By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Randy Bower, right, and Chris Bourke celebrate on Nov. 3 after Bower won the sheriff’s election. Bourke, a lieutenant in the Sheriff’s Department, is Bower’s choice to serve as undersheriff.
November was one of the best months for Orleans Hub for traffic since we started in April 2013. We had 678,666 pageviews over 30 days last month for a daily average of 22,622. We also averaged 6,879 daily visitors to the site.
The first part of the month was dominated by election coverage. We topped 10,000 unique visitors on both Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. There was some added election drama because some of the town races were too close to call and had to wait until absentee ballots were counted on Nov. 10.
The Letters to the Editor continue to be popular on the site and drew 36,714 pageviews, which nearly beat the record of 38,747 in September during the heated primary season.
Here are the top stories for the month. I expanded it from five to seven because numbers four through seven were so close in “clicks.”
A tractor trailer hauling milk and an SUV were in a violent collision Nov. 4 on Route 98 in Albion near the Allen Road intersection.
Even though sports was in an in-between season in November, with fall sports ending and winter sports getting started, Orleans Hub still drew 26,392 pageviews to sports. The top sports story was Kendall High senior Evan Gaesser accepting a Division 1 golf scholarship from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Pa. Click here to see that story.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County officials presented a $64,435,941 budget plan during a public hearing Monday evening in the main courtroom at the Orleans County Courthouse. Chuck Nesbitt, the chief administrator, provides details about the budget. Most of the attendees at the hearing were county department heads.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature approved a $64,435,941 budget for 2016 on Monday evening, a spending plan that reduces overall spending and holds the tax rate at $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.
County officials have worked in recent years to reduce the county workforce by streamlining departments and sharing services with other counties. The Legislature also sold the nursing home to a private company.
That has resulted in some tax relief for residents. (The tax rate was $10.11 per $1,000 in 2014). Local residents also should receive a rebate check from New York, which will make the state look like the heroes when it was the local governments that pared down costs, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer.
He said the state could provide significant relief to local taxpayers by reining in some of the state-mandated programs or assuming more of the expense for the programs.
“The state captures dollars from taxpayers and they do it in a lot of ways that you may not be aware of,” Nesbitt said during a budget hearing.
Nine state-mandated programs – Medicaid, Child Welfare, Temporary Assistance/Safety Net, Indigent Defense, Early Intervention, Preschool Special Education, Probation, Youth Detention and Pensions – account for 100 percent of the county’s tax levy of $16,323,150.
Although the tax rate is unchanged, taxes in the county budget are up by 0.7 percent, which is under the tax cap allotment of 1.4 percent.
Nesbitt, as he has in recent years, railed against the state for not taking more action on mandate relief. He pointed to a study by Pew Charitable Trust that looked at all 50 states and how they receive revenue for state programs. (Click here to see that report.)
Local governments provide 2.2 percent of funding for state programs as a national average. However, in New York the local governments pay 15.4 percent, by far the most in the country. Wyoming is No. 2 at 3.9 percent.
“When someone asks, ‘Why are my taxes so high?’ There’s the answer,” Nesbitt said during the hearing. “That’s what’s different about us.”
He urged local residents to press state officials to reduce the local share for state programs. That would have a big impact on lowering local taxes, Nesbitt said.
Instead, Gov. Cuomo and many state legislators point the finger at the local governments as the culprit for high taxes. The upcoming rebate checks, a reward for local governments that stayed under the tax cap and met an efficiency plan, are a “smoke screen,” Nesbitt said.
Paul Lauricella tells the Legislature the group should have reduced the tax rate instead of keeping it at the same level.
Paul Lauricella of Lyndonville said he wanted to see more reductions and a tax cut in the budget, especially with the nursing home no longer under county control.
He suggested the county pull back on its contributions to agencies, such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Orleans Economic Development Agency and Soil and Water Conservation District. Lauricella said those groups all have ways of generating their own funds.
The county budget provides the following funding for agencies with 2015 in parentheses: $232,500 for Cornell Cooperative Extension ($225,000); $166,500 for Economic Development Agency ($170,000); $77,500 for Soil and Water Conservation District ($75,000); $10,000 for four public libraries ($10,000); $5,000 for Mercy Flight ($5,000); $5,000 for Friends of Mental Health ($0); $3,000 for GO Art! ($3,000); $1,000 for Sportsmen’s Federation ($1,000).
