HOLLEY – The village has formed the Village of Holley Development Corporation to focus on putting distressed properties back on the tax rolls and as contributing assets for the community.

The local development corporation met on Monday and picked its officers with Holley dentist Dan Schiavone to serve as president, Holley veterinarian Krista Wiley as vice president, Mark Monacelli as treasurer and Jenna Amering as secretary.

In addition, Village Trustee Brian Sorochty and Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti will attend the local development corporation’s meetings and assist it with its goals.

The Village Board on Tuesday agreed to allow the Village Hall to be used for meeting space for the LDC.

The group will be focusing on getting eight houses back on the tax rolls that were feared contaminated by Diaz Chemical more than a decade ago. The Environmental Protection Agency owns the houses and has deemed them safe to live in.

The village would like the houses to be given to the LDC, which would then sell them and use proceeds from the sale to fund other redevelopment projects.

Village officials said on Tuesday that the EPA has offered to share 25 percent of the revenue from the housing sales with the village. Holley wants all 100 percent, not only to help fund other reclamation projects in Holley but to make up for years of the having the houses off the tax rolls.

“I would consider we’re miles apart,” said Village Attorney John Sansone.

Village Trustee Connie Nenni said the dollars from the houses “are small peanuts” to the EPA. She suggested the Town of Murray, Orleans County and Holley Central School join the effort in pressuring the EPA to release the houses so they can be sold.

“Everybody wants these back on the tax rolls,” she said. “It would benefit everyone.”

The village could also use the LDC to focus on houses in mortgage foreclosure. Often those houses can sit empty for three to five years. With the LDC, the village could push to have those houses reoccupied, perhaps in about a year.

The LDC could also be useful in redeveloping the former Holley High School, which has been vacant for about two decades, Sorochty said.

In other action Tuesday:

The board accepted the resignation of Timothy Moulton from the Police Department, effective Feb. 27.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Brad DeWaal carries a bag full of one-gallon jugs that he will fill with water because he doesn’t have access to water in his home.

CLARENDON – The deep cold has frozen many waterlines for Holley water customers in the past two weeks. Most have been without water for a short time, waiting a day or two until the waterlines could be thawed.

But two water customers have been waiting two weeks, with no time frame for when water service restored.

Brad DeWaal and his neighbor Scott Parson live outside the village on Route 237 in Clarendon. They can see the village municipal water tank from their front yards. They believed they were hooked into a public water system.

That’s what it says on their tax records. That’s what the real estate agent told DeWaal when he bought his home five years ago.

However, when DeWaal lost his water due to a frozen line, he was told that the line was put in by contractors in the 1960s. The village provides the water, but the 2-inch line is privately owned.

DeWaal is dismayed by the situation, which has him and his family filling jugs with water and taking showers at friends’ houses.

Brad DeWaal holds up a piece of a broken 2-inch waterline that served his home on Route 237. DeWaal bought his house outside the Village of Holley five years ago and was told he was on a public waterline.

“How is it possible you’re on a state highway and are on a private waterline?” DeWaal said at his home today, which is about a half mile south of the village line.

The village and Town of Clarendon have known the waterline was privately put in the 1960s, Clarendon Town Supervisor Richard Moy said.

Clarendon officials have tried before to convince residents on that section of Route 237 to pursue a public water line for the area, but Moy said they have refused.

If the latest problem prompts residents to push for a public line, Moy said the town would be willing to pursue a project.

“It’s always up to the people,” Moy said this afternoon. “We tried it before but they never wanted it.”

To install a public waterline, Clarendon would have to create a water district, do engineering and secure funding, which could be long-term financing to be paid by residents in the district.

It’s a process that sometimes takes several years to get in place by the time the waterline is constructed.

Brad DeWaal points to a spot in his front yard by Route 237 where village crews dug up his yard to investigate a frozen waterline. The standpipe that holds village water is visible south of DeWaal’s by Hillside Cemetery.

DeWaal said he was never told by the town that the line was privately owned until he sought answers in the past two weeks. He said he wouldn’t have bought the house if he had known that reality.

“I wouldn’t have wanted this headache,” he said.

DeWaal and his wife Marcia moved from Hilton to Holley five years ago with their son Ronnie, a junior in high school. DeWaal, a retired deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, said the tax records and mortgage documents all said the house was on public water.

It’s been a difficult two weeks. His son has been staying with a friend so he can use the shower and have “a little more of a normal lifestyle” due to the dry faucets at home, DeWaal said.

He and his wife are also taking showers at friends’ houses, and filling up jugs with water to bring home. It doesn’t look like the situation will change anytime soon.

