Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – There are about 20 members of the National Guard from Rochester working in Kendall today, placing sandbags along the shoreline.

This photo shows a group adding sandbags to a property on Ed Rose Shores. Many Kendall residents on this stretch of road have lost several feet of their backyards in the past two weeks to the lake, which is about 2 feet above normal. The northerly winds are also sending waves to the shoreline, overpowering some break walls and chewing away the soil.

A lakeshore flood warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. today for Orleans and Niagara counties.

The National Guard also had 20 people in Kendall on Saturday and may double its presence on Monday with 40 Guardsmen.

Kendall has filled about 25,000 sandbags in the past two weeks. Warren Kruger, the town highway superintendent, said they have been successful in some spots as temporary protection from the lake.

The town has been dropping pallets of sandbags for lakeshore residents. The National Guard is then lugging the sandbags in place by the shore.

Kruger, the town highway superintendent, said the assistance from the National Guard has been “huge” in getting the 50-pound sandbags in place this weekend.

Kruger also praised the 50 to 75 town residents who have been volunteering this weekend, filling sandbags in the highway garage. They filled 3,600 sandbags on Saturday and are doing 800 an hour today.

Because the backyards are so muddy, in many places it’s too difficult to get in machinery to help move the sandbags close to the lake. The Guardsmen either carried them or used wheelbarrows.

This backyard on Knapp Shores has been getting pummeled with waves this morning. The Guardsmen put about 50 sandbags in larger bags to help ward off the waves. The larger bags have been donated by farmers who used them for seed, feed or fertilizer.

A Guardsman stands on pallets while waiting for more sandbags. This homeowner has lost several feet of property in the past few days.

The National Guard works together to get the sandbags in place in Kendall.

The National Guard arrived about 10 a.m. in a caravan of Humvees. Kruger, the highway superintendent, greets them on Crandall Avenue by the highway garage.

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Photo by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Bald Eagle Creek Marina works to get sandbags in place on Friday during a downpour. The marina is trying to protect its docks and land from the high waters.

A lakeshore flood warning, which expired at 2 a.m. today, has been extended to Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m., the National Weather Service in Buffalo said.

The flood warning was upgraded from a flood watch for Orleans and Niagara counties. The Weather Service said the high lake levels, plus moderate to strong northwest winds, will result in increased flooding and shoreline erosion.

The National Guard was in Kendall today working with volunteers and the Kendall Highway Department to fill about 3,000 sandbags.

Volunteers are welcome to assist the Highway Department beginning at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The group will work on the sandbags at the highway garage on Crandall Avenue.

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Volunteers sought to help with sandbags on Saturday

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Inmates from the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica joined the Kendall Highway Department in filling sandbags today.

The Highway Department has filled and dispersed 21,000 sandbags since April 21. The town has been filling them almost every day since April 21, from 6 a.m. to 5:30 pm. “minimum,” with Sundays off, said Warren Kruger, the Kendall highway superintendent.

“It’s basically nonstop,” he said. “We’re running a bagging operation and delivery.”

The sandbags weigh 40 to 50 pounds each. The town puts them on pallets and has been delivering them to residents along the shoreline.

Kruger said sandbags are not effective as the primary breakwall against the high Lake Ontario and its powerful waves. But the sandbags can help in the splash zone to fight “backwash erosion,” Kruger said.

The bags are 2 feet by 1 foot and it can take several hundred sandbags to make a small wall on the typical 60-foot lakefront lot, Kruger said.

Many residents are losing large chunks of their backyards to the lake.

“It’s beat up really bad,” he said about the shoreline. “Many people are losing ground, and they’re asking for more sandbags.”

Kruger said the Highway Department has been able to get out so many sandbags with the help from the inmates from Wyoming Correctional, inmates from the Orleans County Jail, and many volunteers in the community.

Bob Wilson of Locust Grove Farms directed some of his farmworkers to help with the bagging operation on Friday. Wilson also loaded one of his farm trucks with sandbags and helped deliver them to residents being battered by the waves.

Pallets of sandbags are loaded on Locust Grove Farms for delivery. Wilson, Kludt Farms and other farmers also have donated large seed and fertilizer bags for bigger sandbags. Those bigger bags can hold about a ton of sand, compared to the smaller sandbags that hold 40 to 50 pounds.

The Kendall School District put out a message to the community on Friday evening, welcoming the community to help the Highway Department on Saturday (May 6) fill sandbags. Volunteers were urged to arrive at 9:30 in the morning at the highway garage on Crandall Road. They would be provided with lunch.

