Photos from Murray Joint Fire District

MURRAY – A truck hauling corn overturned on Monday afternoon shutting down Ridge Road for  a few hours.

The driver of the truck for Shelby Transportation was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for minor injuries, Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary said.

The truck was hauling corn west to the ethanol plant in Medina. The truck driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned at about 1:45 p.m. between Hindsburg and Petersmith roads.

Murray firefighters were assisted at the scene by the State Police, Orleans County Sheriff’s office, Orleans County Emergency Management and the state Department of Transportation.

Ray Kerhaert’s Towing & Auto Repair in Rochester was able to get the truck back upright. No additional information is available.

Provided photos

HOLLEY – It was another huge effort today from Holley for the annual Canal Clean Sweep, a state-wide effort along the Erie Canal towpath and in the canal communities.

This group of Holley students gathers for a photo with some staff before heading out to pick up trash along the towpath, canal park, village streets and Lynch Road and Hurd Road outside the village.

Before heading out the group was addressed by Holley Mayor Mark Bower and District Superintendent Brian Bartalo.

Many of the students were in the Interact Club in the middle-high school, and the EarlyAct kids in the elementary school. There are about 100 students in the Interact Club. EarlyAct started this year in the elementary school and has about 40 members.

Casey Onisk, a senior and Interact member, designed the T-shirts.

The 100-plus students and many teachers and administrators is up from about 75 last year.

“This day has grown every year,” said Samantha Zelent, the Interact Club advisor and a school counselor. “For small Holley to have this large of a turnout really speaks volumes about us.”

EarlyAct member McKenna Seaward, school staff member Jean Smith, and parent Eric Frendendall grab garbage along the canal.

Middle School Interact Club members Ava Mosier, Chloe Bowen and Addyson Moyer check the Public Square for litter.

A group of Interacters joins Karri Schiavone, left, the elementary school principal.

There was lots of trash to be picked up in the village and out in the countryside.

Some Interacters found a lost rooster.

Interacter Desiree McCormack and Rotarian Jeff Martin fill a trash bag while out on Lynch Road.

A group of middle school boys and 6th grade teacher Dustin Gardner found lots of trash and also a ski, a bat, golf balls and 13 dollars.

HOLLEY – The school district will allow community youth soccer teams to use the Woodlands soccer complex.

Holley’s youth teams have played their home games at the JP’s fields off Route 31 near the Holley Business ark. But the Holley Soccer Club is growing with more teams, said Harris Reed, the club president.

The club reached out to the school district about having use of the Woodlands fields. Those fields are considered among the nicest in the area, and even hosted the state soccer tournament in the late 1990s.

Brian Bartalo, the school district superintendent, said the two full-size fields will be available for the community youth soccer program. There will also be some tree-clearing at the site to remove some dead ash trees.

There are 150 kids in the Holley Soccer Club, Reed said. The club only has one full-size field at JP’s and several other smaller fields there. The Woodlands complex gives the program more options for scheduling games.

“Our Soccer Club is growing and we want to keep it growing,” Reed said. “With the Woodlands now we can accommodate more teams and games.”

Holley will use Woodlands for games only, Reed said. He appreciates the district making them available for the club soccer program.

“This will mean a lot to the kids,” Reed said. “That is a one-of-kind field. It’s out in the woods.”

The Holley Soccer Club also is raising funds for the program, including a first-time chicken barbecue on May 20 at the JP’s site. Those tickets are available pre-sale only. Contact a soccer player or check the club’s website for more information.

HOLLEY – Mayor Mark Bower will lead a town hall meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss vandalism at village-owned sites in the community, including the bathrooms/shower facility by the canal and the bathrooms at the Firemen’s Field on North Main Street.

“We want to mobilize our residents to all be on the same page,” Bower said about making people aware of the vandalism. “What can everyone do to minimize the amount of vandalism we experience?”

Police Chief Bob Barton is expected to provide information about the number of incidents and extent of the damages.

“It has been unreal on North Main Street,” Bower said about the Firemen’s Field park. “At the canal bathroom building the fixtures have been ripped out of the wall, things get smashed, and there is graffiti. We’ve got to do something about it.”

The mayor will lead a discussion about the issue from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the village office in the former Holley High School.

He would like to do two town hall meetings a year with a focus on a pressing issue in the community. He also will give residents a chance to ask questions about other concerns.

Bower said he also will be forming a mayor’s advisory council that he would like to have in place next month to help identify and address issues in the village.