Ed Neal, president of the Cooperative Extension board, thanked the county for keeping the agency in the budget and providing an increase. Neal said the agency provides important services for agriculture, children and families.
Joe Sidonio of Murray thanks the county for not cutting dollars to the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Sidonio said his daughter has benefitted from the 4-H program.
Nesbitt said the county is also working to build up its reserve funds and tackle infrastructure projects. Two bridges and two culverts will be replaced in 2016.
Sales tax also represents about a quarter of the revenue for the budget. After budgeting for no increases in 2014 and 2015, county officials are going to recommend another $250,000 in sales tax to $14,035,000.
After the public hearing, the Legislature convened in the legislative chambers and passed the budget.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2015 at 12:00 am
While the rest of the region and most of the country saw personal income grow from 2013 to 2014, the income dropped per household in Orleans County, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
In Orleans, the per capita household income went from $31,967 in 2013 to $31,720 the following year, a 0.7 percent drop.
The federal government said only 14 percent or 438 of the 3,100 counties saw per capita household income decline.
Nationally, it grew by 2 percent from $45,159 to $46,049 in 2014. The eight counties in Western New York all grew except for Orleans. Allegany saw the biggest growth at 3.7 percent, up from $31,946 to $33,128, according to a report from the Buffalo News.
Orleans County has a significantly smaller per capita household income than the other counties. Here are the per capita personal incomes of the eight WNY counties in 2014 with the percent growth in parentheses:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BUFFALO – This sculpture of a bison is displayed in downtown Buffalo. It has been there for 40 years.
It was a gift to Buffalo in 1975 from its sister city, Kanazawa, in Japan as part of the bicentennial celebration for the United States the following year.
“Bison” was created by artist Cecilia Evans Taylor.
Orleans County has a big birthday around the corner. The county will turn 200 in 2024 (or it may be 2025, depending on source). I haven’t heard any rumblings about the county’s bicentennial. I don’t think the officials have given it much thought. It’s still nearly a decade away.
This painted buffalo on Franklin Street was turned into artwork by Gustavo Glorioso as part of the “Herd About Buffalo” project, when 154 buffalo roamed Buffalo streets in 2000. The project was a benefit for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. This one was sponsored by Buffalo Optical and called “Eye Love Buffalo.”
I think a public art project would generate excitement on the county’s 200th anniversary. I think painting fiber-glass mules would make sense because the mules were iconic animals during the Erie Canal’s heyday when mule-drawn packet boats were a frequent sight.
We could try to have at least one in each town, but hopefully there could be more. Maybe the mule public art project could happen before the 200th, and proceeds from that effort could be used to fund a bigger signature site for the county’s bicentennial.
A statue of George Washington stands in front of Old County Hall, home to Erie County government on 92 Franklin St. in Buffalo.
The statue was paid for by the Erie County Masonic Foundation as a bicentennial gift on the 200th anniversary of the country’s founding. The base of the statue includes the name of the sculptor, J. Turkalj and notes it was built in 1976.
The statue includes an inscription “1776 * 1976” with the words: “Presented to the people of the County of Erie by the free and accepted Masons of forty-nine lodges in the three Erie districts and various affiliated Masonic organizations as our contribution to the bicentennial anniversary of the United States.”
I saw the statue last Saturday while in Buffalo. There are many statues and public works of art in downtown Buffalo. I think these pieces enliven the landscape, help promote the city and build community pride.
I think Orleans County would benefit with similar projects. The George Washington statue was part of a celebration of the U.S. bicentennial.
Orleans County officially formed when we split off from Genesee County. Orleans should celebrate its bicentennial with a signature project.
I’ve been promoting the idea of a statue and heritage site for the quarrymen who worked in the Medina sandstone quarries in Orleans County for nearly a century. They helped unearth and carve the stone for some of the grandest buildings in the region and state.
Their work continues to stand out more than a century later with many of our churches, chapels and finest homes.
Many descendants of the quarrymen continue to live in the county. The quarry workers did dangerous jobs in perhaps the county’s greatest industry ever. So maybe a signature site in their honor would be ideal for the 200th anniversary of the county. Personally, I’d like to see it happen before the 200th birthday in 2024 (or 2025). The site could be a draw for the county. Why wait?
The statue of Washington notes he was the first president of the United States from 1789-1797, and also served as First Master in the Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Alexandria, Virginia, from 1788-1789.
There are other bicentennial sites and statues around Buffalo.
