By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2020 at 1:56 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HULBERTON – Volunteers have been busy the past two days making eggplant parmesan for the annual St. Rocco’s Italian Festival in the Hulberton hamlet. The top photo shows Donna Lavender and Jean Felice who are the “assemblers” put the fried eggplant in pans with meat sauce.
The Italian Festival has been an annual tradition in Hulberton since 1976. It is typically the Sunday before Labor Day. This year, however, is different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The festival grounds won’t be open and there won’t be a bocce tournament.
People can pick up pre-ordered food for takeout only on Saturday at the St. Rocco Festival grounds from noon to 4 p.m. on 3514 Hulberton Rd. The deadline for preordering has passed, but there may be some additional food available on Saturday.
The volunteers are preparing 162 pans of eggplant parmesan, and perhaps a few extra. The 162 have all been preordered.
Ron Vendetti, back left, is the organizer of the eggplant parmesan and also for about 100 meatball subs that have been preordered.
The eggplant needs to be peeled and then sliced.
The “Taste of Italy” this Saturday also includes pasta fagioli, shells, pizza frita, fried dough and Italian ice. The event is a fundraiser for the St. Mary’s-St. Mark’s Parish in Holley and Kendall.
Mark Spychalski puts oil in a pan that will be heated up to fry the batter on the eggplant.
Kathleen Smith puts the flour on the eggplant. Vendetti Farms donated 12 bushels of eggplant for the parmesan.
The Eggplant Parmesan is one the hottest sellers at the annual festival.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 August 2020 at 11:39 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The Holley village offices and main meeting room are now located in the second floor of the former Holley High School auditorium. The village started to move over the village offices from 72 Public Square about three weeks ago.
Home Leasing has turned the building, which was vacant for more than two decades, into 41 apartments and the offices for the village.
The main meeting room includes about 70 seats from the old auditorium that were refurbished. There are also about 40 seats up in the balcony but they are for display and aren’t available to the public.
Holley Mayor Kevin Lynch gives a tour of the site on Friday. The village offices look out on South Main Street and Route 31. Lynch is a member of Holley’s Class of 1975, which was the last class to graduate in the old high school.
He praised Home Leasing for a stunning transformation of the building, which is prominently located at Holley’s main intersection in the village.
Here is the view from the balcony looking down on the meeting room, which was used for its first Village Board meeting on Aug. 11.
There is still some cosmetic work to be done on the front of the building, including adding new columns.
Mayor Lynch said there is some confusion on the public on how to enter the building to reach the village offices. People should go through the front doors facing the flag pole.
The village was planning to move into the building in March but Covid-19 delayed some of the construction work.
The offices are on the second floor and can be by elevator or by stairs. Home Leasing was able to save and reuse the handrails from the school.
Village Clerk Deborah Schiavone likes the view from the second floor. Residents are very thankful Home Leasing took on the $17 million project, Schiavone said.
“The people who have gone to school here and remember the building are very impressed to see it now,” she said.
This is the entrance to the village offices on Friday. The signs tell people to wear masks and use hand sanitizer.
Here is how the space looked in October, when Home Leasing gave the community a chance to see the construction progress.
This is a hallway in the former school where there are now 41 apartments – one studio, 35 one-bedrooms, and five two-bedroom apartments.
Some of the locker doors were saved and placed along the hallway for ambiance.
Home Leasing has turned the space into a modern office building with a historic flavor.
Home Leasing offered a glimpse of the old auditorium in October, when there was still a lot of work to do to get the space ready for the village employees and public.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Toni Barber, a retired Holley kindergarten aide, was among the volunteers who helped with a food distribution this morning at the Holley Junior-Senior High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 August 2020 at 12:23 pm
HOLLEY – Organizers of the food distributions on Fridays in Orleans County have been notified the program will continue next month, although Albion will only have one of the distributions instead of two.
The organizers also are looking for other sites for the events in Holley and Medina, instead of the school parking lots. Schools are scheduled to reopen to students early next month and the parking lots won’t be available.
Albion has been offering the distributions on the first and third Fridays, with Medina on the second Friday and Holley on the fourth Friday.
Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County Office for the Aging, said she will be working to finalize a schedule. She has been teaming with Community Action of Orleans & Genesee to run the events in Albion and Holley, and with the Calvary Tabernacle Church in Medina.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County also has been hosting food distributions the second and fourth Wednesdays. Robert Batt, the CCE director, said he hasn’t received any notice yet if the Extension will continue as a distribution site next month.
