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Holley/Murray

Holley teen gets big welcome back to school after completing chemo

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 10:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Evan Valentine returned to Holley Junior-Senior High School today for the first time since being diagnosed with leukemia on Oct. 19.

Evan, 16, completed four rounds of chemotherapy. He is greeted by Susan Cory, the school principal, and about 450 of his classmates in grades 7-12.

Cory gives Evan a hug. “It’s been a long time and we’ve missed him,” she said.

Many of the teachers and students wore orange “Evan Strong” shirts to celebrate Evan’s return.

Four of Evan’s close friends hold a big banner welcoming him back to school. They include, from left: Karl Biedlingmaier, Chuck Turpyn, Nathan Nothnagle and Kohl Morgan.

Sue Cory, the school principal, tells students Evan is about to enter the school gym. This photo was taken a little after 7:30 this morning.

“We are very happy to have him back,” Cory told the student body. “Our family is all back together.”

Evan Valentine received a standing ovation from students and teachers this morning. He endured five months in the hospital for his chemo and recovery.

“I just want to say thank you to the community,” he said.

He was visited by many students and residents during his time at the hospital, and had a wall of get well cards in his hospital room.

About 600 people attended a benefit dinner at the Clarendon Rec Hall on Nov. 18 in his honor. The Kingdollar family also made 800 of the orange “Evan Strong” T-shirts to show support for Evan and raise some money for his family.

A monitor in the hallway displays a welcome back message for Evan Valentine.

“Everybody has been incredible,” said Evan’s father, Neil Valentine. “He is one of those miracle kids.”

Evan, a sophomore, was diagnosed right before a Sectional soccer game. He was moved to varsity this fall. He is eager to join the golf team this spring.

He kept up with his school work at Golisano Children’s Center in Rochester.

“He was ready,” his mother Diane said about his return to Holley.  “He was missing all of his friends and the environment.”

The nurses at Golisano were impressed by the many visitors from Holley, who often checked in on Evan.

“The hospital staff was amazed by all of the support from this school and community,” Mrs. Valentine said.

Brian Bartalo, Holley school district superintendent, takes a group photo of the student body with Evan. Bartalo said the school district is a caring community.

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Holley power outage could last several hours

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2019 at 9:07 am

HOLLEY – A tree limb fell and knocked out a primary feeder line for the Village of Holley’s Electric Department this morning, causing a big power outage in the village. The electric line is owned by National Grid and feeds Holley’s electric system.

The outage briefly knocked out power this morning in Albion but electricity was restored in Albion after about 15 minutes.

It could be several hours to make the repair and restore power to Holley, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office is reporting.

Holley has the only municipal electric department in Orleans County.

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Holley students deliver 300-plus pounds of soap, toiletries to Rochester for people in need

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 April 2019 at 8:46 am

Photos courtesy of Samantha Zelent

ROCHESTER – Haleigh Falls, left, and  Megan Harrington, both members of the Holley Interact Club, sort soap, toiletries and other supplies on Thursday at Sample Soap, an organization in Rochester that collects and distributes the items to people in need in Rochester.

The Holley Interact Club collected the items for a month, with an end result of 313 pounds. On Thursday the items were delivered in Rochester by 46 members of the Interact Club.

Charles Turpyn is pictured with some of the boxes of soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes and toiletries that were delivered to Sample Soap and also the House of Mercy, which assists homeless people.

The Interact Club had bins at school to collect the items, and also sent home letters with students, asking for donations.

“Once again the community came through for us,” said Samanatha Zelent, one of the club’s advisors.

Taylor Black, a Holley graduate, works at Oral-B and secured eight boxes of toothbrushes and tooth paste from the company.

Casey Onisk, right, sorts items with Sabra Wood, director of Sample Soap. Wood started the organization in 1990.

Holley students get a tour of Sample Soap, which distributes the toiletries to homeless shelters and other locations in Rochester.

The Holley Interact Club poses for a photo at the House of Mercy, a homeless shelter in Rochester.

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Hawley says school trap shooting teams vulnerable with new dynamics in Albany

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2019 at 9:59 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Three members of Holley’s trap shooting team practice on Thursday evening at the Holley Rod & Gun Club. These three include, from left: Noah St. John, Leah Walker and Evan Press.

This is the fourth season Holley has a team competing in the NYS High School Clay Target League. Kendall started last year, and Albion has a team for the first time this spring.

“This is the fastest growing sport in the state,” said Troy Kingdollar, an assistant coach for the Holley team. His daughter of one of the 20 members of the Holley team.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, met with the team on Thursday. Hawley said he is concerned about legislation in State Legislature that would remove rifle teams from state public schools. Hawley is shown speaking with Butch Moy, president of the Holley Rod & Gun Club.

