By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 December 2023 at 1:24 pm
ALBION – The 911 dispatch center for Orleans County will get a $325,000 overhaul with a new CAD/RMS system.
Sheriff Bourke
The County Legislature on Tuesday approved a contract with EM Systems Inc. of Buffalo for the computer-aided design technology and also a new record management system that will allow the village police departments and the Sheriff’s Office to have access to each other’s records while officers are in the field. The RMS allows law enforcement personnel to enter and retrieve data.
“This will create a master database of files in Orleans County,” said Sheriff Chris Bourke.
The dispatch center handles emergency calls for fire departments, police agencies, animal control and other issues.
County officials also received bids on the new CAD/RMS technology, and the other vendors bid much more than EM Systems. Bourke said one vendor sought $800,000 and the other was about $1 million.
He said it will take a year to 18 months to transfer records and get the new system fully integrated.
“We went through an exhaustive process,” Bourke said about the CAD/RMS upgrades. “We looked at demo after demo.”
A contingent from the county also spent a half day in Wyoming County to see the dispatch center with EM Systems.
The State Police used to pay for a record management system for the dispatch, but the State Police is going to a different RMS that won’t be in sync with law enforcement in smaller counties, Bourke said. The state also no longer will be providing money to the smaller counties for an RMS system.
Orleans is asking the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments to each contribute $3,000 annually towards the maintenance costs of the new system. The county is paying for the new system, but would like some assistance from the three police departments with the annual maintenance expense, Bourke said.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans County is looking to strengthen the roof at the Public Safety Building, a former furniture store building that county bought in 1998.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 December 2023 at 8:49 am
ALBION – Orleans County legislators are looking to upgrade the roof at the Public Safety Building on Route 31 near Gaines Basin Road.
Legislators on Tuesday approved a contract for up to $47,700 with Wendel Companies of Williamsville for professional services for the design, bidding and construction support services for the project.
The roof reinforcement project will likely include strengthening the joists and other work on a large flat roof.
The county acquired the building in 1998. The former Marquart Furniture building allowed the county to move in dispatch, the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Probation and the Major Felony Crime Task Force.
But the building is cramped, county officials said. The Legislature on Oct. 24 approved spending $975,000 for the former GCC building at 456 West Ave. The county paid Herring Enterprises of Holley for the building, which hasn’t been used for classes for several years.
The county will move the Probation Department and District Attorney’s office out of the Public Safety Building and into the former GCC site. Once Probation and the DA’s Office move to the site, the Public Safety Building will be reconfigured for the Sheriff’s Office to allow for a more efficient operation, said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 1:04 pm
ALBION – A committee that includes leaders from village, town and the county governments have begun meeting to look for more ways to share services and reduce costs of local government.
The Orleans County Shared Services Committee met for the first time on Dec. 7. The group includes County Legislature chairman, the town supervisors from the 10 towns, and the four village mayors.
The group in the initial meeting put out some ideas to potentially explore, including code enforcement, assessing and the fire service.
Right now there isn’t a uniform approach for code enforcement across the county. Some towns also are concerned about having an assessor with the extensive training required for the position.
The town and village leaders expressed their concern about the not-too-distant future for the fire service, whether there will be enough volunteers to respond to emergencies and other calls.
“We are having a very organic conversation regarding shared services,” said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer who is working with the committee. “Shared services cannot be forced down upon the towns and villages. This process requires willing partners to be creative in changing the means of a service to allow for a same or similar end product of a service for our residents.”
County Legislator Skip Draper said one possibility in looking at the fire service may be to reconsider how the battalions are structured. Right now the western battalion is the west end of the county and includes fire companies that serve the towns of Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby, and villages of Lyndonville and Medina. The central battalion includes Carlton, Gaines, Albion and Barre, and the eastern battalion is Clarendon, Murray/Holley and Kendall.
Draper said it may make more sense to group the battalions by northern, central and southern parts of the county. The northern towns are all along Lake Ontario and fire departments could perhaps share equipment and training with water rescues. The central area from west to east include the larger villages of Medina, Albion and Holley, which tend to be more densely populated with larger and taller buildings, Draper said. There could be opportunities to share equipment and resources among those communities.
The southern part of the county – Shelby, Barre and Clarendon – tends to be the most rural with farmland.
The local leaders say they are concerned about enough personnel for the departments. They are interested in seeing if the local BOCES and schools, as well as community colleges, can help train or at least steer students to service with the fire departments.
“We are in the infancy stage in this process of developing a list of potential areas of shared services,” Welch said. “We left the meeting asking for the participants to follow up on some of their ideas and to bring back more possibilities of sharing services to the next meeting early in 2024.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 December 2023 at 1:25 pm
Orleans County Tourism Department
KNOWLESVILLE – With an influx of visitors expected for the total eclipse on April 8, the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds will be hosting several events from April 5-8 and making at least 50 camping sites available with RV hook-ups.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension is teaming with the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, the Albion Merchants Association and Orleans County Tourism Department for the events. The path of totality will pass through Western New York and Orleans County with the duration of the totality about four minutes beginning at approximately 3:18 p.m. on April 8, a Monday. The partial eclipse starts at 2:04 p.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.
“People are coming from all over to Orleans County to see it,” said Robert Batt, the Extension executive director.
The events at the fairgrounds include:
April 5 (Friday) – Camp sites available. Visitors will receive Orleans County gift bag with discounts to local businesses.
