LYNDONVILLE – School district leaders expect to soon present a $10.7 million capital project to the community, an initiative that would do a host of improvements to the school campus on Housel Avenue.

The district already has $4.5 million in a reserve for the local share of the project. The state is expected to pay about 83 percent of the overall costs.

“We’re getting some needed upgrades and improvements,” said Jason Smith, the district superintendent. “It’s a conservative project that really addresses needs for students, staff and the community.”

The project is focused on the Housel Avenue campus, where students in grades prekindergarten through seniors in high school all attend classes. The former elementary school on Main Street isn’t in the project.

The projects include roof work, new air-conditioning (currently only 1/3 of school has AC), interior renovations (including removing a wall and added two classrooms), lighting improvements, and site work that will add parking spaces and improve traffic flow. It will also add a clearly designated drop-off spot for parents taking their children to school.

The athletic fields will also be improved with drainage, new dugouts, fencing and electric service.

Lyndonville expects the Board of Education will vote on Dec. 12 to send the project to the community for a vote, tentatively planned for Feb. 13.

The project will be paid over 20 years. It won’t result in increased local taxes because the local share already is available in the reserve account, Smith said.

To see more on the project, click here.

Return to top

File photo by Tom Rivers: Lyndonville’s former elementary school closed after the 2011-12 due to declining enrollment. The district tested 25 water sources at the building on Sept. 26 and 60 percent or 15 spots were too high in lead.

LYNDONVILLE – The results are back on the lead in water sources at Lyndonville Central School.

The district tested 126 locations in the middle/high school and 32 came back with elevated levels of lead in the water.

Although the elementary school is now closed with those students at the middle-high school, the elementary school showed 15 spots with elevated lead levels out of 25 water sources.

The district hired Envoy Environmental Consultants to complete water testing. The company also tested three sources and the bus garage and those were all under the state threshold.

New York State on Sept. 6 passed a new law requiring water in schools be tested for lead. The state gave the school until Oct. 31 to get the tests done. (New York State has determined permissible lead levels in potable water to be 15 parts per billion (ppb). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s permissible level is 20 ppb.)

“The health and safety of students, staff, and visitors remains our top priority and we are committed to ensuring that water in our district’s buildings is safe,” Superintendent Jason Smith said in a statement posted in the district website.

The water sources that tested above state limits in the initial sampling will be remediated, Smith said. The remediation measures could include replacement of plumbing/fixtures or completely shutting down the water source.

Lyndonville’s water sources were all tested on Sept. 26.

Here are the results in the middle/high school, where about 600 students attend classes:

• Of the 126 locations tested, 32 were above 15 ppb.

• Five were identified as kitchen sinks.

• Seven were identified as bathroom sinks.

• Eighteen were identified as classroom sinks.

• Two were identified as drinking water bubblers (drinking fountains).

In the former elementary school:

• Of the 25 locations tested, 15 had elevated lead levels.

The water supply has been shut off to the two drinking fountains with elevated lead levels. Additionally, Smith said signs have been posted by the sinks that indicate “Hand-Washing and/or Cleaning Only” where the water tested above the state limit.

Smith said a letter will be going home to parents on Wednesday with the test results.

Three other schools in Orleans County – Albion, Holley and Medina – are awaiting their results. Kendall also had some classroom sinks and drinking fountains test too high for lead.

Return to top

Provided photo from Save Ontario Shores: Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence, talks to Save Ontario Shores supporters outside the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station on Monday.

NIAGARA FALLS – Save Ontario Shores, a citizens’ group opposed to the Lighthouse Wind turbine project in Somerset and Yates, were joined by Congressman Chris Collins and State Sen. Robert Ortt on Monday, again stating their concerns that the 600-foot-high turbines could jeopardize future missions at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Just last week, the operations group commander at the base told The Buffalo News the turbines wouldn’t have an impact on the base, which is changing to higher-flying tanker plans next October.

The eight KC-135 tanker planes will fly at altitudes above 3,000 feet, higher than the training missions for C-130 transport planes. Col. Joseph D. Janik told The Buffalo News the turbines are a non-issue because of the planes’ height and travel routes.

Save Ontario Shores said the base’s future missions aren’t fully known and the turbines could be a detriment to the base operations.

SOS also said Apex Clean Energy, developer of the proposed project in Yates and Somerset, has hired a Washington-based lobbying firm, Cassidy and Associates,  to work behind the scenes and promote the Lighthouse Wind project.

“They are well-connected inside the Beltway, and they have been relentless in their efforts to ignore the majority of residents in the towns of Somerset and Yates who have repeatedly gone on record in opposition to the installation of these mammoth wind turbines in our towns,” said Pam Atwater, SOS president.

She said Cassidy and Associates has been hired by the state of New Jersey to help protect several military installations in New Jersey that make up Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, as well as the Earle Naval Weapons Station, the 177th Fight Winger and a Coast Guard Training Center.

“The same firm that is promoting wind turbines here, turbines that could jeopardize the future of NFARS, has been hired by a neighboring state to land a re-fueling mission while keeping an eye on the chief competitors and threats to New Jersey’s military installations,” Atwater said.

Apex has hired Cassidy and Associates to lobby for its industrial wind turbine project in Western New York, which could put NFARS at risk the next time Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission decides which military installations will close, she said.

“We’ve been fortunate here, twice,” Atwater said.  “The BRAC Commission has voted to save NFARS, but what happens in the next round?”