Assemblywoman Linda Ronsenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, proposed legislation last year to not allow shooting sports at schools. That bill didn’t get through the State Legislature. But Hawley said the State Senate is no longer in Republican control, and isn’t a road block for legislation that would typically sail through the Democrat-dominated Assembly but then be stymied in the Senate.

Hawley talked with Holley trap shooting members on Thursday, praising them for learning how to safely use guns and for participating in the sport.

In New York City, many people and their representatives see guns as associated with crime. That perception is fueling anti-gun legislation, he said.

“They are so afraid with having knowledge of the term, ‘gun,’” he said.

He also worries about legislation is the Assembly that would ban gun raffles as fundraisers. Those raffles raise lots of money for fire departments and other nonprofit organization.

Hawley said he plans to invite some of the Democratic Assembly members to his district, with a trap shooting team one of the stops. Hawley said building relationships with the downstate legislators is the best way to stave off legislation that he said is an attack on the culture of rural New York.

“We’re going to work hard to make sure some of these whacky ideas don’t become law,” he told the team.

Noah St. John fires at the target. John Waldon, right, is the team’s head coach. The competition for the spring season starts in about two weeks.

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Bridge construction starts next week on Monroe-Orleans County Line Road

Staff Reports Posted 10 April 2019 at 11:30 am

MURRAY – A section of Monroe-Orleans County Line Road will be closed beginning April 16 while the contractor begins work to replace the bridge between Route 104 and Gulf Road. The bridge is over Sandy Creek, south of Route 104.

CATCO in Alden is the general contractor on the project, which is expected to take four to five months.

A posted detour will be in place.

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Murray decides to hold off and rework law for special events at farms

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2019 at 11:21 am

Photos by Tom Rivers: Town Supervisor Robert Miller says Murray officials are trying to encourage more farms to hold special events that can strengthen the operations and draw visitors to the community.

MURRAY – The Town Board didn’t pass a new law regulating special events at farms and wineries on Tuesday, after several residents shared their concerns that the legislation could hurt the operations by imposing new restrictions.

The town will have the Planning Board and attorney Jeff Martin take another look at the law and try to address residents’ concerns.

That will push back enacting the law for at least a few months. The Town Board wanted to have the law in place to assist Kateland Farms, a miniature horse farm, with hosting weddings. The farm owned by Ted Jenney on Lake Road has been hosting weddings and special events in recent years.

However, the property currently can’t host those events, according to regulations for a residential-agriculture zoned district by the town. Murray last year agreed to allow Kateland to host scheduled weddings for 2018, but the town didn’t give approval for weddings in 2019 until Murray has a legal mechanism in place. That was the impetus for the new local law, with the town also wanting to encourage events at other farms and wineries, as long as the farms secured a special use permit with the town.

“We want to promote agri-tourism but not encroach on the neighbors,” said Town Supervisor Robert Miller. “We’re trying to strike a nice balance.”

Farms and wineries can host events if they are in an agricultural district. The Ag and Markets Department says the events are permissible as long as they don’t account for more than 30 percent of the farm’s revenue. Ag and Markets advised the town that Kateland Farms wasn’t covered under Ag & Markets for its events because weddings weren’t a direct tie to a farming operation, town attorney Jeff Martin said during Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

The town wanted to help Kateland Farms continue to host weddings and special events. The proposed local law was geared towards farms and wineries that aren’t in agricultural districts.

David Piedmonte, a Holley garlic grower, said the proposed law might prove a hindrance to farms, rather than a help.

However, the Town Board was told by some farmers who do special events now that the proposal was vague in some parts, making the farmers nervous how the law would be interpreted by the Town Planning Board and code enforcement officer.

“It was a valiant effort by the town to try to resolve this issue,” said Town Councilman Paul Hendel. “Is this law perfect? I have no idea. But if we are waiting for perfection we will spend a long time waiting.”

Amy Machamer, co-owner of Hurd Orchards, said the farm relies on events to see fruit, flowers and other farm products. Hurd has been doing events for at least 40 years.

The farm wouldn’t be affected by the town’s proposed law, attorney Martin said, because it is covered by Ag & Markets.

Machamer, however, said she remains concerned the law could be interpreted differently by town officials in the future, potentially impacting Hurd’s events. For example, the town proposed law requires 100-foot setbacks from the road for buildings. Hurd has many historic buildings that are close to the road.

The proposed law also has regulations for noise, bathrooms and other proposals to help mitigate the impact to neighbors.

