Provided photos – (Left) Liam Keller won for most classic-looking car. (Right) Parker Wallenhorst took third place.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2024 at 8:33 pm
CLARENDON – Holley Cub Scouts in Pack 3062 had their annual Pinewood Derby race on Saturday with nine Scouts participating. They also had nine friends and family make derby cars and join in the annual tradition.
“The Holley pack is small but mighty,” said Meghan Reuther, the committee chair for the pack. “The kids worked so hard and made amazing cars. Even parents, grandparents and siblings made their own cars and raced in a Family and Friends bracket.”
The event was held at the Clarendon Rec Hall. Cub Master Chris Reuther and Leader Randi Keller out on the derby.
“All the Cubs showed they put a lot of hard work into their cars, displayed great sportsmanship, cheered on their competitors, and celebrated the victors!” Meghan Reuther said. “We are extremely proud of all the Cubs and their families!”
The scouts have had a busy year, visiting the planetarium at SUNY Brockport, having a Christmas party at Oak Orchard Lanes in Albion, collecting canned goods for the local food pantry, working on projects to earn badges and prepping for summer camp.
For information about joining the Holley Cub Scouts, send an email to holleycubs3062@gmail.com or contact Cub Master Chris Reuther at (716) 480-2945.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2024 at 3:58 pm
HOLLEY – The Board of Education on Monday approved a $29,615,000 budget for 2024-25 that would increase the tax levy by 1.49 percent.
The board a month ago was looking at a budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase, but decided to shave off another half percent.
The budget goes to a public vote on May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the junior-senior high school.
The board approved the budget with some uncertainty in its state aid because the state budget remains unresolved. The budget deadline was April 1 but the governor and Legislature have approved extenders to fund the government for the short-term.
While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520. If the aid in the final budget is more than the amount in the governor’s budget, Zacher said any extra would go in the district’s fund balance.
State aid covers about 70 percent of the school budget. The tax levy accounts for $7,952,214, which is up $116,748 from the 2023-24 budget. Holley is well below is allowable increase under the state-imposed tax cap. Holley could increase taxes by 3.972 percent and still be below the cap, Zacher said. The district can carry over the difference to the 2025-26 budget.
There will be a public hearing about the budget at 6 p.m. on May 7 in the elementary school cafeteria.
Besides the budget, Holley will have propositions for $363,000 to buy one large bus and two small buses; and $206,840 for the Community Free Library.
There will be four seats up for election on the Board of Election including the three-year terms currently filled by Sal DeLuca, Brian McKeon and Anne Smith. There is also the final two years of a term originally for Robin Silvis. Jennifer Reisman was appointed to fill the spot until the election on May 21.
Press Release, First Presbyterian Church of Holley
Philip Benier
HOLLEY – The First Presbyterian Church of Holley is pleased to announce they have called Rev. S. Philip Benier to serve as our pastor beginning April 7.
Rev. Benier has led numerous worship services at the church during the past year and a half as a Pulpit Supply from the Presbytery of Genesee Valley so he is not “new” to Holley. Rev. Benier is a graduate of Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, Texas and worked as the assistant to the Director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, handling all grant information as well as filing and providing presentations on homelessness in that Texas community.
He served a congregation in Toledo, Ohio prior to coming to the Rochester area where he was associated with Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church in Brighton. His previous background is in banking for 17 years and then he worked in healthcare, assisting individuals with special needs to provide them with the best of care.
The Holley church looks forward to our partnership with Rev. S. Philip Benier and invite everyone to join us on any Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. We’re the brick church at the traffic light. The address is 34 E. Albion Street, Holley.
Come get to know us as we strive to achieve our mission statement: “We are a God-loving, deeply rooted, compassionate, inclusive, charitable church, a symbol of hope, growing in service to our Holley community and beyond.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2024 at 3:07 pm
Andrea Newman selling posters of painting as fundraiser for Holley festivals
HOLLEY – Andrea Newman, an artist from Holley, created a painting celebrating the upcoming solar eclipse. Holley is in the path of totality and very close to the center line of the eclipse. (The center line will pass over neighboring Brockport.)
Andrea Newman
Newman’s acrylic painting on canvas shows Holley’s lift bridge over a shallow Erie Canal. At about 3:20 p.m. on April 8, Holley will be in darkness as the sun is blocked by the moon. Totality will last for almost four minutes.
