By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Democratic Committee unanimously endorsed a retired Medina police officer and investigator to be the county’s next sheriff.
Donald Organisciak has Democrats backing to run against Republican-endorsed Tom Drennan, the current chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Department, and Randy Bower, a county dispatcher who has the Conservative Party endorsement. Incumbent Scott Hess is retiring after Dec. 31.
About 20 members of the Democratic Party Committee met on Wednesday and gave the party endorsement to Organisciak.
“He has a good track record,” said Jeanne Crane, chairwoman of the Democratic Party.
The Democrats last month endorsed Fred Miller for another two-year term as county legislator. Miller, the owner of Family Hardware in downtown Albion, is the only Democrat on the seven-member County Legislature. The Republican Party opted against endorsing a candidate to run against him this election.
Democrats endorsed another candidate for Legislature on Wednesday. James White, a current senior in college, was backed to run for legislator against incumbent Don Allport for an at-large seat.
Crane said White was been active at Democratic Party events.
“He’s always been interested in politics,” she said about White. “The committee felt he was young and we don’t want to discourage anyone.”
Crane said the party still has time to endorse additional candidates for county offices.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Aaron Metz makes a diving catch in right field for Roy-Hart in a game against Medina on May 11. Medina would win the game and also its first Niagara-Orleans League baseball championship since 1995.
Orleans Hub had another solid month in May, averaging more than 6,000 unique visitors each day. The site set a new record for page views with sports with 33,995. That topped the previous record of 29,669 in October 2014.
Mike and Cheryl Wertman were busy covering spring sports, offering a complete daily report on high school baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, and lacrosse, as well as other youth sports.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Nick Passarell slides into home ahead of a tag attempt by Lyndonville catcher Michael Wells in Holley’s 4-3 victory over Lyndonville on May 2. Holley went on to win its first Class C Sectional Title since 2009.
Here are the top six news stories (the ones with the most “clicks”) for May:
Photo by Tom Rivers – A Hummer is pictured after an accident in Gaines on May 23 near the 5 Corners on Route 98. The driver of Hummer was going at a high rate of speed, hit another vehicle on Route 98 near the 5 Corners and then went airborne, flipping in the air at least once, before hitting a tree and coming to a stop near the embankment. This photo shows where the Hummer took some of the bark off a tree.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2015 at 12:00 am
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said he supports an effort to add 103 corrections officers to state prisons throughout the state.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the state will hire the additional full-time correctional officers to bolster safety and security throughout the state’s network of correctional institutions. The governor made the announcement following a tour of Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie.
Orleans County has two state prisons: the Orleans Correctional Facility for men and the Albion Correctional Facility for women.
Cuomo made the push to add corrections officers while also trying to build support in the State Legislature for raising the age of criminal responsibility in New York.
New York State is one of only two states in the nation that automatically prosecute 16- and 17-year olds as adults. Currently in New York, youth are detained with the adult population in local jails while awaiting trial. If convicted as adults, these teenagers are then matriculated into the greater adult prison population.
Cuomo wants the Legislature to have 16- and 17-year olds be processed as juveniles for all crimes except for crimes of serious violence, and the governor wants all minors to have access to rehabilitation services.
Hawley issued a statement this afternoon saying he supports the additional corrections officers. Hawley didn’t say whether or not he supports Cuomo’s push to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York.
Hawley, in his statement today, said the new corrections officers will help offset the recent increased violence in prisons related to changes in the Rockefeller Drug Laws and the infiltration of synthetic marijuana into facilities across the state.
Hawley said the added staff will improve the safety for members of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
“New York State has several extremely dangerous maximum security prisons that need increased resources,” Hawley said. “On behalf of local NYSCOPBA chapters and members, I am pleased to hear that the state will be hiring over 100 new employees to protect our prisons and surrounding communities. The additional officers will be employed at prisons that completed a security staffing review for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
“Corrections officers have one of the most dangerous roles in law enforcement, but their success is paramount to keeping violent criminals behind bars and out of society. It is unfortunate that they are often put on the back burner to traditional police officers because they are just as crucial to society’s safety. I will continue to support NYSCOPBA and corrections officers across the state during my time in the Legislature.”
