By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2016 at 11:03 am
Provided photo: Otto will arrive next week and will soon begin training with Jeff Cole, an Orleans County sheriff’s deputy.
ALBION – A flood of community donations has more than paid for a new K-9 to join the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
The County Legislature last week approved spending $8,500 for a German Shepherd from Upstate K-9 in Hilton. The dog named Otto is 2 years old and has been trained in Holland. Otto is due to arrive Oct. 13 at the Buffalo airport.
He will join handler Jeff Cole, a deputy at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office the past decade. Cole and Otto will receive training together in tracking, obedience, article searches, criminal apprehension, as well as drug detection. Cole said the dog could be in service, at the earliest, on Feb. 1.
The Sheriff’s Office has received $9,465 in donations so far, with a $2,500 grant from the Walmart Community Grants Team the biggest donation. But Cole said many residents and businesses have donated to allow the Sheriff’s Office to move forward in acquiring the dog.
“It shows how much the community cares,” Cole said today.
The donations beyond the $8,500 cost for the dog will go towards equipment and training for the K-9 unit.
Cole said Otto will be an asset for local law enforcement for patrols and for narcotics detection.
“He is a phenomenal dog,” Cole said. “We’re very fortunate we were able to get him. A lot of other police departments wanted him.”
Those wishing to donate to the K-9 unit should make checks payable to the “Orleans County Treasurer” with a notation in the memo portion “For Sheriff K-9 Fund.” Checks should be mailed to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, 13925 State Route 31,Suite 400, Albion, NY 14411.
Provided photo: Pictured today at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension from left inlude Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Deborah Roberts; BOCES 2 Asst. Superintendent for Accountability, Assessment and Technology Dr. Michelle Ryan; BOCES 2 District Superintendent Jo Anne Antonacci; Senator Rob Ortt; and Orleans/Niagara BOCES District Superintendent Clark Godshall, Ed.D.
Press Release, State Sen. Robert Ortt
KNOWLESVILLE – During a ceremonial check presentation today, Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) delivered a total of $80,000 in state funding to support educational programs, services and projects throughout Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties.
The Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) received $45,000 for its nationally-recognized adult health care programs offered at both its locations in Sanborn and Medina. The funding will go toward purchasing medical equipment and supplies, hospital beds, and computerized manikins used for scenario-based simulations.
Adult/Continuing Education health care programs offered at O/N BOCES include Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Certified Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy and Home Health Aide. With a high need for employees in the health care field, O/N BOCES is hoping the addition of new, state-of-the-art medical equipment will bolster the number of students in these programs.
Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES was presented with a $15,000 ceremonial check to expand its library instructional services for its students. BOCES 2 will purchase educational tools and technology that will provide the 34,000 students it serves with hands-on experiences and 21st century skills for college and career readiness.
Specifically, BOCES 2 plans to buy additional e-books, so that more students can access its collection, LEGO Robotics kits to teach kids about coding and how it works, MaKey MaKey Invention Kits to turn ordinary objects into touch pads that connect to the Internet, and green screen kits to superimpose images. The technology will enhance creative thinking skills and problem solving skills in students and help them find solutions to everyday situations.
Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension received $20,000 in funding that will be used to implement the Ag in the Classroom and Community Program. Working with school districts and community organizations in Orleans County, the non-profit plans to teach kids, ranging in ages from 3 to 18 years old, about agriculture. The program provides kids with a better understanding of where their food comes from and how it’s produced, and aims to build an interest in agricultural science-related career paths.
The funding was secured by Senator Ortt in the 2016-17 State Budget in addition to state aid secured last year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2016 at 1:05 pm
Orleans County has the highest percentage of people in poverty in the nine-county Finger Lakes region, according to a new report from the Rochester Community Foundation and ACT Rochester.
In Orleans County, 15.5 percent of the county’s 42,000 residents were living in poverty in 2014, up by 3.4 percentage points. The rate is much higher in the villages of Albion and Medina. The report states that 20.5 percent of Medina’s 5,962 residents live in poverty. In Albion, the rate is 26.8 percent of 5,799 people in the village, a rate only topped by 27.5 percent in the Village of Webster and 33.8 percent of the City of Rochester. (Medina and Albion are two of nine villages in the nine-county region with poverty rates above 20 percent.)
The federal poverty level in 2016 is $11,880 for a household of one, $16,020 for a household of two, $20,160 for a family of three, and $24,300 for a household of four.
Orleans leads the region at a 15.5 percent poverty rate. Other counties aren’t too far behind: Monroe and Yates, 15.4%; Livingston, 14.7%; Seneca, 13.0%; Genesee, 12.6%; Wayne, 11.9%; Ontario, 10.4%; Wyoming, 10.2%.
“Rising poverty threatens our children and our future,” said Jennifer Leonard, president and CEO of the community foundation. “These unwelcome statistics underscore the importance of the coordinated, strategic actions we’re taking to lift our community’s trajectory.”
Ed Fancher is executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. He said the agency has seen an increase in people needing help paying bills and providing food and basic needs for their families. Many of the people have jobs, but their wages aren’t enough to cover their bills, Fancher said.
“Most of the people who are poor don’t want to be poor,” Fancher said. “Day to day they are doing the best they can to get through.”
Community Action runs a food pantry and tries to help people facing utility shut-offs and other emergencies.
“We’ve seen an uptick in people at our front door,” Fancher said. “We see a lot of people who are struggling day to day to keep going.”
There are anti-poverty initiatives and funding, but Fancher said the state tends to direct most of those funds to cities.
