Press Release, United Way of Orleans County

MEDINA United Way of Orleans County is again accepting applications from new non-profit agencies.

“United Way has great momentum right now,” said Marsha Rivers, who started as executive director Sept. 22. “Since the merger of our eastern and western chapters, our organization is stronger than ever, which means more giving power to help more agency programs, which in turn improve and enrich the community in so many ways. It’s a wonderful time to be part of all this.”

Rivers spoke after her first United Way Board meeting Wednesday night. It was the final meeting for outgoing Executive Director Lisa Ireland, who accepted a position as an Advancement Officer at Rochester Institute of Technology.

United Way, which currently funds programs of 20 agencies in the county, has opened the allocations process to new agencies for the past two years.

Any 501(c)3 agency is welcome to apply for funding by contacting Rivers at 585-355-7373 or mrivers@orleansunitedway.org.

New agencies must be prepared to undergo an extensive review process of the last five years, including budgets and program outcomes. Grant applications are due to the United Way office, 534 Main St., Medina, no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 7.

This year’s United Way fundraising goal will be announced at a kick-off celebration on Thursday at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Route 104. About 60 attendees are expected, representing the agricultural, corporate, educational, health, non-profit and public sectors.

ALBION – In Orleans County, the costs for providing attorneys for poor residents has increased from a budgeted $493,983 in 2011 to $586,713 projected for this year.

State-wide other counties are seeing increases in the costs for legal services for the poor. Altogether, 57 counties outside New York City will spend about $175 for indigent legal services, with the state paying $35 million, said Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties.

In many other states, the cost is borne solely by the state. During its annual meeting last week, NYSAC leaders called on NY officials to have the state assume the full costs of indigent representation.

“Counties do the best they can to ensure that justice is carried out,” Acquario said. “The tax cap and other state mandated programs make it difficult for additional local resources to be added to this program from the local level. This is a state responsibility and the state should provide enhanced aid to ensure proper representation is afforded to all.”

The state and five counties have been sued in a class-action lawsuit, Hurrell-Harring et. al. v. State of New York, where plaintiffs accuse the state and five counties for inadequately representing the poor accused of crimes in the state.

The plaintiffs are seeking changes to the indigent defense system, Including a cap on caseloads for public defenders and uniform first arraignment counsel rights.

“The United States Supreme Court has made it clear that this is a state constitutional responsibility,” Acquario said.

He cited a Supreme Court decision in the 1960s, Gideon vs. Wainwright, that the right to counsel is fundamental in the United States, and that the states are responsible for providing lawyers for those who are unable to afford them.

However, in 1965 the state shifted the financial responsibility to counties, Acquario said, to the level where more than 80 percent of the costs is now on county taxpayers.

Press release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBION – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) is holding a series of four town hall meetings for Orleans County constituents this Saturday.

Hawley invites his constituents to ask questions about any state or local issue that concerns them. Hawley frequently holds town halls across his district to make sure that the people his represents have as much access to him as possible and to give them the opportunity to provide their input of the direction of the area.

“One of my responsibilities as an elected official is to keep my constituents informed on state and local issues that affect them,” Hawley said. “These town halls are one way to do that. I invite every one of my constituents to come out and discuss whatever is on their minds. I am here to listen and work with them to make Western New York a great place to live and work.”

The schedule for the town hall events includes:

9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Ridgeway Town Hall, 410 W. Ave., Medina;

10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at Carlton Town Hall, 14341 Waterport-Carlton Rd.;

11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Albion Town Hall,3665 Clarendon Rd.;

1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. at Murray Town Hall, 3840 Fancher Rd., Holley.

ALBION – A federal grant will provide funding over the next five years to help prevent youth substance abuse in Orleans County.

The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse was awarded funding from The Drug Free Communities Support Program. GCASA previously received a grant to target substance abuse for children in grades 6 through 12. But that five-year grant expired last year and the GCASA’s grant wasn’t renewed.

The agency applied again and was notified on Sept. 19 that its funding is back for another five-year cycle, said Patricia Crowley, project director for the Orleans County United Against Substance Abuse Coalition.

“With increased funding for five years through the Drug Free Communities grant, continuing communication with the community and key organizations and leaders, the Coalition is well-placed to generate meaningful and lasting change in the community in order to solve its youth substance use problem,” Crowley said.

The grant will pay for staff, prevention programs, surveys of students on their drug activities and attitudes, and support other Coalition activities. Crowley said the Coalition, which formed in 2003, has stayed together the past year and intends to be sustainable after the grant expires in five years.

