Holley has only original section remaining west of Rochester

File photos from October 2015 by Tom Rivers: A small sign on a tree in a ditch in Holley notes that this was part of the original Erie Canal loop that meandered to the Public Square area of Holley.

HOLLEY – For several years it’s been talked about as a hidden gem in Holley, a potential tourism draw that can also enhance Holley’s trail system.

Today, the Orleans County Highway Department brought an excavator to Holley and started to clear out the only remaining original canal loop west of Rochester. The remaining original section of the canal is about 1,000 feet long. Trees have sprouted in the canal bed, as well as other heavy vegetation, including invasive plants.

Mayor Brian Sorochty credited former County Legislator George Bower of Holley for pressing the issue. Bower the past two years has urged Sorochty and the village to clear out the trees, brush and weeds from the canal bed, and make it a bigger asset for the community.

The Holley mayor thanked the county crew for working on the project as part of a shared service with the village.

Sorochty said the first goal is to get the canal bed cleaned out and the banks reformed. Longer-term he could see a pedestrian bridge with a display about the original canal loop. Perhaps the section could be rewatered with the canal supplying the water, Sorochty said.

This map displayed in the office of Dr. Dan Schiavone, shows the Holley Loop. It linked back to the canal just west of Bennetts Corners Road.

The original loop was created when the state veered the canal from a relatively straight line in 1823 due to the high banks and engineering challenge in dealing with Sandy Creek.

There was an unusually deep ravine formed by the east branch of Sandy Creek, which presented a difficult engineering problem for builders of the original Erie Canal in the early 1820s, according to display on the north side of the canal by the Holley lift bridge. The State Canal Corp. put up that display about “The Holley Loop.”

Rather than try to build the canal on the ravine, engineers opted to take a sharp turn near the current lift bridge and cross over a relatively narrow section of the creek.

“The sharp curve required boaters to slow down, which made a promising location for canal-oriented businesses,” according to the state display. “The Village of Holley grew at this bend in the canal.”

The canal was widened throughout the 363-mile-long system from 1905 to 1918 and much of the original canal was replaced by the wider and deeper canal.

But in Holley, some of the original remained because it wasn’t touched as part of the Barge Canal widening in the early 1900s.

The state in 1854-61, decided the original loop needed to be straightened out in Holley to create a shorter, more navigable waterway. A new section of the canal was built over a very high and long embankment.

“Because state law did not allow canal sections to be abandoned in villages or cities, the old loop was still used for several decades to serve local businesses,” according to the state display about the Holley Loop. “Canal traffic no longer stopped in the village, however, and eventually the loop was drained and eliminated. Traces of the original canal can still be seen east of the Public Square.”

The original canal bed has trees and lots of thick vegetation that will be cleared out.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Fire investigators are at the scene of a house that was reduced to rubble last night at 46 West Albion St.

The house at the corner of routes 237 and 31 had four apartments and 11 residents, including children. They all were able to safely get out of the house after a fire broke out in the back of the building before 11 p.m. The Red Cross is assisting the residents.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet. Three fire investigators from the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control are on scene, along with two county fire investigators, Justin Niederhofer and Cole Hardenbrook. Leaders of the Holley and Clarendon fire departments also are at the site along with the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

The house was built in a balloon style without fire stops, which allowed the fire to quickly spread through the structure, said Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director.

The house was a landmark building with a cupola at a prominent corner in Holley.

Tenants owned these vehicles which were ruined from the fire. A neighboring house was damaged with melted siding.

The Orleans County Highway Department brought an excavator to the site last night to push in some of the walls. The other walls will be knocked in after fire investigators complete their work.

Fire investigators look through the debris to try to determine the cause.

Holley Central School was opened as a shelter for residents of the building last night. The school also made a bus available to transport residents to the school.

While the residents are all OK, three cats and a dog perished in the fire.

A GoFundMe has been established to assist the families affected by the fire. Click here for more information.