The report from the Rochester Community Foundation and ACT Rochester notes that Orleans County’s population shrunk 5 percent from 2000 to 2014. Orleans has the highest rate of single parenthood in the region, and higher proportions of Orleans residents rely on some form of public assistance, particularly the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. Despite those statistics, student performance on state tests is strong and the high school graduation rate exceeds the region and state, according to the report.
Here are some highlights on Orleans County in the poverty report.
The child poverty rate in Orleans has increased since 2000 and is now tied for 2nd highest in the region at 23 percent.
In 2010-14, 17% of Orleans households consisted of married couples with children, an 8-point decline from 2000.
Orleans had the smallest share in the region of married couples with children, and the largest share of single parents with children in 2010-14.
In 2014, tourism revenue per resident was $560, well below the state ($3,160) and region ($1,280). Only Wayne County had lower revenue per resident than Orleans.
In 2010-14, 43% of families were headed by a single parent, above the nation (35%), state (37%), region (39%), and every other county in the region.
There were some positives in the latest poverty report about Orleans County, including growth in manufacturing jobs. This photo from September 2014 shows a 48,000-square-foot addition taking shape at Brunner International in Medina.
In 2014, there were 27 cases of child abuse and neglect per 1,000 children under 18, more than the state (17) and region (15). Only Seneca and Yates had higher rates than Orleans in the region.
The teen pregnancy rate in 2013 was 4.0%, higher than the state (3.7%), region (2.9%), and every regional county.
The voter registration rate in Orleans fell from a peak of 83% in 2005 to 73% in 2014, below the regional and state rates of 79% and 76% respectively.
Orleans also had relatively lower voter turnout with just 29% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2014 midterms, below the region (35%) and every county in the region. Turnout fell by 5 points from 34% in the 2010 midterms.
In 2014, the unemployment rate in Orleans was 7.6%. It fell from a high of 9.7% in 2012, but the 2014 rate was higher than the nation (6.2%), state (6.3%), region (5.8%), and every other county in the region.
Total jobs in Orleans fell slightly from 2013 to 2014 (0.1%), in contrast to increases in the state (1.8%), nation (1.9%), and region (0.8%).
The manufacturing sector in Orleans grew by 27% from 2001 to 2014 – an extraordinary achievement, given large losses in the nation (23%), state (33%) and region (34%). Orleans was the only county to experience more than a 5% increase in manufacturing jobs over that period.
In 2014, the average salary in Orleans was $38,800, an increase of 10% from 2000. This compares to an increase of 6% nationally, 7% for the state, and no change for the region. However, Orleans’ salary in 2014 was lower than the nation ($51,400), state ($65,900), and region ($45,100).
Orleans has had extraordinary growth in prekindergarten participation, and has the highest rate in the region. In 2014, 64% of eligible Orleans children were enrolled in prekindergarten, higher than the state (44%), region (40%), and every other county. The rate rose by 52 points from 2001, outpacing the state and regional increases (both 29 points).
In 2010-14, the median household income in Orleans was $48,000, the lowest among the counties in the region and well below the nation ($53,500), state ($58,700), and region ($52,300).
Median income in Orleans fell by 11% from 2000 to 2010-14, a larger drop than the state (5%) and region (6%).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2016 at 4:11 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: The county is also planning to add shore power for the Marine Park on the Oak Orchard River.
ALBION – Last year the docks were redone with a new composite deck surface. This year a new playground opened at the Orleans County Marine Park on Route 98 in Carlton.
The upgrades aren’t done. The county is looking to upgrade shore power for boaters at the park.
The County legislature last week authorized spending $22,820 to Labella Associates in Rochester to study ways to upgrade electricity for the docks, and also to prepare bid documents for contractors interested in the project.
The county may also look to have cable television available for boaters if it’s not cost prohibitive, said Jim Bensley, the county’s Planning Department director and manager of the Marine Park.
The park has 72 boating slips and has been at near capacity this season, Bensley said. The park opens on April 15 and closes Oct. 30.
Bensley said the electricity could be upgraded this year after Oct. 30. If cold and snowy weather comes in November, the work could be completed next spring before April 15.
The state has provided a $81,500 grant towards the Marine Park upgrades, which have been estimated at $166,000. That includes the playground, new decking, electricity, and WiFi improvements.
The Legislature approved other expenses last week, including:
• $48,350 to Mader Construction of Elma to refinish and repair the Public Safety Building’s exterior stucco.
• $13,500 to CID LLC of Rochester to paint the stairs at the Fire Training Tower at the Emergency Management Office on West County House Road.
• $28,750 to Grove Roofing Services of Buffalo for a new asphalt roof on the second floor of the Public Safety Building.
• $26,250 to purchase six mobile data terminals from Island Tech Services in Ronkonkoma, NY, with the terminals to be used by the Sheriff’s Department. The mobile data terminals are being paid for by a state grant.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2016 at 12:05 pm
File by Tom Rivers: Marcy Downey performed several popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s during a concert Feb. 19 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, as part of the library’s Finally Fridays concert series during the winter. Lee-Whedon has hosted that series for 15 years.
ALBION – The four public libraries in Orleans County once again are seeking a funding increase from the county to the level of $1 per person or $42,883.
The libraries in Albion (Hoag Library), Holley (Community Free Library), Lyndonville (Yates Community Library) and Medina (Lee-Whedon Memorial Library) currently share $10,087 from the county. The $10,087 has been the libraries’ funding level from the county since 2011.
Directors from the four libraries last week asked county legislators for a funding boost. Libraries could use more money to keep up with the costs of providing computer access, programs, books, magazines and other information for residents, the directors said.
The county was giving $29,914 to be shared among the four libraries as recently as 2002, but that dropped to $7,480 in 2003. Since then, the amount was raised to $12,587 in 2007, $13,617 in 2010, and then was cut to $10,087 in 2011. It hasn’t changed since then.
