Holley/Murray

Murray town attorney says no overpayments to highway superintendent

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2017 at 10:07 am

MURRAY – The town’s $4,985 annual payments to Ed Morgan, the highway superintendent, in lieu of health insurance are “proper,” Town Attorney Jeff Martin told the Town Board on Tuesday.

The board on Feb. 14 was urged to look into the payments by resident Joe Sidonio, who believed the payments were too high.

Sidonio said Morgan should only be getting $2,000 a year for not taking a two-person health insurance policy through the town.

The $4,985 amount was set for employees hired before 2012. The local law said if there was a break in service for a longer-term employee, the health insurance payment would drop to $2,000 and not $4,985.

The Murray local law states that current employees receiving the the stipend shall be considered new employees at the lower stipend level if they have a break in employment by not getting reappointed, not being re-elected “or otherwise.”

If they then return to employment with the town, “such employees shall be regarded as a new employee and subject to the limitations on payments in lieu of health insurance applicable to new employees,” according to the town law, which Sidonio read from on during the Feb. 14 meeting.

Morgan has served as town highway superintendent since Jan. 1, 1990. He has been elected to seven 4-year terms.

Morgan “retired” for a one day, Dec. 31, 2013, to be eligible to begin collecting his pension through the NYS Retirement System.

Sidonio said that one-day retirement should represent a break in service, with Morgan considered a new employee when his new term started on Jan. 1, 2014.

Sidonio said Morgan may have been overpaid $2,985 annually for three years for the health insurance stipend.

But Town Attorney Jeff Martin said Morgan never had a break in service. Morgan didn’t resign. He never submitted a letter of resignation.

The town law requires an elected official to take the oath of office within 30 days of the start of a new term. Morgan took the oath on Jan. 2, 2014, the first day the town hall was open to start the new term.

Martin said Morgan never left his office, and only took off a day to be eligible to collect his pension, which Martin said is common for many long-term elected officials in New York.

“He has had continuous service since Jan. 1, 1990,” Martin said. “The payment is proper. We’re not in violation of our own local law.”

Sidonio attended Tuesday’s Town Board meeting and thanked Martin for looking into the issue.

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Holley school budget would raise taxes 1.35%

Staff Reports Posted 12 April 2017 at 7:41 am

HOLLEY – The Board of Education on Monday approved a $24,500,000 budget for 2017-18, which represents a 0.41 percent spending increase over this year.

The budget would increase property taxes by 1.35 percent, which is below the district’s tax cap, the district said in a news release.

The budget goes before voters on May 16, when they will also elect members of the Board of Education. Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Holley Middle School/High School Foyer.

Budget information will be available soon on the district website at www.holleycsd.org and in the budget newsletter mailed to residents in May.

“I thank the Board for approving the 2017-18 budget, and I am also appreciative of the collaborative effort put forth by the Board and the administrative team,” said District Superintendent Robert D’Angelo. “Our goal was to create a budget that was both educationally sound, as well as fiscally responsible, for the community, and we certainly accomplished that.”

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Holley’s Geometry in Construction allows students to apply math to building project

Photos by Kristina Gabalski: Holley students work together to clean up and put away materials as the school day draws to a close while they worked on a building project on Monday.

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 5 April 2017 at 4:45 pm

Learning to use power tools is part of the experience offered by the Geometry in Construction class. Here, Tim Rogers guides a student working with a power drill.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – There is no lack of enthusiasm in the Geometry in Construction class at Holley Middle School/High School.

“It’s a fun class, it makes the end of the day more fun,” said sophomore Amanda Valerio.

Amanda said she loves math, but was uncertain early in the year how the class would work.

“Now I know I definitely can do both,” she said of the hands-on, as well as the textbook side of the class.

This is the first year the class has been offered and is structured to help students learn how math concepts can be applied to real-world problems to create solutions. Skills learned may open the doorway to future jobs or help them maintain or build their own homes someday.

