Orleans County 4-H member Lauren Becht (standing back to camera) models her satin prom dress. The halter-style dress featured a sheer overlay of light purple fabric.

NEWFANE – Orleans County was represented at the 2016 Western District 4-H Fashion Revue held Saturday at the Van Horn Mansion in Newfane, Niagara County.

Emma Mathes, Naomi Haberger, Lauren Becht and Peggy-Jo Gabalski were selected for the annual district event following the Orleans County 4-H Clothing Revue held in early April.

Emma Mathes sewed a brocade cobalt blue skater dress, Naomi Haberger sewed a purple print sundress with pockets edged in large white ric rack, Lauren Becht sewed a deep purple satin prom dress and Peggyy-Jo Gabalski embellished a purchased cotton/wool blend sweater with hand-felted Easter egg designs.

Participants in the 2016 Western District 4-H Fashion Review pose Saturday on the staircase of the historic Van Horn Mansion in Newfane, Niagara County.

Orleans County 4-H member Naomi Haberger (standing at center) models her purple print sundress Saturday during the Western District 4-H Fashion Revue in Niagara County.

4-H’ers from Niagara, Chautauqua and Wyoming counties also attended the event which included a Fashion Revue Show, lunch, and an educational program on the historic Van Horn Mansion, built by James Van Horn in 1823.

The historic Van Horn Mansion in Newfane, Niagara County, was the site of this year’s Western District 4-H Fashion Revue. Four Orleans County 4-Hers were chosen to take part.

The home was the first brick house built in the Town of Newfane and the site of the first town meeting in 1824.

Van Horn built the first grist mill in Niagara County and later a woolen factory. The home was donated to the Town of Newfane Historical Society in 1985 and opened for tours in 1992 following an extensive restoration effort.

Following lunch, participants learned about the history of the Van Horn Mansion from a member of the Town of Newfane Historical Society and toured the restored home and gardens.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Michael Santoro, an inmate in the Orleans County Jail, has been drug-free for about nine months after four years of using cocaine and heroin. He is pictured with Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, left, and Sheriff Randy Bower.

ALBION – Scott Wilson has worked 20 years in the Orleans County Jail. The jail superintendent has seen the repetitive cycle with many inmates coming in for drug offenses, or drug-fueled crimes such as burglaries. They are in jail often for a few months to a year, and then are released only to commit new crimes because of the strong pull of their addictions.

Wilson said these residents never quite get control of their drug demons, leading to years of criminal conduct and time in the county jail at taxpayer expense.

“Right now there is a very high recidivism,” Wilson said Thursday at the jail on Platt Street.

A new program has started this week in the county jail to help break that pattern of drug addiction and crime. The jail will offer Vivitrol, an injection that blocks the effects of opioids, a powerful narcotic. (The drug manufacturer is making the first injection available for free at the jail.)

The Sheriff’s Office has teamed with the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to have Vivitrol available for six months after an inmate leaves the jail. The monthly injections when an inmate is released from jail will likely be covered by health insurance programs at $800 per injection, Wilson said.

GCASA also will have counselors to help released inmates transition into the community. GCASA recently opened transitional housing for residents fighting addictions. That transitional shelter is next to the GCASA offices on Route 31 in Albion. That site puts addicts in a supportive community where they are urged to stay drug-free.

Sheriff Randy Bower, Wilson and GCASA staff will screen soon-to-be released inmates to determine if they will be in the new Sheriff’s Transitional Addiction Management Program or STAMP.

The Orleans County Mental Health Department also is part of the new effort. Wilson and Bower said three other counties in the state offer transitional programs for addicts. Bower believes Orleans is the first to have both addiction and mental health services available for inmates.

“These are people who made a mistake and can’t quit,” Bower said. “These are people from our community that come to our jail. We need to give them the best opportunity to not come back to us.”

Bower said he is pleased to see the support for the program from jail staff, GCASA, Mental Health and other county officials. Bower said more services have been needed in the jail to help drug-addicted residents. Bower said it will ultimately save taxpayer money, should reduce crime, and improve the lives of addicts and their loved ones.

Michael Santoro will be released from the jail in two months. He is serving a six-month sentence for attempted burglary in the second degree. Santoro, 23, grew up in Medina.

He said he was addicted to heroin and cocaine for four years. He tried to quit by using prescription narcotics such as Methadone and Suboxone, which are used as painkillers. Santoro said he still had powerful drug cravings when he used Methadone and Suboxone.

