By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2018 at 10:30 pm
Neil Valentine held off a primary challenge from Joe Sidonio to fill a one-year term on the Murray Town Board, 244-220, in today’s Republican Primary.
Valentine was recently appointed to the board to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Ed Bower.
Murray Republicans also had races for the GOP Committee in six districts. In each district, two people were elected.
District 1: Ed Morgan and Michael Mele were endorsed by the GOP Committee and are challenged by Cynthia Piedimonte and Gerald Ramsey. Morgan, 52, and Mele, 49, topped Piedimonte, 24, and Ramsey, 20.
District 2: Mark Porter and Douglas Heath are endorsed by the committee. Anthony Peone forced a primary. Porter received 25 votes and Heath, 26, in holding off Peone, 17.
District 3: Kathleen Case and Ron Vendetti are endorsed by the committee. Kerri Neale forced a primary. Neale was the top vote-getter with 44, followed by 32 for Case and 24 for Vendetti.
District 4: Kimberly DeFrank is endorsed by the committee. Dirk Lammes Jr. and Joe Sidonio both submitted petitions to serve as members of the Republican Committee. Lammes led with 72 votes, followed by Sidonio with 66 and DeFrank with 64.
District 5: Cynthia Oliver and Lynn Wood are endorsed by the committee and are challenged by Arthur Knab and Joseph Kellenberger. Oliver and Wood were both elected with 48 votes, followed by 23 each for Knab and Kellenberger.
District 6: Robert Miller and Glenn DeFrank are endorsed by the committee. Kellie Gregoire forced a primary. Gregoire led with 44, followed by 35 for Miller and 34 for DeFrank.
Murray mailed out 30 absentee ballots and 21 had been returned by today. The ballots will be opened on Tuesday. The Board of Elections will accept ballots until next Thursday as long as they are postmarked by Sept. 12.
Gaines also had a Republican Primary for a Town Board position. Corey Black defeated Joe Gangi, 80-52.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2018 at 5:24 pm
HOLLEY – A judge this afternoon ordered candidate signs that were removed from Holley Central School to be put back.
The school district took the signs down just before the polls opened at noon today for a primary. The signs were for Joe Sidonio, who is running for a spot on the Murray Town Board and also the Town Republican Committee. He has been campaigning with about 10 other candidates for spots on the Republican Committee who also had signs removed.
No political signs are allowed within 100 feet of a polling place, which for Murray is at the Holley Junior-Senior High School.
Sidonio and other Republican Committee candidates had signs near the school facing Lynch Road, outside the 100-foot limit.
Brian Bartalo, school district superintendent, notified Sidonio at about noon that the signs were removed.
Sidonio has an election law attorney, Peter Reese of Buffalo, who filed an injunction at the State Supreme Court. Tracy Bannister, a judge in Erie County, ordered the signs to be put back at about 2 p.m.
Reese said he has been working in elections for 50 years and this is the first time heard of a polling place having legal signs taken down.
“We believe this is core constitutional rights,” Reese said. “I’ve never heard of anything like this. This is ridiculous.”
Reese said Sidonio scouted the property so he knew where he could legally place the signs.
Holley is the only school in Orleans County that is used as a polling place. Most of the polling sites are at town halls, although Albion uses Hoag Library and part of Ridgeway uses the Ridgeway fire hall.
“If they don’t want signs, they shouldn’t be a polling place,” Reese said about Holley.
Jeff Martin, the school attorney, was unavailable for comment.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2018 at 2:34 pm
SYRACUSE – The Village of Holley came in third at the State Fair in the best-tasting water competition.
New York City’s water system won the top honor for best-tasting tap water, with the Saratoga County Water Authority in second place.
People at the State Far sampled the tap water on Aug. 30 and voted for their favorite. The Village of Lyndonville won the title last year.
Visitors taste samples with each cup labeled with only a letter. The results are unscientific. The New York Water and Wastewater Education and Outreach Committee organizes the competition, trying to highlight the importance of maintaining safe drinking water supplies.
Holley qualified for the State Fair after winning the Western Region Tap Water Taste Contest at the City of Rochester Public Market. Holley topped five water systems at the Rochester event, including the City of Rochester, Village of Albion, City of Jamestown and Village of Arcade.
Holley gets most of its water from a well on Powerline Road. The village pumps about 160,000 to 190,000 gallons a day from the well. Holley also buys some water from the Monroe County Water Authority.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 September 2018 at 8:08 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The Holley school district welcomed students back on Tuesday with open houses and a pep assembly. In the elementary school, teachers and staff lined the hallway and applauded for students as they headed to the gym for an assembly.
