ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday evening voted in support of a new 184-foot-high telecommunications tower in Yates on the Yates-Carlton Town Line Road.

Tarpon Towers would own the tower, about 1,000 feet north of Route 18. Tarpon plans to lease out space to other companies.

The project is designed to increase capacity and improve phone coverage throughout the eastern portion of Yates, western part of Carlton, northeastern portion of Ridgeway, and northwestern portion of Gaines.

The tower also will allow Verizon to offload current overloaded sites/cells. Jared Lusk, a real estate attorney with Nixon Peabody, told county planners there is room for at least two companies to co-locate on the tower with the possibility for more.

The tower will go on land owned by Bradley Bentley. It will be built on a concrete pad that is 4 by 11.6 feet. There will also be a structure that is 6.3 feet by 6.3 feet to house supporting equipment.

Robert Smith overcomes obstacles to downtown revitalization with 3 storefronts, 4 hotel rooms

Photos by Tom Rivers: Robert Smith is pleased with the progress with renovating three Main Street buildings behind him in Lyndonville. He is seeking tenants for the storefronts, and expects four hotel rooms to be ready in April.

LYNDONVILLE – Robert Smith sees lots of potential in his hometown. The Lyndonville native now lives in Palm Springs, Calif., where he has worked as a financial advisor for nearly four decades.

But he comes home often to see family and friends, and to check up on a construction project that he hopes will add to Lyndonville’s quality of life. After more than three years of construction, three of Lyndonville’s Main Street buildings are nearly ready for tenants, and four hotel rooms will be available in the spring.

Smith took on the project, giving the three buildings a major transformation. The buildings don’t have tenants yet, but Smith sees many possibilities for the spaces – from cafes, restaurants, retail businesses, receptions for parties and events, shared work space and a certified kitchen that can be rented out, just to name a few options.

This 1,400-square-foot space looks much different than when it was a liquor store years ago.

“There are a lot of opportunities,” Smith said on Saturday, giving a tour of the nearly finished first floors. “It’s an open footprint. We’re really ready to start entertaining tenants.”

He welcomed people interested in the space to reach out to him at 760-408-8686.

Smith hosted a group on Saturday morning to breakfast and coffee before they went out and set more than 400 wreaths on veterans’ graves. On Sunday he had an appreciation gathering for the contractors who have worked on the project.

Mike Preston & Son Construction in Lyndonville served as general contractor on the Webber Building at 29 South Main St. Papilia and Sons, led by Ferdinando Papalia, did the bulk of the work as general contractor on the two other buildings.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Here is how the building looked in 2018 before the construction started.

The Webber site has about 2,200 square feet of space on the first floor. The next two buildings have about 1,400 square feet in the former liquor store and about 1,500 square feet in the former sweet shop. The site also has outdoor patio space after the former Pennysaver building had to be knocked down when it’s roof caved in in February 2020 due to heavy snow and ice.

Smith said there could be pop-up vendors as tenants who may only need a small amount of room.

John Belson, the Lyndonville mayor, praised Smith for seeing the project through many challenges, including Covid restrictions and supply chain shortages that slowed down construction.

“It’s been trials and tribulations,” Belson said. “It’s been a huge undertaking.”

Some of community members were welcomed inside the Webber building on Saturday. Steve Goodrich, second from left, and Scott Goetze, both members of the American Legion in Lyndonville, spoke to a group on Saturday morning before they went to place wreaths on 441 veterans’ graves. Robert Smith, back left, invited the group inside the newly renovated Webber Hotel/Cafe on Main Street. Jim Simon, Yates town supervisor, is at right.

Smith adapted his overall plan when the Pennysaver building had to be taken down.

“It’s amazing,” Belson said about the repurposed buildings. “Hopefully it will help bring Lyndonville back. Having it come to fruition is good for the town, village and everybody.”

The village was able to help Smith secure a state grant that contributed about $400,000 towards the project.

The buildings have a fresh and modern look, with new plumbing, HVAC and drywall.

Darlene Hartway, one of the owners of Sourced Market & Eatery in Medina, is managing the certified kitchen at the Webber building. She plans to offer cooking classes. She said the kitchen can be renting out by others.