‘We’re not a target district but we still have work to do, and the Regents is one of them.’ – Holley School Superintendent Brian Bartalo

Photo by Tom Rivers: Brian Bartalo, Holley school district superintendent, said the district remains committed to continuous improvement for students.

HOLLEY – School district leaders announced Holley, after four years, is no longer considered a “target” school district in need of improvement.

The district has made solid gains academically and is off the list of target districts by the State Education Department. Holley was put on the list in January 2019 due to low scores for seventh- and eighth-graders. At that time Holley was one of 106 school districts on the list out of 733 districts in the state.

The district’s performance in state standardized tests for seventh- and eighth-graders was in the lowest 5 percent at the time, said Brendan Keiser, the district’s director of Teaching and Learning.

“We did it – we’re off the list,” Keiser told the Board of Education on Monday. “It’s been a journey. The last four years have been incredible.”

Keiser and Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent, praised students, parents, teachers, administrators and board of education members for committing to improvement.

“It felt like a burden but it gave us a path, and we will continue on that path,” Bartalo said.

Being on the list of target districts brought about $250,000 in additional state resources annually to Holley for consultants, educational materials and resources. Holley will continue to utilize consultants as it pushes for continuous improvement, Keiser said. The district can tap into its federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act for those resources.

While the district has seen strong improvement in student performance, Bartalo and Keiser said high school Regents scores continue to lag, despite Holley’s high graduation rate.

Holley will make raising Regents scores a focus in the immediate future. The district also wants to improve academic performance for students in special education. Hispanic students in the middle school also are a subgroup with low scores on standardized tests, Keiser said.

Bartalo said he will be discussing a strategic plan on April 28 with teachers that will focus on the next five years at Holley. The four years as a target school provided a blueprint for raising student achievement, Bartalo said.

“We’re not a target district but we still have work to do, and the Regents is one of them,” Bartalo said.

Robin Silvis, the board president, praised the district and community for their efforts, especially during the Covid pandemic, to boost student achievement.

“It felt yucky to be a target district,” Silvis said. “It was a gut punch and we took the tools to make it work. There has been substantial growth here.”

HOLLEY – The Board of Education approved a proposed $28,920,000 school budget for 2023-24 that would increase property taxes by 1.49 percent.

The budget goes to a public vote on May 16 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the junior-senior high school.

The tax levy increase is under the district’s allowable tax cap of 3.79 percent, said Sharon Zacher, Holley’s assistant superintendent for business.

The levy would increase by 1.49 percent or $115,034 to $7,835,466. That is the smallest increase since taxes were increased by 1.35 percent in 2017-18. The following years the tax levy increase was 2.0 percent in 2018-19, 2.5 percent in 2019-20, and then 1.95 percent for each of three years from 2020-21 to 2022-23.

The budget shows a 7.81 percent spending increase or by $1,938,000 – up from the $26,982,000 in the current school year.

The increase is driven by inflation and contractual agreements, Zacher said on Monday while going over the budget during the Board of Education meeting.

Holley would get a big boost in Foundation Aid from the state – 15.99 percent or $1,869,196 more, from $11,623,776 to $13,492,972, based on the governor’s budget. The state budget remains at an impasse, nearly three weeks late. Zacher said the increase proposed by the governor makes up for some of the lagging aid from the state in recent years through Foundation Aid.

The district also is planning a capital outlay project that won’t exceed $100,000 with state aid covering up to 92.3 percent of the cost. The projects include middle/high school door replacement and hardware – roof access doors, custodial hall to gym vestibule fire doors, auditorium stage door going to the mezzanine, and fob access to the main office, counseling and library.

The ballot on May 16 will also include a proposition authorizing the district to spend up to $338,000 for two full-size buses and one smaller bus.

Another proposition will authorize Holley to collect $200,815 for Community Free Library – up from $194,966 in 2022-23.

There are also three candidates running for the Board of Education – Dan Cater, Trina Lorentz and Robin Silvis. The seats are currently filled by Silvis, the board president, and Andrea Newman.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – Adam Blosenhauer of the Murray Joint Fire District is on the scene of a brush fire on Hindsburg Road in Murray this afternoon.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 3:13 p.m. This is a vineyard and field with lots of wood next to the Salamaca Estate Winery near Ridge Road.

Adam Blosenhauer puts out the field fire on Hindsburg Road. Firefighters from Murray and Albion doused the fire which devoured much of the vineyard.

