Towns, however, recently hit with 25% hike in road salt as well as fuel cost increases

Photo by Tom Rivers: Yates Town Supervisor Jim Simon, speaking during Thursday’s Town Board meeting, said the towns just want to break even for plowing and salting county roads and doing roadside mowing.

The 10 towns in Orleans County will be getting a 30 percent increase to plow and salt county roads, as well as doing roadside mowing. But it shouldn’t be viewed as a windfall.

“We need to at least break even,” said Jim Simon, the Yates town supervisor. “We’re not doing it to make a profit.”

The 10 towns in recent months have pressed the county for the 30 percent increase, plus 5 percent more the following two years. The towns currently get $7,218 a mile for their work on county roads. But that isn’t nearly enough to cover the town’s expenses, said the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association which is led by Tracy Chalker, the highway superintendent in Clarendon.

The contract at the $7,218-rate expires Dec. 31. The new agreement provides a 30 percent increase or $2,165 more per mile in 2027, for $9,383. The towns then receive a 5 percent increase each following year in the three-year agreement.

The new deal was discussed at the Yates Town Board meeting on Thursday. Town officials are thankful for the higher amount, but they said it still may not cover the town’s costs due to rising fuel and salt expenses.

“I’m excited we got the contract with 30 percent, but I fear we might be trapping ourselves again,” said Sue Hrovat, a town councilwoman.

The highway superintendents were expecting a 10 percent increase for road salt for the upcoming winter, but that cost will be up 25 percent. That will be about $10,000 more in salt costs for Yates to salt the county roads in town.

The new agreement with the county allows for an option every May to review the deal f there have been dramatic changes in costs.

Chalker, president of the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association, sent a letter to all 10 towns, thanking the town supervisors and boards for their work in securing the 30 percent increase.

The letter was signed by the following highway superintendents: Dale Root of Shelby, Dale Brooks of Barre, John Olinger of Ridgeway, Kurt VanWycke of Carlton, Dirk Lammes of Murray, Roger Wolfe of Yates, Mike Neidert of Albion, Eric Mason of Kendall and Tracy Chalker of Clarendon.

“You all played a very important role in our success to achieve our needs of 30 percent in our snow and ice and mowing contracts to get us closer to where we want to be,” Chalker wrote. “Your input and support was definitely a huge part of our success. Also it was great to see the towns come together and unite. So much can happen when we unite.”

Lyndonville grad Ben Frasier owns company and wants phase 2 with a bigger playground for older elementary kids

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Ben Frasier, a 1988 Lyndonville graduate and owner of Parkitects, checks out a new sensory dome in the playground by the elementary school. The sensory dome is an intended spot for children on the autism spectrum to get away from the activity and noise from the other parts of the playground.

Frasier and a team of 18 Parkitects employees spent most of the day installing a new playground at Lyndonville.

Frasier and Parkitects donated about $250,000 in equipment and in-kind services to the playground. The school district also was able to use $160,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for playground equipment.

Parkitects employees get wheelbarrow loads of concrete for footers to hold down the new playground equipment.

Orleans Ready Mix donated concrete for the project. Those donations were lined up by Steve Grabowski, the district’s director of facilities.

Other donations included:

Watson Construction Group with removal/demolition of all of the old playground equipment and 14 inches of mulch; Barre Stone Company with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Shelby Crushed Stone with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Town of Yates with hauling the stone to the school; and Medina Lumber & Hardware with pressure treated 2×12’s covering 228 linear feet around the perimeter.

The new playground includes a We-Go-Round, Sway Fun Glider, We-Saw and other equipment that will be accessible to kids of all abilities and mobilities. The previous playground was over 20 years old and wasn’t handicapped accessible.

A 3 1/2-inch thick rubber material will be added next week. It takes 48 hours for that rubber to cure after being poured. Ben Frasier said he expects the new playground will be open for children in about two weeks.

The playground equipment is stainless steel and manufactured by Landscape Structures. Frasier has been part of Parkitects for 29 years. The company is celebrating its 30^th anniversary.

Frasier said the new playground is phase 1 of an initiative to give Lyndonville the best his company has to offer.

Frasier, during an August Board of Education meeting, said he has profound memories of growing up in Lyndonville and playing on the former wooden playground at the school. The community came together nearly 50 years ago to build that playground.

“This playground taught me about the power of community,” he said showing a photo of the former site.

Frasier wants phase 2 to a be a larger playground for older kids in the elementary school. He believes the project can happen through fund-raising, grants and donations.

Phase 2 would include some larger equipment including Super Netplex Towers, ZipKrooz, Oodles Swing, Sensory Tunnel, Rollerslide with Exit Bench, and a 7-Post Hex Net. Frasier would like to see the next phase installed in about a year.

