Highway Department making progress reducing leaks in water system

MURRAY – The Town Board voted on Monday evening to refinance the debt for water districts 2-11 and 13, a move than is expected to save $512,000 over 27 years in reduced debt payments.

The town is working with Jeff Smith of Municipal Solutions to take out a new bond at a lower interest rate. Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio said he has been working with accountant Bob Fox on ideas to reduce costs for water users.

Fox said refinancing the debt, during a time of low interest rates, would bring down the annual debt costs. In Murray, Water District 1 is already paid off and other districts have many years of paying down the debt where it doesn’t make as much sense to refinance right now, Sidonio said.

The Town Board was unanimous in the vote. Sidonio said there is still one more vote needed, once the bond proposals come in. That gives the town a chance to not proceed with the refinancing if Murray officials aren’t happy with the terms of the deal.

Sidonio said Municipal Solutions is pushing to have the refinancing in place before 2021, which should provide some debt relief to the 11 water districts next year.

Sidonio also has been raising concern about water loss in the town’s water districts. He said 40 to 60 percent of water in the town hasn’t been billed since January 2018. That is costing Murray about $100,000 in annual water loss.

The Town Highway Department has had success in recent months reducing that loss by changing water meters. The Highway Department last week also found and fixed a big leak on Ridge Road.

Louise Passarell, acting highway superintendent, said the repair already has reduced some of the water loss. She expects to see significant reductions in water loss in future water meter readings on the Ridge.

“It was a great find, a great repair,” Passarell told the Town Board.

She and Sidonio had a tense exchange, with Passarell telling Sidonio he is hurting department morale by not acknowledging the reductions in water loss made by the department, and by frequently talking about the water loss, including given interviews about it to the media.

She said Sidonio has told some people the water line repair on the Ridge was a “fake.”

“I feel like their reputation is being smeared,” Passarell said at the town meeting.

Sidonio said he heard that the leak repair was a fake and only shared that with a councilman in private. He told Passarell he should have been called to the scene.

He praised the highway workers for the success in reducing the water loss. Sidonio said he wants a better working relationship with Passarell and the highway department.

“You may not like me but you should appreciate the position,” Sidonio said about his role as town supervisor. “I look forward to rectifying this and working together.”

He said he will continue to press for reducing the water loss and unaccounted water, saying the water department is in “dire straits.”

Ron Vendetti, the retired code enforcement officer, attended the meeting on Monday and urged the town to make the water loss and unbilled water “the highest priority.” Vendetti said the losses amount to about $300 a day for taxpayers.

“Do whatever you have to do to get it done,” he said.

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Faces Dirk Lammes in general election on Nov. 3

Jim DeFilipps

MURRAY – Jim DeFilipps, an Orleans County deputy sheriff, is running to be Murray highway superintendent and has two lines in the Nov. 3 election.

DeFilipps, who was named deputy of the year in New York State in 2015, is seeking the highway post under the Independence Party and the independent “Jimmy D for Highway” party.

He faces Dirk Lammes Jr. in the Nov. 3 general election. Lammes has been endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

The highway department is currently led by interim superintendent Louise Passarell. She has been handling the administrative duties for the department following the retirement of Ed Morgan on May 31, who served as highway superintendent for 30 years. Dennis Mandigo, the senior highway employee, is in charge of water.

DeFilipps, 43, will reach 20 years in law enforcement in December and could retire. This evening he said he welcomes the chance to stay active in Murray in a second career.

If elected he said he would get a CDL license to drive the highway equipment and also earn the license to oversee the water system. He currently has a CDL permit.

DeFilipps was working the night shift on March 21, 2015 when he was shot twice at about 3 a.m. following a high-speed chase with James Ellis of Wyoming County. DeFilipps was the first police officer on scene when Ellis wrecked his vehicle in Clarendon on Route 31A. Police were pursuing Ellis after a 911 call when he threatened an ex-girlfriend in Shelby with a gun.

After the crash in Clarendon, Ellis fled to a nearby wooded area and opened fire on DeFilipps and other deputies and police to arrive on the scene. DeFilipps, despite getting hit twice by gunfire, shot Ellis, killing him and ending the threat.

DeFilipps, after recovering from his injuries, returned to work full-time. He has managed the Orleans County Marine Patrol. He also has been a fire commissioner with the Holley Joint Fire District and is currently a village trustee in Holley.

He said he has experience in organization and administration, and can keep public funds within a budget.

Lammes currently owns Lammes Construction and works with municipalities with waterline repairs. His company also does snowplowing in the winters.

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.