“It’s cool, we get both the math side and the construction side,” freshman Mikaela Auch says.

Sophomore Elijah Stanton gives the teachers of the class, Tim Rogers and Russ Albright, much praise.

“They are the best,” Elijah said.

All 13 students in the class have pitched-in on their main construction project – a service project creating a small house for Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, NY, a rescue mission which provides one-man shelters for homeless men as they work to turn their lives around.

Members of the Holley Middle School/High School Geometry in Construction class raise the wall of a small house Monday afternoon. The class is being offered this year for the first time and mixes Regents Geometry with real-life construction skills. The house will be donated to Second Wind Cottages in Newfield, NY.

“The home is going for a good cause,” Valerio said of the project. “We don’t want to mess it up.”

The class began raising walls on Monday afternoon and students are working to mount the structure on a wooden base they also constructed. They will then learn to panel the interior walls.

In early May, the class will transport the small home in sections to the grounds of Second Wind Cottages where it will be re-assembled and anchored on a concrete pad. They will complete the project on site.

Teacher Tim Rogers – in yellow construction hat – works to set the newly raised wall in place. The class learned while working Monday afternoon that the plans provided to them did not exactly match the wooden base of the structure, but Rogers says such “things happen” in construction, and it is not unusual to have to come up with alternate solutions when difficulties arise.

The fact the small house is going to someone in need gives the students an added sense of purpose and accomplishment.

“We have used a lot of math concepts and it is cool someone will live in this,” Mikaela Auch said.

Tim Rogers and Russ Albright, along with the students, say the class has bonded students who might otherwise have not worked together.

Tim Rogers holds a model of the small house the class is building. Students teamed up to make the model, which involved learning and utilizing the geometry concepts of ratio and proportion.

“I’ve learned a lot of people skills,” Elijah Stanton said. “It’s good to learn the construction side, there are many valuable skills.”

He said several students are now thinking about careers in construction, something they never considered before.

Rogers and Albright said construction is a growing field in need of good workers including people such as masons and plumbers.

The students will take the NYS Geometry Regents in June.

“We have to cover the same material as traditional Geometry classes,” Tim Rogers said. “The Geometry in Construction class brings more real-life situations to students.”

The hope is that the class may help students who typically struggle with Geometry learn more easily.

Both Rogers and Albright said they feel the class is going very well. They say in addition to math and construction skills, the class also builds teamwork and leadership skills, so vital to the real-world workforce.

“They have to work as a team,” Rogers said, “and they have done that.”

“They find the skills they are best at and that helps them become leaders,” Russ Albright explained. “They become leaders as they become comfortable with the tools.”

Rogers and Albright say they are looking for a similar construction-related service project for next year’s class and hope it might even be in Orleans County. They have had some difficulty finding a project near home due to a number of issues including insurance and the age of the students, but they are open to suggestions from the community. They could also continue with Second Wind Cottages in the future, they said.

Members of the Geometry in Construction class work to stabilize a newly raised wall on a small house they are building for the homeless.

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Holley school district looks to establish Bed Bug protocol

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 21 March 2017 at 10:39 am

Holley votes to restart marching band

HOLLEY – Holley Board of Education members had their first reading of a new Bed Bug protocol for the district during their regular meeting Monday evening.

The Elementary School battled a bed bug issue in classrooms this winter and at the February meeting of the Board of Education, President Brenda Swanger requested a protocol be put in place.

The protocol includes the response for a bed bug found on a student in school or in a classroom; response for a bed bug infestation in a classroom or school; and how to keep beg bugs out of the classroom.

“A protocol gives us more latitude than a policy,” District Superintendent Robert D’Angelo told school board members.

Swanger said she is glad the district will have something in place regarding the issue.

Board member Melissa Ierlan, who serves as the Town of Clarendon’s code enforcement officer, said during a recent code class she attended, she learned that the problem of bed bugs is becoming more widespread in public places.

