By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2013 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – A Kent man was killed in a accident on Route 18 in Kendall at about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday night.
Joshua Lunn, 25, was traveling westbound on Route 18 when he attempted to pass a westbound vehicle, state police reported. Lunn lost control of his pickup truck and left the south shoulder striking several trees.
Lunn was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported by Kendall Ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital where he died. State Police are continuing an investigation of the accident.
Lunn was owner of the Grease Lightning business at 102 East Bank St. in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser, left, is pictured with Town Councilman Bart Joseph. Gaesser is backing Joseph for town supervisor in a write-in campaign.
KENDALL – As Dan Gaesser wraps up four years as town supervisor and seven years on the Town Board, he has been thinking about the transition for the town to a new supervisor and new majority on the board.
Gaesser says he has worried in recent months about a trio of candidates backed by the Republican Committee to serve on the board. The candidates, including the GOP-picked candidate for town supervisor, haven’t served on the Town Board before.
As the election neared in recent weeks, Gaesser admits he grew more worried about the new team that seemed destined to take office.
Gaesser said other people in town voiced some misgivings about the Republican candidates. Gaesser said he saw an ideal candidate already on the board in Town Councilman Bart Joseph, who has six years on the board.
Joseph didn’t pursue the Republican endorsement in the spring. He assumed Gaesser would seek re-election.
“I thought Dan was running,” Joseph said.
Gaesser opted against another two-year term, saying he wanted to devote more time to his family and business.
Gaesser last week convinced Joseph and two other residents, David Balka and David Gaudioso, to mount write-in campaigns for the Town Board. Joseph agreed to be a candidate for town supervisor.
“With his experience, it would be very beneficial moving forward,” Gaesser said. “People are concerned with a board that is 60 percent new.”
The Republican Committee picked Tony Cammarata as its candidate for town supervisor. The committee also endorsed Bruce Newell and Patrick Snook, Jr. for the Town Board.
Cammarata ran for the Town Board with the Democratic Party’s endorsement in 2009 and 2011. A former independent, he is now a registered Republican. He also retired last year after a 34-year career in sales with Georgia Pacific, a paper products and plywood company.
Cammarata said his career in sales and management gives him “a vast background working with people.”
He serves on the town Zoning Boards of Appeals and is a member of the Kendall Lions Club.
He didn’t fault Joseph and the other write-in candidates for making a run for office.
“That’s what free elections are all about,” Cammarata said. “That’s what America stands for and it’s what I believe in.”
Cammarata said he has the time to devote to the position now that he’s retired.
“I’m totally available,” he said.
Cammarata said he wants to extend waterlines in town. He thinks Kendall can draw more residents. It has close proximity to the lake, a respected school district and beautiful rural landscapes.
“I want to work with the people and identify their needs,” he said. “I know working with people accomplishes a lot.”
Gaesser said the trio of Republican-endorsed candidates may not quickly grasp town budgeting, the process of forming new water districts, and working on business projects, including the 400-unit development at the former Salvation Army Camp. The Wegman Group has begun construction of “The Cottages at Troutburg,” a development projected to take about a decade to complete.
Joseph has been heavily involved in town projects the past six years, Gaesser said. Joseph said he also knows how to advance projects through the layers of local, state and federal governments.
He has worked the past 32 years as a paramedic with the Rochester Fire Department. He is the department’s line safety officer. He also has been a volunteer firefighter in Morton for 39 years.
“This town has invested a lot in me over the years,” Joseph said. “I have experience working in the city government, the fire community and the Town Board.”
Winning as a write-in requires voters to write the names of the candidates on the ballot. It’s unusual for a candidate to pull off a write-in victory.
Three years ago Lisa Murkowski became the first U.S. senator in more than 50 years to win an election with a write-in campaign. She received more than 100,000 votes in Alaska to win as a write-in. Both Joseph and Cammarata mentioned Murkowski’s victory as an example that it can be done.
