By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Today is the last day for candidates for village trustees to submit petitions in Lyndonville and Medina. Both villages have two positions open for election on March 18.
In Medina, the trustee positions for Mark Irwin and Mark Kruzynski are both up for election. Candidates need to submit petitions signed by at least 100 eligible voters in Medina to the Village Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. to be on the ballot.
In Lyndonville, the trustee positions currently filled by James Tuk and Charles Coville are up for election. Candidates need to submit petitions signed by at least 30 eligible village voters. Those petitions are due by 4 p.m. today in the Village Clerk’s office.
Albion doesn’t have any open positions for election this year. Next year in March will be Albion’s next election.
Holley has its village elections the third Tuesday in June. Candidates in Holley can pick up petitions beginning March 31 and can submit those petitions to the village clerk between May 5 and May 12. Two trustee positions currently filled by Skip Carpenter and Brian Sorochty will be up for election.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Some want Lyndonville to field own soccer team
Photos by Tom Rivers – Lyndonville Board of Education President Ted Lewis said the cooperation with Medina Central School has been a positive for both districts.
LYNDONVILLE – Some Lyndonville students and parents want the school to bring back its own varsity boys’ soccer program.
For the past three seasons, Lyndonville students have played with Medina’s team. Lyndonville was down on soccer players, but now there are enough to field a competitive varsity team, Board of Education members were told tonight.
“We could have our own Sectional banner from our own kids hanging up in the gym,” parent Kristen Nicholson told the board.
She believes the school district could build a strong soccer program, starting with elementary “house” programs and working up to JV and varsity.
“You got to give it a chance now for the kids who are here and have the numbers to form a team,” Nicholson said.
One Lyndonville senior said he tried out for the team in Medina and was cut after a week. Another parent said her son, who had played JV, didn’t want to play varsity with Medina so he didn’t try out.
The issue was brought up because Medina and Lyndonville have been talking about extending the inter-municipal agreement for some extracurricular activities. The Board of Education voted tonight to extend a partnership with Medina Central School, where Lyndonville students can play soccer and football at Medina and can also be in Medina’s marching band.
Harold Suhr, a member of the Lyndonville Board of Education, speaks in favor of continuing an agreement with Medina Central School where Medina and Lyndonville share some sports teams and other extracurricular activities, including marching band and the high school musical.
Medina students perform in Lyndonville’s school musicals. Districts also share professional development programs for staff.
“Right now it’s a very positive relationship with Medina,” said Jason Smith, the Lyndonville district superintendent. “They’ve been great working with us.”
Lyndonville faces a declining enrollment, and that reality is forcing the district to be creative to offer opportunities for students. Jim Moody, a board member, said the shared programming may just be in the early stages for the school districts if the enrollments continue to fall.
“The same kinds of issues will be dealt with in the future,” Moody said. “There has been a demographics change in the community.”
Board members Harold Suhr and Michelle Dillenbeck said the student body, even in its declining numbers, needs to be part of more activities at the school to make those programs more viable. They both said boys are spending too much time on video games when they could be part of sports and other programs at school.
The board vote was unanimous to continue the boys soccer program with Medina. Dillenbeck worried if Lyndonville pulled out of soccer, the other opportunities for Lyndonville with Medina would be lost.
Michelle Dillenbeck, a Board of Education member, said it currently isn’t sustainable for Lyndonville to have enough athletes for some sports. She voted to continue partnering with Medina for some sports and activities.
She also doesn’t think Lyndonville would be able to field a competitive boys soccer team long-term, given the school’s declining enrollment.
Board President Ted Lewis said the partnership with Medina has gone well and he wants it to continue.
“The essence is how can we do more sustainable opportunities for our students given the demographics of our county,” Lewis said.
Suhr, a Lyndonville board member, says the cooperation has helped both districts. The new agreement is for two more years and both districts can opt out with 30 days notice.
Suhr said the agreement has allowed Lyndonville kids to play football, be in the marching band and play soccer. Suhr said the Medina soccer coach has cut some Medina students to make room for good Lyndonville players.
He remembers when he was a senior at Lyndonville and the school eliminated football. He transferred to Albion for his senior year and played for the Purple Eagles.
“When one door closes another opens,” Suhr said.