Each grade level in the elementary school wore T-shirts in a different color. Those grade levels also decorated their wings in their respective color. It will be a unifying theme throughout the school year.
Teachers, staff and administrators who work in more than one grade level wore multi-colored shirts for the open house and pep assembly.
Exzavier Pellegrino gets a hug from Mrs. Susan Thornton, who was his first grade teacher last year. Mrs. Thornton is teaching kindergarten this year while Exzavier heads to second grade.
Brian Fitzpatrick and daughter Olivia, who is headed to third grade, get a big welcome as they head to the gym for the opening assembly.
This is the third year that Holley has lined the corridor with teachers and staff to welcome students.
“It’s to get the kids excited about being here and to show them that we’ve missed them,” said Karri Schiavone, the school principal.
Brian Bartalo, the new superintendent at Holley Central School, addressed parents and students during the assembly. He started as superintendent on July 16 after working as principal at Hilton High School.
Bartalo grew up in Dansville, a small town in Livingston County that is similar in size to Holley.
“It feels like home,” he said about Holley.
Bartalo addresses a crowd of about 500 people in the gym. He said he is impressed by the teachers, staff and administrators at Holley, who make the extra effort in showing they care about the students.
“This was high energy with lots of hugs and high fives,” he said after the students were welcomed in the hallway and at the assembly.
The new superintendent said he appreciates the warm welcome he has received from the community since he started the job. “Everybody has been super-friendly,” he said.
Bartalo also urged parents to be active partners in helping their children learn and excel this school year.
Karri Schiavone, the elementary school principal, said she has been looking forward to the start of the school year.
“I’m very excited,” she told the students.”It’s been very lonely here all summer.”
Schiavone started a new outreach this summer where she, teachers, guidance counselors and a social worker meet in teams of two or three people with kindergarteners and their families at their homes. They go over paperwork and forms needed for the school year and allow the incoming students to meet their teachers.
Schiavone and the school visited about 80 percent of the kindergarteners, an incoming group of about 85 students.
Anne Smith (right), a retired teacher who is now on the Board of Education, also received a round of applause from the teachers.
Ruthie Davis is starting kindergarten. She is led through the hallway by her parents, Joanna and Chuck Davis.
Tarek Garrett, a third grader, is welcomed back by the teachers at Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2018 at 3:41 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HULBERTON – Mike Bove of Clarendon throws the bocce ball during today’s tournament in Hulberton, which features 27 teams with some from southern Ontario and New Jersey. Most of the teams are local and they compete for $600 for first place, $400 for second, $300 for third and $200 for fourth.
This is the first time Bove has competed in the double elimination tournament. He was asked to play for “The Lowballers” who also include Tibor Dobri, Keith Neale and Scott Lang.
Tibor Dobri eyes the target during the bocce tournament.
Some of the bocce players get out the measuring tape to see which of the bigger balls is closer to the pallino, the small white ball.
Dan Mawn prepares sugar waffles “carnival style.” He used to make them at the Holley Firemen’s Carnival and has been doing it for about six years at St. Rocco’s. The annual Rocco’s Festival celebrates Italian culture and includes lots of Italian food. The event is a fundraiser for the St. Mary’s and St. Mark’s Parish in Holley and Kendall.
Kathy Smith gets slices of pizza ready. She has been volunteering at the festival for about 30 years. “Oh, it’s wonderful,” she said. “It’s nice to get together with all of the ladies.”
Other popular Italian foods were available including eggplant parmesan, meatball sandwiches, pasta fagioli, shells and spaghetti.
Lena Pellegrino and Brian Welch worked together making fried dough.
Scott Vogler, his wife Jennifer and their daughter Olivia are part of the team serving eggplant parmesan and shells. They are from Irondequoit. Scott’s mother-in-law Ellen Englert has been a long-time volunteer at St. Rocco’s.
People line up to get their tickets for some of the food.
Joe Chiappone of Lockport wears a T-shirt he bought in Cleveland. He said the shirt gets a lot of comments. “Everybody laughs,” he said. “It’s the truth though,” he said about the shirt’s message. Chiappone attended the festival to play in the bocce tournament. He has been coming every year for 20 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2018 at 7:26 am
ALBION – A grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation will allow the Albion and Holley police departments to add defibrillators to all of their patrol cars, as well as one for the police stations.
Roland Nenni, police chief for both departments, was notified on Tuesday that the Foundation approved an $11,700 grant for 11 defibrillators. An Automated External Defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current to the heart.
The Albion and Holley officers go to EMS and fire calls, often the first on the scene. Nenni said the officers have been the first to respond when someone is in cardiac arrest. Having the defibrillators will increase the chances of saving people having a heart attack. Right now, officers can only provide CPR for someone in cardiac arrest.