In other issues:

• In her report, Holley Elementary Principal Karri Schiavone said that with assessment testing starting next week, the school will send a letter home to parents this week emphasizing the importance of parents allowing their children to take the tests.

“We are hoping to get as many kids as we can,” Schiavone said.

She explained that the state has made many changes to the tests following last year’s survey which included parental input. “It’s more like the assessments students used to take,” she said, and explained New York State has veered away somewhat from Common Core in preparing the tests.

“The tests have changed,” Schiavone said. The results, “don’t count against the student.” She explained that students will now have unlimited time and students with documented needs will be accommodated.

Schiavone said teachers and administrators utilize results from assessment testing to help them focus on areas where students need the most help.

• Under consensus approvals, Board of Education members approved the formation of a marching band for students in grades 7-12.

Elementary band director Hannah Bock told Orleans Hub the district had a combined marching band with Kendall Central School a few years ago, but there had been a lack of student interest in a marching band.

Middle School/ High School band director Zachary Busch said that has changed, and 25-30 students have expressed interest in forming a marching band.

Busch and Bock are hoping to have the band ready to march at the Memorial Day Parade in Holley as well as other local festivals such as the Strawberry Festival in Albion.

“We’ve been trying to get up a marching band” Bock said. “We hope that this time is the charm.”

They added that interested Kendall Central students will be welcome to join, once an agreement between the two districts can be reached.

• School Board members also approved a trip to the State Capitol in Albany for students in the 11th and 12th grade Humanities Class.

Students in the class attended Monday’s meeting and told board members the trip, scheduled for March 26th and 27th, will include a visit to the New York State Museum, the floor of the New York State Senate and meetings with Senator Robert Ortt and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The students have prepared written statements regarding issues of interest to them, which they will discuss with local representatives.

Topics include improving opportunities for low-income families to access higher education; Common Core testing; and tuition-free college.

Students were invited to take the trip after meeting recently with Assemblyman Hawley’s Chief of Staff, Eileen Banker.

“It’s a great place to go and visit, especially at your age,” Board President Brenda Swanger said.

Board member John Heise said he supported the trip as did Board Vice-President Robin Silvis. Board members said students would find the experience inspiring.

“I can’t wait to have you share it with us,” Silvis said.

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Storm knocked down gravestone in Clarendon last known Revolutionary War soldier to die

Photos courtesy of Melissa Ierlan: One of Clarendon’s most revered residents, Lemuel Cook, is buried at a pioneer cemetery on Munger Road in Clarendon. His gravestone toppled over during the wind storm on Wednesday.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2017 at 1:13 pm

Photo courtesy of Matthew Ballard: Here is how Lemuel Cook’s gravestone looked recently before the powerful windstorm knocked it over.

CLARENDON – Lemuel Cook lived to be 107, dying on May 20, 1866. He was the oldest pensioner of the American Revolution, considered the last surviving soldier from the war that gave the United States its independence.

Cook is buried in Cook Cemetery on Munger Road in Clarendon. His gravestone has been damaged over the year, occasionally pushed over by vandals.

The gravestone was knocked over again last Wednesday. This time the culprit was powerful winds from a storm that knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people in Western New York and the Finger Lakes. Nearly the entire town of Clarendon went at least two days without electricity.

The town is proud of Cook, and has set May 20 as the dedication for a historical marker at the cemetery, noting Cook’s service in the Revolution.

The town will have to work to have the gravestone reset in time for the dedication, Town Historian Melissa Ierlan said this morning.

The gravestone doesn’t have pins to help holds the pieces together. One recent repair used caulk to help hold the stones pieces in place.

The town has five pioneer cemeteries and Ierlan said two of them were damaged from the storm last week.

Besides Cook Cemetery on Munger Road, a cemetery on Hibbard Road, just off Route 31A, had a tree and big branches come down. That site on Hibbard Road includes the grave of Eldredge Farwell, the town founder.

