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.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Murray resident Kerri Neale, standing in truck bed, speaks to fellow residents outside the Murray Town Hall on Tuesday evening. The rally was held to protest a proposed local law that would ban firearms from town property and facilities.

MURRAY – The Town Board on Tuesday decided to table a local law that would ban firearms from town-owned property and facilities, following a packed public hearing and rally outside the Town Hall against the proposal.

“We are not going to enact it unless it is done right,” Murray Town Supervisor John Morriss said about Local Law No. 1 of 2016 – Enacting a Workplace Violence Prevention Policy.

Residents packed the town meeting room/courtroom to let leaders know they are not happy with the section of the policy than bans firearms from town property, buildings and vehicles, saying it violates their Constitutional rights.

“The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and this law is belligerent to the Constitution,” resident Kerri Neale told the board. Neale organized a rally outside the Murray town building prior to the meeting, to protest the law.

“We’re not here to point fingers,” he told residents who gathered outside. “We are here to tell them about what we think about our freedoms and our right to defend ourselves.”

SCOPE members attended the Murray meeting to oppose the proposed law from Murray.

Inside the Town Hall, most residents who spoke during the public hearing said they, too, were against the proposed law.

Mattie Zarpentine of Holley said that just like the NY SAFE Act, the proposed Murray law “only impacts the law-abiding those with an intent to harm. Why should they follow the law?”

David Thom, chair of the Orleans County Chapter of the Scope Committee On Political Education (SCOPE), attended the meeting and told town board members that creating a gun-free zone is a bad idea.

“They are the target of choice of perpetrators,” he said. Thom also said such a law would be difficult to enforce.

Louise Passarell, who works for the Town of Murray as water billing clerk, said she was in favor of the law.

“As a town employee, I don’t have a problem with the (firearm) ban,” Passarell said. “I don’t feel safe with people coming in with guns.”

The Murrary Town Board meeting was well attended and garnered media attention due to a public hearing on a controversial proposed local law to ban firearms from town property.

Following the public hearing – which lasted about 35 minutes – Supervisor Morriss thanked residents for attending and said that council members had listened to all comments.

“We need to take a closer look at this,” he said. “To see if we need to tweak it or throw it out completely.”

Town attorney Jeff Martin drafted the law in light of a recommendation from the town’s insurance carrier – New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR). He told residents before the public hearing that comments already received by various town board members had been, “taken to heart,” and noted the law can be changed.

“It may be more restrictive than it needs to be,” he said.

Following the public hearing, Martin recommended that the law not be adopted as drafted.

Murray town officials listen to residents during the public hearing Tuesday evening. The officials include, from left: Town Councilwoman Kathy Case, Town Clerk Cindy Oliver, Town Supervisor John Morriss, attorney Jeff Martin and Town Councilman Paul Hendel.

Town leaders say they need to find out the consequences of not following NYMIR’s recommendation to enact the workplace violence prevention policy before they decide which course to take.

Morriss and Martin told residents that they would be kept informed as the issue progresses. If the proposed local law is changed, another public hearing would have to be held before it was enacted.

“It’s good to see people here,” Kerri Neale told the board following the decision to table the vote. “I would like to see constituents come back and help the board make correct decisions.”

In other business, Supervisor Morriss announced that in response to residents’ concerns over the town’s budget and property taxes, the town plans to create a Citizen Budget Committee with members from the community.

“They would sit down with us as we do the budget so they can see what goes into it,” Morriss said. The new committee would be formed closer to budget season.

Resident Joe Sidonio, who expressed concerns over high property taxes at the Town Board meeting in February, brought new concerns before the board at the Tuesday meeting regarding what he believes is over-taxation in the town’s 15 water districts.

Sidonio provided board members with a water districts bond repayment chart covering property tax, principal, and interest payments in all 15 water districts from 2013-2016. Total overages for the four years comes in at nearly $290,000, Sidonio said.

Sidonio said he was not making an accusation of wrongdoing, but if his understanding of the figures is correct, he would like an explanation of the irregularities.

“I would like an explanation of where the money went,” Sidonio told the board. “I would request a refund to citizens if, in fact, they have been overtaxed.”

