By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 November 2016 at 8:43 am
ALBION – Another group of entrepreneurs has graduated from the Microenterprise Assistance Program, a 10-week class that gives small business owners tips in marketing, handling stress, computers, legal issues, bookkeeping and taxes – all factors that are key to running successful businesses. They also must complete a business plan.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency has run the program since 1999 and nearly 450 people have completed the program.
The graduates are now eligible to seek low-interest financing for up to $30,000 from the Orleans EDA. The EDA also is offering downtown rental subsidies – $3 per per square foot annually – for entrepreneurs to move into the downtown business districts in Albion, Holley, Lyndonville and Medina.
The EDA is capping the rental subsidies at $4,500 a year, the maximum for a 1,500 square foot space.
The EDA also has $100,000 in grants to share with small businesses (5 or fewer employees) that need working capital, equipment purchases or inventory. The grants are capped at $15,000 per recipient.
The new graduates held their classes at The Orleans Business Center at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex in Albion. There was a graduation program last week at The Village Inn.
The following are the newest graduates of MAP:
Anna Cichocki, Holistic Wellness Center; Wendy Moriarty, Lamp Refurbishing; Andy Hendel, Andy Hendel Farms; Joy Beth, Fit Body Bootcamp Franchise; James Preston, Preston’s Farm; Michael LaVoice, Into The Enigma LLC; Sharon Houseknecht, Holistic Practitioner; Jonas Trapiss, Distinct Vinyl & More; Shawn Ramsey, Canal Side Tattoo; Andriy Basisty, Holley Bottle & Can Returns; Robert Smith, For the Games; Kylie Hughson, Teasers Hair Salon; Jamie Beadle, Biotic Bliss Soil Company; and Julie Zicari.
The EDA is preparing for the spring class which starts in April. There are spots available. Contact Diane Blanchard, MAP manager, at (585) 589-7060.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 November 2016 at 8:29 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The St. Mary’s Archer’s Club on the Oak Orchard River in Carlton attracts many out-of-state fishermen each fall. This group is pictured on Oct. 29, 2015. Fishing is the county’s leading tourism draw, accounting for about half of the $24 million total.
ALBION – Tourism is big business in New York State, generating $63.1 billion in visitor spending in 2015.
Many counties, including some small ones, bring in well over $100 million in tourism revenue. But no county brings in less than Orleans, which totaled $24.421 million in visitor spending in 2015. That is dead-last among the 62 counties in New York State, and about $4 million less than the 61st-ranked county, Chenango, at $28.455 million, according to a report by Tourism Economics and Empire State Development.
Orleans County certainly has assets with Lake Ontario, the Erie Canal, numerous historical sites and community festivals and events.
The county is hurt by not having an established chain hotel. That limits many visitors to day trips where they don’t stay overnight, minimizing some of their economic impact.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency has been reaching out to hotel providers, and is hopeful a new chain, Cobblestone Inn and Suites, will commit to a site in Medina. The EDA commissioned a study by Interim Hospitality Consultants, and that report concluded Medina could support a small hotel with 41 to 49 rooms.
Jim Whipple, the chief executive officer of the Orleans EDA, said investors haven’t committed to the Medina project yet. The EDA razed a house next to the new Pride Pak on Maple Ridge Road and installed infrastructure to make the site more attractive for developers.
Batavia is home to several chain hotels, including the Quality Inn & Suites. Genesee County has about 1,000 hotel rooms.
If a chain hotel comes to Orleans it would help capture more visitor spending, and also boost the “bed tax” leading to more money for marketing the county.
The bed tax raises about $35,000 annually to promote tourism in Orleans County. That 4 percent tax is charged by motels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals and lodges.
In neighboring Genesee County, there are nearly 1,000 hotel rooms along the Thruway corridor. They generate more than $400,000 a year to promote tourism, drawing more visitor spending to Genesee, where direct tourism spending totaled $93.360 million in 2015.
The counties are similar in size: Orleans County had 42,883 residents in 2010 while Genesee counted 60,079. Chenango, which is just above Orleans in tourism impact, had 50,478 people in 2010. Chenango, in its tourism promotions, boasts of an “idyllic rural quality lifestyle.”
Orleans County, in its promotions, urges visitors to: “Discover the charm as you cruise along our country byways and scenic waterways while experiencing our rich history, rural culture and exhilarating outdoor fun. Don’t forget to stop in at our bountiful farm markets, charming gift shops and unique museums along the Erie Canal, Historic Ridge Road and the Seaway Trail.” (Click here to see the county’s tourism website.)
Orleans has made one recent change to boost its focus on tourism. For many years, tourism was part of the Planning Department. The county now contracts with Lynne Menz for tourism services. She runs the tourism website, and also handles print promotions for the county. (Many other counties, such as Genesee, contract with the Chamber of Commerce to promote tourism, and the tourism officials work out of the Chamber. In Orleans, Menz works out of the County Administration Building.)
The county also secured a grant for a study of assets and opportunities along the 25 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline in the towns of Yates, Carlton and Kendall. Representatives from those three towns and the county are working to update a plan to better capitalize on the lake.
“I think Lake Ontario could be a bigger driver,” said David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature. “We’re looking to enhance it.”
The state is also planning to pave some sections of the Lake Ontario State Parkway, from Route 237 in Kendall headed east. The deteriorated condition of the Parkway has discouraged many motorists, especially those with RVs, from using the road.
Fishing is the county’s leading tourism draw, accounting for about $12 million in direct visitor spending or about half of the county’s total tourism spending. Callard thinks fishing could bring in more money, especially with amenities in place for wives and children of many of the anglers.
