By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 April 2018 at 6:00 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Sean Seeler, in lift, installs a bracket this afternoon to hold a new sign for the Holley Falls Bar & Grill. Sean’s father, Dan, is looking out through the window of the business in Holley’s Public Square.
The Seeler family has been working the past five years to renovate the site, the former Tagg’s Tavern. The construction is “98 percent complete,” Mr. Seeler said. He expects the bar and restaurant will open this summer.
Provided photo: Dan Seeler made the sign with his sons, Sean and Jesse.
The sign was needed for the business to secure a liquor license. The Seelers know there is lots of interest from the community in the project, but they said they need more time before they are ready to open. Monica Seeler, Dan’s wife, said they expect to hire 25 to 35 people to run the bar and restaurant when it opens this summer.
In addition to the bar and restaurant, the Seelers renovated the upper levels to create apartments that are all rented.
The building used to have a wooden exterior when it was Tagg’s Tavern. The wood was removed to reveal cast iron columns in front. The Seelers needed to rebuild walls, paint them and make numerous other improvements for one of the most prominent buildings in Holley. They also added an awning.
They named the restaurant and bar for the Holley Falls, a popular spot that is located down Frisbee Terrace, a short walk from the restaurant.
Mr. and Mrs. Seeler said they feel positive momentum in the village with upcoming sidewalk and street projects, as well as a good chance for the redevelopment of the old Holley High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2018 at 5:12 pm
Provided photo from Corning Museum of Glass: A barge with mobile glassmaking equipment will be in Holley on July 24 and then in Medina on Aug. 11-12.
HOLLEY – A barge with glassmaking equipment will stop in Holley on July 24 as part of a summer-long tour along the Erie Canal.
The Corning Museum of Glass announced last month that the 2018 GlassBarge tour will visit Medina, docking at Medina Canal Basin on August 11-12. But after some negotiations with Holley village officials, a second Orleans County stop was added.
Mayor Brian Sorochty said the barge will be in Holley at the Canal Park on July 24.
The tour is the 2018 signature event for the statewide celebration of the Erie Canal Bicentennial. The GlassBarge will offer free public glassmaking demonstrations at each scheduled stop during its four-month tour.
GlassBarge commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company – now known as Corning Incorporated – relocating to Corning via the New York Waterways by canal barge.
In celebration of this pivotal journey, the Corning Museum is recreating the voyage with GlassBarge – a 30′ x 80′ canal barge equipped with Corning’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the GlassBarge tour emphasizes the continued role of New York’s waterways in shaping the state’s industry, culture, and community.
GlassBarge begins it tour in Brooklyn on May 17 and will travel north on the Hudson River, then westward along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo before making its way to the Finger Lakes. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on Sept. 22. (Besides stopping in Holley and Medina, GlassBarge will also be in Brockport from Aug. 17-19.)
A flotilla of historic ships will accompany GlassBarge, including the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C.L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat, both part of the permanent collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The museum will share the story of 19th-century canal life and how materials were shipped on New York’s waterways. On the Erie Canal, GlassBarge will be moved by an historic tug from the fleet of the South Street Seaport Museum, connecting upstate and downstate by water.
GlassBarge will provide daily demonstrations. All demos are approximately 30 minutes long, and reservations are strongly encouraged through free timed tickets that will be available at www.cmog.org/GlassBarge. Reservations will open 4-6 weeks prior to each stop. Demos can also be viewed from shore without a reservation.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2018 at 3:52 pm
This rendering shows how the former Holley High School would look after $17 million in renovations.
HOLLEY – The state is coming through with a $1 million “Restore New York” grant to go towards the renovation of the old Holley High School in Holley, a building that has been vacant for more than two decades.
Home Leasing LLC, a Rochester company, has proposed a $17 million renovation of the former school, to create residential apartments and offices that would be used for the village government. Home Leasing is working along with Edgemere Development, Glasow Simmons Architecture L.L.P. and Marathon Engineering – all Rochester-based firms – on the project.
“We’re definitely optimistic,” said Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty. “It’s tremendously good solid news for this project.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the $1 million for the effort today, one of 71 projects approved for $81 million in funding.
