Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

KENDALL – Three people were transported to the hospital this morning following a two-vehicle crash in the town of Kendall.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. in the 16800 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18).

William A. Ireland, 85, of Kendall was operating a 2001 Ford Ranger Pick-Up truck eastbound on Route 18. He attempted to make a left turn into Crosby’s Mini-Mart and crossed into the path of a westbound 2005 Ford F-150 Pick-Up truck operated by Thomas Johnson, 50, of Waterport.

Ireland’s daughter, Denise M. Norton, 53, of Kendall was a passenger in her father’s vehicle. She was trapped for about 30 minutes before being extricated by Kendall firefighters. Both she and her father were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

Thomas Johnson, who was the sole occupant of his vehicle, was transported to Unity Park-Ridge Hospital in Greece.

The incident was investigated by Deputy T.C. Marano.

Agency sees 53:1 cost benefit ratio for incentives

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency will have another public hearing on a tax abatement plan for the Cottages at Troutburg, a 10-year proposal that would save the developers $227,777 in taxes with the town of Kendall, Orleans County and Kendall School District.

The abatement plan applies to the 126 acres by Lake Ontario, and doesn’t include future improvements. Any of the new cottages, a sewer plant and other land improvements would taxed by the three government entities.

The tax breaks drew a crowd of 75 residents to a public hearing on Wednesday morning at Kendall Town Hall. Many of the speakers objected to giving tax breaks for residential development.

The EDA board was scheduled to vote on the PILOT (payment of lieu of taxes) plan this morning, but instead will take up the issue on Feb. 14. The board and EDA chief executive officer Jim Whipple will give residents another chance to comment on the plan on Feb. 3 during a 7 p.m. meeting at Kendall Junior-Senior High School.

The EDA sees the project as a significant benefit to the community, boosting the tax base by about $30 million if the 400 cottages planned for the site come to fruition.

The EDA completed a cost-benefit analysis of the project. It counted $12,139,093 in benefits to the community over the 10-year tax abatement schedule.

If 300 cottages are built, the EDA calculated $7,139,250 would be paid in property taxes for the 10 years, about $900,000 would be generated in sales tax by the residents of the cottages, and $2.9 million would be generated in wages for 13 workers at the site. Other benefits identified by the EDA: $425,000 in building material, $425,000 in building labor, and about $200,000 in other expenditures for equipment and “soft costs.”

For every dollar that is given up in the tax breaks, the EDA calculated $53 is coming back to the community over the 10 years. The EDA uses a 10 to 1 ratio as a minimum for a tax abatement plan.

“This is well above that,” Whipple told the EDA board this morning.

Although the tax break proposal would save the Wegman Group $227,777 in taxes on the land, it also sets a schedule for the company to pay $186,363 to the three local governments over 10 years.

The PILOT sets the value of the land and existing structures at $1,305,200. The tax bill for that assessment would be $41,414 per year based on a combined $31.73 tax rate for the town, school and county.

The Wegman Group would pay no taxes on the land the first year of the plan, and would pay 10 percent more of the $1,305,200 assessment each following year until it’s at the full tax bill.

The land had been a Salvation Army camp and was tax exempt for about a half century. The Wegman Group paid $1.5 million for the property and is spending about $1 million for site improvements, including a sewer plant and new roads.

“He’s investing a lot of money,” Whipple told the EDA board about the Wegman Group.

Julie Christensen, superintendent of Kendall Central School, said a tax savings plan for The Cottages at Troutburg is too generous for a community with a high poverty and unemployment rates.

KENDALL – A big crowd of Kendall residents turned out for a public hearing this morning for a tax abatement proposal for The Cottages at Troutburg.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency is proposing a 10-year tax plan that would save The Wegman Group $227,777 in taxes. The bulk of the savings are in the beginning of the arrangement and will help the developers with their cash flow during the capital-intensive early stages of the project, said Jim Whipple, executive director of the EDA.

The tax abatement deal only applies to the land and the existing structures. The new seasonal homes will boost the Kendall tax base and are not subject to the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes).

Whipple said the projected 400 cottages could boost the community’s tax base by $30 million when the project is done.

“This is a property tax creating opportunity for the county and town that you don’t normally have,” Whipple said during a two-hour public hearing attended by about 75 people.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jim Whipple, chief executive officer for the County of Orleans Economic Development Agency, discusses a tax-saving proposal for The Wegman Group, which is working to develop a 400-cottage community in Kendall.