April 6 (Saturday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities, and a chicken barbecue by Elks. The day is capped off with fireworks at Fairgrounds at 8 p.m.
April 7 (Sunday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities. There will also be an Orleans County scavenger hunt with prizes for top three teams and one unique hidden prize. There will be a campfire sing-along with s’mores by the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen from 7 to 9 p.m. The Albion Free Methodist Church will lead a Glow Party at 8:30 p.m. at the pavilion with a DJ.
April 8 (Monday) – There will be food vendors and kids’ activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be kids’ activity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring the Orleans County 4-H nutritional program leading a session on astronaut food, including hands-on cooking.
For more information about the camp sites and events at the fairgrounds, click here.
Map from I Love NY: The path of totality for the eclipse passes on an arc through Western New York on April 8.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2023 at 10:31 am
149 have now graduated since 2018; Nick Picardo named alumnus of year
Photos by Tom Rivers: Taylor Gilbert, a credit representative with Farm Credit East, is congratulated by Orleans County legislator Skip Draper on Thursday evening during the graduation ceremony for Leadership Orleans. Charlie Nesbitt, a retired state assemblyman, is in back. Gilbert is among 25 graduates in the 2023 class.
LYNDONVILLE – A new class has completed an intensive program looking at aspects of the Orleans County community and equipping them to be more involved to help steer the county to success.
Leadership Orleans has now graduated 149 people since the first class in 2018. The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community, from agriculture, non-profit organizations, government services, small and larger businesses, tourism, arts and culture, community health and economic development.
The class also learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, their personality types and how that shapes their decision-making and tendencies.
The group visited 44 sites around the county during the year and heard from 53 presenters. The program is funded through sponsors and tuition.
Lynne Johnson chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, congratulates the class on completing Leadership Orleans, which included sessions each month.
“It is no small feat being able to make a commitment when all of our lives are so busy and hectic,” Johnson said during the graduation at the White Birch. “Your continued and future involvement in all aspects of our community is sorely needed and very much welcomed – from running for office, to serving on non-profit boards, to helping develop a vision of what our future can be – we need all of your talents.”
Johnson urged the group to be good listeners in their roles as leaders.
“Unfortunately, open dialogue is too often defined by who can shout the loudest, talk the fastest, deliver the most clever one-liners and generate the most likes on social media,” she said. “I do not think any of us would define that as leadership, yet that’s the path we’re on.”
Dana Joy, clinical supervisor for UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), accepts his diploma and certificates for completing the class from County Legislator Skip Draper and Jayleen Carney, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
The graduates this year include:
Jenifer Batt, Director Community Services, Arc GLOW
Julie Berry, Author/Owner, Author’s Note
Gabriel Bruning, Owner, Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse, LLC
Tracy Cliff, Deputy County Clerk, Orleans County
Angela Conway, Principal, Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, Albion CSD
Carl Creasey, Training Manager, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC
Jesse Cudzilo, Executive Director, Orleans County YMCA
John Fitzak, Legislator, Orleans County
Taylor Gilbert, Credit Representative, Farm Credit East
Kristin Grose, Human Resources Manager, Orleans Community Health
Michele Harling, Town Clerk, Town of Yates
Katie Harvey, Director of Personnel and Self-Insurance, Orleans County
Cassandra Healy, Store Mgr./Classroom Inst., Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
Megan Johnson, Executive Director, Orleans Community Health Foundation
Dana Joy, Clinical Supervisor, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA)
Gwendolyn Large, Volunteer, Lyndonville Lions Club
Katherine Oakes, Horticulture Educator, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
Sarah Osborne, Director of Probation, Orleans County
Michael Restivo, Financial Advisor, Brighton Securities
Jessica Rockcastle, Human Resources Manager, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
Elizabeth Tuttle, Youth Services Librarian, Hoag Library
Skip Helfrich
The schedule for this past year included a two-day opening retreat in January, legislative affairs in February, economic & workforce development in March, community health in April, communities & culture in May, outdoor leadership in June, tourism & recreation in July, volunteerism in August, agribusiness in September, education in October, simulated society in November, a closing retreat on Dec. 7 and graduation on Thursday.
“It’s not the same session every year,” said Skip Helfrich, executive director of Leadership Orleans since it started. “Every year we try to make it better.”
He said there are already 25 people committed to next year’s class.
Leadership Orleans also will be starting a “Level Up” program in smaller groups. It will include eight people initially and they will meet weekly in seven 4-hour sessions.
“What’s the next level?” Helfrich said. “Where do we go from here.”
The “Level Up” will focus on how to motivate people, create passion, build a cohesive team, and sell yourself to peers, subordinates and supervisors.
The effort should start in the first quarter of 2024, Helfrich said.
George Kiefer (right), procurement manager for Takeform, accepts the “First Impressions” award on behalf of Takeform in Medina. Skip Helfrich, left, is the Leadership Orleans executive director. Takeform was one of 44 sites visited by the class. Kiefer said Takeform works hard to help companies and organizations make a strong first impression through signage and branding.
Katie Oakes, horticulture educator for Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, shares remarks as a class member during the graduation. Julie Berry, owner of the Author’s Note bookstore in Medina, also spoke during the graduation.
Nick Picardo
Oakes also was picked by the class as “presenter of the year.” She runs the U-pick operation at LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville and gave a message about grafting apple trees. She said that can be a metaphor about bringing different people together and using their strengths.