(UPDATE AT 2:32 P.M.: Batt said he has been notified there will be another distribution at the fairgrounds on Sept. 9.)
Iroquois Job Corps Center employees, Ashtin Fiegel (left) and Mark Dickinson, move boxes of dairy and produce to get ready for today’s food distribution in Holley. Several employees from the Iroquois Job Corps in Medina helped at today’s event. Andrew Dreschel, an incoming Holley High School senior, also assisted and is shown in back.
Blanar said the groups won’t be running a distribution next week, the first Friday of September, but she expects they will continue in the week after that.
The food distributions are made possible through a state-funded program called Nourish New York. This funding allows Foodlink to purchase local product.
On a federal level, the USDA has implemented a new initiative called CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program). In this program, distributors who would normally serve schools, restaurants, and municipal programs are able to pre-pack boxes of perishable product and deliver to distributions being done all over the country.
Krista Fiegel, a Job Corps employee, carries a box of produce to one of the 300-plus vehicles in Holley.
Provided photos: The Holley Crosby’s reopening celebration included from left: David George, director of operations, Reid Stores, Inc.; Doug Galli, vice president, Reid Stores; Brenda Thompson, district leader, Crosby’s; Paul Quebral, president, The Reid Group; Robin Silvis, president of the Holley Central School District Board of Education; Paul Hendel, town of Murray councilperson; Marsha DeFillips, town of Murray historian; Tara Phelps, director of operations, Subway; Kevin Lynch, mayor, village of Holley; Kathy Quarantello, assistant team leader, Crosby's Holley; Cindy Cotropia, team leader, Crosby's Holley; Sean Westphal, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Tricia Hobson, assistant team leader, Crosby's Holley; Melissa Delosh, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Elizabeth Ontiveros, sandwich artist, Subway Holley; April Larkin, sandwich artist, Subway Holley; Janine Carlson, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Angelica Kavanaugh, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Duane Clark, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Kayla Pagano, sales associate, Crosby's Holley; Kevin Noon; Ken Clark, business development agent, Subway; Eileen Banker, representative from the office of State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley; and Dan Okun, director of sales and merchandising, Reid Stores.
Staff Reports Posted 24 August 2020 at 4:05 pm
HOLLEY – Two Crosby’s convenience stores in Orleans County recently completed a series of renovations and remodeling projects.
“Crosby’s is committed to providing the best possible experience for our customers throughout the region, and we’re glad to be able to offer new services and amenities for guests at our Orleans County stores,” said Doug Galli, vice president and general manager of Reid Stores/Crosby’s Convenience Stores. “We know many of our customers turn to their locally owned Crosby’s as a one-stop shop, and the expanded selection and services in our Holley and Clarendon stores allows us to better deliver everything they need.”
In Holley, customers can enjoy the same array of fresh food options, as well as Crosby’s signature breakfast selections, pizzas and calzones. This location also features a Subway sandwich shop for customers, in addition to a new f’real milkshake and smoothie machine. Customers can also fill up their tank with Crosby’s brand regular fuel and “90-rec,” an ethanol-free 90-octane unleaded gasoline blend.
Dignitaries and officials at the Clarendon reopening include, from left: David George, director of operations, Reid Stores, Inc.; Brenda Thompson, district leader, Crosby’s Clarendon; John White, member of The Reid Group Board of Directors; Nicole Dobo, assistant team leader, Crosby’s Clarendon; Lexianne Seewagen, sales associate, Crosby’s Clarendon; Kali Kent, sales associate, Crosby’s Clarendon; Thomasa Sanderson, team leader, Crosby’s Clarendon; Paul Quebral, president, The Reid Group; Richard Moy, town of Clarendon supervisor; Kevin Noon; Sabrina Lipowski, territory sales advisor, Reid Petroleum; Eileen Banker, representative from the office of State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley; Dan Okun, director of sales and merchandising, Reid Stores; and Doug Galli, vice president, Reid Stores.
The remodeled Clarendon store offers a range of fresh food options, including chicken tenders, wings, fries, pizza logs, mozzarella sticks and mac n cheese bites. The store also features made-to-order subs from the Sub Shoppe, pizza and calzone options – including breakfast pizza – and Crosby’s selection of convenient breakfast sandwiches to go. The store has also added a fountain soda machine with a selection of Pepsi products, and a new f’real milkshake and smoothie machine, offering guests a cool treat – an especially great option during these hot summer days. The Clarendon store also offers Marathon brand regular, premium and diesel fuel, as well as kerosene.