Smith plans a local advertising campaign when the hotel rooms are ready, likely in April. He sees a need for places to stay in Lyndonville with White Birch hosting many weddings and events on Route 63. There are also fishermen and many others who come to the community, including drivers for the Amish and Mennonite communities.

Robert Smith sees lots of potential for Lyndonville’s Main Street with three storefronts nearly ready.

Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club

LYNDONVILLE – In an effort to encourage and thank the residents for their decorating skills, the Lyndonville Lions Club will sponsor its annual “Spirit of Christmas” lights and decoration contest, with plaques awarded to the homes that are picked as the winners of the contest.

Residents do not need to pre-register their homes for contest entry.  “Spirit of Christmas” Committee members will be the judges of the contest.

In order to have your home included in the judging you need to have your lights and decorations turned on by 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 21. The judges will canvas the entire Lyndonville area.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – A volunteer carries wreaths to be placed at veterans’ graves at Lynhaven Cemetery on Housel Avenue in Lyndonville.

Volunteers placed 441 wreaths at veterans’ graves on Saturday as part of the Wreaths Across America observance.

Of the wreaths, 420 were set at Lynhaven, with others put at veterans’ grave sites at Yates Center Cemetery, Robin Hill Estate, the Greenman Road Cemetery, Lott Cemetery on Angling Road and a cemetery on Marshall Road.

Steve Goodrich, right, is coordinator of the Wreaths effort in Lyndonville. He presents a wreath to Anna Stelianou, who pays for the wreaths in Lyndonville through an endowment. Stelianou funded the effort in honor of her five brothers who served in WWII and the Korean War.

She is joined by her nephew Richard Stelianou. They set wreaths by the graves at Lynhaven for her brothers: Peter, George and Fred “Fotius.”

Anna Stelianou traveled from the Buffalo area to help lay the wreaths, even in the cold weather.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said.

Lyndonville first joined the Wreaths Across America effort in 2019. Medina has been doing it since 2013. The Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke also had a ceremony and wreath-laying on Saturday.

There were about 3,400 communities who joined Wreaths Across America on Saturday.

Carl Boyle, a long-time member of the Houseman-Tanner Post 1603 American Legion in Lyndonville, helped lay the wreaths on Saturday.

Steve Goodrich, site coordinator, welcomes the volunteers who helped place the wreaths. He led a short ceremony that included ceremonial wreaths set up in honor of POWs, MIAs, and branches of the military including the Space Force, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Merchant Marines.

Herb Bohnet of Lyndonville was buddled up while placing the wreaths. The volunteers also retrieved flags at the veterans’ graves that have been out since close to Memorial Day in late May.

The wreaths are expected to be displayed for two to three months.

Jackie Lonnen joined the volunteers for Wreaths Across America on Saturday in Lyndonville.

Eric Harling carries wreaths to veterans’ graves at Lynhaven. He and his wife, Yates Town Clerk Shelly Harling, were among the volunteers.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Don Melfi gathers bags of oranges to give to people in this morning’s food distribution at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church’s parking lot.

There were bags and boxes of food for about 250 families. The church has hosted the distributions for most of the Covid pandemic and has a food pantry for years before Covid hit in March 2020.

Kyle Sentiff, 27, collects squash and other vegetables for one of the vehicles. The distribution was scheduled to start at 8:30, but icy roads delayed the FoodLink truck until about 9:30. Many of the people showed up very early for the distribution and waited two hours of more.

Sentiff is an elder at the Presbyterian Church. He likes to volunteer at the distributions when he has a day off.

“I’m just here to help when I can,” he said. “It’s great to see the churches step up for the community.”

FoodLink will continue the distributions in Lyndonville until at least June. The upcoming schedule includes Jan. 13, Feb. 3, March 3, March 24, April 7, April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2 and June 23.

Craig Rhodenizer (in back with beard) is pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church on Route 18 in Yates. He leads the group in a prayer before the distribution. Rhodenizer asked for God’s blessing on the people lined up receiving the food, and for others who need the food but weren’t able to be there that morning. Jim Wells, one of the volunteers, is at right.

Other pastors at the distribution this morning included Lyle Drake of the Yates Baptist Church and Tim Schultz of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church. Martha Mitchell of the Presbyterian Church is usually at the events as well.

