Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Participants in this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary school prepare Lego “vehicles” which will run down a “zipline.”

KENDALL – Dozens of Kendall Elementary students and their parents enjoyed a fun morning of creativity today at the first ever Lego Camp organized by the Kendall Recreation Department and hosted by Kendall Elementary School.

Kendall Recreation Director Michelle Werth said the first-time event is the brain-child of parent Alicia Charland, who wanted to offer something fun and creative for kids who might not have an interest in the Recreation Department’s many sports programs.

“We have 55 kids registered,” Werth said. “It was offered for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.”

Appropriately enough, kindergartener Cooper Hughes makes a Lego snowplow guy with Mrs. Colucci.

The morning started off with the construction of a Lego “worm” – a simple block structure in which participants tried to create the longest and most creative “worm” on a small Lego board.

Participants were then free to visit a number of stations where they could make Lego vehicles, Hexabug habitats, play Pictionary with Legos, make Lego constructions from bagged sets, make free form Lego figures and constructions, race cars with Mega Blocks, create Legos to run down a “zipline,” and more.

Large Mega Blocks were used in the Elementary School hallway to create a racetrack/obstacle course for toy cars.

Refreshments were provided and The Lego Movie and other videos featuring Legos were shown.

Alicia Charland said her sons love Legos and she knew they would really enjoy the Lego Camp. “We decided we would make it happen,” she said.

Legos were both donated and collected from garage sales and will be stored for use at future Lego events.

“We are thinking about a four-day camp in the summer that would likely be held in the mornings,” Charland said. She noted Legos fit well with the STEM-based school curriculum and are a great way for children to express their creativity.

Third-grader Stephen Elliott made a Lego speed boat during this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary School.

Participants wore lanyards with their name and received a star to place on the lanyard each time they completed a project, or cleaned up after their snack.

“When they get five stars they become a Master Builder in Training,” Charland said.

She commended the many volunteers who helped make the event possible, including Kendall High School students. Charland was also impressed by the number of fathers who came to enjoy the event.

“It was three hours in the morning, something local and something affordable,” she noted.

Kendall Elementary Principal Sharon Smith attended and lent a helping hand. She said the camp was a great winter activity.

“We hope it is the first of many activities as part of a partnership between the school and the town,” Smith said. “Our doors will always be open for Kendall Recreation Department activities.”

The first-ever Kendall Recreation Lego Camp proved to be a popular activity during Winter Break week. The event was held in the Kendall Elementary School cafeteria.

Kendall High School students volunteered to help participants during the Lego Camp event, including 10th-graders, from left: Caleb Henion, Megan Hardenbrook and Michela Hanlon. They are at the Hexabug Habitats station.

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Board of Education have approved $3.03 million in construction bids in the second phase of an upgrade at the school campus, a $25 million overall capital project ongoing since 2014.

The following bids were approved on Wednesday evening:

General trades – Holdsworth Klimowski Construction, Victor, NY for $1,903,000.
Plumbing – Thurston Dudek, LLC, Ontario, NY, for $284,400.
HVAC – Nairy Mechanical, LLC, Webster, NY, for $425,700.
Electrical – Suburban Electric of Albion, Inc., for $417,200.

Phase II of the project is much smaller than Phase I which included a new cafeteria at the Jr./Sr. High School and extensive improvements to school libraries, hallways, classrooms and the fitness room at the Jr./Sr. High School.

Phase II includes work on both the Kendall Jr./Sr. High School and Kendall Elementary School and will involve upgrades to elementary classroom bathrooms, the Jr./Sr High School Science wing and site work.

Remaining work from Phase I including the Jr./Sr. High School main office, main entrance and counseling area is expected to begin in June with completion of all Phase I and Phase II work expected by September 2016.

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Town Board will continue to research and discuss solar energy options for the town.

Councilman Bruce Newell reported last week on NYS Affordable Solar /Community Distributed Solar – programs the state hopes will make solar easier and more affordable through community-driven initiatives.

Newell said the town is looking at “improving the energy situation,” and explained that he took part in a webinar in mid-December on the topic.

“There are two different approaches to get solar better distributed,” he explained.

The first approach includes additional support for low-income installations – households most in need of electricity cost reductions. Under this approach there is “double the amount of financial support” for installing solar in homes by helping homeowners overcome roadblocks such as not having the capital upfront for installation, Newell said.

The second aspect supports community distributed generation of shared solar. Newell said state programs provide opportunities for renters, homeowners, low-income residents, schools and businesses to join together to set up shared solar projects.

In Kendall, for example, the fire department, post office, town hall and schools could band together for community-distributed generation, Newell explained. He noted there is also interest in solar energy on the county level.

Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata told Newell to continue his efforts exploring solar opportunities.

“Green energy continues to be a hot topic at the county, state and national level,” Cammarata said. “We’ve got be ahead of the game.”

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Sixth-grade members of the Kendall Elementary School Student Council stand behind their new “Buddy Bench” as they explain its meaning and function to members of the Kendall Central School Board Wednesday evening at Kendall Jr./Sr. High School.

KENDALL – Sixth-grade members of the Kendall Elementary School Student Council presented a new “Buddy Bench” to Board of Education members during their meeting on Wednesday.

The new bench will be a place for students to sit who are looking for a friend.

“The Buddy Bench is for children feeling lonely or sad, or who want to make new friends,” the students explained.

