Zoning change approved for Jet Ski business in Shelby

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board supported a bed and breakfast in Kendall and also a zoning change in Shelby to allow for a Jet Ski business.

Planners met on Thursday and recommended the Town of Kendall approve the site plan and variance for the bed and breakfast at 2038 Peter Smith Rd.

Ron Bierstine, owner of Orleans Outdoor in Carlton, wants to establish the bed and breakfast at the corner of Route 18 and Peter Smith Road. The site would utilize about 750 square feet in a ranch home. There is room for a maximum of eight occupants in three rooms for the B & B.

Planning Board members noted the site is in an isolated location near farmland and woodland. There shouldn’t be any adverse impacts to neighbors, planners said.

The town ordinance requires a 90-foot setback for off-street parking. Bierstine is proposing a 38-foot setback. Planners recommend he receive the 52-foot variance. Planners said the variance would not result in an undesirable change to neighborhood character.

Bierstine expects the bed and breakfast will be largely seasonal with peak business during the September to December tributary fishing season.

Planners also supported a zoning change in the Town of Shelby. Eric and Margaret Hill want to change four parcels at 10812 Maple Ridge Rd. (next to the Orleans-Niagara BOCES) from Agricultural/Residential to General Business. That change would allow them to operate a business selling and repairing Jet Skis at the southeast corner of Maple Ridge Road and Shelby Basin Road.

The zoning change fits in with the area, planners noted. The north side of Maple Ridge Road near the site includes about 2,100 feet of property that is zoned General Commercial.

Nyla Gaylord

Press Release, Hospice of Orleans

ALBION – Hospice of Orleans is pleased to announce that Nyla Gaylord has joined the team as Director of Development and Community Relations.

An Orleans County native, Gaylord has extensive experience in grant writing, fundraising, program development and not-for-profit leadership. She graduated from Holley High School and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Writing from Houghton College in Houghton. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Public Administration from SUNY Brockport.

After a number of years working for organizations that provide services to people with disabilities, she returned to school and completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies at Syracuse University.

Gaylord has been an active member of the Orleans County community. She was a foster parent for many years and is currently a member of the Clarendon Historical Society, assisting with grant writing efforts.

After commuting to jobs in Rochester for more than 30 years, Gaylord is delighted to be working locally for such an important cause.

“I’m very committed to rallying community support to ensure that Hospice of Orleans continues to be an independent local organization, not part of a large health system,” she said. “Hospice services were there for my loved ones to help them reclaim control over their life and remain surrounded by family, friends and community as they faced an incurable illness. I look forward to helping ensure that Hospice services continue to be available locally for anyone who requests them.”

Author will visit area in March to talk about book

LYNDONVILLE – The new book for the community reading project has been announced, and readers can expect to face many contemporary issues in the novel.

“The Tale for Three Counties” announced on Thursday the 13th book in the community reading effort will be “We Are Called To Rise,” by Laura McBride. The story focuses on an immigrant boy whose family struggles to assimilate. A woman wrestles with an imploding marriage and troubled son. A wounded soldier recovers from an injury.

These are some of the themes and characters in the book, which is available at local libraries and bookstores. The libraries will host discussion groups beginning in January in preparation for McBride’s visit from March 26-28.

She will visit locations in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties, including Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina on March 27.

“It’s very current and addresses contemporary topics,” said Catherine Cooper, Lee-Whedon director and a member of the Tail committee. “It’s very heartfelt and very warm.”

Yates Community Library hosted a book unveiling program on Thursday, when the latest Tale was announced.

For more on the Tale program, click here.

Press Release
Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess, center, recognized two members of his staff today for 20 years of service with the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy Jim Halstead, left, joined the Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 11, 1994, under then Sheriff David Green. Some of Jim’s career highlights include being a DARE Instructor for many years, a member of the Sheriff’s Marine Unit and a boating safety instructor, a member of the SCUBA team, and a member of the Motorcycle Unit. Jim has announced his plans to retire next month.

Investigator Corey Black, right, was sworn into the Sheriff’s Office as a deputy on Nov. 28, 1994, also under Sheriff Green. Black was promoted to sergeant in March 1999 and promoted to investigator in February 2000.

