HOLLEY – The school district had some sinks test positive for elevated lead levels, but none of the drinking fountains were too high for lead.

“We are very fortunate that no drinking fountains in the entire district were cited,” the district stated on its website. “Mainly sinks used for hand-washing were detected.”

Holley and other school districts in the state are now required by NY to test for lead in any water sources. NY is requiring action for any water source with lead at 15 parts per billion or more.

The district has taken the following corrective actions:

• All outlets detected have been taken out of service.

• Signage will be attached to each affected outlet stating “Do not use for drinking water.”

• Holley will clean the aerators, re-test the first draw, and flush samples to identify if the problem is at the outlet or interior plumbing.

• The district will replace the affected outlets with approved fixtures and re-test.

• Holley will develop a protocol for future testing, although the state does not require the next sampling event to occur until 2020.

The following locations exceeded the 15 ppb threshold:

• Elementary School – faculty sink (93.0 ppb), bathroom sink (20.0 ppb), bathroom sink (16.0 ppb), classroom sink (17.0 ppb), faculty sink (100.0 ppb), kitchen sink (18.0 ppb), classroom sink (31.0 ppb) and another classroom sink (33.0 ppb).

• Junior-Senior High School – kitchen sink (40 ppm) and kitchen sink (16.0 pub).

• Woodlands Pavilion – bathroom sink (19.0 ppb), bathroom sink (26.0 ppb) and a kitchen sink (18.0 ppb).

(Samples at the Woodlands Stadium and transportation facility were all below the state action level.)

The school district’s website includes a comment from the district as well as the report on the testing.

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Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – Santa made an appearance and had gifts for the youngest attendees on Friday night during the annual Community Christmas Party at the Community Free Library in Holley.

More than 150 people enjoyed an evening of music, Christmas stories and a visit with Santa. Library Director Sandra Shaw says the event hosted by the library is a popular one for Holley residents.

“It’s something we do for the community to say ‘thank you’,” she said at the party on Friday night.

The evening included Christmas Carols, a performance by the Holley Middle School/High School Women’s Choir, Mrs. Claus reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, a basket raffle, a visit from Santa and refreshments.

Susan Persia plays piano while those attending the annual Christmas Party sing carols.

“Mrs. Claus” reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas to enthusiastic youngsters.

The Holley Community Christmas Party drew a large number of people for an evening of family events including signing Christmas Carols and reading holiday stories.

Members of the Women’s Choir from Holley Middle School/High School perform at the library.

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Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – The Holley Middle School Chorus performs “The Christmas Song,” arranged by Carol Strommen, during the Winter Concert Thursday evening in the Middle School/High School auditorium.

The Middle School Chorus is directed by Kelly Marzano. She told the audience the group is always “a lot of fun” to work with. Marzano noted school music programs are about “having a good time, making music and making good memories.”

Harleigh Andrews performs a solo during the Middle School Chorus’ performance of “Believe,” arranged by Roger Emerson.

Thomas Dobri (far right) was also a featured soloist during the performance of “Believe.”

The Holley Middle School Band performs “Holiday Bell Festival,” arranged by Eric Osterling, under the direction of Zachary Busch.

The Middle School Band also performed “Bobsled Run,” by Lloyd Conley, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane, arranged by John Edmonston.

The Holley Middle School/High School Winter Concert also featured performances by the Concert Choir, the Women’s Choir and Concert Band.

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Photos by Kristina Gabalski: Holley Middle School/High School Principal Sue Corey presents the monthly Soaring to New Heights Award to Senior Hannah Biedlingmaier.

HOLLEY – Members of the Holley Central School Board of Education recognized senior class member Hannah Biedlingmaier Monday evening during their regular meeting with the monthly Soaring to New Heights Award.

Biedlingmaier stepped up and volunteered to sew new stoles for the National Honor Society. Holley Middle School/High School Principal Sue Cory said students wear the stoles for Honor Society induction ceremonies and for graduation. The school needed to replace their supply, which was becoming warn from age, Cory said.

She said purchasing new stoles would have cost the district hundreds of dollars.

“Hannah said, ‘I can make them,’ and she did a beautiful job,” Cory said. “Sewing is a bit of a lost art, Hannah makes a lot of her own clothes.”

Cory noted the project became a family effort as many of the stoles were needed for the recent Honor Society induction.

Hannah said 25 stoles were made for the induction ceremonies, but she will make more which are needed for graduation next spring.

Another senior class member, Claudia Dreschel, addressed board members regarding her year spent in Europe as a Rotary exchange student.

Dreschel spent the 2015-2016 school year in Austria and she thanked the Holley Rotary for sponsoring her participation. Dreschel described the differences in high school education between Holley and Austria.

Claudia Dreschel holds her Rotary jacket completely covered in mementos from her exchange trip to Austria.