Guests at the renovated stores may also use the free Wi-Fi and on-site ATM, exchange propane tanks, use the air machine, purchase Memo money orders and play New York State Lottery games. Each store also features Slush Puppie iced beverages and fresh fruit options, and both locations accept SNAP and EBT benefits.
The Clarendon store is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and the Holley store is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2020 at 3:05 pm
Skip Carpenter and Kevin Lynch both running for mayor
HOLLEY – The slate of candidates is set for the Sept. 15 village election. A former Holley mayor, Stanley “Skip” Carpenter, is seeking the position and will be running against Kevin Lynch.
Lynch is the current Holley mayor. He was appointed to position on July 14, following the resignation of Brian Sorochty. Lynch had been serving as Holley’s deputy mayor.
There are two candidates for trustees. Connie Nenni is seeking re-election. Mark Bower is running for the position vacated by Lynch, when he moved up to be Holley’s mayor.
All of the terms are for two years.
The candidates all needed to submit petitions signed by at least 35 registered voters in the village.
The election will move from the Village Office at the Public Square to the Holley Gardens, the former high school that has been transformed into apartments and village offices. The polling location will be in the lobby.
Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. To inquire about an absentee ballot, call the Village Office at (585) 638-6367.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2020 at 9:25 am
HOLLEY – The school district will have three public meetings on Tuesday with Holley families to discuss the reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year.
Holley’s plan would have students in school for in-person learning for two days a week, while the other three days would be remote learning at home. That includes all grade levels.
Splitting the student body in half for in-person classes will allow Holley to maintain social distancing in classes with desks spaced at least 6 feet apart, which is required by the state for in-person learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wednesday would be a designated day for remote learning for all students. That would allow Holley to do a “deep cleaning” of school buildings.
The parent forums on Tuesday will all be through Zoom video conferencing because the district is limited on the number of people for in-person, indoor gatherings.
The Zoom sessions will be at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Links for the meetings will be posted on the district website.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 August 2020 at 10:53 am
HOLLEY – The school will again offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students in the elementary school and at the middle/high school.
The meals will be available to students in school and also those doing remote learning. Holley is currently looking to have two cohorts with students in school for classes on either Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday. The three other days will be for remote learning.
For remote learning days, there will be designated locations to pick up free meals.
This is the second school year Holley is offering the meals for free to all students. The program is available through the Community Eligibility Provision of the National School Breakfast/Lunch Program.
The CEP program provides the opportunity for schools in high poverty areas to provide two nutritious meals every school day, while eliminating the stigma for those students previously identified as “low income.”
For additional information please contact:
Holley Elementary & Middle/High School
Attention: Sharon Zacher, Assistant Superintendent for Business
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Holley Elementary School will have up to half of the students in classes on Monday and Tuesday, and then the other half on Thursday and Friday, according to the school district’s reopening plan. Wednesday will be remote learning for all students in the district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2020 at 8:23 am
Most students would do remote learning the other 3 days
HOLLEY – The school district’s reopening plan would have students in school for in-person learning for two days a week, while the other three days would be remote learning at home. That includes all grade levels.
Splitting the student body in half for in-person classes will allow Holley to maintain social distancing in classes with desks spaced at least 6 feet apart, which is required by the state for in-person learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wednesday would be a designated day for remote learning for all students. That would allow Holley to do a “deep cleaning” of school buildings.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would announce by Aug. 7 if the state will allow in-person classes to start the school year. He said if regions stay under a 5 percent positive rate for Covid-19 tests, he expects they will get approval to open schools.
The positive rate has been about 1 percent in the Finger Lakes Region and state-wide.
Holley’s plan (click here) has options for in-person classes, a hybrid model with in-person and remote learning, and plan for remote learning only. Holley like other districts was forced to go remote learning for all students on March 16, which continued the rest of the school year.
“The question I’ve been asked the most these past few weeks is, ‘What will school look like for Holley when you open in September?’” Brian Bartalo, district superintendent, said in a letter to the community on Friday. “In truth, our reopening plan covers a lot of requirements and possibilities, but the answer as to exactly what will be in place when we open is still unknown.”
The next step for Holley will be the announcement from the governor this week about how much districts can do with in-person learning.
“Following that announcement, we will work on specific details that we will share with families and parents for exactly how we plan to open,” Bartalo said. “Therefore, although our plan is submitted, there are still a lot of questions to answer and work to do to be prepared for students and staff starting school in September.”
