Orleans County

Picnic connects veterans to services and to each other

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Two commanders of veterans’ agencies attended the Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Event and Picnic Saturday at Orleans County Fairgrounds. Here, Glenn Whitmore, left, commander of American Legion Post 204 in Medina, and Dan Anderson, right, commander of VFW Post 1483 in Medina, pose with Veterans’ Services director Earl Schmidt and his wife Cathy.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 October 2018 at 7:42 pm

KNOWLESVILLE – The Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Kick-off Event and Picnic was a resounding success and one which organizers hope will be the first of many such events.

Saturday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, dozens of veterans and their families showed up for the event, organized by Earl and Cathy Schmidt with grant money Mr. Schmidt applied for through State Sen. Rob Ortt.

Guests enjoyed lunch, popcorn, music by DJs Kenny and Bonnie Draper, and children’s activities.

The Niagara Falls Air Force Base provided a bounce house and children’s games.

Cathy Schmidt announced she is forming a group for veterans’ spouses and caregivers, which she calls “Clovers.” It stands for “caregivers, loved ones and spouses.”

Her goal is to organize a variety of activities for veterans’ spouses and caregivers, such as bowling, chocolate bingo, kayaking and excursions. She has already planned a bus excursion to a Sabres’ game.

The YMCA in Medina is also going to cooperate by giving 10 percent off the cost of membership to veterans.

Earl Schmidt, director of Orleans County Veterans’ Services, and his wife Cathy pose with Arianna Smith and her dad Brad Smith of Albion and Greg Stanton of Medina at the first Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Event and Picnic Saturday at the Orleans County Fairgrounds. Both Brad Smith and Stanton were Seabees. Smith was a Navy combat veteran in Iraq.

Greg Stanton of Medina said he heard about the picnic when talking to Earl Schmidt, director of the Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County, several months ago.

“So I came to see what’s going on,” Stanton said. “The whole idea is to gets vets in Orleans County connected with each other, and that’s pretty cool.”

He said it’s nice veterans are finally getting the accolades and appreciation they deserve.

Stanton is a Seabee who signed up for the military right out of high school. He served two and one-half years in active duty and two and one-half years in the Reserves and went to college on a VA loan.

“Just a few years ago, I found out I was eligible for health care,” he said. “I have nothing but praise for the VA in Batavia and Buffalo .”

Rachael Spearante of Albion, a volunteer with the American Legion Auxiliary, hands out informational pamphlets at the Peer-to-Peer Veterans’ picnic Saturday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Earl Schmidt said he started the peer-to-peer program to provide a non-clinical approach for veterans and their families in Orleans County. The grant through Ortt’s office is for $52,500

Schmidt’s hope is to prevent any tragedy here such as the story of Pcf. Joseph P. Dwyer, for whom the Peer-to-Peer program is named. Dwyer was a North Carolina veteran who, after a year and a half of trying to navigate the system after his discharge, committed suicide.

“The system failed him,” Schmidt said. “We are brothers and sisters working together and I’ll be here as your liaison.”

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Orleans canal communities will work on waterfront revitalization plan

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Holley Canal Park is pictured in June. The site includes a gazebo, public bathrooms with showers, boat tie-ups and camp sites.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2018 at 10:40 am

Several canal communities in Orleans County will soon get to work on a waterfront revitalization plan.

The Orleans County Legislature has approved an agreement with NYS Department of State to create the Erie Canal Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan.

The plan will provide a clear direction for suitable future development, reflect a community consensus, and establish a long-term partnership among local governments and the state.

In a resolution last week, the Legislature states, “the Erie Canal was critical to early community settlement and commerce in Orleans County and remains an essential asset for the purposes of economic development, recreation, tourism and cultural heritage.”

The state is providing a $62,000 grant for the plan, while the county contributes $10,000 in cash, and the participating towns and villages pay $10,500. The county Department of Planning and Development will also provide $167 of in-kind services.

The Village of Medina also is working on a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan and received a $37,500 state grant for the effort. Medina has already formed a committee and hired a consultant, Bergmann Associates.