Student Sara Mattle even wrote a poem about the project which was inspired by Christian Bucks, a second grader in Pennsylvania:

“We made it with some tools, some screws and a wrench.
So when you’re feeling lonely, you can have a seat on the buddy bench.
And then a friend will come, and ask you to play.
Then you and that new friend will have fun all day!”

Advisors Amy Leone and Vicki Spurr assisted the students with the project.

“The teachers talked about it and presented the idea to (Principal) Sharon Smith and (Superintendent) Julie Christensen,” Spurr said. “We felt it was something we needed.”

The bench is painted in a bright and welcoming shade of red and will be located on the elementary school playground. It will be installed in the spring.

“Thank you for all the work you have done,” Superintendent Christensen told the students.

The Buddy Bench will be dedicated with a plaque in memory of the father of Principal Sharon Smith, who said the students are already working to raise funds for a second Buddy Bench.

“They hope to have four eventually,” Smith said.

KENDALL – The Cottages at Troutburg is proceeding, slower than originally projected.

Town Councilman Bruce Newell provided an update on Troutburg during Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

The Wegman Group is developing the 126-acre former Salvation Army camp along Lake Ontario into seasonal homes. The developer says the site has room for 400 units.

Newell and Code Enforcement Officer Paul Hennekey reported that the town recently received a letter from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation informing them that it has raised the number of cottages from 8 to 20 that can be served by a temporary sewage treatment process by which an on-site facility is used as a holding tank and pumped. Hennekey said there are currently eight cottages onsite.

“I would like to hear more explanation about why the DEC thought it was appropriate,” Newell remarked regarding the increase in allowable cottages built before the treatment plant is fully operational.

Hennekey said an official at the DEC told him the holding facility, which will eventually function as a treatment facility, will function better in that capacity once 20 cottages have been built and that there would be no problem constructing additional cottages and issuing certificates of occupancy.

Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata said he wants Hennekey to contact the DEC again in order to pin down a time for the DEC to come out and inspect the facility.

“If they can give you factual data (the town) would be more comfortable with where we are at this point,” Cammarata said, and explained that if the current set-up is adequate, the cottages could proceed, but if it is not, the DEC could make recommendations regarding what should be done.

Hennekey noted that work is progressing on getting the treatment plant operational.

“They are working on it – it could be weeks away or months away,” he said.

In other action at the town meeting, Kendall Highway Superintendent Warren Kruger was welcomed to the regular Kendall Town Board meeting Tuesday evening with a round of applause from Town Board members. High winds and snowfall this week have kept Kruger and members of his department busy. Cammarata noted Kruger had spent the better part of the previous 24 hours working.

“Warren has been out all night and all day and has done a terrific job to keep our roads safe and clean,” Cammarata noted earlier in the meeting. Kruger joined the meeting in progress and Cammarata had given the highway department report prior to his arrival.

“We very much appreciate everybody in the highway department’s efforts to make Kendall a safe community to drive through,” Cammarata said.

Kruger noted that crews and plows are holding up well.

“Winter’s here and it’s blowing and drifting, it’s not the snow it’s the wind,” he said.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Kendall Supervisor Tony Cammarata is sworn in to a second term in office by Town Justice Debbie Drennan. Cammarata’s wife, Sharon, holds the Bible.

KENDALL -Town Board members held their 2016 organizational meeting Tuesday evening. Newly elected Councilperson Barb Flow, Councilperson Margaret Lynn Szozda and Supervisor Tony Cammarata all took their oaths of office, officiated by Town Justice Debbie Drennan.

During his remarks, Supervisor Cammarata said he is “honored to serve” Kendall again as supervisor. In the coming year, he noted that, “New water districts will be our priority,” and added that a joint meeting will be held Jan. 13 at the Hamlin Town Hall regarding the distribution of assets from the former Hamlin-Kendall Water District.

Newly elected Councilperson Barb Flow was appointed to fill a vacancy on Town Board in the summer of 2015 after retiring as Kendall’s long-time recreation director.

Kendall Town Justice Debbie Drennan officiates as Kendall Councilperson Margaret Lynn Szozda takes the oath of office. Szozda was re-elected in November. Councilperson Barb Flow holds the Bible.

She was elected to the post in November. Councilperson Margaret Lynn Szozda and Supervisor Tony Cammarata were re-elected in November.

Additionally, council members approved a long list of appointments and designations including the appointment of Andrew Meier as town attorney; the appointment of Patrick Bolton as chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals; the reappointment of Andrew Kludt as chairman of the Planning Board; the reappointment of Michelle Werth as director of Youth and Adult Recreation; the re-appointment of Heather Koch as town historian; the re-appointment of Eileen Grah as Town of Kendall librarian; and the re-appointment of Paul Hennekey as code enforcement officer.

Newly elected Town Councilperson Barb Flow takes the oath of office while her husband, Vince, holds the Bible.

Town Board meetings will be held the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Kendall Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd., and work sessions are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. and the Saturday preceding the third Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m.

The salary schedule for 2016 includes: Supervisor – $8,400.00; Councilperson (4) $3,120.00; Town Clerk – $28,428.00; Code Enforcement Officer – $11,400.00; Superintendent of Highways – $49,750.00; Justice 1 – $7,725.00; Justice 2 – $6,600.00.

LaBella Associates of Rochester was appointed the engineering firm for the town. Margaret Lynn Szozda was appointed deputy supervisor and Tony Cammarata was appointed budget officer.