YATES – A Grand Island man was arrested on Monday following a lengthy investigation into the sale and distribution of high-grade marijuana in Orleans, Niagara and Erie counties, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported this afternoon.
The Task Force worked with the Erie County Narcotics Unit and the Niagara County Drug Task Force and seized over 6 pounds of high-grade marijuana with a street value of $30,000. The marijuana was being sent through the U.S. Postal Service from the state of California, the Task Force reported.
Police seized also seized scales, packaging and other drug paraphernalia.
Kuljit Singh, 24, of 95 Waterford Park in Grand Island was charged with one count of criminal sale of marijuana in the first degree, a C felony, and one count of criminal possession of marijuana in the second degree, a D felony.
Provided photo – Police seized this cash, marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.
Joseph Sacco, the Task Force supervisor, said packages of marijuana were being sent from California by priority mail to several different addresses in Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties, where the marijuana was then sold.
Singh would then vacuum seal amounts of U.S. currency and send it priority mail to several different addresses in California, the Task Force reported.
Sacco said the investigation continues and further arrests are expected.
Singh was arraigned in Yates Town Court by Town Justice Donald Grabowski. Singh was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $100,000 cash bail or $250,000.00 bond. He is scheduled to return to the Yates Town Court today at 7 p.m.
Singh was arraigned in Yates because one of the packages was delivered to a Yates address, Sacco said. Singh may face additional charges in the other jurisdictions, the Task Force reported.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Governments say savings top $3 million annually
Photo by Tom Rivers – This photo from last Sept. 19 shows Greg Rosato, from the Orleans County Highway Department, filling the county’s paver with road material for Depot Street in the Village of Albion. The county has the only municipal-owned paver in the county and uses it for many town and village projects.
ALBION – Municipalities in Orleans County have spent the past several months documenting how they share services and functions with other municipalities, trying to put a dollar amount on those savings.
The tally is over $3 million in savings and that only includes efforts since 2012. The towns, villages and county have tried to share equipment and services long before that so the savings are actually higher, local officials said.
The state has tasked the municipalities to come up with a “Local Government Tax Efficiency Plan” to try to reduce local taxes. If municipalities can show a 1 percent savings, their property owners will be eligible for a rebate check.
In Orleans County, the four villages, 10 towns and county government take in about $27 million in taxes a year. The state told the municipalities in each county to identify at least 1 percent in savings for the total tax levies. For Orleans County, that 1 percent represents $273,001.
But the county’s efficiency plan is far greater than that: $3,207,502 in savings or $2,934,501 above the target.
“This is what we must do to survive,” said David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature. “We’re really doing some consequential things.”
The state set a target of 1 percent savings and the Orleans municipalities are at about 12 percent with their cost-cutting efforts and with shared services the past three years. Callard said he expects that percentage will be hard to beat among the other counties.
“I’m very interested in seeing how we stack up,” he said. “The county is standing very good.”
Callard, however, said the local government efficiencies have been years in the making and aren’t the result of a state decree.
“None of this is inspired by our friends in Albany,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer. “These are things we were doing all along.”
Callard doesn’t like the implication from the state that the local governments may be bloated with excess staff and redundant services.
“It’s infuriating that the state is putting the local governments to task when the state should be doing the same thing,” Callard said.
He believes reining in some state programs would provide much bigger tax relief.
Local taxpayers should receive small checks from the state as part of the local tax savings. That also aggravates the local officials because the state will appear to be offering the savings when it comes from the officials at the local level.
The efficiency plan from Orleans County highlights many shared services at the local level that are saving money. Some examples at the county level include:
The partnership with Genesee County, where the two counties share a public health director and three other staff, as well as a joint contract for busing disabled preschool children, has saved Orleans about $328,275 annually, Nesbitt said.
That arrangement alone has more than exceeded the 1 percent savings target for the county.
Orleans also contracts with Genesee for youth bureau administration services, which saves Orleans $13,490 a year. Genesee also provides tax mapping services to Orleans, saving Orleans $12,500 a year.