“I’m really excited about it from a public service standpoint,” Nenni said Wednesday after informing the Albion Village Board of the grant. “We go on hundreds of EMS calls.”
Nenni has been an emergency medical technician the past 28 years. He is a former Holley fire chief. Providing care within 6 minutes of a heart attack is critical, he said.
He also wanted the defibrillators in the patrol cars in case a police officer went into cardiac arrest.
The defibrillators will be installed in six Albion patrol cars, two Holley patrol cars, and one each at the Holley and Albion police stations. There will also be one available for training.
Nenni said he is pushing to have them purchased and in service by Nov. 1.
HOLLEY – Holley Rotary Club President Bob Miller welcomes Janne Grasshoff of Berlin, Germany to the club’s meeting on Monday.
Janne is Rotary’s new inbound exchange student. Miller presented her with a club golf shirt and a club hat.
Janne will spend the school year in Holley. She follows Lara Braun of Switzerland as a Rotary exchange student at Holley. Rotary has welcomed exchange students to Holley for many years, and the Holley Club also sends Holley students to study abroad in other countries for a year.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Damian Alexin, center, and Jesse Seeler are ready to serve customers at the bar at the new Holley Falls Bar & Grill. The business has been serving some customers since Thursday with “soft openings” for the Holley business community and other friends of the Dan and Monica Seeler, owners of the restaurant. Holley Falls opens to the public on Monday at 4 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 August 2018 at 8:52 am
HOLLEY – A major transformation of a historic downtown building will celebrate a grand opening on Monday with the new Holley Falls Bar & Grill.
Dan and Monica Seeler have been working on the project the past five years. They have given the former Tagg’s Tavern a major overhaul.
“No one can believe it’s the same place,” Mr. Seeler said Saturday during a tour.
He owns Seeler Contracting and has been working on building projects for 45 years, since he was 16.
He and his wife are grateful to have the project complete, and they look forward to the new business drawing people to Holley, to see the waterfalls just down the street from Frisbee Terrace in the Public Square.
Dan and Monica Seeler wanted to create a destination restaurant for Holley.
“It’s been a team effort,” Mr. Seeler said on Saturday during a soft opening for the restaurant, which was open to some of his friends, suppliers and contractors who worked on the project, which includes five upstairs apartments.
Mr. Seeler said it has been a long journey, but he enjoyed the steady progress and giving a new purpose to the site.
“It’s been fun every little step, but I’m relieved because we’re done,” he said.
The Seelers’ sons, Jesse and Sean, also were critical in the construction and will be with the operation of the restaurant and bar.
The Seelers like how the building looks out on the Public Square, offering a great view of a quaint small town with its historic downtown, large American flag in the Public Square and a landmark former church building.
There are 135 seats, with 85 in the dining room and 50 in the bar.
The building used to have a wooden exterior when it was Tagg’s Tavern. The wood was removed to reveal cast iron columns in front. The Seelers needed to rebuild walls, paint them and make numerous other improvements for one of the most prominent buildings in Holley. They also added an awning.
Mr. Seeler led the construction efforts and his wife shaped the look of the restaurant and bar.
“Dan had the vision,” Mrs. Seeler said. “He does this for a living.”
The couple visited many restaurants in the region, and noted many popular establishments are in small towns, including the Red Osier in Stafford and Farmer’s Creekside Tavern & Inn in Le Roy.
The Seelers want to serve the Holley community, but they expect the new restaurant will draw well beyond the local community.
Mrs. Seeler wanted to create an upscale dining experience where everyone would feel welcome. She also wanted to celebrate the beauty of the Holley Waterfalls.
Retired Holley art teacher Tony Barry created a painting of the Holley Waterfalls that hangs prominently in the dining room.
Giant photographs by Kim Miller of the waterfalls, walking trails and canal system in Holley are mounted on the walls.
The community has watched the improvements at the building the past five years, and residents have been eager for the business to open.
“It’s all of the little details,” Mrs. Seeler said. “It’s all the details and they take time.”
The Seelers have hired 32 people and then will add to the staff. They said the staff is hard-working and committed to making the new business a success. The Seelers have sensed the pride of the employees in getting the new business ready.
Beth Miller, 29, of Holley is the head chef. She holds a Crème Brulee dessert. The Holley graduate developed the menu at Holley Falls. She makes the meals and desserts from scratch.
She earned a culinary degree at Paul Smith’s College and worked five years as a pastry chef at an upscale lodge in Lake Placid. Most recently she was the head chef for a brewing company in the Town of Greece.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” she said about working for the Seelers. “You don’t get an opportunity like this everyday to open a restaurant from the very beginning.”
