By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 May 2019 at 9:30 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Two Holley seniors won first place in the state-wide SkillsUSA competition last month in Syracuse.
Braden Ferranti, left, and Kory Puente advance to the next level of competition.
Ferranti was on the first place, four-member “Teamworks” group with other students from WeMoCo in Spencerport. Ferranti did the plumbing and electrical work on the team, while the other students did masonry and carpentry.
The team advances to nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 24-29 for the National Leadership and Skills Conference, a showcase of career and technical education students.
This is Ferranti’s second trip to nationals. He came in seventh out of more than 50 students at nationals last year in the plumbing competition. He said he is the first WeMoCo student to go to nationals in back to back years.
Puente won first in the dental assistant competition. He wants to be a dentist. The SkillsUSA competition put students through all the tasks a dental assistant needs to do, as well as answer questions about the occupation.
Puente advances to an international competition from June 19-23 at Disney in Orlando, Fla.
HOLLEY – In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Holley Central School will again offer free breakfast and lunch to all children age 18 and younger, from July 8 to Aug. 16.
Children age 18 and younger who live in the district are eligible for this summer program, regardless of income level. Pre-registration is not required. Transportation will not be provided by the district for this program.
Breakfast will be served from 8 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Middle School/High School Dining Hall.
Adults may also purchase breakfast and lunch during this program. Breakfast is $2.60 and lunch is $4.35.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The propositions for Tuesday’s vote at Holley Central School are displayed in the foyer of the Holley Junior-Senior High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2019 at 10:16 pm
HOLLEY – The proposed school budget of $25,780,000 for 2019-20 passed in a public vote today with 355 yes votes, and 170 no’s.
The budget will increase spending by 2.2 percent or $570,000, and will raise taxes by 2.5 percent or $177,704, from $7,108,141 to $7,285,845.
Other propositions on the ballot include:
• Authorization to spend up to $178,000 for a large (72 seat) school bus and a small (30 seat) bus, passed 331 to 198.
• Authorization to collect $170,197 for the Community Free Library, passed 378 to 151.
• Two people were elected to three-year terms to the Board of Education. John Heise was re-elected with 340 votes. He was the only candidate to submit a petition and get his name on the ballot.
The other spot was filled by write-in votes. Former BOE member Anne Winkley had the most write-in votes with 132, followed by Leanna SanFilippo with 51, Dirk Lammes with 34, and Kerri Neale with 27.
After voting, residents were welcome to have a piece of cake at Holley. The cake was from the senior game for Holley’s unified basketball game. There were some extra pieces that were brought out to the foyer.
HOLLEY — The Top 10 graduates at Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina will be addressed by a Holley graduate who has a medical doctorate degree.
Kaci Schiavone is the keynote speaker at the 33rd annual Top 10 dinner on June 3 at Hickory Ridge Golf Course and Country Club.
After she graduated from Holley in 2009, Schiavone earned a bachelor’s science degree from the University of Rochester in biochemistry with distinction in research. She then spent a year at the University of Pittsburgh as a research lab technician in the field of X-ray crystallography. In 2018, she graduated with her medical doctorate degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo.
She is currently a general surgery resident physician at the University of Rochester. Her training requires her to care for critically ill patients while engaging in multi-disciplinary surgical setting. Upon completing the five-year residency program, Schiavone will continue training in a more specialized surgical fellowship.
She is engaged to Michael Pretsch, a 2007 Holley grad.
The Top 10 students from each district include:
• Holley — Emily Bibby, Neila Hand, McKenzie Hill, Abrianna Kruger, Shawna Lusk, Madison Marsh, Gregory Morrill, Lexianne Seewagen, Anastasiya Yaroshchuk and Kristina Yaroshchuk.
• Kendall — Ryan Barrett, Ethan Billings, Jessica Coble, Morgan Davis, Matthew DiNatale, Michael Gardner, Peter Gilman, Hunter Menze, Anna Oakley and John Rath.
• Medina — Emma Baldwin, Alissa Blount, Jessica Granchelli, Margaret Griffin, Kaela Grosslinger, Kody Leno, Raymond Paull, Cora Payne, Jonathan Pietrafesa and Kali Schrader.
(Editor’s note: Albion has a separate honors convocation dinner for students with a GPA at 90 or above. On May 20, 39 students were recognized at the dinner.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2019 at 12:38 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Keeler Construction in Albion is busy today putting new pavement on Route 31 in Holley. This photo is on the west side of the village, looking down from the railroad overpass.
The state Department of Transportation hired Keeler for the job, which started last month and includes milling and repaving Route 31.
A flagman keeps an eye out for motorists on Route 31. The project has slowed down traffic.
The DOT next year will pave Route 237 in the village.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2019 at 8:14 am
MURRAY – The owner of a Murray business has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Murray and its former code enforcement officer.
Anthony Manno, owner of A & M Automotive and Transmissions in Fancher, was in the parking lot at the Fancher Post Office on Route 31 on Feb. 23, 2018. Ron Vendetti, Murray’s code enforcement officer at the time, drove over Manno’s right foot, according to a lawsuit filed April 11 against the town and Vendetti.