Orleans has also reduced 22 staff positions from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2014, which has a annual savings of $1,020,058. This reduction does not count the 100-plus workers at the former county nursing home. That site became privately owned in January.
Selling the county nursing home and moving those employees from the public to private payroll will save taxpayers $1.5 million a year, according to the county’s efficiency plan.
At the town and village level, savings noted in the report include:
The Village of Albion counts $36,000 in savings through shared paving services with local towns and the county, and $63,000 by running Holley’s sewer plant.
Carlton included $1,300 in savings through new energy efficient lighting at the town buildings.
Clarendon replaced a full-time employee with a part-time employee at annual savings of $14,054.
The Village of Holley says it saves $40,000 a year through a contract with Albion, having Albion personnel paid to run Holley’s sewer plant rather than Holley staff or an outside company.
Kendall counts $20,000 in savings through a consolidation of fire districts. Kendall also said it saved $31,200 by sharing an assessor with Carlton, $20,000 by working to establish a health insurance consortium, and $1,000 through more efficient utilities.
Murray counts $70,000 in savings by combining fire districts.
Shelby counts $4,762 in savings new water meters that need less manpower, $3,865 in savings for joint park maintenance with Ridgeway and the Village of Medina, $1,165 in savings for joint procurement with Ridgeway and the Village of Medina, $3,026 for jointing water billing with Medina, and $385 in savings for an automatic flushing system.
Ridgeway sees $2,222 in savings through a joint purchase and ownership of an equipment trailer, $500 in savings through joint purchasing with Shelby and Medina, and $200 in benefit through energy efficient lighting.
Yates put down $500 in savings through energy efficient lighting at the town hall and highway garage.
The report provides a snapshot of some of the money-saving efforts at the local government level, Nesbitt said. He said it proved a good exercise, adding up some of those savings.
“It’s important to let the public know we are working very hard to lower their costs,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Friends of the Orleans County Animal Shelter put on a benefit today at The Pillars in Albion. It was a big draw with about 200 baskets up for raffle.
The Friends expected to raise at least $4,000, with the proceeds to help with spaying, neutering, vaccinations and some of the medical costs for animals.
“The community has been very supportive,” said Kathy Smith, the county’s animal control officer.
She thanked the many businesses and organizations that contributed to today’s benefit, as well as the volunteers that organized the event.
The Friends has a board of directors with five members and a dedicated corps of about 20 volunteers that serve at the animals shelter, located at the corner of routes 98 and 31A in Barre.
Nancy Miles, a retired Albion town clerk, is among the volunteers and board members.
Sgt. Todd Draper of the Medina Police Department and K-9 Kye did a drug detection demonstration.
Miles said the shelter could use funds so its smoke alarm system sends signals to dispatch if there is an alarm. The shelter could also use a new laundry machine for blankets and towels for the animals, and a walk-in tub to make it easier to give dogs a bath.
“I absolutely love animals,” Miles said. “They need somebody to speak up for them.”
Tony McMurtie, co-owner of The Pillars, made the facility available for the benefit. He adopted a dog from the animal shelter that proved a good pet.
Wendy Kenney, a board member for Friends, wasn’t surprised by the turnout, despite the rain.
“A lot of people have pets and a lot of people have adopted from us,” she said.
Lt. Chris Bourke, the K-9 handler with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, talks about Kim the K-9 before they did a demonstration showing the dog’s tracking abilities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County intends to pursue a grant that will study how police services can best be provided in the county.
The study would likely look at the operations at the Sheriff’s Department, and the Albion, Medina and Holley police departments. Lyndonville also has a part-time officer.
There may be opportunities for shared administration, joint purchasing and other initiatives that would keep the existing village police departments.
“There is no intent to eliminate any departments,” said David Callard, chairman of the County Legislature. “We want to see if we can deliver better services and meld operations.”
The county has retained J. O’Connell and Associates in Clarence to seek a grant through the State Department of State for the study. O’Connell will be paid up to $5,000 to for “local government efficiency grant.”
Callard said it will be the first effort to look at police services in the county with a focus on how the services could best be provided throughout the county at the lowest cost.