Corey is the senior member of the Criminal Investigation Division and has been involved in numerous high-profile investigations during his career. In addition to his duties as an investigator, he is also a Police Instructor, Range Officer, SWAT Leader, and he is a member of the New York Tactical Officers Association.

Halstead and Black each received a congratulatory letter this afternoon from the sheriff and a Certificate of Achievement for “20 Years of Dedicated & Faithful Service to the Sheriff’s Office & the County of Orleans.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – There is a noticeable increase in truck traffic on routes 31 and 104 in Orleans County today. With the NY Thruway closed from Rochester to the Pennsylvania line, many of the trucks are using the state roads in Orleans County to head east or west.

In the photo above, a caravan of truckers head down Route 104 at about 1:30 today. I was at The Village Inn for lunch today and it seemed for every car on 104 there was a tractor trailer.

ALBION – A total of 33 volunteer firefighters from six fire departments in Orleans County left Albion at about 4 p.m. for assignments in the Buffalo area.

Orleans Hub reported earlier this afternoon that 24 to 30 firefighters were expected to go. Dale Banker, the emergency management coordinator for the county, confirmed 33 firefighters answered the call.

Banker reached out to the local fire departments after getting a request from the Erie County Fire Coordinator’s office and the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

The firefighters will be in Erie County until 8 p.m. on Friday. Banker said another wave of firefighters are expected Friday night and over the weekend.

Firefighters left today from Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Holley, Lyndonville, Shelby and Ridgeway.

Barre, Holley and Shelby also sent fire engines, and Albion, Clarendon and Lyndonville took off-road vehicles with tracks to maneuver in the high snow.

ALBION – Orleans County is assembling teams of firefighters to head to the Buffalo area to check on residents and respond to other fire and emergency calls.

Firefighters will gather at the Civil Defense Center at 3:30 p.m. today to get their instructions. Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director, expects 24 to 30 firefighters to be sent to Erie County. They are expected to arrive around 5 p.m. and stay until 8 p.m. on Friday.

They will take three off-road vehicles and three fire engines. Firefighters are going from Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Holley, Shelby and Ridgeway.

Additional firefighters from the county may be sent Friday night and over the weekend, Banker said. The weekend duty could include pumping basements because temperatures are forecast to be well above freezing, leading to big snow melts.

Fourteen firefighters from the county have already been to Lackawanna. They checked on stranded motorists and transported them to a shelter. Three firefighters – Albion Fire Chief Rocky Sidari, Calrton Fire Chief Andrew Niederhofer and Albion firefighter Stan Farone – nearly delivered a baby in the Albion fire chief’s truck. They were able to get the mother to Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo just in time before the birth, Sidari said.

Some Erie County communities received 5 to 6 feet of snow on Tuesday, with another 2 feet falling today. Sidari said he was shocked to see the big walls of snow.

“The pictures don’t do it justice,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m just dumbfounded.”

Photos courtesy of Rocky Sidari

Firefighters from Orleans County have used all-terrain four-wheelers to check on stranded motorists in Lackawanna. Firefighters have been transporting some of the motorists, who were stranded in their cars for more than 16 hours.

They took the motorists to a fire hall in Lackawanna. One person, a diabetic, was transported by firefighters and would later have to be taken by ambulance for medical treatment, said Albion Fire Chief Rocky Sidari.

It took firefighters from Orleans County 1 ½ hours to drive 9 miles from Cheektowaga to Lackawanna last night. Erie County has been in a state of emergency due a monstrous storm that dropped about 5 feet of snow.

Firefighters aren’t sure how long they will be assisting in Erie County.

“Thankfully it has stopped snowing,” Albion Fire Chief Rocky Sidari said this morning at about 7.

But another storm is due to hit the Buffalo area tonight and Thursday.

Firefighters from four fire companies in Orleans County are assisting in the snow-battered Buffalo area. They brought along a snowmobile and three off-road four-wheelers.

The Albion Fire Department is providing the snowmobile, an off-road vehicle and seven firefighters. Two Carlton firefighters have volunteered, as well as two from Clarendon and three from Lyndonville. Clarendon and Lyndonville also brought off-road four-wheelers.