Schultz lives across the street from the Presbyterian Church and he some of the cars start showing up at 4 in the morning for the distributions. He is impressed the volunteers are so dependable, even when it’s cold and icy.

“It does amaze me how the volunteers just show up in the inclement weather,” he said.

Pastor Lyle Drake grabs bottles of salsa during the morning’s distribution.

Pat Wilcox lifts a bag of oranges for the distribution. She recently starting volunteering after retiring from LynOaken Farms.

“I enjoy it,” she said. “People need help and I can do something, and you meet a lot of other people.”

DeeAnn Diermyer, left, and her sister Denise Adams, both of Medina, were up early to help with the distribution. Diermyer has volunteered at the events since they started, and also has helped run the food pantry at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church for 13 years. She attends the United Methodist Church.

Diermyer said many local residents are struggling to pay their bills and are relying on the distributions and food pantries.

“The people are more in need now,” she said. “The prices are so high right now.”

Gary Daum has been volunteering at the distributions for about two years. He was at the spot with potatoes grown by Triple G Farms of Barre. Daum said he sees many senior citizens at the distirbutions. They pick up food not only for themselves but for friends who don’t drive or who can’t make it in person.

Provided photo: Students from Lyndonville Central School pose with volunteer DeeAnn Diermyer and the food they collected for a food drive to benefit the Lyndonville-Yates Emergency Food Pantry. From left are Diermyer, Austin Gardner, Alex Wilson, Jack Nesbitt, Justin Higgins, Justin Pittler and Chris Mondoux.

LYNDONVILLE – Collecting food for the Lyndonville-Yates Emergency Food Pantry is an annual project for students at Lyndonville Central School.

Every year during Advent, the school’s Leo Club, under the direction of teachers Gina Marker and Teresa Pierson, encourage the entire school district to collect canned goods for the food pantry, better known as LYFE.

The food pantry is an ecumenical effort between churches in Yates and Lyndonville and is totally supported by local donations and help from Foodlink, said Martha Mitchell, pastor of the Lyndonville Methodist Church.

The school just completed its food drive and the boxes of food have been delivered to the pantry.

“This year our shelves were dangerously low, so the extra support from the school means a lot at this holiday season,” Mitchell said.

“I love that the Leo Club is teaching our youth how to embrace service in the community,” she said. “That is a mindset that, hopefully, will carry over into their adulthood.”

The LYFE pantry is supported by the Lyndonville United Methodist Church, Yates Baptist Church, Lyndonville Presbyterian Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church.

The pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday to Thursday for area residents. Every Christmas, LYFE provides boxes of food with turkeys and many food staples. The boxes also include gifts for children in the families.

In addition, the pantry hosts two Foodlink pop-up pantry deliveries a month.

Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – A new pier was built last month at the Yates Town Park on Morrison Road. Keeler Construction in Barre was the general contractor on the project.

The pier is 75 feet long. Yates town officials said people can use the pier to enjoy sightseeing and fishing. Boats won’t be allowed to tie up to the pier unless it’s an emergency.

The new pier is part of a $2.5 million upgrade at the park. The improvements include a pavilion with bathrooms, new playground equipment, a kayak launch, a crusher-run walking trail, and new parking lot with sidewalks.

The pier is the last major project at the park but some additional work remains to be completed in the spring: a cement pad and grill next to new pavilion, cement pad and water fountain next to playground, three bench sunshades around playground, security camera system, and staining of cedar of the pavilion, Town Supervisor Jim Simon said.

The projects are 95 percent funded by the state, which made $300 million available to southshore communities  through the state’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative or REDI.

That was in response to historic flooding along the shore in 2017 and 2019. That flooding destroyed part of the shoreline at the Yates park and the town used a separate $400,000 grant from the state to put in a massive breakwall.

The local share is about $126,000. The Lyndonville Area Foundation gave $100,000 towards the local portion, with the town highway department providing in-kind services to meet the remaining local contribution. The highway department has removed trees, hauled stone and milled the driveway.

A new concrete kayak launch also was recently completed by Keeler. The launch provides handicapped accessibility to the shore, instead of having to climb down the breakwall.