“We are forever linked by this incredible journey called Leadership Orleans,” Oakes said.
Berry spoke about the power of atomic energy to create a much more through nuclear fusion. She said bringing different people together can result in a much more vibrant end result.
Leadership Orleans brought together people from diverse backgrounds, a program that is desperately needed during a time of polarization, Berry said.
Leadership Orleans also picked an alumnus of the year – Nick Picardo, the Kendall district superintendent.
Picardo was in the 2021 class, when he was executive director of Student Services for Kendall Central School. He has been the superintendent for nearly two years, and just last week led the district on a successful vote for a $12.7 million capital project.
Picardo has spent his educational career in Kendall serving as an administrator, social studies teacher, department chair, coach and advisor.
Jackie Dunham, left, presents the diploma to Gabe Bruning, owner of Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse. Dunham and Charlie Nesbitt, in back, are both on the Leadership Orleans steering committee. Kelly Kiebala is chairman of the committee.
Nesbitt urged the graduates to shape the direction of the community.
“What makes one community successful and another not?” Nesbitt said during remarks. “It’s the people not the place. It takes a lot of people who know what they’re doing.”
ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson has been appointed to the board of directors of the Healthcare Trustees of New York State (HTNYS).
HTNYS, a division of the Healthcare Association of New York State, aims to help healthcare trustees from hospitals and healthcare systems across the state navigate the shifting healthcare landscape, advocate for their organizations, and fulfill their governance responsibilities.
Johnson has been a trustee of Orleans Community Health for more than a decade. Her term on the HTNYS board begins Jan. 1.
“Serving on the board at Orleans Community Health, I have witnessed the rapid changes in healthcare and the challenges healthcare systems face in delivering quality, cost-effective care to residents, especially in rural communities like ours,” said Johnson, a Lyndonville resident. “I’m hoping to bring that perspective to the HTNYS board and teaming up with others to advocate for our communities.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 December 2023 at 9:26 am
The state is making $50,000 available to promote sports and physical recreation activities for youth in Orleans County.
The Genesee-Orleans Youth Bureau will administer the funding from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Applications are due to the Youth Bureau by Dec. 31. Non-profit and community-based organizations are eligible to apply.
Grants can fund coaches, instructors, referee fees, equipment and uniforms, facility and field improvements, adaptive sports equipment and programming, and other needs.
Interested organizations can email the Youth Bureau for more information at youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us or call (585)344-3960.
ALBION – The Safe Harbour program run by the Orleans County Department of Social Services is hosting a webinar Wednesday, Dec. 13, with a survivor and author of a book on human trafficking.
Jasmine Grace will speak from 1 to 3 p.m. on surviving the commercial sex trade and addiction.
Grace will discuss facts about sex trafficking and how communities can prevent it from happening. She has started Jasmine Grace Outreach to help people break free from drug addiction, sexual exploitation, and a hopeless way of life. She wrote the book, “The Diary of Jasmine Grace. Trafficked. Recovered. Redeemed.”
Participation in the webinar is free by those interested need to register in advance by emailing SafeHarbour@orleanscounty.gov. You will then receive a link to the Zoom video conference presentation.
The Safe Harbour program is designed to be a safe place for teens (12-18 years of age). In addition to providing education and awareness, Safe Harbour provides lessons in life skills to promote a strong foundation to help children launch into their future.
For more information on Safe Harbour or how you can get your child involved in the program, email SafeHarbour@orleanscountyny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 December 2023 at 4:11 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – David Horn, 7, of Medina and his mother Lynn look for a toy police car as part of this morning’s “Shop with a Cop” at the Albion Walmart. Rob Riemer, a chief deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, joined the mother and son while they shopped.
This was the fifth time Walmart hosted “Shop with a Cop” in the Albion store. Walmart contributed a $4,000 grant to the Sheriff’s Office for the program that paired Sheriff’s employees with children and their families. The kids pick out items to help their families or be given as gifts for a family member.
Some of the kids made it their first priority to get a gift for a sibling or a parent. Each kid had about $350 to work with.
Chief Deputy Rob Riemer and David Horn pose for a photo in the store. Riemer said David was very excited and happy to be able to get the gifts fr his family.
David’s mother has been out of work with a medical condition. She said she appreciates the gifts for the family’s holiday celebration.
Lt. Steve Fox goes shopping with 10-year-old Brandon Kalpin of Albion.
Fox said Brandon had a good system to spread out the gifts for people he cares about.
Provided photo: This group includes some of the kids and members of the Sheriff’s Office, as well as some Walmart leaders. The Orleans County Office of Child and Family Services assists in the event. Jeannine Larkin, who helps coordinate the effort, said they try to have different kids for “Shop with a Cop” each year.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Retired Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin, center, speaks last week during a forum on immigration’s impact locally. Gary Kent, left, and Kim Remley listen while Lattin says the county has long needed immigrants, from the building of the Erie Canal to workers for the Medina Sandstone quarries to today’s agriculture.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2023 at 6:23 pm
ALBION – Orleans County for about two centuries has benefited from the fruits of immigrants’ labor, from the construction and expansion of the Erie Canal, to the sandstone quarries to agriculture, the county has long needed the strong backs and determination from foreign workers.
Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, shared those sentiments during a forum last week about immigration, a two-hour discussion at Hoag Library. The event was organized by the Community Coalition for Justice and featured several panelists.
