CLARENDON – Town Board members on Thursday evening approved an amendment to the Town’s Zoning Ordinance Sec. 301 and adopted related Local Law No. 1 of 2016, regarding building permits for buildings or structures 64 sq. ft. or greater within the town.

The amendment to Zoning Ordinance Sec. 301 adds a new Subsection B which states: “All buildings or structures 64 sq. ft. or greater within the Town of Clarendon shall require a building permit.”

The previous Subsection B is now Subsection C and states: “No building permit shall be issued for any buildings, structures, dwellings, their customary accessory structures and common farm related structures unless a Site Plan has been submitted to and approved by the Planning Board.”

The amendment notes that the Ordinance Inspection Officer may waive the need for a site plan review for buildings or structures provided such building or structure is single width, is a single story and is not permanently attached to the soil or any other structure.

Local Law No. 1 of 2016 relates to the Zoning Ordinance changes and gives the code enforcement officer broader authority in issuing building permits for detached structures. It amends Local Law No. 1 of 2007 to change the size of structures requiring a building permit. The new law states: “No permit shall be required for…. construction or installation of one story detached structures associated with one or two family dwellings or multiple single family dwellings (townhouses) which are used for tool and storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses, provided that the gross floor area is less than 64 sq. ft.”

Other provisions of Local Law No. 1 of 2007 remain unchanged.

Prior to the vote, Deputy Town Supervisor Allen Robinson, who sat in for Supervisor Richard Moy, noted the County Planning Board had approved the changes and commended Clarendon for consistently being proactive on zoning/building related issues.

Councilperson William Campbell was the only board member to vote no on both the amendment and the local law.

During a public hearing on the changes conducted March 15, Supervisor Moy stated the changes, which reduce the minimum size for structures and buildings requiring a building permit, will help the town assessor to keep track of structures which are part of property appraisals, as well as help prevent structures from being placed directly on property lines.

No residents spoke during the March public hearings, but Councilperson Campbell stated he could not see the benefit of decreasing the size of structures which require a building permit.

“It means more work on the Planning Board and more work on the CEO,” Campbell said. “I don’t see the benefits to the Town of Clarendon. We should be looking to make things easier for residents.”

In other business during Thursday’s meeting, Town Board members congratulated Town Historian and Ordinance Inspection Officer/CEO Melissa Ierlan (who was not present at the meeting) on being awarded the C. W. “Bill” Lattin Award for Excellence in Municipal History as part of the third class of Orleans County Heritage Heroes.

Deputy Supervisor Robinson read a letter from the Heritage Heroes Award Committee which stated the Lattin Award is new this year, making Ierlan the first recipient. The committee called Ierlan, “A great advocate of local history.”

Robinson said Ierlan always, “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

The 2016 class of Heritage Heroes will be recognized in a ceremony at Genesee Community College in Albion on Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m.

Provided photos
HOLLEY – The Cat in the Hat joined Holley Elementary School students on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate a read-a-thon that raised $280 towards the renovation of the chapel at Hillside Cemetery.

Melissa Ierlan, the cemetery caretaker, is also Clarendon’s historian and a member of the Holley Board of Education. On Tuesday, she added a new role as The Cat in the Hat.

Ierlan dressed at The Cat in the Hat to surprise students and reward them for their efforts in reading and raising money for the chapel restoration.

Members of the Holley Central School Elementary Student Council pose with The Cat in the Hat on Tuesday. The Student Council has made fundraising for the chapel restoration their civic project for this year.

Village wants to bring festival back in 2017

File photos by Tom Rivers – Members of the combined Holley-Kendall marching band participate in the parade in this photo from June 7, 2014.

HOLLEY – Mayor John Kenney says the annual June Fest community celebration has been postponed for this year, but should be back in 2017.

“We are going to start planning for next year,” he told Orleans Hub this week.

The mayor said funds will be included in the village budget and he expects a committee will be formed to help organize the event. He said he also expects to contact Town of Murray officials to see if they have an interest in being involved.

Clarendon residents Dr. Marge Krizan and John Krizan approached the Holley Village Board in February and offered to form an ad hoc committee to organize a 2016 June Fest, as the continuation of the event appeared to be in jeopardy. Dr. Krizan told Orleans Hub that she presented a scaled-back version of the event to the Village Board at its March 8 meeting, but the ad hoc committee did not receive the “blessing” of the village to continue.

In a letter to the Village Board dated March 21, Dr. Krizan wrote that the festival could not go forward this year without approval and sponsorship of the Village Board; sufficient information and materials from prior June Fest celebrations; and the credibility of a Village of Holley endorsement of their plan.

