By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2015 at 3:15 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – An early morning fire at a lakefront house in Kendall destroyed the home owned by MaryAnne Wedow.
The top photo shows fire from the attic. Fire officials said an investigation will continue into the cause of the fire at 16003 Lomond Shore West. No one was injured in the blaze.
Firefighters were dispatched at 12:33 a.m. for a house fire.
Two firefighters are up on the roof, trying to ventilate the smoke from inside.
The fire was smoky on the narrow road where houses are close together.
Firefighters work on the exterior of the house. Some of the walls were cut open to let out smoke and make it easier to put out the fire inside.
Firefighters head to the roof, including one firefighter with a chainsaw to help ventilate the roof.
This firefighter uses a ladder for support while cutting into the roof.
There were firefighters from Kendall, Holley, Carlton and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray at the scene.
A National Grid truck arrived about 2:15 to disconnect power from the house so there weren’t live wires on the property.
BERGEN – The Genesee County Sheriff’s Department has identified two people from Orleans County who were killed in a late-night crash on Sackett Road in Bergen.
Dylan Starkweather, 22, of South Fancher Road in Holley was driving a 2005 Mini Cooper that left the road and struck a tree as it was heading westbound on Sackett Road around 12:45 a.m. Sunday.
Starkweather and his rear seat passenger, Tracy Manchester, were pronounced dead at the scene. Manchester, 31, is from Lomond Shore in Kendall.
A front seat passenger, Joshua Deyager, 23, of Jerico Road in Bergen was transported to Strong by the Bergen Fire ambulance.
The crash is being investigated by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 20 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Contractors have been busy at Elementary School
Photos by Kristina Gabalski
KENDALL – Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Principal Carol D’Agostino, left, and Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon see some of the improvements to the Kendall Elementary School Cafeteria, including new flooring.
Students at Kendall Central School will return to school next month to buildings that have received extensive makeovers as part of a $25 million capital project.
The project includes new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures. Both sites will also see improvements to parking lots and sidewalks.
Members of the Kendall Central School District Board of Education and administrators toured both school buildings Wednesday evening following the regular school board meeting to see how the capital project is progressing just weeks before school opens. Here, Project Manager Vince Donowski shows them work being done in the District Office located in the elementary school.
An eagle on the second-story facade of Kendall Elementary School overlooks construction materials in the front yard. Part of the Capital Improvement Project includes work on the front entry steps and stone. This photo was taken from the second-story library.
Shiny new tile brightens up a hallway in the Kendall Elementary School. Work this month at the school has included ceilings, casework, painting, flooring, HVAC equipment connections, equipment placement and assembly in the basement and boiler rooms, grading and paving of the parking lot, skylights and front entry foundations.
In addition to duct cleaning, asbestos abatement, ceiling and floor replacement and painting, work in the Elementary School also included some restoration. District officials decided to keep the original wood entry doors which have been refinished.
Orleans Hub will post photos from the Junior-Senior High School later today.
That school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school included partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. The capital project gives all the classrooms four walls and their own door.
The district will have an open house for the community on Sept. 3 to tour the renovated Junior/Senior High School.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 20 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski
KENDALL – Kendall Board of Education members and school administrators toured the Jr./Sr. High School on Wednesday evening. The school is receiving major renovations, including a new cafeteria with a wall a windows.
Kendall school officials look at exterior work on the Jr./Sr. High School. New PVC roofing is being installed as well as metal panels which will update the look of the facade.
Work in the school includes new placement of the main corridor and refurbishing of other corridors which now feature bright white and blue tile and flooring.
The bright blue and white color scheme continues in classrooms. This is a middle school classroom featuring a bright blue wall to contrast with the white walls in the rest of the room.
A water fountain in the Jr./Sr. High school features a spot to fill water bottles.
New public restrooms just off the cafeteria feature intricate tile work in Kendall School colors.
The district is planning an open house for parents, students and other community members at the Jr./Sr. High School on Sept. 3 from 4 to 7:30 pm.