Besides the Murray highway superintendent, the other local positions in the general election include:

• County Clerk: Nadine Hanlon (Republican) vs. Diane Shampine (Conservative), 4-year term

• District Attorney: Joe Cardone (R), unopposed for 4-year term

• Coroner (3): Scott Schmidt (R), Charles Smith (R) and Rocco Sidari (R, C), all unopposed for 4-year terms

• Murray Town Justice: Theodore R. Spada, Jr. (R), unopposed for 4-year term

• Murray Town Councilman: Randy Bower (R), unopposed for 3-year term

• Shelby Town Supervisor: Jeff Smith (R), unopposed to fill vacancy, 1-year

• Shelby Town Councilman: Ryan Wilkins (R), unopposed to fill term for 3 years

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7 demonstrators hold signs in Public Square, amidst jeers and cheers

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Heather Rowley of Holley organized a Black Lives Matter demonstration today in Holley from noon to about 2:30 p.m. She is holding the Black Lives Matter sign.

Rowley was joined by her sister and brother, and four of their friends from Holley and Brockport.

Rowley, 30, wanted to publicly support the cause, especially after a big processional a week ago in support of law enforcement. About 300 motorcyclists and 200 other vehicles were in the “Back the Blue” ride and rally that covered 52 miles in Orleans County.

“This is in direct response to the Back the Blue rally,” Rowley said. “We want to show people of color in our community that we support them and we hear them.”

The seven demonstrators stood in the Public Square for about 2 ½ hours. They received some thumbs up and supportive beeps, as well as middle fingers and expletives from passing motorists.

Rowley was bothered by the timing of the Back the Blue ride a week ago, with the protests in Rochester over the death of Daniel Prude, 41. He died on March 30, seven days after being taken into custody by police. Seven police officers involved in his arrest have been suspended and the police chief has been fired.

Prude was suffering from acute mental health problems when police were called. Officers found him running naked in the street on a cold night on March 23. He was restrained with a “spit hood,” designed to protect police from saliva.

Body camera video was released in early September, more than five months after his death. Protestors have been out every day in Rochester since the videos became public.

“That someone died in such a demeaning way and to still have that rally (a week ago) really rubbed me the wrong way,” Rowley said.

A demonstrator holds on a sign in Holley’s Public Square this afternoon.

Rowley, a graduate student for social work at Brockport State College, wanted her hometown to see that some residents support Black Lives Matter and the push for more police accountability.

She said she feels haunted by the image of Prude and his interaction with the RPD.

Her sister, Madeline Rowley, said most of the passing motorists seemed supportive of their presence. A few people stopped to chat and one wanted a group photo. Some people yelled, “All Lives Matter.” Some told them to “Go home” and “Get the f— out of town.”

Ben Rowley, the brother of Heather and Madeline, had never been to a public demonstration until today. He saw many familiar faces driving by. He felt it would be more effective to support Black Lives Matter in Holley, rather than joining a crowd in Rochester.

“We’re trying to change the town I grew up in for the better,” said Rowley, 24.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Motorcyclists head down Route 31 in Holley’s Public Square on Saturday during a “Back the Blue” ride in Orleans County.

The Orleans Hub reported on Saturday there were more than 1,000 participants in the ride. That was an estimate scanning the grounds on Countyline Road in Murray at the staging area before the ride. I asked a few other people how many they thought were, too, including a motorcyclist who had been at four other rides.

We all thought there were about 1,000 vehicles, maybe more.

Motorcycles pass underneath a giant American flag held high over Route 31 by the ladder trucks at Holley and Clarendon.

But I reviewed a video today from the ride and counted about 500 vehicles. That includes about 300 motorcycles in the beginning of the procession. Then there were about 80 SUVs and pickup trucks. I counted five fire trucks, three dumptrucks, and about 80 other cars, including many classic vehicles.

Add them all up and it’s about 470, including the three law enforcement escorts to start the ride, with two from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and a State Police patrol car.

It took them about 25 minutes, from start to end, to pass through the Public Square in Holley. But on Route 104 in Gaines, where the speed limit was 55, it took 14 minutes for the vehicles to pass by.

Some of the vehicles drive down Route 31 toward Holley’s Public Square.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – A motorcyclist gives a fist of support to acknowledge the crowd that lined the Public Square in Holley just after noon for a “Back the Blue” ride in Orleans County. The man looks up and was impressed by the sight of a large American flag hanging over Route 31.

There were more than 1,000 vehicles in the ride, with about two thirds of them motorcyclists.

Click here to see a short video of the some of the motorcycles passing under the giant American flag on Route 31 in Holley.

Holley and Clarendon held up a 20-by-30-foot American flag for the ride, which was 25 minutes from the first to the last vehicles in Holley.