She explained that when students reach high school age in Austria, they can choose to focus their studies at specialized schools, studying tourism, art, or business, for example.  The students are then ready to enter the workforce if they choose immediately after graduation.

Some students choose to attend an academically-focused high school, Dreschel said.

“They have strong academics, more rigorous than here,” she said.

Dreschel said the experience helped her to appreciate all that Holley Central offers its students.

“We incorporate extracurriculars, they don’t do sports with schooling (in Austria),” she said. “We have student council and clubs.”

Board members asked Dreschel how she traveled to her school and if she felt safe during her stay.

“Public transportation is more accessible there,” Dreschel said, “but I walked to school every day.”  S

he said she felt as safe in Austria as she feels in Holley, and noted incidents of violence can occur anywhere.

In other business, Superintendent Robert D’Angelo and Assistant Superintendent for Business Sharon Zacher gave a preliminary report to board members regarding changes in the minimum wage which will increase annually over the next five years.

“We wanted to give you the heads-up, it’s an eye opener,” Zacher said.

She presented board members with some initial data on how the increases will affect the district.

The changes will affect yearly contract negotiations, Zacher said. She noted the district will have to prepare itself for dealing with the increases as well as how the increases will affect the morale of some staff members.

She noted when the minimum wage reaches a certain level, it will be close to what some district employees who have worked for the school for twelve years are making.

“It’s something we need to get going on,” Zacher said. “We have to get thinking about how to learn to deal with it.”

Board President Brenda Swanger said the minimum wage increases are a growing concern for all area school districts.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: Developers next year expect to start work on a $17 million transformation of the old Holley High School, turning it into senior housing and offices for the village government.

HOLLEY – The Orleans Economic Development Agency has approved a tax-savings plan for Home Leasing, the Rochester company that is planning a $17 million transformation of the old Holley High School.

Home Leasing wants to turn the landmark building in the center of Holley into 41 apartments for low- to moderate-income senior citizens, and also use part of the building for the village offices. The project will reuse a building at 1 Wright St that has set vacant for 20 years. Home Leasing is calling the project, “Holley Gardens.”

The EDA has approved agreements that would save the company more than $800,000 combined in sales, mortgage and property taxes. There was a public hearing last week in Holley about the incentives. There wasn’t any opposition to the proposals that were approved last Friday by the EDA board.

Home Leasing was approved for an 8 percent sales tax abatement on up to $7.8 million in expenses for equipment, materials, furniture and other taxable purchases. That will save Home Leasing $624,000.

The company was also given a break on the mortgage tax, 0.75 percent on a $3,192,700 mortgage, a savings of $23,945.

The EDA worked with local tax entities on a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) plan for 30 years that will save Home Leasing $197,440 in property taxes over 30 years, an average of $6,581 a year.

The PILOT also sets Home Leasing’s tax commitment to $547,669 over 30 years, an average of

$18,255 a year on a property that currently isn’t generating any tax revenue.

Jim Whipple, the EDA chief executive officer, said the project will fill a housing need for quality, affordable housing. The building is prominent on Route 31, a gateway location on the eastern end of Orleans County.

“Holley Garden’s central location presents a transformative opportunity for the immediate and surrounding community by creating a positive, contributing anchor,” the EDA said.

The project will create 40-50 construction jobs and 2 full-time equivalent positions to manage and maintain the residential space.

The EDA has also set up a holding company, the Orleans Land Holdings, so the title of the property can be transferred from the county to the Orleans Land Holdings and then to Home Leasing.

The county has owned the 52,000-square-foot building for many years after Liftec Manufacturing went bankrupt about two decades ago.

Many local, state and federal officials have been working on the project. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer visited the old school on Monday to state his support for federal and state tax incentives that go to developers who renovate historic buildings.

Orleans County legislators in July voted to forgive $75,421 in back taxes for the old Holley High School, easing some of the financial burden on the project for Home Leasing.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks during the Veterans Day ceremony today at the American Legion in Holley. Chuck Eberhart, the Legion commander, is at left.

There were several Veterans Day observances in Orleans County. The Legion in Holley had several speakers from different branches of the military.

Schemer said he prefers to celebrate Veterans Day in a small town, because the sacrifices of veterans in those communities are often more keenly felt by the community.

“It’s the small towns that have often sent the most veterans,” Schumer told a crowd during a program at the Legion in Holley.

Members of the Honor Guard attended the program in Holley today.

Schumer noted that Holley suffered one of the highest per capita losses during the Vietnam War. He read the names of eight soldiers who graduated from Holley and died in Vietnam: Gary E. Bullock, Howard L. Bowen, David D. Case, John P. Davis, George W. Fischer Jr., Paul S. Mandraccia, Ronald P. Sisson and Gary L. Stymus. David States, another solider from Holley, also died in Vietnam.