The event includes a Sports Boosters’ Chicken BBQ. Kendall band and chorus students will provide entertainment and tours/locker setup/meet and greet teachers and administrators will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Contributed Story Posted 17 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided photo
KENDALL – Two brothers from Kendall – Matthew and Nicholas Schuth – were recognized as Eagle Scouts during a Court of Honor ceremony on Aug. 10. Matthew and Nicholas join older brother Michael as Eagle Scouts, the highest honor for a Boy Scout.
David and Cathy Schuth are parents of the three Scouts who are members of Troop 94.
The Schuth family is pictured at the Kendall United Methodist Church. Pictured, from left: David, Nicholas, Michael, Matthew and Cathy.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley attended the ceremony and presented the new Eagle Scouts with certificates for their achievement.
For his Eagle project, Matthew built a picture place at the Kendall Community Park. Beginning by clearing trees and brush, the site was then backfilled for planting arborvitaes. A foundation and concrete pad from a former building are the base for a vinyl arbor and are accessible by the stone walkway. This low maintenance backdrop has already been used for many formal photographs.
For his Eagle project, Nicholas improved the Kendall Food Cupboard. Housed in the Kendall United Methodist Church, this vital community service needed additional storage space. Wood shelving was installed to allow overhead storage for lightweight items and a full wall of shelves that more than doubled the shelving used for food. All food was removed from the shelving, inspected and placed on the new shelving per direction from Marty and Zina Goodenbery.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 6 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Roof work is well underway on the exterior of the Kendall Jr./Sr. High School.
KENDALL – The excitement continues to build in Kendall where major portions of the Kendall Central School District’s Capital Improvement project are expected to be complete by the beginning of the school year, now about one month away.
District Superintendent Julie Christensen gave an update on progress of the project during her report at the regular School Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening.
“I can’t wait for the kids to come in,” she said of the return of students in early September. Christensen explained that the main entrance to the Jr./Sr. High School will look very different to students.
“It’s now a bright space,” she noted. “You can see light from the door.”
Work on the new cafeteria and the middle school wing are wrapped up, Christensen said, and the library is also undergoing a transformation.
“The library will look totally different,” Jr./Sr. High School Principal Carol D’Agostino said. “It will look more like a college resource area.”
This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the Junior-Senior High School will look after renovations. The top left picture shows the school before renovations.
The Commons area will also be transformed into a study hall/ gathering spot, much like on a college campus, both D’Agostino and Christensen said.
D’Agostino is keeping the community updated on progress of the project on the school’s twitter page.
Superintendent Christensen also updated ongoing work at the elementary school. Progress is moving ahead of schedule on the roof. Painting of the interior is ongoing as well as the installation of new floors. Christensen said the primary wing is done, the west wing by the gym is done and the kindergarten area is close to being done. Upstairs, the classrooms are done and work on the art room will start soon.
“The sixth grade is the last spot to come back online,” she noted, adding “the parking lot is moving along.”
Kendall residents approved the $25 million capitol project in May 2013. The district then worked with the State Education Department on the final designs for the work. Construction started last October.
“The Jr./Sr. High School is a real transformation,” Christensen added. “The Elementary School is a face-lift.”
Students will see the transformation for the first time during a community open house planned for Sept. 3. Tours begin at 6 p.m. and a chicken BBQ will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. The jazz band and chorus are expected to perform.
“We want to make it a celebration,” D’Agostino said.
KENDALL – A 3½ hour search for a missing swimmer on Lake Ontario on Saturday afternoon and evening had a happy ending when the individual was located and rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The incident began shortly before 5:30 p.m. James A. Cox, 62, of Holley and his brother William E. Cox, 51, of Albion had left from Point Breeze and taken their boat out on the lake for a pleasure trip.
They were about 3 miles out from the Town of Kendall shoreline when the younger Cox decided to take a swim. They shut down the boat’s engine and William Cox entered the water. Eventually he and the vessel began to drift apart.