The Coalition has about 100 community members. The group has targeted alcohol, drug and tobacco use by youths, but Crowley said other substances are out in community, including prescription narcotics, that could entice teens.

“It’s constantly changing,” she said. “Who knows what will be out there in 2 to 3 years.”

To learn more about Orleans County United Against Substance Abuse Coalition, contact Crowley at 585-331-8732 or email pcrowley@gcasa.org.

Legislature also weighs expanding senior tax exemptions

ALBION – The new Orleans County tax bills that come out in January will no longer list taxpayer costs for the nursing home, state-mandated programs and other general services.

The Legislature voted last week to go back to one line item for the tax bills. The break-out was confusing to residents, said Legislator Lynne Johnson.

The county also expects to close on the sale of the nursing home by the end of the year, meaning there shouldn’t be county taxpayer subsidies for The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in the future.

The Legislature in 2011 voted to have “Truth in Taxation” on the tax bills, trying to highlight key cost drivers in the county tax bill. Legislators say they will continue to raise awareness on the impact of state mandated programs on the county budget. State programs such as Medicaid, indigent defense and several others account for more than the county’s total tax levy of about $15 million.

The Legislature also is considering expanding the tax discounts for lower-income senior citizens. Seniors who earn less than $19,200 are eligible for discounts on their county taxes. That level hasn’t been changed since 2007. The new level would be increased by $2,000.

The Legislature held a public hearing on the issue last Wednesday and set a second hearing for 4:25 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Paul Lauricella, vice chairman of the Orleans County Conservative Party, said the county should work to giving every resident a tax break, not just a select group.

“I feel for the seniors,” Lauricella said during the public hearing. “But when you do these target groups everybody else pays the difference.”

Right now the county offers 50 percent off for seniors with household incomes up to $13,500. The sliding scale exemption drops to 20 percent off for seniors with annual incomes between $18,300 and $19,199. It’s 0 percent for seniors with incomes at $19,200 or above.

The new proposed schedule includes the following percentage exemptions:

50 percent off for incomes up to $15,500
45 percent off for incomes between $15,500 and $16,499
40 percent between $16,500 and $17,499
35 percent between $17,500 and $18,499
30 percent between $18,500 and $19,399
25 percent between $19,400 and $20,299
20 percent between $20,300 and $21,199
0 percent after $21,200

ALBION – A 40-year-old inmate in the Orleans County Jail was found dead today, Sheriff Scott Hess said.

Juan Muriel-Gonzalez from the Bronx was found dead in his cell by corrections officers after he failed to respond to the lunchtime chow call, Hess said.

There were no immediate signs of foul play. Muriel-Gonzalez was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester for autopsy. The Sheriff’s Department, Medical Examiner and the New York State Commission of Correction will be investigating the death, Hess said.

Muriel-Gonzalez had been incarcerated since June following his arrest for promoting prison contraband in the first degree. He pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree during an Aug. 24 court appearance, when he admitted to mailing prescription narcotics to his ex-wife, an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility.

Gonzalez faced a maximum sentence of 2 1/2 years in state prison. He was to be sentenced on Nov. 17.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature was presented an official 9-11 flag on Wednesday from Larry Montello, commander of Medina’s Butts-Clark American Legion and also the coordinator of 9-11 memorial events in Orleans County.

The flag given to the Legislature was the first one to fly in front of the courthouse about four years ago. Montello, left, presented the flag to David Callard, Orleans County Legislature chairman.

Montello thanked the county for supporting a 9-11 memorial near the flagpole in front of the courthouse. Callard commended Montello for heading the memorial events every 9-11.

ALBION – People wondering what it’s like to live in poverty, and face the fears and frustrations for parents struggling to make ends meet, are invited to a poverty simulation next Friday.

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee will host the event on Oct. 3 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Batavia First United Methodist Church. The agency is hosting the event for the first time to try to raise awareness for poverty issues, said Ed Fancher, Community Action director.

At the simulation participants will assume the role of a low-income family member living on a limited budget. The experience is divided into four 15-minute sessions, each of which represents one week in which participants must provide for their family and maintain their home.

In the two rural counties alone, there are about 12,700 people (including over 4,000 children) who live below the poverty line, Fancher said.

“We think this will be a good way to have a conversation about poverty,” Fancher said about the simulation.

Local poverty is most concentrated in the villages of Albion and Medina, and the city of Batavia, Fancher said.

About 50 people have already signed up for the poverty simulation. Fancher welcomes more participation, including from elected officials. People interested in the simulation, should call 589-5605 and ask for Fancher or Nathan Varland, director of Housing and Support Services for the agency.

