Provided photo

HOLLEY – The leaders of the Holley Joint Fire District were sworn into office on Wednesday at the Holley Fire Hall on Thomas Street. The Fire District has a new fire chief with Kevin Dann. He succeeds Peter Hendrickson, who served as chief for five years.

The officers include, from left: Kevin Dann, fire chief; Harris Reed, deputy fire chief; Raymond McMillion, assistant fire chief; Eric Brett, captain; Robert Wood, lieutenant; and Susan Dann, EMS lieutenant. Ron Meiers, a lieutenant, isn’t pictured.

HOLLEY – Members of the Village of Holley Development Corporation had the group’s first meeting of the new year scheduled Monday evening, but due to a lack of quorum, and no new business on which to vote, no action was taken.

However, Board President Daniel Schiavone updated those attending on the status of the situation between the VHDC, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the village over the eight Diaz homes the VHDC is hoping to acquire and sell.

“We’re close to moving forward,” Schiavone said of the still unsigned agreement between the three parties. “The EPA has found the money to get lead evaluation (lead assessment) done on the eight properties.”

The evaluation will ascertain the level of lead contamination in the homes and how much cleanup would cost. Additionally, the EPA will provide information on the cost of the option of tearing down the homes and disposing of any contaminated materials.

Schiavone said the EPA expects reports by the end of the month and the information provided will make members of the VHDC, “… more comfortable with accepting ownership, once we have an idea of cleanup costs,” he said.

Progress on transferring ownership from the EPA to the VHDC stalled late last summer over wording in the agreement requiring certified lead abatement – the cost of which might threaten the future ability of the VHDC to sell the homes, Schiavone said.

The date for the next meeting of the VHDC was not set, but Schiavone said board members should be prepared to potentially, “vote to accept ownership of the homes,” at that time.

He explained that the VHDC has to sell the homes with the condition that the new owner has the money to cover cleanup costs. A certificate of occupancy will not be issued until proper cleanup is done by the new owner.

When the EPA comes through with information regarding the lead assessment, prospective buyers will “be clear on what the cost of cleanup would be,” Schiavone said.

He noted that with the homes valued between $0 and $60,000, once the cost of cleanup is factored in, the village might end up splitting perhaps $80,000 with the EPA for all eight properties. The EPA and the VHDC will split the money from the sale of the properties 50-50.

Currently the VHDC has no money and even $40,000 would be of benefit, Schiavone observed, allowing the Board to begin its mission of, “positive development for Holley. The goal is to get rid of vacant eyesores in our community … it makes Holley more attractive and takes our image up a notch,” he said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
CLARENDON – Firefighters work to put out a fire at the corner of Bennetts Corners Road and Fourth Section Road (Route 31A) on Wednesday night.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. The house at 4507 Bennetts Corners Road is owned by Geoffrey Whittier, who had it on a land contract to residents who recently moved in, a town official said. The residents weren’t in the house at the time of the fire. A neighbor managed to let the pets out of the house.

Firefighters said there were no injuries and the fire is under investigation.

Tim Adams, a Fancher-Hulberton-Murray firefighter, cuts through the metal roof. He uses ladders so he doesn’t slide off the roof. Not only are the metal roofs harder to cut through, but they are also slippery, firefighters said.

Tim Adams, left, is joined on the roof by Joseph Morlino, a F-H-M firefighter. They were working to cut through the roof to help ventilate the house.

Firefighters also work on the back of the house, which sustained damage.

Fran Gaylord, a Holley firefighter and deputy fire coordinator for Orleans County, operates the ladder truck for the Clarendon Fire Company. It was about 20 degrees out while firefighters worked to put out the fire.

Route 31A was closed to traffic near the Bennetts Corners Road intersection.

Dave Knapp, a fire investigator for the county, said he would check the heat source in the house to see if that was the cause. He said fires often happen once the cold weather hits and furnaces and fire places are used after sitting idle for months. He urged residents to make sure their chimneys are maintained and cleaned.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Clarendon Town Board members vote on annual designations and appointments Monday during the board’s organizational meeting. The group includes, from left: Councilman Marc Major, Councilman Paul Nicosia, Town Clerk Susan Colby, Town Supervisor Richard Moy, Attorney Karl Essler, Councilman Allen Robinson, and Councilman William Campbell.

CLARENDON – Members of the Clarendon Town Board met Monday evening for the organizational meeting to make annual designations and appointments.

As in 2015, the Town Board will meet regularly on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 16385 Church St., with the exception of August when the meeting will be held at the Historical Society Barn, 16426 Fourth Section Rd.