“They symbolize the greatness of America,” Schumer said of the Holley soldiers.

He said the country didn’t give soldiers during the Vietnam War the respect they deserved.

“One of the saddest chapters in American history is when our Vietnam veterans came back and were not honored. Some of them were vilified. That was a disgrace,” the senator said. “The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had many divisions about them, people were for them and people were against them, but praise God when our veterans came back they have been honored.”

Schumer shakes hands with a local veteran and thanks him for his service.

The United States wouldn’t have been possible without veterans stepping forward to defend the country, and continuing to answer the call for more than 200 years.

“We’ve a tradition in this grand land of ours from the days of farmers, ordinary farmers, who put down their plows and took up muskets on Bunker Hill to create our freedom and generation after generation after generation has volunteered and served in our armed services,” Schumer said. “Western New York has had a tradition of volunteering in the armed forces in greater numbers in general than any other place in our country because of the spirit of America and the spirit of volunteering.”

Schumer said he has pushed for better healthcare for veterans through the VA system and the GI Bill that helps to pay for college. He also was instrumental in the new Veterans Cemetery in Pembroke.

Major Ryan D’Andrea speaks during today’s ceremony.

Chuck Eberhardt, the post commander, said the community has shown support for veterans, including Holley students who welcomed veterans in the school for a program on Thursday.

Mark Morreall reads a poem that pays tribute to the sacrifices of veterans.

Ron Ayrault, the post chaplain, shares a prayer to end today’s Veterans Day program in Holley.

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U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer shakes hands with Chipper Gifaldi, a World War II veteran, today before a Veterans Day program at the American Legion in Holley.

HOLLEY – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said the country needs to come together and put aside bitter divisions that were so visible in the presidential election.

Schumer was in Holley today to draw attention to federal and state tax credits for renovating historic sites.

Schumer said $3.7 million in tax credits ($3 million from the federal government and $700,000 from the state) would make redeveloping the old Holley High School financially feasible.

After stating his support for those tax credits, Schumer took questions from reporters.

He made the following comments about the election on Tuesday, where Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. (Schumer was easily re-elected in a race against Wendy Long.)

Here are Schumer’s remarks:

“First I want to thank the voters of New York State for electing me. I got about 70 percent of the vote. So I got a large percentage of the vote, and not just Democrats but Republicans and independents. So I thank you.

“President-elect Trump, he called me Wednesday morning. I congratulated him on his victory. And you know it is a beautiful thing, our democracy, how we peacefully pass the torch. There is a sacred right to vote and the American people made their voices heard, elected Donald Trump to the presidency and Republican majorities in both Houses of Congress. So I talked with Majority Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan.

‘We all know it was a divisive election, and the outcome surprised some people. But that doesn’t matter. It’s time to come together and heal the bitter wounds.’

“I also want to offer my thanks to my dear friend Hillary Clinton for her hard-fight campaign. We worked together for eight years as senators. She was very gracious in her remarks as well. She has done a lot of service, incredible service, to this country. She has served as a beacon to all of us. I know she will serve the country well.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said he congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday for winning the presidency.

“We all know it was a divisive election, and the outcome surprised some people. But that doesn’t matter. It’s time to come together and heal the bitter wounds.

“As the leader-to-be of the Senate Democrats – God willing, my colleagues all said they would vote for me on Wednesday – I look forward to hearing from the American people and charting a path to achieve our sacred goals and defend our values.

“When the Founding Fathers finished writing the Constitution over in Philadelphia at Constitution Hall, they said they had created God’s Noble Experiment. I believe those three words are every bit as relevant today as they were then.

“We are under God, a nation of faith. We are noble, we believe in democracy and that everybody has equal opportunity. And experiment, that means we keep changing and adapting to the times as we’ve seen in election after election.

“I’m a patriot. I love America and I love our veterans, and we will move forward.”

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Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – There are a lot of people outside today in Orleans County enjoying the sunshine and warm weather, including Tom Dabrowski of Hamlin, shown teeing off on the first hole of the Holley-Brook Golf Course on Countyline Road.

Tom Dabrowski, left, was out golfing with his friend Greg Whitney of Greece. They had the course to themselves at about 11 a.m. today, when the temperature was 57 degrees.

Arlene Peone also was out walking her dog, Hannah, a husky. They are shown near the canal by Bennetts Corners Road.

Arlene Peone rewards Hannah with a treat during their late morning walk.

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MURRAY –Town Board members on Tuesday evening unanimously adopted the 2017 budget that reduces the tax rate.

The rates are down both town-wide and for the town outside the village. The town-wide rate is $3.06 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, down from $3.12 in 2016. In the town outside the village, the tax rate falls to $1.77/$1,000 assessed valuation from $1.80.