The agreement calls on The Wegman Group to pay $186,363 in taxes over 10 years on the land, a 126-acre former Salvation Army camp along Lake Ontario.

The property did not generate any taxes for about a half century. The Wegman Group bought the site for $1.5 million and has been paying taxes on about a $1.7 million assessment the past two years.

Residents balked at a tax discount for the site, which is targeted to wealthy people who want a second home.

Julie Christensen, Kendall Central School superintendent, was among the chorus of residents who didn’t want to see such generous tax breaks for the Wegman Group in an impoverished community.

The school district would give up $123,544 in taxes as part of the 10-year deal. The county would give up $72,432 while town abatement totals $31,801.

Those lost taxes would have to be redistributed to other residents, Christensen said. The community struggles with a 25 percent poverty rate and the fifth highest unemployment rate in the state.

She asked the benefits proposed to the Wegman Group be cut in half to reduce the sting to the community. Christensen said she supports the overall project and believes the 400-unit site could lead to other improvements in the community, including upgrades to the Lake Ontario State Parkway, expanded Broadband Internet access and more customers for Kendall businesses.

The EDA board was going to vote on the tax incentive plan on Friday, but Whipple said that vote has been pushed back until Feb. 14. The EDA also will have another public hearing about the abatements for more Kendall residents to comment about the proposal.

Dan Gaesser, a former Kendall town supervisor, speaks against a 10-year tax-savings plan for The Cottages at Troutburg. A big crowd turned out today for a public hearing at Town Hall.

Tony Cammarata, the town supervisor, said tax breaks generally aren’t offered to residential projects. Typically they are targeted to manufacturing, tourism and other commercial projects. Cammarata wants to see the Troutburg developers pay more in taxes.

The plan would give them 100 percent off of the taxes on a $1.3 million assessment the first year. Each following year another 10 percent of the tax bill will be added until the full amount is billed after 10 years.

Dan Gaesser, the town supervisor until Dec. 31, said the Wegman Group never indicated it wanted a 10-year abatement with the 0 to 100 percent sliding scale, until a letter arrived in Kendall Town Hall on Jan. 2. He said he would support an incentive that was about half as generous as the current proposal.

Whipple said the developers are turning a site that has been largely underutilized into a significant asset for the community. He said the Wegman Group will be a big taxpayer for the community as the project is developed.

“This is someone putting their butt on the line,” he said about the investment in the site.

The project won’t be a major job creater, Whipple acknowledged. The developer says it will create 13 jobs with the project. The big advantage to the community will be the growing tax base as the cottages are constructed, Whipple said.

“This is a tax base project not a job development project,” he said.

Kendall resident pushed for countywide garbage

KENDALL – One of the best deals we get in Orleans County is the low cost for garbage pickups. We pay $190 annually per household, about half of what you’d pay outside the county.

It was 25 years ago when Lyndon Billings was chairman of the County Legislature and pushed for the county-wide solid waste contract. The service used to be sporadic and costly for residents, especially in the outlying areas.

The push for county takeover of the contract was controversial, but Billings convinced the towns and villages to support a county-wide contract for the service. The county would handle negotiations for the contract and assume all the headaches when residents called with complaints.

“One of his major projects was bringing in county-wide garbage,” said Marcia Tuohey, a former Legislature chairwoman who served on the board with Billings.

“He was the one who instigated and brought it to the county.”

Billings died at his Kendall home after a brief illness on Jan. 3 at age 88. He taught science at Lyndonville and Kendall, and was the former owner of Nationwide Insurance Company in Holley. He and his sons ran Billings Farms in Kendall for many years.

Billings was part of the first County Legislature in 1980 and stayed on the board for 20 years, serving as its leader for eight years.

The Orleans County Legislature paused for a moment of silence during the group’s meeting on Wednesday to remember Billings.

Tuohey said he was also instrumental in the upgrade of the county’s emergency radio system in the early 1990s. That system is now being upgraded again after more than 20 years.

I remember Lyn from my early days as a reporter out here. He was a master of parliamentary procedure. He was low-key, but engaged in the communities he served.

I saw him a couple years ago when I had a flat tire and ended up in his driveway on Center Road. Lyn helped me with the tire and got me back on the road.