Morriss told Sidonio the town has an independent auditor come in every year and that the next audit is scheduled for April.

“While they are here, we will bring this to them,” Morriss told Sidonio. “I want to know what is going on.”

Because of the federal funding involved the creation of the water districts, attorney Jeff Martin told Sidonio that the USDA requires an independent audit every year.

“No shortcomings have been brought to the attention of the town,” Martin said. “We will certainly look into it.”

Provided photos, OCALS

HOLLEY – Jean Mullins is dressed as The Cat in the Hat this morning when the Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS) celebrated Read Across America Day at Grace’s Place Agri-Business Child Development Daycare in Holley.

OCALS members dressed in costume and read books by Dr. Seuss. Today is the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, who was born March 2, 1904 and lived until Sept. 24, 1991.

OCALS read books, shared handouts, and cupcakes and juice boxes donated from Wegmans. Many of the volunteers are in OCALS’s Grandma/Grandpa reading program.

Jean Mullins and Gail Christ read to one of the children at ABCD Daycare.

OCALS tutors some of the ABCD students. OCALS currently has nine tutors in its family program. IT has been serving at ABCD the past five years, working with 12-16 students.

Some OCALS tutors also assist at an ABCD site in Newfane, and this year OCALS started a pilot program at Albion School District where tutors support their former ABCD students as they transition to kindergarten.

Many local schools and libraries also had events today in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

Provided photos, Erika Thorn

CLARENDON – Holley Cub Scout Pack 3062 had its Pinewood Derby last Saturday at the Clarendon Rec Hall with 43 kids participating in the annual Scouting tradition.

The top photo shows Bears with winning cars, including, from left, in front: Zachary Mrzywka, Destin Brown and John Kuhls. Back row: Ronald Thorn, Owen Schultz, Antonio Ianello and Steven Hein. Erika Thorn, committee chairwoman for Holley Pack 3062, is in back.

Tigers include: Collin Revier, Ben Dale, Hunter Sommerfeldt, Dylan Murphy-Bell, Aro Kruger and Liam Leader. Leader David Robarge is in back.

Webelos include Brody Schutz, Evan Press, Marshall Rubens and Matthew Barlow. Mike Berns is in back.

Wolves include, front row: Tyler Moore, Tyler Andelora and Gunner Knight (accepting the award for his brother Ryker Knight). Second row: Dawson Arnold, Miguel Vasquez-Pulcino, Braden Read, Kayden Schutz, Logan Stoick and Damian Frazer. David Arnold is in back.

Veterans Memorial planned for Hillside Cemetery

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The Holley Rotary Club served about 200 spaghetti dinners on Saturday, with proceeds going towards an Eagle Scout project at Hillside Cemetery.

The top photo shows Holley Rotarians, from left: Jeff Martin, Larry Swanger, Josh Mitchell and Roger DeFrancesca.

Jacob Crandall, an Eagle Scout candidate, is trying to upgrade the veterans section at the cemetery. He wants a new 25-foot-high flag pole, five granite etched stones (for the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard), and a pentagon-shaped concrete base. Jacob would like to have the project complete in the spring.

Bob Miller cooks spaghetti at the fund-raiser at the VFW where the Rotary Club meets every Monday evening.

Elissa Rowley is pictured with her father, Bill Downey. Elissa joined the Holley Rotary Club earlier this month. She works as program manager for the National Kidney Foundation. She is a third-generation Rotary member following her grandfather, Frenchy Downey, and her father, who are both members of the Albion Rotary Club.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Only one protestor was in Holley on Saturday to publicly denounce the Squirrel Slam, a hunting contest that is a fund-raiser for the Holley Fire Department.

The event in the previous three years drew national and international attention from animal rights activists. But this time Holley wasn’t in the Bull’s Eye of activists. Only Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, was in town with placards against the event.

Brummel chatted with people holding signs in support of the hunters. It was a friendly conversation and Brummel shook their hands before leaving around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Brummel was in Orleans County Court in February 2015, trying to get Judge James Punch to stop the contest. Brummel tried to make the case an environmental impact study should have been done to determine if the contest had a detrimental effect on the local squirrel population. Punch dismissed the case.