Matt Francis of the Albion Fire Department carries this hose through the vineyard.

Murray firefighters – right to left Assistant Chief Jimmy Fox, Assistant Chief David Smith and Lieutenant Adam Blosenhauer – hose down chunks of wood and grass.

The dry conditions and temperatures near 70 have the area vulnerable to brush fires, firefighters said.

An outdoor burn ban is in effect from March 16 through May 14. Fox, the assistant chief, said the owners of the property didn’t start the fire. A fire investigator is at the scene to try to determine the cause.

Fox said firefighters started battling the brush fire closest to the winery and moved towards to the vineyard to make sure the fire didn’t get to the barn on site, which has been used for Salamanca Estate Winery.

Albion firefighters used a deck gun to send water into the field that was smoking and hot from the fire. John Papponetti of the Albion FD is up top on the truck.

District responded to 776 calls in 2022, up about 100 from previous year

Photos by Tom Rivers: Don Blosenhauer receives certificates of commendation for 50 years of service a firefighter in Fancher-Hulberton-Murray. He is congratulated by, from left, county legislators John Fitzak, Ed Morgan and Skip Draper (representing State Sen. Rob Ortt), and Eileen Banker (representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley).

CLARENDON – The Murray Joint Fire District held its installation dinner and awards banquet on Saturday at the Clarendon rec hall. The joint district includes firefighters from Fancher-Hulberton-Murray and Holley. They started a joint district on Jan. 1, 2021.

Two firefighters were recognized for 50 years of service. James Mingano has a half century with Holley. He was unable to attend the dinner.

Don Blosenhauer also was honored for 50 years of service, all as an active firefighter. Blosenhauer joined Fancher-Hulberton-Murray at age 18. His father Joseph was one of the charter members of FHM, and young Don hung out at the firehall often as a kid. He eagerly joined as a volunteer firefighter when he turned 18.

“It seemed exciting,” he said on Saturday. “I don’t regret any of it. It’s a lot of camaraderie.”

Blosenhauer worked his way up as a line officer and twice served as chief of FHM. In December he was elected as one of the commissioners of the Murray Joint Fire District.

Mark Porter, president of the Murray Joint Fire District Board of Commissioners, presents a plaque to Don Blosenhauer in appreciation for 50 years of service as volunteer firefighter.

Blosenhauer said training requirements are much more demanding now than when he started, and those requirements keep many from volunteering. He said those regulations, while time-consuming, make firefighting safer for the volunteers.

“It has changed a lot,” he said about the fire service. “There is much more of a safety focus now.”

Blosenhauer has two sons who are active firefighters: Adam and DJ. Blosenhauer’s wife Mary also has been active with the Ladies Auxiliary for about 40 years. Her father, John Sanderson, also was a charter member at FHM.

Blosenhauer said his family has been very understanding of the times when he left family gatherings and missed some of his children’s activities to respond to a fire call or other emergency.

He said he plans to keep staying active as a firefighter. He retired two years ago after a full-time career that included working as a welder, at a stone quarry in Hulberton, as a fabricator with the former Liftec in Holley, and lastly at Bonduelle in Brockport.

Rick Cary, the fire district chief, said firefighters from FHM and Holley responded to 776 calls in 2022, which was up about 150 from the previous year. EMS was the leading call, followed by lift assists, Cary said.

He commended the Murray firefighters for also assisting on about 100 mutual aid calls.

“That speaks not only to the dedication to our community but to our neighbors as well,” Cary said.

Cary announced the fire district will be looking to step up fire prevention efforts this year, educating people from Pre-K to senior citizens.

Fire Chief Rick Cary presents Colton Tuttle with the top responder award. Tuttle made it to about 600 of the fire district calls which Cary said is amazing dedication.

Richard “Dick” Alvut walks to the podium to accept the chief’s award from Rick Cary. Alvut has been very dedicated to the fire district, especially with the fire police. About 140 people attended Saturday’s dinner and banquet.

Frank Balys also is commended for 25 years of volunteer service as a Holley firefighter. He received awards from the local legislators, the Murray Joint Fire District and the Holley Fire Department.

Greg Stafford also was recognized for 30 years to the Holley Fire Department.

Mark Porter presents a plaque to Ed Morgan for his 30 years of service as a fire commissioner, including with the transition to a joint fire district. Most of his time was with the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray fire district.

Fran Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Department, presents a president’s award to Kevin Dann for all of his assistance, including helping to organize the department’s roster on the computer.