Poland gave this statue of General Kazimerz Pulaski to the people of the United States in honor of the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Pulaski stands outside the Ellicott Square Building in downtown Buffalo.
The statue declares Pulaski as “Hero of Poland and the United States of America.” Pulaski saved the life of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Pulaski would serve as a general in the Continental Army. He died of wounds suffered in the Battle of Savannah. He is one of only seven people to be awarded honorary United States citizenship.
Sculptor Kazimierz Danilewicz created the statue of Pulaski, which shows him standing erect with his hands resting on his sword.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
There are many locally owned businesses in downtown Albion, with several in the historic Pratt and Day buildings. This photo was taken in 2014.
You wouldn’t think Black Friday would be so quiet on Main Street in small-town America, but it is. The shoppers head for the suburban malls, in a spending mood to cross off a lengthy Christmas checklist.
It was awfully quiet in downtown Albion today. I had to go to Main Street twice for errands and there wasn’t much traffic.
That should change tomorrow when Albion merchants will be part of the Shop Small movement around the country. The locally owned retail businesses don’t want all the dollars to go to the Big Box retailers and on-line sites, such as Amazon.
The Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Albion in 2006. It’s been a nearly a decade, and more chain stores have followed with new dollar stores, and expansions at Rite Aid and other chain-owned stores.
The Orleans County population has decreased during this time. There are fewer shoppers with more corporate-owned sites in Orleans. That makes it tough for the small-town businesses to survive. Many haven’t been able to make the businesses work following the chain store invasion.
Somehow, many of the independent merchants have stayed. People continue to open new businesses and work to retool their existing operations, to compete on Main Street with the chains that often set up on the perimeter of the villages, dodging taxes but having access to the population centers.
This week we’ve been publishing essays about life in Orleans County. We have a lot to be thankful for with so much nature and wildlife in the community, some upstart politicians willing to go against the establishment, hard-working and productive farms, and many citizens who volunteer to make the community better in many ways. We’ll publish another essay on Saturday with another thankful theme.
Today, we celebrate the locally owned businesses. Without them, the Orleans Hub wouldn’t exist. They advertise so we can pay our bills and continue to cover local news. We appreciate their support.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Downtown Medina has experienced a renaissance in the past decade with many new shops opening in the historic business district.
Downtown isn’t what it was a century ago, when the buildings were bustling with activity from the basements to the top floors. But there is still a good nucleus of merchants. They offer items you likely won’t see at Wal-Mart. The local stores often carry locally made products. Buying those items not only supports the store, but helps another local artisan/business owner.
Those sales generate sales tax, which reduces some of the burden on property taxes.
The local merchants also tend to be the ones that donate for the many benefits in the community, and buy the ads in the local yearbooks and school musical programs.
Many of these businesses provide employment for local residents.
Buying from a local business is a vote for a stronger and better community. If you want a vibrant downtown business district, you need to spend some money there. You vote with your wallet.
The business owners do much more than run their shops. Many have banded together in business organizations and they put on concerts, wine-tastings, Beggar’s Night, and numerous other activities to entice people to visit the stores and business districts, and also to provide some fun for the community.
Medina businesses are putting on their big Old Tyme Christmas celebration on Saturday, highlighted by the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m. Click here for a schedule of events. Albion merchants also have specials and raffles on Saturday.
The locally owned businesses aren’t just on Main Street. They operate out of houses, garages, in cooperatives (sharing space with others), and on state roads and country lanes.
The Orleans Hub appreciates their entrepreneurial spirit, and their efforts to make a stronger local community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BATAVIA – Jim McMullen, the Scout Executive for the Iroquois Trail Council, is pictured inside the Scout Shop at the Council’s new office at 201 East Main St., Batavia.
The Council moved from an office building on Library Street in Batavia to a more visible site in downtown Batavia. The Council serves Boy Scouts in five counties, including Orleans, Genesee, Niagara, Wyoming and Livingston.
The Council moved to the site at the corner of East Main and Bank streets on Nov. 2-4. The building is owned by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council. GO Art! has offices in the historic building as well as gallery space.
Parking is across Bank Street in a big parking lot shared by the mall and a bank.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Al Capurso is pictured last month with a new historical marker for a former Cobblestone Schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road. Capurso has led volunteer efforts to save the building from ruin and find a new use for the structure from 1832, one of the oldest cobblestone buildings in the region.
Do-gooders get a bad rap. Look up do-gooder in the dictionary, and it says a well-intentioned person who is naïve and impractical.