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Building with cupola was a landmark at corner of Rts. 31 & 237

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – A landmark building at the corner of routes 237 and 31 was destroyed in a fire that broke out just before 11 p.m. on Sunday.

The fire displaced about a dozen residents in four apartments, where the address is 46 West Albion St. Several of the residents are children, including a baby.

All the people and two dogs made it out safely, but one resident said he feared three cats and a dog were killed in the fire.

There were numerous fire departments at the scene, with many bringing tankers with water. A village water transmission line broke before the fire, which forced the Holley Fire Department to request as many tankers as possible. Those trucks were able to be refilled at a hydrant at Holley’s Business Park.

One of the tenants of the apartment building said the fire started in the back of the building and quickly spread. One of his neighbors pounded on the door, telling him to get out.

The resident said the building is owned by Stanley Passarell, who treated the residents well, giving them a nice place to live at an affordable price.

Earl Jenks of the Clarendon Fire Company operates the hose up high on Clarendon’s ladder truck.

Two vehicles owned by the residents were also badly damaged by the fire.

The Red Cross is expected to help the displaced residents find short-term shelter.

Orleans Hub has five videos from the fire.

Click here to see the first video.

Click here to see the second video.

Click here to see the third video.

Click here to see the fourth video.

Click here to see the fifth video.

The cupola is engulfed in flames and would collapse within the building.

The building was breaking apart and collapsing not long after midnight.

These firefighters get water on the back of the building, where a tenant said the fire started.

Several fire departments brought tankers full of water near the scene and folding water tanks were set up so firefighters had water to direct at the building. This photo is on Route 31, just west of the fire. A watermain break in the village cut the water flow to hydrants.

Firefighters had several hoses on the fire before the watermain break reduced the water pressure.

A tire swing hangs by the side of the house next to Route 31.

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Photo courtesy of John Heise

HOLLEY – The Holley Rotary Club on Saturday honored two of its members as Paul Harris Fellows, the highest recognition given by a Rotary Club.

Josh Mitchell, left, is a past president of the Holley Rotary Club. He works as a funeral director at Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes.

Brian McKeon is in his second term as the club’s president. He works at TI-BA Enterprises in Rochester.

The Holley club’s members decide who will be honored as Paul Harris Fellows. The club will make $1,000 contributions in each of their names to The Rotary Foundation.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – Justin Niederhofer, a Carlton firefighter, holds a dog named Lily that fell down an embankment by the Erie Canal and was stranded in a quarry.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene along Canal Road at about 4 p.m. Jules Hoepting of Albion was out for a walk with her dog by the canal. The dog walked too close to a steep embankment and fell. Lily was by a ledge in the quarry in the icy water.

Jules Hoepting needed to be helped up the embankment by firefighters from Holley and Clarendon.

Ray Keffer of the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company is on shore while three firefighters head out into the icy water to go after the dog.

The firefighters include Joe Morlino of FHM, and brothers Andrew and Justin Niederhofer of Carlton. They are in a rescue boat owned by the FHM Fire Company.

The dog was located and corralled at about 4:40 p.m. Justin Niederhofer is in the water holding the dog, while the boat is pulled ashore.

Firefighters had to break through ice and paddle the boat across the quarry to get to the dog. Justin Niederhofer, right, is wearing an ice suit and the two other firefighters have on cold water rescue suits.

Joe Morlino, center, helps Justin Niederhofer bring the dog closer to the shore.

Matt Hughson of the Carlton Fire Company carries the dog to a rescue vehicle where it could be warmed up.

Firefighters said the dog was doing well and was going to be checked by a veterinarian.

Jules Hoepting posted on the Orleans Hub Facebook page, thanking the firefighters and a man on a bike, Chad Beach, who called 911. Jules said Lily is doing well, and the dog promptly ate a bowl of dog food and then took a nap when it got home.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Murray Town Supervisor Robert Miller, left, congratulates Jeff Martin for his 34 years of service as town attorney. Today is Martin’s last day in the role. Miller also is ending a two-year term as town supervisor. He will be joining the board of commissioners for the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire District.

