Christine Klafehn, Brenda Swanger and John Heise (left to right) take questions from the audience during a Meet the Candidates forum prior to the district’s annual meeting Tuesday evening at the Holley Elementary School.

HOLLEY – The proposed Holley Central School budget for 2016-17 includes a 1.99 percent increase in the tax levy, which school officials say falls below the tax levy cap of 2.219 percent.

Members of the Holley School Board of Education held their annual meeting Tuesday evening, which included a presentation on the proposed budget by Assistant Superintendent for Business Sharon Zacher.

Zacher said the $24.4 million proposed 2016/2017 budget is 4.73 percent higher than the current year budget. The nearly 5 percent budget-to-budget increase is due to the district’s share of the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Capital Project, she said.

“We pay our portion as an expense item,” Zacher said, and explained this is the first of a three-year contribution. A portion of the expense will be aided on the revenue side of the budget, she noted. Without the BOCES Capital Project, the budget-to-budget increase is 2.32 percent.

The 1.99 percent increase in the tax levy brings the average tax rate to approximately $22.81 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The proposed budget maintains current staffing and programs, District Superintendent Robert D’Angelo said.

The garden in the open courtyard area has flowers in bloom at the Holley Elementary School.

Zacher said on the appropriations side, health insurance costs have increased 6 to 7 percent over the current year.

On the revenue side, the district will receive $15.87 million in state aid. The district will collect $6.86 million with the tax levy.

Zacher noted the ending of the Gap Elimination Adjustment in the state budget will mean a restoration of $284,309 for the district. Foundation Aid increased 1.48 percent to $141,880.

The proposed budget uses $1.3 million of appropriated fund balance, Zacher said.

Voters will see three propositions on the ballot May 17.

Proposition 1 is the $24.4 million annual district budget; Proposition 2 regards authorizing the purchase of schools buses – two full-sized and two 30-passenger school buses not to exceed $339,000; Proposition 3 is the budget for the Community Free Library in Holley of $116,061.

Additionally, three candidates are running for two 3-year term seats on the School Board. John Heise and Brenda Swanger are running for re-election, and Christine Klafehn is also running for an open seat.

Before the annual meeting Tuesday evening, a meet the candidates forum was held. All three candidates discussed their desire to run for the School Board and also answered questions.

Both Heise and Swanger, who currently serves as School Board President, said they would like to continue serving the district. They have both been board members for 12 years.

“I’m proud of our district,” Swanger said.

Heise noted the district is seeing positive results of its programs with higher test scores. He currently serves as the Holley representative on the BOCES 2 Board of Education.

Christine Klafehn is a retired special education teacher and a former member of the Kendall Central School Board of Education, serving part of that time as president. She is also a former Kendall Recreation and Hamlin Recreation soccer coach. She noted her experience in Kendall would be helpful as the two districts plan to look into ways to work together.

“I know the district (Kendall) quite well,” she said.

Klafehn said she has been very happy with the education her children have received in the Holley Central School District. “I’m excited to put my name in the hat,” she said of her candidacy.

Voting will take place May 17 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the Holley Middle School/High School.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Those attending the Raise a Glass for Reading fundraiser Friday evening at the Community Free Library in Holley enjoyed sampling local wines and sweet and savory finger foods.

Adam and Aimee Mesiti of Five Sons Winery and RG Brewery in Brockport attended the Raise a Glass event for the first time.

Rows of wine glasses await attendees at the Raise a Glass for Reading fundraising event at the Community Free Library in Holley.

HOLLEY – The Community Free Library in Holley was a popular destination Friday evening as the fifth annual “Raise a Glass for Reading” was held from 7-9 p.m.

The event raises funds to support the library’s Summer Reading Program and features wine and beer tastings from local wineries and breweries, a farmer’s market and products from local entrepreneurs.

“Some people were here ten minutes early,” Library Director Sandra Shaw said. “All are happy.” She said the event gets people together, and for some groups of friends, the annual event has become a “ladies night out.”

The theme for the upcoming Summer Reading Program is, “On your mark, get set….read,” and focuses on the Summer Olympics, fitness and nutrition.

Shaw said the Raise a Glass event has raised $1,500 a year for the program. “That’s great for a small community,” she said.

Wineries, farms and businesses featured change a bit from year to year, she explained, so that a larger number of vendors can take part.

“Orleans County has got wonderful farms,” she observed.

Library Board President Barb Kerns said vendors appreciate taking part as much as patrons enjoy the tasting. “We got notes from the Niagara Wine Trail thanking us for featuring them,” she said of last year’s tasting.

Even New York State has also expressed its gratitude after the library submits its paperwork for holding the farmer’s market. Kerns says they appreciate that the library provides an opportunity to showcase local agricultural products.

This year’s wine vendors included A Gust of Sun Winery and Vineyard in Spencerport and Five Sons Winery and RG Brewery in Brockport, with returning favorites Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina and Schulze Vineyard and Winery in Burt. The Farmers’ Market featured maple products from Nice Family Farms in Albion and jellies, jams, annual bedding plants and vegetable plants, and crafts from Brightly’s Farm Market in Hamlin.

Jenn Fraiser of Brightly’s said the business opened last August. “We’re glad to be here,” she said of the Raise a Glass event.

Also featured Friday evening were entrepreneurs, Mrs. C’s Apothecary with lotions and herbal products, and Sue Johnson’s Susi’s Hot Sauce.

Live music – jazz, classical and Broadway – was provided by Sean and Wendy Williams of Sound Foundations.

A festive banner welcoming attendees to the 5th Annual Raise a Glass event at the Community Free Library in Holley.

HOLLEY – Village Board members on Wednesday evening adopted a $1.14 million budget for the general fund, which increases the tax rate increase 63 cents to $15.44 per $1,000 of assessed property. That’s an increase of 4.45 percent.

The Water Fund appropriation is $395,612 and the Sewer Fund appropriation is $157,650. The appropriation for the Department of Public Works is down 0.4 percent while the appropriation for the Village Police Department rises 17.4 percent. The employee benefit appropriation is down 36.5 percent.

The 2016/17 amount of the budget to be raised by taxes is $820,799, which is up 4.5 percent or $35,001 from $785,798 in the 2015/16 budget.

Trustees considered several options – from using $60,850 in Appropriated Fund Balance to keep the tax rate the same, to using no Fund Balance which would have raised the tax rate $1.14.

The option agreed upon added $10,000 to contingency and utilized $27,380 from Fund Balance. This option brings the anticipated Fund Balance after the new budget to $100,000. The 2016/17 budget was adopted by a unanimous vote.

Holley Mayor John Kenney, Jr., said work on the budget began last November and village leaders tried diligently to find savings wherever possible, despite the increasing costs of retirement and health insurance.

“The supervisors were good about addressing the needs of the village,” the mayor noted. “All services are maintained.”

Kenney encouraged village residents to get out and vote in the upcoming village election which will be held in June. Two trustee seats and the mayor are up for election.

Provided Photo

HOLLEY – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office acquired the STOP DWI “Courage to Serve” traveling display and it will be set up in the lobby at Holley Jr. Sr. High School for two weeks.

Chief Deputy Michael Mele and Principal Sue Cory are pictured with the display last week at the Holley school. The display will be available for each school district in Orleans County, said Sheriff Randy Bower.

The exhibit includes personal items from the DWI crash victims, such as photographs, clothes and drawings. There are also accounts from survivors, family members, friends and members of the community affected by the crash, as well as newspaper articles from DWI crashes.

For more on the traveling exhibit, click here.