Jason Hardenbrook, a Highway Department employee, picks up a sandbag. Hardenbrook said every day has been busy with the sandbags, filling them and getting them delivered to residents.

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Photo by Kristina Gabalski: Kendall Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon opened the public hearing on the Kendall School District’s 2017-18 budget proposal Wednesday evening.  She discussed Kendall’s graduation rate (95 percent in 2016) and the Kendall Pride initiative among the school district, the Town of Kendall and Orleans County. Hanlon also discussed the 2017-18 budget process. The priority was to, “Maintain current programs while considering the impact of enrollment decline,” Hanlon said. Currently, there are 692 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade. “We are working on that and hopefully will bring more students into the school,” she said.

KENDALL – Board of Education members and community residents learned more about the proposed 2017-2018 district budget Wednesday evening during a public hearing held in the Jr./Sr. High School library.

The proposed $17.4 million dollar budget is slightly higher (0.14 percent) than the current budget.

District Superintendent Julie Christensen said the tax levy had been unchanged since the 2014-15 budget, but the 2017-18 proposal includes a 1.0 percent increase ($46,597) in the tax levy from $4,669,245 to $4,715,842, due to state aid going down.

Christensen said taxpayers in the Town of Kendall will see a proposed tax rate of $17.17 per $1,000 assessed value. That translates to an estimated annual increase of $22 in the tax bill of property owners with a home assessed at $100,000.

State aid comprises nearly 70 percent of the total revenue for the district, with taxes raising about 27 percent.

On the expenditure side, the administrative component totals $1.5 million; the program component totals $12 million and the capital component totals $3.9 million.

Christensen said budget highlights include the district’s work to expand pre-school programs, advanced high school course options and a continuum of services.  Instructional technology is also a priority with the district looking to purchase one-to-one devices next year.

She bemoaned the continued costs of unfunded mandates – “The amount of regulations and requirements placed on school districts from state and federal governments.”

She noted that the district would have a zero levy if all mandates were completely funded.

District residents will vote on the proposed budget Tuesday, May 16. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Kendall Elementary School Gymnasium.

The ballot includes Proposition 1 – the proposed $17,415,783 district budget; Proposition 2 – to allow for the purchase of transportation vehicles to replace existing vehicles at a sum not to exceed $250,000; and Proposition 3 – the election of a five-year term board of education member and a one-year term board of education member.

Incumbent Lisa Levett is seeking the five-year term.

“Kendall is very special,” Levett said. “I want to see Kendall be Kendall.” She is a life-long resident of the district.

Jason ReQua is also running and he said he is seeking the one-year term. ReQua is a Kendall native who lived in the Town of Greece when his first child was born. He and his wife decided to move back to their hometown to raise their family.

“I can’t say enough about education here in Kendall,” he said.

Board President Nadine Hanlon said she is excited about working with both Levett and ReQua. Hanlon observed that after the upcoming election, “All five of us (on the Board of Education) will be Kendall grads who went all the way through Kendall – Kindergarten through 12th Grade.”

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Town officials eager to see improvements on Parkway

Photo by Kristina Gabalski: A bumblebee embraces a blossom on a flowering tree outside the Kendall Town Hall Tuesday evening.

KENDALL –  Town Board members on Tuesday evening  unanimously adopted a new Workplace Violence Prevention Policy for the town. The policy will be filed with the New York State Department of Labor and Supervisor Tony Cammarata says the town will review it on an annual basis.

“All employees are subject to the training process,” he said.

The policy is designed to meet the requirements of New York State Labor Law and defines workplace violence as any physical assault or act of aggressive behavior occurring where a public employee performs any work-related duty in the course of his or her employment. That includes all town property as well as altercations at sites where the town highway department works on projects.

The goal of the policy is to promote the safety and well-being of all people in our workplace, the policy states.

“We want to make sure employees have good, safe working conditions, as well as anyone who comes into the Town of Kendall (town property),” Cammarata said. “We want them to feel safe. We want employees who work late in the town offices to feel safe. We put a lot of thought into this process.”

Under the policy, all incidents of violence or threatening behavior will be responded to immediately upon notification.

The town’s designated contact person is Deputy Town Supervisor Margaret Lynn Szozda.

The policy includes guidelines for managing workplace altercations, general procedure, discipline and procedure for violent incidents.

In other business, Supervisor Cammarata reported that Governor Cuomo’s office has notified him that funding has been approved for the resurfacing of the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Plans are to resurface the Parkway in Orleans County from the eastern border to Rt. 237 in Kendall. Cammarata says there is no word yet on when the paving will take place.