He was constantly thinking about his next drug fix until he entered a drug treatment late last year and received a Vivitrol injection. Vivitrol took the cravings away by blocking the pull of opioids. Santoro said Vivitrol has been a key in helping him stay off drugs.

“I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be clean,” Santoro said Thursday while in the jail. “But you have to want it.”

Santoro admits he was a mess last August when he entered the jail after being arrested for a break-in in Ridgeway. Santoro was down to 140 pounds.

“Addiction, it destroys you mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said.

He went through withdrawal in jail, spending 55 days behind bars before entering a 28-day drug treatment program in Buffalo. That was when he was given Vivitrol to help fight the addictions.

“It was the first time in four years I didn’t go mentally insane,” Santoro said. “I could go all month without thinking about drugs. It worked wonders for me.”

Santoro now weighs about 180 pounds, up 40 pounds from last August. He is enrolled at Erie Community College and wants to be a drug abuse counselor. He moved to Cheektowaga because he said he needed to change his surroundings to not fall back into the trap of addiction. (Last month he was sentenced for the attempted burglary and has two months left in jail.)

Wilson and Bower see Santoro as a success story. They want to him to be an example to other addicts, to show the turnaround that is possible in fighting addictions.

Bower said an addict needs to hit rock bottom, and want to change. He will personally interview people who want to be in new program through the jail.

The sheriff and Wilson, the jail superintendent, said the program will be modified as they see what works and what needs improvement. Bower said the addicts now have the support services in place to help them when they are released from jail.

“The big thing is the hand-off from when they leave the jail,” Bower said.

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Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBION – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today announced new summer hours for his district office in Albion. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday from June 1 to Labor Day (Monday, September 5). Hawley’s office is located at 121 N. Main Street, Suite 100 in Albion.

“With summer on its way I have made the decision to change my district office hours slightly,” Hawley said. “I will still remain very accessible as your representative and encourage my constituents to stop by my office or my bi-weekly office hours to discuss issues or questions they may have about state government. The summer is an important period for legislators to spend time in their home districts gathering input, talking with residents and bringing those experiences back to Albany when the legislative session reconvenes.”

Proposals include limiting state senators, assemblymen to no more than 12 years in their elected positions

Press Release, State Sen. Robert Ortt

LOCKPORT – Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) today unveiled his “Shake up the Status Quo” plan partly aimed at rooting out corruption and cleaning up the scandal-ridden State Capitol.

Surrounded by local leaders on the steps of the Niagara County Courthouse, including Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone, Ortt laid out a total of seven ethics reforms bills he’s in support of that would improve conduct in state government and help restore public trust.

According to a recent Siena College poll, 82 percent of New York voters believe addressing corruption in state government before session ends in June is very important. It also showed that 97 percent of voters said the time for lawmakers to address ethics reforms is now.

“New Yorkers are sick of the scandals in Albany and sick of the business as usual mentality,” said Ortt, a member of the Civil Service and Pensions Committee. “They’re demanding action and they deserve it, especially after two of our legislative leaders were convicted of public corruption. My Shake up the Status Quo Plan touches on ethics reforms that will put an end to corruption in Albany. We must continue our work to restore the public trust, and ensure that public officials can no longer use their posts for private gain.”

The proposals supported by Ortt include:

Forfeiture of Pension and Retirement Benefits:

Senator Ortt co-sponsors S1923, which proposes the forfeiture of pension and retirement benefits from any elected official who is convicted of certain felonies involving a breach of public trust. The bill would amend the Constitution preventing elected officials from collecting their pension benefits earned while in office if their felony offense occurred during their time in office.

Under current law, legislators who came into office after August 15, 2011 and are convicted of a felony are automatically be stripped of their pensions. The proposed bill ensures the same goes for all legislators, regardless of how long they have served in office.

This bill is closely related to bill S4611, which was included as a part of the 2015-2016 state budget. The budget bill passed in the Senate at the end of March last year, but was never acted upon in the Assembly. As a result, the budget bill died.

Term Limits:

Senator Ortt is in support of implementing internal safeguards to prevent any politician’s reach from becoming too powerful. He is a co-sponsor of two bills that would set term limits for certain public offices. The first bill (S2722D) limits the tenure of the Temporary President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State Assembly, and Majority and Minority Leaders of the State Legislature to eight years. The term for the Chairman of any single legislative committee is limited to eight consecutive years.