Community Agency will follow the simulation with a poverty awareness dinner at Batavia Downs on Oct. 3.

Nationally, Orleans ranks more in middle of pack

File photo by Tom Rivers – A study that measures household income, unemployment, obesity rates and other factors says Orleans County ranks in the bottom half of the country.

A study that looks at 3,135 counties across the United States puts Orleans County below average at 1,894 based on a ranking of quality of life issues.

However, when comparing counties in New York State, Orleans would be the sixth hardest to live out of 62 counties.

The New York Times used six criteria for determining the rankings for an article called, “Where Are the Hardest Places to Live in the U.S.?”

The report is based on ranking the median household income ($50,113 in Orleans), education or percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree (15.8 percent in Orleans), unemployment rate (10.4 percent), disability rate (1.3 percent), life expectancy (78.3 years) and obesity (41 percent).

In New York state, five counties ranked worse than Orleans, including Fulton County (ranked 1,992), St. Lawrence (2,048), Oswego (2,052), Cattaraugus (2,064) and Montgomery (2,149).

In Montgomery, the median household income is $42,830, more than $7,000 less than in Orleans. Montgomery tops Orleans with a 16.1 percent college educate rate, ties with a 10.4 percent unemployment rate, has a higher disability rate (2.1 percent), a similar life expectancy at 78 years and a slightly lower obesity rate at 39 percent.

The upstate counties that are in the worse shape or considered the hardest places to live are a long ways from the bottom of the heap nationally. Consider Breathitt County in Kentucky, ranked 3,129 of 3,135 overall. That county has a median household income of 23,049, a college education rate of 10.2 percent, an 11.9 percent unemployment rate, 11.5 percent of adults on disability, a life expectancy of 71.4 and an obesity rate of 47 percent.

Six counties in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky are among the 10 hardest places to live in the country, according to the report.

Six of the top 10 counties are in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. New York state has six counties in the top 200, including Tompkins at 170, Saratoga at 129, Westchester at 98, Rockland at 96, Putnam at 66 and Nassau at 63.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Before the United States launched air strikes tonight against ISIS in Syria, a few people held a peaceful protest at the edge of the Courthouse Lawn near Main Street this afternoon.

Diana Dudley, top photo, holds up a sign stating her feelings about the military intervention.

Dennis Seekins also held a sign against the military involvement. Lee Richards (right), pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church and his wife Louise Wu also joined the demonstrators.

The U.S. military launched air strikes against the Islamic State in the northeastern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s self-declared capital. The U.S. was planning to attack as many as 20 Islamic State targets in the operation, according to the Associated Press.

ALBION – The three-person local development corporation that was formed to sell the county-owned nursing home will meet Thursday for the first time since Feb. 6, the day the nursing home was sold to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC for $7.8 million.

The sale isn’t final until the state Department of Health gives the final OK. That is expected before Dec. 31, said Russell Martino, chairman of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation.

The County Legislature voted in 2012 to transfer the nursing home, The Villages of Orleans, to the Health Facilities Corporation. That group then worked with a firm, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago, that specializes in nursing home sales.

The LDC board of Russell Martino, Richard DeCarlo Sr. and Richard Moy on Feb. 6 accepted the $7.8 million bid from of Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC. That company also recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo.

The $7.8 million will more than offset the remaining debt following a renovation of the nursing home about five years ago. County officials also say the sale will relieve the county from taxpayer subsidies for the operating deficits at the site, deficits officials feared would grow to $2 million or more annually.

The public meeting Thursday will be at the at Health Department’s building, 14012 Route 31 West. The meeting starts at 1:30 p.m.

“This is just to catch up on where we are,” Martino said about the meeting.

The Orleans County Democratic Committee is keeping its leadership team. The Democrats met on Wednesday and re-elected Jeanne Crane to serve as the party chairwoman.

Other leaders, all re-elected unanimously, include: Tracy Jennings, vice chairwoman; David Green, vice chairman; Agnes Recco, secretary; Sandra Walter, treasurer; and Janice Grabowski, elections commissioner.

The Democratic Committee is looking for members for town committees in Ridgeway, Yates and Murray.

The group also will be seeking candidates for next year’s town and county elections.

Marsha Rivers

Press release, United Way of Orleans County

MEDINA – The United Way of Orleans County has named Marsha Rivers as its new executive director. Rivers will replace Lisa Ireland, who in recent years led the merger of the Eastern and Western Orleans United Way chapters and successfully ran multiple fundraising campaigns.

Ireland is headed to the Rochester Institute of Technology to serve as the director of donor relations and stewardship within the Division of Development and Alumni Relations.