“We’re trying to control it but not for the sake of controlling it,” Miller said. “It’s so it doesn’t get out of control.”

Joe Sidonio, Machamer’s husband, believes Kateland Farms is already covered in the town’s Right to Farm legislation. Sidonio said the proposed law is “overregulation” with unintended consequences.

Town officials said the law doesn’t include farms and barns that host graduation parties and family reunions – events where no profit is made.

Hendel said the town will continue to work on what he said it a “hard issue.” The town wants to help more farms to be able to sell products and host events that can help the farms supplement their income.

“I think this has the potential to be a win-win for everybody,” Hendel said.

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Murray approves ‘confidential separation agreement’ with former employee

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2019 at 7:33 am

MURRAY – The Town Board approved a “confidential separation agreement” on Tuesday with a former employee, with the details of the agreement not to be made public, said Town Supervisor Robert Miller.

The Town Board went into executive session to discuss the agreement. When board members and attorney Jeff Martin came out of executive session, the board voted unanimously to have Miller sign the agreement.

Miller said the town can’t disclose who the agreement is with or for how much money.

That irked resident Kerri Neale, who told the board the public should be aware of the agreement because it involves taxpayer money.

“You are not at liberty to discuss what you’re doing with our money?” Neale asked at Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

Miller said because it is a confidential agreement, the details can’t be shared publicly.

Neale said he believes the Town Board is doing what it believes is best for the town in resolving a conflict. However, Neale said he wouldn’t have reached such an agreement.

“When you face a bully you don’t just keep giving them your lunch money,” Neale said. “Sometimes you have to fight them.”

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DOT will start paving project on 31 in Holley next week

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 April 2019 at 5:58 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The state Department of Transportation next week will start milling and repaving Route 31 in the Village of Holley. The DOT has sign on Route 31 on the western end of the village, telling motorists the project will start on April 10 and to expect delays trying to use the road.

The DOT next year will pave Route 237 in the village.

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Comptroller says Holley school district’s procurement policy inadequate

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2019 at 7:43 am

HOLLEY – The State Comptroller’s Office is recommending the school district adopt a comprehensive written procurement policy, and ensure purchases are made with a procurement policy and that a competitive process is used.

That policy should ensure Holley’s gets the best price for goods and services, the Comptroller’s Office said in a report about the school district. (Click here to see it.)

The comptroller reviewed 42 purchases totaling $184,000 to assess how district officials procured goods and services that were not required to be competitively bid. The purchases and services included waste management, facility improvements, school supplies, professional services and road salt.

“We found that 39 purchases totaling $176,000 were made without evidence that officials used a competitive process or obtained the required written quotes,” according to the Comptroller’s report. “The remaining three purchases were properly made using State and Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) contracts.”

When officials do not seek competition to procure goods and services, there is an increased risk that goods and services may not have been obtained for the best value to ensure the most prudent and economical use of public money, the Comptroller’s Office said in its report about Holley.

Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent, sent a letter to the Comptroller’s Office on March 8, responding to the report.

He said Holley will be updating its procurement policy and will include procurement of professional services. The district will ensure a competitive process is used when spending district funds on products and services, with an internal claims auditor monitoring the process, Bartalo said in his letter.

The district’s administration, purchasing agent and internal claims auditor will all be thoroughly trained on the procurement policy, he said.

Bartalo discussed the audit with the Board of Education last month. He told the board the Comptroller’s Office was very positive about the district’s finances overall.

“There is always room for improvement,” he told the Board of Education. “This was a thin report (from the Comptroller’s Office). It was an outstanding report.”

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Holley school welcomes senior citizens for 14th annual breakfast

Staff Reports Posted 2 April 2019 at 7:06 pm

Photo courtesy of Holley Central School: Holley students serve local senior citizens breakfast during last year’s event in May.

HOLLEY – The school district is welcoming senior citizens, ages 55 and older, for the 14th annual senior citizen breakfast in the Holley Elementary Café.

The May 2 breakfast is free for seniors and the district will offer transportation if needed. The breakfast will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

The district offers the breakfast as a way to thank senior citizens for their support of students and the school district over the years.

Holley students will serve the seniors, and students will also sing for the guests.

Seniors interested in attending the event, need to RSVP by April 26 to Connie Nenni in the District Office at 638-6316, ext. 2003. When seniors RSVP, then should also let Nenni know if they need a ride.

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County planners oppose Murray’s proposed regs for special events at farms and wineries

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2019 at 9:46 am

Photo by Tom Rivers: Amy Machamer, co-owner of Hurd Orchards in Holley, said Murray’s proposed law for special event regulations at farms and wineries, would add uncertainty for her business.