“Downtown communities are vital to keeping our economies thriving and to attracting businesses and families to put down their roots in New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “The Restore New York Communities Initiative recognizes communities teeming with potential and invests in their transformation and their future, and turns them into neighborhoods New Yorkers are proud to call home.”
Home Leasing proposed prject in Holley would transform the old school into the “Holley Gardens.” That would be a mixed residential/commercial facility to provide seniors with new, safe housing featuring senior focused amenities and updated, accessible office/meeting space for the community, according to the announcement from the governor.
“Traveling across the State, I see the many buildings in communities that have great possibilities to be restored with the charm they once had,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “With this Restore New York funding, we’re committed to ensuring that our localities have the resources they need to pursue new development projects and transform abandoned properties. The Restore New York initiative continues to work with local leaders and stakeholders to unleash the full potential of economic development opportunities across the State.”
The Holley project is part of $11.2 million awarded to ten Finger Lakes municipalities through Round 5 of the Restore New York Communities Initiative. Round 5 of the Restore New York Communities Initiative was enacted in the FY 2017 State Budget, and Empire State Development was designated to implement the program.
“Public investment in our small towns is inspiring and necessary to turn dilapidated and neglected areas into robust centers of community and commerce,” State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said. “I am pleased to hear that the old Holley High School will become a welcoming living community for our seniors, and I look forward to watching this project transform and progress as we move forward.”
Cities, towns and villages were all eligible to apply for support for projects that include demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation or reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned and surplus properties. Projects located in economically distressed communities were emphasized and encouraged.
The other Finger Lakes projects include:
• City of Rochester – $5,000,000 – The rehabilitation of eight vacant privately-owned properties, located in Center City on State Street and East Main Street. The plan includes interior and exterior building restoration and, when completed, approximately 145 new housing units will be created and approximately 64,572 square feet of commercial space will be renovated.
• City of Canandaigua – $1,000,000 – Rehabilitation of the abandoned former Labelon manufacturing facility at 10 Chapin Street into a mixed-use development with 52 residential units.
• Town of Irondequoit – $1,000,000 – The redevelopment of a former mall, the largest vacant property in Monroe County with nearly one million square feet of former retail space, into SkyView on the Ridge, a mixed-use multi-tenant space that will include office space, a community center, fitness facility and shared common area for tenants and customers.
• Village of Warsaw – $1,000,000 – The demolition of a former nursing home on North Main Street. Once the building is demolished, it will be combined with a neighboring parcel to create a two-story hotel.
• Village of Geneseo – $700,000 – The conversion of the former Livingston County Home into a multi-tenant commercial building.
• Village of Penn Yan – $500,000 – The rehabilitation of two buildings: the first will renovate the vacant top two floors of a multi-use building into market rate housing. The second building will be renovated into a mixed-use facility.
• Village of Webster – $500,000 – The rehabilitation of 22-42 East Main Street to create commercial and residential properties along a contiguous stretch of six storefronts.
• Village of Avon – $400,000 – Renovation of the Park Theater into mixed-use facility, including a community theater.
• Village of Newark – $100,000 – The rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the former St. Michael’s Parish Elementary School into 28 affordable apartments for seniors age 62 and over.
A complete list of projects throughout the state can be found by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2018 at 10:28 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: PACT Founder and Pastor Tim Lindsay was among the panelists last Thursday during a leadership forum at Albion High School. Clarendon Code Enforcement Officer Melissa Ierlan, left, and Michael Bonnewell, Albion school superintendent, also served on the panel, as well as two others. They addressed about 60 students from Albion and Holley.
ALBION – About 60 student leaders from Albion and Holley high schools heard from five community members last week on how they can make a positive impact on Orleans County and the country.
The students don’t need to wait until they are settled in careers to start making a mark on the community.
“The world is yours,” said Michael Bonnewell, the Albion school superintendent. “It is yours now, and it is yours to shape.”
Bonnewell was among the panel speakers during the Rotary Interact Leadership Seminar with a focus on “Service Above Self.” Bonnewell is the current president of the Albion Rotary Club.
Other speakers at the forum included Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower, Melissa Ierlan (Clarendon code enforcement officer, historian and Holley Board of Education member), Charlie Nesbitt (former State Assemblyman who remains active in several community projects), and the Rev. Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship and one of the leaders of PACT – Pastors Aligned for Community Transformation.