Holley and Clarendon both say it’s not their responsibility. DeWaal isn’t convinced it’s on the homeowners to fix the line.

He plans to attend Tuesday’s Village Board meeting at 7 p.m. to press the village for help.

Provided photos – Angelena Golisano, Destiny Blosenhauer, Efrain Cruz and David LoDolce enjoy their after-school free snack in the Holley Elementary Café.

Press Release
Holley Central School

HOLLEY – Students staying after school for help with a class, participation in a club or activity, or athletic practice now have a chance to pick up a free healthy snack in the cafeteria before heading off to their event.

The free snack differs by the day and gives students an opportunity to try a new snack without spending any money. Snack offerings have included assorted fruit juices, carrots with ranch dressing, celery with peanut butter, cheese sticks or pepperoni with crackers, yogurt, Goldfish crackers, strawberries, oranges and frozen bananas with Nutella.

Nathan Towne enjoys his after-school snack at Holley Middle School/High School.

The snack program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture because at least 50 percent of Holley students qualify for free or reduced meals. All students are eligible to receive the free after-school snacks, regardless if they qualify for free or reduced meals.

The program began in both the Elementary School and Middle School/High School on Jan. 5 and has been well received by students in both schools.

In the MS/HS, about 70 students a day grab the free snack before heading off to their activity. The elementary students are fans of the pepperoni, cheese and crackers or Goldfish crackers with peanut butter.

They appreciate having some healthy fuel in their bodies before they head down to the Fitness Center to participate in a FIT4U! session. FIT4U! is a physical fitness and nutrition program funded by the Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant that Holley received last year.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – About 350 people gather inside the Holley fire hall on Saturday following the Squirrel Slam competition. Most of the people who bought tickets actually didn’t hunt, but they enjoy a dinner, prizes and conversation inside the fire hall.

Steve Parkhurst of Kendall said it was a tough day to go hunting. He needed to trudge snow 2 to 3 feet deep in his backyard to try to hunt squirrels. Parkhurst was able to get one, far less than the limit of six for the day.

“Even if I didn’t get a squirrel it would have been a good day,” Parkhurst said inside the Holley firehall following the “9th Annual Hazzard County Squirrel Slam.”

Teams were given prizes for the heaviest squirrels. The biggest one weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces.

Parkhurst was out hunting earlier in the day with a friend. They were one of 58 teams to compete in today’s Squirrel Slam hunting contest through the Holley Fire Department, which was down from 136 two-person teams a year ago. The deep snow and cold reduced the hunting teams, although the Fire Department still sold the maximum of 600 tickets for the contest.

“This is a good thing to get together with your friends and family,” Parkhurst said. “It also helps the community and the Fire Department.”

The event has drawn national and international attention the past three years after being highlighted by animal rights’ activists.

These T-shirts sell for $12 each and are very popular. Last year event organizer Dennis Bauer donated $700 from the T-shirt proceeds to Orleans County SCOPE.

One activist even tried to take the Fire Department to court over the environmental impacts of the hunt, but the case was dismissed last week.

Parkhurst said he was one of the originals who has been at all nine Squirrel Slams. He credited Holley for continuing the event despite some of the pushback from animal rights’ groups. If Holley backed out, Parkhurst said he would ask Kendall to sponsor the event.

Holley Fire Department leaders said the event clears about $4,000 in profit, making it a strong fund-raiser. Fran Gaylord, president of the Fire Department, said many hunters and community members thank the department for keeping on the event, despite the pressure to cancel it.

“There have been no issues today and everybody is having a good time,” Gaylord said at the firehall after the hunt. “People are glad we stood our ground and won’t be bullied.”

Frank Balys, a past Holley fire chief, sold 50-50 raffle tickets at the fire hall.

Saturday there were only four protesters near the fire hall by the Holley Hotel, including Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island. He is pushing the legal challenge to the hunting contest, saying it has a negative environmental impact because many squirrels are killed near Holley.

“I feel the squirrels and all the supporters of our efforts to halt the hunt this year deserve to be represented in Holley today,” Brummel said in a statement to the media. “Perhaps this will be the last year we have to do this, but I am expecting a continuing battle over this and other senseless animals killing contests.”

Dennis Bauer of Hamlin has organized all nine of the Squirrel Slams. He thanked the Holley Fire Department for continuing to support the event.

Bauer was out hunting with his son Jeremy earlier in the day and they didn’t shoot any squirrels.

Bauer pushed for the Squirrel Slam as a motivation to get friends and family out together on the last day of the hunting season.