In addition to books, magazines and other reading resources, the libraries provide concerts, family activities, historical programs, meeting space and other programs.
“With a poverty rate in Orleans County of 15.5 percent, not every family can afford to buy books, pay for Internet access, or enroll their children in educational summer camps,” Kristine Mostyn, assistant director at Lee-Whedon, told the county officials.
She noted the recent summer reading program attracted 2,230 participants who combined read 3,604 books. She said the libraries partner with local agencies, parks programs, businesses, museums, zoos and other organizations for programs.
Betty Sue Miller, director at the Hoag Library in Albion, said the library is a critical resource for many in the community who would otherwise not have Internet access. The four libraries and others in three counties share materials as part of the NIOGA library system, Miller said.
Sandra Shaw of the Community Free Library said the local libraries “are living, breathing entities that change with time and technology.” The libraries provide basic computer training, and show patrons how to use some of the latest gadgets, from e-readers, iPads, and MP3 players.
Catherine Cooper, the Lee-Whedon director, said libraries are under constraints of the tax cap, which set a target cap of 2 percent increases annually, although it has been smaller than that in recent years because the cap is tied to inflation.
“It’s quite difficult,” Cooper said today about staying under the cap. “The amount you are allowed to raise is not very much.”
If there was an increase in county support, Cooper said libraries would likely use the funds to offer more materials and programs.
The county budget is typically adopted in late November or early December.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Six buses for RTS Orleans are parked outside by the Orleans County Highway Department on West Academy Street in Albion. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority said it expects to start construction on a new transportation facility at the site next year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2016 at 7:24 am
ALBION – The agency that runs a public busing service in Orleans County expects to start construction on a new transportation facility next year.
Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority started a bus service in Orleans County in 2003 with the Orleans Transit Service. That was rebranded in 2014 to be RTS Orleans. (RTS stands for Rochester Transit Service.)
The Transportation Authority has six new buses in Orleans. They transported 40,368 in the last fiscal year.
RTS Orleans has the buses parked outside by the county highway garage. The new transportation facility would have eight bus bays plus three more maintenance bays. RGRTA foresees expansion of the service in the future. That’s why there are two extra bus bays for the current fleet, Mike DeRaddo, director of regional operations for the RGRTA, told Orleans County legislators on Wednesday.
RGRTA is looking to add Saturday service in Orleans County, and also have more “connectivity” to RGRTA services in neighboring Monroe and Genesee counties, so Orleans riders can go outside the county to Brockport and Batavia, DeRaddo said.
Some of the routes in Orleans will also be redesigned. The changes are in response to a public outreach campaign by RTS Orleans earlier this year. DeRaddo said Saturday service was a big request in surveys and public meetings.
RTS Orleans has 10 employees and the six buses which covered 186,000 miles last year. The service has a $659,448 operating budget. Bus fares cover $51,137 of the budget. A local mortgage tax (a quarter of the 1 percent mortgage tax) generated $127,647 for the bus service.
The bulk of the budget comes from the bus authority, which directed $359,371 from its funds to support RTS Orleans.
Bill Carpenter, chief executive officer for RGRTA, said the organization is committed to the operation in Orleans, and is looking to make it better by changing routes to better service riders and by building the transportation facility.
A final design for that facility goes to the state Department of Transportation in November, with its approval expected in December, said Dave Belaskas, director of engineering and facilities management for RGRTA. If federal funds come through as expected, construction should start in May and be finished in 2018, he said.
The federal government typically pays 80 percent of capital project costs, with the state paying 10 percent and RGRTA the remaining 10 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2016 at 3:37 pm
ALBION – It will be a quiet local election season this year after highly contested races a year ago, highlighted by the three-way race for Orleans County sheriff.
This year, the district attorney is the highest-ranking position on the local ballot. Joseph Cardone of Medina has served as DA since 1992. He is endorsed by the Republican Party and doesn’t face opposition for another four-year term.
There are three four-year terms as coroner on the ballot. Republicans have endorsed incumbents Scott Schmidt (also backed by the Democratic Party), Rocco Sidari (also backed by the Conservative Party) and Charles Smith for the position. Katy Owczarczak has been endorsed by the Democrats.
The election for coroner is the only contested race for local candidates.
The Republican candidates for town positions are all unopposed. They include:
• Albion – Arnold R. Allen Jr. for one-year term on Town Board;
• Carlton – Karen Narburgh for one-year term as town clerk;
• Gaines – Sharon Harding for one-year term as town clerk;
• Murray – Theodore Spada Jr. for four-year term as town justice.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2016 at 6:43 pm
ALBION – Orleans County legislators were prepared today to commit to a $3.9 million solar energy project, with a solar array to be installed at the Albion Business Park on Route 31 near Butts Road.
However, county officials had misgivings after learning other counties tackling the projects have experienced delays in hooking the system into the power grid. That situation seems exclusive to National Grid in New York, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.
The solar project was projected to save the county $2 million to $2.5 million in electricity costs over 25 years. But that was only if the county could secure production incentives for the renewable energy project.
Nesbitt said the system would need to be in place and connected to the grid by Dec. 31, 2017. Other counties have experienced delays with National Grid, making the projects stretch out to 18 months.
If Orleans had to wait 18 months to connect to the grid that would be beyond the deadline for receiving the production incentives, making the project a cost liability for county taxpayers, Legislature Chairman David Callard said this afternoon.
“It’s a disappointment,” Callard said during today’s County Legislature meeting. “We just felt it’s not a good decision to make.”
Callard said some municipalities have had vendors, such as Solar City, assume the risk for a solar project, trying to have it operational and hooked to the grid in time to be eligible for tax incentives.