“Maybe by this time next year it might be resurfaced,” he said.

This past January, Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced that work will begin this summer on resurfacing the Parkway from Payne Beach Road in Parma to Rt. 19 in Hamlin – all in Monroe County.

Last summer the state announced paving west from Rt. 19 to Rt. 237 in Kendall would take place in 2018.

Local leaders in both Monroe and Orleans counties have said the entire Parkway – all the way to Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton – needs resurfacing.  The Parkway received attention last year when it was named to the 2016 list of the Landmark Society of Western New York’s Five to Revive list.

Cammarata additionally reported on progress of the review of an emergency disaster plan for the town.

He said he met last week with Kendall School Superintendent Julie Christensen and the school’s buildings and grounds superintendent to discuss the plan.  Another meeting is set for May and will include Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower and members of the Kendall Fire Department, and Morton and Walker Fire Departments.

Cammarata said he wants a plan in place and, “ready to serve the needs of the public,” during emergency situations. He said he welcomed input from other Town Board members regarding items they would like to see on the agenda for the next meeting.

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KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Board of Education on Wednesday evening adopted the district’s 2017-2018 budget.

The budget of $17,415,783 will be presented to district voters May 16. The budget is up slightly from the 2016-17 budget of $17,392,234.

District officials said comments from residents who attended Wednesday’s meeting of the school board were very positive.

District Clerk Sheryl Madison said parents were pleased that the district combined its wrestling team with Holley rather than disbanding the program.

“Parents and students were there and told the Board they were grateful the wrestling program had combined and not been cancelled,” Madison said.  “It was refreshing to hear such positive comments.”

Kendall will hold a budget presentation meeting for the public at 6:30 p.m. on May 3 at the Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Library. Board of Education candidates will also be introduced that evening.

In addition to the budget, voters will elect two members of the Board of Education on May 16 – one for a five-year term and one for a year to fill the remaining term of a vacant seat on the board which expires June 30, 2018. The vacant seat will be filled immediately following the election, rather than waiting until July 1 when a new term typically begins.

Additionally, voters will see a proposition for usage of funds from the School Bus Reserve Fund on the ballot. The sum, not to exceed $250,000, is for the purchase of motor vehicles for the district including passenger buses.

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Photos by Kristina Gabalski

KENDAL – Mr. Kendall Cameron Heller, left, and runner-up James Longrod are pictured at the 4th annual Mr. Kendall Pageant on Friday evening.

The popular tongue-in-cheek event is hosted by Kendall High School Senior Council and gives upperclassmen the opportunity to get out on the stage and show off their talents.

The 2017 pageant featured nine contestants – seven seniors and two juniors.  They were judged in categories including Workout Wear – won by Cameron Heller; Group Dance Number; Lip Sync – won by Joey LoSapio; Sleepwear – won by Kenny Price; Formal Wear won by Ryan Barrett (who was actually part of the crew and who interviewed the contestants); and Individual Talents – won by Miguel Aguirre.

Guest judges this year were Mr. Driesel, Ms. Mason, Creagan Maclaren (2016 Mr. Kendall) and Kari Hurlbutt.

Mr. Kendall contestants began the evening with a group dance number in their Workout Wear.

Contestant James Longrod performed the Barbie Girl Song by Aqua during the Lip Sync portion of the show.  He was assisted by crew member Ryan Barrett – riding pedal tractor.  The pair was deemed the tallest Barbie and shortest Ken ever.

Ryan Barrett poses a very specific question for contestant Jeremy Browe.

Cameron Heller made a very bold fashion statement with his Formal Wear selection.

Contestant Brandon Miller – who noted his beard sets him apart from fellow contestants – assists Ryan Barrett with his fashion accessory during the interview portion.

Contestant Joey LoSapio had the help of fellow contestants during the talent portion of the show. Joey performed a cheerleading routine.

Contestant Jacob Adams said his future plans include growing older and becoming the best sit down comedian. His talent performance featured a sit-down “stand-up comic” routine.

A highlight of the evening was the surprise prom proposal contestant Miguel Aguirre made to his, “assistant chosen from the audience,” for his magic routine during the talent portion of the pageant. Miguel’s “assistant” accepted the proposal.

Jeremy Browe chose to stage a hot dog eating contest for his talent number. He is seated on the far left side of the table. Fellow Mr. Kendall contestants also took part.

The audience gets one last look at the contestants before the announcement of winners.