The ride started at noon in Murray at Light House Lake Construction,3823 County Line Rd. in Murray. The group then embarked on a 52-mile journey down Route 31 from Holley to Albion to Medina, then north on Route 63 to Ridge Road, then from Ridgeway to Gaines to Murray, and ending where they started.

Organizers said the ride was to show support law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, hospital workers and U.S. military.

Jim McMurray, a truck driver from Canandaigua and a former Albion resident, rode in his fifth “Back the Blue” event today. The 74-year-old said many of the motorcyclists “are fed up with the ways things are going in the country.”

He doesn’t like to see violence and property damage at protests, and believes the police are being unfairly faulted.

He believes the presence of a 1,000 of more participants in the rides sends a strong message to the community, the law enforcement officers and other first responders.

“There’s satisfaction in supporting local police departments and fire departments,” he said.

Many of the motorcycles and vehicles were decorated with pro-police messages, including American flags with a blue stripe. There were also a lot of Donald Trump signs and flags.

McMurray said the group didn’t identify as a “Pro-Trump crowd” but rather as a “Pro-America crowd.”

Marie DeFilipps of Holley takes a video of the ride while watching from Route 31 with her children, Jake and Gianna, and Marie’s mother, Christine. Marie’s husband is Orleans County Deputy Jim DeFilipps. She said the long line of riders and drivers was very moving.

“It was very heartfelt,” she said.

The riders received lots of waves and support as they passed through Holley.

Fran Gaylord and other firefighters from Holley, Clarendon and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray stood together to watch the procession.

“We’re all one team,” said Holley firefighter Kevin Dann, as he watched the motorcyclists and vehicles ride through the Public Square in Holley. “We support them and they support us. We’re all one big family.”

The motorcyclists carried American flags that stood out in the bright sunshine.

These two take in the sight of a supportive crowd in Holley’s Public Square.

A.P. Enterprises from Ontario NY brought in some big trucks for the ride. Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke, Undersheriff Mike Mele and State Trooper Kevin Bentley provided an escort for the ride.

This Jeep is ready for the ride. It is at the staging area for the vehicles. There are hundreds of motorcycles in back.

Gordy King of Irondequoit adds blue tape to his Jeep to show his support for law enforcement in the ride.

“They want to defund the police,” King said. “If that happens I don’t know who you’re going to turn to if they break into your house.”

One of King’s friends who rode with him is a social worker in Monroe County. The social worker, who declined to give his name, said law enforcement officers are asked to do much more than police work these days. He said they need training in responding to people in a mental health crisis and should avoid lethal force, including using bullets that wound but don’t kill.

But Paul said some protestors are way out of line in endangering police officers, and throwing fireworks at them.

“Of course we need some police reform, but I don’t support the language,” he said. “Don’t threaten them.”

Vendors sold signs, flags and other merchandise in support of law enforcement, and also for President Trump.

Jim Freas of Medina, left, and Tinker Young of Lyndonville both rode in the event. They are both Vietnam War veterans and law enforcement backers.

“I am here to support the police,” Freas said.

A few bad officers have tarnished the profession. But overwhelmingly, Freas said, officers do the right thing and serve their communities.

Young said it is difficult to watch the news and see the confrontations at protests.

“I back law enforcement across the board,” he said. “There are only a few bad apples. The anarchists are using this as an excuse to tear this country apart.”

This message was added to the window on of the vehicles in the ride.

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Provided photo

HOLLEY – Prekindergartners at Holley had orientation on Thursday and one of their stops was seeing a school bus.

Holley bus drivers and aides wanted to send the message about the importance of kids wearing masks on the bus.

They had this bus looking like it was wearing a mask to emphasize taking precautions against the spread of Covid-19.

PreK students have their first day of school on Monday.

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Chet Fery, ‘The Bread Man,’ says students need love more than ever

Photos by Tom Rivers: Chet Fery of Brockport addressed Holley faculty and staff this morning, urging them to embrace kindness in respond to others, as well as themselves. Fery, who is known as “The Bread Man,” also baked a loaf of bread for each Holley school employee.

HOLLEY – The school district, which will be utilizing more technology to educate students during the pandemic, isn’t neglecting an elementary principle of treating others with kindness and love.

Kindness – a show of respect and care for others – is the district’s main theme for this school year.

“The message of kindness is especially important this year,” said Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent.

This is Bartalo’s third year as Holley superintendent. In 2018-19, the district theme was “Holley Together.” Last school year, the district embraced the theme, “Holley Cares.”

Bartalo believes the message of kindness is critical during a polarizing election cycle and a time of uncertainty and stress with the economy and a public health pandemic.