Fourth-graders from School No. 2 in Rochester visit the Urger, a historic tugboat, on Oct. 7, 2015 when the vessel was in Holley.
Callard would also like to see the canal communities work together to develop a comprehensive plan for enticing more visitors to Medina, Albion, Holley and the canal hamlets.
“We have to do smelting bigger and better to attract people,” he said.
Here are how the counties rank in direct visitor spending, from lowest to highest:
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion police officer Nathaniel Staines is congratulated for completed the Crisis Intervention Training program today. Staines was one of 18 officers to complete the 40-hour training program. He shakes hands with Sheriff Randy Bower. Albion/Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni is at left, with Medina Police Chief Chad Kenward, center.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 November 2016 at 7:48 pm
MEDINA – This week 18 police officers in Orleans County learned strategies to help calm a crisis with people battling a mental health issue.
The state has started funding a Crisis Intervention Training Program for law enforcement officers to better understand the myriad of mental health issues, and to learn strategies to de-escalate a potentially volatile situation.
The Crisis Intervention Training Program is funded by the New State Office of Mental Health. State Sen. Robert Ortt is chairman of the Senate’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee. He said the training keeps police officers safer, giving them tools and strategies as first responders for people in mental health crisis.
State Sen. Robert Ortt addresses the police officers today. Ortt encouraged all police departments to be trained in responding to people with a mental health crisis.
A goal of the training is also for police to connect people in crisis with treatment, rather than jail, when appropriate.
“This helps them and it helps you,” Ortt told the officers today during a graduation program.
Ortt also attended a graduation last month when 28 police officers at Niagara Falls completed the week-long training. Ortt would like to see all police agencies be part of the training.
This week about half of the full-time police officers in Orleans County took part of the Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), with participation from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Albion, Holley and Medina police departments, a state trooper, and the Park Police.
“I thank all of you for your compassion to the citizens of Orleans County when they are in emotional crisis,” said Dr. Don Kamin, a clinical psychologist and instructor in the program.
He shared many scenarios and strategies with officers to help them identify if a person if in a mental health crisis and how to lead them to accept help and not be combative.
Mark O’Brien, director of the Mental Health Department in Orleans County, said the county has stepped up mental health services. He is next to Roland Nenni and Chad Kenward. (Kenward and several of the officers are participating in no-shave November.)
Kamin and the instructors went over behavioral health issues such as trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide assessment and intervention, excited delirium, anxiety, emotional distress. Officers learned communication skills with a focus on de-escalating the crisis.
Bower, the county sheriff, also worked as a dispatcher for about 30 years. He said an increasing number of police calls in recent years have been for people in a mental health crisis. He said many mental health institutions have closed in recent years, putting more people who need services into the community.
Dr. Don Kamin, a clinical psychologist and instructor in the Crisis Intervention Training Program, leads a class discussion this afternoon at the Medina Fire Department’s classroom.
The Orleans County police agencies will have another one-day training on Dec. 8 for additional officers to receive Crisis Intervention Training.
Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said the trained officers can cross jurisdictional lines to help in crisis situations.
Mark O’Brien, director of the Mental Health Department in Orleans County, praised the officers for taking the training this week. For some of the officers, the 8 hours of training each day may have preceded or followed a full shift as a patrolman or investigator.
O’Brien said the county has stepped up its community-based mental health services, with satellite programs in all five school districts. There also are mental health services now available for inmates in the jail.
“This will help the community,” Bower said about the training and mental health outreach.
Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower takes a photo of the group of 18 officers who earned certificates of completion for a 40-hour class about responding to people having a mental health crisis.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 November 2016 at 9:03 am
Libraries stay the same, Cobblestone Museum remains out of budget
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jennifer Gray, a chalk artist and director of the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, works on a chalk art creation of the Statue of Liberty and an American flag on May 27 by the Albion Middle School. The Arts Council requested a funding boost from the county from $3,000 to $5,500. The tentative budget keeps the funding at $3,000.
ALBION – The tentative Orleans County budget gives funding increases to some agencies, while keeping the libraries unchanged.
The budget also doesn’t provide funding for the Cobblestone Museum, despite a request from the museum for some support from the county.
“We looked at them all on a case by case basis as we perceived the overall need,” said David Callard, the Orleans County Legislature chairman. “It varied among the organizations.”
Callard said the county has upped funding for some agencies in recent years, but is constrained because of the state-imposed tax cap.
For three years, from 2012 to 2014, the agencies were all frozen in their county contributions. That was when the county was feeling the burden of deficits from the county nursing home.
That facility became privately owned in 2015. Once it was out of the county budget, the county had a bigger cushion for infrastructure projects, and the agencies.
Here is a snapshot of how the county has contributed to different agencies since 2012:
• The Cornell Cooperative Extension went from $219,150 in 2012-14, to $225,000 in 2015, $232,500 in 2016, and to a tentative $240,000 in 2017. The agency requested $275,000 next year.
• The Orleans Economic Development Agency was at $150,000 in 2012-14, and then went to $170,000 in 2015, $166,500 in 2016, and $170,000 in 2017. The $170,000 is what the agency requested for next year. The EDA generates some of its own funds through fees for local projects.
• The Soil and Water Conservation District was funded at $57,750 in 2012-14, and then went to $75,000 in 2015, $77,500 in 2016 and to a tentative $80,000 in 2017. Soil and Water requested $90,000 next year.
• The four public libraries in Albion, Holley, Lyndonville and Medina collectively receive $10,000, the funding level since at least 2012. They requested $1 per county resident or $42,883.
County legislators in the past have said the libraries have the option of collecting taxes to raise their own funds, which isn’t an option for the other agencies.