“The injury to the plaintiff was caused by the negligence of the defendants,” the lawsuit states. “As a result of the defendants’ negligence, plaintiff suffered serious and permanent injuries, causing him to endure pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and a permanent disability.”
Manno served a notice of claim to the town in March 2018, and town has refused to pay or adjust this claim, according the lawsuit filed by Sheldon W. Boyce Jr. of Brenna Boyce Attorneys At Law in Rochester.
“The actions of defendant Vendetti were so wanton, willful and reckless as to justify an award for punitive damages,” the lawsuit states.
Manno is seeking compensatory and punitive damages plus interest, costs and disbursements.
The Murray Town Board didn’t reappoint Vendetti to code enforcement officer in 2019. Vendetti, however, challenged that decision because he had already received a paycheck to start the year as the code enforcement officer.
The board last month approved a separation agreement with Vendetti for an undisclosed sum.
HOLLEY – Students in Holley’s Middle School/High School Geometry in Construction class on Thursday and Friday will install the barn they have built for Homesteads for Hope, a non-profit community farm that is open to people of all abilities in the Rochester region.
Weather permitting, the students will transport their “work in progress” to H4H on Manitou Road. Students are scheduled to be on site from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day to complete the installation of the barn that will house small animals.
Holley math teacher Russ Albright and technology teacher Tim Rogers co-teach Geometry in Construction, with students rotating between math days and building days each week. There are 12 students in this year’s class, with the majority in 10th grade.
The class helps students learn how math concepts can be applied to real-world problems to create solutions. Students combined their math and construction skills to build a 16’ x 20’ barn for H4H this year.
In the fall, students went on a fieldtrip to the H4H farm so they could better understand how this organization operates and where the barn will be placed on the property. By housing animals like chickens and rabbits in the barn, it will provide new opportunities for young adults to care for the animals on the farm. The barn installation is part of the Phase I plan for H4H.
The barn features a gambrel roof, sliding barn doors, windows and a loft on the second floor. Students constructed stairs to the loft, designed to maximize floor space. A metal skin siding will be added to the barn once it is in place. Students planned for the project by working on a scale model of the barn. The barn was staged on a specially built platform at school before it was dismantled and transported to H4H to be installed permanently.
The skills students learn in this class will be carried with them beyond high school to be used in future jobs or to make home repairs.
“Students enjoy this class because they can see the real-world application of math,” said Rogers. “Many students who don’t traditionally perform well in math class are performing much better in this class.”
The scores from last year’s Regents Exam continue to show that Geometry in Construction students score better than traditional geometry class students. Regardless of how they do on the Geometry Regents exam in June, they leave class feeling proud of completing a community service project that helps others.
Photos by Tom Rivers: A manhole cover, located next to the Salisbury Fountain in Holley, was made by Swett Ironworks in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2019 at 10:10 am
Sweet Iron Works made the manhole cover by fountain in Public Square
HOLLEY – You don’t have to go to a museum to see cool, historic things in Orleans County. Last week I spotted a manhole cover made in Medina. The manhole cover is still in use. It’s next to the Salisbury Fountain in Holley’s Public Square.
The Medina Historic Society has a Swett Iron Works manhole cover. It was the only one I’d seen before last Thursday, when I was in Holley.
This vintage image shows how massive A.L. Swett Iron Works was in its heyday in Medina.
Swett Iron Works was a significant foundry in Medina, north of the Erie Canal, at 145 Glenwood Ave. In addition to manhole covers, Swett made a lot of heavy-duty items, from barn door hangers to iron ladles. Some buildings still remain from its glory, but it’s a shell of its former self.
Albert L. Swett founded the iron works in 1889. The company ceased operating in 1961, laying off 40 employees.
Albert L. Swett was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Orleans County’s history. In 1898, he formed the A.L. Swett Electric Light and Power Company, which brought electricity to Medina. He built another reservoir in Carlton to provide more power to Orleans County about a century ago.
He used Lake Alice as part of the hydroelectric project. He named the lake for his daughter, Alice, who was only 11 when she died in 1884.
I mentioned the Swett manhole cover to a few people who I thought might find it interesting. They said some people will occasionally post pictures on Swett manhole covers they see in cities, including Buffalo and New York City. The one in Holley is the only one I know in active service in Orleans County.
I went to Holley last Thursday for an announcement about the village’s efforts to redevelop the former Odd Fellows building in the downtown. The Landmark Society of Western New York is helping with an engineering survey of the building, and the village is seeking proposals to redevelop the building from 1889.
It was an exciting day for Holley officials, who have been worried about the building’s disrepair in recent years. They are optimistic the building will again be a thriving part of the Public Square.
The announcement was made at the Salisbury Fountain in Holley. The fountain was refurbished about five years ago.