Senate Chamber rules currently prohibit any leader or committee chair from serving more than eight years in that capacity. Those term limits were enacted voluntarily. Legislation to enact it into state law failed in the Assembly earlier this year.

The second bill (S4470) would set term limits for the offices of the governor, comptroller, attorney general and members of the Legislature. A person elected as governor would not be able to hold the seat for more than 2 four-year terms.

Currently, the governor has no term limit. The state comptroller and attorney general would also be limited to two terms. And, members of the Senate and Assembly would be limited to serve no more than 6 two-year terms.

Transparency and Accountability across Government:

Senator Ortt is a co-sponsor of three separate bills that would bring transparency and accountability to the Executive Branch. The measures include:

Reforming JCOPE (S7353): An individual who is appointed to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics would be ineligible for the position if he or she has been a New York State registered lobbyist, an elected official, or a state officer or employee, or legislative employee within the last 10 years.

Lobbyists, elected officials and commissioners are currently allowed to serve as a member of JCOPE after three years in those roles. Legislative employees, state officers or state employees are currently barred for one year. Additionally, the bill would expand the ban to include all elected officials as opposed to just covering statewide elected officials.
Mandatory Ethics Training (S7355): This bill would require all state officers and state employees in the executive branch, not just the legislative branch, to complete mandatory ethics training once a year. Under current law, legislative members and employees receive annual training, but training topics vary. This bill would also align training requirements across the board, and would be at least two hours long.

Strict Ethics and Oversight for the State’s Regional Economic Development Councils (S7356):

Would establish statutes for Regional Economic Development Councils, including Senate consent of council members appointed by the governor. Additionally, the bill would mandate Regional Council members to comply with the financial disclosure filing requirements. And, the bill would mandate that council members be subject to the code of ethics, in the same manner as public officers, legislative employees and members. That section of law states that any member, employee or officer who knowingly violates the code of ethics may be fined, suspended, or removed from office or employment in the manner provided by law.

Governor Cuomo established the Regional Councils in 2011 as part of his initiative to redefine state investment and spur economic development in the 10 regions. This bill does not change the mission of the Regional Councils. The governor would still appoint members to the 10 regions of the state, however, the Senate would be responsible for confirming those members.

This bill provides oversight for the governor whose economic development projects have recently come under fire amid an ongoing corruption investigation. The governor currently has the unrestricted ability to unilaterally appoint the individuals responsible for determining the future of the state’s economic development.

Those individuals are not currently subject to financial disclosure requirements, which means there is no way to ensure they are serving in the best interest of the state. Subjecting the council members to the code of ethics would also remove any doubt of self-serving activities, and would help to gain public trust by ensuring that their tax dollars are not being misused.

Ortt’s Shake up the Status Quo Plan lays out his top priorities as the 2016 legislative session comes to a close. In the coming weeks, he will hold more events highlighting Second Amendment rights, homeland security, college affordability, and job creation.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Superintendents from school districts in Orleans County discuss safety issues with law enforcement leaders last week at the Orleans County Public Safety Building. The group has been meeting regularly for about two years.

ALBION – Orleans County school leaders have been getting together regularly the past two years with law enforcement officials to discuss safety plans, emergency responses, drunken driving awareness programs and other initiatives, including bringing mental health counselors into schools.

The collaboration was called unprecedented in Western New York by a state police official during a meeting last week at the Orleans County Public Safety Building.

The group discussed drug trends in the community, including a rise of prescription narcotic abuse, heroin and meth. Just recently, law enforcement have discovered meth labs in Holley and Albion.

The crackdown on prescription drug abuse has led more people addicted to drugs to seek out heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs, District Attorney Joe Cardone told the group.

“It’s here,” said Joe Sacco, the supervising investigator of the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. “You’re going to see it more.”

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has displays warning students and community members about drunk driving. Sheriff Randy Bower said he is working to bring in displays and experts to tell students and parents about the dangers of using painkillers and prescription narcotics, how they can often lead to addictions.

“We want to press prescription drug abuse,” Bower told the school leaders. “We could bring programs into the schools.”

Sheriff Randy Bower shows a “Shattered Lives” pamphlet that gives victim perspectives from drunken drivers. Bower would like the pamphlet to be widely distributed in the community.

The Sheriff’s Office also will go to schools to discuss Internet safety with students, and the dangers of sharing some photos, Bower said.