Allen Robinson was re-appointed Deputy Supervisor and committee appointments include: Highway Committee: Marc Major and Allen Robinson; Building Committee: Marc Major and Paul Nicosia; and Budget Committee: Supervisor Richard Moy and Allen Robinson.

Moy was appointed Town Marriage Officer with a term to expire Dec. 31, 2017.

“Anyone who wants to get married, I can do it,” Moy said following the appointment.

Additionally, council members decided not to hire a part-time laborer to assist the Water Department. Moy explained that there is a problem with people not paying water bills and he proposed that a part-time person could help Highway/Water Superintendent Larry Swanger with reading water meters, re-sets, repairs and turning water the water supply on and off.

“There are people out there not paying,” Moy said. “It’s got to be taken care of in a timely manner. It shouldn’t get to the point of being put on taxes.”

Swanger told the board he would handle the job. “I’ll get on it more often,” Swanger said.

Press Release, Holley Central School

HOLLEY – Holley Central School District has taken several measures over the last few years to ensure the safety of students and staff while they are on campus.

This includes employing security officers in both buildings, locking the doors at the beginning of the school day, issuing swipe cards to faculty and staff for building access, using video surveillance throughout the campus and performing lockdown drills.

“Even though there have been no incidents or threats to the security of Holley Central School District, given the current state of the world we’re living in, we’re being proactive by seamlessly integrating these measures into the regular school day,” said Robert D’Angelo, district superintendent.

Several years ago, the Board of Education approved the district contracting with C.O.P. Security to employ security officers in the Elementary School and Middle School/High School buildings during the school day, as well as during evening hours and special events.

The security officers are all former police officers or sheriff’s deputies from local law enforcement agencies. The officers patrol inside and outside the buildings daily and can be seen at district concerts and sporting events. The students greet the officers daily, and they have become very comfortable with the officers’ presence in the district.

D’Angelo is appreciative of their presence.

“They are part and parcel of the culture of the district,” said D’Angelo. “Everyone knows them. The presence of C.O.P. Security helps us maintain a safe and orderly environment. We gain from their experience with law enforcement, which adds to the safety and security of Holley Schools.”

Bob Lillie, who is a security officer at the Elementary School, approves of the measures Holley has taken to keep district employees and students safe.

“From what I’ve seen, Holley security is head and shoulders above the other schools in the area,” said Lillie. “We have to be so security conscious in this age, it just makes sense. Our presence has a calming effect on people because we’re there to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Lillie also enjoys the interaction he has with students. “I enjoy the kids. They crack me up with how honest they are. We’re able to fill in the gaps for the principals and give the kids a neutral person to talk to. In addition to providing security, I see myself and the other officers as ambassadors to get the kids to do right and make good choices. The staff has been very appreciative of having us here, too, and they tell us they feel better having us here.”

D’Angelo agrees. “The security officers are outstanding role models,” he said. “In the past, we’ve had them go into classrooms and talk about bike safety, perform car seat checks for the community, and educate students about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.”

The Board was also instrumental in approving locking the exterior doors to both buildings, issuing swipe cards to faculty and staff to gain entry, and equipping the campus with security cameras.

Security at the Elementary School was enhanced with the decision to contain visitors in the foyer by locking the interior doors to the main hallways. The Board also strives to make sure there are enough lights installed on campus for evening events as students travel between buildings and parking areas.

“I am so thankful that the Board of Education has been committed to taking the lead on adding security measures to the district,” said D’Angelo. “Without them, it wouldn’t happen.”

D’Angelo is part of the Superintendents and Law Enforcement Group, where the five Orleans County school superintendents meet with Orleans County law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office to collaborate on maintaining the safety and security of all Orleans County schools. Holley recently performed a lockdown drill in both schools and all agencies came together for the debriefing on the drill.

“The cooperation from these agencies has been phenomenal,” said D’Angelo. “They were very complimentary about how well the drill went in Holley.”

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Clarendon’s water tower is located next to the fire hall on Rt. 31A, just west of Route 237.

ALBION – Leaders in the Town of Clarendon are hoping the state will come through with funds to help with the cost of painting the municipal water tower.

Town Supervisor Richard Moy received a letter from State Sen. Robert Ortt in late November informing the town that he is working to secure funding to be used for capital improvements for municipalities in his district through the State and Municipal Facilities Capital Funding Program (SAM).

“It is my hope that you can provide my office with a short list of projects within your jurisdictions that fit the criteria that I have enclosed along with this letter to you,” Senator Ortt wrote.

Supervisor Moy responded earlier this month thanking Senator Ortt for informing the town of the funding source.

