Kendall

Kendall elementary students plant orchard by school

Photos courtesy of Kristina Gabalski: Students at Kendall Elementary School work to plant a school orchard on Friday morning.

Posted 15 June 2019 at 2:27 pm

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Elementary-based 4-H Club and Kendall Elementary students joined forces last week to plant a school orchard.

The project was a joint effort between the school and the 4-H Club, which meets regularly during the school year, as a community service project.

“We proposed to idea to Sharon Smith, Kendall Elementary Principal, last year and she enthusiastically supported the project,” said Kristina Gabalski, Orleans County 4-H Program Coordinator. “School orchards provide educational and nutritional benefits to students by providing a place to learn about nature, grow plants and produce food. The orchard at Kendall Elementary will be a living classroom and a laboratory without walls where students can study everything from botany to art, as well as relax and be refreshed by its beauty.”

Principal Sharon Smith works with Kendall Elementary students to plant a tree in the new orchard.

The Kendall Elementary School orchard is located just outside the south wing of the school where it will be easy for students to access as well as care for the planting.

“The spot will also provide some protection from wind and receive lots of sun all year,” Gabalski said.

The orchard includes six trees: two Enterprise apples (a new disease-resistant variety); two Northern Spy apples (a heritage variety); one Blake’s Pride pear; and one Stanley plum.

The trees were donated by Sara’s Garden Center in Brockport, which has also enthusiastically supported the project. Additionally, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension received a $500 grant from Gro More Grassroots Grants presented by the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening. Grant funds were used to purchase garden tools, mulch and additional supplies for the orchard.

Sharon Smith said she foresees the orchard having a prominent place in the Kendall community for years to come.

“The more children we involve in this, and the more families in the community who become involved in this, will mean that this orchard is valued and protected for many decades,” she said. “Students will take these skills and this love back home and apply it in their own gardens with their own families, and eventually with their own children as adults.”

Gabalski would also like to acknowledge the support and help of Dan Brundage, Kendall Elementary Buildings and Grounds Manager, and his staff for their guidance and enthusiasm in making the orchard a reality.

“We have an amazing relationship between Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H, and Kendall Elementary,” she said. “It is so exciting to be able to work together on projects like this that enhance the quality of life in our community.”

Members of the Kendall Elementary 4-H Club place trees before they were planted on June 7.

Kendall Elementary students are framed by foliage from one of the fruit trees while they work on planting another.

Students dug holes, planted trees and watered and mulched the new transplants.

The newly planted Kendall Elementary School Orchard with the school in the background.

Return to top

Kendall Lions recognize outstanding members, Citizen of the Year

Staff Reports Posted 7 June 2019 at 9:08 pm

Provided photos: Kendall Lion John Becker presents the club’s Citizen of the Year award to Steve Giverson, center. Lions Club President Doug Urquhart is at right.

KENDALL – The Kendall Lions held the club’s annual officer installation and awards dinner on Thursday. Kendall volunteer firefighter Steve Giverson was presented the “Citizen of the Year Award” for his commitment and strong leadership in the Lions Club’s carbon monoxide and smoke detector program in response to a community tragedy.

Steve transferred from the Gates Fire Department 2 1/2 years ago and quickly made an impact in the Kendall community and the fire department. He recently was elected secretary of the Kendall Fire Department. Steve was the liaison between the community groups – American Red Cross, Kendall Central School, the Fire Departments and the Lions Club – during the recent CO and smoke detector program.

Giverson took on the responsibility of scheduling, training, delivery and community communication as the Lions Club distributed 200 CO detectors and more 600 smoke detectors to residents in the local communities.

Provided photos: Kendall Lion John Becker presents the club’s Citizen of the Year award to Steve Giverson, center. Lions Club President Doug Urquhart is at right.

John Becker also was recognized for his leadership in the CO and smoke detector program as well as his continued service as a Kendall Lion. Becker received the “Lion of the Year” award. Becker was the initiator of the program after two lives in the Kendall community were lost due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Lion President Doug Urquhart recognizes Debbie Ryan for her tenure as club treasurer. She is joined by her husband, Bob Ryan, who is a member of the club.

This group includes, from left: incoming President Helen Unterborn, Lion Candy Minigiello, Lion Tom Minigiello and Lion President Doug Urquhart. Candy Minigiello was awarded the Robert Uplinger Award for her service and participation in the community and the Kendall Lions Club.

Kendall Supervisor Tony Cammarata (center), a member of the Lions Club, was presented the Melvin Jones Fellow as a reflection of the continued service to our community and club, often behind the scenes but integral to our success. The award is named for the founder of the Lions Clubs International.

Lions President Doug Urquhart presents the award to Cammarata, who was joined by his wife, Sharon Cammarata.

Return to top

Kendall budget passes with 63% approval

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2019 at 9:55 pm

KENDALL – The school district’s budget passed during a public vote today with 62.7 percent in favor, 136 yes to 81 no.