“My thought was it was one more time to get buddies and families out together,” Bauer said.

Jeff Lavender, a past Holley fire chief, calls out the winning raffle numbers.

Bauer said the protesters of the event are “misinformed.” They assume all of the squirrels are shot in Holley, when participants hunt in several Western New York counties and bring their squirrels to Holley to be weighed. The name “Slam” may also have people thinking the squirrels meet a tortuous death, when Bauer said they are all shot legally during the hunting season.

“If I thought we were hurting the squirrel the population, I wouldn’t do it because I’m a hunter and I don’t want my game gone,” Bauer said. “The DEC has the squirrel season open this time of the year for a reason.”

Bauer said he is encouraged by the big crowd of people that come to the fire hall for food and conversation.

“This isn’t about going out and killing squirrels,” he said. “It’s about bringing people together.”

Village advises residents to keep trickle of water flowing until thaw

Photos by Tom Rivers – Matt Campbell, superintendent of Holley’s water and electric departments, operates an excavator to dig down to a frozen water line on East Albion Street this afternoon.

HOLLEY – It started last Tuesday amidst a punishingly cold February: water lines became clogged with ice.

About 15 Holley residents have since called the Village Office to report no water was coming out of their faucets.

Village water crews have been busy for the past 10 days, sometimes working late into the night to thaw out frozen pipes.

“People can’t be without water,” said Don Wharram, a technician with the electric and water departments.

The village is advising residents to maintain a trickle of water at all times until the deep freeze is over and the spring thaw arrives. Matt Campbell, Water and Electric superintendent, said the steady stream of water can help prevent the pipes from freezing.

Don Wharram, a Holley electric and water technician, attaches a chain to a sign post that would have to be removed to heat up a frozen water line about 4 feet below ground.

That steady trickle may save the water department from digging 4 feet down into the frozen ground. Workers have to dig into a hard ground, and then pump boiling water into the service line to get a water flow back into the line.

The village is responsible for the service lines which are under the street and sidewalk. Some residents have also had their water lines freeze because of unheated basements. If those cases, residents have to hire a plumber or solve the problem themselves.

The Holley crews have responded to about 15 frozen lines so far, working at times in sub 0 temperatures.

Provided photo  – This cat was found Feb. 6 in Holley by garbage workers with its paws frozen to the ground. After a rebound in health, the cat was adopted out to a family in Pittsford.

HOLLEY – A cat that was found between two garbage cans with its paws frozen to the ground has recovered from its injuries and been adopted to a home in Pittsford.

The white, underweight cat was found on Gulf Road by sanitation workers on a brutally cold Feb. 6. The skin had peeled from its paws and the cat appeared to have frostbite.

A Holley resident brought the cat to Wiley’s Animal Ark in Holley. Dr. Krista Wiley, owner of Wiley’s Animal Ark, said the cat nicknamed “Snowflake” still has tender feet, but the bruising has healed. The cat’s ears also turned back to a healthy pink color after about nine days of care.

Wiley and her staff also spayed and wormed the cat, “and fed her lots of calories to try to get her body condition improved.”

Editor’s Note: This article was updated from the original version that said the appeal was denied.

ROCHESTER – An Appellate Court justice did not take up a request for an injunction to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest run by the Holley Fire Department.

Justice Joseph Valentino in Rochester today declined to issue a ruling for an appeal sought by Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. Sheive and Richard Brummel of Long Island didn’t agree with a decision on Thursday by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch in dismissing a case that claimed the Fire Department did not follow state environmental laws with the Squirrel Slam.

Punch said the hunt follows state laws and does not violate environmental regulations.

Brummel appeared in court this afternoon with the appeal but Valentino did not take up the case, and did not set a hearing or schedule a submission for paperwork, Brummel said late this afternoon.

ROCHESTER – Richard Brummel is making another push in court to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest in Holley.

He said he will seek an injunction in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester this afternoon. Brummel disagrees with a decision by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County.

Sheive and Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, argue that the Squirrel Slam has an environmental impact by wiping out thousands of squirrels.

Punch dismissed the case on Thursday and said the hunters in the contest are doing nothing illegal. They are hunting during the squirrel season. The Holley event is capped at 600 tickets or 300 two-person teams, said Fran Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Company.  He said less than half actually hunt in the contest.

The hunting season for gray, black and fox squirrel runs from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and there is a daily bag limit of 6. Red squirrels may be hunted anytime and there is no limit, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Brummel said the Holley Fire Department neglected to do an environmental impact study detailing the hunt’s impact on the squirrel population.