Appropriations in the 2017 budget total $2.3 million with $1.42 million to be raised through property taxes. That’s actually up from $1.41 million in 2016, but the tax rate decreases because assessments are up over $3 million, Supervisor John Morriss reported.

Morris thanked members of the citizen advisory committee who participated in the budget creation process.

“A lot of effort goes into it,” said resident Krista Wiley, a member of the advisory committee. “It’s a tough job.”

Wiley said most residents don’t have a sense of what it entails, going through each line item in detail.

“We had the same conversations as we do about our homes and businesses,” Wiley said.

No one spoke during a public hearing on the budget which was held before the vote.

“Lower tax rates should make the community feel happy,” town assessor Lynn Wood said.

He explained that the increase in assessments are the result of home sales. “The sales uptick the last year-and-a-half helps spur that,” he said, as well as construction of new homes.

Sandra Shaw, director of the Holley Community Free Library, addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting.  She reported to board members regarding how the library has decided to spend $20,000 in bullet aid obtained by State Senator Rob Ortt.

Shaw noted that patrons are requesting more programming and the library has decided to hire a part-time children’s librarian with $14,250 of the aid to be spent for that position and the remainder will be spent on items such as books, DVDs, and children’s, young adult and adult programs.

“We will expand the children’s program with a Duplo wall. At Easter we will have a Lego tutorial,” Shaw said.

She explained the tutorial will teach children how to construct a vehicle with Legos. Adult programming is also planned on a regular basis with a wide range of topics including weaving, tole painting and specifying your final wishes to your family.

Shaw said the funding will help the library to reach out to the town to provide programming.

“We want people to know we are here and to come join us and have fun at the library,” Shaw said.

She noted she has reached out to the University of Buffalo regarding the possibility of taking on a student who has almost finished their studies, and who would come to Holley for a semester and then be hired part-time.

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MURRAY – A violation against the Town of Murray for not sufficiently protecting the public water supply has been dismissed.

Town attorney Jeff Martin made the announcement during his report at the Murray Town Board meeting on Tuesday evening. Martin represented the town during an administrative hearing at the Orleans County Health Department.

The violation stemmed from an incident in August, when a farmer was utilizing a fire hydrant to irrigate fields.  The town allows for bulk water usage from hydrants and the process is monitored by Murray Highway/Water Superintendent Ed Morgan.

The hearing resulted in “beneficial dialogue regarding ways to better regulate the use of hydrants,” Martin told board members. He noted that according to Morgan, there are 377 fire hydrants in the town.

Councilman Paul Hendel thanked Martin for his work representing the town.

“Thanks to your hard work, the truth comes out,” Hendel said.

Council members noted that the violation was issued based on a photograph – the county health department did not travel to Murray for a field inspection before the violation was issued.

Discussion of the bulk water/hydrant use issue continued later in the meeting when resident Kerri Neale reported his wife had recently seen a tanker truck being filled with water from a hydrant and that the cap was left off the hydrant when the tanker left.

Neale said he called Ed Morgan, who told Neale he would check into the situation and that a meter had been assigned. Neale asked that the town be vigilant in monitoring bulk water use and to make sure meters and back-flow devices are used.

Supervisor Morriss said Morgan knows the norms of water usage in the town and would be alert to any unusual incidents of high usage. Morgan was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting. (Morgan, the county’s Republican Party chairman, was at Donald Trump’s victory party in New York City.)

Hendel said if the current procedure for bulk water usage in the town leads residents to question the integrity of water, then, “We need to take a look at our procedures to see if there is something we need to tighten up on or do in a different way.”

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Photos courtesy of Melissa Ierlan

CLARENDON – Volunteers and local Boy Scouts were busy on Saturday erecting a new fence at Hillside Cemetery. The effort was organized by Ben Downey for his Eagle Scout project. Ben is a member of Troop 59 in Clarendon.

The top photo shows Ben, right, with his father John Downey, left, and Ed Morgan, the Murray town highway superintendent and member of the Holley Rotary Club. Morgan volunteered to set the fence posts and install the fence on Saturday.

The Rotary Club was among the donors to the project with Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, the Clarendon Lions Club, American Legion, VFW, David and Josh Mitchell, and Ben’s family all contributing to the $3,000 project, which included a discounted price from EM Enterprise.

The fence was put up by the new Veterans’ Memorial, which was dedicated this past Memorial Day. That project was coordinated by Jacob Crandall for his Eagle rank.

That memorial includes five granite etched stones (for the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard), a pentagon-shaped concrete base and a 25-foot flagpole.

The fence will include commemorative plaques to recognize donors who contributed in memory of deceased veterans.

Matthew DeSimone also picked a Clarendon site for his Eagle Scout project this year. Matt led an effort to have new blacktop under the pavilion at the town park with picnic tables all repainted and repaired.

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