The elder brother attempted to start the engine at that time, but was unsuccessful. The boat and the younger Cox continued drifting apart until the brothers were no longer in sight of one another.
James Cox called Orleans County 9-1-1 and the Sheriff’s Marine Unit was dispatched. Deputies E.N. Fuller and J.R. Heinlein responded to the area and, utilizing GPS coordinates supplied by Cox’s cell phone, they eventually located the disabled vessel.
James Cox was taken on-board the Sheriff’s boat and the search for his brother continued. That search also included the U.S. Coast Guard, the New York State Police Aviation Unit, and the Carlton F.D. Marine Unit. Just before 9 p.m., the Coast Guard notified Orleans County 9-1-1 that they had rescued William Cox and were transporting him to Point Breeze to meet with EMS personnel.
Mr. Cox walked off the Coast Guard vessel under his own power. He was transported as a precaution to Strong West Emergency in Brockport by Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance. Cox’s boat was towed back to Point Breeze by the Sheriff’s Marine Unit.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – The annual Kendall Fire Department Carnival kicked off today with midway rides, waffles, and lots of pep in downtown Kendall.
The top photo shows the Super Trooper ride and other attractions at the carnival, which continues until Saturday. Friday will be highlighted by a parade at 7 p.m. with fireworks capping off Saturday. Click here to see a schedule.
Colleen Clary, left, and Diane Furness sell waffles covered in confectionary sugar. They said the waffles are popular at $1 each. They expect the Ladies Auxiliary will sell hundreds of them during the carnival.
Alana Kirstein, left, rides in the Ferris Wheel with her friend Kayla Cole. Both girls are from Kendall.
The “Clam Crew” includes, from left: Dave Cole, Tom Drennan and Craig Herman. The Fire Department has 1,100 dozen of clams available for the carnival.
The band Swamp Moose from Hamlin performed under the tent at the carnival. The group includes, from left: Jim Greco, vocals and lead guitar; Steve Lauth, lead vocals and guitar; and Gil Eller, vocals and guitar.
KENDALL – Ryan Clay accepts his high school diploma from Principal Carol D’Agostino. Clay was given a standing ovation from his classmates.
Ryan and his family were in a serious car accident in July 2014. He returned to school in March 2015.
He was one of 62 graduates celebrated during commencement on Friday. The district announced that 90 percent of the graduates received a Regents diploma with 46 percent receiving a “with honors” distinction.
The boys wore blue caps and gowns.
The girls were dressed in white caps and gowns.
The district also announced that, 32 percent of the graduates were on honor roll all through their high school years, and 67 percent received a scholastic achievement award.
The future will include college for 77 percent of the graduates this fall, while 20 percent will join the workforce and 3 percent will join the military.
Zachary Adams accepts his diploma from Carol D’Agostino while his classmates and Superintendent Julie Christensen look on.
Zach received a standing ovation after his goal in an October soccer game, his first varsity game, was noted during commencement.
Christensen spoke about two important events in the graduates’ senior year that she attributed to the character of the Class of 2015: the rally around Ryan Clay after his serious car accident and the team support for Zach Adams when he scored his goal.
Class Officers – Jennifer West, Rebecca Murray, Brianna Jurs and Hannah Evans – presented Class Advisors Renee Cliff and Mirjam Bauer with gifts to thank them
for their service to the class.
Michael Kludt, co-owner of Kludt Farms and a Class of 1982 graduate of Kendall, gave the commencement address. Kludt and his wife gave each graduate a gift bag after the ceremony.
Valedictorian Tania Arellano gave her speech to the packed auditorium.
Salutatorian Taylor Clay delivers his speech.
After one of the class officers announced each graduate’s name, Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon announced the graduate’s scholarships and awards received, and future plans.
Principal Carol D’Agostino posed with the graduates after giving them their diplomas. Superintendent Julie Christensen offered handshakes or hugs to the graduates on their way back to their seats on the stage.