Fireworks at the soccer field capped last year’s festival, when there was a full schedule of events from the morning to the night.

“We believe it would be better to produce a quality … event for all concerned as opposed to producing an event which would not satisfy the Board based on their comments at the March 8, 2016 board meeting,” she wrote.

Additionally in her letter, Dr. Krizan offered the assistance of the ad hoc committee to bring the 2017 June Fest to fruition.

“We like to do things the right way,” she told Orleans Hub. “We had to have credibility … (A 2016 scaled-back June Fest) can’t be done the right way without the full backing of the Board. We tried. We learned another thing about local government.”

Dr. Krizan said Village Board members did not want to make a decision on moving ahead with June Fest this year without vendors and donations in place, but she explained that the ad hoc committee had difficulty accessing information on the event from previous years, which would have helped them seek out and secure vendors and donations.

“We tried, but from the start there was obstacle upon obstacle,” she said. “No one knew where the paperwork was.”

Additionally, Dr. Krizan said board members indicated they would prefer to have a full slate of events included if June Fest were held this year.

The ad hoc committee had proposed an abbreviated event.

HOLLEY – Village Board members Tuesday evening approved the tentative budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year that would raise the tax rate to $16.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The 2015-2016 village tax rate was $14.81.

Village Clerk Sarah Trowbridge says village trustees have until April 30 to approve the final budget and they will be working to bring the tax rate down. She noted it cannot go higher than the $16.00 approved in the tentative budget.

Trowbridge said no residents spoke during a public hearing on the tentative budget which was held prior to the vote.

The total General Fund appropriation totals $1.166 million; the Water Fund appropriation is $409,271; Sewer Fund appropriation is $173,587; and the Electric Department appropriation is $2.16 million.

Included in the General Fund appropriation is the clerk’s budget of $217,595, the Police Department budget of $289,831, Department of Public Works at $349,791, and Hospitalization/Retirement/Bonds, $308,852.

Additionally, trustees adopted Local Law No. 2 of 2016 during their meeting, which will allow them to override the tax levy limit, if that becomes necessary. Trowbridge said the board typically adopts the override as a precautionary measure, even if an override of the tax cap is not needed.

Town supervisor responds to resident’s questions about water districts

MURRAY – About two dozen residents attended the regular meeting of the Murray Town Board Tuesday evening.

Town attorney Jeff Martin updated residents on the status of the proposed Workplace Violence Prevention Policy local law, which includes a firearm ban for town buildings, property and vehicles. Martin said the town does need such a policy, but how the proposed law addresses weapons should be discussed at a yet to be scheduled Town Board workshop.

“We can make recommended modifications after we have had a chance to do further reviews,” Martin said.

The town had hoped that its insurance carrier – New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR) – would respond to their questions regarding the ramifications of dropping the weapons ban part of the law, but Martin said he has “heard nothing official from NYMIR.” The proposed local law was drafted in light of a recommendation from NYMIR.

Resident Kerri Neale, who lead a rally last month against the weapons ban, attended Tuesday’s meeting and reminded board members that they need to keep the US Constitution in mind as they formulate local statutes.

“Everybody wants to look out for public safety,” he said, but he noted incidents with weapons have never been an issue on town property. “I don’t see any fear of the future, unless I was unable to defend myself.”

Resident Joe Sidonio also attended Tuesday’s meeting and presented town board members with a chart and detailed financial information, which show a spike in the use of fund balance for water districts in the town in 2016. Information he presented shows the amount of fund balance used from 2011-2015 in the $1,000 – $12,000 range. In 2016, nearly $66,000 is used from the fund balance.

“It’s alarming to me,” Sidonio told board members. “Look at the sales of water verses the cost of water, we aren’t making any money. I don’t understand why the numbers don’t add up.”

During his monthly “Supervisor Comments” earlier in the meeting, Town Supervisor John Morriss addressed a number of concerns and issues raised by Sidonio this year.

Supervisor Morriss stated that Highway Superintendent Ed Morgan did not retire from his post, but is “collecting retirement.” Sidonio questioned Morgan’s employment status in February.

In regards to a 2014 NYS Comptroller’s audit, which was critical of the town’s bookkeeping practices and the use of water district debt proceeds for operating and capital purposes, Morriss said the state auditor was new to the job and that he did not like the way the software utilized by the town’s bookkeeper generated financial reports.

Morriss said figures requested by the state were submitted in the preferred format and that the town has either already made changes requested by the state or is in the process of making those changes which will help to eliminate the potential for problems with bookkeeping methods.