Brummel said he is optimistic the case will be taken up by the Fourth Appellate Court in Rochester. Brummel wants the Holley Fire Department to do an environmental impact study on the squirrel population.

“We want an analysis,” Brummel said.

Laura Knab, right, of Albion was across the street from Brummel. She arrived at 9 a.m. by the Holley Hotel and held signs in support of hunters. She was joined by Ahmad Asci, center, and Joe Kellenberger.

Knab, 23, said she has been hunting since she was 12.

“People don’t understand our way of life,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Holley firefighters are pictured with Alexandria Disque, second from left, and a dog Sadie, as well as Sadie’s owner Cassie Wolfanger, left. Disque and Sadie were rescued this afternoon after being swept in a tunnel on Sandy Creek that goes under the Erie Canal. The firefighters were on a boat that went into the dark tunnel. Pictured from left in back include Fran Gaylord, Harris Reed and Justin McMillon.

HOLLEY – A woman and a dog were both rescued from a near drowning today after they were swept into a dark tunnel that went under the Erie Canal.

Alexandria Disque, 23, was at the Holley Waterfalls with her friend Cassie Wolfanger. They both play on the women’s rugby team at Brockport State College. They were at the waterfalls with Cassie’s dog, Sadie.

The dog, an English yellow lab, fell into Sandy Creek and was soon swept away on the fast-moving current. Disque dove in and tried to save the dog.

Soon both went through a culvert that takes Sandy Creek under the canal. The concrete tunnel is dark.

Wolfanger called 911 when Disque and Sadie vanished.

Today is the Squirrel Slam hunting contest, a fund-raising event for the Holley Fire Department. Many firefighters were at the Holley Fire Hall and they were quickly on the scene at the base of the waterfalls.

Firefighters deployed a rescue boat and Fran Gaylord, Justin McMillon and Harris Reed went into the culvert to find Disque and Sadie.

Photos courtesy of Kurt Wannenwetsch

Firefighters descended near the Holley Waterfalls where Sandy Creek heads under the Erie Canal to find Disque and Sadie. The firefighters are in a line holding a rope as the boat goes into the culvert.

A rope was tied to the boat as firefighters passed into the tunnel. It was hard to see once they entered the tunnel, Gaylord said.

They went about 500 feet down before they found Disque. She found a crack in the concrete and was barely hanging on. She had nearly lost all motor skill function at that point because she was freezing after about a half-hour in the water.

Reed was at the back of the boat and he pulled Disque onto the boat. She was taken by Monroe Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Holley firefigters bring Alexandria Disque, right, safely to shore after getting her out of the culvert tunnel. Disque’s friend Cassie Wolfanger, left, is relieved to see Disque.

The firefighters went back into the tunnel. They could see a dog’s head bobbing. This time then had to go about 600 feet into the tunnel to get the dog.

Sadie was checked by local veterinarian Dr. Krista Wiley. Gaylord took the dog back to the firehall to warm it up and get the dog some food. Gaylord even took Sadie for a walk.

Sadie is rescued from the water.

Disque and Wolfanger arrived at about 6 p.m. to reunite with the dog. They thanked the firefighters for the rescue.

Gaylord said Disque’s physical fitness likely saved her life, allowing her to withstand the cold and hard-driving water. Disque said she was bundled up in the ambulance and at the hospital. After the ride to Strong, her temperature was taken and it was 92 degrees.

Disque said she was able to hang on to the 80-pound dog by its harness when she was in the culvert before finally letting go. She didn’t know the culvert let out at the other end. She was in the dark in the tunnel, fighting the current when the firefighters arrived in a boat.

Disque and Wolfanger said the Holley Waterfalls is a popular spot for many Brockport students who sometimes want a peaceful spot to study or a chance to enjoy nature.

“Everyone knows about the Holley Waterfalls,” Wolfanger said.

Photos courtesy of Kurt Wannenwetsch

HOLLEY – Several people were transported by Monroe Ambulance to the hospital to be evaluated on Tuesday after a 2-car accident at the intersection of West Albion and South Main streets. There were no serious injuries in the accident, Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni said.

The accident happened at about 12:30 p.m. It was caused by a motorist failing to stop at a red light. That vehicle then struck the van that was traveling north through the intersection, causing the van to overturn, Nenni said.