“We feel it’s an important to at least maintain a level of support for the libraries,” Callard said. “We haven’t forsaken them.”
• The county provided $1,000 a year to the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts in 2012-14, and increased that to $3,000 in 2015 and 2016. The Arts Council requested $5,500 in 2017. The tentative budget keeps the funding at $3,000 for 2017.
• The Sportsmen’s Federation received $500 annually from 2012-14, and was bumped up to $1,000 in 2015 and 2016. The tentative budget keeps the federation at $1,000.
This photo shows the inside of the cobblestone schoolhouse, which was built in 1849. The school closed in 1952 and looks much like it did when it was a functioning school.
• Cobblestone Museum board members Diane Palmer and Susan Starkweather-Miller asked legislators in September for county funding for the museum, the only National Historic Landmark in Orleans County. The museum includes seven historic buildings, as well as outhouses and other important community artifacts.
Callard said he favored some county support for the museum, but the seven-member Legislature didn’t reach that consensus.
Neighboring Genesee County also has a National Historic Landmark with the Holland Land Office Museum. Genesee provides $37,282 in county funding for that museum in Batavia, which is a smaller site than the Cobblestone Museum.
The Legislature will have a hearing on the $65.6 million budget at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the County Courthouse in Albion, and has scheduled a Dec. 5 meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the legislative chambers of the County Clerks Building to adopt the budget.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The canal bridge on Bennetts Corners Road in the Town of Murray is one of seven on schedule for improvements in the next two years. The bridge has had the weight limit reduced to 4 tons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2016 at 6:39 pm
For several years Orleans County officials have been pressing the state Department of Transportation to upgrade bridges over the Erie Canal. Many of those bridges are deteriorating and have had their weight limits significantly reduced.
That limit means fire trucks, school buses, farm equipment and other larger vehicles can’t use some of the bridges and have to take longer routes to reach destinations in Orleans County.
The DOT is planning an “unprecedented” push to bolster 17 canal bridges in the region, including seven in Orleans County, DOT Regional Director Kevin Bush announced at a meeting on Monday about the Lake Ontario State Parkway, seen as another neglected part of the state’s infrastructure in Orleans County.
Bush said the state is planning $14 million in paving and improvements to the Parkway starting at Route 237 in Kendall and heading east into Monroe County.
The DOT’s capital plan for the region also includes $13 million for canal bridges in Orleans in 2017-18. Those bridges are about 100 years old.
The ones identified for improvements include Bates Road in Ridgeway, Bennetts Corners in Murray, Densmore Road in Gaines, Gaines Basin Road in Albion, Marshall Road in Ridgeway, Telegraph Road in Murray and Transit Road in Albion.
The DOT also plans major rehab work to the Main Street lift bridge in Albion as well as the lift bridge in Brockport. The work on those two lift bridges is pegged at $7.8 million in 2018-19.
There are 26 canal bridges in Orleans County and 12 have been declared “functionally obsolete.” Another six are considered “structurally deficient” by the state Department of Transportation. Two are closed – Brown Street in Albion and Hindsburg Road in Murray. The Knowlesville lift bridge is limited to one lane and 6 tons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2016 at 10:29 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Kevin Bush, regional director for the state Department of Transportation, addresses more than 100 people at a meeting Monday evening on future paving plans for the Lake Ontario State Parkway. The meeting with State Sen. Robert Ortt and Bush was organized by the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association. They met in the home of Gene Haines, which is located near the Parkway by Lake Ontario.
CARLTON – Some improvements are coming to the Lake Ontario State Parkway, a recreational route from Carlton to Rochester.
The Parkway is in need to maintenance, making for a bumpy ride, especially in the Hamlin area, local officials said during a meeting Monday about the future of Parkway paving.
The state has money set aside to improve the Parkway in 2017-18. Most of the $14 million is for upgrading the Parkway in Monroe County.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Kevin Bush, the regional director for the DOT. “This should cover the worst section.”
The Parkway paving includes $8.97 million to pave the parkway from Route 19 east to Payne Beach in 2017, and then $5.2 million to pave the Parkway from Route 19 in Hamlin to Route 237 in Kendall in 2018.
The Department of Transportation’s 5-year plan, which runs until 2020, doesn’t include paving for the Parkway west of 237 in Kendall, Bush told about 100 people on Monday evening during a meeting about the Parkway.
The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association, which has been pressing for Parkway improvements for several years, organized the meeting with Bush and State Sen. Robert Ortt.
Provided photo by Landmark Society of WNY – Credit Richard Margolis: The Lake Ontario State Parkway runs near the lakeshore in Orleans and Monroe counties and has been in need of paving and repair in recent years.
The big crowd at the home of Gene Haines impressed Ortt. He said the turnout shows the Parkway is an important issue for local residents.
“When you’re talking about tourism and bringing people to our community, no one wants to travel on a road when your car will bottom out,” Ortt said.
State Sen. Robert Ortt, right, addresses a crowd that includes State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, second from left.
There has been shrinking dollars for paving and infrastructure projects in recent years, and Ortt said that has prompted the DOT to focus the funds on higher-use bridges and roads. That has left the Parkway with little to no maintenance funds in recent years.
The paving the next two years brings overdue investment in the Parkway, Ortt said. He is hopeful the federal government under new President Donald Trump will direct more money for infrastructure, with some of those funds addressing the Parkway west of Kendall.
“It’s your money,” Ortt said. “We’re trying to bring some of it back to improve in an important road in your community.”