We could use more people who don’t let practicality get in the way of effort. People who don’t sit on the sidelines and watch things crumble, deeming them a lost cause.
There are many recent successes in the county that probably seemed like pie-in-sky ideas in the beginning. I think of the group that built the replica lighthouse at Point Breeze, which has become a popular landmark in the past five years. I’m sure there were a lot of naysayers.
Community members and the trustees at the former Swan Library pushed for a new modern library for Albion. They set a fund-raising goal for $990,000. Some may have thought that too ambitious. The community gave more than $1.3 million for the new library that opened in 2012.
There are a lot of recent examples of the community rising above fund-raising challenges. The renovations of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Holley is the latest. Church leaders sought $300,000 for a new roof and other upgrades for the parish that includes St. Mark’s in Kendall. Parishioners came through with more than $585,000.
People have been generous with the new residence for Hospice of Orleans County, and the Education Center at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
This Thanksgiving, Orleans Hub wants to say thank you for a generous community, for the people with the ideas and those that bring projects to fruition. Many would say a bold project is impractical, a waste of money in a struggling community. But many people, thankfully, don’t give up. They dare to do good.
Here are some other examples that don’t involve big dollars, but nonetheless took a can-do attitude, a big heart and some support from the community.
A group of Christians from many different churches in the Medina area provided food for at least 141 families today for Thanksgiving.
Cindy Curtin of Medina is pictured last Friday at the First Baptist Church. Curtin has led the effort the past 11 years, and watched it grow.
People wanted to give, but the effort needed a leader. Curtin and her husband John organize the food drive, and make sure the families will have full stomachs today.
Mary Campbell, right, directs the Kendall Community Choir during last Friday’s concert to benefit the Kendall Food Cupboard. The choir performs at several community events throughout the year.
Campbell, a retired music teacher, wanted to give Kendall area residents a chance to sing together in 2008. She got word out about a community choir, but wasn’t sure how many would show up.
Fifty people joined and that number has been steady since then. The group not only provides fun and fellowship for the singers, but also entertains the community and raises funds for important causes.
For more than a century, the building on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the canal, was used as a one-room schoolhouse. The site was largely abandoned after decentralization in 1944.
Al Capurso of Gaines saw potential in the boarded-up building. This year he rallied the community to clean out the building, put in new windows, replace the roof and put up a historical marker noting that Caroline Phipps taught at the school. She went on to be a distinguished educator and ran the Phipps Union Seminary in Albion from 1837 to 1875. That spot later became the County Clerks Building.
There is more work to do at the building, which Capurso, the Gaines town historian, would like to see used as a meeting hall and a spot to display and store artifacts.
Ashley Wiegele’s mother Danielle Shulenburg holds a ceremonial check for $20,000 given by the West Herr Automotive Group during an Oct. 24 benefit. She is pictured with Scott Green, left, a guidance counselor at Albion High School and Rich Wilkinson, general manager for West Herr.
The guidance counselors and staff at Albion High School have been checking in with Ashley Wiegele and her mother Danielle Shulenburg since Ashley was paralzyed in a June 2014 boating accident, just days before she was to walk across the stage and get her high school diploma.
Scott Green, the high school guidance counselor, was talking with Shulenburg, who said a handicapped accessible van would help get Ashley to medical appointments and be more active in the community.
Green set out to raise $10,000 to buy a van. Green said that might only be a start towards buying the vehicle.
At a benefit on Oct. 24, more than $30,000 was raised with the West Herr Automotive Group giving $20,000 towards the van. The Albion Lions Club contributed $5,000 and many others pitched in.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, leads about 30 people on a tour of the Millville Cemetery in September.
There isn’t much glory in preserving a cemetery, but a group of volunteers have been committed to the task in recent years. The Millville Cemetery is a grand site that is recognized on the National Regitser of Historic Places.
The cemetery was established in 1871 as an early Quaker burial grounds. Back then the graves were close together. The cemetery would take on the rural garden cemetery style, with bigger spaces between graves, towering trees and ornamental grave stones.
Volunteers and the Town of Shelby in September unveiled a new historical marker for the cemetery.
The volunteers also completed a big project this year: the chapel was repainted. An anonymous donor gave more than $6,000 to have that done.
Those volunteers, and the many others in the community, deserve thanks for their efforts to preserve our historic sites and take on other important projects in the community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The rising sun created a blaze of colors this morning in this photo that shows the columns on the Orleans County Courthouse.