He noted the issues found by the audit were procedural. “There was no money missing,” Morriss said. “We could account for all the money.”

Regarding overtaxing in the town’s water districts, Morriss said Rural Development as not found anything out of line and that it is normal to over-levy 10 percent of the bond principal and interest. He explained that in addition to the water it purchases, the town also incurs additional maintenance costs such as monthly meter charges, bookkeeping fees, monthly health test costs and the cost of unmetered water from leaks, fire department training and hydrant flushing. The town has offset operational costs with use of the fund balance to keep the cost down, he said.

He added that he has given figures provided by Sidonio last month to the auditor and is waiting for a response.

Sidonio thanked Supervisor Morriss for his response. Sidonio said he has no issues with the services provided by the town.

“The Comptroller’s report speaks for itself,” Sidonio said, and noted the town was not guilty of fraudulent activity. “It was loose bookkeeping and accounting practices and you said you have addressed that.”

Sidonio said he and the town are in agreement that there is a 15.5 percent increase in the tax rate and that Councilman Paul Hendel has stated the town may have to cut services or raise taxes in 2017 due to the use of the town’s fund balance.

Sidonio said he is still concerned about the “viability and financial stability of the water districts.”

HOLLEY – There wasn’t an attempted child abduction in Holley on Thursday. Instead, Police Chief Roland Nenni says the incident was a misunderstanding.

The driver of a black vehicle has been identified. After interviewing the driver and female passenger of the vehicle involved, police determined the incident was not an attempted abduction, Nenni said.

The driver of the vehicle startled the child with a horn as the child was walking near the roadway. The driver then returned to where the child was walking, stopped the vehicle and made an attempt to apologize for startling the child. The child became scared and assumed the driver was attempting to abduct him, Nenni said.

The Holley Police Department has interviewed all involved and confirmed that this incident was not an attempted abduction and was instead a misunderstanding on the child’s part, Nenni said.

Without assistance from the media, the driver of the vehicle would not have been identified and case would have remained active and open, the police chief said.

The names of those involved will not be released due to the age of the parties involved in the incident.

Image of car in attempted abduction/Holley Police Department

HOLLEY – The Holley Police Department is investigating an attempted abduction involving a 12-year-old boy that occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Public Square, Police Chief Roland Nenni said.

A white male was operating a smaller, dark-colored 4-door vehicle with a chrome grill and license plate possible containing the letters and numbers (HCS10). The driver approached a child and attempted to get the child into the vehicle. There was also a white female passenger in the vehicle, Nenni said.

The vehicle was last seen eastbound on Route 31 from the Public Square.

The driver is described as a white male with red hair in his 20s. He was wearing a black sweatshirt. The passenger is described as a white woman with black hair wearing a white T-shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Holley Police by calling 911.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – The Clarendon water tower on Route 31A as it is seen from Hibbard Road.  Town Board members are working to make a decision on whether or not to turn the town’s water system over to the Monroe County Water Authority.

CLARENDON – Town Board members are considering turning the town’s water system over to the Monroe County Water Authority.

The Town Board on Tuesday asked Larry Swanger, the highway and water superintendent, to prepare a report with projected costs to the town if it continues to run the town’s water system.

“It’s time to start taking some steps,” Council member Paul Nicosia said.

Town Attorney Karl Essler advised council members to have someone complete a fiscal analysis of what it would cost the town to continue to oversee its water districts. The analysis would help leaders to make an informed decision about whether or not to allow the Water Authority to take over.

An informational meeting regarding the possible take-over was held for residents on March 10 at the Clarendon Firemen’s Recreation Hall. Town Supervisor Richard Moy reported during Tuesday’s Town Board meeting that he had received numerous phone calls and emails from residents following the information session, expressing mixed views over the issue.

“This isn’t something to be taken lightly,” Moy said. “Once you turn it over, it’s gone. Is that bad or good? I don’t know.”

The town is facing the expensive job of painting its water tower – a cost estimated at $500,000. Moy discussed the possibility of imposing a $0.21/day meter charge that would build a water maintenance fund for such expenses, should the town decide not to go with the Water Authority.

“Either way you go, it’s going to cost more money for water,” he said.

If the town continues to oversee water districts, it would likely have to impose the meter fee and hire additional help, council members said.

“If we are going to keep it, we’re going to have to run it like a business and hire people to do book work,” Council Member Marc Major said.

“How does it work out for taxpayers?” Nicosia questioned. “In the long run, what is best for them is the way to go. The town finances have been well run,” he noted, but water may be, “an anchor we are pulling along.”

Nicosia questioned what the town stands to lose if it turns water over to the Water Authority.

