Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – A massive arcing rainbow broke out in the sky this evening around 6:30. The top photo was taken behind the Kendall Junior-Senior High School. I was there for the ground-breaking for the school district’s $25 million capitol project. (Check back soon for that story.)

It was a moody sky and I headed to Greenwood Cemetery on Route 18 in Kendall for some photos, including one of the Civil War cannon.

This is one of the many well-kept cemeteries in the county that serves as a final resting place for our local residents.

The county should develop a Civil War Trail and include Greenwood Cemetery as a stop.

These older cemeteries have a strong sense of sacrifice.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Board of Education are pictured with district superintendent Julie Christensen, third from left, this evening behind the existing cafeteria, where a new one will be built.

The board members include, from left: Martin Goodenbery, Vice President Chris Gerken, President Nadine Hanlon, Chaley Swift and Charles Patt.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the new cafeteria will look. Contractors will get started on the cafeteria on Oct. 27. That project is scheduled to be ready in time for the 2015-16 school year.

District Superintendent Julie Christensen outlines the capital project before a ground-breaking celebration this evening.

Both the elementary school and junior-senior high school buildings will be “ripped apart” next summer for an array of improvements, Christensen said.

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.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. The capital project would give all the classrooms four walls and their own door.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the junior-senior high school will look after renovations. The top left picture shows the existing school.

The Board of Education last month approved about $16 million in construction bids. Turner Construction of Buffalo will serve as construction manager for the project, overseeing seven different contracts.

The following are low bidders for the project:

General trades – Allied Builders, Inc. of Brockport for $4,987,000.
Roofing – Elmer W. Davis of Rochester for $5,782,177.
Drywall – Accurate Acoustical Corp. of Victor for $1,144,000.
Plumbing – Michael A. Ferrauilo Plumbing & Heating of Rochester for $468,000.
HVAC – Landry Mechanical Contractors of Le Roy for $2,253,500.
Electrical – Kaplan-Schmidt Electric of Rochester for $1,189,000.
Controls – Trane of Rochester for $592,756.

Christensen addresses community members inside the cafeteria during a ground-breaking celebration. Board of Education members are pictured next to her, including from left: Nadine Hanlon, Chris Gerken, Charles Patt, Chaley Swift and Martin Goodenbery.

Hanlon thanked the community for its support, including approving the $25 million capital project in May 2013. The project will result in a better learning environment for students and teachers, while also making the buildings much more secure, she said.

“It’s so exciting for our school district and for our community,” Hanlon said. “The school is the community hub for Kendall.”

Kendall school adminsitrators pose with the ceremonial ground-breaking shovels. They include, from left: Elementary Principal Sharon Smith, District Superintendent Julie Christensen and High School Principal Carol D’Agostino, who was in Kendall’s first class in the open classrooms when the school opened about four decades ago.

Photo by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Boys Soccer team serve up chicken barbecue dinners this evening.

The group includes Keith Sayler, front left, followed by Jake Adams and Skyler Heller (in yellow shirt). Brandon Patten is at right.

The sports program served 620 chicken dinners.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess
KENDALL – Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputies recently recovered several marijuana plants being cultivated at two separate locations in the Town of Kendall.

On Tuesday at approximately 5:45 p.m., Deputies J.J. Cole and T.N. Tooley were sent to the 16400 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18) after a combine operator discovered the plants growing in a corn field he was threshing.

The deputies subsequently seized 55 plants from that location. Neither the combine operator nor the property owner had any prior knowledge of the plants or the growers.

At approximately 7:05 p.m. that same day, Deputies Cole and Tooley responded to the 16400 block of Carr Road for a report of a “suspicious vehicle and person(s)” in the area. Two males had been observed exiting a vehicle and running into the adjacent corn field. When patrols arrived, the vehicle/person(s) had already left the area.

Deputies Cole and Tooley observed a pathway leading into the corn field. They followed the path and recovered 10 additional marijuana plants being grown there.

The 65 recovered plants were subsequently destroyed.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

KENDALL – A Rochester man escaped serious injury last night after crashing the all-terrain vehicle he was operating in the Town of Kendall.

The incident was reported to Orleans County 9-1-1 shortly after 7 p.m. Philip J. McLaren, 24, had been operating the ATV across open land east of the 1800 block of Kendall Road (State Route 237).

McLaren, who was not familiar with the area, came upon a drainage ditch and made a sharp turn to avoid it. In doing so he lost control of the ATV, which then overturned. He was ejected.

McLaren was not wearing a protective helmet at the time of the incident. He was flown by MercyFlight helicopter to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where he was treated and later discharged.

The incident was investigated by Deputy J.J. Cole. Kendall Fire and EMS personnel also assisted at the scene.

Forrest Gump, Charlie Brown, Olaf make appearances

Photos by Peggy Barringer
KENDALL – Stars from the Silver Screen visited Kendall this year for the community’s annual scarecrow festival. This year’s theme was “Your Favorite Movie” and 15 characters were highlighted, including Charlie Brown and his gang.