Schools are planning drunk driving simulations where a smashed car is brought to schools, and students role play being injured or killed from a crash. Those simulations are start reminders about drunk driving, especially with the upcoming proms and graduation parties.

School and police leaders are also planning an active shooter drill over the summer. All teachers in the county may be at the exercise, which is tentatively planned to be at Holley Central School. The county last had an active shooter drill on May 31, 2014, and that one was at the former Towne Primary School in Medina.

Since then, there has been a significant turnover with law enforcement officers and leaders of the departments, said Roland Nenni, Albion police chief.

He also advised the group that Albion will again host a National Night Out at Bullard Park on Aug. 2, with activities for children and families, as well as demonstrations by police agencies. Last year’s event drew 250 people, despite rainy weather.

Nenni also offered to make Albion’s K9 unit available to other communities, including school districts for drug searches.

The school leaders all said there have been significant efforts in recent years to make their buildings more secure. Kendall and Albion are working on capital improvement projects that will add even more security.

Robert D’Angelo, superintendent at Holley Central School, was among the school leaders at last week’s meeting.

Cardone, the district attorney, said his office frequently gets calls from parents of students who complain their kids are being bullied or harassed through social media. He suggested the school officials create a subcommittee to create a policy for using social media.

Julie Christensen, Kendall school superintendent, said she urges parents to take their children’s phones away if they are harassing others. She said turning the phones off at night is also a good idea.

Michael Bonnewell, Albion school superintendent, said kids should adhere to the age limit for being on social media. Facebook says users need to be at least 13. Districts already must follow the Dignity for All Students Act, a state law ensuring children to the right to attend school in a safe, welcoming and caring environment, free of bullying.

Cardone said parents need to talk with their children about social media, especially when so many kids have Smart Phones with access to the Internet and social media sites.

“Hardly a week goes by when a parent doesn’t call upset,” Cardone said about cyberbullying. “Parents are besides themselves.”

The meetings among school and law enforcement have expanded to include some agency leaders, include representatives from the Orleans County mental Health Department and Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

Marc O’Brien, director of the county’s mental health department, has worked with four of the five school districts to establish satelite mental health clinics in the schools this year. The county and Albion Central School also are planning to make a county mental health therapist available at Albion beginning next school year. That therapist would likely work out of the elementary and middle schools, and be open to high schoolers as well.

The mental health therapists help students with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Having those personnel at schools eliminates the transportation issue for students, and also means they are out of class for less time because they don’t have to travel to the Mental Health building in Albion.

O’Brien announced last week the county also is working with Medina Memorial Hospital to have a satelitte mental health office at the hospital in Medina.

“Every school has been fantastic to work with,” O’Brien told the school leaders during the meeting.

The therapists are on the county payroll, with the service paid for by the students’ insurance companies.

The school-law enforcement meetings also include Jim Simon, dean of the Genesee Community College centers in Albion and Medina. He said those sites have also bolstered security wth staff members receiving “bystander training” from law enforcement personnel.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Flags have by placed by the graves for veterans at Boxwood Cemetery in Medina in time for Memorial Day.

Here is the list for Memorial Day parades in Orleans County for Monday:

Albion – Parade starts near the Orleans County Court House on Main Street at 10 a.m. and proceeds to the Albion Middle School front lawn where there will be a service near the Vietnam Memorial.

Holley – A ceremony will start at the American Legion Post at 9 a.m. and proceed to the VFW Post.  Veterans will also visit cemeteries.

Kendall – A parade will start 7 p.m. at the Morton Fireman’s Field and end at the Morton Union Cemetery where a ceremony will be held.

Lyndonville – The parade will start at 9 a.m. at the Catholic Church and end near the library.  A ceremony will be held there.

Medina – The parade will start at 11 a.m. at the Olde Pickle Factory building and proceed to the State Street Park where a ceremony will be held.

Photo by Tom Rivers – These purple tulips are pictured on Platt Street in Albion last Friday.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality alert for today from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

Today is forecast from a high of 82 degrees. The DEC says people should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.

The DEC says air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than the air quality index value of 100 for the pollutant of ozone. When pollution levels are elevated, the State Department of Health recommends that individuals reduce strenuous outdoor activity.

People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease, according to the DEC alert.