Eldredge Farwell died in 1843. Farwell discovered Clarendon in 1810 while looking for his brother Isaac’s lost horse. He traced Isaac’s footprints along the border of Sandy Creek and was impressed with the town waterfalls.

Farwell saw the waterfalls as a potential source of power for business. He moved his family to Clarendon in 1811 and built saw and grist mills. The town was originally named Farwell’s Mills but was renamed to Clarendon. Farwell was from Clarendon, Vermont.

This photo shows some of the damage at Cook Cemetery on Munger Road in Clarendon after the storm on Wednesday.

Holley has kept the lights on after wind storm

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2017 at 8:45 am

Alyssa Devault took this photo of a cracked tree on North Main Street in Holley on Wednesday. The Holley Electric Department was able to restore power not long after the big branch came down.

HOLLEY – While much of Orleans County has gone without electricity since the powerful wind storm swept through the area on Wednesday, knocking down trees and wires, Village of Holley residents haven’t been forced to endure lengthy power outages.

The village has its own electric department with about 1,100 customers. About 100 of those customers lost power short-term after the storm on Wednesday.

One tree came at the corner of North Main and East Union streets. There were 20-25 customers without power for abut 12 hours while village electric crews restored service.

There was another issue on Nelson Street that shut down a section of the village temporarily.

Matt Campbell, the Electric Department superintendent, said the village trimmed many trees last year, clearing branches from near power lines.

“We trimmed out our whole village and that definitely helped,” Campbell said. “We cleared are our lines back and I think that’s what saved us.”

Holley had help with the tree trimming from other municipal electric crews from Bergen, Churchville, Akron and Castile.

The village receives its power through a National Grid transmission line which remained in service after the storm.

Most of the eastern end of Orleans County – Clarendon, Murray and Kendall – have been in the dark since the power outages on Wednesday, except the Village of Holley.

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‘Holley Strong’ celebrates the many positives of school, community

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 4 March 2017 at 8:52 pm

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – Cast members of this year’s Holley school musical production of Grease performed a number from the show on Thursday evening and encouraged everyone to attend the performances on March 10 and 11.

Holley Middle School/High School Principal Susan Cory welcomed those attending. She said students and community residents should show their pride in being from Holley and in being part of “Holley Strong.”

The Holley Middle School/High School auditorium was a sea of red and black and full of excitement and enthusiasm Thursday evening as students, parents, faculty, staff and community members came together to celebrate “Holley Strong.”

“I’m proud to celebrate the good things about Holley,” Middle School/High School Principal Susan Cory said in opening up the event which included a teaser of the upcoming school musical, Grease; presentations on the Holley community; the importance of assessment testing to students and the district; and an epic “Teacher Lip-Sync Battle” which pitted Elementary teachers against Middle School/High School teachers.

Cory said Holley Central School is the heart of the Holley community and that it is important to “celebrate more of the positive” aspects of the school.

The district ran out of red T-shirts with the new Holley Strong logo and Hawk. Cory said more will be available.

“Bubbles” of facts about the Holley community asked those attending, “Did you know….” and included information promoting community and school pride.

Teacher Nick D’Amuro, “Mr. D.” discussed all the pieces of the “puzzle.” “We want to see the entire piece of the puzzle,” he said regarding student performance. “Students are not just test scores.” D’Amuro teaches 8th Grade Social Studies and Contemporary Issues at the Middle School High School.

D’Amuro discussed how all the pieces of the student puzzle fit together and noted that Grades 3-8 assessments are part of completing that puzzle.

Seniors Kayla Thrower, left, and Jessica Sedore discussed challenges they have faced in their academic careers, particularly regarding mastering Chemistry during the “Holley Talk” portion of the event. They stressed students should see challenges as opportunities and that failure can be managed, as it is only, “one part of the puzzle.”

Thrower hosted the Holley Strong event. “Holley (Central School) is a home full of teachers who care,” she said.

