By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2013 at 12:05 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – A chimney fire at this house Fancher Road spread into the eaves and bedroom, causing significant smoke and water damage. Firefighters had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.
MURRAY – About 50 firefighters from several fire companies responded to a fire on Tuesday night at 3504 Fancher Rd.
The fire began in the chimney and spread into the eaves and a bedroom, fire officials said. Chris Pitt, owner of the house, said the fire started about 10 p.m. Firefighters from several departments quickly descended on the site in the town of Murray and had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.
Pitt said the house and belongings inside “are just material things. Everybody is OK.”
He praised the firefighters who answered the call from Albion, Carlton, Clarendon, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Kendall and Morton fire departments.
“I can’t believe all these volunteers that turned out so quickly to save my house,” he said.
The fire filled the neighborhood with smoke late Tuesday night on Fancher Road.
HOLLEY – The school district introduced new security officers to students and staff on March 4. The district hired COP Security Inc., a local security company, to assist in maintaining a safe school environment and to help promote safety education in the schools. All of the security staff members are retired law enforcement officers from local agencies.
A security officer will be stationed at Holley Middle School/High School and Elementary School from 7 a.m. to dismissal, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Middle School/High School, and from 4 to 9 p.m. in the Elementary School.
“Many of them are former school resource officers or DARE officers and are looking forward to working with our students, staff, and community on topics such as anti-bullying, prom safety, bicycle safety, and other pertinent topics,” said Superintendent Robert D’Angelo.
At the Middle School/High School, Principal Susan Cory has been introducing the officers to students during their physical education classes. At the Elementary School, Principal Karri Schiavone has been introducing the officers in each classroom. The security officers wear khaki pants and a dark shirt with the name of the security company.
The school district also has security cameras throughout its buildings, which security officers can access in the office space provided for them.
“In addition to our staff, the security officers will be the eyes and ears around our schools and will provide us feedback throughout the day,” D’Angelo said.
The superintendent added that there wasn’t one particular event that prompted the added security. “It is our obligation as a school district to keep our students and staff safe, and our community safe when the schools are being used for evening activities,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2013 at 12:00 am
Rapp allegedly stole $128k from Catholic churches
ALBION – A nun who worked at Catholic churches in Holley and Kendall pled guilty to grand larceny today and will be sentenced to no more than six months in state prison.
Sister Mary Anne Rapp allegedly stole at least $128,000 from St. Mark’s in Kendall and St. Mary’s in Holley from March 2006 to April 2011. She allegedly used the money to feed a gambling addiction. Rapp said in court on Monday she isn’t certain how much money she took from the two churches. She said it could be more than $128,000.
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch accepted a plea deal today that calls for no more than six months in prison for Rapp. Normally a Class E fourth-degree grand larceny charge carries a four-year state prison sentence, Punch said.
But the judge said Rapp has no prior criminal history and is working towards restitution.
She will be sentenced at 2 p.m. on July 1.
Rapp’s alleged crime was discovered last year after discrepancies were found during an internal audit at the churches. Rapp, 67, of Lewiston served as a nun for nearly 50 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Members of the Holley Board of Education are shown in a March 18 meeting. Five of the nine members include, from left: President John Heise, Brenda Swanger, Sal DeLuca, Kellie Spychalski and Robin Silvas. Other members include Norm Knight, Anne Winkley, Jack Welch and Dorothy Morgan.
HOLLEY – A petition seeks to stop the shrinking of the Holley Board of Education from nine to five members, a proposition that narrowly passed in last May’s school election.
A petition signed by 108 people was submitted on March 11 to the district office.
Petitioners want to reduce the board to seven members, but no more.
That presents a highly unusual case for Holley, school attorney Jeff Martin told the BOE on March 18. Last May district voters, in a 395-392 vote, approved the reduction in members, to be phased in over three years from nine to five representatives.
Proponents of the reduction in seats say Holley sometimes has trouble finding enough candidates to run for the volunteer positions. Those against reducing the size of the board note the board members serve for free, without a cost to the district. Cutting the size of the board reduces representation and viewpoints on the board, say opponents against a smaller school board.
Most other boards of education in Orleans County have nine members, except for Kendall, which has five.
The first cuts in Holley will take effect when the new school year officially begins July 1. Three incumbents – John Heise, Brenda Swanger and Dorothy Morgan – all have terms that will be up this year. But only one position will be on the ballot. It’s the first step in reducing the board seats.
Martin said it’s unusual to have another petition filed that, in effect, negates part of a petition that was supported by the public and is now in process. He has checked with counsel at the New York State School Boards Association and Holley case seems to be a first.
“It’s something they’ve never encountered,” Martin told the BOE on March 18.