Lindsay has been a pastor in Albion since 1987. He urged students to be character driven in their lives, especially ages 16 to 26. Lindsay said the decisions made during this decade will affect the students’ trajectory in life.
“Live for something bigger than yourself,” Lindsay said. “You can leave a great legacy behind when you live for others and for something bigger than yourself.”
Sheriff Randy Bower urged students to have a strong moral compass.
Bower, the local sheriff, shared how he was paralyzed at age 18, four months after he graduated from Holley. Bower was working a full-time job at the time as a line technician for a cable company.
On Oct. 10, 1983, he was driving home from a friend’s house at about midnight. He fell asleep at the wheel. Clarendon firefighters saved his life that night, Bower said.
He credited a neighbor named Jason for coming over to help him in those months after the accident. Bower would find a career as a public safety dispatcher. He married and has a family.
Bower urged the students to have a “strong moral compass” to guide their decisions and actions in life, and to help them overcome the challenges that await.
He shared other advice: look people in the eye and make eye contact.
Many teens and young adults today seem overly distracted by their phones, too quick to check them instead of engaging in conversation. Bower said.
“Eye contact and a firm handshake, you don’t see that as much,” Bower said.
Charlie Nesbitt urged all of the students to give back to their community, throughout their lives. “It’s within any individual to make a difference,” Nesbitt said.
Charlie Nesbitt, a retired state assemblyman, was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. On Nov. 14, 1968 he was tasked with extracting a Special Forces unit out of Laos. Under enemy fire after one chopper crashed in the jungle, Nesbitt picked up the crew of the downed aircraft and left. Then the crew discovered that one man, John Grimaldi, had been left behind. Though low on fuel, Nesbitt turned his helicopter around and successfully rescued Grimaldi under intense enemy fire. Nesbitt was 20 at the time.
When he returned home after the war, he joined the family’s car dealership. He would be elected state assemblyman in 1992 and served until 2005. He then served decade as president and commissioner of the state Tax Appeals Tribunal. He also has been active in the Albion Alumni Foundation, and in local service groups, the Rotary Club and Masonic Lodge.
Nesbitt said leaders can identify a problem and develop a strategy to solve it. It often takes tenacity to get job done.
“With leadership the key element is vision,” he told the students. “You have to understand the situation and imagine the outcome.
Students and the panelists discussed leadership and challenges in the community during a 90-minute program last Thursday.
Tim Archer, an Albion teacher and Interact advisor, referred an article from Time magazine that said today’s generation of teen-agers are “lazy, entitled narcissists” who are obsessed with their social media “likes.” The article calls them the “Me, Me, Me Generation,” Archer said.
Samantha Zelent, a school social worker at Holley and the Interact advisor, believes there are stereotypes depicting today’s young people as self-absorbed, but she doesn’t see it that way.
“These kids will change this world when they are asked and motivated,” Zelent said.
Melissa Ierlan said there are many ways students can help improve their communities.
Melissa Ierlan is the code enforcement officer for Clarendon. She also is town historian and a member of the Holley Board of Education. Ierlan urged the students to get a job and work hard, and not ask for handouts.
“Parents are part of the problem,” she said. “Do you pay for your own car, your car insurance or for phone? When your parents keep giving you something, I think that’s part of the problem.”
The panelists were asked how students can volunteer and help the community.
Ierlan said there are numerous ways to give back to the community. She urged them to call their village and town clerks for ideas, as well as through the historical societies.
She praised community members for stepping up recently with projects at Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon. Scouts have done Eagle projects at the cemetery. Community members have raised money to save the historic chapel.
“We have tons and tons of people who model it everyday,” Ierlan said about “Service Above Self.”
Bower said the local youth sports leagues need coaches. Student athletes, including recent graduates, would be welcomed to work with younger kids on the teams, Bower said.
There are also numerous service clubs, churches and fire departments that need new members.
The group was asked how many plan to leave Albion or Holley after they graduate, and most kids raised their hands.
Nesbitt said the perception of little opportunity in the county remains a big barrier to overcome. Bringing job opportunities to the county was a top priority during his 13 years in the Assembly. (There is a road named for him in the Holley Business Park, which welcomed several projects during his tenure.)
Lindsay sees poverty and drug addictions as the two biggest challenges for the community. PACT, which includes several local pastors, has been engaged in those issues.