Brummel said an attorney from Buffalo has taken on the case and prepared the appeal that will be filed this afternoon. Brummel said he hopes the court will take action and stop the Squirrel Slam, which is scheduled for Feb. 28 and raises about $4,000 for the Fire Department.

ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch ruled today the 9th annual Holley “Squirrel Slam” hunting contest can continue on Feb. 28.

The judge said the Holley Fire Department isn’t breaking any environmental laws with the contest, which he compared to a fishing derby that awards prizes for the heaviest fish.

Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, filed an injunction on Tuesday on behalf of Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. Brummel argued in the court papers that the Holley Fire Department failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act with the hunting contest by concentrating hundreds of hunters in a narrow geographic area, and killing squirrels when many are likely to be pregnant.

Judge Punch said that SEQRA, the environment law, typically is used when buildings are constructed or if the landscape is changed in some way. The squirrel hunting contest does not violate SEQRA or the state environmental laws, the judge said.

He said the argument in the case seems to “oppose hunting and a festive atmosphere of hunting.”

The judge dismissed the case “in its entirety.”

“It’s no different than a fishing derby where trophies are handed out to whoever catches the biggest fish,” Judge Punch said this morning.

Orleans Hub will have more on the case, with reaction from Brummel and the Fire Department.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, said he will continue to fight the Holley Fire Department on its squirrel hunting contest, which he compared to a “slaughter.”

ALBION – Richard Brummel had a tough morning in court in front of Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.

Brummel was told he didn’t file paperwork properly, and may have committed a crime by not having the proper power of attorney documents to represent Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County.

Brummel, in environmental activist from Long Island, had to be told to step back from the table normally reserved for the attorneys or defendant.

Judge James Punch said he didn’t believe Brummel intended the paperwork mistakes and judge said he wouldn’t sanction Brummel. But Punch said Brummel would not be allowed to appear on Sheive’s behalf in court.

The judge, however, ruled on the arguments presented in a court filing on Tuesday that sought to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest scheduled for Feb. 28. The judge determined the event doesn’t break any environmental laws and can go on as scheduled. The judge dismissed the case.

Many reporters from Rochester and Buffalo were in the courtroom for the proceedings. The Squirrel Slam has national and international attention from animal rights’ activists.

A squirrel walks on wires up high in this photo take last fall in Albion.

Brummel said he was able to raise enough money, with another $1,500 donation on Wednesday, to hire an attorney and pursue the case again.

“We hope this case will be properly back on the court’s calendar,” Brummel said.

He strongly disagreed with the judge’s decision today.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of judges and these judges do not apply the law,” Brummel told reporters after the court proceedings. “They apply their own opinion and that’s what happened today.”

Brummel believes there is an environmental impact with the hunt because so many squirrels are wiped out.

The Holley event is capped at 600 tickets or 300 two-person teams, said Fran Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Company. The hunting season for gray, black and fox squirrel runs from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and there is a daily bag limit of 6. Red squirrels may be hunted anytime and there is no limit, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Brummel said the Holley hunt happens at a time when many squirrels are pregnant. He said thousands of squirrels are eliminated with the Squirrel Slam. That kind of environmental impact should be addressed by the Fire Department.

“It’s really important that these issues be fought,” Brummel told reporters. “I couldn’t turn my back on what I thought was an attack on these lovely animals.”

Brummel drove 700 miles round trip to file the legal challenge to the case, only to have it dismissed in its entirety by the judge.

“It was worth it for the chance that we might win,” Brummel said. “It’s always worth fighting for the environment.”

Brummel said Orleans County residents are fortunate to live in an area with open spaces and lots of wildlife. He said Long Island is congested with lots of traffic and not much wildlife.

He didn’t like how Judge Punch compared the squirrel-hunting contest to a fishing derby.

“We have a huge problem with overfishing,” he said. “This isn’t frivolous. We are acting as if we have unlimited resources, whether it’s squirrels, fish, trees or whales.”

Fran Gaylord is interviewed by reporters inside the Orleans County Courthouse.

Gaylord, president of the fire company, said none of the hunters are breaking any laws. Although 600 tickets are sold, Gaylord said only about 120 to 140 of the two-person teams compete. Many people buy tickets to support the fire department and don’t hunt, he said.

The fire department used to only sell about 200 tickets for the fund-raiser, but it could easily sell 1,000 due to the publicity around the Squirrel Slam. The event is capped at 600 because that is how many people can fit in the fire hall for refreshments when the hunt is over.

“We haven’t paid one dime for advertising in three years because you guys do it for us,” Gaylord told reporters.

