YATES – The Town Board approved a nearly 200-foot-high tower that will test wind strength and consistency near the Yates shoreline, a step that is needed if Apex Wind Energy advances its plan for 60 to 68 wind turbines in Yates and neighboring Somerset.

The Town Board voted 3-1 on Thursday to approve the 196.85 foot high meteorological tower on land owned by Donna Bane. The tower will be on part of a 65-acre lot at the southwest corner of Lakeshore and Marshall roads.

The Orleans County Planning Board recommended the town approve the tower during the Planning Board’s April 23 meeting. For the town to deny the tower, it needed a super-majority vote with at least four votes against the tower. (The Town Board usually has five members, but Steve Freeman recently resigned, leaving the board with four members.)

Town Supervisor John Belson said there was no legal basis for denying the meteorological tower. The tower fits the zoning standards of the town, he said.

“It’s an allowed use,” he said today. “It’s a permitted use.”

Yates did approve stipulations that the tower be lighted and painted to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.

Members of Save Ontario Shores, a citizens’ group against the wind turbines, attended the meeting and voiced opposition to MET tower.

Town Board member Jim Whipple opposed the tower, saying the timing wasn’t right for the structure because Apex still needs to complete a preliminary scoping statement that addresses some of the specifics of the wind project and environmental concerns.

“I voted no because I think they are way out in front,” Whipple said during today’s board meeting of the Orleans Economic Development Agency, where he is executive director. “I don’t think it’s time yet.”

Belson said the MET tower isn’t the same as the wind turbines, which would peak at nearly 600 feet high from the top of their blades. That project will be reviewed by the state, with some input from the local community.

A state siting board will have final say on that project. That seven-member board is supposed to include two representatives from the project area. Belson said he has four Yates residents in mind to be considered for the siting board and he expects Somerset would have four people for the state to consider.

State officials will have final say on the two local representatives. Belson said it would be fair to have one from Yates and one from Somerset.

Belson and Yates town officials have met with State Sen. Robert Ortt, and State Assembly members Steve Hawley and Jane Corwin to discuss the project and to make sure there is a local voice in the process.

Belson said the project is unusual for the state because it spreads over two towns in two counties.

“It’s something that never been done before in New York State,” he said about the multi jurisdictions.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Firefighters and police officers this morning simulated a response to a drunk driving crash at Lyndonville Central School, an exercise intended to send a message about the dangers of drunk driving.

Firefighters tend to student Hannah Travis, one of the students who role played that they were hurt in an accident.

Medina firefighter Ashton Lang, a Lyndonville graduate, escorts Hannah Travis to an ambulance.

Lyndonville has done this the last three years just before prom and graduation party season. Lyndonville has its prom on Friday at the White Birch Golf Course.

Hannah Travis, one of the “injured” students in today’s simulation, is put in an ambulance and driven away before about 200 of her high school classmates.

“It’s devastating if even one of you is hurt,” Ken Strickland, investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, told the group.

He said tragic accidents are particularly painful for small towns where students and residents know each other so well.

Firefighters from Lyndonville, Barker and Medina worked together to extricate Madison Boyle from a car. She is on a stretcher.

Madison Boyle is led from the scene on a stretcher.

Ken Strickland, an investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, addresses Lyndonville High School students this morning during the drunk driving simulation.

Mike Heideman, Lyndonville’s second assistant chief, said serious car accidents with teen-agers are among the most difficult calls for firefighters.

Lee Dillenbeck, Lyndonville athletic director and dean of students, also addressed the students, urging them to be good friends to each other and take away the car keys if they see someone has been drinking and tries to drive.

Kendall Central School and first responders also did a similar drunk driving presentation for its high school students recently.

Some of the volunteers in the Lyndonville Fire Department pose for a photo after cleaning up some of the debris from the scene this morning. The firefighters asked the students to consider volunteering with the Fire Department.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Lia Mills, a prominent pro-life activist, addresses 250 people during the 12th annual banquet for the Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center.

Mills, 18, is a university student in Canada. She rocketed to fame as a 12-year-old when her mother posted a 5-minute YouTube video of her daughter speaking against abortion (click here). That video now has over 2.6 million views.

Mills talked about that speech on Friday when she addressed the Care Net supporters at the White Birch Golf Course. Mills said her teacher urged her not to discuss abortion. But Mills felt strongly about the issue and she said she felt God prompting her to make the speech.