Medina will have a meeting on Oct. 17 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Medina High School, 2 Mustang Drive, welcoming the public to discuss how to best utilize the waterfront in the community, including the canal, Oak Orchard River and Glenwood Lake.

The Orleans plan will focus on the villages of Albion and Holley, and towns of Murray, Albion, Gaines, Ridgeway and Shelby.

The county expects to hire a consultant and start work on the plan in early 2019. Ken DeRoller, a county legislator, said the two planning efforts will work together.

There may be less than obvious ways to better capitalize on the canal, such as allowing more siphons for farmers to irrigate crops, DeRoller said.

“We are looking forward to enhancing the use of this asset in our county,” he said.

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Chuck Nesbitt is new president of state-wide county association

Staff Reports Posted 25 September 2018 at 1:25 pm

NYSAC will have ‘Mandate Monitor’ to track impact of state mandates on county taxes

Chuck Nesbitt

ROCHESTER – Charles “Chuck” Nesbitt Jr., chief administrative officer of Orleans County, was elected today to serve as president of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).

NYSAC is a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate, advocate for, and serve member counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.

“I look forward to serving as NYSAC’s president and advocating for our counties in both Albany and Washington,” said Nesbitt, an Albion resident. “Our Association provides a strong platform for us to come together to voice our needs as the local governments closest to our communities.”

Since 2005, Nesbitt has served as the chief administrative officer of Orleans County. Prior to that he was an economic development specialist for Empire State Development in Rochester. He has also served as president of the New York State Association of County Administrators and Managers since 2008.

Nesbitt announced that during his presidency, he will focus on tracking the impact of existing and new state mandates on counties and county taxpayers. Under this initiative, a “Mandate Monitor” will examine the impact of implementing the Raise the Age law and the ongoing impact of other state mandates that consume most or all of the property taxes collected at the county level.

“Mr. Nesbitt is an experienced and respected county leader, and he will be a tremendous asset to NYSAC during a time when the county voice must be included in state and federal policy decisions,” said NYSAC Immediate Past President and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell.

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Chuck Nesbitt becomes president of state-wide association next week

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 September 2018 at 1:48 pm

County chief administrative office officer will lead NYS Association of Counties

File Photo: Chuck Nesbitt, the Orleans County chief administrative officer, is pictured in June 2016 outside the Orleans County Clerk’s Building.

ROCHESTER – Next week county officials from across the state will meet in Rochester for the ‘fall seminar of the New York State Association of Counties.

One of the highlights of the meeting will be the swearing in of NYSAC’s new president for the upcoming year. Chuck Nesbitt, Orleans County’s chief administrative officer, will take the reins from MaryEllen Odell, the Putnam County Executive.

Nesbitt of Albion will be sworn in as NYSAC president at the Tuesday conference luncheon.

Nesbitt has been heavily involved in the organization in recent years as a member of the executive committee since 2016. He has been an at-large member of the NYSAC Board of Director since 2014. He was elected as the president of the NYS County Administrators’ Association in 2008.

NYSAC has been an effective advocacy organization for counties, Nesbitt said, and the group values the opinions from counties of all sizes.

The conference next week will take place at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency Rochester, with an offsite special event planned for The Strong Museum.

Workshops at the conference will cover a range of issues, including the opioid crisis, drinking water safety, women in county government, climate resiliency, dispute resolution, sports gaming, and election cyber security.

As chief administrative officer in Orleans County, Nesbitt acts on behalf of the County Legislature and works closely with Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson to implement county policy and oversee the activities of all county departments. He also serves as the county’s budget officer.

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First Peer to Peer event for veterans in Orleans County will be Oct. 6

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 21 September 2018 at 9:06 am

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Earl Schmidt, left, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, presents a plaque to Frank Berger of Medina for his dedication and work in support of local veterans. At right is Dave Kusmierczak of Medina, president of the Joint Veterans Council.