He is thankful for the year in Albion, saying he made many new friends.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Salma Huzair, 15, sings “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé during a concert Saturday night at the Medina Theatre.
Huzair performed at the concert in preparation for her audition for “The Voice” singing show on NBC. She will travel to New York City on Jan. 25 for the blind audition, when singers perform for four celebrity judges.
Salma’s parents, Bilal Huzair and mother Alana Ross, picked front-row seats to watch Salma perform on Saturday.
Salma sings “Little Things” by One Direction. She is a sophomore at Lyndonville Central School. More than 100 people attended her concert, which included raffles to help cover the cost of the trip to New York City.
The marquee at Medina Theatre urges the community to support Salma in “The Voice.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 December 2014 at 3:55 pm
Salma Huzair will also perform Saturday in Medina
Photo by Tom Rivers – Salma Huzair will travel to New York City to audition on Jan. 25 for “The Voice,” NBC’s vocal competition. She is pictured outside her family’s restaurant on Route 63 in Medina.
MEDINA – Salma Huzair has always enjoyed singing around her house, and in the Lyndonville school choir. People have told her she has a great voice.
But she started to really turn heads on Sept. 17. Her family owns the Old Mill Run Restaurant on Route 63 in Medina. Russ Peters was performing that day at the Old Mill. He took a break in his concert and during intermission karaoke singers had a chance at the microphone.
Salma sang “Skinny Love” by Birdy. John Wragg was in the crowd and he was wowed by Salma. Wragg has a recording studio in Middleport.
He welcomed Salma to the studio and they put some recordings of her on Facebook and YouTube. They sent links of those videos to “The Voice.” The television show welcomed her for an audition.
She will travel to New York City on Jan. 25 for the blind audition, when singers perform for four celebrity judges. The judges have their backs to the singers in the blind auditions. The judges decide if they want the singer on their team.
“I’m really excited but a little nervous,” Salma, a sophomore at Lyndonville, said on Tuesday at the Old Mill.
Salma Huzair works at the Old Mill Run Restaurant in the kitchen and as a waitress. Here she is making a Reuben sandwich.
She will perform in a concert on Saturday at the Medina Theatre. The 7:30 p.m. concert will be a fund-raiser for the trip to New York City, and also a chance to perform on stage for a live audience.
Wragg believes Salma could be a big star. She needs to build up her confidence, he said.
“Everyone knows how good she is except Salma,” Wragg said.
There is a suggested $3 donation to attend the concert and there will be raffles to help cover the travel and lodging costs for Salma. The band, The Blind Leading the Blind, will also perform from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
“We’re here to support the local talent,” said Nicole Bellnier, manager at Medina Theatre.
Salma’s mother Alana Ross will join her daughter in New York City. She said Salma has had perfect pitch since was a little girl.
“She has a very delicate sounding voice, but she can be powerful when she wants to be,” Ross said.
Salma Huzair is pictured with her father Bilal and her mother Alana.
Salma sang her first solo in the fifth grade at an elementary school concert. She has been picked for many all-county musical festivals.
A soprano, she enjoys singing pop music. She admitted she is a little shy. But she is pushing herself. She had a concert at the Old Mill Run Restaurant on Dec. 13 and engaged with the crowd.
“Since her concert here she has really blossomed,” her mother said.
Salma’s parents opened the Old Mill Run about two years ago. Their daughter has preferred to stay in the background, working in the kitchen. But lately, she has been waitressing, working more with the public.
“She has really stepped out,” her mother said.
Salma said she is grateful for the chance to try out for “The Voice.”
“I really enjoy singing,” she said. “It just takes me away.”
Salma Huzair makes a Reuben sandwich at the Old Mill Run. She also has been waitressing more recently, connecting with customers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 December 2014 at 12:00 am
School to focus on English for grades 3 through 8
Photo by Tom Rivers – Lyndonville Central School Superintendent Jason Smith is pictured with teacher Laura Moore, center, and Elementary School Principal Kathy Stewart.
LYNDONVILLE – The school district has received a $63,000 “Common Core Institute” grant to bolster English performance for students in grades 3 through 8.