Phase 3 could include a shelter for parents and grandparents to stay in the shade while children are on the playground.

Ben Frasier tries out the We-Go-Round. It has space for children in wheelchairs to get inside and enjoy the ride.

Provided photo: Jake Jackson concentrates on a shot during a billiards tournament. He will represent Team USA in the Billard Congress of America’s 2026 World Pool Association World Junior 10-Ball Championship later this month in San Antonio.

LYNDONVILLE – Three years of hard work and dedication have paid off for a 17-year-old senior at Lyndonville Central School.

Jake Jackson, 17, is a senior at Lyndonville’s L.A. Webber Middle-High School. He stands in a pool hall after competing in a tournament. The teen has been competing in pool tournaments since he was 14.

Jake Jackson has been selected by the Billard Congress of America to represent Team USA at the 2026 World Pool Association World Junior 10-Ball Championships in San Antonio, Texas.

Jake and his parents, Roger and Terah Jackson, will be heading to San Antonio on Oct. 22 for the week-long tournament. He narrowly missed qualification in 2025 when he placed fifth at the qualifier in Dubuque, Iowa.

This past July, Jake received a wild card invitation from the Billard Education Foundation and USA Cue Sports to fill an open spot for Team USA at the championships in San Antonio.

To cover travel expenses, the family is hosting a benefit and prize drawing at Bison Billiards, located at the back of Eastern Hills Mall. The date will be announced soon.

“We are grateful for the support of Jake’s sponsors, Adam Japan Cues,  InThBX Sports Gear and Bison Billiards of Williamsville,” said Roger Jackson.

Raffle tickets can be purchased from Jake, Roger or Terah Jackson on social media or by stopping at Salon de Coiffeur on Maple Ridge Road in Medina.

Jake started playing in the Nationals at age 14. He also has another big tournament coming up in December near Miami, called “The 64.” It is an invitation-only junior tournament for players 20 years old and under, with a grand prize of $10,000 for travel expenses for the season and other sponsor opportunities.

This photo from April 2024 from Whitney McDowell of Lyndonville shows two swans and their newly-hatched babies behind the Yates Community Library in Lyndonville. The father swan recently died of natural causes.

LYNDONVILLE – There will be a walk on Sunday at 2 p.m. for people to show their respect and appreciation for the male swan at Lyndonville that died in June.

That swan was an iconic part of Lyndonville for many years. It passed away not long after four baby swans hatched. The mother swan has helped those new swans grow. Their wings are starting to turn white and they seem ready to try flying, said Chris Schilling, who has organized the walk on Sunday.

Schilling has been a Lyndonville resident for the summers since 2008. She feels blessed that the swans are part of the community, and she is sad that the father swan has died.

“I’ve loved the swans ever since I’ve lived here,” she said this morning. “I really believe these swans are beautiful.”

On Sunday, the walk will start at 2 p.m. from the parking lot of the United Methodist Church. People will then walk to the dam and behind the library where the swans can often be seen.

Provided photo

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Class of 1976 celebrated its 50^th reunion recently at the Webber Cafe.

“It was an enjoyable evening of sharing memories and reconnecting,” said classmate Elaine Smith.

Pictured in front row: Bill Jurinich, Kathy Rogers Snowburg, Anne Hyndman, Peter Panek, Bob Rucinski, Sandy Weaver Mitchell, Cheryl Mahnke Watson and Steve Hill.

Middle row: Cheryl DeBrine, Scott Thurber, Norm Starkweather Mary Rey Hughes, Elaine Peruzzini Smith, Joanne Eddy Nesbitt and Paula Bentley Nesbitt.

Back row: Dean Harris, Jim Bell, Steve Culmo, Scott Mason Next Row from Top: John Kage, Cheryl Woodworth Eggleston and James Young.

Missing: Frank Brabon (out of building when photo taken).

Photos by Ginny Kropf: A seasoned flyer glides to a landing in his paramotor after a short flight. The public is welcome to bring their lawn chairs and watch the flying activity most evenings.

LYNDONVILLE – A new flying school has gotten off the ground on Lakeshore Road, near Lyndonville.

Airborne Acres is a passion of Kayla “Kale” Browning, 28, who is a jet pilot, but recently became interested in paramotors.

“I grew up thinking aviation was not an option for me, because you either had to be rich or ‘know somebody’,” Browning said.” With more research, I found out a career in aviation was very possible. You just needed to get creative and be willing to work hard while staying consistent.”

Browning is from Williamsfield, an Amish community in Ohio, where after graduating from high school, decided she wanted some excitement in her life.