“This is very timely for the Town of Clarendon in that we are planning to paint our municipal water tower,” Moy informed Senator Ortt in a letter. “Any contribution to our water tower painting project would be greatly appreciated, as this cost would be a great burden to our taxpayers.”

According to Supervisor Moy, the water tower was built in 1998 and the estimated cost for painting is $500,000. The town included photographs of the interior of the water tower and a DVD with additional details along with the letter to Senator Ortt.

According to information provided to the town by Senator Ortt, all projects must be approved by the Division of Budget and the Executive after completion of a review process by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

Projects eligible for funding include major repair or renovation of a fixed asset, or assets which materially extend its useful life or materially improves or increase its capacity.

HOLLEY – Robert D’Angelo, superintendent of Holley Central School, says he plans to reach out to State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, State Sen. Robert Ortt and Congressman Chris Collins early in the new year to discuss the state’s tax cap and the burden placed on school districts by unfunded mandates.

“I want them to come and physically meet with us,” D’Angelo told members of the Holley Central School Board of Education during their regular meeting Monday evening.

D’Angelo said he will reach out to his Orleans County colleagues in other school districts and invite them to take part as well.

D’Angelo and Assistant Superintendent for Business Sharon Zacher have been researching unfunded mandates and have found that they account for $1.2 million of the district’s annual budget, a figure D’Angelo called conservative.

“It disturbs me as a superintendent … as many years as I can remember I have contacted legislators … with no action on the backside,” D’Angelo said.

He noted small rural districts are “under the gun” regarding the tax cap and unfunded mandates, but explained that overriding the tax cap is not realistic as a solution.

“We don’t have to hurt the taxpayer any more … every legislator values education, now is the time for the rubber to meet the road,” D’Angelo said.

He asked Board of Education members to assist him in his efforts by reaching out to politicians and asking them to please help the school district with Foundation Aid per student, which is the main source of general operation aid for school districts and takes into account student need and local ability to pay.

“Foundation Aid is where they can help, this is where we need to appeal to them. They have room to play with Foundation Aid. We don’t have to go to the taxpayers and burden them more,” D’Angelo said, and noted he is passionate about the issue and is determined to sit down and talk directly to lawmakers.

“I need more from them at this point,” he said. “Something has to give.”

“You have to reach out to them,” School Board President Brenda Swanger told him.

Sharon Zacher provided board members with a chart regarding Foundation Aid and added next year’s tax cap has the possibility of being zero. She told board members she will have more information for them regarding the Tax Cap during the January board meeting.

CLARENDON – The Clarendon Town Board is joining other municipalities around the state in a grass-roots initiative relating to the current tax cap.

Municipal officials are bound by a tax cap set by the state, limiting tax increases to no more than 2 percent annually. (Municipalities have the option of overriding the cap.)

Clarendon Town Board members last week agreed to sign a letter to Gov. Cuomo requesting, “… that the current Tax Cap legislation be revisited and amended in such ways as to alleviate what I am certain were its unforeseen negative consequences.”

In a letter dated Dec. 8, 2015, Orchard Park (Erie County) Supervisor Dr. Patrick J. Keem invited municipalities around the state to join together in signing letters to the governor which will be presented to his office before the end of this month.

Keem is also asking one elected official to serve as a community’s point of contact in regards to the tax cap and that one elected official be willing to travel to Albany on a date yet to be determined to meet with and encourage the governor and locally elected state officials to take some positive action.

“We are of the opinion that the time has come for local officials to do what we do best, namely, personally represent and attend to the needs of our respective communities,” Supervisor Keem wrote.

He called the current tax cap, “unsustainable at the local level,” and asked community leaders to work with all parties to achieve a tax cap that benefits residents.

The form letter thanks the governor for his determination to bring tax relief to residents of the state. However, “… in the absence of mandate relief and/or increased state and federal aid, and given the reality of stagnated revenue streams, in spite of our ongoing efforts to consolidate services where feasible, local governments have begun to experience financial stress, and is some cases distress, in our efforts to comply with the current iteration of the tax cap,” the letter states.

Additionally the letter states many local communities are having to draw down to reserve funds to unhealthy levels, reduce services, eliminate some employees and submit to options that, in the long term, “will prove costly both in terms of service and expenses (e.g., infrastructure).”

“Furthermore, it appears that the tax cap is not currently applied in an equitable manner among all governments,” the letter continues.

Clarendon officials say that it is hoped that personal contact and visits to Albany will help to address the situation and note highway superintendents annually travel to Albany to discuss concerns, issues and funding.