He would like to see the existing departments stay, but he is concerned some of the villages may chose to eliminate their departments. Holley has discussed it before, and Medina’s department would have been eliminated if the village dissolution had passed in January. A dissolution plan called for creating a town-wide police force instead.
Callard said the police study should also look at options for a single county-wide department, but that wouldn’t be his preference.
“I’d rather study a problem and be proactive rather than have it thrown in our laps and be forced to react to it,” Callard said.
The Orleans County villages have some of the highest village tax rates in the region with Albion at $17.75 per $1,000 of assessed property, Medina at $17.13, Holley at $14.81 and Lyndonville at $12.51.
The police departments represent at least a third of the tax levy in Holley, Albion and Medina.
“Going down the road, the villages may decide they suffer from the cost of maintaining police departments,” Callard said. “We need to be forward thinking.”
Callard expects the application will be submitted to the state in July with an announcement coming later in the year. The study could look at several alternatives for police services, with input from the village departments.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board approved several projects on Thursday, including a woodworking business in Kendall, a gravel pit and office addition in Barre, a new church in a Barre home, and an auto repair shop in Ridgeway.
Here are highlights from the Planning Board meeting:
Gerald Solazzo has planners’ support for a church within his residence in Barre at 13404 Gray Rd.
Solazzo is a minister in the Order of Melchizedek and wants to start The Church of the Healing Christ. He would have services, perform marriages, do counseling, Bible reading, praying and healing services at the site, which is in a remote part of the county surrounded by woods.
Keeler Construction has the Planning Board’s support for a gravel pit at 13517 on land owned by Patricia Keeler. The site was last mined about 30 years ago.
In the company’s application, Scott Scharping, chief engineer for Keeler Construction, said Keeler will not mine more than 1,000 tons per year from the site, which is an average of less than a truckload of material per week. Mining hours are proposed for between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Keeler also is planning a 1,063 square foot addition to an existing 1,950 square foot office building.
Planners said the changes to the building and the gravel pit are logical fit within the existing Keeler Construction complex and would likely be unnoticed by most motorists passing by on West Lee Road (Route 31A).
Brian Voelker, owner of Five Star Automotive, has the board’s support to move his business from Albion to 3922 Salt Works Rd. in Medina in a light industrial district.
Voelker, a Middleport resident, wants to use about 2,700 to 3,200 square feet in a complex of buildings owned by Barnes Metal Finishing.
Karl Driesel wants to open a woodworking business at 1750 Kendall Rd. Driesel wants to construct a 50-by-104-fot building to manufacture custom mill working with the southeast corner of the building used as a showroom.
A detached 18-by-32 foot building would be on the northwest side of the main building and be used for sawdust collection. There will be no painting or finishing work other than sanding.
Planners recommended the Town of Kendall approve the site plan for the project.
The project has one unusual issue. A portion of the Crandall Avenue is actually part of the property and was never acquired by the Town of Kendall. County planners said the town should take over that section of the road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am
New playground, shore power, WiFi, dock surfaces and stairway among improvements
Photos by Tom Rivers – This staircase will be replaced as part of an improvement project at the Orleans County Marine Park in Carlton.
CARLTON – Orleans County is pushing forward with its plan for many improvements to the Marine Park on Route 98 in Carlton, a $163,000 project that will be 50 percent funded by the state.
The park will see new shore power at all 36 docks for boaters, a new stairway and walkway on the north side of the park, a new playground and new composite dock surface for the 36 docks that are either 24 to 28 feet long.
The County Legislature approved an agreement with the State Department of State on Wednesday to move forward with the project.
The county had sought a bigger project, but only had half of its request approved by the state late last year.
When final construction and improvement costs come in, the project may need to be modified.
“We didn’t get all of the money we wanted, so we had to pare some things down,” said Jim Bensley, the county’s senior planner and Marine Park manager.
The county is also planning to add shore power, WiFi, and replace the finger dock surfaces with a composite material.
Bensley expects much of the work will occur after the boating season, perhaps in the fall or next spring.