It is a rare event. Orleans County was last in a total eclipse in 1925.
“I’m excited,” Newman said today. “It’s going to be a great day.”
Newman was asked by Holley Mayor Mark Bower to create a painting commemorating the eclipse. Bower saw an eclipse poster featuring the Erie Canal with many of the canal towns listed on the border of the poster. He was disappointed Holley wasn’t included.
He reached out to Newman, a former Holley Board of Education member who works as an artist. She also is an adjunct communications professor at SUNY Brockport.
She is happy to help the Holley community celebrate the eclipse. She is selling posters of the painting as well as digital downloads through her Etsy site (click here). Proceeds will be donated to the village to go towards community festivals.
Newman experimented for a few days on creating a silhouette for the painting. She settled on the lift bridge for the scene in Holley, because she said the lift bridge is such an iconic landmark.
“It’s going to be a monumental day,” she said about April 8. “It’s so cool it’s coming right this way.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2024 at 4:00 pm
HOLLEY – School officials are putting together the budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the spending plan is expected to be well under the district’s authorized tax cap.
Sharon Zacher, the assistant superintendent, said the budget is currently projected at a 1.99 percent tax increase. Holley’s tax cap cushion allows for up to a 3.972 percent tax increase, with the district’s carrying over some tax cap room from prior years, Zacher told the Board of Education on Monday.
While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520.
However, Zacher said an on-time state budget seems unlikely by April 1, with some disagreements to be resolved among the State Legislature and governor.
Zacher feels comfortable forecasting a budget at $29,115,000, which represents a 2.4 percent spending increase, or up $695,000 from $28,420,000 in 2023-24.
Holley’s preliminary budget would maintain its existing programs and add one full-time elementary teacher, a 0.4 part-time Spanish teacher, and 0.2 part-time science teacher.
The budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase would raise the tax levy by $155,926 – from $7,835,466 to $7,991,392.
Zacher said the budget will be finalized next month by the board of education and then go for a public vote on May 21.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2024 at 12:21 pm
Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities
HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.
Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.
“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”
It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.
Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.
The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.
The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.
Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.
“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.
In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.
“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Scottie Osborne, a volunteer at the Eastern Orleans Community Center, organizes the free food which is offered the community on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. (Right) Jeanette Worsley, lead case manager/health coach at Community Action, chats with James Salvatore, who brings produce from Navarra’s Farm Market and Greenhouses in Eagle Harbor to the Eastern Orleans Community Center, which community members can purchase.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 March 2024 at 8:07 am
Site has expanded services to promote healthy lifestyles
HOLLEY – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is excited to announce several new programs to serve people in need locally.
One of the most important things is a “Prevention Pays” campaign launched this spring through their Axis of Care.
Axis of Care was executive director Renee Hungerford’s much acclaimed pilot program she started after becoming director nearly two years ago.
The program was designed to help overcome barriers which prevent people from living a healthy, active life, said Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting.
From left, Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting, volunteer Rachel Escovar and Jeanette Worsley, lead case manager/health coach at Community Action enjoy camaraderie at the Eastern Orleans Community Center on Friday.
“Axis of Care focuses on helping people make changes that lead to good health and a better quality of life,” she said.
One person who can attest to the success of the program is volunteer Rachel Escovar. She started with the nutrition program and lost weight.
“She is such an inspiration,” Chaffee said. “She had to have hip replacement in December, but first had to lose weight and quit smoking.”
Her goal is to lose another 40 pounds and to stay healthy, she said.
“This all falls in with Renee’s Axis of Care,” said Jeanette Worley, lead case manager/health coach for Community Action.
When Worsley began researching things Community Action could do to bring preventative medicine to Orleans County, she came up with several unique ideas, including offering food vouchers as an incentive for people to take part in health screenings.
The response to the food voucher incentive was overwhelming, but many recipients voiced concern that they were unable to get to farmers’ markets to use them.
“The big problem here is people don’t have transportation,” Worsley said.
Worsley happened to be at Navarra’s in Eagle Harbor, and knew they offered custom weekly produce boxes and accepted fresh food Rx vouchers. A conversation ensued and Navarra’s agreed to allow Community Action staff to accept orders from customers for produce boxes from Navarra’s.