The DOT also needs some leeway in prioritizing projects by use. The Parkway is low traffic, and sees less vehicles as it falls into more disrepair. Orit said it is a “downward spiral” because worsening roads get even less traffic, making them less likely to get funds for repaving.
Orleans County and the Genesee Transportation Council expect to soon start a study on the long-term future of the Parkway.
The study will look at several alternatives for the Parkway’s future, including if the west- or eastbound lanes were closed to traffic, the closed lanes could perhaps be opened as a recreational route for walkers, cyclists or snowmobilers.
Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, noted how the Landmark Society recently named the Parkway to its annual “Five to Revive,” a list of sites in need of investment.
The remaining west- or eastbound lanes would stay open to traffic with steady maintenance from the state, as a possible alternative.
The study will take an inventory of the transportation assets on the Parkway and forecast the remaining useful life of the bridges, pavement, etc., and an anticipated maintenance schedule.
The Landmark Society of Western New York also recently listed the Parkway on its list of “Five to Revive.” Wayne Goodman, executive director for the Landmark Society, said the annual list of Five to Revive tends to draw interest and often investment in neglected assets in the region.
Goodman said on Monday he favors the study to assess the assets on the Parkway and some alternatives for its future use.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions about the Parkway and a scarcity of resources,” Goodman said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2016 at 12:38 pm
Provided photo: Mary Jo Syck is pictured with David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature, after she was named the county’s employee of the year during a luncheon last Thursday at Tillman’s Village Inn.
ALBION –Mary Jo Syck is one of those “extraordinary” people who go above and beyond her job in serving Orleans County veterans and their families, said Earl M. Schmidt director of Veterans Service Agency.
Syck is assistant administrative veterans secretary for the county. She does far more than typical secretarial work, Schmidt said.
“The biggest thing is she goes over and beyond – she goes that extra step,” Schmidt said about Syck, who last Thursday was named the county’s employee of the year. “In today’s workforce you have the people who go to work and do their job, but she does more. People like that are extraordinary.”
She was instrumental in the plan for recent renovations of the Veterans Service Agency, making the site more user-friendly for the public and more secure for employees and volunteers.
Syck has worked for the county for 26 years, serving roles in the Personnel Office, Social Services, the County Highway Department, the County Clerk’s Office and the Veterans Services Agency.
“Whether it is making contact with a town clerk to make sure the right veteran exemption for taxes is correct or to assist the funeral director to get the death certificate in a timely manner to assist a widow or a family member with burial benefits, she makes every effort to assist the mission of the Veterans’ Office every day,” said Jack Welch, the county’s personnel director. “She also ensures that the five volunteer vans are schedule for maintenance to ensure that they are safe and ready to serve our veterans.”
Syck assists volunteers that run the van service, where veterans are transported for medical appointments.
She will often write letters to the families of deceased veterans, urging them to check to see if the family is entitled to veteran’s benefits.
“This employee is able to perform her duties and is willing to take on additional service to the veterans and their families, always cheerfully with a can-do attitude,” Welch said.
Syck was recognized during the county’s annual employee luncheon. Each month, one employee is recognized. A committee then reviews the nominations for the employees of the month and picks the employee of the year.
Other employees of the month recognized include:
Michelle Sargent (Office for the Aging), October 2015; Elizabeth Milazzo, (Social Services), December 2015; Diana Kephart, (Social Services), January 2016); Mary Jo Syck, (Veterans Services Agency) February 2016; Ryan McPherson, (Social Services) March 2016; Ryan Stork (Buildings and Grounds), April 2016; Mary Grouse (Social Services), May 2016; Linda Karp (Mental Health), June 2016; Cathy Miller (Public Health), July 2016; and Nola Goodrich-Kresse (Public Health), September 2016.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2016 at 2:57 pm
ALBION – The tentative budget for Orleans County would reduce the tax rate by 3 cents to $9.86 per $1,000 of assessed property.
However, the county would take in 2.5 percent more in taxes, up $405,260 to $16,728,410. The $2.5 percent increase remains under the tax cap because the county was under it in recent years and can carry over that difference.
The tax rate will go down slightly because total assessed value in the county grew 2.844 percent from $1.650 billion to $1.696 billion.
The tentative budget was filed on Wednesday by Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer and budget officer. The County Legislature will have a public hearing on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Orleans County Courthouse.
Overall spending is up 1.81 percent or by $1.18 million to $65,614,624. This will be the third year the county hasn’t had the nursing home, and Nesbitt said that spared the county from an estimated $2 million tax hit for 2017.
Here are some highlights from Nesbitt in the tentative budget:
• Mental Health
The county has opened satellite mental health offices in each of the five school districts, and is now working to offer integrated primary care and mental health services in a collaborative partnership with Oak Orchard Health.
The 2017 budget includes four positions to staff ten new satellite offices across the five districts that had been added throughout 2016.
“These positions are revenue generating, justifying themselves from a cost benefit standpoint,” Nesbitt said in his budget message.
The county is seeking grants to shift some services to the main campus by the County Administration Building. Those grants funds could be used to develop a new facility to modernize Public Health and Mental Health operations, expand offerings, and reorganize county facilities, Nesbitt said.
“An added benefit of the project will be a reduction of wear and tear on historic Courthouse Square, taking pressure off the historically significant buildings,” he said.
• Aging
Office for the Aging has a grant to add a full-time aging service specialist. In January 2017, a statewide advertising campaign will encourage New Yorkers to contact NY Connects throughout the state as a No Wrong Door entity providing access to long-term care services. This newly created position will screen all calls and walk‐ins for individuals from birth to death for long-term care services.
• Planning
The county last year added a planning professional to the Planning Department to address comprehensive planning in the local communities, including waterfront revitalization, harbor dredging and community development.