MURRAY – The Orleans County Planning Board voted on Thursday against proposed regulations from Murray to regulate special events at farms and wineries.

Planning Board members said Murray’s proposed law isn’t clearly written, has some contradictions and may not be needed because the state Agriculture and Markets law already gives farm operations protections for hosting special events.

Paul Hendel, a Murray Town Board member, said the town regulations are intended to help more farms have special events to sell their agricultural products.

“We’re not trying to put anybody out of business,” said Hendel, who is also a member of the County Planning Board.

The town regulation wants farms and wineries to notify the town’s code enforcement or zoning official of any special events. Those events throughout the year must be a secondary revenue stream for the farm or winery, and can’t become the primary source of money for the business, according to the Murray proposal.

“I wouldn’t jump into this,” said Planning Board member Kevin Johnson of Clarendon. “It’s going to affect a lot of farmers.”

“We think it will help them,” Hendel responded.

Ron Vendetti, a former Murray code officer, said the regulations are well intentioned “but poorly crafted.”

While Hendel said the regulations would grandfather existing operations with special events, the regulations don’t clearly say that, Vendetti said.

“It doesn’t specifically say Hurd Orchards and Salamacas (Salamaca Estate Winery) are OK,” Vendetti said.

Amy Machamer, co-owner of Hurd Orchards, said the Murray proposal is very concerning for her, given the uncertainty with how regulations are interpreted by a code officer or Planning Board.

Although Hendel said existing businesses aren’t affected by the regulations, Machamer said another Town Board or Planning Board in the future could view it differently.

Hurd Orchards uses many luncheons and special events to sell fruit and flowers grown on the farm, she said.

Agri-tourism is a big part of many farms, she said, citing a movement for more breweries, even farms renting out rooms as Airbnbs.

She also is concerned about the setback proposal requiring buildings to be at least 100 feet from the road. Machamer said Hurd owns many historic buildings that were built close to the road and don’t have a 100-foot setback.

Joe Sidonio, Machamer’s husband, said the regulations aren’t needed because the town already adopted a Right to Farm law in 2001, that encourages agri-tourism and special events at farms.

“We already have it on the books that we are promoting agriculture and we want it to grow,” Sidonio said.

Sidonio said the town’s proposal “is repetitive and discriminatory.”

Hendel said the town wants to help other farms, not currently using special events to sell products, to add that revenue stream.

The Town Board will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. on April 9 about the regulations. That hearing is at the Murray Town Hall, 3840 Fancher Rd.

The Town Board can adopt the regulations but will need a super-majority vote due to the County Planning Board’s vote of denial.

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Holley cutting down 60 trees ahead of sidewalk project

Photo by Tom Rivers: Several trees have been cut down recently on Park Place in the Village of Holley. Park Place will be getting new sidewalks. Some new trees will also be planted.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2019 at 3:11 pm

Village has hustled to get the trees down by March 31 deadline

Several trees also have been cut down on Geddes Street.

HOLLEY – Village residents have been hearing the sound of chain saws for about two months as part of an effort to take down 60 trees.

Most of the trees have been removed. A couple more will come down on Geddes Street this week.

The village’s Department of Public Works and Electric Department have taken down most of the trees ahead of a sidewalk and waterline project. A contractor was needed to remove eight trees that were too high for the village’s bucket truck. (Some of the wood will likely be auctioned off.)

Mayor Brian Sorochty said the trees could only be cut down before March 31. Trees in this project, which includes federal and state funding, can’t be cut down after March 31 through Nov. 15 because of environmental protections for bats, which use trees for habitat.

The tree-cutting was approved by the State Historic Preservation Office, as well as a plan to replant new trees, which will be smaller when they are mature.

Holley will be going out to bid in June to replace about 4 miles of sidewalks in the village. Holley also will be replacing about 2 miles of waterlines.

The village has been approved for a $1.78 million grant for sidewalks through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program.

Holley also was awarded a nearly $1.3 million grant 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 trees are being removed because of the sidewalk project. The tree roots are pushing up sidewalks in many spots. Plus the new sidewalks will be wider and closer to the road.

The project will be done in phases with the first focus on South Main and North Main (Route 237), Geddes and Morgan streets. The bid will include alternatives for East Union, East Avenue and Park Place. If the bids are lower than expected, the alternatives could be included as part of the bid to be accepted this year.

The project involves about a third of the sidewalks in the village. They need to be compliant with handicapped accessibility regulations. In some spots that means the village will need to acquire some land to have enough space for handicapped accessible ramps at intersections.