Tim Archer takes a photo of the panelists with some of the students after the forum last Thursday.
“Do you want to be part of the solution?” Lindsay said. “Identifying the problem is easy.”
Ierlan sees advantages with smaller school districts, where students know and have access to their teachers. Holley, like many local districts, has a shrinking enrollment. The school only has 57 students in next year’s graduating class, when it recently had 90 to 99.
Nesbitt said he had 214 in his graduating class about a half century ago. Today’s Albion class in just over half that size.
“Things have not stayed the same and they won’t,” he said.
Archer, a character education for Albion seventh-graders, urges his students to not just talk about a problem.
“You have to do something about it,” he said. “Talk doesn’t cook rice.”
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 20 March 2018 at 12:46 pm
In recent years a dwindling number of participants has caused problems for many small football playing high schools across the state.
In order to keep their football programs going some schools have turned to merging with neighboring districts, such as Medina and Lyndonville have done for the past several years. Others have turned to another alternative – 8 man football – and that is the direction Holley is taking.
“It’s a done deal. We’re going to play 8 man football this fall,” said Holley Athletic Director Dan Courtney. “Our numbers have been low so this came around at the right time for us and we’re going to give it a try. It’s nothing new. Eight man football has been around for a long time and is played in many states. We want to give our kids the opportunity to continue to play football and this provides us the chance to do that.”
Section V has given its approval for 8 man competition, a decision which follows the Section III (Central New York) move to form an 8 man division last year. That division included Cooperstown, South Lewis, New York Mills, Bishop Grimes, Oriskany and Pulaski.
“Our coaches and players are excited that we will have football,” said Hawks head Coach Wil Prince. “We’re really excited. We’ve done our research and have talked to the Section III people and they have nothing but positives to say about it. I think it will really help us. It really was going to 8 man or nothing so it is a way for us to not only keep football but to build the program.”
Some of those Section III schools likely loom as possible opponents for Holley this fall as to date CG Finney is the only other Section V school to indicate its plans to go to 8 man football though Courtney notes several other districts have expressed interest.
“Schools have until August to make a decision to switch from 11 to 8 man football so we will have to see what schools choose to do so but playing some of the Section III schools is something we’re looking at,” noted Courtney.
Played on a regulation field 8 man football requires a minimum squad of only 12 players as opposed to the 16 which the state requires for an 11 man team.
Interestingly, for Holley the switch to 8 man football is almost going back to the Hawks gridiron roots as when Genesee Region League (then Genesee Orleans League) schools formed football teams after World War II they were 6 man teams. Holley in fact played 6 man football from 1948-1955 before dropping the sport until it was reinstated as 11 man football in 2002.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2018 at 1:29 pm
D’Angelo leaves with praise from school leaders
Photos by Tom Rivers: Holley Central School Superintendent Robert D’Angelo and Susan Cory, the middle-high school principal, greet graduates at commencement on June 27, 2015.
HOLLEY – Robert D’Angelo, the school district superintendent for the past decade, is retiring on June 30. He leaves a transformed school district that tackled $40 million in capital improvements, and pushed to raise student achievement in the classroom, athletics and in extracurricular programs.
D’Angelo has been out on extended medical leave for nearly three months. On March 7, he notified the district he will retire on June 30. The district will be led by an interim superintendent the rest of the year. John Carlevatti, a retired Penfield superintendent, is Holley’s current interim leader.
D’Angelo leaves with deep appreciation from staff and the Board of Education for raising the bar for the district, including securing the community’s support for a major capitol project. D’Angelo attended numerous community meetings to convince residents to back the project.
“He was very instrumental getting the capitol projects going and changing the whole face of the district,” said Susan Cory, the middle-high school principal.
Robert D’Angelo served about a decade as Holley’s school superintendent.
The building was radically changed and upgraded with a capital project about five years ago. The building had been largely unchanged for 40 years.
“The students say we now have a real school,” Cory said.
D’Angelo was also promoting excellence in the classroom and with school programs, Cory said.
“He pushed high standards,” she said. “He had high expectations for instruction.”
The superintendent also backed an alternative education program for at-risk students in the high school. They take their classes at a wing in the elementary school.