The county had sought a study to help reduce ice damage for the finger docks. That project was nixed with the smaller grant.
Each dock serves two boats, giving the park along the Oak Orchard River a capacity for 72 boats.
The park has become a popular spot with a concert series and also for people who enjoy a picnic by the pavilions. The county wants to move a playground closer to the pavilions and farther away from the concert area.
In addition to projects in the grant, the county also is planning on added wireless Internet service with WiFi for boaters and at the main office.
“We know there is a lot of interest in it,” Bensley said about WiFi.
The county on Wednesday also approved buying 117 exterior lights for the Marine Park and at Point Breeze at a cost of $21,049. National Grid will pay $8,390 towards the lights, with the county paying the other $12,659.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County is moving forward with three bridge replacements and two new culverts.
The County Legislature on Wednesday accepted a $430,199 bid from Keeler Construction in Barre to replace two culverts on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway over the Oak Orchard Creek.
The county also accepted a $322,935 bid from Redman Construction in Brockport to replace a bridge from 1968 in Barre in the muck on Oak Orchard Road over Manning Muckland Creek.
The county will also replace a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton. C.P.Ward from Scottsville submitted the low bid, $486,606, for the project.
The work will be paid for as part of an $8 million bond the county took out last year for a series of infrastructure projects over three years.
The county is also working on the East Scott Road Bridge over Fish Creek in Ridgeway. The Legislature approved a $49,600 contract with Barton and Loguidance of Syracuse for engineering services for that project, which will likely go to contractors for construction next year.
County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray said the bridges in Barre and in Carlton that will be replaced were in danger of being “red flagged” by the state Department of Transportation with weight reductions. That would make travel more difficult, especially for the farm equipment in the muck, Gray said.
Besides the two bridges this year, the county in 2016 and 2017 plans to replace bridges from 1959 in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.
The county also plans to replace four other culverts in 2016 and 2017, besides the two for this year on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway. The others include two on Platten Road in Yates, and two on South Holley Road in Clarendon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature presented a “Special Recognition Award” to the Iroquois Job Corps Center on Wednesday. The Job Corps program is in its 50th year nationally. The Iroquois center opened in 1966.
County Legislature Lynne Johnson, second from right, presents the certificate to Melinda Maedl, business and community liaison for the center, which ranks among the top centers of the 122 in the country.
Job Corps students Ibrahim Abdul-Aleem and Keyana Mitchell both addressed the County Legislature on Wednesday, giving testimonials about the program which has taught them job skills and built their confidence to enter the workforce.
Job Corps is a residential program providing vocational and other life skills to at-risk youth.
Abdul-Aleem comes from New York City. He said he looks forward to a career in the building trades.
“The things you get from Job Corps are hard to get in my neighborhood,” he told legislators. “People say in Job Corps we are bad teen-agers or people who don’t have discipline. It’s not like that. It’s people who want to get their lives better.”
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 27 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Cooking with the sun, erosion control, conserving electricity among the learning stations at 47th annual event
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Orleans County Deputy Sheriff Erin Fuller discusses staying safe this summer in and around water with local 6th graders at the “Water, boats and being safe” station at this year’s Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days.
KNOWLESVILLE – Hundreds of sixth-graders from Orleans County this week are learning about environmental, wildlife, safety and conservation issues during the 47th Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
The program ran on Tuesday and continues today. It is hosted by Orleans County 4-H youth development. Robert Batt, 4-H youth development educator, says about 450 students from Albion, Kendall, Holley, Medina and Lyndonville Central School Districts are taking part.
Batt works to organize the event which includes more than a dozen learning/activity “stations” set up around the fairgrounds and which cover such topics as erosion control tillage, composting, wildlife habitat walk, cooking with the sun, rabies, and “conserve electricity – turn off Xbox and play with a dog.”
“We are so thankful for the diversity of wonderful instructors who come to share their knowledge with the students,” Batt says.
Various professionals and volunteers, including Orleans County 4-Hers, take part in presenting topics and also highlight potential career opportunities in the areas discussed. The event additionally gives students a chance to see some of the programming that is available to them through the local 4-H program.