The Royal Blue Band, directed by Music Director Ashlea Strouse, played the music to begin and end the ceremony.
Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon is pictured with her daughter Marisa, one of the 62 graduates at Kendall.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 25 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Barb Flow will join the Kendall Town Board in August
KENDALL – Kendall Recreation Director Barb Flow may be retiring at the end of July after 26 years in the position, but she will remain active in Kendall and will serve the community in a new role.
“I’ve always wanted to keep kids busy so they stay out of trouble and get good exercise away from the TV and video games,” Flow said about her career as recreation director. “I love to see all the playing fields with all the different uniform colors.”
Although she is retiring as recreation director, Flow said she will be available to assist her successor in any way she can.
Additionally, Flow will be taking a new roll in town government as a member of the Town Board.
“It will be fine,” she said of the upcoming changes.
Many residents have expressed some concerns about what will happen when she leaves the part-time post, but Flow explains the time is right for her to step aside.
“I have loved this job,” she said. “I love people. I love to work with people. I have very mixed emotions. I will act as a mentor to whomever comes in.”
She said that change will be good as a new person will bring in new ideas to the department.
For Flow, her retirement will open up more time to spend with her five grandchildren and to serve Kendall residents on the Town Board. Flow was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the board, effective Aug. 1, after she wraps-up her duties as recreation director at the end of July.
When she began working as the recreation director in 1989, there was no office for her at the Town Hall as there is today. She worked out of her home.
“There’s been a lot of changes over the years,” she said.
Flow started many new rec. programs in Kendall including T-ball. She says more kids were enrolled in rec. programs back then – there were 10 minor league teams and three major league teams. Today there is one minor league team, one major league team, and two midget teams.
“The biggest challenge has been enrollment,” she explained. As numbers have declined, Flow has reached out to the neighboring towns of Hamlin and Sweden/Clarkson, helping all municipalities to increase their number of participants and continue to field teams.
“We want to keep up a rapport with surrounding towns to keep everything going,” she says. “I want to be around to help.”
In 2005-2006, Flow started co-ed soccer for ages 3-6. Other rec. programs over the years have included hunter and bow safety, basketball, indoor soccer and open gym.
The town also sponsors a swimming program on Saturdays at a pool at Brockport State College for 6-8 weeks each year.
Flow said she is grateful for all the help and support over the years from the community.
“I worked closely with the school,” Flow said. “They’ve been wonderful, and so has the Town of Kendall and the Kendall and Morton Fire Departments.”
Flow has a sports background. She graduated from Brockport State with a physical education degree and worked as an assistant with the Town of Greece recreation department before she and her husband, Vince, moved to Kendall to raise their three children.
“Kendall is a great place to raise kids,” she said. “I can’t say enough about Kendall, I love the town. My parents taught me to not just live in a community, but to make it your home and be a part of it. They taught me great values.”
She explained that farms and businesses located in the town have been very generous and willing over the years to act as sponsors for the Rec. Department, even if the owners did not have children or grandchildren on various teams.
“They have taken such an interest in the youth,” she said.
Town of Kendall Supervisor Tony Cammarata said Flow has done a great job for the town.
“She is a pillar of the community,” Cammarata said. “We look forward to her taking on different levels of responsibility,” -referencing her upcoming roll as a town board member.
Flow said she has many wonderful memories of her time as rec. director including the baseball parade which was held on the opening day of the season, and the end-of-year picnics for baseball and soccer.
She’s watched over the years as small children started out in sports in her programs, went on to be successful on high school teams, “… and then got college scholarships. Sports opened doors along the way for them,” she said.
Additionally, some of her earliest participants now have their own families and coach some of the Kendall Rec. teams. “It’s pretty awesome,” Flow said.
Flow has been responsible for adult programming as well as youth programming and said another favorite memory is of 4th graders from Kendall Elementary coming to perform the annual holiday concert for senior citizens.