It is going to be a warm Thanksgiving with a high forecast for 59 degrees on a mostly cloudy day, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
It will also be warm on Friday with a high of 60. The temperature drops on Saturday when the Weather Service says the high will be 39 degrees.
It was a striking sunrise this morning with colors in the clouds.
I like this tree with its wild branches on Butts Road north of the canal. I’m going to try to get pictures of it in different seasons.
Here is the same tree on Nov. 5 when it was 70 degrees.
ALBION – The Albion Police Department hosted and supervised a multi-agency Orleans County DWI Saturation Patrol on Wednesday and earlier today.
This detail combined the efforts from every law enforcement agency in Orleans County along with state and federal resources.
The agencies involved consisted of the Albion Police, Medina Police, Holley Police, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Orleans County Probation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The detail results include four DWI arrests (3 in Albion and 1 in Holley); one DWI Drugs (in Albion); 79 traffic stops; and 34 tickets issued.
One person arrested also was interviewed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement related to U.S. entry status. Another person was arrested for disorderly conduct related to vehicle operation
The Albion Police Department and the other law enforcement agencies are committed to making the roadways safe for all those who travel upon them.
Intoxicated drivers do not follow jurisdictional lines, so we decided that we would not either. The Albion Police Department and its partners are planning similar details for the future. We will continue to use every resource and tool available to create a reduction in offenders and arrest those who continue to endanger others by driving while intoxicated.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bob Brown, center left, and his brother Eric Brown are pictured with some of their workers from Jamaica. Bob’s son Bobby is in back behind Eric. The Brown family has run Orchard Dale Fruit Farm in Carlton since 1804. This photo was taken in the fall 2011 for article about farm labor for the American Agriculturist magazine.
Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, and many people will enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, salad, apple pie and more. If you like food, it will a glorious day.
None of it would be possible without the hard work of farmers and their workers. For some farms it’s a daily year-long effort. In fact, on Thanksgiving, farmers will still be milking cows, feeding them and cleaning barns. They may even deliver a calf.
The fruit farms also are a year-long commitment. After the apples are harvested in October-November, there is lots of work in the warehouse over the winter. The trees also need to trimmed, and that job often will get done standing in the snow during the dead of winter.
In the spring the trees start blooming and farmers need to protect the buds and emerging apples until harvest season.
Ken Nice of Knowlesville checks his fruit trees in bloom in May 2014. The fruit trees, with their colorful blossoms, are a stunning sight in the spring.
The vegetable farmers need to plan during the off-season. They need to order their seeds, line up workers for the next year, and determine which crops and which varieties will be grown in different fields. They want to stagger the harvest and not have everything be ready at once. (You can’t harvest it all at the same time.)
Agriculture is a difficult industry with wild swings in prices, an unforgiving Mother Nature and so much uncertainty with the labor force. It’s capital intensive and increasingly technical. You have to keep up with the times, and be willing to invest – or else you may not stay in business.
Orleans Hub is grateful to be an in agricultural community. We are one of the most diverse farming counties with fruit, vegetable, dairy, and grain farms of all sizes. We have organic farms and Amish and Mennonite families also working the soil.
The Elba Muck stretches into Barre and Clarendon in Orleans County, as well as Elba and Byron in Genesee County. Immigrants started clearing a swamp to create the muck in 1915. The muck, now in its 100th year, remains some of the area’s most valuable and productive farmland. This photo was taken last month.
Agriculture is big business around here. The 2012 Agricultural Census counted $150.3 million in farm revenue in Orleans County, which ranks 13th out of the 62 counties. Wyoming County is the top county at $318.5 million. Our neighbor, Genesee County, is fourth at $237.0 million.
The farms have been critical to other economic development projects in the community. H.H. Dobbins did a big $5 million expansion in Lyndonville this year, adding a 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building.
Intergrow has expanded several times since opening a hydroponic greenhouse in Gaines about a decade ago. Western New York Energy spent $90 million building an ethanol plant in 2006-’07 and the company just spent $2 million on a new 800,000-bushel grain bin.
Lake Ontario Fruit opened a new controlled-atmosphere storage site last year in Gaines on Ridge Road. The company has made other upgrades to its packing lines.
Workers at Lake Ontario Fruit fill bags and boxes with SweeTango apples in this photo from September 2014. Lake Ontario Fruit packs all the SweeTangos in New York that are grown west of Rochester.