Forrest Gump also was portrayed, sitting with a box of chocolates and his suitcase while waiting on a bench for a bus.

Olaf the snowman from the movie “Frozen” is a friendly face.

Chloe Dunn decorates a pumpkin as part of the festival. Some of the action shifted to the highway garage due to the drizzly weather.The festival also included live music, a scavenger hunt, a magic/balloon show, a pumpkin seed spitting contest, and a build your own scarecrow.

Bourke Balloon Show features Richard Hughson and Twistin’ Tim. In their balloon show the following were welcomed on stage: Grace Levett, princess; David P. as a bad guy; Elijah Bibby as the dragon; and William Lavender as a prince/frog.

The town is happy to celebrate the Scarecrow Festival with its welcome sign leading into the community.

A character from “The Lego Movie” celebrates the popular song from the movie.

Scarlet O-Chair-A makes an appearance in the Scarecrow Festival.

Ella Cole enjoyed the festival. Her grandmother, Becky Charland, is the festival main coordinator.

A llama named Domino also attended the festival and mingled with the crowd.

Students petitioned district, which says it was never cut from curriculum

KENDALL – In August five elementary students petitioned the Kendall Board of Education to keep cursive writing in the curriculum.

The students are getting their wish, although Principal Sharon Smith said cursive writing wasn’t removed from the curriculum.

Cursive will be taught to third- and fourth-graders this year, and fifth- and sixth-graders will be given trace guides and work sheets to practice at home.

“It’s one more way students can communicate their thoughts,” Smith said.

Five students – Morgan Bukatis, Grace Casey, Cayden Faulks, Cameron Faulks and Riley Casey – submitted petitions signed by about 35 people to keep cursive writing. Smith said cursive never left the curriculum.

She said parents and grandparents of elementary students no doubt remember practicing cursive writing in school. Today’s students also learn to communicate on laptop computers, iPads and other technology during a time-crunched class schedule.

“There are other communication tools available now,” she said. “We had some parents ask, ‘Why are you still teaching cursive writing?'”

She praised the students for getting the petitions signed, meeting with school officials and presenting their ideas to the Board of Education.

“They’ve learned the democratic process,” Smith said. “That was the most valuable thing they learned.”

Cindy Christ is the grandmother of Cayden and Cameron Faulks. She supported the students in their push to promote cursive writing. She is pleased with the outcome from the school.

“The students that petitioned the school board are so excited to be learning it and that they have made a difference in their school,” Christ said.

District will have ground-breaking celebration Oct. 15

Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon, left, smiles with Julie Christensen, school district superintendent, after the Board of Education accepted seven different construction bids this evening for upgrades to the elementary and junior-senior high school.

KENDALL – Two-plus years of planning for a major capital project at Kendall Central School reached a big milestone this evening when the Board of Education approved construction bids for the project.

The seven different contracts totaled $16,416,433. That was under the district’s projections and means the district won’t have to eliminate pieces of the project to stay under budget.

The district will celebrate the ground-breaking of the project with a 6 p.m. ceremony on Oct. 15 just before the Board of Education meeting. The ground-breaking will be behind the junior-senior high school near the soccer fields. That area is where an addition for the cafeteria and kitchen will go.

The board approved the following bids tonight:

General trades – Allied Builders, Inc. of Brockport for $4,987,000.
Roofing – Elmer W. Davis of Rochester for $5,782,177.
Drywall – Accurate Acoustical Corp. of Victor for $1,144,000.
Plumbing – Michael A. Ferrauilo Plumbing & Heating of Rochester for $468,000.
HVAC – Landry Mechancial Contractors of Le Roy for $2,253,500.
Electrical – Kaplan-Schmidt Electric of Rochester for $1,189,000.
Controls – Trane of Rochester for $592,756.

When the bids were approved, Board of Education President Nadine Hanlon cracked a wide smile. She was a student at Kendall not long after the open classrooms were constructed. The project will make all of the classrooms enclosed, as well as tackling numerous other upgrades.

“It’s very exciting,” Hanlon said. “It’s exciting for me to see the transition.”

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.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. The capital project would give all the classrooms four walls and their own door.

Kendall residents approved the $25 million capitol project in May 2013. The district has been working with the State Education Department since then on the final designs for the work.

The construction bids do not include costs for architectural fees, construction management, legal fees and other non-construction costs.

Contractors are scheduled to start work on the project Oct. 27, beginning in the back cafeteria of the junior-senior high school, as well as some of the underground infrastructure work at the elementary school.

Crews will continue to work in wings of the junior-senior high school during the winter and spring, with contractors busy next summer so the buildings are ready for the new 2015-16 school year next September. The project will be substantially complete then, with the final work planned for the summer of 2016.

The capitol project will be 90 percent funded with state aid. Kendall’s local share already is saved in a capital reserve account.