Carlton Fire Chief Andrew Niederhofer is among the local firefighters in Lackawanna, checking on stranded motorists. He is pictured inside a vehicle with a wall of snow outside.

Albion, Carlton, Clarendon and Lyndonville all send help

Firefighters from four fire companies in Orleans County have arrived in Cheektowaga to help residents and motorists that have been inundated with snow.

There are 14 firefighters from Orleans County that will spend the next 24 to 48 hours in the Buffalo area, said Rocky Sidari, Albion fire chief. They brought along a snowmobile and three off-road four-wheelers.

The Albion Fire Department is providing the snowmobile, an off-road vehicle and seven firefighters. Two Carlton firefighters have volunteered, as well as two from Clarendon and three from Lyndonville. Clarendon and Lyndonville also are bringing off-road four-wheelers.

The National Guard also has been activated to help with the storm response. The National Guard will send 150 soldiers and airmen, seven Bobcats, 10 dump trucks, and five Humvees, according to Channel 4 in Buffalo.

Companies are due to submit proposals by Dec. 19

Government officials in Orleans County have talked for years about a lack of Internet access in parts of the county. It hurts students, farms and other businesses, putting them at a competitive disadvantage in an increasingly wired world.

Industry leaders would say 97 percent of the county was covered, but town and county officials sensed it was lower.

Now there is data that identifies 3,600 households without access to the Internet. Out of about 20,000 households in the county that represents 18 percent of homes without Internet.

The four villages – Albion, Holley Lyndonville and Medina – have 100 percent access. But out in the country it’s a different story.

“There are entire segments of roads with no access,” said Evhen Tupis from BPGreene.

His firm is working with Orleans and seven towns in Niagara County on a Broadband Internet initiative.

The communities completed a study to determine how many houses do not have access, and also compiled a vertical asset inventory, which includes water towers, barns, buildings and other structures that could serve as transmission points.

The counties put out a request for proposals to Internet providers to serve the unserved areas, and those proposals are due Dec. 19. Tupis said it will take time to analyze the proposals.

The project is being spearheaded through the Orleans Land Restoration Corporation, which operates under the Orleans Economic Development Agency umbrella.

The data and proposals could be used as part of grant or other funding application.

Tupis said some of the $2 billion approved for schools in a recent ballot proposition could be used. He has sent letters to the five districts in Orleans County, urging them to set aside some of the technology funds through the state program to boost “connectivity” at the school districts.

He is hopeful there will be lots of interest from Internet service providers to boost the service in underserved areas of the two counties.

“The RFPs should determine how much money is needed,” he said.

Photo provided by GCASA

KENDALL – Kendall students and school counselor Mirjam Bauer are pictured last Thursday inside the Crosby’s store in Kendall. Students placed stickers on alcohol at the store.

Medina students are scheduled to do the same with Medina area stores on Friday, and Albion youth will be hitting the stores in Albion, Holley and Clarendon area on Saturday.

The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse began Project Sticker Shock in 2008 to combat the sale of alcohol to minors in Orleans County. The basic concept involves local students from the five school districts placing orange stickers on a variety of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores, convenient stores and gas stations.

“This community awareness campaign is intended to address youth access to alcohol and community norms that support not providing alcohol to minors,” said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.

These stickers warn purchasers of the ramifications of buying and distributing alcohol to minors.

“The sticker’s bright orange color immediately draws the purchaser’s attention to its warning stating ‘Know The Law,'” Crowley said.

With the assistance of GCASA staff, school students, teachers and local stores thousands of stickers have been placed on alcoholic beverages.

Julie Berry praises upbringing and education in Medina

Photos by Tom Rivers

It’s been a busy day for Julie Berry in her return to Orleans County. She led writing workshops and assemblies at Medina Central School earlier in the day, before heading to Albion for a book talk and signing at 3 p.m. at the Hoag Library.

She was back in Medina at 6:30 for another book event at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Berry, a 1991 Medina graduate, is pictured in her event at the Hoag Library. She is promoting her eighth book, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. That book follows the 2013 Viking release of her highly acclaimed YA novel, All the Truth That’s In Me.