Photos by Tom Rivers: A “Five to Revive” banner hangs on the former Odd Fellows Building in Holley’s Public Square. The Landmark Society of Western New York named the building to the “Five to Revive” to draw attention to an important building in need of investment.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2019 at 7:08 pm
Village’s LDC now owns site which is considered an anchor of Public Square
Wayne Goodman (right) is executive director the Landmark Society of WNY. Brian Sorochty, left, is Holley’s mayor. Goodman praised the Holley officials and community for their commitment to redeveloping historic sites in the community, including the former Holley High School.
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley is seeking proposals for a new owner for a historic building in the Public Square. Holley wants assurances the building will be renovated in a way that preserves the character of the 1890 structure on the western end of the downtown.
The village wants to avoid another scenario where the building is bought and then left to sit empty, gradually deteriorating, said Dan Schiavone, chairman of Holley’s Local Development Corporation.
That LDC owns the building, which was given to the LDC by the previous owner who bought it at the county tax foreclosure auction. The owner bid online from Florida. She saw it as an investment, but no tenants or new buyers emerged.
The village stepped in, not wanting to see the building fall in disrepair and have to be torn down.
The LDC is working with the Landmark Society of Western New York to have an engineering study done on the building so a new owner knows of the issues with redeveloping the site.
“We will find the answers of what will be needed,” Schiavone said today during a community announcement about the next steps with the historic building.
The Landmark Society has committed $2,000 to the engineering study. That contribution follows the Landmark Society’s decision in October to name the site as one of the “Five to Revive” in WNY. This is the third time the Landmark Society picked a building in Holley for the list, which started in 2013.
The designation helped bring a developer to the former Holley High School, which is being transformed into senior citizen apartments and also the village offices. The chapel at Hillside Cemetery also made the “Five to Revive” and that helped spur restoration of the chapel and land state funding for the project.
Mayor Brian Sorochty, second from right, is joined at today’s announcement by Village Trustee Michelle Moroz, Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch, and Dr. Dan Schiavone, chairman of Holley’s Local Development Corporation.
Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society, said Holley has an engaged Village Board and community, willing to work through the obstacles to redevelop important buildings in the community.
The Odd Fellows Building at 89 Public Square is critical to the downtown. “It anchors an entire block,” Goodman said.
The Public Square has retained its historic charm, and Goodman said there is strong momentum in the village.
“There are great bones in Holley,” he said about the historic sites. “There are bright days ahead. This is an iconic village. We’ve been impressed with the local leadership and local pride in the village.”
Mayor Brian Sorochty said the Landmark Society has been a welcome and influential partner in helping Holley redevelop the old school. Putting the old school on the “Five to Revive” in 2013 “was the turning point” in a new life for the building, which had been vacant since the mid-1990s.
Holley created the LDC about five years ago so the village could accept eight houses owned by the Environmental Protection Agency, houses that were vacated by residents after a chemical leak at the former Diaz Chemical in January 2002. Those houses were sold in 2017 for $192,600. The EPA received 90 percent of the sales and the Holley LDC got 10 percent.
The Odd Fellows Building has been vacant and deteriorating for a few years. The village had a fence put on the northern side of the building because loose bricks were falling. The fence has since been removed.
The LDC currently has about $15,000 in its bank account. Schiavone said at least $500 will go towards the engineering report. More may be needed if there is asbestos in the building that needs to be abated.
Schiavone also said $10,000 from the LDC will go towards paying the county off for the back taxes with the site. The LDC asked the county to waive those back taxes, but was denied.
Schaivone said the LDC, instead of paying off the back taxes, could have used that $10,000 to make the building more marketable to a potential buyer. He is still hopeful the county will waive the taxes.
Schiavone said the Public Square looks better than it has in the last 50 years. Many building owners have improved their buildings recently. Dan and Monica Seeler last year opened the Holley Falls Bar & Grill, following several years of renovations.
Schiavone did a major renovation of his building about 20 years ago for his dental business.
He said the many projects in the downtown, as well as the old school, will encourage more people to invest in Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2019 at 4:34 pm
HOLLEY — The Village Board on Wednesday approved a $1,211,874 budget for 2019-20 in the general fund that increases spending by 6.9 percent or $78,418 from the $1,133,456 in 2018-19.
The village is adding two full-time employees who work in both the Electric Department and Department of Public Works, and also a full-time employee in the Clerk’s Office. All three fill vacant positions that left those departments understaffed, said Mayor Brian Sorochty.
Village property owners will see taxes increases by 6.6 percent, or by $55,101, as the tax levy goes from $832,898 to $887,999. The tax rate is increasing from $15.65 to $16.41 per $1,000 of assessed property. The board voted to override the tax cap with the new budget.
In addition to filling the three vacancies, the village will begin paying an annual lease with Home Leasing for the village office space. Holley will move the village offices to the former Holley High School in early 2020 at an annual lease of about $23,000, the mayor said.
The village will serve as an anchor tenant in the school building, which is being extensively renovated with most of the building being converted into senior apartments.
The village’s tax base dropped slightly with the new budget, going from $54,166,115 in 2018-19 to $54,098,660 in the new fiscal year, which starts June 1.
Albert L. Swett founded the iron works in 1889. The company ceased operating in 1961, laying off 40 employees.
