Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Earl Schmidt carries a wreath to place on the grave of a veteran in Lynhaven Cemetery in Lyndonville this morning.

Schmidt was among a group of eight volunteers who placed wreaths on 420 graves of veterans at cemeteries in the community. He also retrieved flags from the graves that had been out since near Memorial Day.

This is the second year Lyndonville has participated in Wreaths Across America.

Of the 420 graves, 402 were at Lynhaven Cemetery. There were also 13 at Yates Center Cemetery, 2 at the Robin Hill Estate, and 1 each at the Greenman Road Cemetery, Lott Cemetery on Angling Road and a cemetery on Marshall Road.

John Follman, an Air Force veteran for 27 years, helps to hand out the wreaths at Lynhaven.

“This is another way to honor our veterans,” he said. “You can’t do enough.”

Yates Town Clerk Shelly Harling carries wreaths to the veterans’ graves. She helped to research the gravesites for all of the veterans in the town of Yates. Initially that was a project spearheaded by the American Legion to identify all the sites for Memorial Day, so the Legion could place American flags on the gravesites.

Steve Goodrich, the Wreaths Across America location coordinator for Lyndonville, didn’t want a big group of volunteers today due to concerns about spreading Covid-19. Last year about 50 people help to set the wreaths.

He also decided against a ceremony because he doesn’t want to put people in added danger of Covid-19.

He praised Anna Stelianou, who is funding the effort. Last year was the first time Lyndonville was part of Wreaths Across America. Stelianou has provided the funding to the Lyndonville Area Foundation with an endowment to pay for the cost of the wreaths every year long into the future. The wreaths are $15 each with the current cost for all the wreaths about $6,000.

Stelianou is doing it in appreciation for the community’s kindness to her parents, Ary and Konstantina. They emigrated to Lyndonville from Greece after WWI. Stelianou also donated the money for the program in honor of her five brothers who served in WWII and the Korean War.

Stelianou said the community looked after her parents and their children, especially during the lean years of the Great Depression. Farmers in particular made sure the family had enough food to eat.

The Stelianou couple ran a small store on Main Street serving lunches, candy and ice cream. Anna Stelianou said the Lyndonville community welcomed her parents and helped them achieve the American dream.

Jim Wells, a Marine veteran, has his arms full of wreaths.

Eric Harling, center, joined the effort, helping his wife, Shelly Harling, and the other volunteers.

About 2,100 communities, including Medina, are participating in Wreaths Across America this year.

LYNDONVILLE – A new Dollar General store has been proposed for downtown Lyndonville at the former Crosby-Whipple Oil Corp. service station.

The Broadway Group, a commercial real estate developer from Huntsville, Alabama, is proposing to demolish and remove the Crosby-Whipple building at 30 North Main St. It would be replaced with a 7,200-square-foot Dollar General with 29 parking spaces.

The site is in a historic district and the building needs a “certificate of appropriateness” from the Village Planning Board.

Tara Mathias, development manager, met this evening with Planning Board members through Zoom video conferencing. She said the store can be designed in a way that fits in with the other buildings in the district.

She said the new store would revitalize the downtown and be convenient to the local residents.

“It’s just a quick trip down the street to the neighborhood store,” she said.

The building is on a 1-acre site and will need variances for setback distance. The store is the smallest building offered by Dollar General at 7,200 square feet. Most of the stores are over 9,000 square feet.

Patricia Gawne, a member of the Planning Board, asked why Dollar General wants another store only 4 miles from the one at the corner of Route 63 and Ridge Road in Ridgeway. That 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store opened in October 2014.

Mathias said Dollar General wants to cater to their customers, and there currently isn’t a Dollar General in the village.

Barbara Champlin, owner of the EZ Shop in Lyndonville, said the store will hurt the locally owned businesses in the community. She saw her grocery sales go down 30 percent when the store on Route 104 opened.

“I’ve seen the downside of these big corporate businesses coming in,” she said during the meeting this evening.

The Broadway Group will continue to work on the site plan and will apply for variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The village engineer, the MRB Group, said some of the drainage will be improved at the site by increasing a sewer line from 8 to 12 inches.