• Pensions
Although the overall employer contribution percentage remained the same and full-time equivalent numbers are up slightly from 2016, the amount budgeted for the New York State Retirement System was down $27,387 from 2016 at $2,627,117 (a reduction of just over 1%). This is reflective of some Tier 5 and 6 penetration, Nesbitt said.
• Health Insurance
Orleans County continues to benefit from a partnership with the Alliance of Western New York, Nesbitt said. The county’s overall premium increase is projected at a 2.77 percent increase or $131,956.
• County Jail
The county jail shows the largest single increase of any department at $277,127.
“Regulators at the state level have forced the county to eliminate most of the revenue for boarding inmates in our facility,” Nesbitt said. “The state has also required that the county change the methodology for allocation of command staff at the facility. This has resulted in additional costs to the facility.”
• State mandates
The nine major state mandates that used to make up 90 percent of statewide county property taxes are down slightly from $16,397,378 in 2016 to $16,319,197 in 2017. This reduction is primarily due to reductions in the local Medicaid share resulting from enhancements in the Affordable Care Act.
“If the ACA is repealed, it will have a significant impact on property taxes across the state of New York and likely forcing universal Tax Cap overrides by counties across the state,” Nesbitt said.
The local cost of the nine state mandated programs equals 97.56 percent of the county property tax levy, he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2016 at 4:56 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Richard Coleman of Eagle Harbor Road in Barre made this sign with his grandson. “Your putting your stamp out there, rather than somebody else’s,” Coleman said about the home-made sign. Coleman said he supports Donald Trump for his push to strengthen the military and boost the economy.
Of the 62 counties in New York, Orleans is expected to have one of the biggest shows of support for Donald Trump today.
Orleans is solidly Republican and two years ago when Rob Astorino ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor, Orleans voters gave Astorino 73.4 percent of the vote. That was the second highest percentage of all counties. Only Wyoming County, at 76.0 percent, topped Orleans in backing the Republican candidate. (State-wide, Cuomo won re-election with 54 percent of the vote.)
Ed Morgan, the Orleans County Republican Party chairman, said he expects big numbers for Trump in Orleans. The Orleans GOP Committee was the first of all the NY counties to endorse Trump back in February.
Trump signs far outnumber ones for Clinton on the local landscape.
Morgan said the GOP county leaders compare votes in their counties to see the Republican support. Morgan said Orleans might be able to wrestle bragging rights from Wyoming when it comes to which county votes the most Republican today.
He said the Republican ideals strike a chord with many local residents.
“We’re a rural county with working people,” he said. “We’re a giving county.”
The voter enrollment rolls count 10,732 Republicans in Orleans, compared to 5,518 Democrats.
There are 23,263 registered voters total. The number of independent voters – blanks – at 5,100 nearly matches the number of Democrats. Appealing to independents and third parties can help a Democrat in a Republican-dominated county.
There are also 1,113 registered members of the Independence Party and 542 Conservatives. Other party enrollments include: Working Families, 154; Green, 64; Libertarian, 35; Women’s Equality, 3; and Reform, 2.
Even Jeanne Crane, the leader of the Orleans County Democratic Party, said she expects Orleans County will give Donald Trump strong support today.
The county is solidly Republican, and that enrollment advantage is tough for a Democratic Party candidate to overcome, she said.
Crane has been encouraged by many blue signs in lawns in support of Hillary Clinton for president. Crane said those public displays aren’t always easy in a county where Democrats are at such a disadvantage.
“It’s tough for a Democrat in Orleans County because we’re outnumbered 2-to-1 by the Republicans,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 November 2016 at 7:10 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CHURCHVILLE – Members of the Mad Scientists, a First Lego League team from Orleans County, is congratulated after being named one of five teams to advance to a regional competition on Dec. 11 at the University of Rochester.
This photo shows Emma Foote, Bryce Wilson and Zachary Neal getting high-fives from officials and leaders of today’s qualifier at Churchville-Chili Middle School. There were 18 teams with the top five advancing to regionals.
The Mad Scientists also won the award for best project. The Mad Scientists developed a prosthetic leg for a dog.
This photo shows Joshua Bovenzi and the team accepting that award. The FLL teams throughout the country had to do a project on “Animal Allies.” They needed to research animals, present that information during today’s competition, and build and program a robot to perform different tasks.
The Mad Scientists include, from left: Joshua Bovenzi, Bryce Wilson, Emma Foote, Deegan Bragg, Zachary Neal and Aiden Miller.
Orleans County has three FLL teams who compete in the 4-H program. The Orleans teams are led by Marlene and Erik Seielstad of Albion. They have led the program, open to students in grades 4 through 8, since it started five years ago.
This team was named the “B-Keepers.” They researched bees and their importance in pollinating crops and vegetation and offered solutions to fight Colony Collapse Disorder, which has hurt the bee population. The team include, from left: Jacob Foote, Nicolas Burke, Bryce Mathes, James Michael Beach and Isaac Becker.
This team from Orleans – KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) – created a contraption for a dog to turn on the lights in the dark. Dogs can’t reach a light switch, but with this invention they could pull on the bottom lever and turn on the lights. Parents of a child in a wheelchair at the competition today liked the invention so much, they took it home with them to use in their house for their son. The KOWZ team includes Jayden Neal, Russell Kingdollar, Jacob Draper, Lance Moyer and Samuel Yousey.