The $17,774,362 budget for the 2019-20 school year increases spending by 2.34 percent, with the tax levy going up by 2.2 percent.

Proposition 2 also passed, 156 to 62. That vote authorized the district to spend up to $250,000 from a transportation bus reserve for transportation vehicles.

Proposition 3 was for a member of the Board of Education. Chaley Swift was unopposed and received 205 votes for another five-year term on the board.

Return to top

Kendall students get a tour of State Capitol

Staff Reports Posted 17 May 2019 at 8:22 am

Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBANY – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) poses with 70 students from Kendall on Tuesday at the Million-Dollar Staircase in Albany, where the steps are made from Medina sandstone. The students, members of the Class of 2024, wore shirts representing the school colors.

Hawley said he was happy to welcome the middle schoolers to the State Capitol. Hawley led the students on a tour of the building an gave them a formal introduction on the Assembly floor.

“I was proud to welcome these inquisitive and enthusiastic students from my district to Albany and pleased to give them a behind-the-scenes look at policymaking in our state,” Hawley said. “The Eagles certainly made their presence known, proudly sporting their school’s colors and logo, and it my pleasure to join my colleagues in introducing them during our Assembly proceedings on Tuesday. I enjoy giving young students the opportunity to ask questions and witness the inter-workings of politics firsthand. In doing so, we create more civic-minded young people and a stronger democracy.”

Return to top

Hawley writes Mitch McConnell, asking Senate to confirm IJC members

Posted 14 May 2019 at 7:03 am

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Steve Hawley: Lake Ontario crashes into the shoreline in Orleans County.

In light of water levels continuing to rise and historically adverse flooding conditions along Lake Ontario’s southern shoreline in recent years, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) personally toured the northern border of the lake on Sunday from the Yates to Kendall to inspect conditions firsthand.

Hawley, who was one of the first elected officials to tour flood related devastation along the shoreline in 2017, wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting immediate confirmation of newly appointed International Joint Commission (IJC) members so they can begin work regulating water levels and protecting residents and businesses who may soon face property damage in northern Orleans County.

“I am writing regarding the urgent need for the Senate to move forward and place the International Joint Commission nominees on the Senate calendar for confirmation votes…Water levels on Lake Ontario are at 246.86 feet, compared to the peak of 249.10 in 2017. The lake has risen 5 inches in the past 10 days. However, if this continues, the few residents who survived the flooding in 2017 with minimum damage may not this year,” Hawley wrote in the letter, dated April 24.

The IJC has six members, with Canada and the U.S. each having three representatives. The U.S. nominees for the board include former State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, and Rob Sisson and Lance Yohe.

“Increased erosion will continue to decrease the assessed value of the shoreline properties and more homeowners will have the expense of installing destroyed break walls to protect homes,” Hawley wrote. “Local businesses that struggled through 2017 may not survive another year.”

Please contact Hawley’s District Office at (585) 589-5780 for assistance regarding flood related issues caused by Lake Ontario.

Return to top

Kendall first in Orleans to declare state of emergency from lake

Photos by Tom Rivers: Some of the docks at the Oak Orchard River in Carlton are underwater due to the high Lake Ontario water levels. This photo was taken on Friday afternoon.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2019 at 9:50 am

KENDALL – The Town of Kendall is the first municipality in Orleans County to declare a state of emergency from the high Lake Ontario water levels.

Tony Cammarata, the town supervisor, made the declaration on Wednesday. He said on Saturday that the declaration will expedite state resources for the town, including AquaDams, large grain bags to hold multiple sandbags, and assistance from the National Guard and inmate crews from state prisons with the flood protection.

On Thursday, Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo also issued a state of emergency due to high waters along Lake Ontario. The county implemented a 5 mph speed limit for all boat traffic within 500 feet of the Lake Ontario shoreline in Monroe County. That is intended to minimize flooding damage to the shoreline.

Wayne County also has declared a state of emergency for bays in Sodus, Huron and Wolcott.

More Orleans municipalities – the towns of Yates and Carlton, and Orleans County – are expected to soon declare a state of emergency. Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director, said the Orleans officials are coordinating with Niagara County an a declaration.

“It could be any day based on the changing conditions,” he said.

The State Office of Fire Prevention and Control installed a 450-foot AquaDam on Friday at Oak Orchard on the Lake, just west of the Oak Orchard Harbor.

Cammarata said Kendall is better prepared to fight the flooding this time, compared to 2017. The town has many pallets of sandbags ready, and learned two years ago that putting sandbags in the larger grain bags makes them more effective. Residents who need sandbags should contact the Kendall Highway Department at (585) 659-2650.

The AquaDams also help protect property. The State Office of Fire Prevention and Control installed a 450-foot AquaDam on Friday at Oak Orchard on the Lake in Carlton.

Cammarata said Kendall has requested three AquaDams for vulnerable shoreline in the town.