“They sing Christmas carols and play band instruments,” she said.
She will continue her work as a member of the Orleans County Youth Board and was honored her for her work in 2001 with the Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award.
After a new recreation director is selected, Flow said she will do all she can to help that person become acclimated to the duties which have become second-nature to her such as paperwork and vouchers. She will also personally take the new director to meet with her various contacts inside and outside the town to ensure that long-standing rec. programs continue.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Club celebrates 40th anniversary and names ‘Citizen of the Year’
Photos courtesy of Helen Unterborn
KENDALL – The Kendall Lions Club celebrated its 40th anniversary last Thursday and presented several awards to members of the club, as a well as the “Citizen of the Year.”
Kim Corcoran receives the Citizen of the Year award from Kendall Lion Tony Cammarata, who is also the town supervisor.
Corcoran is the leader of the Kendall lawn Chair Ladies. That group started in 2012 for the town’s bicentennial celebration. Corcoran and some of her friends decided to add some excitement to the local parade.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kim Corcoran, second from left, is pictured with the Lawn Chair Ladies during their performance in Albion on June 13 during the Strawberry Festival Parade.
Corcoran and her friends formed the Lawn Chair Ladies and had a dance routine on the parade route during the 200th anniversary celebration for Kendall. The women, while wearing pink boas, choreographed a number with lawn chairs.
They were an immediate sensation and now perform at many community events during the year. The group has about 20 members who practice regularly.
Corcoran grew up in Kendall and was in the marching band. After a 35-year career in New York City in the advertising and publishing business, Corcoran moved back to her hometown in June 2011. Corcoran also is the town historian.
Tony Camarrata is presented the award for “Lion of the Year” by Debbie Ryan, a member of the Lions Club.
The club’s highest honor is a Melvin Jones Fellow, givien for years of community service. Ken DeRoller (left), last year’s recipient, presents the Melvin Jones Fellow to 30-year Lion Dan Peckham. Dan’s wife Peggy joined him in the presentation.
Lion President Randy Unterborn presents the Robert Uplinger award for outstanding service to Lions and the community to Lion John Becker as his wife Wendy looks on. Becker is a former Kendall town supervisor.
The Kendall Lions Club celebrated 40 years of service on Thursday. Lions and guests were invited to come dressed as they would have in 1975 the year of our charter. In honor of our 40 years of service and in recognition of charter president Ray Ernenwein, the Lions Club presented Lions Camp Badger with a check for $1,500. This donation at an opportune time for the camp as it has been damaged by flooding.
Terry Bliss, a Kendall Lions Club member and past district governor, presents a check for $1,500 for Camp Badger to Judith McNight, first vice president in the district.
KENDALL – Wallace Higgins, a former Kendall resident, shared his experiences as a Tuskegee Airman during a talk with the Kendall Lions Club earlier this month.
Higgins grew up in Kendall and talked about his early years during the presentation to the Lions Club.
Higgins told about encountering racial segregation and discrimination for the first time after entering the service and training in Pre-Flight at the Tuskegee Institute. He also discussed his post-war education at NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He went on to become an Associate Professor at Alfred, retiring in 1985.
Higgins, 89, has been a member of Alfred Lions Club for 50 years and spent decades in community service.
He is in the official registry as a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman. For his work with the Civil Air Patrol prior to his enlistment he was a recent recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.
This May, NYS Senator Cathy Young and the State Legislature inducted Higgins into the Veterans Hall of Fame in Albany.
Photo courtesy of State Sen. Cathy Young’s office
“Wally Higgins’ patriotic service and sacrifice for our country, and truly his entire life’s story is remarkable example of the selflessness demonstrated by so many in his generation,” Young said when Higgins was recognized in Albany. “They gave so much at a time when battles raged all around the globe and our nation needed heroes. As an original Tuskegee Airman who served in the Pacific theater, Wally’s aviation knowledge and skills were vital to the movement of troops and materials.”