The Hippie Pandas, a team from a Girl Scout troop in Churchville, once again was named the overall champion in the qualifier. The Hippie Pandas are a dominant team and advanced to the national competition in 2014.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2016 at 3:37 pm
File photos by Tom Rivers: John Borello, left, and Ed Hilfiker, guitarists with The Who Dats, perform during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in this photo from July 2015. If the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension is approved for a state grant, the main performing stage would shift to the Curtis Pavilion, rather than the temporary stage shown here.
KNOWLESVILLE – In July, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state would set aside $5 million to help county fairs with capital improvements. Each fair could receive up to $200,000 with the money awarded on a first come-first served basis.
Officials with the Orleans County Fair Committee and the Cornell Cooperative Extension have identified projects for the grant.
The state is expected to soon accept applications for the funds. Orleans has one of the most popular youth fairs in the state, and Robert Batt, a 4-H educator, is hopeful the fairgrounds in Knowlesville can secure a full $200,000 grant.
“It’s exciting for us because you don’t get money like this, for infrastructure and repairs,” Batt said. “Usually the grants go to a new building.”
The biggest project identified by Fair and Extension leaders is an upgrade to the performance stage at the Curtis Building. This is the building where the popular chicken barbecue happens every Thursday evening during fair week. The stage is also used to crown fair royalty and recognize 4-H’ers on Saturday, the last day of the fair.
Fair officials want to tear down the current pavilion stage and replace it with a larger performing area. The new stage would include changing rooms on the west end of the stage and east end would have two restroom and two shower-stall bathrooms as well as an exterior hand wash sink.
The project would also include an electrical upgrade in the pavilion and the installation of stage lighting.
The Extension and Fair Committee would like the stage to be improved so concerts, karaoke, the talent show and other performances could be at the Curtis Pavilion. Right now the fair has to pay to have a temporary stage set up with a tent and hundreds of chairs and bleachers. If the project goes forward, it would eliminate the need for stage and tent rental for the future at a savings of $2,500 per year.
“It’s going to have a long-lasting impact on the fairgrounds and hopefully make the building more useful for the entire community,” Batt said.
Emma Ambrose of Medina and other riders in the hunter hack event wait for their turns to compete at the fair in July 2015. The state grant, if approved for Orleans, would enlarge the horse arena.
Other improvement projects identified with the $200,000 grant include:
• Trolley Building roof replacement
• Horse washrack replacement
• Paving of Fairgrounds “mainway” area
• Electrical: Addition of second leg for carnival camping off swine pavilion. Underground wire and leg of ten 30-foot spots south of creek for new 4-H camping
• Double the size of horse arena
If there is money remaining in the $200,000 grant, Batt said Fair leaders are looking to make over the bathrooms with fresh paint, some lighting repair and new “safety mirrors.”
The fair would also like to replace ash trees that were removed this year with quick-growing shade trees.
The Fair Committee and Extension also would like upgrades to fairgrounds lighting, by replacing current lighting with LED. The group would like to replace all wiring with conduit, and possibly move lines underground to parking lots.
Cuomo announced on July 20 there would be $5 million available to county fairs. (The fairs have to pay for the projects and then get 100 percent reimbursed for the work.)
“Our county fairs are a vibrant part of New York’s culture and history and play an integral role in generating economic activity in communities across the state,” Cuomo said when he announced the grant opportunity. “By facilitating key infrastructural improvements and renovations at county fairs statewide, this funding will help ensure visitors come back year after year. I encourage fairs to put their best projects forward and apply this fall.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2016 at 12:38 pm
ALBION – The three Orleans County coroners have offered cut their pay in half for some calls that require limited work on their part.
The coroners are paid $100 per call. However, they will now be paid $50 for calls with Hospice of Orleans, where the cause of death doesn’t require as much investigative work, said Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner.
“It doesn’t make sense to charge the citizens of the county a full $100,” Schmidt said about those deaths.
On the other side, some deaths can require lots of investigative work to determine the cause of death. The corners don’t get paid more for those calls.
The three coroners – Schmidt, Rocco Sidari and Charlie Smith – handle about 120 deaths a year with Hospice. Reducing the rate for those calls to $50 will save the county about $6,000 annually.
The Legislature last week voted to set the base pay for coroners at $1,930 in 2017, plus $100 for each standard case and $50 for a phone release case with a patient at Hospice.
In other news at the County Legislature meeting:
• The Legislature agreed to enter into a contract between the office for the Aging and Home Leasing, the company looking to develop the old Holley High School. If the project becomes a reality, there would be services available at the site for residents with special needs.
The agreement between Office for the Aging and Home Leasing was needed so the company could fulfill requirements for a funding commitment for the project.
• The county accepted a bid from Nudd Towers in Ontario for maintenance of the five towers that are part of the county’s emergency radio system. The maintenance contract for the first time includes the three new towers that went up in 2014. Those towers are by the Clarendon Highway Department near Route 31A, in Albion by the Civil Defense Center on West County House Road and one in Shelby next to the Medina water tank on Route 31A. The county also had two other radio towers, including the main one which reaches 485 feet.
Lyndonville resident Paul Lauricella said he thought that maintenance contract was too costly. County officials said Nudd can make minor repairs, including re-lamping the towers and tightening bolts.
If there was a problem with a light on a tower, the Federal Aviation Administration could force the county to fix it right away or be fined.
“It’s money well spent,” said Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management coordinator. “You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to climb up there.”
• Legislator Don Allport said the Community Services Board needs more members. The group would like more representation from the west side of the county Allport said the group meets monthly, except during the summer, at the Mental Health Department next to the County Administration Building.
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County 4-H Fair will add a second night of fireworks this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County.
KNOWLESVILLE – With the approach of the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension centennial in 2017, the Board of Directors is seeking members of the community to plan for celebrating the milestone.
