Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Firefighters cut a hole in the roof at 34 Orchard St. and were able to put out a fire in the attic.

It took about 20 minutes for firefighters to get the fire under control, said Kevin Dann, deputy chief for the Holley Fire Department. The initial call went out at 11:50 p.m. on Friday.

Shari Brooks lives at the house with her husband and daughter, and their dog. Everyone got out of the house.

Clarendon, Holley, Hamlin, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, and Morton all responded to the fire, which is under investigation.

Provided photo – The Community Free Library uses two buildings in the Public Square in the Village of Holley. The library wants to replace the roofs on both buildings.

HOLLEY – The Community Free Library is working to replace roofs on two historic buildings in the downtown, a project that is estimated to cost $40,000.

The library has $25,000 set aside for the project at 86 Public Square. It is trying to raise the funds for the remainder. Both roofs have been leaking, said Sandra Shaw, library director.

The library put out bids for the project and its board of directors will meet Monday to pick a contractor for the project, she said.

Holley Elementary School students are trying to help the library meet the $15,000 shortfall for the project. The Student Council created coin collectors to place in local businesses for the project.

Provided photo – Elementary Student Council members are pictured with coin collectors to be placed in local businesses. The group includes, from left: Rachael Howard, Allyson Skehan, Makayla Famoly, Skyla Milazzo, Elise Quincey and Storm Boyce.

Provided photo – The ‘Raise the Roof’ containers are in several Holley businesses.

Larry Dabney, a retired Holley teacher, also serves on the library board. He helped the students create the containers. His grandson, Thomas Dobri, is also on the Student Council.

Shaw said she appreciates the efforts from the students and the community support.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said this morning. “We have a great community here.”

The containers have been placed in the following locations: Community Free Library, Village of Holley offices, Dr. Schiavone’s practice, First Niagara, Sam’s Diner, Heath & Martin, Nationwide office, Dr. Thompson’s office, Kurtz’s Car Care, Wiley’s Ark Animal Care, Save-A-Lot, Holley Pharmacy, and the Holley Post Office. Donations can be made at the library and collection containers can also be found at Holley Elementary.

Shaw said she is pursuing grants and other funding for the project. She had hoped the county budget would include an increase for libraries, but the proposed budget again calls for $10,000 to be shared by the four public libraries in the county.

Provided Photo

HOLLEY – Boy Scouts collected and delivered 1,133 food items to the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley on Saturday.

Boy Scouts in Troop 59 in Clarendon and Cub Scouts in Holley’s Pack 62 worked together to canvas the community for the food. The Scouts also sorted it for Community Action. The food will be used to fill the Thanksgiving holiday food baskets for needy families in our area.

Cub Scouts pictured with some of the food include, front row, from left: Tyler Moore, Kaden Rheinwald, John Kuhls and Damien Frazer. Second row: Braden Read, Ethan Gonzalez and Dawson Arnold. Back row: John Patt.

Old School, Public Square eyed for historic district

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tania Werbizky, regional director of technical and grant programs for the Preservation League of New York, discusses a $5,000 grant with Holley Mayor John Kenney while the two stand in front of the old Holley High School. The League is giving Holley the grant to help with its application to get a cluster of about 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

HOLLEY – Wayne Goodman drove into Holley this afternoon from Rochester. He passed through the mid to late 19th century buildings in the Public Square and then saw churches made of Medina sandstone.

The old Holley High School is a dominant presence at the corner of routes 31 and 237, and many grand residential homes are nearby.

“You have a beautiful village here,” Goodman, executive director for the Landmark Society of Western New York, said at presentation today when the village received a $5,000 grant.

That money will pay a consultant, Bero Architecture of Rochester, to help Holley with its application to be included on the state and national registers of historic places. Bero will help with the research, writing and compilation of the application that could include 40 buildings in the Public Square and surrounding neighborhoods.

Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, said Holley has many historic resources that are worthy of recognition at the state and national levels. He is pictured with Mayor John Kenney.

Goodman said Holley is deserving of the recognition. It’s historic sites are largely intact and they remain from the canal’s heyday in the 1800s.

“So many communities strive to achieve the power of place and Holley has that,” Goodman said while standing next to the old Holley High School.