“I woke up one day, put everything I owned in my car and researched ‘cheapest flight school in America,’” Browning said. “One in Miami came up and I left. I made ends meet working three jobs while going to flight school. This was back in 2017.”

(Left) Kayla Browning sits in the hanger she outfitted with a classroom to teach people how to fly a paramotor. (Right) Kayla “Kale” Browning watches a paramotor in the air from a landing strip carved out of a farmer’s field on Lakeshore Road, Lyndonville. She opened Airborne Acres, a flying school, this summer.

Browning first flew in gliders and got her pilot’s license when she was 18. That would lead to a job flying a jump plane for parachutists, until she advanced to jet planes. She now flies jets for private owners, in addition to running Airborne Acres.

When she became interested in paramotors, 2-cylinder gas-powered flying machines that strap on the flyers back, she started looking for a place to start a paramotor school. A friend in Youngstown told her of the property at 10954 Lakeshore Rd., which already had an airstrip built by Robert Williams for his private plane.

She arrived here in April 2024, purchased the 38-acre property and started making improvements. She mowed the 3,000-foot landing strip, which took her three days, cleaned out the hangar on the property and built a classroom and shower.  She also built a patio, dug the trench for water lines and put in water and electricity herself.

Instructor Chris Holbert straps Robin Boyle of Medina into a paramotor rigged to teach people how to fly one.

To get the word out, Browning began advertising the adventure on Facebook. Last November, she entered a float in Medina’s Parade of Lights. She had 11 students last year and this year her class has more than doubled. Her project has drawn attention from paramotor owners from around the country, including Chris Holbert, a paramotor instructor from Ohio who also has a school there.

“He is one of the best pilots in the world,” Browning said.

He sees the venture as a great way to get the community together. Friends and neighbors are invited to bring their lawn chairs and watch the activity, usually starting at about 6 p.m. most days.

“A paramotor is an incredibly unique way to fly,” Browning said. “It is the fastest and cheapest way to learn to fly.”

It’s possible to be able to fly in 10-14 days, at a cost of about $3,000, and own an aircraft for $8,000, plus $3,000 for wings, she said.

She has had students from Maine and Texas, and currently has one from Canada. Visitors have come from Tennessee, California and Norway, in addition to local visitors from all over Western New York.

Scott Julius of Hamburg also contributes to the success of Airborne Acres, as a discovery flight/tandem pilot. Tandem flights are available in a 55 h.p. aircraft.

 On Friday night, Alexis Hyman of Strykersville came to take a discovery flight.

“My sister tried it a year ago and now has her own paramotor,” Hyman said.

It is possible to do aerobatics, including rolls, in a paramotor, as a pilot demonstrated Friday night.

“He is one of the best pilots in the world,” Browning said.

A paramotor is capable of flying to 12,000 feet, however, flights are usually no more than 1,500 feet.

Weather permitting, flying is usually going on early in the morning and after 6 p.m. The typical season is April to October.

Anyone interested in learning to fly a paramotor can contact Airborne Acres at (305) 923-4238 or at flyairborneacres@gmail.com.

A student comes in for a landing in his paramotor at Airborne Acres on Lakeshore Road.

Photos courtesy of Andrea Farwell: Adults have fun at a beanbag toss earlier this year, just one of many events the church sponsors for young and old. A free Family Carnival for the community is planned next Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

YATES – Fun-filled family-oriented events for members and the community are a top priority for the Yates Baptist Church.

Earlier this summer their members decided they wanted to host a free event for the community where the Gospel could be presented, and they decided to host a Family Carnival, with events for the entire family.

A committee was set up, with Corrine Mt. Pleasant as chair.

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 29 at the church on Yates Center Road.

The afternoon will feature games, crafts, animals, prizes, caricatures, face painting, food and archery by Merle Fredericks, a member of the church.

Andrea Farwell, one of the members of the carnival committee, said they had a similar event when they celebrated the church’s bicentennial in 2022 and they are hoping for a large turnout on Saturday as well.

Programs for youth are popular at Yates Baptist Church. Here the youth and leaders pose after a creek float, which was followed by a bonfire.

Yates Baptist Church was founded 204 years ago. She has been a member for nine years, while her husband has attended there his entire life. They are now raising their three children there, Farwell said.

She said it was almost two years ago when Pastor Lyell Drake retired and Pastor Eric Wolbert took the role of lead pastor.

“He has been an answer to our prayers,” she said. “The transition was seamless. The Bible, as God’s inerrant Word, is the foundation of our church and is preached weekly.”

The church has a thriving Wednesday night Family Night program which meets throughout the school year.  Many families join in for dinner, worship, games and Bible study, Farwell said. This year’s Family Night starts Sept. 16 and runs from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m.