“When God asks me to do something, I say yes,” she said. “I’m ordinary but I serve an extraordinary God. God can and will use you. God wants you to be willing.”

Mills has become a sought after speaker against abortion. She said abortion doesn’t empower women. They are often coerced to have abortions by boyfriends, Mills said. There are underlying issues, such as poverty, that often compel women to abort, Mills said.

“If we want to be about choice and about empowering women, you need to alleviate those external factors,” Mills said.

She urged the group to be advocates for life, to be a voice for unborn children.

And she urged the group to be bold in their faith and be open to where God may be leading them.

Mills also addressed students at the Orleans County Christian School in Medina on Friday morning and Saturday evening was part of a youth rally at the Oak Orchard Assembly of God in Medina.

The Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center of Greater Orleans provides free ultra-sounds, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted infection testing and resources to families in crisis. The center is located in Albion at 111 West Ave., across from McDonalds.

Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – A trailer in a wooded area along Marshall Road in the Town of Yates burned this afternoon.

The owner of the trailer was working with a power saw. He hit a nail and suspects a spark caught the insulation on fire. It quickly spread at 1867 Marshall Rd.

The trailer was mostly collapsed when firefighters from Lyndonville and Medina arrived on scene soon after the dispatch call went out at 1:30 p.m.

The trailer was not being in lived in. The owner was trying to make improvements so it could be used as a camp during the summer.

Firefighters work together to take down the last remaining wall of the trailer.

“It’s nice and peaceful,” said the owner, who asked that his name not be used.

He tried to put the fire out himself with a hose, but it spread too fast. Firefighters were able keep the fire from moving to the nearby woods, said Adam Ehrenreich, a captain with the Lyndonville Fire Department.

Lyndonville firefighter Steve Bane Jr. tries to put out any remaining hot spots from the fire.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district’s budget that reduces taxes by 5.3 percent passed “overwhelmingly,” by a 101-19 vote, said Jason Smith, the superintendent of schools.

The school district’s proposed $13,253,892 budget increases spending by 0.5 percent, but taxes will be cut by 5.35 percent or by $250,000 to $4,416,578.

Other propositions also passed, including $90,653 for Yates Community Library and authorization to purchase one 66-seat bus at a maximum $105,000.

Three people ran unopposed for three-year terms to the Board of Education. Incumbents Ted Lewis and Michelle Dillenbeck were elected along with board newcomer Kelly Cousins.

Photo by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – A fire that broke out in a garage in Lyndonville at about 4:15 p.m. today was limited to the southwest corner of the structure, which is attached to a house.

Ridgeway firefighters C.J. Ambrose with hose and Rich McAdoo with the pike pole put out any hot spots.

Firefighters said the blaze was confined to an area with a wood-burning stove. The fire occurred at a garage owned by Yvette Seniuk at 2504 Lyndonville Rd., just south of the village line on Route 63. She also owns the house that was spared from the fire.

Ridgeway firefighter Francis Woodworth was among the volunteers who responded to the fire. Lyndonville and Ridgeway both helped put out the blaze.

ALBION – An expansion project at H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville, adding a new 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building, was approved by the Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday night.

The site plan for the project on Millers Road now goes to the Town of Yates Planning Board for a final review.

The County Planning Board looked at the application last month and deemed it incomplete because the board didn’t believe Dobbins had addressed the need for a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. That is needed when an acre or more is disturbed with a project.

The application last month showed 3 acres would be disturbed, but Dobbins has revised its plan to show it would disturb 0.86 acre of land, which is below the 1-acre threshold required for the stormwater plan.

Planning Board members said the new building fits in on a rural road with agricultural land, woodlots, a general store and a replacement window business.

Dobbins plans to start work soon on the $5 million project and wants to have it ready for the fall harvest.

In other action, the Planning Board:

Recommended the Town of Shelby approve the site plan and special use permit for Shelby Crushed Stone to operate a building material reclamation operation.

The company wants to run the enterprise using 3.5 acres on the northwest corner of its 109-acre quarry site at 10830 Blair Rd. Materials may include concrete, asphalt, stone, brick and soil. Shelby Crush Stone estimates it will process about 5,000 yards of uncontaminated material each year.

Recommended the Town of Murray approve a special use permit for a home occupation at 17067 Brockport-Holley Rd.

Robert Benedict plans to run a part-time barber shop in his garage on Route 31. He won’t be putting on an addition. He has four parking spots at the location.

YATES – The Orleans County Planning Board supported a 196.85 foot high meteorological tower in Yates that will measure wind strength and consistency.