On November 10 at 7:00 p.m., the annual OCCCE Teamwork meeting will include a reflection on the past and plans to celebrate the future. Already several events and activities have been suggested by current volunteers, alumni and youth.
Some of these ideas include an alumni photo taken during the fair, special fair entertainment, a memorial carving, bringing back vintage posters and publication, a centennial quilt and quilt show, presentations of historical foods and clothing, and the re-release of an updated “History of the Orleans County 4-H Fair” book by Dr. Neil Johnson, a long-time leader of the rabbit club and the a local historian.
At the Nov. 10 meeting, the committee will work to identify a theme that represents the first 100 years of successfully carrying out the mission of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension – to provide relevant, accessible, research-based information to grow confident youth and successful farms and gardens for a strong and healthy Orleans community.
The Extension is looking for volunteers to participate in the planning group or having a hands on role in the activities. If you are interested, you can connect with the office at 798-4265 or by emailing orleans@cornell.edu.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 October 2016 at 8:02 am
$17 million in 2017 is an attainable goal
This washed-out sign declaring Orleans County as “Home of the King” with a faint outline of a salmon greets motorists on Route 98 near the Elba-Barre townline. The county could do much better with gateway signage highlighting local attractions.
Orleans County and the local school and village governments have all been in shrink mode in recent years, making big reductions in staff.
The county sold the nursing home, and many of its departments have fewer employees than a decade ago. Villages have fewer police officers and DPW staff.
In some cases, the municipalities are sharing staff to bring down costs. Orleans and Genesee counties have teamed up to have Public Health employees working in both counties. Holley has contracted with Albion for police chief services and for expertise running its sewer plant.
The officials have found ways to reduce the overall government overhead.
But there is another way to bring down property taxes, a way that would lift up local businesses.
The local governments should look to boost sales tax revenues in the county. There should be a push to have Orleans residents spend more within our county, and there should be a concerted effort to bring in more visitors.
Right now, Orleans County ranks as the fourth worse out of 62 counties in sales tax per capita, despite ranking 25th from the bottom in median household income.
Orleans gets $358 per person in sales tax. We are one of only six counties below $400 per person, according to the Office of the State Comptroller. Wyoming County, which is similar in size to Orleans at about 40,000 people, gets $394 per capita in sales tax.
Orleans County, population 42,235 in 2013, took in $15,469,950 in sales tax in 2015. There was $15,703,363 in 2014.
Wyoming County, population 41,531 in 2013, took in $16,591,138 in 2015 and $16,853,447 in 2014.
A hot air balloon takes off at Letchworth State Park in this photo from May 2015. Wyoming County has numerous signs in many towns pointing people to the park.
I often hear people say Orleans is the poorest county in the state. That isn’t true. Our median household income is $48,502. There are 62 counties in New York and Orleans ranks 25th worst (or 37th highest) in median household income, according to the Census Bureau. The Census compiled the data in household income from 2009-2013 in the American Community Survey.
In Western New York, Orleans tops Niagara County ($47,955), Allegany ($42,429) and Cattaraugus at $42,603.
Wyoming has a higher household income than Orleans. Wyoming is 34th out of 62 counties at $51,100.
A reasonable goal with sales tax for Orleans would be to match Wyoming. Orleans would need to bring in about $1.1 million more a year.
Although Wyoming has a higher median household income, Orleans has slightly more people.
I would like to see our elected officials launch a campaign to boost sales tax to $17 million in 2017 and to $20 million by 2020.
Every $1 million in sales tax represents $25 million in taxable spending.
Here are some ideas (little and big projects) to reach that goal:
Sell more gas (and other stuff) locally
We lose a lot of sales tax because our gas prices are higher than neighboring counties. Meeting with gas providers, explaining how their prices hurt us and drive up taxes, may get some relief.
Educating the consumer may be best bet to capture more sales tax from gas sales. Consumers may not realize when they buy gas in Elba, Brockport or Lockport, they are depriving their own municipality of that revenue. If they buy 15 gallons a week outside Orleans (with the county losing about 8 cents in sales tax per gallon) that’s $1.20 lost each week or $60 for the year. Multiply that by thousands of people.
The Chamber of Commerce and local governments should develop a “Buy in Orleans” campaign and promote it heavily. “Shop locally and lower your taxes.”
Develop heritage trails
It was a big deal about two years ago when the state allowed the Niagara Wine Trail to extend past Niagara County through Orleans, all the way to near Rochester. The state even provided money for road signs. But the local wineries and Niagara Wine Trail have struggled with getting permits and approvals for the signs. This photo shows the sign on Route 104 near the Niagara-Orleans border.
A Sandstone Trail on Route 31 – Sandstone signs for municipalities and roadside signs for attractions. (The Sandstone Trail should include a quarrymen memorial in either Medina, Holley or Albion, or perhaps a quarrymen tribute in each community. The sandstone quarries were one of the community’s most dominant industries for about a century, and attracted thousands of immigrants to Orleans. Many of their descendants continue to live among us.)
Route 98 corridor from Batavia to Point Breeze (several museums on this stretch). Add bronze statues/memorial sites in Batavia (for horsemen at Batavia Downs) in Elba (for muck farmers) and in Albion (for Santa and/or quarrymen).
Promote and better develop an Albion Heritage Trail that ties together the historic sites at Mount Albion Cemetery, Courthouse Square, downtown, Erie Canal, and Cobblestone Museum as well as many grand old homes.
Partner with Niagara and Monroe counties to establish and promote Cobblestone Trail on Route 104 with Cobblestone Museum the centerpiece.