Nola Goodrich-Kreese of the Orleans County Health Department discusses rabies, including its symptoms and how to keep safe, with 6th graders in Mr. Englert’s class at Albion Central School on Tuesday, the first day of the Annual Conservation Field Days which continues today.
Local 6th graders prepare to test their knowledge of conservation during the “Conservation Trivia Contest” Tuesday afternoon.
Kate, a Lincoln Longwool sheep (left), and a Navajo-Churro lamb are owned by the Dreschel family of Holley. The animals are part of the Heritage Sheep station at this year’s Conservation Field Days.
Local 6th graders take part in “Conservation Relays” during the 47th Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days. Two classes at a time faced-off in a competition that tested their knowledge of wildlife, including animal tracks.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Capuano family, which is riding the entire Erie Canal to promote foster parenting, passed through Orleans County on Monday. They are pictured in Albion.
Renee and John Capuano and their two oldest children – Paul and Priscilla – want to encourage families to give foster parenting a try.
“Even if a child spends one night in your home and they are safe, you’ve made a difference in their life,” Mrs. Capuano said.
Paul Capuano, 16, came up with the idea of riding the canal length, hoping to inspire more people to try adoption and foster care. His family has recently adopted five children they were fostering: Edgar, 5; Vinny, 5; Nico, 6; Emilio, 6; and Franny, 8.
Paul has been pedaling a cargo bike with room for the four youngest to ride together. His sister Priscilla, 14, is riding a tandem bike with room for a sibling.
Priscilla leads the pack coming into Albion on Monday followed by her brother Paul and mother Renee.
There are 2,000 children in need of foster homes throughout the state, including 35 in Orleans County.
“We need foster homes desperately,” said Holli Nenni, deputy commissioner of Department of Social Services in Orleans County.
She met with the Capuanos in Albion on Monday. The family kept going to Lockport on Monday and today will complete the trip to Buffalo.
They are wearing bright orange shirts that urge people to try foster care.
“If we can do it, so can you,” reads the shirts.
Mrs. Capuano said the family considered adopting a child from another country before they pursued becoming foster parents.
“It seemed monumental but the county works with you,” Mrs. Capuano said.
Her oldest children have been welcoming to the adopted kids.
“Our message is give it a try,” Mr. Capuano said.
For more on the foster care program in Orleans County, call DSS at (585) 589-7000.
Paul Capuano crosses the Main Street lift bridge with four of his young siblings in tow on a cargo bike.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature and Albion Village Board are both pressing state officials to update a law for recycling TVs and other electronic waste.
The state on Jan. 1 began banning curbside disposal of older TVs with cathode-ray technology. Many residents have upgraded from those televisions, switching to popular flat screens. Many of the older TVs have been dumped in ditches along rural roads, local officials said.
Municipalities would like to help residents properly get rid of the older televisions without it being an expensive burden. The state said manufacturers were supposed to take back older TVs, but the state capped the amount of discarded material companies have to accept each year.
Manufacturers have been hitting that cap midway through the year, Orleans County legislators said. Once the cap is hit, “cash-strapped” local governments are left to bear the burden, county legislators said.
“The issue is exacerbated by the fact that electronics currently sold today are much lighter than the obsolete CRT devices that make up about 70 percent of the weight of e-scrap generated, which are cost intensive to responsibly manage,” according to a resolution passed by the County Legislature and also the Albion Village Board.
“As a result, may local governments across the state have grappled with the burden to fund or cease e-scrap collection, which has been particularly difficult in rural communities that do not benefit from retail collectors or economies of scale,” according to the resolution.
The County Legislature and Village Board are asking Gov. Cuomo, the State Legislature and State Department of Environmental Conservation to work towards a long-term solution for electronic waste recycling for both urban and rural areas.
File photo – The Holley-Kendall Marching Band was part of last year’s parade in Holley on Memorial Day.
The community will honor veterans with parades and services throughout Orleans County on Monday.
In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a service will follow the parade.
In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade following at about 9:45. The parade will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.
In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library at the Village Park.
In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow. Both the VFW and American Legion will serve lunch following the ceremony.