Holley’s plan would also have special education students in self-contained classrooms for in-person learning four days week, instead of two days. Wednesday would be the only remote learning day for students in special education.
“Our philosophy for reopening our school district has been to consider a safe, phase-in approach,” Bartalo said. “We believe this is smart and will allow for flexibility and the ability to respond to whatever condition is allowed or required, especially given the COVID-19 situation, which is unpredictable.”
Holley will survey parents after the governor’s announcement. If in-person learning is allowed, Holley wants to know if parents will be sending their children to school and if they will be riding the bus.
“With so many new rules that we will need to enforce and mandates (daily health screening, hygiene routines, wearing masks, staying distant in building spaces and on buses, etc.) that we will need to learn and adhere to, we expect to have to spend considerable time to start the year going through all it with students and staff,” Bartalo said. “We also know that all these mandates will change how staff members have worked with students, both in-person and remotely. However, we will have high expectations for student attendance, learning and achievement, no matter how we reopen.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2020 at 1:52 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Andrew Drechsel, who will be a senior at Holley this school year, was among the volunteers this morning at a food distribution at the parking lot for the Holley Junior-Senior High School.
This was the first time the event was at the school parking lot. Last month it was at the parking lot at the Holley Pharmacy and former Save-A-Lot grocery store.
There were long lines backed up in the Public Square and down Route 31 at that location.
Today motorists entered the school campus from High Street and went up the road from the bus garage to the junior-senior high school.
That worked well in keeping the vehicles from backing up on the public streets.
Michelle Figueroa, case manager for Community Action, checks the temperature on volunteer Dave Gagne. Figueroa made sure everyone’s temperature was under 100 degrees. Gagne was volunteering for the first time today at one of the food distribution.
The cars are lined up down the road on the school campus. One of the delivery trucks is at left.
Annette Grillo, community services director for Community Action, gives the group of volunteers instructions. She urged people to take a break if they felt a little woozy from the heat.
Community Action had cold water and Gatorade drinks for the volunteers, as well as hand sanitizer and masks.
Each vehicle received three boxes – produce, meats and dairy, as well as some strawberries. There was enough for 300 vehicles. Each box weighed about 25 pounds.
Food for the first 250 vehicles went fast. The cars and trucks were allowed in the parking lot at about 8:40 a.m. An hour later, when this photo was taken, most of the food was gone. There were still about 50 boxes left of produce, meat and dairy.
These empty pallets are stacked after being cleared with boxes of food.
The food distributions are made possible through a state-funded program called Nourish New York. This funding allows Foodlink to purchase local product.
On a federal level, the USDA has implemented a new initiative called CFAP (Coronavirus Food Assistance Program). In this program, distributors who would normally serve schools, restaurants, and municipal programs are able to pre-pack boxes of perishable product and deliver to distributions being done all over the country.
The distributions will continue in August in Orleans County. There hasn’t been any indication if the program will continue after that, said Finch and also Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging in Orleans County.
People interested in volunteering should contact Blanar at the Office for the Aging at 589-3191.
The schedule for the distributions through the end of August includes:
Friday, August 7 – in Albion at Community Action Main Street Store, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville (includes one box of produce), 10 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 14 – in Medina at school district, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 21 – in Albion at Community Action Main Street Store, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville (includes one box of produce), 10 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 28 – in Holley, location to be determined, 9:30 a.m. until gone
These events tend to start about an hour earlier than the advertised time if the food delivery trucks have arrived and if there is a long line of vehicles.
HOLLEY – A food distribution event will be held on Friday at the Holley Jr.-Sr. High School parking lot. This event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., however, because many arrive early, the event will begin as soon as the food arrives and is ready for distribution.
The event could start as early as 8:15 a.m. The event will conclude at 11 a.m. or when the food is gone.
To access to the event, enter the school grounds from High Street and then follow the bus garage access road that leads to the High School. After receiving the sealed boxes of food, vehicles will exit the school grounds via Lynch Road. Vehicles will not be allowed to enter other than from High Street.
Signs will be posted to where vehicles should begin to line up. Please have your vehicle ready as you enter the distribution site with the trunk or rear hatch open and the windows closed.
These events draw many vehicles that cause traffic issues because of the long lines that are created. We are hoping that the plan we have developed and the location for this event will have the least impact on traffic and residential streets.
This event is being conducted by Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, Foodlink and the Orleans County Office of the Aging.