Lattin said there have been three big waves of immigration into Orleans County. First it was the Irish fleeing starvation from a potato famine. That resulted in many Irish immigrants coming to Orleans County to work on widening the Erie Canal from 1838 to the 1850s, Lattin said.
Workers were needed to expand the canal and the main tools were a pick, shovel and a wheelbarrow.
“They were doing work the established people didn’t want to do,” Lattin said.
The Medina Sandstone industry took off in the mid-19th century. Local quarry operators welcomed Polish immigrants in the 1880s and ’90s, and then Italians in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
“It was dirty work and no one else wanted to do it,” he said. “The stone quarries were dangerous places to work. There were explosions and dust, which caused medical problems.”
More recently, foreign workers come to Orleans County primarily to work in agriculture.
“Historically, immigration has been a great benefit to the overall mechanisms of Orleans County,” Lattin said. “I think it’s something we can be proud of.”
Wendy Oakes Wilson
The farmworkers now increasingly are here through the federal H-2A program which allows farmers to bring in legal workers who stay temporarily.
Wendy Oakes Wilson, general manager of LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville and president of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina, said many local farms used to be able to hire a domestic workforce, with many temporary workers coming up for a few months from the south from states such as Florida.
But those workers are pretty much nonexistent these days for the local farms. LynOaken hires 38 workers from Jamaica who are paid a minimum of $16.95 per hour. LynOaken pays for their travel to get to Lyndonville and back home, and provides them with housing. With piece rate, the workers can make as much as $25 per hour, Wilson said.
Those workers are integral to LynOaken Farms and the winery’s success, Wilson said.
“Without them we would have to close up shop,” she said.
The workers pick apples, which are heavy in the bags carried by the workers. The pickers need to show great care to not pull the stems from the apple when picking them off the trees, or too squeeze them too hard and cause bruising.
“This is skilled labor and it’s a good portion of the economy in Orleans County,” Wilson said.
Leonel Rosario
Leonel Rosario started working at local apple farms when he was barely a teen-ager in the mid-’90s. He used to travel with his family to work in Florida, South Carolina and in New York.
They would pick apples, cut cabbage, plant vegetables and work in construction.
“We were happy to have a job,” Rosario said at the immigration discussion. “We were happy to go back home (to Mexico) and bring something.”
Rosario, his brothers and family members now own a grocery store, two restaurants, and several other businesses. Two of his brothers have their own farm. Other family have a tree-grafting business helping local farms who used to bring in people from Washington state for the service. The Rosario family also has a construction business locally.
Leonel Rosario said the Rosarios altogether employ about 120 people. They could use more employees.
He acknowledged it’s hard to find enough staff.
“We’re always looking for people to work,” he said.
Rosario said he is thankful for the local farmers who gave his family an opportunity. He worked many years for the Lamont Fruit Farm.
“Without the farmers there wouldn’t be any farmworkers coming here,” Rosario said. “All of the farmers have been great to work for.”
Cassandra Bocanegra, center, is the manager of Organizing and Strategy in the Finger Lakes for the New York Immigration Coalition. Mary Rutigliano, left, is a member of the Rochester Rapid Response Network that tries to support immigrants facing detention or deportation. Wendy Wilson is one of the leaders of LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville and the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina.
Two advocates for immigrants spoke as panelists during the forum last Thursday. Cassandra Bocanegra is the manager of Organizing and Strategy in the Finger Lakes for the New York Immigration Coalition. Mary Rutigliano is a member of the Rochester Rapid Response Network that tries to support immigrants facing detention or deportation.
Bocanegra said Orleans County has been a high enforcement area, partly due to the 500-bed immigration detention facility in Batavia. Many local law enforcement will call ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for routine traffic infractions due to a language issue, and those stops can lead to immigration or deportation proceedings for the immigrants, she said.
She said immigrants have revitalized the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, and they tend to open businesses providing jobs at a higher rate than native-born American citizens.
Bocanegra said NAFTA decimated the agriculture economy in Mexico and Latin American, causing an exodus of desperate people looking to come to the United States.
The U.S., however, has failed to update its immigration laws to reflect the reality near the border, and the need for workers in the United States, she said.
She bristled when someone in the crowd said he supports legal immigration, but doesn’t want “illegals” coming across the border.
“I don’t like the term ‘illegal,” Bocanegra said.
She said “undocumented” better reflects the humanity of people coming into the country without the proper documents. She faulted the U.S. for not providing more legal opportunities for immigrants to be in the country with permission.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and the basic human dignity we all deserve,” she said.
Rutigliano said the Rapid Response Network tries to assist immigrants with language access, transportation, bullying in schools and other challenges locally.
Immigrants are good for Orleans County but is Orleans County good for immigrants?” she said.
The Rapid Response Network was formed in 2017 due to the heightened immigration enforcement in the local rural counties.
“What can we do to make the whole GLOW region safer for immigrants?” Rutigliano said.
Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke said there are far fewer issues with migrant workers these days from a law enforcement perspective. He said many of the farmers have buses and vans to transport workers to the store, bank and for other needs. That has drastically reduced the number of farmworkers driving without licenses, he said. Wendy Wilson, left, is LynOaken Farms general manager and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery president.
Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke, an employee of the Sheriff’s Office for 39 years, said farmworkers and immigrants seldom cause problems these days.