The Holley Strong event concluded with a Lip Sync Battle between Elementary and Middle School/High School teachers. Here, Elementary teachers perform during the first round.

Teacher Nick D’Amuro wowed the crowd during the Middle School/High School teachers lip sync performance during the Holley Strong event at the school on Thursday.

Middle School/High School and Elementary teachers performed together for the lip sync finale. Students voted on the winner and Elementary teachers were victorious by a narrow margin of 96-88 votes.

Teachers invited students to join them on stage during the lip sync finale.

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Holley cheerleaders deliver ‘House That Love Built’ to Ronald McDonald House

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 March 2017 at 8:15 am

Provided photos

Holley cheerleaders traveled to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester on Thursday evening to deliver “The Little House That Love Built,” a fund-raiser that netted $2,050 for the Ronald McDonald House. Cheerleaders also turned a discarded doll house into a refurbished mini-house that will be displayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

Families stay at the Ronald McDonald House while children are hospitalized in the Rochester area. The house from Holley, which includes 780 roof tiles with names and messages from the Holley community, sends a message that the families at the Ronald McDonald House are loved, said Penny Cole, co-coach of the cheerleaders.

Cheerleaders and their coach, Penny Cole (back center left), present the house to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.

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Holley cheerleaders create Ronald McDonald House of love

Photos by Tom Rivers: Holley cheerleaders are pictured with a discarded dollhouse that was repurposed as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2017 at 10:26 pm

Project raised $2,050 for Ronald McDonald House Charities

Penny Cole and her daughter Heather Kelley, the co-coaches of the Holley varsity cheerleading team, are pictured with ‘The Little House That Love Built.’ The house was taken to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester today.

HOLLEY – A discarded doll house proved a popular fund-raiser that also touched the hearts of many in the Holley community.

Holley cheerleaders led the effort to repurpose a toy dollhouse into “The Little House That Love Built.” The house was given today to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, along with $2,050, the fruits of the fund-raising effort.

Cheerleaders sold tiles on the roof for $1 each. There are 780 tiles and most of them include names of the donors.

The cheerleaders are pictured above with the house at about 4 p.m. today before they took it to Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.

“I hope people see the names and draw strength from it,” said Penny Cole, co-cheerleading coach.

Cole thanked the community for supporting the fund-raiser which started in November. Cheerleaders sold tiles at basketball games and school events. Many of the donors gave more than $1 for a tile.

This is the third year that Cole and the Holley school have raised money for the Ronald McDonald House. This is the first time the effort topped $1,000.

It took 780 tiles to cover the roof of the house.

The tiles include hundreds of names of community members, as well as visiting fans from other teams that played in Holley.

Cole is co-cheerleading coach with her daughter, Heather Kelley. Cole said Heather was a preemie when she was born before there was a Ronald McDonald House. Cole said she was in anguish having to leave her newborn at the hospital after she was born. Cole wishes there had been a home then for families with children receiving healthcare.

While selling tiles for the mini-house, Cole and cheerleaders heard from families who have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House, and how that option made a difficult time more bearable.

The house was initially for the daughter of a kindergarten teacher. When the daughter outgrew it, the teacher brought it to her classroom. But it was too big for the classroom and was going to be tossed in the garbage.

Cole rescued it, and had it repainted, furnished with toy furniture and a new roof put on with tiles listing hundreds of names. It is now, “The Little House That Love Built.”

Cole has been the cheerleading coach at Holley since 1989. After her daughter graduated from high school in 1997, she joined her mother as co-coach. The two lead a dynamic team which won the Genesee-Region title last month. Cole and Kelley were named the league’s coaches of the year for the second straight year. The two also praised Corrida Shepherd, the JV cheerleading coach.

The house has been decorated inside and even includes furniture.

Cole organizes the varsity team and her daughter is in charge of choreography.

“She is the head train that keeps everything running smoothly,” Kelley said about her mother.