If Cammarata wins on Tuesday and becomes town supervisor, Joseph would still be on the board as a councilman. Cammarata said he would welcome Joseph’s input and contributions.
Cammarata said he sees his role as assembling a team that can work on projects for the town.
“If you’re the town supervisor, you’re the manager,” he said. “You’re the leader and you have to have people skills. I bring that and I’m highly motivated.”
Contributed Story Posted 11 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Michael Karcz – Little Jack Horner was featured by the Kendall Elementary School.
KENDALL – Kendall celebrated its annual Scarecrow Festival on Saturday, when about 30 scarecrows, many of them decorated as popular children’s characters, were on display.
The festival included a 5-kilometer race, live music in the gazebo, a pumpkin seed spitting contest, scavenger hunt, magician, balloon artist and police K-9 demo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Gene Massey is picked to fill vacancy in Carlton
CARLTON – The Town Board hired a new assessor on Tuesday, and didn’t need to go to far to find a new official who will establish valuations for properties in town.
Gene Massey has worked for the town of Kendall as assessor for nearly six years. He will continue as Kendall’s full-time assessor. He actually started in Carlton on Oct. 1.
Carlton sought a replacement for Karen Adams, who wasn’t reappointed in June. Residents were in an uproar this spring when new assessments came out with big increases for some properties, and no increases or drops for others.
The Town Board ultimately voted to freeze the assessments at the 2012 levels. The board is seeking a firm to help with data collection for the properties in the town. Carlton needs an accurate database that shows the square footage of all buildings, as well as other property improvements, Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery said.
Proposals are due to the town by Nov. 12 and Ashbery said the Town Board expects to pick a firm at its Dec. 10 meeting. The accurate data plus the experience of Massey should ensure accurate assessments in the future, Ashbery said this afternoon.
Carlton agreed to pay Massey a $30,000 salary, and will also contribute $3,000 to Kendall towards Massey’s health insurance costs.
“He is very familiar with residential, lakefront and agricultural properties,” Ashbery said about Massey.
The two towns are working on a 10-year contract for shared assessing services. Once the two towns are at 100 percent equalization rates, they should be eligible for state funding with a Coordinated Assessment Program. Kendall is at 100 percent, but Carlton isn’t because of the decision to use 2012 levels. The towns typically do new re-evaluations every three years. The soonest they are both at 100 percent may be 2016.
Dan Gaesser, the Kendall town supervisor, said Kendall benefits by having Carlton pay $3,000 towards the assessor’s health insurance. The deal also keeps Massey working for Kendall.
“We’re able to retain the services of an assessor who’s been here since 2008,” Gaesser said.
Kendall officials are reviewing the 10-year agreement between the two towns. Gaesser said he expects the Kendall Town Board will approve it either later this month or in November.
“It’s a real good agreement for the two towns,” he said.
Ashbery praised Dawn Allen, the director of the Real Property Tax Services for Orleans County, for her assistance to Carlton during the transition in recent months.
New York State Department of Transportation today announced two paving projects that are taking place in Orleans County this month.
Work begins this week on a project to resurface Route 104 from the Niagara County Line to Knowlesville Road in the town of Ridgeway through mid-October.Traffic will be reduced to alternating single-lane travel.
Beginning next week, work begins to resurface the eastbound travel lanes on the Lake Ontario State Parkway between Route 237 (including interchange ramps) and Route 272 in the town of Kendall. Work should be complete by late-October. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in the eastbound direction.The ramps will temporarily close while being worked on.
Contributed Story Posted 29 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Michael Karcz
KENDALL – The school district celebrated homecoming over the weekend, including a carnival on Friday where Kendall students and teachers took pies in the face.
The carnival also included a bounce house and other games and activities. The school district had a parade on Saturday and graduates were welcomed back to participate in alumni soccer and baseball games.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2013 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – A project that will significantly add to the town of Kendall and Orleans County tax base will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Construction has started on the Cottages at Troutburg, a new three-season waterfront community along the Lake Ontario shoreline in Kendall. There could be 400 houses built on a 126-acre site in the next eight to 10 years.