The waterline project includes 9,050 linear feet, nearly 2 miles, and involves replacing 4- to 8-inch water mains with 8- to 12-inch water mains. That project includes portions of South Main, North Main, East Union, Park Place, East Albion and Geddes streets.

In some spots the new sidewalks will go in after the new water lines are installed.

Sorochty said the work will be done in phases over the next two years.

The mayor urged patience while the projects are under construction. He said he is excited for the finished product. In addition, the renovation of the former Holley High School will be done in about a year, and the state Department of Transportation will be repaving Route 237 in the village.

About 10 trees have been cut down on East Union Street in the village. The tree stumps will come out as part of the bid to put in new sidewalks on the street.

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Holley has $130K-plus towards new waterline on Thomas Street

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 March 2019 at 4:50 pm

HOLLEY – The village will use more than $130,000 from a revolving-loan fund that is being closed out. The money for Holley will go towards a new waterline on Thomas Street, said Mayor Brian Sorochty.

Holley is eligible for the money because it is a previous recipient of the Community Development Block Grant. The CDBG was repaid by a local business with those funds going to a revolving-loan fund managed by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The state is requiring those revolving-loan funds to be closed down. The communities can direct the remaining funds to projects if they are targeted to increase handicapped accessibility of a public place or if the project serves a low-income area.

The new waterline on Thomas Street, between Route 31 and South Main Street, met the threshold for serving a low-income area, Sorochty said today.

The Village Board last week had a public hearing on using the funds for the project. Holley can use $105,000 from the village share of the revolving-loan fund. The Orleans County Legislature also directed $28,990 from a portion of its share of the revolving-loan fund to the Holley waterline.

Mayor Sorochty said engineering will now get started on the waterline, which serves six homes, the police department, the fire hall, two commercial businesses and the Holley Hotel, an apartment building with 40 units.

Construction could happen later this year on the project. Once the new waterline is done, the mayor said the street will likely be repaved. He would also like to see new sidewalks for that section of Thomas Street.

“We’re looking for more money (for the sidewalks),” he said.

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State Ed names Holley a ‘target’ school district in need of improvement

Photo by Tom Rivers: Brian Bartalo, superintendent of Holley Central School, said the district will push high expectations for all students. He speaks during Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2019 at 9:27 am

HOLLEY – The school district has been identified as a “target district” by the State Education Department, and will have at least two years to improve student performance.

Holley is in good standing for the elementary and high school. However, it has been identified as a “target district” due to low student scores for seventh- and eighth-graders, said Brian Bartalo, the school district superintendent.

Holley is one of 106 school districts out of 733 in the state that are target districts. The state will provide resources to help the districts form a plan to raise student achievement. Holley is the only district in Orleans County on the list.

Bartalo said he is all for raising student performance.

“It can be done,” he told the Holley Board of Education on Monday. “We have to believe in our kids and have high expectations.”

Holley students in seventh and eighth grade overall had low scores in state ELA and math tests from last spring. That is the main factor in Holley being listed as a target district, Bartalo told the board. The previous year, Holley students scored high enough where Holley was listed in “good standing” by the state.

The district also rated low in a new category from the state measuring college, career and civic readiness. The district offers college level and advanced placement classes. Bartalo said the district may need to encourage students to take more of those classes as well as work towards diplomas that are Regents with Distinction.

He travels to Albany on March 26 to meet with State Ed officials on the next steps for the district. State Ed officials also will spend three days in Holley from May 7-9, meeting with staff, students and focus groups. The state officials will also do classroom visits as part of a needs assessment for the district.

Holley will work with a consultant to form a plan that should be in effect to start the next school year, Bartalo said.

The superintendent met with junior high teachers last week to go over the report from the state. Bartalo said he shared a clip from the movie Stand and Deliver, a 1988 film based on the true story of high school math teacher Jaime Escalante. He worked in Los Angeles and his students overcame extreme poverty to excel in calculus. Escalante led his classes with the philosophy of “ganas,” which translates into “desire” or “motivation.”

“It took determination,” Bartalo said.

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Holley teacher honored by SUNY Brockport for welcoming student teachers

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 March 2019 at 10:01 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Christine Langelotti, a Holley second-grade teacher, is presented with a Soaring to New Heights Award by Brenda Swanger, president of the Holley Board of Education.

Langelotti was recognized this evening by the Holley school district for her recent award by Brockport State College.

She received the Roy Bubb Award for her support of student teachers. She has welcomed many students into her classroom over the years.

Brockport each year recognizes teachers who work with students in preparing for careers as educators.

Bubb, a Clarendon native, worked 25 years at Brockport,  preparing future teachers. Prior to retiring in 1986 he established the Roy Bubb Award, which is administered by the Department of Education and Human Development.

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