“Loving stories is part of being human,” Berry told a Hoag crowd of about 25 people. “One of the things that distinguishes us from animals is we are a storytelling species.”

Berry shared some of her secrets to a good story: suffering and an underdog.

She develops characters who overcome struggles and challenges. She gives them friends and they are often outnumbered.

“Make them the underdog and pile on the enemies,” she said.

Berry reads from her latest novel, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place.

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place from Roaring Brook Press is a farcical Victorian murder mystery for ages 10 to 14. It tells the story of seven proper schoolgirls in a Victorian finishing school, who bury their dead headmistress in the back yard after she is mysteriously poisoned at Sunday dinner. To avoid being sent home, they carry on as if nothing is amiss. Deception, danger and mayhem abound in this rollicking middle-grade romp.

Berry said she was at a lecture when she heard the phrase “a regiment of maidens.” She thinks people think of maidens as being innocent. In her novel, they try to solve a murder.

“What’s important is coming up with stories that keep people moving the pages,” she said.

Berry said she is grateful for her upbringing on a farm in Medina and for her education by dedicated teachers.

“I had a phenomenal education in Medina,” she said. “I had teachers who cared. I had programs and resources available to me.”

Julie Berry said she enjoys coming back to Orleans County, calling it “a magical place.”

Berry lived in the Boston area for about a decade before moving to the Los Angeles area with her husband and four sons. She welcomes the chance to come to her hometown.

“Orleans County is a magical place for me because of all of my memories of the countryside,” she said.

She told the Albion group, which included many teen-agers, she has been fortunate to have a husband who encouraged her to pursue writing, even when there were “a lot of failures and disappointments.”

“I hope for each of you there is someplace where there are people who believe in you,” she said. “My husband believed in me and cared about me. I’m so grateful I listened to my family and husband.”

For more on Julie Berry, click here.

Without nursing home, total spending down 20%

ALBION – Orleans County property owners will pay less in county taxes next year, according to a county budget proposal that for the first time doesn’t include the nursing home.

The sale is expected to close soon after Jan. 1. The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center is being sold for $7.8 million to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC.

That will take 98 full-time and 64 part-time employees off the public payroll. It will also save the county a projected $1.5 million subsidy for the nursing home in 2015.

County residents will see the tax rate fall by 22 cents, from $10.11 to $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.

If the county didn’t sell the nursing home, Legislature Chairman David Callard said property owners would have faced a 50-cent increase in the tax rate in 2015.

The Legislature will use some of the projected savings from the nursing home to boost some member agencies and also beef up infrastructure work, including replacing bridges and culverts.

“I believe this budget is one of the finest budgets the Legislature has prepared in a number of years,” Callard said during this afternoon’s Legislature meeting.

Overall spending would drop 19.4 percent from $79,786,629 to $65,015,266. The county’s tax levy, what it collects in taxes from property owners, would drop by 1.5 percent from $16,441,366 to $16,209,165.

This is the tentative budget as submitted by Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer. Residents can comment on the plan during a public hearing at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Orleans County Courthouse.

The budget increases the county allocation to the Orleans County Economic Development Agency from $150,000 to $170,000, the Soil and Water Conservation District from $57,750 to $75,000, the share to the Cornell Cooperative Extension from $219,500 to $225,000, Genesee-Orleans Regional Council on the Arts from $1,000 to $3,000, and the Sportsmen Federation from $500 to $1,000. The four public libraries will remain at a collective $10,000 from the county, according to the budget proposal.

ALBION – Orleans Hub has new calendars for 2015 that showcase the four seasons in Orleans County. The cover photo shows Marisa Hanlon of Kendall riding her horse at the 4-H Fairgrounds while the sun was setting during the fair this past July.

That is one of 25 images in the calendar (two for each month plus the cover image).
The calendars are $10. They are available at the Lake Country Pennysaver, 170 North Main St., Albion. The office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 to 3:30.

They are also available at Main Street TV & Appliance Sales at 430 Main St. in Medina.

Orleans Hub can mail these as well with an additional charge for shipping. For more information on that, call the office at 585-589-5641.