The Wegman Group is developing the project at a former Salvation Army camp that includes a half-mile of lake front property at the eastern end of Kendall.
The Wegman Group estimates the project will have a $40 million dollar impact for the town of Kendall and the county. The Cottages at Troutburg will add 40 to 50 new jobs over the next couple of years. The cottages range in size from 450 to 1,300 square feet.
“We chose this site because it is spectacularly beautiful and will offer residents endless opportunities for lakefront recreational activities,” said Dan Wegman, president at The Wegman Group. “This location also makes it convenient and accessible to families and seniors from Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and even Toronto.”
The Cottages at Troutburg provide owners a maintenance free, secure living experience through a range of cottage and cabin styles for sale and land lease. Residents will have access to swimming, fishing and boating; open recreation areas, including a playground, two tennis courts and a basketball court; walking trails; a heated swimming pool; community center; and gated community with a keypad.
The ribbon-cutting on Wednesday will be at 19 Monroe-Orleans County Line Rd. The following officials are scheduled to attend: State Sen. George Maziarz, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard, Kendall Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser, Kendall Planning Board Chairman Paul Gray, Kendall Town Clerk Amy Richardson, and members of the Orleans Economic Development Agency, including CEO Jim Whipple, and Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Courtesy of Mike Zingler -Mike Zingler is pictured with Abby Wambach during a commercial shoot at his farm in Kendall.
KENDALL – When the New York Apple Association was planning a new commercial to promote the state’s $300 million apple industry, it wanted an apple farm close to Rochester, an orchard that was clean and a good representative of the industry.
The Apple Association picked Mike Zingler’s farm in Kendall to film a commercial featuring Abby Wambach, a Rochester native who holds the world record for most goals scored by a woman in international competition.
The new commercial featuring Wambach is now being aired. The soccer star also is featured in in-store advertising.
She spent part of July 30 at Zingler’s farm for the commercial shoot.
“She was great,” Zingler said about Wambach, whose family owns Wambach Farms, a farm market and garden center. “She is a gracious person. She’s really into farming.”
Wambach was hired as an apple ambassador because of her local roots and healthy, active lifestyle, said NYAA President Jim Allen.
Mike Zingler’s son, Jimmy, was able to meet Wambach. Jimmy, 20, played soccer at Kendall. He works at his father’s farm and is also a part-time college student.
Zingler is a past member of the NYAA board of directors. She has a reputation as a progressive grower with high standards at his farm, Allen said. Zingler also has an iconic red barn and a striking tree in the orchard that created an ideal farming atmosphere for the commercial shoot, Allen said.
“Mike’s location was just excellent,” Allen said.
The Apple Association is eager to promote this year’s crop, which is the biggest on record at 32 million bushels.
KENDALL – A Kendall man was injured this morning during a logging operation behind his home.
Lee A. Zarpentine, 37, was operating a Ford 8N tractor, which he was using to drag logs from the wooded area behind his home in the 1500 block of West Kendall Road.
Zarpentine was pulling a large log up an incline in the dirt laneway when the butt end of the log began to dig into the earth, which caused the tractor to flip over backwards, pinning Zarpentine underneath. He was trapped for about an hour before being discovered by a family member, who in turn called 911.
A Caterpillar diesel forklift from nearby Kludt Farms was utilized to lift the tractor off of Zarpentine. He was then transported by Kendall Fire Department ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
The incident was investigated by Deputy M.C. Mele and Lieutenant C.M. Bourke.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2013 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – An ambitious lakefront residential project in Orleans County is progressing with the first five or six houses expected to ready in October at the former Camp Troutburg.
The Wegman Group updated town and county officials on the project, which is planned to have room for 400 houses on 126 acres in the northeast corner of the town of Kendall at a former Salvation Army camp.
The first houses are expected to be ready in two months, with more building over the winter and early spring, said David Wegman, CEO of the Wegman Group. By April there could be 20 to 30 houses built at The Cottages at Troutburg.