MEDINA – Earl Schmidt, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, announced a first time event for veterans and their families at the Council’s September meeting.

A veterans’ Peer to Peer Support event and picnic will take place Oct. 6 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. The program is funded from the state grant secured by Schmidt and the Orleans County Mental Health Department.

From noon to 3 p.m., all veterans and their families can enjoy fun, food and music.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will be there doing children’s IDs, and there will be a bounce house for kids, donated by the Niagara Falls Air Force Base.

It has taken a year to receive the funds Schmidt applied for, he said.

The Peer to Peer Support Program was established in honor of a North Carolina veteran, Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer. After returning home from Iraq, Dwyer suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury. He received care from the VA, but had a hard time integrating into civilian life, eventually taking his own life.

The New York State Senate started a program to assist veterans in a non-clinical setting, putting them and their families together, peer-to-peer, and connecting them with community resources.

Orleans County ’s share of the grant to run this program is $52,500. Niagara County received $185,000, along with Erie and Monroe counties.

Schmidt’s wife Catherine, who has a background in running family support for military families, is helping to coordinate the volunteer program in Orleans County .

Reservations are needed for the Peer-to-Peer picnic and may be made by calling 589-3223.

Dave Kusmierczak, right, president of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, took time out from the September meeting to recognize James Andre for being the longest serving volunteer with the veterans’ van service, which he helped establish.

In other business, Phyllis Schrader, head of the volunteer van service, reported 172 veterans were transported in July and 186 in August. She asked if the Veterans Service Agency could provide a small tire pump for drivers to use, as frequently the tires on their transport vans have low pressure. The Agency voted to purchase one for the office.

In his monthly report, Schmidt said his office met with 677 personnel in July and 575 in August.

He talked about the progress on the National Veterans’ Cemetery which will be established in Pembroke. He said it had been put out to bids, but they all came in too high. It will be put out again, seeking bids from non-government contractors. He expects groundbreaking to be in the spring, with completion by the summer of 2020.

Schmidt also reported that after a year of deliberation, the Albion Village Board last week passed the real property exemption for Cold War veterans. There are still four municipalities in the county which have not passed the exemption, he said.

A Medina veteran, Frank Berger, was presented with a plaque in recognition of his longtime support of programs to benefit veterans. Schmidt purchased the plaque with his own money because he was appreciative of all Berger has done.

Veterans Service Agency president Dave Kusmierczak reported on the 9-11 ceremony, which this year was organized by Gary Befus of the American Legion in Albion.

Kusmierczak talked about the patriotic ceremony the Medina American Legion and VFW conducted at the Warrior House event Saturday in West Shelby. Schmidt said he has applied for funds for the Warrior House and his office will be partnering with them to make sure it never has to close.

Glen Whitmore from the Butts-Clark American Legion said the great-great-granddaughter of James Clark wants to have a get-together at the post.

Tim McGee with Albion Masons, who cooked breakfast for the meeting, said the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion is hosting a special service for veterans on Nov. 11.

An Albion resident and Marine, Maxine Schening, announced she is trying to form a local chapter of the Women’s Marines Association. She is vice president of the Western New York Chapter, she said.

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United Way kicks off fundraising campaign to support local agencies

Photos by Gnny Kropf: Kaitlyn Delamarter, left, executive director of United Way of Orleans County, and board president Jackie Gardner are shown during the 2019 campaign kickoff after announcing the next year’s goal of $185,000.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 21 September 2018 at 8:10 am

MEDINA – United Way of Orleans County held its annual campaign kickoff Thursday night at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

While announcing an ambitious goal of $185,000, United Way ’s guests also heard success stories of people who have been helped because of the generosity of the community which supports the organization.

The theme of this year’s campaign is “Do whatever it takes,” and that’s what board president Jackie Gardner said they intend to do.

“The goal may be a challenge, but it is one we are up for,” Gardner said. “We are looking for a very successful campaign with the support of an amazing community.”

She said this evening always means so much.

“It’s when we get to meet all our partner agencies and show what they do,” she said.