The forecast for the next few days includes highs of 83 with a chance for showers on Thursday, high near 85 and chance for showers on Friday, high near 88 with chance for showers on Saturday, high near 86 with chance for showers on Sunday, and a high near 81 with chance for showers on Monday, Memorial Day.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Emergency management and Public Health officials today discussing a new app for “Orleans Aware” that includes information about hazardous weather, detours, evacuation routes, emergency shelters and the option for families to create their own disaster ready plan for their home. The group in photo includes, from left: Dale Banker, Emergency Management Coordinator for the county; Albert Cheverie, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator; and Paul Pettit, Public Health Director.

ALBION –  Orleans County, and its southern neighbor in Genesee, both debuted new apps today that are designed to encourage residents in both counties to be prepared and protect themselves and their loved ones in the case of a disaster.

The two counties are the first in the state with such mobile apps. Paul Pettit, the Public Health director in both counties, said more counties are working on their own apps, but Genesee and Orleans are the first to utilize the technology to inform the public.

“This is about getting the information out to the public in real-time fashion,” Pettit told Orleans County legislators today.

Orleans used grant money through emergency management and public health to develop the app with the Quickseries Publishing.

Genesee County unveiled the app for “Ready Genesee” and Orleans debuted “Orleans Aware” today. They are the first counties in the state to make such apps for community preparedness available.

The app includes interactive and instructional guides to help users prepare for emergencies. Residents can also develop disaster-ready plans that are specific to their own homes.

The counties can also send out news alerts, alerts on hazardous weather, evacuation routes and emergency shelters. The county will likely give details on upcoming rabies clinics, information on public health threats such as the Zika virus, and news about burn bans, for example.

The app has options to develop many other features for informing the public, but residents shouldn’t expect to be overly inundated with alerts, said Albert Cheverie, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.

“There won’t be any chicken dinner announcements,” he said.

The new apps are free and available to everyone using an iOS or an Android device. It can be downloaded directly from the App Store or Google Play. Orleans Aware may not be available at the App Store until next week but it is ready from Google Play.

Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management coordinator, said the app will make it easier for the county to send clear messages in an immediate fashion to residents about emergencies and public health issues.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson, left, and Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey, leaders with the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, update the Albion Rotary Club on the efforts bring more high-speed Internet to rural areas in the two counties. Rotary member Bruce Landis is at right.

GAINES – Officials from Orleans and Niagara counties continue to work to expand high-speed Internet access in the two counties.

The two counties have formed the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, with the push for more broadband Internet a top priority for the two-county alliance.

However, the effort is “in a holding pattern” due to the merger of Time Warner and Charter Communications, Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson told the Albion Rotary Club last week.

As part of the merger, Charter needs to expand service to 145,000 homes that don’t already have high-speed access. The FCC on May 6 approved Charter Communications’ $79 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

Charter has 45 days from May 6 to provide addresses for the 145,000 homes where it plans to extend service. Once those addresses are known, Orleans and Niagara officials can see how it effects service coverage locally.

The state has made $500 million in funds available to expand high-speed Internet. New York is seeking at least a matching commitment from private industry to extend broadband to underserved areas.

Orleans and Niagara have identified 4,300 homes without high-speed Internet access. The lack of service is a major deterrent to attracting and keeping residents and businesses, Johnson said.

“Our message is we haven’t given up,” she said. “As two counties we stand ready for what is so desperately needed on our rural roads for schools, residents and farms.”

The two counties last year approved a Memorandum of Understanding with vendors to develop a rural broadband network with the goal of making high-speed internet access available in every household.

The two counties, working together as the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, have entered into an MOU with the team of Seneca Solutions and Resolute Partners. The companies developed a network on the Cattaraugus Indian Territory.

They are ready to pursue grant funding and to design, install, operate and maintain the rural broadband network for Orleans and Niagara, Johnson said.

Godfrey, the Niagara County legislator, expects the network will be mostly wireless. That is the wave of the future, and it is cheaper and more practical than installing cable, especially in rural pockets of the two counties with few homes, he said.

“We’ve been shovel-ready for two years,” he said about the broadband push. “We’ve done our homework, we’re just waiting for the money.”

Godfrey lives in rural Wilson. He said two families recently built new homes in that Niagara town, but moved out because there wasn’t broadband Internet. The families moved because their children couldn’t do homework without high-speed Internet, Godfrey said. Fast Internet also is needed for businesses to submit reports and residents to search for jobs and fill out applications.