We would like to thank the Holley School District for the use of the parking lot.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2020 at 6:52 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Cars and trucks are lined up on East Park Street in Albion on July 10 for a food distribution organized by Community Action, the Orleans County Office for the Aging, and Foodlink. Albion will host another food distribution Friday morning. It is scheduled form 9:30 until gone but could start earlier in the delivery trucks are done unloading.
The food distribution on July 31 is moving from the parking lot at the former Save-A-Lot to the Holley Jr. Sr. High School parking lot.
This event is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. but could start sooner if the delivery trucks are unloaded. Many people have been lining up in their vehicles well before the scheduled start time. That created a traffic bottleneck in Holley last month.
To access the event, motorists should enter the school grounds from High Street and then follow the bus garage access road that leads to the high school. After receiving the sealed boxes of food, vehicles will exit off Lynch Road. Vehicles will not be allowed to enter other than from High Street, said Roland Nenni, Holley police chief.
Signs will be posted to where vehicles should begin to line up. Nenni said the vehicles should be ready with the trunk or rear hatch open and the windows closed.
“These events draw many vehicles that cause traffic issues because of the long lines that are created,” Nenni said. “We are hoping that the plan we have developed and the location for this event will have the least impact on traffic and residential streets.”
This event is being conducted by Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, Food Link and the Office of the Aging.
”We would like to thank the Holley School District for the use of the parking lot,” Nenni said.
The schedule for the Friday distributions (all scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.) through the end of August includes:
July 24: Albion at Community Action Store on Main Street
July 31: Holley at Junior-Senior High School, 16848 Lynch Rd. – no lines before 8am
August 7: Albion at Community Action Store, Main Street
August 14: Medina at Medina Central District – no lines before 8am
August 21: Albion at Community Action Store, Main Street
August 28: Holley at location to be determined
Volunteers are still needed for all Fridays in August. For more information on volunteering, call Melissa Blanar at the Orleans County Office for the Aging at 589-3191.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2020 at 8:52 am
MURRAY – The Murray Republican Committee has endorsed Dirk Lammes to be the town’s next highway superintendent.
Lammes currently owns Lammes Construction and works with municipalities with waterline repairs. His company also does snowplowing in the winters.
Ed Morgan, the Murray highway superintendent for 30 years, resigned on May 31.
That came too late in the normal endorsement and petition process, which is done in the spring.
Lammes will be on the November ballot as the Republican candidate for a one-year term. Next year there will be the normal election process for a full term. (Lammes also has been endorsed by the Conservative Party.)
The Murray Republican’s Committee to Fill Vacancies met on July 11 and interviewed three candidates. David Nenni, the Holley DPW superintendent, and Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputy Jim DeFilipps also were interested in the position.
Lammes, 52, has been doing emergency waterline repairs for municipalities since 2001, mainly in the Town of Irondequoit. He also has a contract in the Town of Henrietta.
He purchased his first backhoe when he was 18, doing construction work on his own, while working full-time with his father with construction work in Rochester.
If he is elected highway superintendent, Lammes said he would step back from his business which would be run by his nephew and son.
He has been plowing snow for more than three decades.
“It’s not like it’s new to me,” he said.
Lammes, a youth baseball coach the past 10 years, said he welcomes the chance to work closer to home.
“I like a challenge and the work is interesting to me,” he said. “I look forward to working with everybody. I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. But if there are things we can improve on I will do it.”
The Highway Department is currently led by Deputy Highway Superintendent Louise Passarell with Dennis Mandigo, the senior highway employee, in charge of water.
‘We ask that if you feel strongly about an issue on either side that at the minimum you respect others and avoid conflict by not testing these issues by intentionally going against an order or guideline.’ – Roland Nenni, Albion and Holley Police Chief
Press Release, Albion and Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – Recently there have been many questions asked and posts placed on social media in regards to the wearing of masks/face coverings and other executive orders from the governor issued during the Covid-19 pandemic and how law enforcement is handling them.
Roland Nenni
As you are aware the New York State Governor has issued in excess of 50 executive orders in response to the Covid19 pandemic. Many of these orders are issued with little to no guidance on how they are to be enforced and to whom they are to be enforced by.
While many of the orders are issued with the intent to help save lives and protect citizens, they are contradictory to previous orders and confusing at best. We in law enforcement believe strongly in the protection of rights to all citizens regardless of race, color or ethnicity. We work hard to protect constitutional rights and in the same fashion protect citizen’s lives and property.