“Fixing it … painting the tower,” he said, and added those kinds of jobs would not be difficult to relinquish.

“We’ve done a good job spreading water through the town,” Nicosia said, but observed that Clarendon is a bedroom community and will likely never have significant commercial development.

Swanger, the highway superintendent, also serves as water superintendent. The Highway Department oversees work in the town’s water districts. Swanger has been on the job since the creation of the first water district in the town and council members said they felt confident that he could provide the fiscal projections they need to make a decision.

“Larry has been doing this for 20 years,” Major said. “He knows what we need and I would go by Larry’s advice.”

Nicosia said that as the town’s water infrastructure ages, maintenance could put a greater strain on the Highway Department.

“This thing could become a hornet’s nest,” he said of the town continuing in the water business.

Swanger said he could compile the information in advance of the April meeting of the Town Board.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

HOLLEY – The impressive and inviting entrance to the new “World of Discovery” at the library in Holley was created by Laurence Dabney, a local artist and retired Holley Central art teacher.

Young patrons of the Community Free Library in Holley now officially have their own “World of Discovery” children’s section that expands opportunities for play. Those opportunities assist with the development of reading and learning skills, Library Director Sandra Shaw said during a ribbon cutting held Saturday morning to celebrate the changes.

“They learn how to play and from that they learn how to read,” she noted of young children.

Former State Sen. George Maziarz and Assemblyman Steve Hawley get lots of help in cutting the ribbon for the new World of Discovery for young patrons at the Community Free Library in Holley. Before the ribbon cutting, the young lady in the turquoise leggings sitting on the floor remarked: “This place is perfect for a princess like me!”

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and former State Senator George Maziarz join Holley Community Free Library Director Sandra Shaw for this morning’s grand opening of the library’s new World of Discovery for children.

The World of Discovery includes a castle entrance to the children’s section and a special play room area that now includes a large puppet theater, family and community helper puppets, children’s kitchen, Doc McStuffin’s Veterinary Clinic, Black & Decker building center and a costume cabinet.

Maziarz secured state grant funding of $6,300 about 18 months ago, Shaw explained.

“After we scraped our jaws off the floor, we thought about using the funds to improve the children’s section,” Shaw said. She noted Maziarz is a “proponent of children’s education and welfare.”

Maziarz attended the ribbon cutting. Maziarz noted it is important to reach out to children, “while they are young,” and explained that he and his eight brothers spent much time while growing up at their local library in North Tonawanda. “I have a long-time affinity for libraries,” he said. “I recently became a grandfather for the first time, so I’m all for enhancing programs for children.”

State Senator Robert Ortt was unable to attend due to a previous commitment.

Assemblyman Hawley said he was happy to be re-united with Maziarz for the event, and explained that the former state senator is staying very active in retirement.

“I see home all the time, all over the State of New York,” Hawley said. He acknowledged the work done by Maziarz to obtain the grant funds. “We need to thank him for the money he got a number of years ago,” Hawley said.

The celebration included refreshments and activities throughout the library, including face-painting, balloons, and crown-making. Many of the young patrons came dressed in costumes as knights, princesses and dragons – befitting the castle theme of the World of Discovery.

Michelle Vroblefski brought her family from Brockport. “This is great,” she said. “We will visit more often.”

Families enjoy crafts and activities Saturday morning at the Community Free Library. The festivities were part of a ribbon cutting celebration for the new children’s World of Discovery.

Four-year old Helen Schofield works to complete a crown during activities Saturday morning at the Community Free Library.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski
HOLLEY – Matthew Skehan (in black with red belt) sings in the lead role of Prince Eric in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, being performed this weekend at Holley Central School Middle School/ High School auditorium.

This year’s production is directed by Dan Burke and choreographed by Kellie Burke. Performances are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Middle School/High School Main Office or by clicking here.

Ariel (Makenzie Ferranti) saves Prince Eric (Matthew Skehan) while Flounder, played by Kohl Morgan, and Scuttle, played by Shayna Swisher, look on in this scene from Little Mermaid.

Makenzie Ferranti performs in the lead role of Ariel in Holley Central’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Performances are this Friday and Saturday.

Ronnie DeWaal as Sebastian the crab, and Kohl Morgan as Flounder, perform a high-energy scene together.

Kayla Thrower portrays the villainous Ursula with minions Flotsam and Jetsam, played by Ashlyn Hotchkiss and Nina DiLella.

Ariel (Makenzie Ferrant)i confesses her love for Prince Eric to her father, King Triton, played by Alex Mounts, in a scene from the Holley Central School production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.