He was willing to try new programs to give students opportunities, whether supporting the football program or a new geometry and construction class.
“He was student-focused first,” Cory said. “We try to think of what we can do to offer the best opportunity.”
Brenda Swanger, president of the Board of Education, said D’Angelo had an open door policy for students and community members. He worked hard to meet community leaders and was happy to have breakfast with students periodically. He also pushed to welcome senior citizens in the school for different events, including a senior citizen breakfast.
“The capital projects were his biggest accomplishment,” Swanger said today. “He was right on top of all the projects. He was very fussy how everything looked.”
She was impressed that D’Angelo welcomed feedback from parents and students, and also pushed to improve the safety of the school campus.
Even during a tight budget, D’Angelo was reluctant to eliminate programs.
“Bob was always in favor of offering the students opportunities,” Swanger said. “He didn’t want to abolish anything.”
The Holley Board of Education meets this evening and will discuss how it plans to pursue filling the vacancy. The district expects to work with the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES for a superintendent’s search that will include community feedback, Swanger said.
Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent, is pictured on Dec. 1, 2014 while children try new exercise equipment in the fitness center, which includes four large flat screen televisions. The new fitness room was part of a series of capital improvements at the district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2018 at 8:33 am
MURRAY – The town expects construction to start in late spring for a new water district. There is one issue that needs to be resolved. Murray is trying to secure an easement from a resident for the project.
Jeff Martin, the town attorney, told the Town Board he is hopeful the issue is resolved soon. If the easement isn’t granted, the town may have to pursue eminent domain, where private property is taken for public use. That can be a drawn-out process.
Water District 3 Extension 1 will serve about 20 homes and 40 parcels. It covers about 3 miles on portions of Hindsburg, West Kendall and Center roads. The extension is off three roads on the western end of Ridge Road in Murray. The project will bring public water to some of the last remaining sections of the town without a waterline.
The federal government is providing $825,000 in assistance for the project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program, with $456,000 in a loan and $369,000 in a grant.
In other action at last week’s Town Board meeting:
• Adopted a new local law where animal control now is under the county. The town used to have its own law for animal control, but the county has pushed for all municipalities to have the same law so there is uniformity in the county, which has two full-time animal control officers.
Residents will still need to get their dog licenses at the Town Hall.
• Discussed putting “No Trespassing” signs on town property, including land behind the Town Hall and the triangle by the Town Hall. Board members said snowmobilers and all-terrain vehicles have been seen on the land.
“There has been a plethora of motorized vehicles,” said Bob Miller, the town supervisor.
Martin, the town attorney, said he will check with Murray’s insurance provider on the language for the signs.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 March 2018 at 10:05 am
MURRAY – The Town Board has approved keeping a tax exemption for Cold War veterans.
The exemption was set to expire. The board unanimously voted to continue it, this time without a sunset.
The exemption is good for eligible veterans who served in the military from Sept. 2, 1945 to Dec. 26, 1991. The exemption is good for up to 10 percent or a maximum of $4,000 off the assessed value of a property.
Murray has a tax rate of $4.83 per $1,000 of assessed property outside the village and $3.05 inside the village of Holley. At a $4,000 maximum for assessed value, the exemption would save a Cold War vet $19.32 outside the village and $12.20 inside the village.
Lynn Wood, the town assessor, urged Cold War vets to stop by the Town Hall and apply for the exemption, which also includes up to $20,000 off the assessment value for property owned by disabled veterans.
The Orleans County Legislature also recently voted to continue a tax exemption for Cold War veterans.
With a county tax rate of about $10 per $1,000 of assessed property, the maximum exemption would save a Cold War veteran about $40 in county taxes.
There are about 100 veterans in the county currently receiving the exemption, said Dawn Allen, the county’s director of Real Property Tax Services Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2018 at 8:10 am
Provided photos
HOLLEY – Holley teachers and law enforcement officers in Orleans County played a charity basketball game on Tuesday that was part of a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House. Spectators paid a $2 admission for adults and $1 for students. There were also about 80 baskets up for raffle. The event raised $4,444, a new record for Holley.
The Holley teachers were the victors, 60-32. The teachers and law enforcement have played several basketball games in recent years for fun and to raise funds for a good cause.