Apex Wind Energy wants the MET tower on a 65-acre lot at the southwest corner of Lakeshore and Marshall roads. The company would put the tower up on land owned by Donna Bane.

Apex needs final approval for the tower from the Yates Town Board. The Planning Board’s decision this evening is separate from Apex’s pursuit for a larger wind farm, a proposal for 60 to 68 turbines in Yates and Somerset.

A state siting board will have final say on that project. That seven-member board is supposed to include two representatives from the project area.

About 30 members from Save Ontario Shores, a citizen group that has formed to oppose the project, attended the County Planning Board meeting, but weren’t allowed to address the board.

Planners said they were only looking at the MET tower and the not the overall turbine project.

Apex will need a special use permit from the town for the tower, and that permit would allow the structure to stay for up to two years.

Apex said it is planning to hire Anemometry Specialists from Alta, Iowa, to put up the tower.

Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School District is one of 131 school districts or BOCES in New York State to receive the Utica National Insurance Group’s “School Safety Excellence Award – Titanium” for 2015.

The honor, presented annually, recognizes school districts’ safety efforts as they work to help keep students, staff and visitors safe. Lyndonville Central School District received the highest honor during Utica National’s 35th annual school safety seminar at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia.

Lyndonville officials accepted a certificate to commemorate the district’s safety efforts and a $500 award for use in furthering those efforts from Utica National representatives.

Utica National’s School Safety Excellence Award Program has three levels – titanium, platinum and gold – in which schools can earn a meritorious distinction by meeting specific criteria to enhance overall safety.

Through the program, schools with their own transportation, schools with contract transportation and BCOES are evaluated. Categories covered include bullying preventions programs, playground safety and other areas and are measured using specific, quantifiable surveys.

“Safety and health concerns continue to be a priority in our school districts,” explained Mark Aquino, regional manager in Utica National’s risk management department. “Districts that go ‘above and beyond’ to provide a safe, healthy and focused culture for learning are to be applauded, and we’re pleased to count Lyndonville Central School District among them.”

Aquino noted that, beyond the recognition itself, an added benefit of following the safety program is the chance to pinpoint specific threats to safety.

“The time to address those threats is before a loss happens, which really helps contribute to the safety culture that districts are working toward,” Aquino said.

Provided photo – Jeremy Foss is pictured with his teacher Todd Wolford. Jeremy was picked to advance to a national competition.

Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – Students in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy at Lyndonville Central School recently took the stage to present their business to an investor panel.

Each student or group of students was given 6 minutes to pitch their business ideas. Based on the appeal and merit of the presentations, students were awarded funds to be used toward startup costs.

Jeremy Foss of Tightlines Bait and Tackle was selected to advance to the YEA Saunders Scholars National College Scholarship competition. He will compete for college scholarships and an all-expenses paid trip courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to America’s Small Business Summit in Washington D.C.

Jeremy also was awarded a $500 shopping spree at Sam’s Club. He plans to run his online business starting this summer and while he attends Cobleskill College.

The 15 students in YEA at Lyndonville are among 8,000 students in 38 states nationwide enrolled in the entrepreneurial education classes that teach students how to generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of investors, and launch their own, legally registered companies.

Company eyes Yates, Somerset for 60 to 68 turbines

Photos by Tom Rivers – Cathi Orr, a Somerset resident who opposes “Lighthouse Wind,” speaks during a public meeting Wednesday at the Barker Fire Hall. About 150 people attended the 4:30 p.m. session. There was another one at 6:30.

BARKER – A State Siting Committee may have the final vote on whether Apex Clean Energy can build 60 to 68 wind turbines in the towns of Yates and Somerset, but local residents will have plenty of opportunities to weigh in and influence the project, including having two members on the seven-member Siting Committee.

That’s what about 150 people were told on Wednesday during a presentation at Barker Fire Hall from the state Department of Public Service.

“This process is long and involved and there are many opportunities to effect this process,” said Andrea Cerbin, attorney for the Department of Public Service.

Andrew Davis outlines the Article X process for a crowd of 150 people Wednesday at the Barker Fire Hall.

Cerbin and Andrew Davis, a utilities specialist with DPS, discussed the Article 10 process for permitting and siting wind turbine projects in New York State that exceed 25 megawatts.

The companies proposing the projects need to work with the state and local governments on scoping documents that identify potential issues in 41 categories, including health and safety issues, state and local law compliance, wildlife and numerous other issues.