Gaylord said the opponents of the hunting contest tend to be downstate residents.

“This is a way of life up here,” he said about the contest. “It’s really no different than a fishing derby. You need a license and it has to get weighed.”

Orleans County judge will decide on Thursday if hunting competition will go on

Photo by Tom Rivers – Richard Brummel walks out of the Orleans County Courthouse today at about 5 p.m. after filing an injunction to stop the Holley Squirrel Slam, saying the hunting event damages the environment.

ALBION – A Long Island man filed an injunction in Orleans County today, seeking to stop the “Squirrel Slam” run by the Holley Fire Department.

Richard Brummel made the trip across the state and arrived in the courthouse at about 4:20 p.m. He filed the injunction in the courthouse and county clerk’s office. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch is expected to make his decision on Thursday morning, whether the Squirrel Slam will go on or not.

The Squirrel Slam has been criticized by animal rights’ groups. Some protestors on behalf of Friends of Animals have protested the last two Squirrel Slams in late February. Some state legislators have proposed legislation to ban hunting contests where participants shoot animals.

Participants in last year’s Squirrel Slam on Feb. 22, 2014, carry squirrels to the Holley fire hall to be weighed.

Brummel filed the injunction on behalf Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. Brummel said he tried to get financing for the legal action from Friends of Animals, but was turned down.

Brummel said he is an environmental activist. He believes he has a compelling argument to stop the Squirrel Slam, or at least move to a different time of year when squirrels are less likely to be pregnant.

Brummel argues in the legal papers that the Holley Fire Department fails to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act with the hunting contest. (Last year’s event sold out with 650 people buying tickets. Each team of two hunters can kill a maximum of five squirrels for the contest. Prizes are awarded to hunters with the heaviest squirrels. The event raises about $4,000 in profit for the fire department.)

Brummel argues the event damages the environment – “large quantities of vegetation or fauna (animals).” The Holley Fire Department has failed to address that environmental impact with the hunt, Brummel said.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Pack 62 in Holley gathered at the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Firehall last March for the annual Pinewood Derby. Adults, girls and non-Scouts are welcome to participate in this year’s derby on March 7.

HULBERTON – Leaders of the Cub Scout program in Holley are opening up a beloved tradition, the Pinewood Derby, to non-Scouts, girls and adults.

The annual Pinewood Derby will be on Saturday, March 7, at the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Firehall at 3353 Hulberton Rd. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and there is a $5 fee for non-Scouts.

The Scouting Pack opened the event to non-Scouts for the first time a year ago and had about 15 non-Scouts participate, who were mostly siblings of Scouts. Pack leaders are making a bigger effort to spread the word and invite the community to race in this year’s Pinewood Derby.

“It’s more fun for the boys to race if there are more cars in the race,” said Erika Thorn, committee chairwoman for Cub Scout Pack 62.

She hopes others in the community will see how enjoyable Scouting is, and how it is great bonding for families and friends.

“We want to show the fun part of Scouting,” Thorn said.

Adults are also welcome to build their own cars and compete in the event.

“Some of our Cub Scout dads really enjoy the competition,” Thorn said.

Scouts in Clarendon also will be participating in the Derby with the Holley Scouting program.

Pinewood Derby Car kits can be purchased at Iroquois Trail Council in Batavia and many hardware and home improvement stores. All cars must pass inspection to qualify for the race, and all cars need to follow the Derby rules (click here).

For more information, contact Thorn at (585) 406-0977 or by email at ekemp07@msn.com.

Provided photos – This cat was found Friday in Holley with its paws frozen to the ground. Sanitation workers found the cat in between two garbage cans.

HOLLEY – A cat found Friday with its paws frozen to the ground is on the mend.

The white, underweight cat was removed on Friday, and its skin peeled from its paws. A neighbor on Geddes Street took the cat to Wiley’s Animal Ark in Holley, where Dr. Krista Wiley says the cat, which appears to be a stray, is recovering.

The pads on its feet remain bright red, and they worry the tips of the cat’s ears are frostbitten.

“It’s amazing she lived,” Wiley said today. “In this kind of cold weather it is hard for cats to maintain their body weight.”

Wiley suspects the cat was looking for shelter in between the garbage cans. Wiley said no one has called looking for the cat.

She said she will likely work with Debbie Mignano of Stray Cat Solutions to try to find a home for the cat.

Wiley has been a vet in Holley for 12 years. This is her first time she has helped a cat recover after it was found with its feet frozen to the ground.

She urged people to not leave their pets outside for very long in the brutal cold.