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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 June 2013 at 12:00 am
KENDALL – Two of the coaches took over programs that were chronic underachievers. Another coach started the girls athletic program at Kendall. It didn’t exist until Title IX.
All three amassed numerous league and Sectional titles. On Wednesday, Carol Brakenbury, Ben Gerbig and Dick Reynolds were inducted into the Kendall Athletic Hall of Fame. They make up the second class in the HOF. Basketball star Roosevelt Bouie was the first inductee a year ago.
The coaches were praised for teaching the fundamentals and insisting on hard work. The trio did more than that. They instilled confidence in the players and community. Kendall beat many bigger schools in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, with the three coaches on the sidelines.
Gary Kent played on the baseball team in 1962 that won the league title, knocking off perennial powerhouse Lyndonville. Kent introduced Reynolds at the HOF banquet, calling him a “players’ coach” who didn’t dwell on mistakes. Reynolds urged the players to take chances.
“He had the ability to make us believe in ourselves,” Gary Kent said about Reynolds. “He treated us like young men, without fear of failure.”
Photo by Tom Rivers – Dick Reynolds, a former Kendall baseball and basketball coach, addresses 200 people after being inducted in Kendall’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Reynolds was a part of the Kendall athletic program for nearly four decades. In his 20 seasons as the KCS varsity baseball coach, the team won 10 Genesee Region championships, made five Sectional finals appearances, and racked up 152 wins.
He achieved his greatest success leading the basketball team. Reynolds coached the team from 1963 to 1977 and amassed 186 wins and only 72 losses. During his tenure, Kendall won five Section V championships and set the Section V record for consecutive wins with 57.
Reynolds was a baseball star at Brockport High School, and signed a Minor League contract and played for the Batavia Clippers in 1951. He was a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps before he was hired as a physical teacher in Kendall.
He recalled the first year Kendall won Sectionals in basketball. That was 1973. The Kendall Fire Department escorted the team into town.
“That first year the community went crazy,” Reynolds said.
He was thrilled to be inducted with Gerbig and Brakenbury. The coaches all worked together and shared many of the same players.
Gerbig worked at Kendall from 1962 to 1989 as a math teacher before joining Albion as vice principal for eight years. Gerbig is still working as an adjunct math professor at Morrisville State College, where he has taught the past 12 years.
His Kendall boys soccer team won 18 Genesee Region League Championships, appeared in Sectional finals eight times, and won two sectional championships. He is Kendall’s all-time leader in boys soccer wins with 297.
He also coached JV basketball. Gerbig praised the Kendall players and their families for so much dedication to the sports program. Early in his coaching career, he led a JV team that was blown out most games, including one 62-6 loss. The team was 0-15 at one point. Gerbig told the crowd about the team’s 50-47 win over Pembroke. It remains perhaps his most memorable victory.
“That team kept its composure,” he said. “They worked hard. That group of boys is a special bunch.”
Ben Gerbig led the Kendall boys soccer program to 18 league titles.
Current Kendall coach John King introduced Gerbig and praised him for setting a high level of excellence as a coach and teacher.
Gerbig said many families sent brothers, sisters and cousins to play for Kendall.
“There were many sets of brothers and sisters,” he said. “In Kendall, it was a family thing.”
Wednesday’s Hall of Fame banquet was a reunion for the three coaches, and many of their players. Kendall senior athletes also were honored at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
“The three of us coached hundreds and thousands of games,” Gerbig said. “We won lots and lots of championships. It’s a credit to the kids.”
Title IX was passed to start girls sports in 1972. Kendall fielded its first girls soccer team in the fall of 1975. Brakenbury led that group that won Sectionals. That success sparked a wave of interest from Kendall girls in sports.
Brakenbury would coach tennis, softball, volleyball and cheerleading. She was the Section V softball coach of the year in 1982.
She achieved her greatest success leading the soccer program. The team won three Sectional championships, appeared in 13 Sectional finals, and won 13 Genesee Region League Championships.
Carol Brakenbury helped start the girls athletic program at Kendall.
Gary Pollock, a former Kendall boys soccer coach, introduced Brakenbury at the HOF banquet and praised her for her passion for life and her coaching principles. She taught her players to put the team before themselves. Her players followed her example of a high level of commitment.
Brakenbury said those early days were difficult getting the girls on par with the boys. The girls wore the same uniform tops for soccer and softball.