The State Education Department announced that Lyndonville and nine other school districts in the state were approved for the grants. Lyndonville will have one of its teachers, Laura Moore, go on special assignment from January through June. She will work with Lyndonville teachers and administrators, as well as state education officials to identify effective teaching strategies and emphasize them with the local district.
Moore is a fifth grade teacher. Her class will be led by a long-term substitute beginning in January. Moore will serve as an SED fellow. Elementary School Principal Kathy Stewart will serve as supervisor and administrator of the grant.
Stewart said Moore is well suited to lead the project for Lyndonville.
“Laura is a master teacher,” Stewart said. “She is well respected by her colleagues.”
The grant will pay for the cost of a long-term teaching substitute, as well as travel and other costs for the grant.
Lyndonville made gains in boosting the mastery levels, students who score 3s and 4s, in the math portion of the Common Core for grades 3 through 8. The district jumped from 20 to 38 percent at that level from 2013 to 2014, District Superintendent Jason Smith said.
Moore and “Common Core Institute” grant will focus on raising the English proficiency for students in grades 3 to 8, where 23 percent were at a 3 or 4 in 2014. The district is pushing to have 43 percent at the higher scores by 2017, Smith said.
“The focus will be on literacy,” Stewart said.
Moore will help teachers develop effective lesson plans and other teaching strategies, including connections for students with disabilities or who speak English as a second language.
Smith said it will be a rigorous six months in meeting the objectives of the grant. The goal will be in establishing a sustainable program. As part of the grant, Moore and the district also need to be available to share best practices and their successes with other schools.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Dan Fitzgerald (second from left), project manager for Apex Clean Energy, meets with residents during a public meeting today at the Yates Town Hall. He is joined by Dahvi Wilson, Apex communications manager, at left.
LYNDONVILLE – Apex Clean Energy would like to build 60 to 68 wind turbines Yates and Somerset, structures that could tower nearly 600 feet in the two rural lakeshore towns.
The projects would bring the prospect of significant revenue to the towns, school districts and Orleans and Niagara counties, while also paying landowners to have the turbines on their land.
“Both the landowners and towns stand to profit,” said Taylor Quarles, development manager for Apex.
“Lighthouse Wind” would generate 200 megawatts of power, enough to power 59,000 homes. Each turbine would generate about 3 megawatts of power, up from the 1.5 to 1.8 megawatts with turbines about a decade ago.
The company is in the early stages of the project. It has lined up leases with some landowners, but will need more to make the project a reality, Quarles said.
Dudley Chaffee is a dairy farmer with land in both towns. He has been approached to lease land for turbines. He hasn’t signed off on a 30-year lease.
“It looks like a good deal,” he said at an informational meeting today at the Yates Town Hall.
Chaffee has dairy farmer friends in Wyoming County. They told him the construction portion of the projects can be disruptive to the land. But once the turbines are up, they take up a small footprint and the farms coexist with the structures.
“One guy in Wyoming County told me he’d do it again in a minute,” Chaffee said.
More than 60 people attended to the meeting to look over information from Apex Clean Energy.
Cathi Orr lived in Orangeville, a Wyoming County town. She moved to Somerset last January to get away from the turbines, which she said are noisy.
“They go ‘thump, thump,” she said. “They make a creaky noise.”
She had 21 within a 1 ½ miles of her house. She was part of the Clear Skies Over Orangeville group that opposed the turbines. She knew Somerset had been approached before about a wind farm, but she thought that project had gone away.
Apex wasn’t involved the other project. The company is eyeing a different project with taller turbines. The added height allows the turbines to reach faster moving wind.
Turbines with blades that peak abut 400 to 450 feet, like many in Wyoming County, weren’t quite tall enough to get the stronger, more consistent wind, Apex said.
At a higher distance, there is likely enough wind, Apex officials said. They have one meteorological tower up on Lakeshore Road in Somerset to test wind strength. Quarles said they could put up four or five more in the target area that is west of Route 63 in Yates and most of Somerset. The project eyes the northern half of the towns, where there is lots of open farmland, another plus for the project, said Dan Fitzgerald, project manager.
A major transmission line also runs through Somerset, which would allow Apex to tap in and get its power to the market. That is another attraction for siting the project in Somerset and western Yates, he said.