Kaitlyn Delamarter, left, executive director of United Way of Orleans County, introduces Mary Lee Knights at the campaign kickoff Thursday night at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Knights is president of OCALS, one of a dozen local agencies funded by United Way. She shared a story of a Syrian man who was able to get a job because OCALS helped him learn to speak English.

Kaitlyn Delamarter, executive director of the local United Way, thanked the evening’s sponsors, which included OCALS, TakeForm, Jackie Gardner and the YMCA. Delamarter said it has been a privilege to work for an organization like United Way for the past year and to hear the stories of how United Way has been important in peoples’ lives.

Two speakers shared success stories made possible because of United Way support.

Provided photo: The board of United Way of Orleans County is shown at the 2019 campaign kickoff Thursday night at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Seated from left are director Kaitlyn Delamarter; secretary Virginia Kropf; president Jackie Gardner; and Carol D’Agostino. Standing are, from left, Jodi Gaines, Program and Policy chair; Ellen Eaton; treasurer Jerome Pawlak; Dave Cook, Board Development chair; Rebecca Mannella; Bill Hungerford, Strategic Planning chair; Cindy Perry; and Melinda Maedl, Marketing chair. Absent are vice president Jason Smith, Cathy Balys, Amit Mizra and Brad MacDonald.

Mary Lee Knights is president of Orleans County Adult Learning Services, a group of nearly all volunteers who started out helping people to read, but have branched out to provide tutoring to schools and the workplace.

OCALS, which recently celebrated its 12th anniversary, has been receiving grants from United Way almost from its beginning. Last year, for the first time, they employed a team teaching concept to help a Syrian family who couldn’t speak a word of English.

“We had gone into a local company to pitch our workplace literacy program when we learned the father had gotten a job there,” Knights said.

After helping him learn English, OCALS recently found out the man has been promoted.

The second story of success was shared by Sherry McMillan, who several years ago moved to Texas with her small child.

“I had a great life and a great job, and then I was diagnosed with cancer,” McMillan said. “I had to pack my bags and come home.”

She was unable to work as she struggled through chemo at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Then she learned of the job skills program provided by Community Action, a United Way -funded agency, at their Main Street Store in Albion.

She learned about retail, how to be organized and selling clothing.

“As the program went on, they worked around my chemo and other medical appointments,” McMillan said.

During her training, she met an at-risk kid whom she tutored in math and English.

“Because of the skills I learned in the program, I was able to research how to help him,” she said.

When the Main Street Store director Michelle George announced she wanted to become part-time, that provided a job opportunity for McMillan, who applied for and got the position.

“Without United Way and our generous donors, these stories would not be possible,” Delamarter said. “And there are so many more out there. We have a lot of new events coming into play this year and we are more than hopeful we can make our goal.”

Sharing their organization’s success stories at the campaign kickoff of United Way of Orleans County are Nyla Gaylord, executive director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern and Michelle George, director of Community Action’s Main Street Store. Chatting at right are Carol Cook, wife of board member Dave Cook of Lyndonville; and board member Cindy Perry of Waterport.

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RTS celebrates opening of new transportation facility in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2018 at 8:02 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Officials cut the ribbon on a new transportation facility for RTS Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. The new 13,000-square-foot building is behind the Orleans County Highway Department at 225 West Academy St.

Pictured from left include: Chuck Nesbitt, Orleans County chief administrative officer; Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Geoff Astles, Board Chairman of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority; Bill Carpenter, Regional Transit Service chief executive officer; Henry Smith Jr., RGRTA commissioner from Orleans County; Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature; Eileen Banker, Albion Mayor; John LeFrois, vice president of LeFrois Builders; and Justin Vollenweider, architect with Passarell Associates.

About 50 people attended a ribbon-cutting celebration for the building.

The facility has eight indoor bus bays, three bus maintenance bays, a vehicle wash bay, storage for parts and materials, administrative office space, a break room with kitchenette, and designated parking.