The village wants to make sure a retaining wall is adequate to protect the property from when there are rising waters at Johnson Creek.

The store plans to have eight to 10 employees, Mathias said.

The Planning Board also discussed two other projects in the village.

• Taller Communications Tower: SBA Communications wants to extend the cellular phone tower at 246 West Ave. by 25 feet to accommodate microwave dishes and additional equipment. The tower is currently 225 feet high.

Village officials believe the tower was originally 190 feet high and this would be the second extension. The MRB Group will review the project to make sure the tower would be structurally sound. There is a chance the company would need an easement from neighboring property owners if the fall line would extend into a neighbor’s property.

The project will be sent to the Orleans County Planning Board for its review and opinion.

• Solar project: Panek Farms wants to have a solar array constructed at 15 Linwood Drive. The project would generate 340 kilowatts of electricity to be used by the farm. The array would have 960 panels and run about 1,000 along the edge of the property in a spot that isn’t active farmland. Panek Farms is working with Solar Liberty on the project.

The solar panels would be set off from the road. When corn is high for several months a year the panels won’t be visible to people driving by or any neighbors, said Jim Panek of Panek Farms.

Steven Vann, the Planning Board chairman, wants the village engineer to review the project. Dan Wolfe, the village code enforcement officer, said the ground-mounted solar project is an allowable use because the electricity will be used by the farm and isn’t a utility-scale project.

The Planning Board next meets at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20.

Photos and information courtesy of Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – The school district held its National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society induction ceremony on Thursday evening. The students inducted into the National Honor Society include Tessa Heideman, Megan Ostrowski, Ethan Gardner, Amanda Garza, Shawna Grabowski, Alexis Hughes, Aasiya Huzair, Ella Lewis, Kate O’Brien, Maddox Stirk and Jack Whipple.

These students have maintained a 90% GPA from 8th grade through their present grade. Students were selected for membership based on their scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship.

National Junior Honor Society members include Madalynn Baker, Daniel Barry, Phinn Cousins, Bradley Jisa, Elizabeth Whipple and Tisha Zeitz.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district announced today that it will be going remote-only starting next week for the rest of December.

“As the number of positive Covid-19 cases continues to rise across New York State and Orleans County, it brings a number of challenges for our school district, including the ability to staff in-person learning with certified staff members,” Jason Smith, District superintendent, said in a letter to the community. “In addition, positive cases continue to grow and many staff and students are unable to attend in-person instruction given the close-contact quarantine mandate.”

Lyndonville will shift to remote-only on Dec. 14 and continue with on in-person classes until after the holidays on Jan. 4.

Batavia City School District in Genesee County also has switched to remote only due to the challenges of quarantining staff due to possible Covid exposures.

“I would like to thank you for your ongoing efforts to help minimize the spread of Covid-19 in our school and community,” Smith said in his letter. “With your assistance, we have been able to successfully keep our doors open and offer daily in-person instruction for all our students with remote instruction as an option.”

The district so far this school year has had three students and six staff members test positive for Covid.

“As you know, we have been in regular contact with the Orleans County Department of Health and are closely monitoring the rise of positive cases in our district,” Smith said. “Throughout the pandemic, we have had to make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

Smith outlined these key details for the district as part of the switch to remote-only:

• The last day of in-person instruction will be Friday, Dec. 11, for students in grades Pre-K to 5.
• For students in grades 6-12, the Academic Assistance Day for Dec. 11 will go on as planned. For students who are not expected to attend the Academic Assistance, their last day will be Thursday, Dec. 10.
• Free breakfast and lunch will continue to be available for all district students. During this closure, meals may be picked up each day from 9 to 11 a.m. in the parent drop off loop at the far cafeteria door.
• On Friday, Dec. 18, food pick up will contain meals for 3 days. There will be no meals served from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1. If meal delivery is needed, call 765-3122 to make a request.
• Students without internet access at home may request a Kajeet wireless hotspot by contacting Dr. Aaron Slack via email aslack@lcsdk12.org or by phone 765-3162.
• If a student requires transportation to and from BOCES:
• Walkers will continue to come to Lyndonville school district and board the bus to Orleans/Niagara BOCES. They will board the bus for the return trip to Lyndonville, and will walk home from school.
• For students who ride the bus to Lyndonville, contact the Lynn Fetzner at 765-2701 and Lyndonville will send a bus to pick up the student and at the completion of the day at BOCES, will be transported home.