Pride Pak is building a new $15 million fruit and vegetable processing facility in Medina. It wouldn’t be here without the local farms nearby.
Two new yogurt plants have also recently opened in Batavia and they wouldn’t be here without so many dairies in the region supplying milk.
Many of the farms have upgraded grain storage facilities, equipment, housing for workers and also have donated to community projects, including the new library in Albion, the new residence at Hospice, and the Education Center at the Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Agriculture, dating back to the pioneers in the early 1800s, have brought many hard-working families to the community.
The muck gave a chance for many Italian and Polish immigrants to own land and build a life in Orleans and Genesee counties.
The farms continue to draw immigrants, and many of them, such as the Rosario family, have opened businesses in the community. The Rosarios own the Monte Alban grocery store and the Mariachi de Oro Mexican Grill in Medina.
On Thursday, when giving thanks, don’t forget the farmers and their many contributions to the community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2015 at 12:00 am
The unemployment rate in Orleans County dropped to 5.3 percent in October, which is down from 6.3 percent a year before and 8.5 percent in October 2013.
The State Department of Labor reports that the rate state-wide is 4.8 percent, the lowest rate in New York since November 2007. That includes a 4.8 percent rate in New York City and 4.9 percent in upstate.
The data from the DOL shows that 17,400 people were working in Orleans County in October, up by 400 from the 17,000 in October 2014. The number of unemployed fell from 1,100 in October 2014 to 1,000 last month.
The state’s private sector job count increased by 168,600 from October 2014 to October 2015. In October 2015, the number of private sector jobs in the state reached an all-time high of 7,859,000, according to the state DOL.
Unemployment in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro area fell from 5.4 percent in October 2014 to 4.8 percent last month. The jobless rate in the Rochester metro fell from 5.1 to 4.5 percent in that time.
Other nearby counties have unemployment rates below Orleans County’s: Genesee, 4.2; Wyoming, 4.4; Livingston, 4.2; Monroe, 4.6; Niagara, 5.2; and Erie, 4.8.
Only two counties in the state had rate a 6.0 percent or higher: Oswego (6.0) and Bronx (6.5).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Vince Flow – Kendall resident Vince Flow sent in this photo last winter of two Snowy Owls in a corn field on Lakeshore Road in Kendall.
(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub is taking a daily challenge this week to express thankfulness for a different aspect to living in Orleans County.)
One of the most popular stories in the past week on the Orleans Hub was an article about the return of Snowy Owls. Ben Jones of Kendall got two pictures of one with his camera phone on Saturday in Carlton.
He shared the pictures with Orleans Hub, and the article quickly racked up the “likes” and “shares” on social media.
This week we’re counting blessings about living in Orleans County, and presence of Snowy Owls and other glorious wildlife are among the perks of living here.
Snowy Owls usually don’t fly down past Canada into these parts of the United States. But they have been showing up the past three years. Last winter was a historic migration, perhaps the biggest in a half century. The owls would hang out in corn fields, and sit on fences, telephone poles, you-name-it.
Many people were delighted to see one. They have been extra popular because they were so prominent in the Harry Potter stories. Harry’s owl is named Hedwig.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Not every place has a world-famous fishing attraction, but Orleans County can boast of the Oak Orchard River. You can also catch a lot of fish in Johnson Creek and some of the other Lake Ontario tributaries.
Many people from out-of-state flock to Orleans in the fall to try to hook salmon and trout. Even if they don’t catch any fish, just being outside in the river, with the blazing colors of the fall foliage, does a body and soul a lot of good.
We have a lot of geese around here with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in the southern part of Orleans and stretching into Genesee County.
There are also a lot of geese in Lyndonville. They like to hang out in Johnson Creek. This photo was taken during a sunset in Lyndonville on Nov. 3.
You can also find a lot of geese along the Erie Canal. Many blue herons also camp out along the canal.
Deer season is underway for hunters and the animals seem to be in abundance. I “shot” these deer last Nov. 20.
I was out trying to get a picture of deer in a snow-covered field. These two deer were close to the road on the west side of Route 279 in Gaines, just south of Route 104. They held still for a few seconds before scampering away in the field and heading into the woods.
This county offers many picturesque views along the winding country roads past barns, orchards, corn fields and even rural, historic cemeteries.
This photo on Oct. 18 shows Zig-Zag Road in Gaines by John Long’s former dairy barn.