The team from the school includes: front row, from left: Mike Crissman, Jen Boerner, Emily Harms, Mark Thomas, Brooke Sherburne and Jeff Cumpston. Back row: Coach Wil Prince, Andrew Grillo, Matt Hennard, Bill Silpoch, Nick D’Amuro, Sheena Hamiter, Tim Artessa, Jason Kinem and Jason Cole.
The law enforcement team included several graduates from Holley Central School. Front row: Deputy Jeff Cole (Kendall grad), Holley Police Officer Chris Glogowski (2007 Holley grad), Sheriff Randy Bower (1983 Holley grad), Chief Deputy Mike Mele (1995 Holley grad), and Gates Police Officer Shawn O’Mara (1990 Holley grad).
Top row: OC Sheriff’s Office Corrections Sgt. Mike Christopher (1987 Holley grad), Gates Police Officer Eddie Bower (2010 Holley grad), Greece Police Office Ryan O’Mara (2011 Holley grad), Deputy Jason Barnum (Lyndonville grad), Albion Corrections Officer Mike Sheppard (1997 Holley grad), Greece Police Officer Eric Sheffer (Holley grad) and OCSO Corrections Sgt. Chris Caufield (1996 Holley grad).
Photos by Tom Rivers: Eddie Bower waits to go in the game on Tuesday. Penny Cole, a cheerleader coach and secretary at the high school, is the lead organizer for the games. She will receive a community service award from the Ronald McDonald House next week for her support of the House.
Posters encourage teachers in their game against the law enforcement officers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2018 at 10:16 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: A tree stump sticks out of the snow by Sandy Creek in Albion in a spot just west of the Brown Street bridge in this photo from March 6.
MURRAY – Several officials from local municipalities attended a meeting last week in Brockport with the State Canal Corp., which detailed the next steps of the tree clearing. That meeting was largely focused on what the Canal Corp. plans to do in Brockport.
A contingent from Orleans County asked the Canal Corp. to hold a similar presentation in Orleans. Paul Hendel, a Murray town councilman, said the Canal Corp. is willing to hold a similar session, which would likely be in Albion.
Hendel attended the Brockport meeting along with Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty, Albion Deputy Mayor Eileen Banker, Medina Mayor Mike Sidari and County Legislators Ken DeRoller and John DeFilipps.
Hendel said Orleans County deserves to know the next steps in the project. Residents want to know how the canal banks will be remediated.
The Canal Corp. told Brockport residents the state agency would hire arborists to consult with Brockport homeowners about appropriate property lines to provide privacy, with the Canal Corp. paying the cost.
The Canal Corp. also will do low-growing vegetation on the cleared embankment, and will work with Brockport to identify and develop several public access points along the canal path.
The Canal Corp. hired a contractor to remove trees on canal-owned land beginning last fall. The clearing started in Medina and headed east. The tree removal upset many local residents.
The Canal Corp. said the clear cutting was necessary because the trees and their roots threaten the integrity of the canal banks, and make them vulnerable to leaks.
The stumps will be removed and the banks will become grassy slopes that will be mowed, the Canal Corp. said.
Kerri Neale, a Holley resident, said the loss of the trees by his property has eliminated a wind break. Two trees toppled on his property last month due to the loss of the buffer of trees by the canal. He told the Murray Town Board on Tuesday that he worries the tree cutters will take down many of the trees by Holley’s Canal Park, a popular spot that includes the Holley Waterfalls.
He said the community needs to be vigilant and know the Canal Corp.’s plans on whether there will be additional tree clearing.
He noted that three Monroe County towns – Pittsford, Perinton and Brighton – won an injunction to halt the tree clearing in their towns until the Canal Corp. and New York Power Authority complete an environmental review of the work.
Neale said the canal banks needed maintenance, but he questioned why so many trees were removed in Orleans and western Monroe.
“They didn’t give us the same respect as the people to the east,” he told the Murray Town Board. “They did it with such speed that the people couldn’t react to it.”
Bob Miller, the Murray town supervisor, said the three Monroe towns who filed the lawsuit were able to take action after seeing a “denuded” canal in Orleans and western Monroe.
“The rate at which they went through Orleans County was rather rapid,” he said.
Hendel said he is hopeful a public information meeting will soon be announced in Orleans County to detail the next steps of the canal bank maintenance plan.