If residents support the new proposition, to be voted on May 21, Martin said that would end the shrinking of the BOE at seven members. However, the board may need to reset when some seats are up for election, so it isn’t three each for two years and one seat on another year. He said the board, if it settles at seven seats, should have two seats up for election for two years and then three seats available on a third year. The terms are all for three years.
If the proposition fails on May 21, the board will continue on the path to five members.
Martin said two seats should then be available for two years, with one seat up for election on the third year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2013 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – The school district may start charging outside organizations $50 an hour when they use school facilities. That would help cover the district’s costs for custodial and security services, Holley officials said.
However, non-profit organizations shouldn’t expect a bill from the school, said John Heise, Board of Education president.
“I don’t want to start charging organizations that are doing good for kids,” he said.
Holley currently doesn’t charge when outside organizations use school buildings. Don Penna, the buildings and grounds superintendent, researched other schools’ policies and found many bill outside groups, with some even charging per room.
Penna suggested a $50 flat fee for each hour a group is using the school. That would be limited to building use, and not the outdoor fields.
“I would like to get to a break-even point,” Penna told the BOE on March 18. “We want to get some of our costs back for the extra work.”
Heise and the board members asked for list of all the groups that use Holley facilities. Board members said a policy could distinguish between non-profits and other organizations.
Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent, said many rural schools don’t charge non-profit organizations.
“They waive the fees to encourage people to use the schools,” he said.
Penna said he would compile the list and make a recommendation to the board on which groups should be assessed a fee.
Heise said groups like the Girl Scouts shouldn’t worry they’ll soon be billed for using the school.
“It’s not decided that we’re doing this,” he said. “The community has already paid for the school with their taxes.”
During Winter Break the Holley Community Free Library held its 4th annual Art class. Five one-hour classes were attended by 15 children from kindergarten to middle school. Taught by retired Elementary Art Teacher, Laurence Dabney, the children made giant plaster flowers as well as wooden trivets. The flowers were painted with both fluorescent and scented paint.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2013 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Robert D’Angelo said it is a worrisome trend, the young elementary students facing superintendent’s discipline hearings.
Those hearings are called when students face long-term suspensions, usually for more than five days out of school. Those hearings tended to involve students in higher elementary grades or middle school.
But this year D’Angelo said he is seeing students in lower elementary grades, even kindergarten.
“People and families are under stress and we’re seeing it manifest itself down to 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds,” he told the Board of Education on March 18.
The district may need to provide more services to help students struggling with social and emotional problems, he said.
Board of Education President John Heise said financial pressures are straining families. He noted the district has started a backpack program where food is sent home over weekends with some students.
D’Angelo meets with many of the struggling students’ parents, and he said those families need assistance.
“In order to be successful, we have to work with parents, but many of the parents are needy themselves,” D’Angelo said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Fran Gaylord, Holley’s transportation director at left, gives a tour of the new transportation facility on March 18. The new building features a lift, a bus wash, a vacuum exhaust system, and other improvements.
HOLLEY – Paul Niggli inspects school bus garages for the state Department of Transportation. Holley, for years, had one of the worst setups, Niggli said.Holley’s transportation department worked for decades in a cramped building. The buses were all out in the open. Making repairs was difficult in the small bus garage.
But Holley has entered the 21st Century with its new transportation facility, part of a $27 million capitol project that is transforming most of the junior-senior high school and making numerous other upgrades on the district campus.
“They did a beautiful job,” Niggli said after touring the new transportation facility with school and community members on March 18.
Fran Gaylord, the transportation director, waited for years for the improvements. He works with 30 bus employees – a group of drivers, mechanics, aids and clerical staff.
“This is so much better,” Gaylord said on the tour. “We have the room, the space, the brightness and the bus wash.”
The new transportation facility features a bus wash that will keep the windows clean and help with preventive maintenance on the undercarriage.
Gaylord pressed a button and a wash, with giant brushes and a soapy spray, went to work mechanically. Workers used to physically use long brushes and squiggees to clean the buses. It was difficult to get under the buses.
“With the rollover bus wash, the windows will be cleaner for the drivers,” Gaylord said on the tour. “The undercarriage will be cleaner. There will be better maintenance.”
Gaylord and his staff moved into the new complex on Feb. 28. The facility also includes a fenced-in parking area for the fleet of buses. A new fuel farm has a 10,000-gallon storage tank for diesel fuel and a 5,000-gallon tank for unleaded. The previous setup had 5,000- and 500-gallon tanks, respectively.
Contractors will soon tear down the metal portion of the old bus garage, which covers about two-thirds of that complex. They will keep a cinder block building. Buildings and grounds will use that for storage.
The new transportation facility sits on a portion of the 43 acres the district acquired for $163,000 about three years ago. That land includes room for five new ball fields that could be developed in the future.
Fred Seeman, a Holley school bus driver, fills up a vehicle at the new fuel farm next to the transportation facility.