The school was built in 1930 and has been vacant for about 20 years. Mayor John Kenney said several developers have eyed the site for senior apartments.

If the school is included on the state and national registers, a developers could access up to 40 percent of the project’s rehab costs in tax credits. That could be a difference in getting the building restored and back as a contributing asset to the community, bringing tax base and jobs to the village, Goodman said.

“This is another step in the revitalization process,” Kenney said.

The old Holley High School is not beyond saving, preservation officials said today. The Landmark Society named the school one of its “Five to Revive” last year, trying to draw attention and resources to the site.

Tania Werbizky, regional director of technical and grant programs for the Preservation League of New York, presented Kenney with the $5,000 ceremonial check this afternoon. She said the grants were competitively selected.

Holley stood out as a canal town with enviable historic resources, she said. The Preservation League also was impressed with recent improvements to the commercial district in the Public Square, and the village’s commitment to bringing back the old school.

“We think Holley is primed to take advantage of this program,” Werbizky said about the tax credits from the state and national registers. “We’d love to come back for a ribbon-cutting in the near future.”

Holley’s Public Square includes many commercial sites from the mid to late 1800s.

The school closed in 1975. Kenney, a retired Holley teacher, started his career working out of the building. Village Trustee Kevin Lynch and County Legislator John DeFillipps were both in the Class of 1975, the last to graduate from the school.
Lynch marveled at the school’s solid condition, despite years of neglect.

The building may have many broken windows, and the front columns may be gone, but the Landmark Society has seen buildings in far worse shape be rehabilitated, said Larry Francer, associate director of preservation for the Landmark Society.

“We see nothing here but potential,” said Caitlin Meives, preservation planner for the Landmark Society.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Holley Central School celebrated a $32 million renovation, including a new addition, in September 2013. The district is now eyeing $8.9 million in other improvements.

HOLLEY – The dust has settled on about $32 million of school improvements at Holley Central School. But more work needs to be done and the district is ready to pursue “nuts and bolts” on improvements that weren’t part of a recent capital project, said Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent.

The Board of Education last week voted to put an $8.9 million capitol project to the community for a vote on Dec. 9. The project includes roof top HVAC units, windows, radiators, flooring and exterior doors. The district also wants to improve the student drop-off area and the playground at the elementary school and move the tennis courts.

The district already has $2.5 million set aside in a capital reserve account to cover the local share of the project, which will be mostly paid for from the state. Waiting on this project also allowed Holley to access additional state funds for capital projects, school officials said.

“In essence, when all is said and done, the community will receive almost $40 million of capital project work at zero local tax impact,” D’Angelo said.

D’Angelo expects the projects in the capital plan will make the district more efficient and reduce energy costs. The work would likely be completed in 2016 and 2017.

Photos by Tom Rivers – George Maziarz receives a standing ovation during the Orleans County Republican Fall Rally on Friday at Hickory Ridge Country Club in Holley.

HOLLEY – For nearly two decades George Maziarz has been a ubiquitous presence in Orleans County, appearing at numerous fire department banquets, community parades, ribbon-cuttings and many other events.

Maziarz, a state senator since 1995, also worked hard for the county behind the scenes, advocating for residents and local officials, trying to bring state resources into the community.

“We’re going to miss him for lots and lots of reasons,” State Assemblyman Steve Hawley told about 300 Republicans at the fall rally. “He’s known as the hardest working senator in Albany.”

Maziarz is retiring from the State Senate and from nearly four decades of public service that started when he was appointed city clerk in North Tonawanda at age 25. The Niagara County resident said he won’t miss the frequent drives to Albany. He wants more time for his wife Beverly and their family.

Maziarz said he will remain a frequent presence in Orleans County, connecting with friends and helping to elect Republicans.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

The Republican Party dedicated its fall yearbook to Maziarz on Friday and announced a plaque will hang in his honor in the County Legislature chambers.

Maziarz was credited with helping advance many projects in the county, including the construction of the $90 million ethanol plant in Medina by Western New York Energy. Maziarz said he tried to direct more low-cost hydropower allocations to projects in the county.

He made special note of Camp Rainbow in the Town of Ridgeway. Maziarz and several state legislators secured state funds for the camp, which is owned and operated by The Arc of Orleans County.