“We’re more than disadvantaged,” Godfrey said. “We’re discriminated against.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, also is pushing for rural broadband money. Upstate New York could lose more than $170 million in federal aid for expanding high-speed Internet because Verizon has turned down the money.

Schumer and Gov. Andrew Cuomo want the federal aid to be available for other companies that would expand coverage in New York.

“We have a lot of very loud voices speaking on behalf of Orleans County,” Johnson said.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski – Delegates to the 81st Annual NYS 4-H Capital Days held in Albany from Sunday through Tuesday pose on the “Million Dollar Staircase” inside the Capitol building. The architectural wonder took 14 years to construct and is made partially of Medina sandstone. The delegates, including John Gabalski and Rachel Gregoire of the Orleans County 4-H program, pose with NYS Assembly Member Clifford Crouch (bottom right).

Orleans County 4-Hers John Gabalski and Rachel Gregoire sit in the NYS Assembly Chamber Monday morning prior to hearing from Assembly Member Clifford Crouch, who explained how the NYS Assembly works.

State Sen. Robert Ortt is pictured with Rachel Gregoire, John Gabalski and his mother Kristina Gabalski, a chaperone for the trip. She is also a correspondent for the Orleans Hub.

Two Orleans County 4-Hers traveled to Albany on May 15-17 for the 81st Annual 4-H Capital Days.  Rachel Gregoire of Murray and John Gabalski of Byron represented Orleans County at the 4-H teen program, which works to help participants achieve a better understanding of the NYS public policy process and state and local government relations.

4-H members also met with legislators, learned about career opportunities in NYS government, and met and exchanged experiences with delegates from other counties.

The event included meetings with State Senator Robert Ortt and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley in their offices as well as a visit to the NYS Assembly and Senate chambers, a tour of the Capitol Building, a visit to the New York State Court of Appeals, and agency presentations by NYSERDA, the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the NYS Department of Education, the NYS Department of Health, the NYS Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the NYS Department of Corrections.

Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul addressed the delegates Tuesday afternoon.  A former 4-H’er, Hochul called herself, “the highest ranked 4-H’er in the State of New York. You are getting exposed to things that your peers cannot compete with,” Hochul told delegates.

As teen leaders, she advised participants to help guide their peers. “Your fellow New Yorkers need you,” Hochul said.  “You are in the right place in an organization that will give you skills to benefit you in the future.”

She said she learned many valuable life skills as a 4-H’er growing up in western New York, including public speaking.

“Seize every opportunity you can get,” the lieutenant governor said.

Participants were also able to visit the Corning Tower, the New York State Museum, the New York State Vietnam Memorial and other attractions in the area of the Empire State Plaza as time allowed.

The number of new houses built annually in Orleans County has been declining, with only 18 built in 2015 compared to 76 in 2003, according to county officials.

The 18 new homes last year is the fewest since 2003, except for the 16 in 2010, when the community and country were in the grip of an economic slowdown.

Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller, a former Kendall town assessor, shared the data during on building permits for new houses in Orleans County. DeRoller received the information from the Orleans County Planning Department. The information was discussed during Friday’s meeting with the board of directors for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

Source: OC Planning Department

DeRoller said the housing starts have slowed in the county, partly because of the big reductions in the workforce at Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb. Those companies used to employ many Orleans residents.

“We took a real hit and haven’t recovered from that,” DeRoller said about the downsizings at some of Rochester’s major manufacturers.

DeRoller said the county still has lots of open affordable land that could be used for new housing. The local governments also should work on getting vacant homes occupied, he said.

DeRoller said he worries with the county’s falling population and students enrollments at local schools.

“We need to stabilize our student enrollments,” he said.

Some of the houses have been vacant for several years and have fallen into significant disrepair. Those homes will take big investments to make attractive to residents. Those deteriorating houses also are dragging down neighborhoods, EDA board members.

“It’s not very inviting in many of our communities,” said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the EDA. She gives company CEOs tours of the local communities, and they often note the rough shape of the housing stock.

Some communities have stepped up property maintenance enforcement, and Paul Hendal, EDA board chairman, said that often comes with resistance from property owners.

“The pushback is unbelievable,” he said.

DeRoller said he expects the STAMP site just outside Orleans in the Town of Alabama to bring new residents looking to build homes and also revive existing houses. However, DeRoller said the appearance of the community needs to be improved to draw some of the STAMP workers as residents. It is an issue to be worked on for officials at all levels of the government, he said.