“We do not see immigrants causing a disproportionate number of problems,” he said.
But the farmworkers in the 1980s and ’90s used to buy cheap cars and put license plates on them, operating without insurance and without driver’s licenses.
Now, many of the farms have buses and vans and take their workers to the grocery store, bank and other locations.
Bourke said the housing is much better now, too. He recalled when 20 to 30 workers were crammed into trailers.
“I see a much more organized system, a cleaner system,” he said. “We don’t see the traffic stops and problems like we did.”
Bourke said he has a deep respect for the farmworkers, who put in long hours often in extreme weather – cold, rain or intense heat.
“The people in the field are working people, they’re God-fearing people, they’re family people,” he said.
Bourke said the local law enforcement agencies are facing a worker challenge right now. The deputy sheriff exam used to get about 60 to 90 people, but now only gets 20, and half of those can’t pass the physical fitness requirements.
“Law enforcement are good-paying jobs with benefits and healthcare,” Bourke said. “But no one wants these jobs either. We’re trying to get more people to take the test.”
The sheriff said he would welcome more Spanish-speaking staff members, include among the deputies.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2023 at 8:41 am
ALBION – The court case between Orleans and Genesee counties, where Orleans is trying to block a sewer main from being built on Route 63 in Shelby, was scheduled for a court appearance on Wednesday.
The lawyers representing the parties were scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. court session before Judge Frank Caruso in Niagara Falls.
But the court appearance was cancelled and court officials are working with the attorneys to line up a new date.
Orleans is represented by Lippes Mathias LLP in Buffalo and contends Genesee didn’t have the county’s permission to install the sewer main in Orleans County. The sewer, at full buildout of the STAMP manufacturing site in the Town of Alabama, would direct 6 million gallons of treated water to the Oak Orchard Creek.
Orleans contends that would have a negative impact on the county’s fishing industry, which is a nearly $30 million economic boost to Orleans County. The additional water from STAMP could also hurt the economic development efforts in Medina by overtaxing the creek, Orleans attorneys say in the lawsuit. (The Town of Shelby has since joined the lawsuit as an intervenor.)
Genesee County in its court filings contend Orleans gave consent to the project, which was years in the making, by never objecting to it – until the very last moment. Its years of silence should be viewed as support of the project, say attorneys from Phillips Lytle LLP, which are representing the Genesee County Economic Development Center and others named in the lawsuit – G. DeVincentis & Son Construction Co., Inc., Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation, and STAMP Sewer Works, Inc.
The attorneys called the lawsuit from Orleans “a baseless attempt … to obstruct or delay construction of a long-planned, duly-approved infrastructure project.”
The Genesee attorneys claim Orleans is making “obstructionist proceeding” in a last-ditch attempt to stop the project as part of an “extortionate” demand from Genesee for money to get the Orleans blessing.
At full build-out STAMP can accommodate up to 6.1 million square feet of advanced technology manufacturing, office and retail space. GCEDC projects direct employment of up to 9,330 full-time jobs with a regional economic impact for support companies serving the site.
The first two tenants at STAMP – Plug Power and Edwards Vacuum – would have a daily discharge of 50,000 gallons of treated wastewater, GCEDC said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: A caravan of snow plow trucks head down Route 31 in Albion today just afternoon. There were about 30 plow trucks in the procession, representing most of the municipalities in Orleans County. The local highway and street superintendents, as well as the Department of Public Works joined together for the “Winter Operations Awareness Drive.” It started at the Shelby Highway Department and then headed east on Route 31, going through the villages of Medina, Albion and Holley.
Posted 4 December 2023 at 1:31 pm
Press Release, Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association
State/County/Town and Village highway departments joined forces today to raise awareness of the upcoming winter season.
Double and single axle plow/salt trucks met at the Shelby highway garage before traveling along Rt. 31 from Medina through the Village of Albion enroute to the completion point just east of the Village of Holley.
The winter season brings many challenges for the average traveler. The group wants to raise awareness of those challenges for both the men and women behind the wheel of the plow trucks as well as those traveling state, county, town and village roads.
There was participation from all 10 towns, the four villages, county and the state DOT in the procession, shown here passing in front of the Albion school campus on East Avenue.
No one wants to be stuck behind the plow truck but passing can very dangerous. People don’t take in to account the slush coming off the wheels and front plow of these vehicles until it’s too late. You should allow yourself extra travel time depending on the weather.
Many plow trucks have specific routes and will commonly backup frequently at intersections to go back down a road they just came from so allowing extra space between you and the plow truck is helpful.
Many of the towns and villages have limited crews and do not work around the clock so late evening to early morning travel may be difficult, again try to plan your winter travel accordingly.
Mailboxes are always an issue, some municipalities fix them and others do not. This is a courtesy fix and not required. The bottom of mailboxes should be at 41”-45” from the ground and the post should be maintained and free from rot or corrosion depending on the material used. Plastic mailboxes and “all in one” mailbox with post are not recommended for country roadside applications because the plastic does not hold up well in the bitter cold temperatures. For additional info on mailboxes go to www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm.
Snow should never be pushed across the road from clearing your driveway. This is actually highway law. Most villages have restricted parking on village streets so be aware of these winter parking changes. We all know kids love snowbanks but along the roadside is not a safe place to be playing on snowbanks or making tunnels.
The Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association hopes this “Winter Operations Awareness Drive” does just that – brings awareness to winters driving challenges and helps you prepare for a safe commute where ever you are traveling to.