The Youth Group at YBC is also very active and gathered throughout the summer for bonfires, pool nights, kickball, bowling and floating down the creek.

The community is also invited to attend worship at 9:45 a.m. Sundays, followed by Sunday School and a family hour at 11:15 a.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Joanne Suhr leads the Lyndonville Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

LYNDONVILLE – When Joanne Suhr was elected to serve as president of the Lyndonville Board of Education last month, school officials thought she might be making history as the first woman to serve in the role.

After digging deep in district history, it turns out Suhr is the second woman to serve as board president. Elaine Wilson was the first back in 1958-’59.

Suhr was elected by the other board members on July 14 to serve as board president this school year. She joined the board about a year ago. She was elected as a board member on May 20, 2025.

Suhr retired in June 2022 after working 30 years as an elementary school teacher. Her final year she was honored as the district’s “Educator of the Year” when she was a third grade teacher who specialized in teaching math.

She also has served on the Town of Yates Planning Board and the Town of Yates Bicentennial Committee.

During this past Tuesday’s meeting, she said the district is getting ready for the new school year, with contractors working long hours on a capital project. Some of that construction work will extend into the school year with crews working after the school day is over, Suhr said.

Some of the work includes new ADA-compliant bathrooms, new HVAC and air conditioning, and new windows for the upstairs of the schools.

Suhr succeeds Patrick Whipple as the board president.

Joanne Suhr leads the meeting on Tuesday in the school cafeteria. Next to her are Dr. Heather Lyon, the district superintendent at left, and Tanya Marek, administrative assistant to the superintendent at right.

Parkitects will install phase 1 of new playground in October

Photos by Tom Rivers: Ben Frasier, owner and president of Parkitects, goes over the layout of a playground to be built in phases at Lyndonville Central School, with phase 1 to be constructed in early October. Frasier is a 1988 Lyndonville graduate.

LYNDONVILLE – A Lyndonville graduate who owns a company that designs and installs playgrounds wants to build the “greatest playground in the land” in his hometown.

Ben Frasier, owner and president of Parkitects, shared his vision of the playground with the Lyndonville Board of Education on Tuesday. Frasier said the funds are already in place for phase 1 of the playground. Parkitects will install the first phase in early October.

The company based in Buffalo has built million-dollar playgrounds at several school districts, including one in Kendall last year. He wants the best one for his hometown, and he said Parkitects will be doing it at a discount with some donated apparatus and in-kind services.

Phase 1 includes a We-Go-Round, Sway Fun Glider, We-Saw and other equipment that will be accessible to kids of all abilities and mobilities. Lyndonville two years ago approved using $160,000 in its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stimulus funds toward the project, with Parkitects donating other features, including a sensory dome.

The new playgrounds are inclusive for people of abilities and mobilities. He highlighted several new playgrounds including the one at Kendall Elementary School. As he showed photos of those elaborate playgrounds, Frasier asked, “Why can’t the kids in Lyndonville have this?”

Frasier said he has profound memories of growing up in Lyndonville and playing on the former wooden playground at the school. The community came together nearly 50 years ago to build that playground.

“This playground taught me about the power of community,” he said showing a photo of the former site.

Ben Frasier shared a photo of the former wooden playground at the school. He said he was 10 when it was constructed at Lyndonville and the community helped install it. “I played on that playground everyday for two years,” he said. “I was really shaped by play.”

Lyndonville already has $160,000 set aside for phase 1. The Board of Education about two years ago approved that amount in federal stimulus money towards the first phase of the new playground. Parkitects also is donating some extra pieces to the first phase and company will install it in early October.

Frasier will be at a back-to-school open house to share his plans for an even bigger playground. He also will be attending two school assemblies in September to build excitement with students for phase 1.

On September 10, there will be a meeting for the community from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss the playground plans and how it will be designed for inclusive play for children of all abilities.

Frasier wants the larger project and he believes through fund-raising, grants and donations Lyndonville can make it a reality.

Phase 2 would include some larger equipment including Super Netplex Towers, ZipKrooz, Oodles Swing, Sensory Tunnel, Rollerslide with Exit Bench, and a 7-Post Hex Net.

He would like to see phase 2 be constructed next year. He also would like to see a phase 3 for a full buildout that would include a shelter for parents and grandparents to stay in the shade while children are on the playground.

Dr. Heather Lyon, the district superintendent, thanked Frasier for bringing a strong passion and commitment to the project, which she said will not include any local school funding. She looks forward to seeing kids of all abilities on the playground.

“Students who have never been able to use our playgrounds will be able to and that is something to celebrate,” Lyon said.