LYNDONVILLE – Two elementary school teachers at Lyndonville have been selected in a rural teacher initiative.

Jenna Goheen

The Rural Schools Collaborative is an organization focused on gathering information from early career rural teachers from around the country. The organization wants to hear form the teachers what they think is necessary to prepare, recruit and retain high-quality teacher-leaders.

Jenna Goheen and Joseff Smith have been picked for the “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign.

Goheen, a first-grade teacher at Lyndonville, was selected by the Rural Schools Collaborative as an exemplary young rural educator.  The RSC wants her input as the group considers policy, networking and support for rural schools and teachers at the National Rural Education Association annual conference.

Joseff Smith

Joseff Smith, a fourth grade teacher, was selected to serve as an advisor on the Young Educators’ Advisory Council and will serve for two years engaging in online conversations. Smith’s experience, love of teaching and commitment to education will be an asset as he serves as a representative for Western New York.

Smith is the JV boys soccer coach at Lyndonville. He has previously taught math, science and history at multiple grades at a private rural school in North Carolina for two years. At that school he led the early college program, where over 80 percent of all high school students were dual enrolled in community college courses and high school classes.

Smith also has three years experience leading a team in sales, customer service and marketing for an international company.

These opportunities for Miss Goheen and Mr. Smith allow the Lyndonville school district to participate in the “I Am a Rural Teacher” campaign and contribute local voices to a national organization.

LYNDONVILLE – The high school will return to in-person classes on Tuesday for grades 9-12.

Lyndonville shifted to remote only for those grade levels today as a precaution so the Orleans County Health Department could do contact tracing after a confirmed case of Covid-19 on Sunday for a high school student.

The student was last on campus on Nov. 2, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.

“We have spoken to the Health Department and if your child is deemed a ‘close contact,’ you will be contacted and provided with further direction,” Smith said in a letter to the community today. “If your son/daughter is contacted and is put on mandatory quarantine, please call our school nurse, Mrs. Kurz, at 765-3124. We will work with your child about being fully remote during the quarantine period. Please note it is not necessary to take action unless you are personally notified by the Health Department.”

The district is committed to providing students and staff with a safe and healthy environment, Smith said.

“I assure you, our building will continue to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected,” he said. “I continue to be proud of our staff and students for adhering to the safety protocols we have in place. Our cleaning, social distancing, barriers and face covering are effective in preventing the spread of the virus on our campus. I ask that you please continue to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and wash your hands frequently.”

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High school student tests positive for Covid

LYNDONVILLE – The school district will shift to remote learning for grades 9-12 on Monday after the district was notified today that a high school student tested positive for Covid-19.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to allow time for contact tracing, all 9-12 students will be on remote/at home learning for Monday,” District Superintendent Jason Smith said in a message to the community on the school website.

This is the first Lyndonville student to test positive for Covid this school year. Lyndonville has also had one staff member with a confirmed case of Covid.

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LYNDONVILLE – The school district will have all third-graders do remote learning until Nov. 9 after a staff member contracted Covid-19.

The Orleans County Health Department instructed the district to make the shift to remote learning so students can quarantine at home until they are able to safely resume in-person instruction, said Jason Smith, school district superintendent.

“At this time, no additional members of the third grade staff or students are symptomatic,” Smith said in a notice to the community. “The District will continue to receive guidance and direction from the Orleans County Health Department. If students and staff remain asymptomatic, they will be able to return to school on Monday, November 9, 2020.”

In Lyndonville, students are able to do in-person learning for five days a week rather than a hybrid model.