The launch is a sizable ramp, which was needed to withstand the waves from Lake Ontario that often can be 3 to 4 feet.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: From left are youth leaders Greg Nowicki, Amanda Nowicki, Taleana Farrell and Myra Seaman from the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church presenting a check to Steve Goodrich, commander of the Houseman-Tanner American Legion Post and a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church. The check represents proceeds from a benefit the youth group did for veterans. Standing at right are Tom Wenhold and June Seaman. Youth are Paisley and Dixie Nowicki. Missing are Brooklyn Seaman, Connie Lawley and Harriet Petrie.

LYNDONVILLE – When the youth at Lyndonville Presbyterian Church wanted to do something for the community, they decided to have a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and donate the proceeds to a worthy cause.

They had no trouble choosing a recipient.

Pastor Martha Mitchell said Steve Goodrich, commander of the Houseman-Tanner American Legion Post, is a member of the church and they approached him about making a donation to help veterans.

Because suicide is a big problem among veterans, it was decided to give the proceeds to Veterans’ Outreach Center in Monroe County, an organization which provides services and counseling to veterans in Monroe and Orleans County.

The dinner was a huge success and the food was delicious, Mitchell said. Four hundred meals were served, and as a result, a check for $550 was presented to Goodrich on behalf of the Veterans’ Outreach Center.

“We need to teach our children to do things for others,” Mitchell said. “The children felt the good of it, while also helping veterans.”

A portion of the proceeds was kept to help send the church youth to camp at Camp Whitman, where they attend every summer.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville community checks out the array of 98 Christmas trees that were decorated by families, business and local organizations.

The lights were turned on this evening by Santa. The trees are expected to be up until about Jan. 1.

Santa Claus arrives by a sleigh pulled by a fire truck. He went to an electric switch at the “North Pole” and pulled a candy cane to light up the trees.

The 98 trees is a new record for Lyndonville. There were 26 the first year in 2013 and it has grown steadily each year to 88 in 2021 and now at nearly 100.

The community buys a tree and decorates it. The cost was up from $30 to $35. The increase would have been more but an anonymous donor picked up the rest of the increase.

Teri Woodworth, the village clerk/treasurer and one of the key organizers of “Christmas in Lyndonville, leads Santa from Veterans Park to the Village Hall.

Sierra Frasier, 10, and her sister Molly Frasier, 11, of Lyndonville are in good spirits while visiting with Santa.

Ariel Avery, 8, of Lyndonville shares a Christmas wish list with Santa.

Before Santa made it to the park, students from Lyndonville sang Christmas carols outside the Yates Community Library.

Logan Gerling, 13, pets a donkey after offering it a cracker. Daniel Porter of Lyndonville, next to Logan, brought the donkey, two sheep and two goats. He has brought animals to the annual event for nine years.

Kim Coon of Lyndonville makes Santa Claus crafts with her daughters, Rowe, 3, and Jade, 6. The library offered several activities for the day’s celebration, including a Christmas bingo, hot cocoa and other crafts.

The lighting of the trees was one of the highlights of the day.

This “Gnome for the Holidays!!!!” tree was decorated the Fiegl family.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Trupo: The Senior High Area All-State Treble Choir sings at Gates Chili on Saturday.

Elizabeth Whipple

GATES – Elizabeth Whipple, a soprano from Lyndonville, was selected to sing with the Senior High Zone 2 Area All-State Treble Choir at Gates-Chili over the weekend.

This was the first senior high Area All-State festival NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) zone 2 has hosted in several years because of Covid.

To be accepted into these select groups students must perform a NYSSMA solo at solo festival and receive a top score. They are selected from a pool based on their score and teacher recommendations.

Zone 2 covers schools from Lyndonville to the other side of Wayne County. Whipple was the only student from Orleans County to sing in the festival.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville elementary students are performing Moana Jr., a musical based on the 2016 Disney film Moana.

The first show was Friday night with another today at 1 p.m. at the school’s Stroyan Auditorium, 25 Housel Ave. Admission is free with donations accepted.

The top photo shows Moana (right) played by Madelyn Ingersol and Maui, played by Fatima Lieberman. In this scene Maui receives his hook as a gift from the goddess Te Fiti. Moana, right, sails the ocean looking for Te Ka.