Many property owners have new breakwalls that should also better protect property if the lake continues to rise and floods. State grants helped pay for those breakwalls, which Cammarata said are at a higher incline to better thwart erosion.

“We’re anticipating better in 2019 than in 2017,” he said.

Return to top

Kendall school budget would increase taxes 2.2%

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2019 at 9:21 am

KENDALL – The school district is proposing a $17,774,362 budget for the 2019-20 school year that increases spending by 2.34 percent, with the tax levy going up by 2.2 percent.

The budget will be voted on by district residents from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 21. The vote will be at the Kendall Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd. The district said it moved the polling place from the school to the Town Hall for student safety. Eligible voters must be at least 18 and a legal resident of the district for at least 30 days prior to May 21.

Overall spending is up $406,885 with rising health insurance premiums, utilities and fuel among the causes, as well as the impact of the higher minimum wage in many district departments, said Julie Christensen, the district superintendent. State aid for the district is $12,480,840, which covers 70.2 percent of the budget.

The tax levy will go from $4,715,842 to $4,819,591. That $103,749 increase or 2.2 percent remains below the district’s allowed tax cap, which is 3.81 percent due to carryover from prior years when Kendall was below the cap, as well as other exclusions, Christensen said in a budget message to district residents.

Kendall’s projected tax rate will be $17.02 per $1,000 of assessed property, which compares to a Monroe County average of $23.90, the district stated in its newsletter.

Kendall will have a public hearing on the budget at 6:30 p.m. on May 6 in the library at the Junior-Senior High School.

In addition to the budget, the May 21 vote includes:

• Proposition 2: Transportation bus reserve fund to allow district to spend up to $250,000 for transportation vehicles

• Proposition 3: To elect a member to a five-year term on the Board of Election. Chaley Swift is unopposed.

Return to top

Volunteers tackle trash in Kendall’s annual community cleanup

Staff Reports Posted 28 April 2019 at 9:12 am

Photos courtesy of Eric Maxon

KENDALL – About 35 volunteers, including Eileen Dellacosta, were out Saturday picking up litter and trash in the Town of Kendall.

The Kendall Lion’s Club sponsors the annual Kendall Community Town Clean Up. The annual event is held in conjunction with Earth Day.

Kendall volunteers who braved the elements of wind and snow included the Boy Scouts, Leo’s Club, Fire Department, Lion’s Club, Highway Department and other community members.

Bob Furness, a member of the Lion’s Club, cooks hotdogs in the cold on Saturday.

The volunteers met at the Highway Department garage on Crandall Avenue before heading out to pick up trash along the roadsides. Volunteers filled several garbage bags and also retrieved 15 tires.

Return to top

Army helicopter back in Rochester after unplanned landing in Kendall Thursday night

Photos courtesy of Ben Jones: The CH-47 Chinook takes off Friday after being repaired following precautionary landing Thursday in a Kendall farm field.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 11:27 am

KENDALL – The CH-47 Chinook whch made a precautionary landing in a Kendall farm field on Thursday night returned to Rochester at about noon on Friday.

The large helicopter is based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport. The CH-47 was conducting a routine training flight on Thursday evening, said Eric Durr, director of public affairs for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

“Shortly before 8 p.m. the crew noticed that a transmission warning light had come on,” he said. “This indicated that metal shavings could be in the transmission. The crew followed the correct emergency procedures for this situation, which required them to land as soon as possible. The crew made a precautionary landing near Kenmore Road in the Town of Kendall.”

None of the four soldiers on board were injured and nobody on the ground was ever in any danger, he said.

A CH-47 from Rochester flew to the site and transported three crew members back to Rochester. One stayed with the aircraft.

On Friday morning, maintenance personnel inspected the helicopter and conducted tests which indicated that the aircraft could safely conduct a flight back to Rochester for additional inspections and maintenance, Durr said.

That was completed before noon on Friday and the aircraft returned to the Army Aviation Support Facility by 12:15.

One of the crew members wrote on the Orleans Hub Facebook page, thanking local residents for stopping by with coffee and food.

The CH-47 created a stir in Kendall, with many residents stopping by to get a close look. The crew even gave some tours of the large aircraft.

150 attend Easter egg hunt in Kendall

Staff Reports Posted 15 April 2019 at 11:17 am

Photos courtesy of Kendall Ladies Auxiliary

KENDALL – The Kendall Fire Department, Kendall Ladies Auxiliary and Kendall Lions Club hosted their annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday with 150 kids, from toddlers to grade 6, participating.

This year’s prize egg winners were Camden Manners, Emmalyn Gravelle, Colton Schaeffer, Ryan Gardner, Joey Knapp, Addison Schultz, Andrew D’Agostino, Adriana D’Agostino, Kearstin Loescher, Baylee Harper, Isabella D’Agostino and Genevieve Pagano.

Return to top