That’s a risk that Callard and county legislators decided not to take.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency owns the land at the Albion Business Park. The park includes a health care site owned by Orleans Community Health. Most of the other land is wooded and considered a wetland.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 September 2016 at 7:02 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: A row of trees is pictured at sunset last March on East Barre Road in Barre. The town is eyed for a 200-megawatt wind turbine project.
BARRE – In Yates and Somerset, there are numerous signs showing either support or opposition for Lighthouse Wind, a 200-megawatt wind energy project proposed by Apex Clean Energy.
Signs say “Apex Go Home” or “Too Big, Too Close.” Others urge the community to “Harvest the Wind.”
Members of Save Ontario Shores, a citizens group opposed to the turbines near the lakeshore, have had rallies against the project.
In Barre, where Apex has been laying the groundwork for a 200-megawatt project, the project hasn’t yet faced opposition from Barre residents.
In fact, Barre Town Supervisor Mark Chamberlain said he hasn’t heard any complaints from Barre residents about “Heritage Wind.”
It’s still early. Apex announced Monday it has filed a draft Public Involvement Plan. The company will be meeting with residents, local officials and other community stakeholders. Apex said it will soon open an office locally.
Chamberlain said Ben Yazman, project developer for Apex, has been at recent Town Board meetings and has been meeting with landowners.
“They’ve certainly made themselves known in the town,” Chamberlain said. “I haven’t heard any gripes. People are wondering about leases.”
Apex officials said Barre has the wind strength and access to transmission lines, as well as lots of land in farming community that would work for the turbines. Yazman said the turbines take up a ½-acre of land and will provide landowners and the community steady annual revenue.
Apex believes it can work within the town’s zoning for turbines. Barre allows turbines up to 500 feet high.
The Town Board doesn’t have a final vote on the project. A seven-member State Siting Board, with two local representatives, makes that decision.
A project has yet to complete the new Article 10 siting process for turbines. Officials in Orleans and Niagara have gone on the record opposing Article 10 because it takes away local control and gives the state the power to approve the projects.
“It’s a long, long process,” Chamberlain said. “No one has made it through yet.”
Apex officials have said they need enough leases with landowners for a project to even be considered by the Siting Board. Yazman said Barre residents have been receptive so far to leasing land for turbines.
“If people want it and people sign up, that’s the determining factor,” Chamberlain said. “If they can’t get enough people to sign up, they’re dead in the water.”
The town supervisor said he doesn’t plan to push for or against the project.
“I will try to stay neutral,” he said. “I’m not going to lobby one way or the other.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2016 at 11:36 am
Company files public involvement plan for ‘Heritage Wind’
Photo by Tom Rivers: Ben Yazman, Heritage Wind project developer for Apex Clean Energy, is pictured in this photo from may by the Barre town water tower.
BARRE – Apex Clean Energy has filed a Public Involvement Plan for a wind energy project in the Town of Barre.
The company tells the state Public Service Commission it wants to build a 200-Megawatt project in Barre. This is the second project Apex is working on in Orleans.
The Charlottesville, Va. company has proposed Lighthouse Wind for the towns of Yates and Somerset near the southshore of Lake Ontario.
Apex has been working on the Barre project for several months, meeting with landowners and community members. Ben Yazman, project developer for Apex, said the project has been well received by many landowners.
“We have been talking to many stakeholders in and around the project area for months,” Yazman said. “There is widespread interest in this project and we look forward to this formalization of the process with the filing of our final Public Involvement Program. We want every stakeholder to have a clear path to providing input to our project, and I encourage any interested parties to reach out to us directly to schedule consultations.”
Apex is required to file a draft Public Involvement Program (PIP) plan under Article 10 of the Public Service Law. The PIP is designed to inform and gather input and involvement from the public and interested agencies on the Heritage Wind project throughout the Article 10 process, which Apex expects will take two to three years to complete, Yazman said.
Local officials and residents are welcome to submit comments for 30 days from the Sept. 23 filing of the PIP. The Department of Public Service will review the draft PIP, and will determine if it is adequate or if Apex needs to take additional measures for public involvement.
Yazman said Apex will be opening an office soon in Orleans County. He said members of the Apex team working on Heritage Wind can be reached at 585-563-5137 or info@heritagewindpower.com.
Once the office is established, the Heritage team will welcome the public to stop by if they have questions or want information on the project. Community members can also schedule a more formal meeting or presentation.
Yazman said the entire town of Barre is under review for the project except for a 2-mile buffer around the Pine Hill Airport. Local wind monitoring confirms that the area under consideration is ideal for a project of this size, which Yazman said will produce enough safe, pollution-free energy to power approximately 53,000 U.S. homes.
Heritage Wind will create jobs and generate a new source of long-term revenue for the local community, the company said in a press release today.
“The total direct financial impact to the region is likely to be in the millions of dollars over about 30 years, with additional indirect economic benefits greatly exceeding that number,” Apex stated in the press release.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2016 at 8:19 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jessica Downey, the United Way of Orleans County executive director, announces the $235,000 fund-raising goal during a kick-off event Thursday at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina. Members of the board of directors are pictured with her.
MEDINA – The United Way of Orleans County is asking residents to open their hearts and wallets to support 16 agencies that receive funds through the annual fund-raising appeal.
The United Way kicked off the campaign on Thursday with a $235,000 goal. The money supports agencies that serve youth, senior citizens, people with disabilities and people in crisis.
Jessica Downey, the United Way’s executive director, said the campaign can bring needed funding to the agencies. United Way has reduced its goal from $279,104,98 last year and $325,000 two years ago.
Orleans County has experienced population loss, which has hindered efforts to reach previous goals, Downey said during a kick-off event at the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Some of the appropriations to member agencies have had to be reduced, but Downey said the new goal represents a realistic target for the community.