“The more we won, we got real uniforms,” she said.
Brakenbury joined Kendall as a physical education teacher in 1964. Before the girls could compete in varsity sports, Brakenbury organized intramural sports for the girls.
“They wanted to get out there and be competitive,” she said.
The girls soon won over the school administration and community.
“They were putting in as much time and were just as competitive as the boys,” Brakenbury said.
One Kendall player gave her a senior photo in the 1970s. On the back, the player wrote a message.
“Dear coach, thank you for making the girls sports just as respected as the boys.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Reynolds, Gerbig and Brakenbury all honored
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall coaches with legendary accomplishments and reputations – Dick Reynolds, Ben Gerbig and Carol Brakenbury – pose for a photograph after being inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
KENDALL – Three Kendall coaches with long careers and numerous league and sectional titles were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet tonight attended by about 200 people.
The coaches – Ben Gerbig, Dick Reynolds and Carol Brakenbury – are part of the HOF’s second class. Basketball great Roosevelt Bouie went into the HOF as the inaugural inductee last year.
Gerbig was a math teacher whose career spanned four decades, including eight years at Albion. He oversaw a boys soccer program that earned 18 Genesee Region League Championships, appeared in Sectional finals eight times, and won two sectional championships. He is Kendall’s all-time wins leader in boys soccer (297), and was recognized as Section V Class B Coach of the year four times. Gerbig was inducted into the Section V Hall of Fame in 2000.
Dick Reynolds coached basketball and baseball for about four decades. In his 20 seasons as the KCS varsity baseball coach, the team won 10 Genesee Region championships, made five Sectional finals appearances, and racked up 152 wins.
Reynolds was basketball coach during Kendall’s most glorious run, highlighted by undefeated seasons with Bouie. Reynolds coached the team from 1963 to 1977 and amassed 186 wins and only 72 losses. During his tenure, Kendall won five Section V championships and held the Section V record for consecutive wins with 57. Reynolds also oversaw the KCS athletic program from 1967 to 1992, serving as the longest tenured athletic director in KCS history.
Brakenbury was a pioneer coach at Kendall. Her career began in 1964, and she worked as a physical education teacher at KCS until her retirement in 1998.
Brakenbury guided her soccer teams to three sectional championships, 13 Sectional finals, and 13 Genesee Region League Championships. She earned Section V Class B Girls Soccer coach of the year in 1982. Her team also won 42 straight games in the Genesee Region League. Brakenbury was influential in the development of Kendall’s sports program for girls.
There will be more coverage of the HOF ceremony on Orleans Hub tomorrow, including comments from the coaches.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Boy Scouts in Troop 94 and the Kendall Community Choir both honored members of the military on Wednesday during a concert at the new town park across from the elementary school.
The troop honored veterans with a flag-folding ceremony while the choir sang several patriotic songs. Orleans Hub thanks Crystal Freitag for sending these photos. A rainbow also appeared during the concert. More concerts are being planned at the gazebo this summer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Voters back budget, which reduces taxes by $1 million
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Kendall Junior-Senior High School is eyed for about $14 million of the $25 million capitol project that was approved by district residents on Tuesday.
The elementary school also will be the focus of about $11 million in upgrades.
KENDALL – Residents gave strong support to a proposed $25 million capitol project, 203 to 89, which will replace roofs on two school buildings, improve safety and redesign classrooms in the junior-senior high school.
The project includes energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and improvements to parking lots and sidewalks. The state will pay 90 percent of the costs. Kendall already has its local share saved in the capitol reserve account.
The proposed $14,051,383 budget passed 233 to 61. The budget cuts taxes by nearly $1 million, from $5,601,132 to $4,606,613. The average tax rate will fall from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The district is shedding about $500,000 annually with a paid-off bond and another $115,000 annually with a bus loan payment. Kendall also will see several students with disabilities, who were educated at costly facilities outside the district, move into other communities. Those factors, plus a $553,000 increase in state aid, are allowing Kendall to drastically cut taxes.
Residents approved continuing a school bus replacement capitol reserve fund, 236 to 56, and approved spending up to $250,000 from that fund for buses, 228 to 64.
Board of Education member Edward Gaesser did not run for re-election. Martin Goodenbery, the lone candidate, was elected to a five-year term with 251 votes.