There are 33 students in the hour-long production. The fifth- and sixth-graders have been rehearsing for about seven weeks.

“They are a great group of kids,” said Jennifer Trupo, director. “They have worked very hard.”

“Right Claw” Landon Buffin, Tomatoa as Adrianna Vanderbilt and “Left Claw” Thalia Heinsler perform in Moana. Tamatoa sings all about themselves “in song form.”

Maui (Fatima Lieberman) and Moana (Madilyn Ingersoll) to fight Te Ka.

Moana is an adventurous young Pacific Island girl who embarks on a daring mission across the Pacific Ocean to save her people. Moana, a princess, has always felt connected to the ocean. Despite her parents’ wishes, she follows her calling and sails out to sea in order to return the long lost heart of the goddess Te Fiti, the mother island.

Along the way she meets Maui, a fallen demigod with an ego problem. Despite his attitude, Maui agrees to accompany Moana on her journey. They sail far across the waters together and work through many tough situations, from the Realm of Monsters to the Demon of Fire, Te Ka. Through all of this they finally are able to complete their journey and return the Heart.

Harli Crawford, in green, portrays the The Goddess Te Fiti. In this scene Moana restores the heart of Te Fiti and Te Ka transforms into Te Fiti.

Villagers and Ancestors sing about setting a course, knowing the way and being wayfinders at the end of the production. Form left include Janelly Garcia Cruz, Liliana Nye, Harli Crawford, Robin Botsford and Emily Kroll.

Moana and her parents sing about being wayfinders. From left include Chief Tui (Leah Casanova), Moana (Madilyn Ingersoll) and Sina (Karalyn Klotzbach).

Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – The Town of Yates hosted a bicentennial celebration on Saturday at the Yates Town Park, which has received $2.5 million in upgrades.

The top photos shows Town Supervisor Jim Simon cutting a cake with Mary Scarlett, the town’s oldest resident at age 96; and Sandra Houseman Gapa, who is descended from George Houseman, one of the town’s first residents in 1809. He was Gapa’s great-great-great-great grandfather.

Saturday’s event was the third and final bicentennial party for the town. The “Grand Finale Lake Fair” followed the “Family Fair” in July and the “Street Dance” in August.

Sandra Houseman Gapa, 63, said George Houseman moved to Yates in 1809 and died in 1814. (Yates was originally part of the town of Ridgeway before forming its own town in 1822.)

Houseman Gapa said she is grateful her family has stayed in the town for more than 200 years. She raised three children in Lyndonville and Yates.

“It’s a great school system,” she said. “We’re all neighbors here.”

Town Supervisor Jim Simon tries some of the new playground equipment with his granddaughter, 2 ½-year-old Adelaide.

The new playground was designed by Parkitects, which is owned by Lyndonville native Ben Frasier, a 1988 Lyndonville graduate. The playground equipment includes several handicapped accessible features. The playground is on a rubber surface.

The cedar pavilion was named in honor of Russ Martino, a former town supervisor who led the town government when the 5 acres was acquired 25 years ago for the park.

State Sen. Rob Ortt is speaking in this photo. He said the park’s location by the lake offered a striking location for residents and families to get some recreation and respite.

“This has to be one of the most beautiful views from a park in all of New York State.”

The Simon brothers – John Paul, Elijah and Sharbel – sang the first and fourth verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.” Their father is the town supervisor.

American Legion members Scott Goetze and Bob Burtwell, left, were part of the Honor Guard for the ceremony.

State Sen. Rob Ortt presents a proclamation to Simon in honor of the town’s 200^th anniversary. Eileen Banker, right, is chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley who also had a proclamation for the town’s bicentennial from the State Assembly.

Ortt also praised Simon and the Town Board for pushing for the park upgrades which were 95 percent funded through the New York State’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).

Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature supported the $300 million in REDI projects along the southshore to help fight erosion and flooding, and also boost tourism and recreation opportunities for residents, Ortt said.

The Yates projects at the park also include a kayak launch, bolstered shoreline, pier and walking trail, as well as the playground and pavilion.

Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, a Yates resident, presents a proclamation from the County Legislature on behalf of Yates’ bicentennial.