She is the lone full-time employee for the United Way, which has moved to a rent-free office at CRFS, where Downey was a vice president. She said United Way doesn’t have any frivolous spending and is dedicated to helping the local agencies.
The agencies said the United Way funding is important for them to carry out their work.
“We don’t get any money from the government,” said Nyla Gaylord, the director of development for the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. “We are extremely bare bones. There is nowhere left that we can cut.”
The United Way funding helps support the Just Friends mentoring program through GOMOC and also the furniture program, where the Ministry of Concern picks up donated furniture and delivers it to residents who need stoves, refrigerators, couches and other larger household items.
“A lot of people we serve are working poor and they fall through the cracks,” she said.
Mary Lee Knights is president of the Orleans County Adult Learning Services, which provides tutoring and family literacy programing. It has 22 tutors and 15 students in the adult literacy program and 11 tutors in the family literacy program.
OCALS provides its services for free, but needs United Way support for three part-time employees as well as educational materials. Knights said the United Way funding helps the agency in its mission. Those educational services help people develop skills and become more self efficient.
Some workplace campaigns have already begun, and Downey welcomed any business or group to invite her to give a presentation. She can be reached by email at jdowney@orleansunitedway.org. (She also said retired residents are welcome to give. Anyone can send a contribution to the United Way of Orleans County at P.O. Box 468, Albion, NY 14411.)
David Cook (right), president of the United Way board of directors, urged the community to be supportive of the United Way and the 16 agencies that receive funding in the annual campaign.
David Cook is chairman of the board of directors. He said many of the county’s largest companies have representatives on the board, including the leaders from CRFS, Brunner, and Takeform Architectural Graphics. There are also representatives from the Lyndonville and Kendall school districts, Iroquois Job Corps Center, Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot, Bank of Castile, Orleans Community Health, The Daily News of Batavia, and the Catholic Family Center.
The kickoff event also included representatives from Baxter in Medina, which has been critical to the most recent campaigns, with fund-raising there topping $60,000.
Cook of Lyndonville was working at Kodak 25 years ago when he led a workplace campaign in his department. He has stayed committed to United Way. He now works as territory manager for Innovative Surface Solutions. He said he travels the county and region and sees the need.
The agencies that benefit from the campaign include:
4-H Youth – Cornell Cooperative Extension; Arc of Orleans County Camp Rainbow; Arc of Orleans County Meals on Wheels & Nutri-Fair; Boy Scouts of America – Iroquois Trail Council, Inc.; Christ Church Community Kitchen; Community Action – Main Street Store Employment Support Project; GCASA; Girl Scouts of Western New York; Hospice of Orleans Martin-Linsin Residence; Ministry of Concern; Orleans County Adult Learning Services; Regional Action Phone; Senior Citizens of WNY; YMCA; Just Friends; Medina Youth Commission; Independent Living of Genesee Region; Community Action: Holley Community Center; Ministry of Concern, Last Resort; and the Town of Yates, Summer Recreation Program. Donors can also request their donation go to another agency.
For more on the United Way of Orleans County, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2016 at 4:41 pm
Chamber honors 5 clubs for good deeds
Photos by Tom Rivers: Leaders from the five Lions Clubs in Orleans County are pictured on Friday when the clubs were presented Community Service Awards from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. Pictured from left includes: Kendall President Tom Minigiello; Medina Past President Jim Hancock; Mary Janet Sahukar, president of the Albion Lions; Kevin Johnson, Clarendon’s president; and Terry Stinson, third vice president for Lyndonville.
GAINES – Lions Club members have been giving back in Orleans County for nearly a century, beginning in 1924 when the Albion club was chartered.
There are now five clubs in the county with about 200 members. They tackle many community service projects, from planning an annual music festival, to community cleanups, to running the Fourth of July bash in Lyndonville. They serve hot dogs, provide scholarships, and look out for residents in need.
The Rev. Wilfred Moss, a past president of the Lions Club and a member since 1997, leads the group prayer during the Club’s 90th anniversary celebration in 2014.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has recognized the Lions with a Community Service Award. The five clubs all had representatives at Friday’s awards dinner, when the plaques were handed out.
The Lions founder, Melvin Jones, was in insurance business in Chicago and pushed to start the humanitarian organization in 1917. Jones had a motto: “You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else.”
• Albion
The club in Albion is the second oldest in the region between Niagara Falls and Rochester. Only the Lions in Rochester predate the club in Albion.
The club currently has 22 members. They are active in the annual Rock the Park music fest, which raises funds for Bullard Park.
The Albion Lions sponsor a youth baseball team and works on other community projects, raising money with a sausage booth at the Strawberry Festival, and by selling roses on Mother’s Day and geraniums during Memorial Day.
• Clarendon
The Clarendon Lions were chartered in 1998 after being sponsored by the club in Kendall. There are 23 Lions in Clarendon and they help at the Holley Community Center, and with other service projects.
This photo from July 2013 shows Kevin Johnson, left, and Don Knapp. In addition to serving food at the OONA concerts, the Clarendon Lions also serve hot dogs and hamburgers at the annual Tonawanda Valley Kennel Club dog shows over the Labor Day weekend. The Clarendon Lions Club serves hamburgers and sausage at the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association concerts at the Orleans County Marine Park.
N Kendall
Provided photo: Pictured include scholarship winners recognized in January 2016, from left: Marisa Hanlon (attending Daemen College), Lions President Tom Minigiello, Lions Club member Ken DeRoller, Tania Arellano (attending Roberts Wesleyan College), and Taylor Kingsbury (attending St. John Fisher). Not pictured is the other scholarship winner, Luke Rath, who has enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Each year the Kendall Lions awards four scholarships for $250 each to deserving seniors. The Kendall Lions in January presented scholarship checks to three of the 2015 recipients.