“The applicant has its work cut out for them,” Davis said while presenting the Article 10 process. “It’s a robust set of requirements that must be addressed in the application.”

Andrew Davis goes over the Article X process with a slide-show presentation at the fire hall.

Apex also needs to evaluate “any reasonable and available alternative locations,” Davis said.

Companies need to pay the state up to $350 per megawatt in the scoping phase to help cover the state and local government’s expenses in reviewing the proposals.

Apex Clean Energy of Virginia wants to build a wind energy project with 200 megawatts close to the Lake Ontario shoreline in the two towns. The company would need to provide up $70,000 to the governments in the scoping phase of the application.

If Apex clears those hurdles, it then has to provide up to $1,000 per megawatt in the application phase or up to $200,000. Those documents and studies would be subject hearings from an administrative law judge.

Residents distributed signs opposing the plan for 60 to 68 wind turbines in the two rural towns.

Right now, Apex is at the preliminary scoping statement phase of the project. The state requires a public involvement plan as part of the process. Apex held its third public meeting about the project on Wednesday.

Besides the two local representatives on the Siting Committee, the seven-member group is chaired by the state Department of Public Service and includes the leaders of four other state departments: Department of Environmental Conservation, NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority), Empire State Development and the Department of Health.

The Apex project differs from many other wind turbine farms in that it is spread over two counties. It’s turbines are also taller than most other ones currently in operation. The Apex turbines would peak at up to 570 feet at the top of the blade. That’s about 150 feet higher than many of the turbines in Wyoming County.

Wes Bradley, a Yates town councilman, said each town – Yates and Somerset – should have a representative on the Siting Committee.

“My township needs representation and the other township needs representation,” Bradley said.

Wes Bradley, a Yates town councilman, said both Yates and Somerset should have a voice on the State Siting Committee.

Cerbin, the DPS attorney, agreed that “is a good concern,” but she said the State Senate and State Assembly leaders, as well as Gov. Cuomo will have the final say. The local communities can submit names of potential committee members.

During the meeting at Barker Fire Hall, several residents said they didn’t like the process with so much power given to the State Siting Committee and they didn’t understand why the state would entertain the project with the Somerset power plant and nearby hydropower in Lewiston.

“Why do we need these wind turbines?” one resident asked.

Davis said Apex has submitted a proposal and now the Public Service Commission needs insist the rules are followed and a host of potential impacts considered during the review process.

Some residents said the local community should have the majority of the votes on the Siting Committee, not 2 out of 7.

“We are a minority,” a resident told Davis, who responded, “That’s the math.”

John Riggi is president of Save Ontario Shores, which opposes the wind energy project in the two towns.

Many residents have banded together to form Save Ontario Shores, an opposition group to the turbine project. John Riggi, the group’s president, said the community should have the power to reject the turbines.

But Davis said the Siting Committee will make that decision, with local input.

“The municipality can not prevent the Siting Board from giving a certificate,” Davis said.

Residents are welcome to submit written comments throughout the process to the secretary of the Siting Committee: secretary@dps.ny.gov, by mail at Honorable Kathleen Burgess, NYS Siting Board, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223-1350, or by phone (800) 355-2120. The case number is 14-F-0485.

LYNDONVILLE – Orleans County Planning Board members voted to kick back an application to the developer and Yates town officials for a $5 million project that would add controlled-atmosphere storage for apples.

Empire Fruit LLC (H.H. Dobbins) wants to construct a 26,240-square-foot metal building with ancillary facilities for CA storage at 10775 Millers Rd. The company wants to get started on the project soon and have it ready for the fall harvest.

The project has support from the Orleans Economic Development Agency for tax incentives.

The problem, planners said on Thursday, was the project disturbs more than 1 acre of land. When that happens, the developer needs to provide a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. That hasn’t been done for the project.

That prompted planners to deem the application incomplete. Dobbins needs to provide the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for the application to move forward.

County planners said 3 acres of land would be disturbed for the project, when parking spaces, the driveway and the building footprint are all factored.

School district, law enforcement warn of consequences

Photos by Tom Rivers – Lee Dillenbeck, Lyndonville athletic director and dean of students, said the school district has held student assemblies to talk about e-cigarettes, alcohol and tobacco use to stress students shouldn’t use those products. Dr. Aaron Slack, middle-high school principal, also spoke during a panel discussion Tuesday night on current trends and issues in drug and alcohol use among youth.