Wegman and his son Dan spoke at tonight’s Orleans County Supervisors and Legislators Association meeting at The Village Inn. The Wegman Group said there is strong interest in the seasonal houses, which range from about 450 to 1,300 square feet. The Cottages at Troutburg will be open from April 1 with the water service turned off on Dec. 1.
The group hasn’t made an aggressive marketing push yet. Wegman expects to see a big response for the seasonal homes from the Rochester region, including people in the Finger Lakes.
“We think there are a lot of people tired of the taxes in the Finger Lakes, which are outrageous,” he said.
Home owners at the Cottages will pay a monthly $495 charge to the Wegman Group for the gated community. The fee covers road maintenance, lawncare, walking trails, all common buildings, plus access to a pool with lifeguards.
The Wegman Group will keep most of the 126 acres as green space, and it is planting 2,000 trees. The property includes a half-mile of lake front.
“This is absolutely the best site in New York this could happen,” Wegman said. “This is really a special piece of property.”
Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser praised the Wegmans for the project, which will bring new residents to Kendall to support local businesses and will boost the town, school and county tax bases by perhaps $25 to $30 million when the property is at full build-out.
Wegman said the property could be fully developed with 400 houses in eight years. The company has set a goal of selling one house each week. Wegman said the company has tried to keep the homes affordable with most of the houses costing about $60,000.
There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project on Sept. 25.
For more information, check The Cottages website by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Kendall brothers started their own farm last year
Photos by Tom Rivers – Whipple Brothers Farm built a 16-foot-high trellis system for hops vines at the farm along Norway Road in Kendall.
KENDALL – Hops is making a comeback in New York, which once led the country in hops production before Prohibition, and two Kendall brothers are using the revived interest in the crop to start their own farm.
State incentives to grow micro-breweries and the craft beer industry have created a demand for hops, a plant that adds flavor and taste to beer.
The crop takes a lot of work, but it’s also a high-value product in a niche market. That’s a perfect recipe for two brothers just starting out, who don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on planters, combines and grain storage facilities.
Last year Chris and Justin Whipple purchased a 92-acre farm off Norway Road in Kendall. They planted an acre of hops, building a 16-foot-high trellis system to hang the tall bines. The brothers grow corn on the other 91 acres, contracting with another farmer to have it harvested.
Both Chris, 31, and Justin, 28, continue to work for other farmers. When they finish working for the other farmers, the brothers work evenings and weekends on their own farm.
They don’t mind all the effort.
“This is really a dream come true,” Justin said today at the farm. “It was always our goal and our dream to have our own farm.”
Chris and Justin Whipple hold some of the hops they harvested this week. The brothers are part of an emerging hops industry in New York, which is supplying breweries.
The two both have college degrees from Brockport State College. Chris earned a degree in accounting and Justin earned a bachelor’s in finance. They worked desk jobs for a couple years and hated it.
“I didn’t like the professional world and the professional world didn’t like me,” Chris said.
The two Holley graduates watched the state’s efforts to grow the craft beer industry, hoping to create destinations much like wine trails. They researched the crop, and they saw it as a way to farm on their own without an enormous capital investment.
The crop, however, is labor intensive, especially during the harvest. The brothers have had 30 friends and family helping to pick hops off the bines. Their wives have been by their side, even when the plants need weeding.
Justin Whipple, left, and Chris Whipple work together today to harvest hops at their farm on Norway Road. Chris uses a tall pole to cut the bines and Justin catches them.
Carrie married Justin on June 30, 2012. On their honeymoon, they stopped by a hops farm in Oregon. Carrie works as a health educator. Amanda is married to Chris and she works as a speech pathologist.
Amanda and Carrie both exclaimed about the beauty of the hops when they grow tall and sway in the wind.
“It’s beautiful to watch them,” Amanda said.
The hops take three years to produce a mature crop. This year the plants are yielding about a third of their potential. Next year there should be a full crop for the first time.