MURRAY – The Town of Murray praised Jeff Martin today for his 34 years of service as the town’s attorney.

Martin is stepping down from the position. He is the longest-tenured town attorney in the county.

Martin said his law practice has become busier. He wants to devote more time to his private practice and also be freed up from the monthly Town Board meetings which are the second Tuesday evenings. Over the years, he also has attended numerous other special meetings for the town.

Martin wants to have more time with his family, including his wife Clara, who has retired as the secretary for Sheriff Randy Bower. She previously worked as the deputy elections commissioner for the county.

“It’s been a long run,” Martin told the Town Board during a year-end meeting at noon today. “I’ve worked with a lot of great people on various boards over the years.”

Martin was 30 when he was appointed to the position. He was asked by James Piedimonte, the late town supervisor, to consider the job.

“I appreciated his vote of confidence,” Martin said. “There was a lot of learning on the job.”

Martin helped the town construct about 15 water districts during his tenure. They all needed to be legally formed and constructed with a financial plan in place for covering the debt service of the districts.

For many years, Martin served as the town attorney while his father was on the Town Board. The late Richard “Pep” Martin was a town councilman from 1965 to 2000. He was a Holley science teacher and driver training educator.

Martin said he wanted to be an attorney since he was 10. He said the late Robert Heath was an inspiration for how to serve in the position in a small town. Heath would give Martin his first job as an attorney.

“I had a lot of respect and admiration for him,” Martin said.

Murray Town Clerk Cindy Oliver reads the oath of office today to Lloyd Christ, left, and Neal Valentine, who were elected to new four-year terms in November. Those new terms start on Jan. 1. Town Board members Mike Mele, far left, and Paul Hendel, right, also attended the town’s year-end meeting. Jeff Martin is seated next to Oliver.

Paul Hendel, a Murray town councilman for 10 years, said Martin has been very dedicated to Murray, at a low cost. Martin charges a $3,300 annual retainer, which includes attending the town meetings. Any work outside the meetings is at an hourly rate.

“He’s never charged close to what he should have,” Hendel said. “He has a legacy here that will be hard to replace. Whoever comes in doesn’t have the history that Jeff has. He has the history of the town that he can draw upon to help make the future better.”

Martin previously worked as the town attorney for Gaines and Clarendon. He said he expects he will continue as the school attorney for Holley. He has been Holley’s school attorney for 37 years.

Robert Miller, the town supervisor, thanked Martin for his many years of service to Murray.

“I appreciate the guidance and assistance Jeff has offered us over the years,” Miller said. “And he did it at an almost pro bono rate.”

Miller was also commended by the Town Board for his service to the town. Miller was town supervisor the past two years. He lost a close election to Joe Sidonio, who starts in the job on Jan. 1.

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Photos courtesy of Penny Cole

ALBION – The Holley varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders visited the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Facility in Albion last Friday.

The cheerleaders have been coming to the nursing home each year near Christmas for the past decade.

“We take them a gift and a Christmas card, and just spend time with them letting them know that someone cares about them,” said Penny Cole, who coaches the varsity team with her daughter, Heather Kelley. Melanie Richards is the JV coach.

Three of the Holley cheerleaders and Cameron Kelley, son of coach Heather Kelley, meet one of the residents.

“Heather and I always teach them it’s important to be a good cheerleader, but it’s much more important to be a great person,” Cole said. “They give with their whole heart.”

Heather Kelley and Penny Cole, the varsity coaches, were happy to greet one of the residents who is a grandmother to some of Holley’s former cheerleaders. The resident is like of a member of the extended family for the cheerleaders.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Kohl Morgan, a member of the Holley Interact Club, is among 35 students spending today with a day of caring. He is unloading food for animals at the PAWS Animal Shelter in Albion.