“Camp Rainbow is a little piece of Heaven right here in Orleans County,” Maziarz said. “God’s work is being done there.”

The Republican Party is backing Rob Ortt, the North Tonawanda mayor, to succeed Maziarz in the Senate. Ortt is challenged by Johnny Destino, an attorney and member of the boards of education for Niagara Falls and the Orleans-Niagara BOCES.

Rob Ortt addresses Orleans County Republicans on Friday during the fall rally.

Ortt has been North Tonawanda’s mayor for nearly five years. He served in the National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan from March to December 2008. Prior to being elected mayor, he served as the city’s treasurer and then clerk-treasurer.

“He’s made the right decisions,” Maziarz said about Ortt. “That’s why I felt very comfortable stepping aside.”

Ortt told Repblicans he will work to repeal the SAFE Act, a controversial gun control measure passed in January 2013. He also said he would work to get rid of Common Core in schools.

The capitol needs more conservative voices from Upstate New York, Ortt said.

He told the group he would be an advocate for farmers, small business owners and Constitutional rights.

The group was also addressed by Rob Astorino, the candidate for governor, and Congressman Chris Collins. Collins, after a bitterly fought election win two years ago over Kathy Hochul, faces a little known challenger in Jim O’Donnell, a Buffalo police officer.

Jane Corwin of Clarence also spoke at the rally. Her district includes the Town of Shelby in Orleans County. She isn’t opposed this election.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia has served in the Assembly for nearly nine years. He touted his perfect pro-business voting record. Unshackle Upstate has given him a perfect 100 for each of the past six years. Hawley said he is the only candidate with that distinction over six years.

He faces a challenge on Nov. 4 from Libertarian Party candidate Mark Glogowski of Hamlin.

Bob Antonacci, the Onondaga County comptroller, is running for state comptroller against incumbent Tom DiNapoli. If elected Antonacci would be the first state comptroller who is a certified public accountant. He said he has the skills to watch over taxpayers’ money.

Several candidates for State Supreme Court also attended the fall rally, including Frederick Marshall, Paul Wojtaszek, Jeannette Ogden and Dennis Ward.

Astorino says he will take aim at taxes, SAFE Act, Common Core

Photos by Tom Rivers – Rob Astorino, the Republican Party candidate for governor, addresses about 300 people Friday night during the Republican Party Fall Rally. He was joined at the head table by, pictured from left: Beverly Maziarz, her husband State Sen. George Maziarz, and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

HOLLEY – A crowd of 300 attended the Orleans County Republican Fall Rally on Friday night, and they were told to work hard to get out the vote on Nov. 4, especially for Rob Astorino, the candidate for governor against incumbent Andrew Cuomo.

“We are peaking at the right time,” Astorino told the Republicans in Orleans County. “This race will come down to Upstate New York. The dirty secret here is New York City is not going to vote this year. It’s going to be a very quiet election in New York City, which means every vote Upstate matters more than you know.”

Cuomo has a 21-point lead over Astorino, 54 to 33 percent, in a Siena poll released on Wednesday. (Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins is eroding some Cuomo support with 9 points in the poll.)

Astorino said he has been narrowing the gap, and he expects Republicans and Conservatives to show up big for the election.

“The mighty will be cast down from their throne,” Astorino told the GOP crowd at Hickory Ridge Country Club. “That’s going to happen on Nov. 4.”

Astorino has been an underdog before. He is county executive of Westchester County, which has a big enrollment edge for Democrats. He overcame that to win in Westchester, and he said his broad support has helped him reduce county spending and promote job growth in Westchester County.

Astorino said he would push to reduce taxes, repeal the SAFE Act for gun control and also get rid of the Common Core in schools.

“This race is much closer than anybody knows,” Astorino said. “There is one person who knows how close it is besides me and that’s Andrew Cuomo. He has spent already $30 million in this race, $30 in pure negative, false ads. Have you seen the soup commercial? He wouldn’t have spent half of that if he didn’t have to. He knows what we know. New York City is going to be quiet. Upstate New York is going to be our country. It’s going to matter the suburbs, where I am from.”

Rob Astorino addresses the GOP crowd after being introduced by Ed Morgan, the Orleans County Republican Party chairman.