The state in January 2015 made cheerleading an official sport. That designation has resulted in more tumbling and jumping, and less emphasis on dancing. Cole and Kelley said the team starts practicing in August and competes until late February. They cheer for fall and winter sports, and also compete in five of their own events.

“It’s hurtful when people say they’re not athletes because people don’t realize what cheerleaders do,” Cole said.

Holley cheerleaders Kelsey Daniels, left, and Madeline Rowley are pictured with the house and the fund-raising result.

The cheerleaders support their school, and also cheer for other cheerleading teams at the competitions. The Holley cheerleaders also embrace community service, including visits to The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion (the former county nursing home). The cheerleaders visited residents for the Christmas holiday and were back on Valentine’s.

Two of the Holley cheerleaders, Kelsey Daniels and Madeline Rowley, were selected to cheer in the senior showcase, the annual Ronald McDonald House All Star basketball games in Rochester.

Kelsey said the community responded to the Ronald McDonald house fund-raiser, enjoying a new approach to raising money and awareness.

She praised Cole and Kelley for their dedication to the cheerleaders.

“They think of us as their own children,” Kelsey said.

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Judge tells Holley FD to get a lawyer in Squirrel Slam lawsuit

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2017 at 1:53 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: Attorneys from Winston & Strawn LLP in New York City – Ross Kramer, back left, Anup Misra and Alexa Perlman (back to camera) – speak with environmental activist Richard Brummel after a court appearance today at the Orleans County Courthouse.

ALBION – The Holley Fire Department was strongly urged to hire a lawyer in a case against the department with the annual Squirrel Slam hunting contest.

The Fire Department has been sued in a case brought by Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. She is being represented pro bono by the Winston & Strawn LLP firm in New York City.

Three attorneys from Winston & Strawn appeared in court today in Albion.

Francis Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Department, appeared in State Supreme Court without an attorney.

Judge James Punch urged Gaylord to have a lawyer check the legal filings in the case and prepare a response.

“It’s very advisable to have counsel for any legal proceeding,” Punch told Gaylord in court. “This can get very complicated.”

Gaylord said the department has reached out to Jeff Martin of Holley. Punch said Martin would have two weeks to respond to the court filings from Winston & Strawn LLP. The next court appearance was scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 10.

Today was the first court appearance in Albion for the case since Feb. 19, 2015. That was the day Punch dismissed the lawsuit. He said then the paperwork wasn’t properly filed.

But an Appellate Court ruled on Dec. 23 the case shouldn’t have been dismissed and the arguments should be heard in court.

Punch referred to the first filing as a “do-it-yourself petition” that contained “glaring deficiencies.”

The Squirrel Slam just happened last Saturday, but Gaylord said the Holley Fire Department did not sponsor that event. Hunters brought their squirrels to the Brockport Elks Club. The Holley Fire Department, however, sponsored a squirrel hunt in September.

Gaylord said after today’s court appearance that the fire department hasn’t broken any state laws with the squirrel hunt. He was disappointed the fire department would have to spend money on an attorney.

Winston & Strawn attorneys said they want the fire department to do an environmental impact statement on the squirrel hunt to determine the impact on the local squirrel population.

Ross Kramer said a one-day hunting event like the Squirrel Slam can result in “the massive killing of a single species at one time.” The fire department should provide details on that impact, Kramer said.

Gaylord and fire department officials have previously said the hunt doesn’t wipe out squirrels. The hunting isn’t limited to the Holley area. Hunters pursue squirrels in several counties.

The Holley event has been capped at 600 tickets or 300 two-person teams. Each team can enter up to five squirrels.

The hunting season for gray, black and fox squirrel runs from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and there is a daily bag limit of 6. Red squirrels may be hunted anytime and there is no limit, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Kramer said the Holley lawsuit is the first to insist an environmental impact statement should be required for a hunting contest.

Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, filed the initial legal papers in the case. He drove to Albion today. Brummel said he worries the Earth’s resources, including wildlife and squirrels, are being depleted.