Safe travels and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2023 at 4:14 pm
Kendall town supervisor urges Leg to cut more but chairwoman says budget ‘bare bones’
Photos by Tom Rivers: Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch and Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson go over the county’s $92 million budget during a public hearing on Thursday.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature approved a $92,494,994 budget on Thursday in a 7-0 vote.
The budget increases the tax levy by 3.25 percent or by $607,000 to $19,264,000. The tax rate is going down by $1.30 from $9.87 to $8.57 per $1,000 of assessed property. However, property owners won’t all pay the same tax rates because not all towns are at 100 percent full valuation.
Four towns – Carlton, Kendall, Ridgeway and Shelby – completed town-wide reassessments in 2023 and are at full value. They will pay a lower tax rate for the 2024 county taxes.
Other towns – Albion, Gaines, Murray and Yates – haven’t done reassessments for several years and will pay a much higher tax rate. Barre and Clarendon were reassessed in 2022 and will have a higher rate than $8.57 but not as high as the four towns that are at least four years from their last town-wide re-evaluation.
The exact final rates aren’t set yet. The tax bills are to be mailed by Jan. 1.
County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the budget preserves county programs and stays within the tax cap despite more than $2 million being pushed on the county from the state.
“Budgets are all about dollars and cents,” Johnson said during the budget hearing. “But budgets are also about strategic priorities and long-term plans. We need to govern to meet immediate needs and demands, while investing in areas that foster growth and future opportunity.”
Three town supervisors – Sean Pogue of Barre, Richard Moy of Clarendon and Tony Cammarata of Kendall – attended the hearing and had questions for legislators.
Moy said residents ask him about the county recent acquisitions totaling $1,7250,000. He asked where that money came from and if it’s in the 2024 budget.
Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer and budget officer, said the county was able to pay for the properties out of the reserves for the 2023 budget.
Moy said the county’s population is down about 2,500 to about 40,000 total. “And we keep buying new buildings.”
Johnson said the acquisitions weren’t new buildings, but vacant property that fills a need.
Three town supervisors – from left Sean Pogue of Barre, Richard Moy of Clarendon, and Tony Cammarata of Kendall – attended the budget hearing and had questions for the county legislators.
The Legislature on Oct. 24 approved spending $975,000 to acquire the former building used for Genesee Community College in Albion and 25.7 vacant acres adjacent to the property for $500,000. The county will move the Probation Department and District Attorney’s office out of the Public Safety Building and into the former GCC site.
The Public Safety Building has been the home for Probation, the DA’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and the 911 dispatch center for the past 25 years. But that building has challenges, especially with a big flat roof.
In September the Legislature approved spending $250,000 for the former Bank of America site at 156 S. Main St. in Albion, which will become the treasurer’s office in 2024. That building has a drive-through and is more easily accessible than the current office on East Park Street, county officials said.
The current treasurer’s building at Central Hall “is a money trap for us,” Johnson said about continuing to invest in that property.
“We’ve kicked the can down the road so many years,” she said.
Pogue from Barre asked how much the county stands to gain in revenue from solar projects. There are currently four that will be online in 2024 and the county will collect $25,000 combined from all four. As more of the projects are complete and generating electricity, the county will collect more revenue, said Kathy Bogan, the county attorney. The projects generate $7,000 in revenue for local governments for each megawatt. That $7,000 is divvied up by thirds to the town the project is located in, the county and the school district.
Cammarata of Kendall said the 3.25 percent tax increase is high. He urged the Legislature to find more to cut in the budget or tap more money from its reserve.
“All I’m asking is you take another look at it,” Cammarata said. “I feel for the people of Orleans County. Look one more time and see if you can slice that down. The people are suffering. If you cut it, it sends a message to the people that you care about them.”
Johnson said legislators, department heads, Welch and county treasurer Kim DeFrank have worked in recent months to minimize the tax increase. She said the budget was “bare bones” and burdened by unfunded state mandates.
Welch said the mandated programs from the state are up about $2.2 million or 12.9 percent for nine mandates to $19,056,290. That includes Medicaid up 17.7 percent to $8,693,594; Pension costs up 3.2 percent to $3,041,025; Public assistance/Safety Net increase of 21.6 percent to $2,330,569; Child welfare/Protection up 21.5 percent to $2,193,962; Special education up 4.5 percent to $990,270; Probation increase of 9.6 percent to $779,651; Indigent defense up 36.6 percent to $700,834; Early intervention up 3.2 percent to $276,385; and Mental Health law expense, up 87.5 percent to $50,000.
The budget addresses several capital projects with the total for 2024 at $7,883,213 with the county cost at $3,525,358.
The projects include: $2,150,000 of highway reconstruction (100 percent funded by CHIPS), $1.5 million with bridge projects (3 for design and 1 replacement to be funded with federal TIP and state BridgeNY), $1.3 million of culvert and bridge repairs (local funds), $1,242,000 of patching and sealing county roads (local funds), $557,199 for DPW equipment (SHIPS and state SAM), $396,935 for software and technology (local funds), $265,686 for Buildings & Grounds projects (local funds), $200,000 for jail general repairs (local funds), $195,493 for vehicles and equipment for Sheriff’s Office (local funds), and $75,000 for emergency management vehicle (state and federal funds).