Gaylord also said Ron Meiers, a long-time member who was unable to attend the dinner on Saturday, also will get a president’s award for his reliability to the department in so many ways.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Gabe Lindsay stars as Willy Wonka in Holley Junior-Senior High School’s production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka. This is from the opening scene of “Pure Imagination” and Willy Wonka is joined by Oompa-Loompas.

Holley performs the musical with shows at 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Junior-Senior High School Auditorium.

Tickets are available online. Click here for more information.

Ava Quincey plays the role of Charlie Bucket, left, and Charlie is very excited to have found a golden ticket in one of the Wonka chocolate bars. Charlie will be joined by Grandpa Joe (played by Owen Schultz) in a tour of the Wonka chocolate factory.

They are singing one of the shows catchy numbers, “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.”

The Holley musical is directed by Dustin Gardner. Gardner played the role of Willy Wonka when he was a Kendall student in 2009.

Gardner made his directing debut for Holley last year with Footloose. He said Willy Wonka has a broad appeal to people of all ages. There are 40 students in the cast and another 20 in the crew.

“I’m most excited for the kids who are in a production for the first time,” Gardner said before Tuesday’s rehearsal. “Once they get the lights on them it’s a rush you can’t explain.”

Jax Richards-Dyson is Phineous Trout, a reporter who announces the winners of the Golden Ticket contest throughout the show. Here he interviews Augustus Gloop (played by Jose-Angel Valentin) and Mrs. Gloop (Maggie Skehan).

Augustus loves to eat, and sings “I Eat More!”

Valentin speaks in a German accent and wears some padding for the role. He said the cast members have been very excited about Willy Wonka.

“We’re very much out of our comfort zones,” Valentin said.

Phineous Trout interviews Violet Beauregarde (Ellie Quincey) and her mother, Mrs. Beauregarde (Allison Merle) after Violet finds one of the five Golden Tickets. Violet is a prolific chewer of gum.

(Left) Jayda Shampine plays Veruca Salt, a very wealthy, spoiled brat who sings, “I Want It Now.” Her father is played by Kohle Pachla. (Right) Mike Teavee (Nico Unterborn) is also one of the five Golden Ticket winners. He is addicted to video games. His mother is played by Isla Schultz.

Gabe Lindsay also plays the role of the “The Candy Man.” He sells Wonka chocolate bars. Charlie is the only kid too poor to buy one.

Lindsay said the show has been fun for the cast and crew. The musical sends a powerful theme, he said.

“Don’t be mean, and don’t be a greedy little kid.”

HOLLEY – The village is looking to add security cameras to the canal park including gazebo, bathrooms and shower facility, a kiosk with artwork and part of the canal path.

Holley is pursuing proposals from different companies to provide the service as well as WiFi access. Mayor Mark Bower wants cameras on the village’s assets by the canal, especially because Holley is spending $15,200 to tear off and install new shingles on gazebo, bathrooms and kiosk, and replace any rotten plywood on the cupola. The Village Board last month approved the bid from Roger Passarell Construction for that work.

In other action at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting:

• The board voted to continue the real estate listing of the former Village Office building at 72 Public Square for $74,900. That building from 1888 has 4,554 square feet. Click here to see the listing by Early Sunrise Realty.

• Approved hiring Chad Fabry of Murray as a backup part-time code enforcement officer at $27 per hour. He will fill in if Carol McNees is unavailable. Fabry is the code enforcement officer for the Village of Brockport.

• Hired Theresa Weed at $14.25 an hour for up to 20 to organize the paper files and filing for code enforcement office and zoning and planning board.

• Appointed Trustee John Morriss to serve as deputy mayor. He succeeds Connie Nenni who resigned from the Village Board last month.

“I very much miss the previous deputy mayor,” Mayor Bower said. “I appreciate everything that Connie did.”

• Sandra Shaw, director of the Community Free Library in Holley, invited the board members to attend a wine-tasting at the library from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 28. Tickets are $25 each or two for $40 and proceeds go towards funding summer programs at the library.

• Former Mayor and Police Chief Lewis Passarell asked if Holley is staffing its police department 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Passarell said it looks like some shifts aren’t being filled.

Police Chief Bob Barton said the department has frequent turnover, with two of the full-time officers recently leaving for larger departments with higher salaries.

“Are there gaps in the schedule? Absoutely,” Barton responded. “We do the best that we can to provide you with 24-7.”