Fitzgerald was one of four Apex officials at a public information meeting today at Yates Town Hall. The company had a similar meeting in Barker in October. Apex will have more informational meetings to explain the project and its benefits to the community, Fitzgerald said.
“This is in the very beginning of the project,” he said today at the Yates meeting. “We’re still a ways out.”
The company is going through a required 150-day public involvement effort. To see that 60-page public involvement plan, click here.
Fitzgerald said the company will continue to meet with the public after the 150-day period, which started Oct. 31. The company will reach out to the Amish and Mennonite communities, as well as other residents and officials.
“The goal is to make sure everyone in the community knows about the project,” Quarles said.
Apex will follow the public involvement period with a preliminary scoping document that would assess environmental impacts, including potential harm to birds, wildlife and other issues. The company will need to consult with the FFA on flight pattern impacts, especially with the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
The company will need to secure approvals through local, state and federal agencies. Fitzgerald said construction on the project could start in 2018 if the agencies, landowners and experts all see Yates and Somerset as a good spot for the project.
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Music Boosters put on a basket raffle and craft show on Saturday, an event that included performances from the Junior/Senior High School Chorus and also the Jazz Band. (The chorus is shown singing in the top photo.)
The Lyndonville Jazz Band performs for the craft fair-goers.
The Lyndonville school gym was transformed into a craft fair. Linda Karp, one of the organizers of the event, said that proceeds from the craft fair and basket raffle benefit the Lyndonville Music Boosters. The funds raised will assist with various activities and travel costs for the school’s music groups.
Santa took some time from his busy schedule to attend the craft show for a few hours on Saturday. Hunter Sachanowski of Alexander is shown posing with Santa for a photo.
There were many basket lined up for people to take a chance on.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville community this evening lighted 43 Christmas trees that were donated by residents and community organizations.
Last year in the debut of the Christmas tree event there were 26 trees decorated and sponsored by the community.
Santa arrived by sleigh with a Lyndonville fire truck providing an escort.
Santa pulled the lever at the “North Pole Electric Company” to turn on the power for the trees at Veterans Park.
Members of the Lyndonville Select Chorus, led by teacher Jennifer Trupo, sang Christmas carols on the front lawn by Yates Community Library. Three of the members include, from left: Rebekah Hoffee, Trevor Thaine and Jessica Harling.
Many community organizations sponsored and decorated a tree. The trees will stay lit in the evenings until after New Year’s Day. The Village of Lyndonville teamed to put on the event with the Lyndonville Fire Department/Auxiliary, Lyndonville Lions Club and Lyndonville United Methodist Women.
“It’s been an awesome community event,” said Carla Woodworth, one of the organizers. “I want to thank everyone who came and who made this possible.”
The Lyndonville Fire Department decorated this tree.
After Santa arrived at the park, the action shifted to inside the Village Hall where Santa met with youngsters and cookies and hot chocolate were served.
Santa poses for a picture with Madalyn Mack, 6, and her brother Lucas, both of Lyndonville.
Jaiden Cecchini, 6, of Albion is all smiles in sharing his wish list with Santa.
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Area Foundation presented two scholarship checks of $2,000 apiece to the recipients of the Trevor Cook Memorial Scholarship recently.
Justin Edwards and Alex Murphy, both Lyndonville graduates, recently completed basic training at USMC Parris Island. They were home on leave to accept their checks.
Pictured from left to right, Dave Cook, LAF board member and father of Sgt. Trevor Cook; Lyndonville natives and US Marines Justin Edwards and Alex Murphy; LAF Treasurer Doug Hedges; and President Darren Wilson.
The Lyndonville Area Foundation gives $29,000 in scholarships annually.
Sgt. Trevor Cook was a 25-year-old newlywed when he died in a July 6, 2011 training accident when a helicopter crashed at Camp Pendleton in California.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 November 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – This house at 8 Eagle St. was decked out for the holidays last year.
Press Release
Lyndonville Lions Club
LYNDONVILLE – Bright holiday lights and happy decorations will soon line the streets of Lyndonville, as they will in most towns and cities. In an effort to encourage and thank the residents for their decoration skills, the Lyndonville Lions Club will sponsor its annual “Spirit of Christmas” lights and decoration contest.
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. 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. 8. The judges will canvas the entire Lyndonville area.