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Town would like sidewalk from store to main intersection, but can’t require Dollar General to do it off its property

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Planning Board unanimously gave site plan review and subdivision approval on Wednesday evening to a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General. The retail store is proposed for Route 18, just west of the Kendall Road (Route 237) intersection.

Board members recessed their regular meeting on March 28 to set down conditions of the approval in writing before their vote.

Those conditions include two from the Orleans County Planning Board – that signage shall be in compliance with the Town of Kendall Zoning Ordinance, and that the area of the parking lot travelled by heavy duty truck traffic be constructed pursuant to the State Department of Transportation standards.

Also spelled out in conditions are stipulations in the selling and subdivision of land between the buyer and the seller and conditions of the Planning Board.

A number of changes were made before the vote was held. Board members included maintenance of the area of the parking lot travelled by heavy trucks, and added a condition that the construction of a concrete sidewalk from the store to the east property line be completed at the same time the store is built.

“We want to make sure it gets done,” Planning Board Chairman Andrew Kludt said.

Kendall Supervisor Tony Cammarata attended the meeting and said there will eventually be sidewalk all the way to the Rt. 237 intersection.

“Safety, health and welfare is important,” Cammarata said. “I am concerned. I don’t want to see pedestrians on Rt. 18 going west to Dollar General.”

He noted the speed limit is 55 miles per hour and the road is used by tractor trailer trucks.

Cammarata asked Planning Board members if the developer is willing to pay for sidewalk construction all the way to the intersection. Kludt explained that developers had already responded “no” to the board’s request.

“Sidewalk is a main concern for us,” Kludt said. “Their (the developer’s) perspective, is that it is not a concern. We don’t have the leverage in the codes to compel them to do it.”

Additional conditions of the Planning Board include a negative declaration on the environmental impact review as long as the developer’s plan meets state regulations regarding retention ponds and wastewater treatment.

Developers must return to the Planning Board regarding approval of proposed signage. Developers have said they have a separate sign vendor who works to pursue any necessary variances following site plan approval.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Payton Walters is pictured with a row of Kendall fire trucks this evening. The trucks were parked outside the fire hall to make room for a pasta dinner which was a benefit to support Walders and his family.

Payton, 16, sustained a concussion in a hockey game on Jan. 22. CT scans showed had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his brain. This is a leading cause of stroke in younger people.

Payton received good news this week. He is a candidate for proton beam radiation in Boston. The radiation will help to resolve his tangled up network of blood vessels in his brain.

Walters became a Kendall junior firefighters about two years ago. He has at the fire hall every other Tuesday, doing some light training and helping with tasks around the fire hall. He said he enjoys the camaraderie of the firefighters.

“When I go over theory, he knows his stuff,” said Jim Barrett, president of the fire department.

Jim Barrett stirs the pasta during today’s dinner to benefit Payton Walters. Barrett said 200 dinners were sold in the first hour.

Payton said he appreciated all of the support in Kendall, as well as others in the region. Payton and his family moved from Flint, Mich. to Kendall 3 1/2 years ago. His mother, Dawnn, is a nurse and his father, Scott, makes prosthetics for a company in Buffalo. Payton said he enjoys life in a small town.

“I just want to thank everyone for all of the support in the community,” he said. “You don’t get this kind of support in most places.”

Payton is pictured with two junior firefighters, Emma Robb (left) and Sadie Howes.

“He’s a nice kid who is always willing to help people out,” Robb said. “Nothing seems to bother him.”

Payton said he is “staying positive” as he awaits the next step in determining his treatment. He is thankful the headaches have gone away from his concussion. He struggled for about three weeks to be able to read and concentrate.

Emma Robb and Wendy Balka serve up pasta dinners this evening at Kendall. Balka’s son Steven is also a junior firefighter.

Mrs. Walters posted this message on Facebook after the dinner tonight:

“Overwhelmingly amazing day. Thank you to the Kendall Fire Department and Auxiliary from the bottoms of our hearts. Thank you friends who came out for dinner to support us. There aren’t enough ways to say thank you to express how blessed we feel to have all of you in our lives. I don’t know how we can ever repay the generosity and love you have given us.”

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Photos by Kristina Gabalski

KENDALL – Katie Driesel and Kaitlyn Curtis, both members of the Class of 2008 who are now teachers at Kendall Central, sing “For Good” from Wicked.

After taking a year off, Kendall’s Got Talent returned to the Jr./Sr. High Auditorium Friday night with a mix of Elementary (Grades 3-6), Jr./Sr. High School (Grades 7-12) and Alumni acts. The evening was sponsored by AFS and the Class of 2020.