The sun was coming down and really lit up the barn and trees.
We have several really nice waterfalls in Orleans County. The one in Medina is probably the most powerful and breathtaking.
These waterfalls are by the Erie Canal near the Horan Road bridge. This was one of the toughest construction points for the Erie Canal. The Oak Orchard Creek runs along here. The canal contractors would use an aqueduct to provide a path for the Oak Orchard to run under the Erie Canal in Medina. Not long after, the creek plunges in a waterfalls.
This is a shockingly awesome spot, but it is difficult to view up close due to the lack of public access.
There are at least two good-size waterfalls in Holley. This photo shows one near the Holley Rod and Gun Club. There is also an old Medina sandstone building next door at South Holley Road and Pumping Station Road. The east branch of Sandy Creek runs by here.
If you like to explore and see some natural wonder, Orleans County is a great place to be.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Drennan campaigns for sheriff during the Fourth of July Parade in Lyndonville. Drennan worked hard over several months in the race for sheriff but lost a close race to Randy Bower.
(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub will offer a daily Thanksgiving tribute this week. Today, we look back at the election season with competitive races.)
The election season is over and it was highly unusual for the feistiness in several local races. Often in recent years a full slate of candidates has run unopposed. That happened this election season again with some of our local towns.
But every resident who voted on Nov. 3 had choices in at least two races: county sheriff and one of the county-wide legislator positions.
In my 20 years as a reporter in Orleans County, I’ve never seen anything like this past sheriff’s race, such a heated and close battle to the very end.
Randy Bower emerged as the victor, but I’d like to congratulate Tom Drennan and Don Organisciak for both running and pushing hard up to election day. They certainly made Bower work hard to get elected. I bet Bower is a better man for it and will do a better job in his new role as sheriff than if he had a free pass throughout the election season.
I wish more people would run for office, that we would have competitive races and candidates would be forced to put out ideas and an action plan for the local municipalities. Too often, the candidates don’t have opposition. There isn’t much accountability for voters who don’t believe the elected officials are doing a good job.
It’s hard for Democrats to get elected with Republicans holding a 2-to-1 enrollment advantage. So many Democrats don’t try. Darlene Benton pulled off an upset in Albion, winning a spot to the Albion Town Board over Paul Fulcomer, the endorsed Republican. I give Fulcomer credit for getting on the ballot, and wanting to continue public service after retiring as the Veterans Service Agency director in Orleans County.
James White, 21, ran a spirited, low-budget campaign for county legislator. He is shown making pancakes during the 4-H Fair.
James White, 21, of Gaines made his first attempt at elected office, running against Don Allport, who cruised to a victory for an at-large legislator position. White ran a vigorous campaign and put some ideas on the table. I’ve seen younger adults run for the Board of Education, but I don’t recall seeing someone so young make a serious run for a county elected position.
White may have lost on election day, but he deserves praise and appreciation for giving the voters a choice.
Paul Lauricella has been a long-time observer and critic of local government. This year he stepped it up and ran for county legislator – a district that includes the towns of Yates, Ridgeway and a portion of Shelby. Lauricella only had the Conservative Party line and didn’t win, but he received 552 votes.
Paul Lauricella, shown here in the Lyndonville pararde on July 4th, received about a third of the vote on Nov. 3 despite only being on the Conservative Party line.
The Town of Yates rarely generates much opposition or excitement for elections. It’s about as quiet as it gets in a democracy – until this year. The wind turbine issue brought out candidates and voters. Yates had the highest turnout of any community on election day with 50.2 percent going to the polls, compared to a 38.2 percent county average.
Jim Simon won the town supervisor race in a write-in bid. That rarely happens, but John Belson, the incumbent town supervisor, should be commended for his public service.
Orleans Hub would like to praise every candidate for being part of the election process, for their willingness to be on the ballot and give voters a choice.
Overall, the county still has more unopposed candidates than those with opposition. That doesn’t give voters much reason to go to the polls, or provide extra incentive for the elected officials to do the best job possible.
We still have a long ways to go for competitive elections in our county. Consider the following:
There were nine county positions up for election but only three were contested. That’s 33 percent with a choice.
Three of the 10 towns had candidates who were all unopposed.
The 10 towns combined had 49 positions up for election but only 16 had more than one candidate or 32.7 percent.
The candidates who didn’t win on election day shouldn’t be viewed as losers. They made for one of the more exciting election seasons in recent memory. Here’s to more candidates giving it a try next time.