Rivers, a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, brings 18 years of communication and fundraising experience to the United Way.

After serving her alma mater for 12 years in admissions, alumni relations, marketing and public relations roles, Rivers returned to work in Orleans County, serving as executive director of the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans and, through the end of September, development director for Hospice of Orleans.

“In Marsha, we have found a well-qualified professional and also a person who is passionate about Orleans County,” said Bill Hungerford, United Way Board chairman. “She’s the perfect fit for the job.”

Hungerford continued by thanking Lisa for her terrific service. “Lisa was a great leader for us the last three years. She brought her passion, energy, enthusiasm and empathy to the underserved in Orleans County. We thank Lisa for her support, leadership, and guidance over the past years and wish her the best as she continues her professional career at RIT.”

Rivers has also served as president of the Human Services Council of Orleans County and is an active volunteer at the Villages of Orleans.

She starts her United Way tenure at a busy time, as the annual campaign begins Oct. 9. Last year, UW set out to raise $325,000 in support of more than 20 local agencies, including the Arc of Orleans, Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, Christ Church Community Kitchen, and YMCA and many others. This year’s goal will be announced at the kickoff event next month.

Photos by Sue Cook – Anni Skowneski takes the plunge first as ice water is dumped over her head.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

ALBION – In the last few months, people worldwide have been doing the Ice Bucket Challenge and today Community Action in Orleans County got in on the action.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a viral marketing campaign for the ALS Association to raise awareness of ALS, a lethal neurodegenerative disorder also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The challenge involves a person filling up a bucket with ice water, they get someone to film them, then they challenge other people to do it followed by dumping the water over their head. A person can opt out by donating money.

It’s become very popular to make a video of the challenge and still donate money to the cause. Several celebrities have joined in the challenge including Liam Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. As of Friday, the ALS Association has raised $112.4 million dollars which will go toward patient care and research.

“We had this brainstorm that we would gather as many staff together as possible to do this Ice Bucket Challenge,” said Annette Finch, director of community services for Community Action. “We felt that being in the community and being community-minded, we should do something for another charity.”

Theresa Price reacts after the ice bucket is dumped on her head.

On a chilly Saturday morning 10 employees from Community Action in Albion took the challenge together. (Click here to see the video.) The group challenged all other Orleans County transportation services to do do it, too, and lined up in front of a Community Action bus during the challenge to drive the point home.

“This is just to show awareness of ALS and how severe it can be,” said Theresa Price, a Head Start employee. “A couple years ago I didn’t know what it was until I did a walk with my niece. She explained it to me and what it is. This is to show awareness and get it out there how serious this is.”

Community Action will be making a donation to ALS through the Community Action Angels in Action fund in the near future, though they have not determined an amount yet. Many of the participants will also donate on their own as well.

“I’m very proud of the staff for coming out on a cold, rainy Saturday to do this for charity,” Finch said. “That’s what we’re all about here.”

The group raises their arms and lets out a victory cry after completing the challenge together.

Photos by Tom Rivers

Tammy Yaskulski, the branch manager for Five Star Bank in Medina, paints the dining hall at Christ Church in Albion. The church hosts the community kitchen every Friday, providing hundreds of meals.

Yaskulski was one of nine members of the Albion Rotary Club doing service projects in the United Way’s Day of Caring. Rotarians were also doing yard work and projects at Community Action and Head Start.

“I want to help the community,” Yaskulski said.

Employees at Baxter Healthcare in Medina and CRFS in Albion also helped paint the dining hall and kitchen at Christ Church. Sandra Walter, a CRFS employee, paints a wall in the dining hall.

“It is Sept. 11 and I can’t think of a better way to honor those people, the firefighters and police officers, than to come out and give back,” Walter said.

In this photo, Missy Gibbs, right, from CRFS and Sherry Quazi from Baxter paint inside the dining hall at Christ Church.

Provided photo – Lisa Tombari and Madhusharee Gnanasambandan, both employees at Baxter Healthcare, work on a landscaping project outside the Marshall Road residence for the Arc of Orleans County.

About 50 volunteers were out doing service projects through the “Day of Caring” by the Orleans County United Way. This is the second annual Day of Caring with the event scheduled on Sept. 11.

Volunteers also worked on projects at Camp Rainbow in Ridgeway, the Hamilton Street residence for The Arc, the Stork Street residence for The Arc, the day hab site for The Arc at the former Grammar School in Albion, Hospice of Orleans in Albion, a Habitat home in Medina, and the Cooperative Extension fairgrounds.