The new facility cost about $4 million. Federal aid funneled to the state is covering 80 percent or about $3.2 million of the cost, while the state pays 10 percent and RTS pays the other 10 percent. It took about 15 months to construct the building.

Henry Smith Jr., center, shakes hands with Bill Carpenter, CEO of the Regional Transit Service through RGRTA. Smith, a former county legislator, has been the county’s representative on the RGRTA board for about a decade. He is stepping down from the unpaid position on Dec. 31.

He praised the RGRTA for providing public transportation in Orleans County since 2003. RTS Orleans serves about 40,000 riders a year. (Before it was RTS Orleans, the local agency was originally called Orleans Transit Service or OTS.)

Smith said the agency has tweaked bus routes and added bus shelters. The new $4 million facility shows RGRTA’s commitment to public transportation in the county, Smith said.

Lynne Johnson, right, also praised the partnership between RGRTA and the county. She is hopeful the agency will expand ride options to include Saturday service and more connections with neighboring counties.

The county will provide mechanics to work on RTS Orleans buses. The agency is in a 50-year lease for the county to have the transportation facility on county-owned land.

A tour of the site followed Wednesday’s ribbon cutting. RTS Orleans previously kept its buses outside by the county highway garage. Now the buses can be stored inside. RTS bus drivers previously had to arrive to work 20-30 minutes ahead of bus runs to clear off buses in the winter. Keeping the buses inside keeps them more secure and will get them on the road sooner in the mornings during inclimate weather.

RTS Orleans currently has six buses in the county. The transportation facility was built with eight bays to accommodate future growth for the service if it expands to eight buses.

The site includes new offices, bathrooms and a conference room.

Dave Belaskas, director of engineering and facilities management for RTS, gives a tour of the building. He is shown in the maintenance area, which includes lifts and three bays.

The facility has a wash bay to keep the buses clean after they have been out on their daily runs.

RTS Orleans staff started moving into the building Wednesday evening. RTS Orleans should have the operations fully shifted over by Monday.

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Officials will cut ribbon on new public transportation facility on Wednesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2018 at 3:07 pm

ALBION – A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday for the new transportation facility for RTS Orleans.

RTS is moving into a new 13,000-square-foot building behind the Orleans County Highway Department at 225 West Academy St.

Dignitaries planned to attend the event include State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature; Geoff Astles, RGRTA Board Chairman; Henry Smith, Jr., RGRTA Commissioner from Orleans County; and Bill Carpenter, RTS CEO.

The new facility cost about $4 million. Federal aid funneled to the state is covering 80 percent or about $3.2 million of the cost, while the state pays 10 percent and RTS pays the other 10 percent, Bill Carpenter, CEO of RTS, said during a ground-breaking for the project in June 2017.

RTS has run a public transportation service in Orleans County since 2003. It has six buses in the county, and they have been parked outside by the County Highway Department on West Academy Street.

The new $4 million facility will allow the buses to be parked inside. The facility will be behind the County Highway Department, with RTS in a 50-year lease with the county for the land.

The facility will include eight indoor bus bays, three bus maintenance bays, a vehicle wash bay, storage for parts and materials, administrative office space, a break room with kitchenette, and designated parking.

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Orleans sees itself as statewide leader for shared services, municipal cooperation

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2018 at 10:35 am

‘The things we’re doing here are extraordinary.’ – Chuck Nesbitt, county chief administrative officer

File photos by Tom Rivers – Employees at Modern Disposal Service pick up trash in Albion in this photo from August 2013. The countywide contract, at $212 per household in 2018, offers big savings for local residents, county officials said. Orleans may be the only county that has a county-wide garbage collection contract.

ALBION – Municipalities in Orleans County have worked together for many years to reduce costs in providing government services, a mission that has extended with partnerships in Genesee County.

Many of the town supervisors, county legislators and village mayors met Thursday evening for a public hearing on a shared services plan that will be sent to state Department of State next week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2017 required the shared service plans in the 57 counties outside New York City.