Welch said a homeless crisis for temporary and permanent emergency housing placements has increased the workload for the Department of Social Services. Assisting the homeless as well as other mandated programs through DSS prompted the county to increase the hours for DSS workers from 35 to 37.5 hours per week.
The county is hoping to have more county employees go from 35 to 37.5 hours in 2024. That will be a discussion with the unions.
Welch said the employees will be paid more for those extra hours, but the county will save money by not having to pay for more health insurance and benefits if more employees were hired.
The budget also increases the solid waste fee by $4 to $220 a year.
The county budget provides funding for other organizations in the county, with some slated to get an increase and others not.
The four public libraries will stay at $10,000. Mercy Flight stays at $5,000. The Cobblestone Museum will get $3,000. The organization hasn’t been a line item in the budget in recent years but sometimes received $3,000 from the county’s contingency funds.
The budget allocates $200,000 for the Economic Development Agency, up from $190,000 in 2023. The Soil & Water Conservation District goes from $95,000 in 2023 to $97,500.
The Sportsmen’s Federation sees its funding cut from $1,000 to $0.
The Cooperative Extension stays at $240,000, even though the organization requested $275,000. The Extension has been at $240,000 since at least 2020. The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council remains at $4,000.
The county has an allowable growth rate in the tax cap of 3.76 percent for 2024, or $701,733, Welch said, noting the adopted budget stayed under that cap.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Kendall Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata speaks during the May 23 Orleans County Legislature meeting, asking the legislators to increase the local sales tax sharing with towns and villages. The county has kept them at the same level since 2001. There will be a public hearing at 4:30 p.m. today about the proposed $92 million county budget.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2023 at 9:18 am
ALBION – Most of the Orleans County town boards and all four of the village boards this spring passed resolutions, asking the County Legislature to increase sales tax sharing with the towns and villages.
The county has frozen those municipalities to the same amount since 2001 – $1,366,671. Since then the total local sales has more than doubled. The towns and villages asked for the same 14 percent from 1996 when the total local sales tax was $9,499,138.
Last year it was $22.5 million. Through the first three quarters of 2023, the sales tax is up 2.7 percent in Orleans County from $18.48 million to $18.98 million.
If the county went to a 14 percent share it would have to increase the amount to towns and villages to $3,150,000 – a $1,783,329 increase.
But the 2024 county budget doesn’t give an increase. It’s the same $1,366,671. Legislators have said the county faces increasing state mandated costs, especially for the Medicaid program.
Jessica Marciano, a Medina village trustee, also spoke at the May 23 Legislature meeting and said a bigger amount of the local sales tax would help the Village Board with its budget, easing some property tax pressure in the village.
“We’re flat and we have been flat for many years,” said Tony Cammarata, the Kendall town supervisor who has been pushing for more sales tax for towns and villages. “They’ve have had double-digit increases in sales tax. But they seem to have other priorities in place versus what we were hoping for.”
Cammarata said an increase in sales tax would help the municipalities deal with inflationary increases, and would help knock down the property taxes, and possibly could be used for projects in a town or village.
“We were just hoping they would see a little light in the tunnel to help us out,” he said. “Whatever they give us we appreciate because they don’t have to give us anything.”
Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, in his budget message said the state government is causing a loss of over $3 million in federal funds through the eFMAP Medicaid reconciliation for the Affordable Care Act enhanced payments. The state eliminated that money from counties, Welch said. The county also will lose out on $1.1 million in annual Medicaid to State (formally MMIS) payments, he said.
The county will have a public hearing today at 4:30 p.m. on its proposed $92 million budget, which calls for a 3.25 percent tax increase.
Lynne Johnson, the Legislature chairwoman, said the county continues to faces high inflationary pressures, while trying to meet the needs of capital projects with roads and bridges, and improvements for county-owned buildings.
Cammarata said he would like there to be continued dialogue about the local sales tax, and appreciation for the burdens facing all the local municipalities.
“We were asking for hep so we could do things to help our residents,” Cammarata said. “We’re trying to improve their lives, that’s why we’re electing officials.”
The sales tax amounts allocated for the villages and towns for 2023 include:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2023 at 5:14 pm
Court date set for Dec. 5 as Genesee seeks to finish sewer project through Shelby to Oak Orchard Creek
Photos by Tom Rivers: The entrance to the STAMP manufacturing site in Alabama is located off Route 63, south of the Town of Shelby in Orleans County.
ALBION – Attorneys for Genesee County Economic Development Center have submitted court papers in response to a lawsuit from Orleans County seeking to halt a sewer main from the STAMP site in the Town of Albion down Route 63 to the Oak Orchard Creek in Shelby.
Genesee claims Orleans is making “obstructionist proceeding” in a last-ditch attempt to stop the project as part of an “extortionate” demand from Genesee for money to get the Orleans blessing.
Steve Hyde, the GCEDC executive director, in a sworn affidavit dated Nov. 6 said Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, made the demand for the county to be paid $4.98 per 1,000 gallons discharged into the creek – which translates into about $10 million annually if 6 million gallons is sent into the creek daily from STAMP at full buildout. Johnson said that money should be disbursed quarterly to the Town of Shelby, Orleans County and Orleans Economic Development Agency, according to the Hyde affidavit.
Orleans County, in its lawsuit, said Genesee never had the county’s permission to do the project, and improperly formed a subsidiary – STAMP Sewer Works – to own the sewer main. Orleans also states the discharge into the creek would hurt the fishing resources through the world renown Oak Orchard and limit the economic development chances in Medina and Orleans County by adding up to 6 million more gallons of water daily to the creek.