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NY Times does feature on Squirrel Slam

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2017 at 10:23 am

Provided photo: Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island who opposes the Squirrel Slam, was in Holley on Feb. 18, holding signs in the Public Square against the hunting contest.

The New York Times has a big feature story today on the Squirrel Slam hunting contest, profiling environmentalists who oppose the annual hunt and also including the perspective of local hunters.

Click here to see “Squirrel Hunt in Western New York Draws Ire of Animal Lovers.”

The controversial hunting contest has been sponsored by the Holley Fire Department in recent years. The hunt was back on Saturday, but this time the Holley Fire Department wasn’t part of the Squirrel Slam. The Elks Lodge in Brockport hosted the event.

Dennis Bauer of Hamlin has organized all 11 of the Squirrel Slams, beginning in 2007. He was interviewed by The New York Times.

Bauer has previously told the Orleans Hub he puts on the Squirrel Slam as a motivation to get friends and family out together on the last day of the hunting season.

“My thought was it was one more time to get buddies and families out together,” Bauer told the Orleans Hub for an article on Feb. 28, 2015. (Click here to see that article.)

A lawsuit about the hunting contest was given new life in December when an Appellate Court reversed a decision by James Punch, acting Supreme Court justice in Orleans County. Punch on Feb. 19, 2015 dismissed a lawsuit “in its entirety.”

The case was formally brought by a Wayne County woman, Lauren Sheive, who said the “Slam” wiped out thousands of local squirrels. The lawsuit contended the event required an environmental impact review to assess the impact on the squirrel population.

Punch on Feb. 19, 2015 compared the Squirrel Slam to fishing contest. He said no laws were being broken.

The Appellate Court on Dec. 23 reversed Punch’s decision, and sent the case back to Orleans County. The Appellate Court didn’t give an opinion on the “Squirrel Slam” itself, but said Punch should have allowed the case to be presented in court instead of dismissing it.

Associate Anup Misra from Winston & Strawn, a New York City law firm, is leading the legal effort. The firm is taking the case pro bono.

The Squirrel Slam attracted a media frenzy in 2013, drawing national and international attention from animal rights’ activists. But by last year, environmental activist Richard Brummel of Long Island was one of the few protestors in the Public Square when hunters brought their bags of squirrels to be weighed. Brummel was back in Holley on Feb. 18 to protest the slam, which didn’t occur that day.

Brummel has said the hunt happens at a time when many squirrels are pregnant. He said thousands of squirrels are eliminated with the Squirrel Slam and that kind of environmental impact should be addressed.

Arguments in the case are scheduled for today at the Orleans County Courthouse.

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Holley library celebrates Art Week during winter break

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 25 February 2017 at 8:10 pm

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – February Break week once again this year provided an opportunity for creativity at the Community Free Library in Holley. The annual Art Week wrapped up on Friday. Retired Holley Central School art teacher Laurence Dabney guided participants through projects each day.

One of Friday’s projects featured large colorful flowers made from tissue paper. Here, 9-year-old Peyton Wright prepares to fluff the black inner petals of his turquoise creation. The program is open to youth in grades 3, 4 and 5.

Nine-year old Max Pilon also created a large tissue paper flower.

Laurence Dabney assits participants in making snowmen from paper mâché.

Sadie and Luke Gregoire, both 9, concentrate on their snowmen creations. Art Week participants met in the children’s room at the library. The sessions ran for one hour every day.

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Law enforcement will use Holley Elementary for training on Wednesday and Thursday

Staff Reports Posted 21 February 2017 at 9:34 am

HOLLEY – The Holley Elementary School, which is closed this week, will be used for a law enforcement training activity on Wednesday and Thursday, Superintendent Robert D’Angelo said in a message to the community.

Law enforcement agencies in Orleans County will be doing active shooter training on Feb. 22-23, from about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the school district said.