In Orleans, the villages, towns and county have been sharing long before it was a Cuomo decree.

The governments in Orleans have been doing it “out of necessity” for many years, to try to bring down costs, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

“Orleans County is and has been at the forefront,” he said during Thursday’s shared service meeting at the County Administration Building. “The things we’re doing here are extraordinary.”

The local governments have moved beyond “low-hanging fruit,” he said. Courts have been consolidated, and the health departments in two counties have a shared board and staff, a first in the state.

There is county-wide garbage collection, animal control services, dispatching and many other intermunicipal services. Just recently the county’s mental health department has teamed with local school districts to have mental health staff based in schools.

“It is clear that Orleans County continues to leave no stone unturned when searching for opportunities to do gain efficiencies and savings for our taxpayers,” Nesbitt writes in a letter to the Department of State. “This has been a long term, ongoing and very effective effort of our leadership.”

As part of the latest shared service plan, the county and the 10 towns in Orleans will formalize a long-standing practice where the District Attorney’s Office prosecutes vehicle and traffic tickets at the town courts. The DA’s Office provides the service without charging the towns.

“The District Attorney’s Office prosecutes the V & T tickets on a handshake deal,” Nesbitt said during Thursday’s meeting.

The county will continue to fund the service, but wants a formal agreement with signatures from the town officials.

Some counties bill towns to prosecute the vehicle and traffic tickets. If Orleans charged the towns, Nesbitt said it would be a bill for about $165,000 ($3.85 multiplied by 42,883 residents).

That savings for the towns will be noted in the shared services plan to be submitted to the state.

The county has taken the lead in a plan for providing water and sewer services for the county. A consultant has completed the first draft for a study that will look at water plants, transmission lines, pump stations, storage tanks and other infrastructure, as well as the personnel to run the systems.

The county and villages also studied law enforcement services, including the possibility for a county-wide agency with no village police departments. That didn’t get any traction from the villages.

Nesbitt, in his letter to the Department of State, listed the following shared service successes:

• Nationally recognized cross jurisdictional shared services in public health Orleans and Genesee Counties

• First in New York State joint Board of Health, Orleans County and Genesee County

• Founding member of 14 county Behavioral Health network and numerous community partners, Integrity Partners for Behavioral Health

• The New York State Leader in Justice Court Consolidation

• Niagara Orleans Regional Alliance (NORA), joint advocacy for regionally significant issues such as rural broadband, Plan 2014 – lake levels and regional shallow draft harbor dredging

Bill Oliver, a dispatcher for Orleans County, takes a call at the Orleans County Public Safety Building in this photo from April 2015. Dispatchers respond to about 33,000 calls a year.

• Countywide solid waste and recycling program

• Countywide 9-1-1, Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)

• Countywide Self-Insurance program for Worker’s Compensation

• Countywide Town/County shared services and mutual aid agreements for highway services

• Countywide Town/County snow and ice removal agreements

• Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Workforce Investment Board

• Town and county level shared services in real property assessment including three coordinated assessment programs and contracted county assessment

• County and Town level – Centralized real property database services and Pictometry Imaging contract

• County level inter-municipal agreement for tax mapping, Orleans County and Genesee County

• Countywide animal control services

• School-based social services caseworkers

• School-based mental health satellite clinic offices

• County Level – Shared Crisis Services Hotline, Orleans County and Genesee County contract with Niagara County

• Multi-Agency Land Bank, Niagara Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corporation, Orleans County, Niagara County, City of Niagara Falls, City of Lockport, City of North Tonawanda

• Cooperative Mental Health Continuing Day Treatment, Orleans County and Genesee County

• Town and County level cooperative Property and Casualty Insurance purchasing – NYMIR

• Town and County level cooperative energy purchasing MEGA and NYMEP

• County level cooperative health insurance procurement the Alliance of Western New York

• County level shared Youth Bureau – Orleans County, Genesee County and the City of Batavia

• Stop DWI education inter-municipal agreement with Genesee County Youth Bureau

• County and several towns cooperate to provide a countywide E-Waste Program

“I would put this list against anyone else in the state,” Nesbitt said at Thursday’s meeting. “This is no longer low-hanging fruit. This is the real deal.”