The Kendall Club has 61 members, making it the largest Lions Club in Orleans County.
The Kendall Lions has a Leo Club in the school, where high schoolers work on service projects.
The Kendall Club started in 1975 after being sponsored by the Medina Lions Club.
The Kendall Lions do an annual community cleanup day. They also purchased a defibrillator for the Kendall Fire Department, and they collect used eyeglasses to be given to people who need glasses.
• Lyndonville
The Lyndonville Lions formed in 1951. The club’s 47 members are busy throughout the year with a host of projects, including running a medical equipment closet where residents can borrow wheelchairs, port-a-potties and other equipment.
Russ Martino, a member of the Lyndonville Lions Club, leads the crowd in doing the motions to the song “YMCA” during a concert by Crash Cadillac in July 2014. The band from Buffalo performed at the Yates Town Park along Lake Ontario at the end of Morrison Road. Martino was the town supervisor when Yates created the park about seven years ago. Current Town Supervisor John Belson, center, and Jeff Johnson join in the dance. The concert was sponsored by the Lions Club, which also takes the lead in the annual Lyndonville Fourth of July celebration.
The Lions do a roadside cleanup along Route 63, a pumpkin carving contest and give out awards to the best-decorating homes during the holiday season.
Lyndonville Central School plans to implement a new Leo Club. The Leo Club gives students in grades 7-12 the opportunity to serve their communities and make a positive impact. It offers a great way to have fun, make new friends and develop valuable leadership skills.
There will be an informational meeting Thursday from 2:35 to 3:15 at the school.
• Medina
The Medina Lions Club formed in 1935 and has 55 members.
The club and other community volunteers decorate the State Street Park in Medina each holiday season, putting lights on Christmas trees, and setting up a Nativity scene and other signs of the upcoming holiday season.
The Medina Lions also do a community cleanup, organize a community-wide garage sale, run a scarecrow fest and maintain a park by the canal, as well as other projects.
Medina Lions Club members Dave Denny, left, and Dave Bellucci, right, work with Ben Kaiser, a volunteer, to set up one of the animals at State Street Park last November. Kaiser’s father Pete supervises the set up and tear down of the display.
Provided photo: Chris Chilson (left), Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Chief, hands the keys to a truck to Laverne Bates, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. They are pictured by a low mileage truck in red that was purchased by GOMOC from FHM. The previous truck in yellow needed costly repairs.
ALBION – A furniture program operated by the Genesee-Orleans Minsitry of Concern should be back on the road later this month after the agency purchased a low-mileage truck from the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire District.
The program has been suspended due to a disabled truck that was too costly to repair. The 2004 GMC Savana van had about 160,000 miles and needed another engine, and other repairs totaling $8,000.
The predicament was highlighted in news stories by the Orleans Hub and The Daily News of Batavia, resulting in donations from the public for a replacement truck.
“Generous donations from the community provided the needed finances to complete the deal,” GOMOC stated in a news release today. “The Furniture Program will be back and fully operational before the end of September.”
GOMOC picks up used appliances and furniture and matches them with people in need in Orleans and Genesee counties. There are about 100 people on a waiting list for furniture and appliances – refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers.
Two part-time employees run the furniture program, which on average makes deliveries to 23 families each month or nearly 300 a year.
“This great team effort will provide needed furniture, bedding and appliances to families in need for years to come,” GOMOC said in a statement. “Many poor and working poor in our community are cash strapped when it comes to having the money to buy expensive household items such as stoves, refrigerators, beds and other household furnishings. To meet basic needs, they often have no alternative but to turn to rent-to-own businesses or make credit arrangements with high interest rates. They end up paying three times the amount they would have paid if they had the upfront cash to buy new.”
The GOMOC service helps people who have gently used household items to donate by providing free pick-up.
“We are grateful to our donors and to the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Department for the role they have played in getting getting our furniture program us and running again,” GOMOC stated. “ With ongoing support from our donors to pay for staff working in the program we will continue to provide this valuable service to the community.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2016 at 9:50 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Matt Beadle, plant manager for Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion, and Karen Richardson, company co-owner and president, accept the award for Business of the Year on Friday from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored local businesses, entrepreneurs and community members for their work to build a stronger community during the 18th annual awards banquet for the Chamber on Friday. Nearly 200 people attended the event at Tillman’s Village Inn.
The following were recognized:
Business of the Year: Freeze Dry Foods of Albion.
The company took over the former Lipton’s plant in Albion in 1999 after the former Ontario Foods (now Associated Brands) left Albion for a bigger plant in Medina.
Freeze-Dry has steadily grown in the past 17 years, overhauling the plant and adding new product lines. It has 60 workers that make freeze dry food products. (The company removes moisture and oxygen from meats and food to prevent the products from deteriorating at room temperature.)
Karen Richardson, company co-owner and president, said Albion has been a good fit for the company, which is based in Oakville, Ontario.
She thanked “a very supportive community,” including local economic development leaders, for helping the company grow and invest in Albion.
Lifetime Achievement: Gabrielle Barone (vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency).
Gabrielle Barone accepts her award with congratulations from State Sen. Robert Ortt, left, and Barry Flansburg, representing State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
Barone has worked for the Orleans Economic Development Agency for nearly 15 years, and has had a role in many of the economic development projects around the county, putting together deals and lining up infrastructure for companies.
Barbara Waters said Barone has always been a hard-worker since she was a kid growing up in a family business in Medina.
“She is humble,” Waters said. “She is poised, articulate and a lovely lady and friend who is an inspiration to all woman.”