Born on November 11, 1925 on a small farm in Kendall, Wally is the son of Alice and Daniel Higgins.
“Aside from his service, Wally is a loving father and dedicated family man, who deserves our deepest respect and praise. It was an honor to be able to recognize him and have his story memorialized in the state’s history,” Young said.
As soon as he turned 18 years old, Higgins enlisted in the US Army Air Corps. Having already been attending Civil Air Patrol classes in Rochester during his senior year of high school, he already had interest in pursuing aviation.
After initially reporting to Fort Dix, New Jersey, Higgins was sent to Biloxi, Mississippi for basic training and aptitude testing. As a result of his skin color and proficiencies, Wally was selected to be part of the Tuskegee Airmen experiment in Alabama, where he trained in Pre-Flight and Primary Flight training, including solo runs in the P-17 Stearman.
Photo by Helen Unterborn – Retired Major Ryan D’Andrea, Margaret Buell and Wally Higgins look over pictures of the Higgins family homestead in Kendall. D’Andrea now lives in the Higgins family homestead on Roosevelt Highway in Kendall.
Following 11 months at Tuskegee, a downturn in the war in Europe resulted in less pilot training and Higgins was transferred to the 1909th Engineers Aviation Battalion. A sergeant in charge of an all-black, 30-man platoon, Mr. Higgins served in Saipan and Okinawa building roads, airfields and ammunition storage buildings.
On March 17, 1947 Wally was Honorably Discharged as a Staff Sergeant with Squadron F, 3505th Army Air Force. For his service, Mr. Higgins earned the WW-II Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, and New York State Medal for Merit. He was also recently presented with a Congressional Gold Medal due to his Civil Air Patrol involvement during the war.
Upon returning from the war, Wally was accepted to the College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramic design in 1952. While a student there, he met and married Norma Miller almost 64 years ago and never left Alfred. They raised four children, still reside in Allegany County, and nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – This barn is pictured on Fancher Road in Murray on Friday. This barn is owned by Bob and Lynn Vendetti and is part of the Country Barn Quilt Trail, which has about 40 sites with quilt blocks. Most of them are in Kendall.
The National Weather Service is warning Orleans County and other parts of western and central Nw York could get hit with severe weather on Sunday when a cold front moves into the area, bringing the possibility of severe thunderstorms and gusty winds during the afternoon and evening hours.
The Weather Service is forecasting a high of 80 for Father’s Day with an 80 percent chance of rain.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 18 June 2015 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – During their final meeting of the 2014-2015 school year, members of the Kendall School Board of Education approved a new course offering for the upcoming school year: Civil Engineering and Architecture.
Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Principal Carol D’Agostino said offering the new course is part of the district’s goal to have “… more and diverse electives for students. We try to find where the students’ interests lie,” she said.
Faculty members had a say in the new course, D’Agostino said. The new course fits well with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculum. She said the district already has staff available to teach the new course.
“Great job, that’s exciting,” said Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon.
Board members also approved two exchange students for 2015-16 through the International Student Exchange program. The students are from Thailand and Brazil.
Hanlon noted it has been at least two years since the district hosted exchange students. She said the program is very beneficial,
“Students make bonds they will never forget,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Nadine Hanlon re-elected to Board of Education
KENDALL – Kendall residents gave strong support for a $15,065,842 budget today. The spending plan passed 172-50.
The budget increases expenditures by 1.6 percent but keeps the tax levy unchanged.
All of the propositions passed with wide margins of support.
Proposition 2 creates a school bus replacement reserve fund not to exceed $100,000 annually. It passed 180-40.
Proposition 3 allows the purchase of school buses to replace existing vehicles at a sum not to exceed $250,000. It passed, 174-46.
Proposition 4 allows the creation of a capital improvement reserve fund not to exceed $5 million. It passed, 174-47.
Kendall residents also re-elected Nadine Hanlon, the current Board of Education president, to another five-year term. She was unopposed and received 199 votes.