Nickie Poler is the front of the house manager. The restaurant has tablets where waiters and waitresses enter orders at the customers’ tables, and those orders are sent directly to the kitchen and bar, before the waiters and waitresses have left the table.
Poler said it will speed up service and decrease mistakes in ordering.
Holley Falls will be open for dinners from 4 to 9 p.m., with the bar menu available from 9 p.m. to midnight.
After a couple months, the Seelers said the Holley Falls will likely open for lunches from Thursdays through Sundays.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2018 at 9:47 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: The top of the Holley water tank on Route 237 is shown in this photo from Sept. 2, 2017.
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley won the 2018 Western Region Tap Water Taste Contest on Saturday at the City of Rochester Public Market.
Holley finished first, followed by the City of Rochester in second, Village of Albion in third, City of Jamestown in fourth, and Village of Arcade in fifth.
Holley advances to the State Finals which will be held Aug. 30 at the State Fair in Syracuse.
Last year the Village of Lyndonville won the state title for best-tasting water.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 July 2018 at 2:24 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – A big barge pulled into Holley this morning and has been drawing crowds to the Orleans County village today. The Corning Museum of Glass has a 2018 tour includes Holley and Medina in Orleans County, as well as other canal towns in New York.
Glassmakers are doing demonstration on the barge today. It heads west to Buffalo after being in Holley today, and will stop in Medina on Aug. 11-12. Tickets are free and can be ordered by clicking here.
The 30′ x 80′ canal barge is equipped with Corning’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the Glass Barge tour emphasizes the continued role of the Erie Canal in shaping the state’s industry, culture and community. The canal was under construction 200 years ago and opened in 1825.
Jeff Mack, a glass artist for Corning, shapes molten glass. Corning has the barge on tour this year for the 150th anniversary celebration of the glass-making business in Corning.
A canal boat passes the barge while the glass artist put the glass in a 2,100-degree furnace.
Steve Gibbs is the narrator and director of the Glass barge. He addressed more than 100 people during an 11:45 presentation today. The barge is expected to draw about 1,000 people for demonstrations today.
The Glass Barge is joined by the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C.L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat. They are pictured looking from the lift bridge in Holley.
The Champlain Maritime Museum operates the Lois McClure. The museum shares the story of 19th-century canal life and how materials were shipped on New York’s waterways.
Holley will be providing musical entertainment today from 5 to 7 p.m. by Joe Fiannaca & Wayne Robertson as well as 50-cent hot dogs and free ice cream for children.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2018 at 11:49 am
Provided photo from Corning Museum of Glass: A barge with mobile glassmaking equipment will be in Holley for demonstrations on Tuesday.
HOLLEY – A barge with glassmaking equipment will stop in Holley on Tuesday as part of a summer-long tour along the Erie Canal.
The Corning Museum of Glass has a 2018 GlassBarge tour that is visiting Holley and Medina in Orleans County, as well as other canal towns in New York. The Glass barge will be at Holley’s Canal Park later today and will be open for demonstrations on Tuesday.
The Glass Barge will be in Medina, docking at Medina Canal Basin, on August 11-12.
In celebration of this pivotal journey, the Corning Museum is recreating the voyage with GlassBarge – a 30′ x 80′ canal barge equipped with Corning’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the GlassBarge tour emphasizes the continued role of New York’s waterways in shaping the state’s industry, culture, and community.
GlassBarge begins it tour in Brooklyn on May 17 and will travel north on the Hudson River, then westward along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo before making its way to the Finger Lakes. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on Sept. 22. (Besides stopping in Holley and Medina, GlassBarge will also be in Brockport from Aug. 17-19.)
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Lois McClure passes under the Main Street lift bridge in Albion in August 2013.
The barge will be joined by the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C.L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat. They are both part of the permanent collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The museum will share the story of 19th-century canal life and how materials were shipped on New York’s waterways. On the Erie Canal, GlassBarge will be moved by an historic tug from the fleet of the South Street Seaport Museum, connecting upstate and downstate by water.
Holley officials feel very fortunate to be a stop on the GlassBarge tour, Mayor Brian Sorochty said today.
He urged people to visit the GlassBarge, the Lois McClure and the C.L. Churchill tugboat.
The Glass Barge will be available for free glass blowing demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those interested in seeing a demonstration (about 30 minutes in duration) are encouraged to register for a timeslot in advance (click here). The 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. demonstrations are already full.
Limited additional seating is available for walk-up registration on the day of the event. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Holley will also be providing musical entertainment from 5 to 7 p.m. by Joe Fiannaca & Wayne Robertson as well as 50-cent hot dogs and free ice cream for children.