Navarra’s has a list of 25 to 30 items customers can choose from, indicating whether they want a $10, $20 or $30 box. The list changes every week, Salvatore said.
On Friday’s Navarra’s delivers the weekly orders to the Eastern Orleans Community Center, where customers can pay in cash or with their vouchers.
James Salvatore, whose family owns Navarra’s, delivers the produce boxes to the Community Center. Demand has grown so much, he sets up a table with fresh produce, flowers, relishes, etc., which people can purchase.
“We wanted to help get produce to the community at a reasonable price,” Salvatore said. “We know prices in the stores are high. And we grow all of this produce.”
Debbie Rothmund is director of the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley.
Navarra’s also sells flowers from Wild Dahlia in Brockport and popcorn from Sweet Treats by Gertie in Albion.
Community Action is also exploring options to expand accessibility to fresh produce to those who lack transportation to traditional markets and stands. They are considering becoming a site where SNAP clients can purchase farm market tokens using their EBT benefits and SNAP Stretch, which doubles recipients’ SNAP value at farm markets.
Another program at the Community Center is the food giveaway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when volunteers pick up donated food from Wegmans and Walmart.
This past Friday’s free food included boxes and boxes of chicken thighs, vegetables, salad greens, lo mein meals, breads and baked goods.
Those who can get a ride come for the free food and stay for lunch. A typical day sees 40 to 50 individuals come in, said Debbie Rothmund, manager of the Eastern Orleans Community Center.
One who comes often is Billie Jo Van Hoy from Hamlin.
“An aide brings me three days a week,” Van Hoy said. “I come for the food and the friendliness. Food is so expensive in the stores, and I’m on a fixed income. Here, I can get fruits and vegetables, and sometimes hamburger or chicken. It really helps.”
Another lady who asked to just be called “Patti,” comes for lunch every day and for the friends she meets and the conversations.
“I get the free food on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, because I’m retired and I couldn’t spend the money on the things I get here.”
A gentleman named Rick also comes often, and sometimes brings his brother, who has special needs, for socialization. Rick sometimes plays guitar for the crowd. He appreciates the food distribution, but really enjoys having fun and making conversation with the others.
Community members fill the room at the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley most days. Here, they wait for lunch on Friday, after choosing from a large assortment of free food provided by Wegman’s and Walmart.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2024 at 11:26 am
Provided photo
HOLLEY – Holley Rotary Club President Shannon Brett, right, presents a Paul Harris Fellow award to Elaine Berg during the club’s meeting on Monday.
Berg has been an active member of the club for six years. She also is involved in many community organizations, including as a member of the Murray Town Board.
A Paul Harris Fellow is Rotary’s top award and is named for the founder of the organization.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2024 at 8:48 am
Provided photos courtesy of Rainey Losee
HOLLEY – The Holley Village Board on Tuesday presented certificates to the Holley girls varsity soccer team which went 19-4 this fall and advanced to the state tournament.
The Holley team had an outstanding season as Genesee Region Division 1 Champions, Class C Sectional Champions, Class C Regional Champions and advanced to the NYS Section V Semi-Finals.
Mayor Mark Bower was joined by village trustees Jessica MacClaren, John Morriss and Rochelle Moroz in presenting certificates to the team at the village offices in the former Holley High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2024 at 6:23 pm
Provided photos
HOLLEY – The Holley school district is partnering with the Town of Murray, Village of Holley and property owners Lisa and Kevin Logsdon to display banners recognizing outstanding high school seniors in the classroom, the arts and on the athletic fields.
The top photo shows three banners in the inaugural honorees. The banners are displayed on a brick wall of Dustin’s Pizzeria on Geddes Street.
At the end of each marking period, Holley will recognize a Scholar Athlete, Scholar/Fine Arts and Scholar/Service. The criteria is fairly straightforward: an 85 and above average for the marking period and outstanding accomplishments during that time in athletics, fine arts and service.
“High school leaders and staff choose the recipients and our village and town will place banners of each selected student for all to see,” said Holley mayor Mark Bower. “Our future rests in our youth and it is a community’s role to acknowledge our students.”