LYNDONVILLE – A recent survey of students in grades 6 through 12 at Lyndonville shows more students are using tobacco and alcohol products in 2013 than in 2011, and Lyndonville also has a higher percentage of students using the products compared to the county-wide rate.

The district has held assemblies to warn students of the health and legal repercussions of using tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Lyndonville also has a simulation of a drunk driving crash in May during prom season to send the message about the dangers of underage drinking.

In this simulation in May 2013, firefighters and emergency responders take a student from a smashed car and transport her by stretcher to an ambulance. The school district is trying to show the dangers of drunk driving.

The district had a panel discussion about drug and tobacco trends among students on Tuesday night. Jason Smith, school district superintendent, wants to engage parents and the community to bring the numbers down and also to avoid a future tragedy.

“Prom night is the most stressful night for me as superintendent,” Smith said. I don’t want to get that phone call about a tragedy. I don’t want to be waiting in a line with hundreds of kids at a funeral home.”

Jason Smith

Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse facilitated the discussion. GCASA also does the student surveys every two years, with new surveys planned for 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Lyndonville and Orleans County middle and high schoolers are showing increased use of e-cigarettes and marijuana.

The numbers show percentage of students that tried alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and marijuana within 30 days of the survey.

Lyndonville students, at just over 20 percent, lead in trying smokeless tobacco within 30 days from when the survey was taken in 2013. Twenty percent of students in grades 6 through 12 also reported to have used marijuana within 30 days of the survey.

Alcohol use is much higher with nearly 45 percent of Lyndonville students saying they tried it within 30 days of the survey.

This chart shows student alcohol use, according to the survey results from 2013.

Ken Strickland, a deputy with the Sheriff’s Department, said many parents keep alcohol in their homes and students will consume it, sometimes without their parents knowing and often with support of their parents.

Strickland said parents could be charged with unlawful dealing with a minor and endangering the welfare of a child if underage drinking occurs on their property.

If a kid gets hurt or dies in a car crash or from alcohol poisioning, the parents could be sued, Strickland said.

Strickland said he is surprised how many parent-condoned drinking parties occur during prom and graduation season.

“You’d be amazed at how many people are OK with this,” Strickland said.

Deputy Ken Strickland, left, was among the panelists during Tuesday’s discussion of alcohol and tobacco trends. Dr. Magdi Credi, a physician, also discussed the health dangers of using the products.

The school district isn’t OK with it. Lee Dillenbeck, the athletic director and dean of students, said students are likely to be suspended or kicked off teams for underage drinking and using tobacco products.

He attributed some of Lyndonville’s high numbers in 2013 to older high school students buying alcohol and tobacco products and then reselling them to middle schoolers. The district has stepped up efforts to educate students about the dangers and confront older students suspected of selling to younger students.

The village of Lyndonville also made a cemetery across from the district campus off-limits for smoking, and school officials said that has helped prevent tobacco use.

Rebekah Hoffee, a three-sport athlete at Lyndonville, said she and many of her teammates try to use positive peer pressure to keep students from violating the code of conduct by smoking and drinking.

“The teams are supportive,” Hoffee said. “As a friend you pull people back into the light when they go searching for darkness.”

Rebekah Hoffee said a busy student schedule may be the best way to keep students from using drugs, alcohol and tobacco products. Sherri Bensley, assistant director of prevention for GCASA, is at left.

Sherri Bensley, assistant director of prevention for GCASA, said e-cigarettes and vape pens are new threats for teen substance abuse. Teens think the e-cigarettes are safer, but they are also addicting and dangerous, she said.

Manufacturers offer e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors such as watermelon and root beer.

“They come in a variety of flavors that are appealing to young people,” she said.

Dr. Magdi Credi, a physician, said smoking damages lungs, increases cancer risks and reduces circulation. Drinking alcohol as a kid “is going to affect your system, especially if you drink a full force,” he told students at the panel discussion.

Drinking alcohol while the brain is still developing “will be harmful,” he said.

“If you drink at 14 and 15, by your 20s there is no doubt you will not be like a normal person,” he said.

GCASA officials say vape pens, e-cigarettes and vapor flavors are some of the newest enticements for teens and younger children.

Aaron Slack, the principal, urged parents to be aware of what their children are doing and ask questions. “If you see something, say something,” Slack said.

He also urged students to tell adults if they know other students are using drugs, drinking alcohol or using tobacco products. The information will be kept confidential by the school.

“Students aren’t snitches if they say something,” Slack said.