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Orleans school districts have second biggest enrollment drop in NY in past decade

Photo by Tom Rivers: On June 22, 120 students graduated from Medina High School. The State Education Department says there were 127 students in the class in 2017-18. Ten years earlier, Medina had 171 students in the senior class.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2018 at 7:53 am

5 districts are down 1,573 students or 21.5%; Only Yates County at 22.5% has more

Orleans County is one of only two counties in the state to see student enrollment drop by more than 20 percent in the past 10 years, according to a report from The Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank and government watchdog in Albany.

While all upstate counties are seeing a decline in students, the loss is among the most severe in Orleans, where the five public school districts decreased from 7,327 students (grades prekindergarten through 12) in 2007-08 to 5,754 in 2017-18. That decrease of 21.5 percent is topped only by the 22.5 percent in Yates County, which includes Penn Yan and Dundee.

Map courtesy of The Empire Center: All of the upstate counties have experienced student enrollment declines in the past decade.

The Empire Center highlighted the enrollment losses on Tuesday. The organization said only about 100 of the 700 school districts in the state have added students in the decade. New York City and its nearby suburbs are seeing significant gains, while the upstate districts, especially the rural ones, are shrinking.

“Only 100 of the state’s nearly 700 districts have had net enrollment growth since 2007-08,” the Empire Center said. “Pockets of growth tend to be concentrated at socio-economic extremes, ranging from the wealthy Rye and Mamaroneck school districts, to struggling upstate cities such as Albany and Syracuse, to inner suburbs such as Roosevelt in Nassau County.”

In Orleans County, Kendall experienced the biggest decline in the decade at 25 percent. Lyndonville, at a 17.6 percent drop, had the least loss of the five districts in Orleans.

This chart shows the drop in the 10 years for the five local school districts.

District 2007-08 2017-18 enrollment drop % decline

Albion 2,405 1,897 508 21.1

Holley 1,270 999 271 21.3

Kendall 916 688 228 24.9

Lyndonville 761 627 134 17.6

Medina 1,975 1,543 432 21.9

Countywide 7,327 5,754 1,573 21.5

Source: NYS Education Department, Orleans Hub calculations

Going back 20 years, the enrollment decline is more steep – 33.4 percent in the county, a drop of nearly 3,000 students. However, the loss would be even higher without the prekindergarten enrollment.

In 1997-98, none of the local public schools offered PreK. In 2017-18, the five districts combined had 290 students in PreK, which accounted for 5 percent of the overall enrollment. If the PreK students aren’t included in the comparison, the enrollment change in 20 years would be a decrease of 3,175 students from the 8,639 in 1997-98, a 36.8 percent loss.

This chart shows the drop in the 20 years for the five local school districts.

District 1997-1998 2017-18 enrollment drop % decline

Albion 2,750 1,897 853 31.0

Holley 1,490 999 491 33.0

Kendall 1,197 688 509 42.5

Lyndonville 893 627 266 29.8

Medina 2,309 1,543 766 33.2

Countywide 8,639 5,754 2,885 33.4

Source: NYS Education Department, Orleans Hub calculations

The local districts have reduced staff and some districts have partnered with neighboring schools for athletic and extracurricular programs. Medina and Lyndonville, in particular, share several sports teams and also do a combined high school musical.

About a decade ago, Lyndonville and Barker did a study about merging the two districts, but the issue didn’t go before the public for a vote.

“These enrollment trends highlight the need for the kind of innovative reforms that New York’s governor, Legislature and union-dominated education establishment have resisted,” The Empire Center stated. “For example, rural districts need more regulatory freedom to experiment with distance learning and regional high school programs. Relief from state mandates—especially those affecting the hiring, assignment and compensation of teachers—would give all districts the greater flexibility they need to deal effectively with the biggest demographic changes they have experienced in a generation.”

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