The brothers have purchased a pelletizer to put the hops in a form desired by craft breweries. They expect they will process hops for other growers as well.
They also expect to double their hops field, planting another acre of the crop next year. State-wide there are about 100 acres of hops.
Justin said it’s an exciting time to be in agriculture, with the state encouraging niche farms and the public responding to the products.
“Growing up we were told there was no future in farming,” Justin said. “But right now there are a lot of opportunities, and it’s actually a lot of fun.”
The Whipple Brothers Farm includes, from left: Justin, Carrie, Amanda and Chris.
Contributed Story Posted 2 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Nadine Hanlon
KENDALL – The Kendall Community Band, which formed last year for the town’s 200th anniversary, has stayed together. Last night the group performed in Kendall’s new gazebo in the town park.
Lori Cyr, a member of the Brockport Big Band which performed in Kendall on July 18, served as director of the Kendall group. She is pictured in the top photo.
About 75 people attended the concert. Band member Skip Scroger, who plays the trumpet, was instrumental in getting an alumni band together for Kendall’s bicentennial and for helping the group transition to a community band this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Ridge Road Improvement Association put up this monument to George Washington and local Revolutionary War soldiers in 1932.
Photo by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – I noticed the big stone with the bronze marker for the first time yesterday on the way to the Kendall Firemen’s Carnival.
I had no idea we had a monument in honor of George Washington in Orleans County. But there it stands along Ridge Road at the Route 237 intersection, in front of a building across from the Murray Superette.
The marker was put up by the Ridge Road Improvement Association in 1932: “To honor and commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington and the men who fought in the American Revolution and sleep in the town of Murray.”
The marker list the names of Murray revolutionaries:
Robinson Smith, “Life Guard of Washington”
Asa Clark, “The Courier who carried the news to Washington of the attack on Throgs Neck.”
Captain Timothy Ruggles
William Jennings
Amos Frink
Captain Aaron Warren, “who built the first grist mill in the town of Murray”
The marker also notes that New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton stayed in a primitive log cabin near the spot during “an eventful horseback trip through Western New York in1810.” Clinton was the force behind getting the Erie Canal built.
There are several markers along Ridge Road. I’ll try to find out more about them.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Kendall Lawn Chair Ladies work their magic during tonight’s parade in Kendall.
These youngsters show off some exceptional facial hair.
Kendall Highway Superintendent Warren Kruger promotes a classic car show from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Vietnam Veterans led off the parade.
KENDALL – The annual Firemen’s Carnival has returned to Kendall with an hour-long parade the highlight of tonight’s festivities. It was quite a spectacle with youngsters dressed as hippies, tractors pulling floats, fire trucks from three counties and the Kendall Lawn Chair Ladies.
The parade was led by a group of Vietnam veterans from Rochester and ended with a line of fire trucks.
The three-day carnival continues Saturday, wrapping up with fireworks at 10:20 p.m.
“Coastie” is part of public relations campaign about boater safety through the Coast Guard Auxiliary in Hamlin.
Carrie Milano of Hamlin holds her 2-month-old son Nick during tonight’s parade in Kendall.
Riders in with Lone Oak Stables in Kendall were among the parade participants.
Lone Oak Stables had a cleanup crew behind the horses on Kendall Road during the parade.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 June 2013 at 2:01 pm
Study puts Medina, Holley near bottom in WNY list
Three Orleans County school are ranked in the middle of the pack among 97 districts in Western New York, while two others are near the bottom of the list, according to a report by Buffalo Business First.
The publication put out its annual listing of districts, using test scores over four years. Kendall ranked 42nd overall, the top-ranked district in Orleans. Lyndonville was 53rd and Albion, 62nd.
Two local districts were ranked low, with Medina at 80 and Holley, 91.
Wealthy suburban districts dominated the top of the list while poorer districts were ranked near the bottom. Williamsville was the top-rated district followed by East Aurora and Clarence. Buffalo was ranked at the very bottom, just above Lackawanna and Dunkirk.