His funeral service was this past Monday at Kendall United Methodist Church.

For a previous article about the county’s garbage collection, click here.

To see a Vintage Orleans feature about the first County Legislature, click here.

KENDALL – A proposed tax abatement plan would save a company more than $200,000 in property taxes over the next decade as it works to develop The Cottages at Troutburg.

The Orleans Economic Development has crafted a 10-year tax savings plan for the 126-acre former Salvation Army site in the northeast corner of Kendall along Lake Ontario. The plan only applies to the land. Any new seasonal cottages will be taxed at 80 percent of their value.

The land is currently assessed at $1,305,200. The EDA will have a public hearing 9 a.m. Jan. 15 at the Kendall Town Hall for a tax abatement plan or PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes).

The EDA is proposing the Wegman Group not pay any taxes on the land for the first year and then pay incremental 10 percent increases in taxes until it is at 100 percent after 10 years.

The plan would save the company $41,414 the first year, according to Orleans Hub calculations. (I multiplied the $1,305,200 assessed value by a $31.73 tax rate. The rates in Kendall include $17.21 for the school district, $10.09 for the county and $4.43 for the town.)

That loss in revenue would be absorbed by other residents. The company would pay about $4,145 in the PILOT the second year with $4,145 increases added the following years until it is as the full $41,414. Orleans Hub calculated the plan would save the Wegman Group $227,791 over 10 years.

The EDA typically works out PILOTs to reduce the tax burden for companies when they are in the early stages of projects. The deals typically help companies with their cash flow so they can get their projects off the ground in the early capital-intensive stages.

The Wegman Group has about 10 cottages under construction. The company believes 400 cottages could be built at the site over the next decade, increasing the site’s assessed value by about $25 million.

To offset the loss in the taxes for the land through the PILOT, the Wegman Group would need about 25 of the new cottages to be built. That assumes they are assessed for $60,000 with the town then discounting them by 20 percent due to their seasonal status.

The site historically didn’t generate any tax income for the community because it was tax exempt under the Salvation Army.

The PILOT plan isn’t final. Residents and local officials will have a chance to weigh in on the plan during the public hearing on Jan. 15.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tony Cammarata, Kendall’s new town supervisor, takes the oath of office while his wife Sharon holds the Bible during Tuesday night’s swearing in which was administered by Town Justice Debbie Drennan. Cammarata is retired from a 34-year career in sales with Georgia Pacific, a paper products and plywood company.

Tony Cammarata, center, presides over his first meeting as town supervisor. Other town officials include, from left: Councilman Patrick Snook, Councilwoman Lynn Szozda, Town Attorney Andrew Meier, Cammarata, Town Clerk Amy Richardson, Town Councilman Bart Joseph and Town Councilman Bruce Newell.

KENDALL – New town officials were sworn into their public offices on Tuesday, a new administration that includes Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata.

Cammarata is retired from a 34-year career in sales with Georgia Pacific, a paper products and plywood company. He succeeds Dan Gaesser, who didn’t seek re-election in November.

Cammarata began Tuesday’s organizational by thanking Gaesser for his service. The new town supervisor also thanked former Town Board members Dave Schuth and Donn Pritchard for their service. Their spots are now filled by Patrick Snook and Bruce Newell.

Bruce Newell, one of three new Town Board members, is sworn in. A Kodak retiree, he works as a business consultant.

Patrick Snook takes the oath. Snook works as an auto technician at Brockport State College.

Cammarata and the Town Board appointed one new town official on Tuesday. Andrew Meier is the town’s new attorney, replacing John Sansone of Lockport. Sansone was paid a minimum $750 monthly retainer. Meier of Medina will be paid a $600 monthly minimum.

Cammarata said Meier, who also works as municipal attorney for the towns of Gaines and Yates, is “extremely responsive.”

The board also approved a shared services contract with the Town of Carlton for Kendall’s assessor Gene Massey. Massey is scheduled to be paid $52,000 in 2014 with Carlton paying $30,000 of that salary plus a portion of the benefits. Massey will work for both towns, with more of his time in Carlton.

Some of the other appointments include:

Gay Smith as chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals (annual salary of $1,040); Raymond Wenzel as chairman of the Planning Board ($1,450); Barb Flow as director of youth and adult recreation ($13,525); Joseph Canale to the Youth Recreation Commission; Shirley Cataladi as Adult Recreation representative; and Kim Corcoran as town historian ($500).