“I am very excited about this event and proud to have the opportunity to have it here in our community,” Sorochty said. “Please plan on attending this wonderful event.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2018 at 5:31 pm
There will be Republican primaries on Sept. 13 in Gaines and Murray. Both towns have one-year terms up for election on the Town Board.
In Gaines, Richard DeCarlo resigned from the Town Board. Town Supervisor Joe Grube and the other board members have decided not to appoint someone to fill the position, instead leaving it to voters this fall.
Corey Black and Joseph Gangi, Jr. have both submitted petitions to run for the position. Black has been endorsed by the Gaines Republican Committee.
In Murray, Town Supervisor Bob Miller and the Town Board have been appointed Neal Valentine to fill a vacancy on the board from the recent death of Ed Bower. Valentine will be challenged in a primary by Joe Sidonio to fill the remaining year of the term.
Murray also has many primaries for members of the Murray Republican Committee. Each district will elect two members to the committee.
District 1: Ed Morgan and Michael Mele are endorsed by the committee and are challenged by Cynthia Piedimonte and Gerald Ramsey.
District 2: Mark Porter and Douglas Heath are endorsed by the committee. Anthony Peone forced a primary.
District 3: Kathleen Case and Ron Vendetti are endorsed by the committee. Kerri Neale forced a primary.
District 4: Kimberly DeFrank is endorsed by the committee. Dirk Lammes Jr. and Joe Sidonio both submitted petitions to serve as members of the Republican Committee.
District 5: Cynthia Oliver and Lynn Wood are endorsed by the committee and are challenged by Arthur Knab and Joseph Kellenberger.
District 6: Robert Miller and Glenn DeFrank are endorsed by the committee. Kellie Gregoire forced a primary.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2018 at 4:45 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Holley Falls Bar & Grill is shown in this photo from early April. The business will open in Holley’s Public Square on Aug. 6.
HOLLEY – A project that has been five years in the making, with a major renovation in Holley’s Public Square, will open to the community on Aug. 6.
Dan and Monica Seeler have completed a transformation of the former Tagg’s Tavern in Holley. The Holley Falls Bar & Grill will open with 42 employees.
“We’re excited,” said Mr. Seeler. “We’re going to bring a nice destination to Orleans County.”
Holley Falls will be open for dinners from 4 to 9 p.m., with the bar menu available from 9 p.m. to midnight. Seeler said the bar won’t stay open until 2 a.m.
After a couple months, Mr. Seeler said he expects Holley Falls will open for lunches from Thursdays through Sundays.
In addition to the bar and restaurant, the Seelers renovated the upper levels to create apartments that are all rented.
The building used to have a wooden exterior when it was Tagg’s Tavern. The wood was removed to reveal cast iron columns in front. The Seelers needed to rebuild walls, paint them and make numerous other improvements for one of the most prominent buildings in Holley. They also added an awning.
They named the restaurant and bar for the Holley Falls, a popular spot that is located down Frisbee Terrace, a short walk from the restaurant.
Provided photo: Three members of the Holley Hawks Trap Team competed in the national championships, including, from left: Bradley Kingdollar, Tristan McFadden and Ethan Waldron.
Courtesy of Holley Hawks Trap Team
HOLLEY – Three members of the Holley High School clay target shooting team travelled to Mason, Mich. from July 11-15 to compete in the USA High School Clay Target League National Championships.
Bradley Kingdollar, Tristan McFadden and Ethan Waldron were invited based on their shooting averages throughout the spring season.
The three boys participated in the individual portion of the competition. Brad Kingdollar hit 93 out of 100 birds to rank #459 out of more than 1,200 kids competing. Ethan Waldron hit 92 targets to place #568 and Tristan McFadden hit 82 targets. The score needed to make the finals was 94.
The atmosphere at the event was one of sportsmanship and respect. The competitors handled themselves professionally and enjoyed meeting kids from across the country who share their passion of trapshooting. Trapshooting is the safest and fast growing high school sport. To date, there have been no injuries – no concussions and no broken bones.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2018 at 1:01 pm
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will go over four upcoming projects during a meeting today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion on Wright Street.
The village will be replacing 4 miles of sidewalks and nearly 2 miles of water mains. Home Leasing LLC also will be renovating the old Holley High School and converting it into apartments and the village office building. That is a $17 million project.
In addition, the state Department of Transportation will be resurfacing parts of routes 237 and 31 in Holley.
The waterline project includes 9,050 linear feet 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.
The meeting is a chance for residents to speak with project engineers and Village Board members.