Barone has shown a drive and enthusiasm to better the community throughout her career, said Waters, who accepted the Lifetime Achievement last year on behalf of her late husband, Robert Waters.
Barone praised the team at the Orleans EDA, local municipal officials and the business owners for bringing many of the projects to reality.
“Achievement is a joint effort,” she said. “Achievement is about partnering.”
Barone said many economic development projects are years in the making.
“At the core of achievement is persistence,” she said. “I always felt better when I gave it one more try.”
Phoenix Award: The Print Shop, owner Ken Daluisio.
Ken Daluisio
An eyesore on East Center Street was radically revamped by Daluisio, who expanded his Medina business into what was a dilapidated storefront, a former laundromat at 124-126 E. Center St.
On March 19, 2015, Daluisio took possession of the former laundromat building. One year and one day later, a vastly improved building was ready for The Print Shop.
When doing renovations for the expansion, Daluisio needed 13 dumpsters to haul out laundry machines and dryers, as well as the old floor, ceiling, partition walls and other debris. It took seven dump truck loads to remove bricks and dirt from the basement. The building was stripped down to four bare walls and then rebuilt with new floor, a roof, electrical system and other upgrades. Daluisio’s brother John managed the construction project.
Daluisio said the renovation follows Kathy Blackburn’s work at Meggie Moos and other work on East Center Street.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support of the community,” he said. “It’s a whole new neighborhood on East Center Street.”
Tim and Crystal Elliott
New Business of the Year: Brushstrokes Studios of Medina (owners Tim and Crystal Elliott).The Elliotts last November opened the new business at 409 Main St., the former home of The Journal-Register in Medina.
At Brushstrokes, customers can paint their own ceramics and glass. The Elliotts have brought a new family friendly activity to the community, and have expanded classes.
Co-owner Tim Elliott thanked the dedicated customers at Brushstrokes and urged the community to “shop small” and support locally owned businesses.
Community Service Award: Lions Clubs in Orleans County (Albion, Clarendon, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina).
The five clubs do a range of community service projects, from running festivals to providing scholarships. They serve food at local events and collect medical supplies and used glasses for people in need.
Tom Minigiello, president of the Kendall Lions Club
Albion has the longest-lasting Lions Club. It started in 1924. Clarendon has the most recent charter with a club that started in 1998. The five clubs combined have about 200 members with Kendall the largest with 61.
Tom Minigiello, president of the Kendall club, accepted the award that will be presented the Lions district.
“It’s very important to give back to your community,” Minigiello said. “Do your part and it will make our community better.”
Community Service Award: Cindy Robinson of Medina.
Robinson has been president of the Medina Business Association the past decade and has been instrumental in running many of the MBA’s popular events, including wine- and beer-tastings, and the Olde Tyme Christmas celebration.
Cindy Robinson accepts the Community Service Award.
She also is a downtown business owner with the English Rose Tea Shoppe, and serves with other organizations, including the Orleans Renaissance Group, the Chamber of Commerce, and Medina Historical Society.
Robinson encouraged everyone to find a way to volunteer with at least one organization. She said that would build a stronger community with more events and opportunities.
Agricultural Business of the Year: Root Brothers Farm in Albion.
The Root family has been farming in Orleans County since 1852. Today, Robin and his brother Scott Root work about 5,000 acres. The two brothers have been farming together since 1970. There are now six generations of Roots that have been farming in Orleans County.
The brothers have had many lean years, Robin said, but they weathered the storms with help from friends and family.
Robin Root
“You could have a million dollars, but it’s better to have a million friends,” Robin told the Chamber crowd.
He and his brother are the son of the late Pierson Root, a former Orleans County Farm Bureau president. Robin said their father had good advice and helped the brothers during one tough stretch in the early 1990s.
“My dad was a hell of a man,” Robin said. “I really appreciate it.”
The brothers grow corn, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes and other crops in a diversified operation.
Business Person of the Year: Ward Dobbins, owner of H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville.
Ward Dobbins
Dobbins has led the apple packing and sales company in Lyndonville to expansions. The site handles about 1 million bushels of apples a year, with on-site capacity for up to 300,000 bushels.
Dobbins has 75 employees. The company was started by Ward’s great-grandfather. Ward joined the business 30 years ago. He is active in many of the industry associations.
Ward said the company works with some of the best apple growers in the world.
Small Business of the Year: Paper Boys (owners Ryan Pritchard and Chasen Lee).
Pritchard and Lee opened an office supply business about six years ago after the former Garlock’s Office Supply store in Medina closed.
Pritchard, 31, had been living in Boston for six years when Garlock shut down. He teamed up with Lee, 28, to establish PaperBoys, the new office supply store.
The business at 509 Main St. has expanded to develop web sites and lead small business classes.
Chasen Lee, left, and Ryan Pritchard
Pritchard and Lee say the office supply business remains very important for PaperBoys, but the business has expanded its services for small businesses by building websites, and helping the local businesses use social media and e-mail marketing to attract and keep customers.
With its expanded line of services, the business is now PaperBoys Media, and calls itself ‘The Agency for the Underdog.”
Pritchard thanked the Chamber, Medina Business Association and local businesses for working with PaperBoys.
“We are not successful unless all of the small businesses are successful,” Pritchard said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2016 at 12:10 pm
Gabrielle Barone is recognized for ‘Lifetime Achievement’ by Chamber of Commerce
Photos by Tom Rivers: Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, has worked on many big projects in Orleans County the past dozen years.
ALBION – Add it all up, and the investments top $200 million.
Since Gabrielle Barone joined the Orleans Economic Development Agency in April 2002, companies have spent lots of money upgrading facilities or building new in Orleans County.
Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans EDA, had a role in many of the undertakings, helping to guide local and state government support for the projects, whether it be with infrastructure upgrades for the sites or securing tax credits or grants to make the projects a reality in Orleans County.
She is being honored this evening with a “Lifetime Achievement” award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has its annual awards banquet at Tillman’s Village Inn.
There have been significant projects all across the county in Barone’s tenure with the EDA. The ethanol plant in Medina is the biggest investment at $90 million-plus by Western New York Energy.
Barone and the EDA worked to upgrade Bates Road, a rail line, and secure low-cost hydropower and other incentives for the project to come to the community.
Jodi Gaines, center, is chief executive officer and co-owner of CRFS in Albion. She is pictured in September 2013 with Orleans Economic Development Agency officials Gabrielle Barone, left, and Jim Whipple after CRFS announced it would expand in the vacated former Chase building.
Just down from the ethanol plant, she has been a part of several expansions at Brunner, including the most recent one in 2014 that topped $15 million.
Just west of the ethanol plant on Maple Ridge Road, Pride Pak is building a new $15 million vegetable processing facility. Takeform Architectural Graphics also expanded and moved into the former Trek building on Maple Ridge.
“She is very knowledgeable and strong willed,” said Jim Whipple, executive director of the Orleans EDA. “She has great people skills and a natural feel for politics.”
Barone is part of a three-person EDA staff that puts together many complicated economic development deals. The EDA board of directors and local officials also have been active with many of the projects, Barone said.
“No one achieves on their own,” she said.
Barone said it takes takes determination to see the projects through to the last detail. While juggling work with existing companies in the county, the EDA also needs to be laying the groundwork for projects that could be many years away.
That takes a commitment from local governments to put in water and sewer infrastructure, roads and other infrastructure, knowing the payoff may not be right away, Barone said.
The EDA has worked for years to make a 125-acre site “shovel ready.” The Keppler site in Shelby is just south of Maple Ridge Road by GCC. The infrastructure is in place to serve a manufacturer that would be a big user of water and sewer.
Steve Karr (right), chief executive officer for Pride Pak Canada, last October meets Medina village officials and others working on the company’s new 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility. He is pictured with Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance for Pride Pak (center); Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency (far left); and Marguerite Sherman, village trustee (second from left).
She thinks about how the EDA chipped away at many sites, sometimes spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to clear land, do environmental cleanups, and get infrastructure in place. Many in the community second guess the work, questioning the wisdom of the upfront expense.
“You’re going to get roasted,” Barone said about some of the skeptics. “It can take years laying the groundwork. If you’re going to do this kind of work you better be resilient. You better be able to take a setback and bounce back.”
Barone said the EDA often has often been a finalist for a project, after months and sometimes years of working with a developer. And then they pick someone else.
“These companies are looking all over – not just in New York State,” she said
But sometimes Orleans County emerges as the top site. Many companies based in Canada look to Orleans as a spot to set up operations in the United States. That is the case with Pride Pak, which will soon open a new vegetable and fruit processing site on Maple Ridge Road in Medina.
There have been many big projects around the county, including a new controlled atmosphere storage building by H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville, an expansion and new CA storage in Gaines by Lake Ontario Fruit, several expansions by Intergrow Greeenhouses in Gaines, the Cottages at Troutburg at the former Salvation Army camp in Kendall, Precision Packaging Products and Magc Inc. in Holley.
Gabrielle Barone in February 2014 discusses a plan for a 48,000-square-foot addition at Brunner with Town of Ridgeway Planning Board members, from left: Charles Pettit, Tom Fenton (chairman) and Richard Swan. Barone in her role with the EDA needs to line up local support and approval for many of the economic development projects in the community.
In Albion, the EDA worked to bring CRFS in the vacated former Chase building, preserving several hundred jobs. A former warehouse on McKinstry Street was also renovated and is now home to Bomet, an electronic recycling company. The EDA also worked with the Town of Albion to establish the Albion Business Park at Butts Road and Route 31, which is home to an urgent care site run by Orleans Community Health.
There are numerus other projects that Barone and the EDA have had a hand in, from Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion, the addition at Tillman’s Village Inn in Gaines, to projects at Associated Brands, Hinspergers Poly Industries and the Ace Hardware at the former Jubilee in Medina.
The EDA also runs a small business training program that makes low-interest loans available to graduates of the program. Barone and the EDA have offered advice for the entrepreneurs in getting the businesses off to a good start.
Barone has been active in the community in other ways, including leadership in the former League of Women Voters chapter in Orleans County. She serves on the Job Corps Advisory Council, represented Orleans on the GLOW Workforce Investment Board and is currently on the Orleans County Comprehensive Plan Committee.
Gabrielle Barone is pictured at the Orleans EDA suite at 121 North Main St. in Albion with some of the recent EDA-assisted projects in Orleans County.
The comprehensive plan will help guide development and land use in the county for many years to come.
Barone sees opportunities for growth, improved job prospects and a better quality of life in the county. But she said all levels of local government need to be working to improve the communities, including plans for upgrading the local housing stock and “curb appeal” of the villages and hamlets. That includes aesthetics, signage, even logos for the communities.
The comprehensive plan should identify strengths in Orleans and areas that need improvement.
Barone can look across the Orleans County landscape and see a more diversified, and stronger local economy in the past 15 years.
Barone left a career with the Modern Corp. in Niagara County to return to work in her home community.
“I wanted to see if we could make a difference in the type of businesses we draw here, once we understood what we had to offer,” Barone said.
Orleans County has the highest percentage of people in poverty in the nine-county Finger Lakes region, according to a new report from the Rochester Community Foundation and ACT Rochester.