The food was donated by Dr. Krista Wiley of Wiley’s Animal Ark in Holley. Wiley is a member of the Holley Rotary Club which sponsors the Interact Club at the school.

Craig Lane, a member of the Holley Rotary Club, delivered the dog and cat food. He also provided doughnuts for the students this morning.

Besides doing projects at PAWS this morning, the students will be visiting the Elderwood of Lakeside nursing home at Brockport and then volunteering at the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley.

Ally Lyndacker, left, and Rachael Howard walk one of the dogs at PAWS.

Shawn McAllister, left, Mackenzie Fiorito and Chloe Crossett play with one of the dogs.

Madelyn St. John cleans out one of the dog pens. “I love helping,” she said.

Holley Interact members asked to do a day of caring. They worked with advisor Samantha Zelent to set up the locations for the service projects.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The village celebrated the holiday and Christmas season with a lighted parade and other community events on Saturday.

The Village of Holley DPW carries an inflatable Frosty the Snowman in this float, heading through the Public Square.

This fire truck was decorated in lights, with a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on top.

Girl Scouts from Troop 82204 put  a lot of effort in this float.

The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company paid tribute to the first responders who died in the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks.

Santa enthusiastically greeted the crowd. He rode in Holley’s bucket truck.

People lined up along North Main Street, Route 31 and the Public Square to watch the floats, including one that brought in Santa.

There were many other activities in the downtown, including children’s programs in the Community Free Library, wine-tasting, food and games at the eastern Orleans Community Center, and holiday music.

There also was a tree-lighting to cap the events.

Paul Strom serves chili at the Eastern Orleans Community Center.

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Photo by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Dan Mawn, left, was recognized by Holley’s Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch as the 2019 Citizen of the Year during Saturday’s “Night of Lights.”

Mawn, a life-long Holley resident, worked 36 years for the Holley water and electric departments, retiring in 2005.

“Even after retirement to say he is an active member of our community is an understatement,” Lynch said.

Mawn is active with the Holley Fire Department, the American Legion, the VFW, and the Murray-Holley Historical Society. In 2003, he received a lifetime membership for the Historical Society for his many years of dedication, including serving as president.

“This year’s recipient exemplifies the award for all of his time he selflessly donates to organizations,” Lynch said. “He is a fixture at just about every community event — spaghetti dinners, Flag Day celebrations, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the list goes on.”

Holley also turned on the lights for its community Christmas tree in the Public Square. The tree has blue lights again this year in honor of the emergency services and law enforcement personnel.

Many community members purchased memory bulbs in honor of local loved ones. Deputy Mayor Lynch read those names for the crowd gathered at the tree lighting.

The tree was donated by Mike Bower of Erie Way Tree Farm in memory of his late brother, Edwin Bower.

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Photo courtesy of Mike Bower: Matt Campbell and Mike Church from the Village of Holley Department of Public Works came out to Erie Way Tree Farm on Tuesday to bring back a Christmas tree to be displayed in Holley’s Public Square this holiday season. The tree was donated by Erie Way owner Mike Bower in memory of his late brother, Edwin Bower.

HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will continue its “Night of Lights” celebration Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.

“There will be many activities for children and adults in our village square including the Holley Community Library, Community Center, and at the Legion,” said Brian Sorochty, Holley’s mayor. “Holiday music will be played in the square by Northern Lights DJ and by our Holley Elementary and Highschool Chorus and Bands.”

The event includes a holiday parade at 6:30 p.m., which will be followed immediately by the “Citizen of the Year” award, memory bulb recitation, and tree-lighting ceremony.

There will also be eight wineries and multiple vendors set up in village business storefronts. Wine-tasting tickets will be available for purchase that day at the Village Office for $10.

“We are also continuing our tradition of lighting the tree in all blue lights in honor of our brave emergency services and law enforcement personnel,” Sorochty said. “We have had increasing turnout for this event over the last few years and we are looking forward to seeing everyone back again. Please join us for a fun evening celebrating the joys of the season.”

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