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LYNDONVILLE – The school district has been notified by the Orleans County Health Department that a staff member has tested positive for Covid-19.

The staff member was last at the school campus on Oct. 23, District Superintendent Jason Smith wrote in a letter to the community.

“We have spoken to the Health Department and if your child is deemed a ‘close contact,’ you will be contacted by New York State Contract Tracers and provided with further direction,” Smith said. “If your son/daughter is contacted and is put on mandatory quarantine, please call our school nurse, Mrs. Kurz, at 765-3124.  We will work with your child about being fully remote during the quarantine period. Please note it is not necessary to take action unless you are personally notified by the Health Department.”

Lyndonville is the second of the five school districts to have a staff member test positive. Holley had a teacher test positive last Friday.

Lyndonville hasn’t had any students test positive for Covid so far this school year.

“We are committed to providing our students and staff with a safe and healthy environment,” Smith said in his letter. “I assure you, our building will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. I continue to be proud of our staff and students for adhering to the safety protocols we have in place. Our cleaning, social distancing, barriers and face covering are effective in preventing the spread of the virus on our campus. I ask that you please continue to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and wash your hands frequently.”

Lyndonville will continue to have in-person classes five days a week.

“We will monitor the situation closely and will notify you immediately if the Department of Health determines there is a need to close school—right now, this is NOT the case,” Smith said.

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Press Release, Save Ontario Shores

YATES – Local opposition to a proposed industrial wind turbine project in the towns of Somerset and Yates has increased significantly according to a new survey commissioned by Save Ontario Shores.

• 83% of the residents who participated in the survey in late August and early September said they were opposed to the Lighthouse Wind project, which calls for the construction in the two Lake Ontario shoreline communities of 47 turbines that would be 600 feet or taller. Including 240-foot long blades.

In 2015, the Town of Somerset’s survey showed that 67% of respondents were opposed to the project; SOS’s survey in Yates that year showed 78% were opposed.

“After five years, any lingering doubts about the level of opposition to this project has evaporated,” said SOS President Pam Atwater. “Governor Cuomo and project developer Apex should look very closely at these survey results and acknowledge that the project is not acceptable to our communities.”

In latest survey, 2,148 surveys were mailed to Somerset and Yates residents; 31% were returned to the Buffalo accounting firm Lumsden & McCormick, LLP, which tabulated the results. The survey margin of error is +/- 3%.

• The respondents also said they opposed industrial wind projects in the Great Lakes because of the negative impact it will have on fishing and boating (78% concerned); the legacy pollutants (chemicals remaining in the environment long after they were first brought into use – 78% concerned); and the number of birds and bats that would be killed by industrial wind turbine blades operating in the lake (84% concerned).

“Enough is enough! Each town, not the state, should decide for itself how best to contribute to a more sustainable future that is in harmony with the values and character of each community,” said Town of Yates Supervisor Jim Simon. “Our town is working with local farmers on the possibility of a renewable energy biodigester to convert cow manure into biogas. This initiative is proof that a community can contribute to the governor’s renewable energy goals while staying true to its rural character and residents’ desires.”

“Our town as well as all towns should be able to decide what is best for our community and residents, not the state,” said Town of Somerset Supervisor Jeff Dewart. “There is an 1,800-acre industrial site in Somerset that is closed. It would be a good place to put a solar farm and a data center, along with a multi-use site including a park for our town. This would demonstrate that our community is contributing to the governor’s renewable goals.”

• An overwhelming number, 89%, oppose legislation approved early this year by New York State giving Albany substantial power to rapidly review, evaluate and permit the siting of industrial wind turbine and solar energy projects with decreased opportunity for public or local municipality input.

Recent studies have estimated that using industrial wind and solar projects to meet the governor’s renewable energy goals will require hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Upstate New York, which currently produces 88% of its electricity from zero emissions generation (largely hydro-electric and nuclear). Downstate uses 70% fossil fuel generated electricity. 88% of the survey participants said Upstate New York was being asked to bear an unfair burden in order to meet the governor’s energy goals.