Work with wineries to get Niagara Wine Trail signs up. (They were approved more than two years ago but bureaucracy has stymied the sign efforts.)
As the county nears its 200th anniversary in 2026, the local officials should be mulling ways to celebrate that milestone. Perhaps the quarrymen memorial and other tributes would be attractions while paying homage to our heritage.
Historic assets
Holley has the only original section of the Erie Canal remaining from between Buffalo and Rochester. A humble sign nailed to a tree notes that distinction.
Holley has the only remaining original loop of Erie Canal. It is currently filled with wild brush and vegetation. If it was cleared out, with interpretive signage, it could be an attraction.
There are many other historic assets, from cemeteries, stately homes and historic districts. A package could be developed to capitalize on the interest in history and heritage. Orleans County has many stories to tell from the war of 1812, Erie Canal, Underground Railroad, industrial revolution (Medina sandstone quarries) and much more. Some of these sites could be connected through hitching posts and carriage steps, especially if someone provided carriage rides to see the historic trail.
Work to obtain a Pullman Sleeping Car that would be parked in Albion and rented out to coffee shop/bakery.
As part of the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal construction, Orleans County and the canal towns should try each year to introduce a painted fiberglass mule and oxen. They could be gradually introduced over the eight-year bicentennial which starts next year and ends in 2025. The county may want to work with GO Art! and contribute some funds to the effort. Numerous communities have done these type of public art projects, including Batavia, Buffalo, Rochester and Olean, just to name a few.
Natural wonders
The Medina Waterfalls is an awesome site, but it’s largely inaccessible to the public.
Medina has one of the most impressive waterfalls along the canal, but it is largely inaccessible to public. Having an elevated platform from canal leading back to waterfalls would put an attraction in play, drawing more people to Medina.
There is also a nice waterfall in Shelby. If pubic access was secured, it would be a nice spot for families and others to enjoy.
Holley has a second waterfalls by the water plant that would be popular with a viewing platform. (This one is actually in Clarendon, but is close to the waterfall near the canal off Frisbee Terrace.)
Bronze Statues
Provide some funding for bronze statues for Company F Memorial in Medina and Charles Howard in Albion. Both would provide an iconic character for their communities. The Howard statue of a Santa would promote Albion’s Santa history and could spur the downtown to become home to Santa-themed businesses (The Santa Café and Bake Shop, for example).
Support existing community events
Set aside $50,000 annually from the $200K-plus in gambling money (as part of the state settlement with the Senecas) and use it to make local festivals better and to support projects, such as bronze statues, better gateway signage, etc.
Get more out of fishing
Fishermen try to catch salmon and trout along the Oak Orchard River last October.
Orleans gets about $12 million in spending from fishing. That’s a far cry from the $100 million up in the Oswego area with the Salmon River. We could do more. I would start with better gateway signs at the county borders. The current ones that say, “Home of the King” with a salmon are washed out and unnoticeable. Dramatic signs that say, “Catch me if you can,” might reel in more fishing cash.
Conclusion
The county should form a sales tax commission or task force that would work with the town and village governments, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and business associations to have an action plan for putting more assets in play that would bring more visitors to the county and also encourage Orleans residents to spend more locally.
That would grow the sales tax, reduce pressure on property taxes, and stimulate local businesses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2016 at 2:06 pm
File photo, Badge of Honor Association: Orleans County Deputy James DeFilipps speaks on June 18 during the Policeman’s Ball in Rochester.
San DIEGO, CA. – James DeFilipps, the Orleans County deputy who survived a shootout last year after being shot twice in the abdomen, was honored earlier this month in San Diego by the International Police Chiefs Association/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club.
DeFilipps was chosen as the 2016 Honoree of the Year. He received the award during a luncheon on Oct. 15 during the 123rd International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Exposition.
DeFilipps was one of the first on the scene in response to a domestic disturbance call when he noticed the suspect’s vehicle speeding by on the road on March 21, 2015.
DeFilipps was in pursuit when the suspect exited his vehicle and hid from the officers on scene. The suspect then began to shoot at the officers from a nearby wooded area in Clarendon, striking DeFilipps twice in the torso.
DeFilipps fired back, eliminating the threat, and then maintained his position and used the flashlight on his rifle to illuminate the suspect’s location for the other officers. His quick response saved the lives of the other officers at the scene and, thanks to the use of his body armor, DeFilipps sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to a news release from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
“The brave actions of Deputy James A. DeFilipps helped save the lives of his fellow officers,” said IACP President, Chief Terrence M. Cunningham of the Wellesley (MA) Police Department. “We are pleased to honor Deputy DeFilipps for being an example to others for wearing his vest.”
Since 1987, IACP has partnered with DuPont to honor those police officers who have survived life-threatening incidents because they were wearing their personal body armor. To-date, more than 3,100 officers who have been saved from death or serious injury by wearing body armor have been honored, with one officer chosen annually as the Honoree of the Year. The award helps to reinforce the use of body armor every day and every shift for officer safety. It also serves as a reminder of the heroic efforts police exhibit while serving their communities.
“Every day, law enforcement officers confront multiple, unpredictable situations that can quickly become life-threatening or disabling,” said Steve LaGanke, Global Marketing Manager, DuPont Protection Solutions. “At DuPont, we are committed to providing advanced materials that help officers, like Deputy DeFilipps, come home safely day after day. We hope that his inspiring story of heroism and survival will help reinforce the fact that wearing personal body armor can mean the difference between life and death.”
DeFilipps, a Holley resident, has worked as a deputy in Orleans County for 13 years after starting his career with the Holley Police Department. The New York State Sheriff’s Association named him the “Deputy of the Year” in 2015.