The superintendent joined staff development and orientation sessions today and welcomed one of his neighbors, Chet Fery of Brockport, as a keynote speaker. Fery is well known in the region as “The Bread Man.” He has given away more than 100,000 loaves of bread for free in the past 20 years.

Brian Bartalo, the Holley school superintendent, passes out loaves of bread baked by Chet Fery. The two live in the same neighborhood in Brockport. Bartalo noticed Fery was giving out bread from a red wagon in Fery’s driveway during the pandemic and had “Kindness” signs in the neighborhood. Very gave away free bread from the wagon for 161 consecutive days.

Fery brought 267 loaves to the Holley school district today. He gave away bread to every staff member during presentations at the high school, elementary school and the bus garage.

Fery is a retired teacher and administrator from the Gate-Chili school district. He told teachers he knows they are feeling more anxiety this school year, returning to classrooms during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said students also are feeling nervous and excitement as they come back to school.

“People are seeking kindness now more than ever, aren’t they?” Fery asked the elementary school staff and teachers.

Fery spoke recently in Dansville to the Class of 1955, which was celebrating its 65^th reunion. He listened as they reminisced about teachers. The ones the best remembered were the teachers who showed they cared about their students.

“What you do makes a big, big difference,” Fery said. “Kids listen. Kids always remember how we make them feel more than the content we’re teaching them.”

He said students, even those with tough exteriors, crave love and attention.

“Their hearts are open,” he said. “Kindness has a way of changing lives.”

Chet Fery said teachers top priority this year should be connecting with students, remotely or in class, and show them they are valued.

Before the pandemic, Fery normally had three or four presentations a week, where he gave away bread and shared his message of being kind to others. When he was sidelined from speaking to groups in Western New York, he put his home-made bread in a red wagon at the end of his driveway. He did that for 161 straight days.

He also made 100 “Kindness” signs and gave them away. Bartalo noticed and asked Fery to address the staff just before the start of the school year.

Holley students will be back on Thursday and Friday for orientations. Holley will be doing a hybrid model to start the year, with students doing in-person classes two days a week and remote learning three days. Bartalo said 18 percent of the students have opted for remote only for the first 10 weeks of the school year.

Fery said educators, bus drivers and other staff need to follow 5 principles to equip themselves in spreading kindness:

1. Be Kind to You. Fery urged them to smile, eat well and exercise – be fit in the body, mind and spirit. “You’re going to need it this year.”

2. Be Kind to Others. Be sure to put that kindness in words, when communicating with others. Make it clear to others that you value them.

3. Keep Order. “We can manage the chaos or rather than the chaos managing us,” Fery said.

4. Be Together. Work as a team and reach out to others, especially if you’re feeling down. “There isn’t a circumstance that can’t be improved,” Fery said. “We need each other to get through difficult times.”

5. Find Your Happy Place. Do something you enjoy to put your mind at ease. For Fery, that is baking bread, lots and lots of loaves.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Mark Cerrone, Inc., a contractor from Niagara Falls, installs a 12-inch waterline this morning in front of St. Mary’s Catholic Church on South Main Street (Route 237).

Construction workers lay the new waterline below ground in front of St. Mary’s this morning.

The company has put in new 12-inch watermains on Route 237, starting near the water tank by Hillside Cemetery. It will go to the intersections of routes 237 and 31.

Then it will put 8-inch waterlines on Geddes Street.

Cerrone also will be putting in new sidewalks along Rt. 237 – both north and south of Rt. 31 to the village limits (from the water tower to the elementary school), as well as both sides of Geddes Street from Van Buren to Route 31, both sides of Perry Street, both sides of Morgan Street and the west side of East Avenue.

Cerrone submitted the low bid for the project at $2,556,000. Grants will cover the majority of the costs. Holley is responsible for 20 percent of the sidewalk work and 40 percent of the waterlines.

As part of the village share of a $4.5 million overall project, Holley will put in sidewalks and waterlines on East Albion Street, Park Place and East Union Street.

The village was approved for a $1,780,000 federal TAP grant (Transportation Alternatives Program) to construct curbs and sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grant will allow the village to replace about one-third of the sidewalks in the village.

Holley also was awarded nearly $1.3 million from the state for upgrades to the water system through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, as well as the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.

The waterline project includes 5,800 linear feet, just over a mile, and involves replacing 4- to 8-inch water mains with 8- to 12-inch water mains.

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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.

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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.

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HOLLEY – There will be a food distribution at the Holley Junior-Senior High School parking lot this morning, likely beginning around 8:30 to 9.

The start depends on when delivery trucks arrive and volunteers are in place.

People seeking food should use vehicles and access the parking lot from High Street in the village, and then use the school’s access road.

There should be enough food for at least 300 families.

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