This survey is released as Governor Cuomo’s renewable siting office has draft regulations and standards that when finalized will decrease citizen and municipal voices and options, will lighten requirements for developers and speed up the siting process for projects so large that they will change the character of a region. Out-of-state developers profit at the expense of rural communities, rural habitat and wildlife in Upstate New York that is already saturated with zero emissions electricity.

“This is not just an assault on local rule – it’s an all-out declaration of war by the governor,” said Yates Town Board Member John Riggi.

• 86% of the respondents support establishing local moratoriums to study and develop standards for battery storage safety and transmission line construction before any new industrial wind and solar projects are constructed.

“We are calling on Governor Cuomo to explore alternative ways to reach statewide climate goals, and not force massive industrialization on communities like Somerset and Yates whose residents clearly do not want them and whose environment, economy and community character would be harmed by them,” Atwater said. “He should be developing an energy policy that brings together New Yorkers, not one that tears communities apart.”

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Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

Provided photo: Katy Franks holds the plaque she awarded by Brockport State College.

LYNDONVILLE – Katy Franks, a special education teacher for Lyndonville Central School District, was honored with a teacher educator award from Brockport State College.

She received Brockport’s Marguerite Hare Browne/Gerald L. Browne School-Based Teacher Educator Award (grades 7-12) for her outstanding dedication to SUNY students.

“Lyndonville Central School is proud to have Katy Franks as a teacher and a mentor to future educators,” said Lyndonville Superintendent Jason Smith. “She has worked for the district for over 15 years and is a true asset to our team.”

Franks is an exceptional school-based teacher educator who supports 7-12 teacher candidates enrolled in SUNY Brockport’s teacher certification program in the Department of Education and Human Development. To be nominated for this award, Franks demonstrated an exemplary performance as a teacher and has provided numerous opportunities for SUNY Brockport student-teachers to gain valuable experience working with students.

Although Franks is not “technically each (Brockport) student’s teacher of record, she is amazing and invests deeply in ensuring our adolescent level students placed at Lyndonville get rich experiences working with students with disabilities throughout their student-teaching,” stated Allison Wright of Brockport State College.

Franks is “very professional and always willing to go above and beyond,” said her previous direct supervisor, Anne Marie Holland. “She is a great role model for student teachers, field placements and for the new teachers she has mentored over the years.”

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LYNDONVILLE – National Grid has a planned outage for about an hour from 11:59 p.m. Friday until about 1 a.m. Saturday, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office announced today.

There are approximately 1,800 customers affected by this event in the village and surrounding towns, the EMO said.

The outage is for required station tests at the station located off of North Main Street and Railroad Avenue in the Village of Lyndonville.

The affected customers are in the entire Village of Lyndonville, the Town of Yates and parts of Ridgeway.

All customers have been forwarded a previously recorded phone message of the planned outage.

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This year’s event will be drive-through and carve at your home

Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School students K-6th grade can look forward to another year of pumpkin carving presented by the Lyndonville Lions Club.

The Lyndonville Lions Club is holding its annual Rick Callard Pumpkin Carving Contest between 10 a.m. and noon this Saturday.  The event will be held at the Lyndonville Fire Hall on Main Street.

However this year’s contest will be a little bit different. Due to current Covid-19 restrictions on gathering, this year’s event will be drive-through, touch-free only.

The Lyndonville Lions Club will be handing out free pumpkins plus a complimentary goodie bag to each Lyndonville school child up to age 12 present in your vehicle. A Lions Club member will place each pumpkin and goodie bag in your vehicle for you to ensure a safe touch-free environment for everyone.

While we anticipate having plenty on hand, both pumpkins and goodie bag quantities are limited and will be given out on a first-come-first-served basis until they are gone – so you are encouraged to show up early!

We invite you to bring your child or children to pick up your complimentary pumpkin and decorate it in the safety, convenience and comfort of your home.  On the night of Saturday, October 24th, we encourage you to share your child’s pumpkin carving and creations with us on our Lyndonville Lion’s Facebook page.

The Lyndonville Lions Club wishes everyone a fun safe Halloween and we look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

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