Barton said there is currently one open shift during the week. He said the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and State Police help cover the needs of the community. But Passarell said that comes at a slower response than from the Holley officers.

When fully staffed Holley has three full-time officers including the police chief, and eight part-timers.

• Set 6 p.m. on April 11 for a public hearing on the village budget for 2023-24. Bower said the budget is shaping up to be under the tax cap. However, Holley approved a resolution to have the option to override the tax cap, which is about a 2 percent increase. That override was “a precautionary measure” in case the final numbers exceed the cap, Bower said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Rollin Hellner, founder and CEO of Hellner Development Company, said the village is putting up roadblocks in his efforts to upgrade the Holley Hotel.

HOLLEY – The developer looking to acquire the Holley Hotel and upgrade the site, with some of the units to be available for hotel rooms, said he is close to walking away from the project due to roadblocks from village officials.

Rollin Hellner, founder and CEO of Hellner Development Company, said the village has put a stop work order on his attempts to resolve code violations and secure a certificate of occupancy.

He has been working on the building while finalizing a deal with Kathy Blackburn to acquire the site.

Hellner spoke at Tuesday’s Village Board and said Holley has been a difficult municipality to work with, compared to his experiences in other communities, including the City of Buffalo where he said he did a $28 million renovation project.

“It is a really beautiful historical building,” Hellner said about the Holley Hotel. “Our goal is to clean it up.”

Residents in apartments at the Holley Hotel were forced to leave the site on Aug. 24 after the previous village code enforcement officer deemed the building was unsafe and unsanitary on Aug. 3. Residents were given three weeks to find alternative housing.

Hellner said Blackburn made progress with many of the violations and public health issues. He said the rodent and bed bug issues are resolved. The fire escape also has been repaired.

He would like to move forward but isn’t clear why the village stopped work on the building.

“There are currently no hazards,” he said. “A certificate of occupancy should be issued.”

Mayor Mark Bower said at the meeting he didn’t appreciate Hellner’s characterization of village employees and how they’ve handled the issues at the site.

Contacted today he said that Holley’s attorney John Sansone and code enforcement officer Carol McNees are meeting with Hellner to discuss the situation.

Danny’s Equipment, which includes small engine repair, to close on June 30

Photos by Tom Rivers: Danny Dill and his wife Nancy are in the show room today at Danny’s Equipment at 122 W. Albion St. (Route 31) in Holley. Dill is retiring on June 30 and will be closing the business which he started at age 21 in 1977.

HOLLEY – Danny Dill is calling it a career. For nearly 50 years he has sold outdoor power equipment and repaired small engines.

On June 30, he is retiring and closing Danny’s Equipment at 122 West Albion St. He started the business when he was 21 in 1977. He has grown the size of the business, and added two full-time employees. His wife Nancy also joined the operation in 1986 as the accountant and office manager.

“Thank you to all of the people who have supported us over the years,” Dill said today at Danny’s. “We have enjoyed it.”

Dill, 67, and his wife are going to retire while they feel very healthy and can travel to see their daughter out west and Dill’s sister in Idaho. They want to enjoy life without the daily demands of running the business.

Dill said sales have steadily grown each year with people seeking snowblowers, lawn mowers, power blowers, chainsaws, log splitters and weed trimmers. Dill manages the sales while Mark Jackman has been the small engine repair mechanic for 25 years. Ian McGraw has worked for Danny’s the past two years. He does some repairs and makes deliveries, helping customers set up the equipment.

Danny’s is a dealer for products made by Stihl, Toro and Ariens.

“Our service and knowledge is what sets us apart,” he said. “It gives us an advantage.”

Danny Dill has been a fixture along Route 31, selling lawn mowers, snowblowers and other outdoor power equipment.

Danny’s has worked with customers going back two to three generations. They like equipment that he calls “labor savings devices,” especially in winter when it’s much easier to start a snowblower than shovel heavy snow.

The zero-turn lawnmowers have been especially popular in the past 25 years. Customers with big yards can cover a lot of ground in about half the time as a typical riding lawn mower, and the zero-turn mower has much more maneuverability, Dill said.

“People are very busy,” he said. “They want something where they can get the job done faster.”

Dill also has seen a transition to more battery-powered equipment.

He was planning a career as automotive technician. He earned a degree from Alfred State in auto tech, but instead started fixing lawnmowers. His services were in demand right away and Dill never looked back.

“It’s been a very challenging career,” he said. “I’ve always looked forward to it, to coming to work each day.”