“We want to notify you of this as there will be many police officers at the school and police vehicles on the grounds,” D’Angelo said in his letter to the community. “We emphasize that this is only a training exercise and there is no cause for alarm. During the training exercise, the Elementary School building will be closed to all other activities. No one will be allowed to enter the building during the training.”

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Resident says town’s listing of elected officials’ salaries is misleading

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2017 at 1:57 pm

MURRAY – Town officials were asked why the official postings for elected officials’ salaries often don’t reflect their entire compensation, including stipends that are often several thousand dollars or more.

At least three elected officials at Murray receive additional pay from what is publicized as their salaries.

For example, Town Supervisor John Morriss is paid $8,500 as town supervisor. He also receives $1,500 as budget manager. The official town notice lists the pay for town supervisor as $8,500.

Ed Morgan serves as highway superintendent and the pay is listed as $63,305. However, he also will be paid $21,462 as water superintendent in 2017.

Town Clerk Cindy Oliver is paid $30,152 as town clerk, according to the town notice listing the salary. She also will receive $10,243 in 2017 as water collection clerk and $600 as registrar of vital statistics.

Kerri Neale, a town resident, asked the board on Tuesday why the official notices of the positions don’t list the entire pay for the three elected officials.

Jeff Martin, the town attorney, said the town is following the legal requirement in posting the salaries for the elected positions. The additional duties reflect pay for that additional work.

Town Councilman Paul Hendel said the town notes the stipends for the other work in January during the organizational meeting.

“Why not list everyone’s pay for clarity in one spot?” Neale asked the board. “For a simple person like me, I wouldn’t have to dig around.”

Murray isn’t unusual in listing the the salaries of the elected positions at lower numbers than the total compensation for the highway superintendent, town clerk and town supervisor. That’s how most of the towns list them, putting the salary for the elected position in a legal notice.

But Neale said it’s misleading to the public when the total compensation is often much higher.

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‘Breakfast with Superintendent’ gives Holley students a chance to make suggestions

Provided photos: Superintendent Robert D’Angelo (standing) addresses students as Board of Education members Brenda Swanger and Sal DeLuca listen.

Posted 17 February 2017 at 10:14 am

Student Jerry Kennedy (lower left) addresses the room as Principal Susan Cory (upper right), Superintendent Robert D’Angelo and Board of Education President Brenda Swanger listen.

Press Release, Holley Central School

HOLLEY – Ten students in grades 9-12 had breakfast with Superintendent Robert D’Angelo and discussed their experience at Holley Central School District.

Middle School/High School Principal Susan Cory selected the students to be invited to the breakfast on Feb. 10. Another breakfast will be held in April. Holley Board of Education members Sal DeLuca and Brenda Swanger were also present to listen to the students. The breakfast was prepared by HCSD Food Service Director Vickie Scroger and her staff.

D’Angelo stressed that the breakfast is a relaxed conversation between administration and students. Students were asked to talk about things they thought worked well in their school and they would like to see continue, as well as areas that can be improved upon.

Students said they appreciated the Makerspace events that occur on Fridays in the MS/HS Library; courses that overlapped and aligned subject areas together; and the opportunity to take online courses through Genesee Community College. Students offered up ideas for electives, requested more availability of popular lunch items, and asked for more organized spectator participation at sporting events.

“We’re a professional high school since the renovations,” said senior Kayla Thrower. “We have teachers who really care. We have more opportunities because we’re a smaller district. For instance, we rotate roles in the musical so more students can participate. My involvement in Interact Club helped me gain a better sense of myself and a bigger sense of the world.”

Cory, the school principal, agreed, saying, “We’re providing students with opportunities to become global citizens.”

Senior Jerry Kennedy appreciates the environment at Holley.

“We’re allowed to have our own opinions,” he said. “We’re taught to form our own opinions and stand by them,” said Thrower.

“Holley is a small, tight-knit community that’s fun to be a part of,” said Morgan Cary.

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