Orleans County sued on Sept. 11. The State Supreme Court in Orleans County has set a 2:30 p.m. Dec. 5 court date with lawyers to appear by video conference. The Town of Shelby has since joined the lawsuit as an intervenor.
Attorneys for GCEDC and others named in the lawsuit – G. DeVincentis & Son Construction Co., Inc., Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation, and STAMP Sewer Works, Inc. – filed a 56-page response earlier this month and called the court challenge “a baseless attempt … to obstruct or delay construction of a long-planned, duly-approved infrastructure project.”
The sewer main would allow businesses at the 1,250-acre STAMP to discharge treated sewer water into the Oak Orchard. The sewer main is imperative for economic development to move forward at the site, writes attorneys Craig A. Leslie, Adam S. Walters and Matthew J. Fitzgerald of Phillips Lytle LLP.
They say Orleans County was well aware of the project for several years and never objected until mid-2023. Its silence prior to that should be considered consent, the attorneys write.
“After Orleans County chose to sit on the sidelines during the years-long process that led to that project’s approval, and after having its demand for an extortionate payment rejected by GCEDC, Orleans County now seeks to block the project entirely, at the eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute, for no principled reason and seemingly purely out of spite,” the attorneys write.
The GCEDC attorneys say the state is strongly behind the site, and committed another $56 million to it on Nov. 2 through the Empire State Development. That brings the state’s commitment to economic development at more than $100 million for STAMP infrastructure and incentives, the attorneys said.
Plug Power is already under construction at STAMP and Edwards Vacuum has announced it will build a $319 million “Factory of the Future” semiconductor dry-pump manufacturing facility at STAMP.
Plug Edwards plans to employ nearly 70 people at its site, while Edwards Vacuum said it would have 600 highly skilled professionals in its facility.
Genesee says Orleans misfires in its lawsuit, including by failed to name other “necessary parties” in its petition, including the Town of Alabama, state Department of Transportation (which owns Route 63), the Niagara County Water District which agreed to provide water to the site, and landowners who have approved easements for the sewer main but won’t get paid if it’s not constructed.
The statute of limitations has passed and it’s too late to include the necessary parties now, GCEDC attorneys said.
The lawyers also fault Orleans for not establishing clear and convincing evidence that it will suffer irreparable injury.
“The balancing of the equities favors the STAMP Respondents, current and future STAMP tenants, the taxpayers, and the general public,” Genesee states in its court filing.
Genesee stated in the court papers the water from STAMP will be cleaner with lower phosphorus levels than the water treated by the Village of Medina sewer plant and sent into the creek.
“Once construction and installation are complete, the Force Main will be closely monitored and will continue to be overseen by multiple state and federal regulatory agencies which—unlike Orleans County —possess the skills, training, and experience to ensure the environment is protected,” the attorneys write.
They are harshly critical of Orleans for waiting so late in the process following more than a decade of planning with many chances for comment. Construction of the pipe is already in the ground on Route 63 in Genesee County. The installation is about half done with the project on hold in Orleans due to the lawsuit.
A sewer line is shown on Aug. 12 on Route 63 in the Town of Alabama. Genesee County Economic Development Center seeks to install the sewer main along 9.5 miles of Route 63 – from the STAMP site to Oak Orchard Creek.
Genesee said Orleans County could have voiced opposition in the previous seven years, waiting until mid-2023 when tens of millions of taxpayer dollars had already been invested in STAMP. The Orleans County Health Department approved the sewer project to the Oak Orchard Creek, and the Town of Shelby voted to be part of the STAMP Sewer Works, Genesee states in the court papers.
Genesee notes the project has faced stringent environmental reviews from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Transportation.
Orleans, in its lawsuit, also stated GCEDC is wrong to spend Genesee funds for a project outside its county and jurisdiction. But the Genesee attorneys say the project is funded by the state through an Empire State Development initiative.
Hyde, in his affidavit, said he and the GCEDC have worked 15 years trying to develop STAMP. It is one of the few mega-sites with more than 1,000 acres available in the state and is designed to attract large-scale, advanced manufacturing companies.
The site is attractive to semi-conductor companies because of “the extensive environmental review and pre-permitting diligence completed by GCEDC and Genesee Gateway to date, together with the significant investment in infrastructure made by the State of New York through its economic development agency Empire State Development,” Hyde said.
At full build-out STAMP can accommodate up to 6.1 million square feet of advanced technology manufacturing, office and retail space. GCEDC projects direct employment of up to 9,330 full-time jobs with a regional economic impact for support companies serving the site.
“Notably, it is projected that the economic impact of STAMP will benefit not only the Town of Alabama and Genesee County, but also the entire Greater Buffalo-Niagara and Rochester regions, including Orleans County,” he said.
The Genesee attorneys urge State Supreme Court Judge Frank Caruso to dismiss and deny the Orleans County petition.
“A judgment in Orleans County’s favor at this point would not only reward its dilatory and obstructionist conduct, it would waste $100 million in public investment,” the Genesee attorneys write.
Thwarting the sewer line would also do “irreparable harm to the STAMP Respondents—and to the public,” the attorneys write.
“That far outweighs the speculative harm claimed by Orleans County, tipping the equities decidedly in favor of the STAMP Respondents.”