ALBION – Orleans County officials will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 on a $64,435,941 budget. The spending plan for 2016 reduces costs from 2015 and keeps the tax rate at $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.
“It’s been an extremely good year,” David Callard, chairman of Legislature, said about the budget. “We’ve maintained costs, which we started six years ago and we’ve done extremely well.”
The public hearing will be at the county courthouse. Following the hearing, the Legislature will convene at the legislative chambers next door in the County Clerks’ Building to vote on the budget.
The county in recent years has worked to streamline staffing and have employees pay more towards health insurance costs. The selling of the county nursing home also reduced the county workforce by about a third.
The county’s workforce has shrunk from 416 full-time and 164 part-time positions in 2014 to 318 full-time and 89 part-time for 2016.
The $64,435,941 budget is the county’s smallest since 2007, and is down by $579,325 from the $65,015,266 in 2015. In 2014, the last year the county owned a nursing home, the budget was $79.8 million. That year the tax rate was $10.11.
Callard said efforts to fight welfare fraud are paying off with social services costs at a “historic low.” The county has reduced welfare caseloads and that will reduce welfare costs to local taxpayers by an estimated $200,000 in 2016.
The tax rate will be unchanged, but the county will take in a slight increase in taxes. The tax levy will increase by 0.7 percent from $16,209,165 to $16,323,150. Property taxes represent about 25 percent of the revenue for funding the budget.
Sales tax also represents about a quarter of the revenue for the budget. After budgeting for no increases in 2014 and 2015, county officials are going to recommend another $250,000 in sales tax to $14,035,000.
County officials don’t foresee too many additional opportunities for significant cost saving by reducing staff. Callard said the county wants to maintain the tax rate by boosting tax assessments. That can happen by addressing many of the vacant homes in the community, Callard said.
Many of those houses are owned by banks but sitting idle. The homes should be put in the hands of owners with a plan and purpose for the houses, Callard said.
Medina has started a vacant housing law that tracks the houses and assesses a fee to the owners. That law may spur the owners to take action on the properties. Callard said Medina’s law could serve as a model for other local municipalities.
“We want them to get turned over before they deteriorate,” Callard said about the houses. “We need to improve the housing stock and explore it on a countywide basis.”
There are about 250 vacant homes in the county, Callard said. He expects there will be more demand for housing with the new Pride Pak vegetable processing plant in Medina and the developments at the STAMP site across the Orleans line in Genesee County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BUFFALO – Bryce Wilson, left, and Wesley Parker react after the Lego robot they helped create performed a task during Saturday’s qualifying tournament at the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School.
Bryce and Wesley are members of the “Battery Boys” team from the Orleans County 4-H program. Orleans County sent four teams to the competition. In addition to having to build and program a Lego robot, teams had to research an issue with recycling and propose a solution for helping the environment.
The Battery Boys created collection boxes for used batteries which they said could be placed at sites in the community.
The “Three Musketeers” receive instructions from a judge during Saturday’s competition. The Musketeers include, from left: Zachary Grinnell, Nate Scott Avery and Nick Burke.
The Musketeers for their project researched used eye glasses and thought of ways to have more reused.
Zachary Neal of Albion is a member of the KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) team. His hat has buttons from other teams he has met in the past three years.
The KOWZ team gets its robot ready to compete at a table with obstacles and challenges. The teams have 2 1/2 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible. Only two members of the team should be at the table, and members can swap out during the competition.
The teams started meeting in September to design and program their robot, using different attachments for tasks.
They also had to create a display board and research a recycling topic. KOWZ researched ways to recycle sneakers. Some sneakers are ground up with those pieces used at playgrounds and on playing fields.
The Robo Foam team watches its robot complete a task. Team members include, from left: Jacob Foote, Isaac Becker (in back), Reuben Rivers, James Michael Beach, Cole Moyle and Jaiden Farrell.
The Robo Foam team for its project suggested ways to reduce the use of Styrofoam and also made a Syro-Shredder that turns Styrofoam cups into packing peanuts.
The four teams from Orleans County are part of the 4-H program led by Marlene and Erik Seielstad of Albion. About 25 kids were in the program from Orleans County.
There were about 170 students participating in the competition on Saturday from about 20 teams. Four teams advanced to a regional competition next month at the University of Rochester. None of the Orleans County teams were able to get past the qualifying round.
Many of the teams put together colorful outfits for the competition.