Collins and Ortt joined SOS outside the base on Monday, speaking against the turbines near the lakeshore in Yates and Somerset.

Apex officials said the local community doesn’t need to worry about the turbines having a negative impact on the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

“We are perplexed about why this topic continues to be raised, especially after Lighthouse Wind has received a letter directly from the DoD Siting Clearinghouse stating the project is ‘unlikely to impact military testing or training operations in the area,’” said Cat Strumlauf, a public affairs associate for Apex.

“More recently, a top official at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS), when asked whether the new KC-135 mission makes the wind turbines a nonissue for the base replied, ‘With the new mission, yes.’”

“Niagara County residents can be confident there’s no current or projected mission impact on Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, which is more than 20 miles from the Lighthouse Wind project area. At this point, it is clear that the concerns being raised about potential impact to the base are unfounded and entirely speculative,” Strumlauf said. “We are surprised at the audacity being shown by these few civilian anti-wind activists in questioning the DoD Siting Clearinghouse as well as the expertise and knowledge of local military experts and advisors about their own base. We trust that our professional national security experts are doing their duty and acting in the best interest of our nation and our armed forces.”

Return to top

File photo by Tom Rivers: Wind turbines that peak at about 400 feet high are pictured last fall in Sheldon, Wyoming County. The town has 75 turbines that stand high above trees. The turbines proposed for Yates and Somerset would be about 600 feet high.

YATES – The mission is changing at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station with higher-flying tanker planes expected to replace c-130 transport planes by next October.

The training flights for the eight KC-135 tanker planes will take place at altitudes above 3,000 feet, Col. Joseph D. Janik, operations group commander for the 914th Airlift Wing, told The Buffalo News. (Click here to see ‘Air Force officer debunks claim that wind turbines endanger Niagara Falls base.’)

Apex Clean Energy is proposing about 70 wind turbines in Somerset and Yates that would peak about 620 feet. The turbines would be at least 25 miles from the base in Niagara Falls.

Opponents of “Lighthouse Wind” in Yates and Somerset have said the turbines would have a negative impact on the training missions at the military base, possibly jeopardizing its future in Western New York. Congressman Chris Collins and State Sen. Robert Ortt have spoken out against the turbine project because they said it would harm the base’s mission and contribute to its closure.

Janik told The Buffalo News the turbines are a non-issue because of the planes’ height and travel routes.

“Flying the C-130, some of our tactical low-level routes would take us up to that part of the lakeshore, over Lake Ontario, but with the new tanker, we’ll be at higher altitudes,” he said.

Save Ontario Shores, a citizens’ group opposed to turbine project, said the base’s future missions aren’t fully known and the turbines could be a detriment to the base operations.

Cat Mosely, a spokeswoman for Apex, said she hopes The Buffalo News article “clears up misinformation.”

Apex is working on its application for the project, currently going through the stipulation phase and responding to questions and concerns by 23 parties. Mosely said there will be public comment opportunities throughout the process as the company works to get to the final application phase of the project.

Apex has done its due diligence in showing the turbines won’t have a negative impact on the Niagara Falls base, she said.

“It’s great to put this to bed,” she said about the issue.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The school district kept up a tradition this morning when students decorated floats and had a parade down Main Street and some village side streets.

The top photo shows the junior high classes of seventh- and eighth-graders. This year the floats had a sports theme.

Seventh- and eighth-graders are in the school spirit.

Some members of the freshmen class join the parade procession.

The sophomore class decorated a float with a volleyball theme.

The sophomores head down Main Street during the morning parade. Today’s festivities also included sporting events and a dance to cap homecoming.

Juniors went with a softball/baseball theme for their float.

Some of the senior boys dressed as cheerleaders for a basketball themed float.

The school district returned class-decorated floats for homecoming in 2014. Prior to that students used to decorate halls with class themes during homecoming. The floats and student participation will factor in the winner of the Spirit Stick, which will be presented during the Homecoming Dance this evening.

Return to top

Photos courtesy of Daniel Hochstine

LYNDONVILLE – The Huzair family of Waterport performed in a concert Monday to benefit the Yates Community Library. The group is called Dounya and includes, from left: Qasim, 12; Alana (mother of the three other singers); Tamara, 14; and Salma, 17. They are singing “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber.

“The Huzair family’s musical talent is on a professional level – they put their all into producing this concert and they worked so beautifully together,” said Emily Cebula, library director. “They are very good at interpreting the music and projecting their joy in it to the audience.”

Salma sings “All That Jazz” from the musical, Chicago.

Qasim performs “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.

Audience members were invited to participate in “Cups” by Anna Kendrick. Pictured, include, from left: Natalie Allen, Sierra Blanar, Tamara, Qasim and Salma Huzair.

Tamara accompanies Salma and Qasim in “Lost Boy” by Ruth B.

Tamara sings “Who’s Loving You” by Michael Jackson.

LYNDONVILLE – The Village of Lyndonville and the Town of Yates are lifting a water use restriction that had been in place since July 13.

The recent rainfall has reduced demands on the Lyndonville-Yates water system, Village Clerk Teri Woodworth said today. The village and the Yates Water District 4 urged residents to scale back on water use for about six weeks while the area was gripped in a drought.

The restriction policy sets out to conserve water. Some of the restrictions included no public water can be used to wash vehicles, and watering lawns or gardens is limited to between 4 and 5 a.m., and 9 and 10 p.m.