Astorino flew back home after addressing the crowd at Hickory Ridge. He said he will be up early Saturday to campaign in Long Island.

“If we win the suburbs, we win the race,” he said.

Ed Morgan, the Orleans County Republican Party chairman, praised Astorino for working so hard in the race. Morgan said the candidate has proven he can connect with voters from all parties and get things done in public office.

Orleans County Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by about a 2 to 1 ratio. Astorino said he will need a big effort at the polls from Republicans.

“You are ready to roar,” he said in his speech. “The silent majority is waking up in this state. Enough of the high taxes, enough of the terrible economy, enough of the absolute corruption coming out of Andrew Cuomo’s Office. We can fix that because we shouldn’t settle for that. This is New York and we should be the best at everything because we once were.”

Congressman Chris Collins also urged Republicans to reach out to their friends on Election Day. Collins said Cuomo has failed to inspire voters and is vulnerable.

“Voter turnout can turn this election,” Collins said. “I’ve said it before: No one likes Andrew Cuomo, not even his mom. Honest, that’s not even a joke. This is a nasty person.”

HOLLEY – Rob Astorino, the Republican Party candidate for governor, will be in Orleans County on Friday for the Fall Republican Rally at Hickory Ridge Country Club.

Astorino, the Westchester County executive, trails Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the polls, but Ed Morgan, the Orleans County GOP leader, believes Astorino could still pull off the upset victory. George Pataki was a little known state legislator when he defeated Cuomo’s father, Mario, in 1994.

“He’s ahead in the polls compared to where George Pataki was,” Morgan said this morning.

Morgan sees Republicans making a strong push for Astorino, and also sees Cuomo losing votes to Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Michael McDermott of the Libertarian Party.

“The secondary line candidates will pull votes from Cuomo and that will help Rob,” Morgan said.

The GOP candidate for comptroller, Robert E. Antonacci, will also be at the Republican Rally, which begins with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Antonacci is the Onondaga County comptroller. He faces incumbent Tom DiNapoli.

Candidates for State Legislature also are expected to speak at the rally, including Rob Ortt for State Senate and Steve Hawley for State Assembly.

The Republican Party also plans to recognize State Sen. George Maziarz, who is retiring after 19 years in the State Legislature.

For information about tickets to the rally, call Morgan at 732-7270.

Photo by Richard Margolis – The former Holley High School, which sits in a high-profile spot on Route 31, has fallen into disrepair and has been mostly vacant for two decades. This photo was taken for the landmark Society of Western New York, which in 2013 named the school to the inaugural “Five to Revive.”

HOLLEY – Preservation organizations from outside Holley continue to take an interest in seeing the old Holley High School be saved and returned as a contributing asset in the community.

The Preservation League of New York State will give the Village of Holley $5,000 towards the state and federal applications for historic status for the Public Square and the old school.

If the school and Square are listed on the state and national registers of historic places, a redevelopment project would be eligible for 40 percent of the capital costs in tax credits.

The Preservation League will give Holley a $5,000 “Preserve New York” grant to complete the state and federal nomination for an historic district. The district would include about 40 properties in the downtown Public Square, as well as the old school.

The project, to be completed by Bero Architecture in Rochester, will enhance this Erie Canal community’s revitalization efforts, especially opportunities to rehabilitate the vacant 1931 Holley High School designed by Rochester architect Carl Ade, Preservation League officials said in a press advisory today.

“Located in the heart of the downtown, this handsome Classical Revival building could benefit from access to state and federal tax credits that would come with the listing of the proposed historic district,” the group said in a statement.

Preservation League officials will announce the funding at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday outside the old school. They will meet with Holley Mayor John Kenney and the Landmark Society of Western New York.

The Landmark Society last year named the school to its debut list of “Five to Revive.” The group has been working with the village to draw interest in the school, and line up historic credentials so the property has access to tax incentives.

Built in 1931, the former Holley High School is a strategically located and well-recognized landmark, which occupies a prominent site in the village at the central intersection of Wright and Main streets (NYS Routes 31 & 237), the Landmark Society said in naming the school to the “Five to Revive.”

The school has been vacant for about 20 years. Kenney said developers have shown interest in the site for senior apartments.

The Public Square is in the core of the village and includes a collection of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century commercial, religious, residential, and educational architecture.