Many in our community see the Executive Orders issued during the Covid-19 pandemic as unconstitutional and illegal. We in law enforcement also see many of these orders as lacking the due process necessary to begin any type of enforcement action when we receive complaints of executive orders being violated. This places us in a very difficult position that we must navigate through each time we receive a complaint that a Covid-19 order is being violated.
As I have said, we believe strongly in due process. That process is done when the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government work together to create laws and test the constitutionality of these laws and orders. This test is done using due process over time. Constitutionality of an order issued is not determined in a parking lot during a dispute between citizens days after the order was placed into effect.
‘We as a community need to respect the fact that everyone’s actions have a bearing on the spread of the virus. Covid-19 can range from no symptoms in some people and can result in death in others.’
Every day we receive 911 calls and anonyms NY Pause Complaints from citizens that are reporting other citizens that are not wearing face masks or social distancing. We respond to these complaints with the intent to mitigate, educate and resolve any dispute that is occurring or about to occur. Locally we have seen citizens getting into physical altercations over the wearing or not wearing face coverings. Nationally these disputes have turned deadly and we hope to prevent violence at each of these calls for service.
There has been information released at the state level that if employees of a business or patrons of a business are not wearing a mask, a fine in excess of $1,000 can be levied against the violator. Many take this as a threat from government. This potential action is not coming from the police or our local government. This is being done at the state level and they are pushing the responsibility of this enforcement onto local law enforcement and health officials in the form of Health Law Violations.
I cannot speak for law enforcement agencies that are not under my control, but I can for the Albion and Holley Police Departments which operate under the same Orders. There have recently been posts on social media that have detailed police responses to face covering incidents that are inaccurate. I would like to clear up some misconceptions regarding police response. We do not keep a “list” or “registry” of mask or social distancing violators.
We do collect information from everyone an officer speaks to on every call for service we respond to, regardless of the type of incident. This is done so the officer can complete a detailed report of the response. The purpose of the report is so that police supervisors and myself can review each call for service to make sure everything is complete.
We also record this information so that the Police Command Staff can respond to complaints or inquires days and sometimes years after the call for service. I have reviewed the body camera footage from a recent police call for service regarding a “Face Covering Violation.” The officer conducted himself professionally and respectfully and simply pointed out the Executive Order and that fines can be levied for the violation.
‘We hope that all patrons will wear masks while inside a business to reduce the conflict that will undoubtedly occur because of the lack of a mask. By wearing a mask, you reduce the chance of the business owner from facing potential fines that could cause the business to close.’
The “face covering” issue is one of the biggest areas of resistance and misunderstanding. The executive orders state that a “face covering” must be worn when social distancing of 6 feet cannot be maintained. The Executive Order further states that a business must make all employees wear face coverings at all times and that patrons of the business must wear a mask when they cannot maintain the 6-foot social distance. If a business patron is found to be inside a business without a face covering and is within 6 feet of someone else, no matter what the circumstance, the business is susceptible to thousands of dollars in fines.
We all must realize that social distancing of 6 feet is difficult inside a building that is inhabited by others. We hope that all patrons will wear masks while inside a business to reduce the conflict that will undoubtedly occur because of the lack of a mask. By wearing a mask, you reduce the chance of the business owner from facing potential fines that could cause the business to close.
Please understand that law enforcement did not choose to be placed in these situations and the last thing we want is to be involved in a political and constitutional debate, which we have no control over. There are opinions on both sides of these issues that we in law enforcement cannot resolve. We ask that if you feel strongly about an issue on either side that at the minimum you respect others and avoid conflict by not testing these issues by intentionally going against an order or guideline.
Regardless of political views or the acceptance of scientific data, Covid-19 can and does affect everyone differently. We as a community need to respect the fact that everyone’s actions have a bearing on the spread of the virus. Covid-19 can range from no symptoms in some people and can result in death in others.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2020 at 2:41 pm
HOLLEY – The Joint Youth Board of Holley, Clarendon, Murray and Holley Schools has cancelled their summer recreation program for this year. The conditions with the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t justify moving forward with the program, said Paul Hendel, a Murray town councilman.
In lieu of our regular program, Amy Ostrom, the program director, has put together a goodie bag containing educational activities and youth T-shirts.
These will be distributed to Holley area youth who previously registered for the giveaway. This distribution will take place on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon in front of the Holley Elementary School.
The summer recreation program is funded by the towns of Clarendon and Murray, Village of Holley, and Holley school district.