The board also reappointed Paul Hennekey as code enforcement officer ($11,000) and Dan Strong as deputy codes officer ($7,700); Charles Patt as Custodian for Beechwood Cemetery ($500 a year); Walter Steffen Jr. as custodian for Greenwood Cemetery ($500 a year); Cheryl Cole as court clerk ($5,500 a year); and Nick Schicker as building maintenance worker at $11 an hour.

Wenzel will serve as Kendall’s representative on the Orleans County Planning Board, replacing Paul Gray who served in the role for nearly three decades. Gray didn’t want to continue in the position that pays $110 for the year.

The board also named First Niagara Bank as official depository for the town and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald as official town newspaper for public notices.

The salary for town supervisor is $8,400 a year with the four board members each paid $3,120. The two justices are each paid $7,500, while the town clerk has a $26,600 salary. The highway superintendent is paid $49,250.

Town Justice Debbie Drennan takes the oath from fellow Town Justice Stephen Cliff.

Town Justice Stephen Cliff takes the oath from Debbie Drennan.

KENDALL – A Kendall Central School District school bus carrying four students was involved in an accident with another vehicle this morning near the intersection of Route 237 and Ridge Road.

Our four students and bus driver were taken by ambulance to Strong Hospital as a precaution. Thankfully, their injuries are minor.

We are saddened to learn news that the driver of the other vehicle suffered fatal injuries and we are working with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department as they conduct their investigation.

Kendall Central School District

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

MURRAY – A Brockport man is dead following a head-on crash this morning with the car he was driving and a school bus.

The incident was reported at 7:09 a.m. and occurred in the 16600 block of Ridge Road (State Route 104) in the Town of Murray.

Daniel L. Hollaert Jr., 23, was operating a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, travelling east on Ridge Road when the vehicle collided with a full-size school bus owned and operated by the Kendall Central School District.

Hollaert was pronounced dead at the scene by Orleans County Coroner Joseph Fuller.  Hollaert was extricated from the car by firefighters from the Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Departments, and then transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.

The driver of the bus is identified as Harold F. Barnard, 72, of Kendall. There were four students on-board at the time of collision ranging in age from 11 to 15. All the students as well as their driver sustained minor injuries. They were all transported by ground ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. School District officials responded to the crash scene.

Deputies D.E. Foeller Jr., & A.J. Houghton responded to the incident.  They were assisted by Deputy D.S. Klips, Investigator C.L. Black, and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan.  State Troopers from the Albion barracks also assisted at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A Kendall school bus is towed back to the school at the intersection of routes 104 and 237 this morning at about 9:45 a.m.

MURRAY – The driver of the car that collided with a Kendall school bus at the intersection of routes 237 and 104 this morning has died. None of the students on the bus were seriously injured. Four of the children have been taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Route 104 is now open in both directions. The school bus has been towed from the scene.

Orleans Hub will have more information as soon as it becomes available.

MURRAY – Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputies are at the scene of a serious school bus accident in the town of Murray. The accident occured at the intersection of routes 237 and 104 around 7:40 a.m.

Time Warner Cable News is reporting that a car and a Kendall school bus collided and the accident has resulted in one fatality. It has not been determined whether there were any students on board the bus at the time of the accident.

Route 104 is closed between Kendall Road and Route 237 (North Main Street).

Orleans Hub is on the scene and will have more information as soon as it becomes available.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – The Kendall community held its annual tree lighting and caroling celebration tonight at the gazebo at the town park.

Kendall school musicians performed for the event. Jonathan Price plays the saxophone.

Eliya Cooper, wearing Santa hat, sings with the Kendall chorus. The group sang a few songs, including “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.”

Bob Ryan, a member of the Kendall Lions Club, leads a group of children in singing several Christmas songs.

The Lawnchair Ladies performed a couple choreographed songs. The group of 18 includes Kathy Kemp, in front. They will be part of Brockport’s parade of lights at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The crowd gathered to help celebrate the holiday season.

Santa and an elf joined the celebration at the gazebo, posing for pictures with children. The event then shifted to the firehall, where Santa mingled with residents before getting back to work.

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.

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.”

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.

This scarecrow was created by the Kendall PTSA.