AFS advisor Mirjam Bauer, who was herself an exchange student from Holland, and who decided to move to the United States following her experience, said AFS promotes, “cultural diversity through the exchange of students.”

She explained that the annual talent show had been a big deal in Kendall for many years, but took a break last year when participants said they struggled with the judging.

This year’s contest featured what Bauer called, “non-traditional judging,” with several acts honored from both divisions.

Ayla Huff, a member of the Class of 2012, performs the song, “Issues.”

Winners of the Elementary Acts Star Quality Performance Award went  to  “Twin Trumpets” Hannah and Ben Brundage, who performed a trumpet duet.

The Elementary Acts Most Creative Performance Award went to the members of the Glow Stick Crew – Jonny Conte, Nicholas Cole, Aidan Kwaitkowski, Brooke Rodas, and Brandon Barrett.  The group were crowd pleasers with their dancing routine.

Leigha Zugehoer sings as part of the Elementary Acts portion of the show.

Kiersten Rodas performs “Hallelujah” on the piano during the Jr./Sr. High portion of the show.

Sarah Knapp and Ryan Barrett received the Out of This World Performance Award in the Jr./Sr. High Act portion of the show.  They performed the song, “Dear Happy.” In the Elementary Acts portion of the show, Paige Hardenbrook won the Out of This World Award for her dance.

Shelby Kruger received the Jr./Sr. High Acts Star Quality Performance Award for her performance of the “Cup Song.”

Kierstyn Christensen and Michela Hanlon tap-danced their way to the Jr./Sr. High Acts Most Creative Performance Award.

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Photo by Kristina Gabalski: Caryn Mlodzianowski of Bohler Engineering reviews plans during a public hearing Tuesday evening for the Dollar General project in Kendall. The proposed retail store is 9,100 square feet and includes 36 parking spaces.  Mlodzianowski said the project meets setback requirements of the town, includes green space and will connect to public water.  The store will have a private septic system.

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Planning Board recessed their March meeting on Tuesday evening, putting further site plan review and subdivision approval for the proposed Dollar General store off until April 5.

Planning Board Chairman Andrew Kludt decided to table the decision and recess the meeting to allow for detailed conditions to be spelled out before the necessary subdivision is approved.

Members of the Orleans County Planning Board on March 23 recommended Kendall approve the project with two conditions: that the signage be in compliance with zoning, and that the area of the parking lot where there will be truck traffic must have a darker, more heavy duty pavement.

The Dollar General is proposed on 1.4 acres of land on Rt. 18 (Roosevelt Highway) just west of the Kendall Rd., (Rt. 237) intersection.  The location is now a vacant field in the General Business zoning district of the town.

In addition to the conditions of the County Planning Board, the Kendall Planning Board’s list of conditions includes evergreens planted on the west side of the property along a six-foot high fence, septic approval by the Department of Health, a six-foot high fence on the east side of the property not to interfere with a drainage ditch, and an eventual tie-in with sidewalk, once the town is able to install sidewalk to the Dollar General property line.

Several residents and town officials attended the meeting, which included a public hearing on the requested subdivision.

No one spoke out against the project. One resident asked if the interior of the store would be similar to other Dollar Generals in the area.

“If you look at any of the stores built over the last five years, the inside will be virtually identical,” said R.H. “Rob” Neill, Jr., project director from Primax Properties.

Planning Board Chairman Andrew Kludt said he has visited a new Dollar General store on Rt. 63 near Rt. 104 in Ridgeway and was very impressed.

“It’s a really nice store,” he said. “Very clean and organized.”

Town Councilperson Bruce Newell asked about traffic flow during deliveries made by tractor trailer trucks.

Caryn Mlodzianowski of Bohler Engineering said there will be service doors on the store where the trucks will pull up for deliveries.

Neill said deliveries are always made during regular store hours which tend to run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The exterior of the proposed Dollar General in Kendall includes lap siding in brown, a peak roof on the facade over the entryway and shutters and awnings for the windows.

“We’ve come a long way,” Mlodzianowski noted, “before it was all flat lines and metal siding. We are excited to continue the review here and are hopeful we can move forward.”

“I’m very pleased,” Councilperson Barb Flow said. She described the exterior as “rustic and rural,” exactly what the town wants. “I am very happy to see what you have done to the front of the store.”

The Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. at the Kendall Town Hall on April 5.  Chair Andrew Kludt said he expects to approve the environmental review for the project as well as the subdivision at that time.

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