Press release, Orleans County Undersheriff Steve Smith

KENDALL – A Kendall man is dead, apparently after being accidentally pinned underneath the lawn tractor he was working on.

The incident occurred at a private residence in the 16900 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18) and was reported to Orleans County 9-1-1 at about 4:20 p.m. Kendall Fire Department first responders found Stephen C. Ergott, 62, pinned under the machine and already deceased.

Upon investigation it appeared that Ergott had used the forklift on a larger tractor to lift the lawn tractor and suspend it off the ground so he could do maintenance on the under-side. At some point the lawn tractor apparently slipped off the forklift and fell to the ground, pinning Ergott underneath.

The on-scene investigation was conducted by Deputy R.M. Flaherty, assisted by Deputy J.J. Cole, Sergeant D.W. Covis, Investigator D.E. Foeller Jr., and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan. That investigation has since been joined by the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.

File photos by Tom Rivers – The Kendall Junior-Senior High School is eyed for most of the estimated $25 million in a capital project that should start next month.

KENDALL – The school district will open construction bids on Wednesday for a project that will bring the school campus into the 21st Century.

Kendall residents approved the $25 million capitol project in May 2013. The district has been working with the State Education Department since then on the final designs for the work.

The district will open the bids at 2 p.m. on Wednesday with the Board of Education expected to approve seven different contracts at its 7 p.m. meeting on Sept. 24.

The work could start in October in the back cafeteria of the junior-senior high school, as well as some of the underground infrastructure work at the elementary school.

Crews will continue to work in wings of the junior-senior high school during the winter and spring, with contractors busy next summer so the buildings are ready for the new 2015-16 school year next September.

The $25 million capitol project will be 90 percent funded with state aid. Kendall’s local share already is saved in a capital reserve account.

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.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. A capital project would give all the classrooms four walls and their own doors.

The project makes improvements at the two school buildings, including a reconfiguration of the classroom wings so each room has four walls and a door. That will go a long way to improving the learning atmosphere and security for teachers and students, said Julie Christensen, the district superintendent.

Another classroom disrupter, the cafeteria, will be relocated to a wing of the building occupied by the current weight room and another classroom. Right now, the cafeteria is in the middle of the building.

Provided photo – These students will be submitting petitions to the Kendall Board of Education this evening to have cursive writing taught in the elementary school. They say they want to be able to read the Bill of Rights, letters from their grandparents and be able to give their signatures and read others’ names. The students include, from left: Morgan Bukatis, Grace Casey, Cayden Faulks, Cameron Faulks and Riley Casey.

KENDALL – Five elementary students will tell the Board of Education this evening they want to learn old-fashioned cursive hand-writing, believing it will help them learn, be creative and read important documents, including the Bill of Rights and letters from their grandparents.

The students have created posters and secured about 35 signatures on petitions, asking that the district teach cursive to elementary students. The students pushing the issue include Morgan Bukatis, Grace Casey, Cayden Faulks, Cameron Faulks and Riley Casey.

“I don’t think the politicians and school administrators feel it is necessary because they are so into technology,” said Cindy Christ, grandmother of the two Faulks brothers.

She will join them at the BOE meeting at 6 p.m. this evening. She knows school leaders feel pressed for time with a busy curriculum. But she thinks cursive writing is valuable for students.

Provided photos – The Kendall Community Chorus performs in many events around the holidays and then later in the spring and summer.

KENDALL – Mary Campbell wanted to give Kendall area residents a chance to sing together in 2008. She got word out about a community choir, but wasn’t sure how many would show up.

Fifty people joined and that number has been steady since then. The choir isn’t slowing down. The Kendall Community Chorus is starting a new season and singers are welcome for the Monday evening rehearsals from 7 to 9 p.m. or on Saturday mornings from 10 to noon. The group meets at the Kendall United Methodist Church. (It won’t be there this Monday because of Labor Day.)

“We have a good time,” said Campbell, a retired music teacher from Medina and Kendall. “There’s no pressure. It’s more for the social.”

The chorus will be preparing for its biggest concert of the year on Nov. 21 at the David J. Doyle Junior-Senior High School. The concert will feature Christmas music and Broadway tunes. In the past six years, proceeds from concerts have benefitted the Kendall Park Gazebo Fund, the Kendall food cupboard, the 2012 Kendall Bicentennial, and the Kendall Fire Department Ambulance Fund.

The chorus also sings at nursing homes and other community events. It leads off the Kendall Firemen’s Carnival Parade in July.

“We open up the parade with ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and ‘God Bless America,'” Campbell said. “I don’t know anywhere else where that happens at a firemen’s parade.”

The chorus also performed a flash mob patriotic musical medley at the Brockport Wegmans store and at the Hilton Tops. They have sung at three Rochester Red Wings games.

The group draws singers from Kendall, Holley, Hamlin and Hilton. Campbell said more singers are welcome.

“Just show up and you can join,” she said.

She welcomed people to come to practice this Saturday to join the group or the Monday a week after Labor Day.