‘Mural Mania’ leader wants murals in every canal town

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County’s canal towns already have many murals, including eight in Holley on an octagonal building by the Canal Park and lift bridge. Artist Stacey Kirby created these murals called Treasures of Holley. They were unveiled in the spring 2010.

An international conference focusing on the power of murals to beautify and educate will be in the Rochester region in 2016, and the leader of the local effort wants to see more murals in canal communities.

Mark Decracker, founder of Mural Mania, has spearheaded many murals in the Wayne County area. He pushed to bring the Global Mural Conference to the Rochester area in 2016. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced the international will be coming to highlight public art along the canal.

Decracker said there are now murals in every canal community for 75 miles heading east of Rochester from Macedon to Syracuse. He would like to see at least one mural in every canal community – all 363 miles of the canal – within two years.

“You can take an unsightly area and turn it around,” Decracker said. “People will come to see a corridor of art.”

Provided photo – Arthur Barnes is pictured next to a 10-foot-long mural he installed in January at the corner of Presbyterian and Knowlesville roads at a former fire station. The mural highlights the nearby Widewaters section of the canal.

Photo courtesy of Mural Mania – This mural highlights the Battle of Sodus. It is one of several historical-themed murals in Wayne County.

Decracker is working to create an inventory of all of the public art along the canal trail. He also wants to encourage communities to add more. The conference can provide a goal to get the projects done by 2016, but Decracker said the murals will be a benefit long after the conference.

“We should do anything we can to improve the space,” he said. “Murals have a proven track record. They promote our heritage. They are a place to learn. Tourists will also stay longer if they can learn about local history.”

Decracker pushed for his first mural in 2007 in the village of Lyons. The community continues to embrace the projects and more towns reach out to him for help with projects.

“It’s a new renaissance along the canal,” he said. “We are filling in the gaps pretty quick. We can really make this place (the Canal Corridor) pretty special.”

Gillibrand held a press conference with Decracker on Aug. 11, announcing her support for the region to host the murals conference. A week later, an official announcement was made that the conference would be coming to the Rochester area.

“This is great news for the Finger Lakes Region and for everyone along the Erie Canal Corridor,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “This convention will bring welcome attention to the wealth of murals along the Erie Canal, as well as highlight everything that the region has to offer. It will bring together international, national, and local artists and give greater visibility to the talented artists in the area. The conference will encourage community discussion about how the arts can help to narrate the story of the Erie Canal and showcase our history in unique ways.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Suzanne Wells, a retired Albion art teacher, created this Erie Canal-themed bench for downtown Albion. It is one of 10 benches painted as murals in Albion.

Decracker would like to work with schools to create individual art pieces that could be included in a larger mosaic. He would like that collective piece to then be showcased along the canal in a traveling boat.

Gordon Prestoungrange, president of the Global Mural Conference, said Decracker and Mural Mania put on a compelling presentation, convincing the conference leaders to come to the canal communities.

“This location was chosen because we wanted to learn about all that this region has to offer, and we are excited to aid in the revitalization of the canal corridor,” he said. “The Global Mural Conference will bring enthusiasm about the arts to Western New York and inspire even greater creativity in the area in the future.”

For more information, click here to see the web site for Mural Mania.

Provided Photo

Several sports celebrities joined the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern in raising money for the agency during its golf tournament last month at the Batavia Country Club.

In this photo, Roosevelt Bouie, left, is pictured with two former wide receivers for the Buffalo Bills, Lou Piccone and Ed Rutkowski. Bouie starred on the basketball court for Kendall High School, Syracuse University and then in pro leagues overseas.

About 50 people played in the tournament and raised about $1,000 for the agency. The Ministry of Concern is selling raffle tickets for the Nov. 9 Bills game against the Chiefs as well as for a chance to win a football signed by members of the 1995 Bills team. Call 589-9210 for more information.

‘Teaching Is The Core’ to strengthen assessment practices

Press release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – The Orleans/Niagara BOCES has been approved for a $400,000 grant from the State Education Department for the “Teaching is the Core” initiative, said Dr. Clark Godshall, BOCES Superintendent.

The grant, funded through New York’s Federal Race to the Top grant, will support the 13 component school districts and the BOCES in their efforts to eliminate locally adopted tests that do not contribute to teaching and learning. In addition, the funds will help the districts identify and improve high-quality assessments already in use that can be included as a component of multiple measures of student learning and school and educator effectiveness.

“The recent outcry over too many school assessments belies the need for quality assessments that are an integral part of teaching and learning,” Godshall said. “While tests provide useful feedback to teachers, parents and students, they must be of high quality and informative.”

Some of the tests do not always support good instruction and sometimes even crowd out time for student learning, Godshall said.

“Testing should be the minimum necessary to inform effective decision-making in classrooms, schools and districts,” he said. “This grant will help reduce non-essential local testing in our region. And, more important, they’ll help teachers teach more and test less, which is exactly what our students need.”

The grant will also support professional development throughout the districts to maintain educational excellence. Albion, Medina and Lyndonville are part of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

The “Teaching is the Core” funding will allow the 13 districts and BOCES to:

Determine which assessments support the instructional goals of the district;

Determine an appropriate action plan that will eliminate unnecessary assessments and increase the use of diverse and quality assessment;

Support the use of diversified assessment strategies by encouraging a review of local assessments currently in use for teacher evaluations (APPR); and

Establish a professional development program that will aid teachers in identifying high-quality assessments and improving assessment practices.

The second round of state standardized tests, which are aligned with Common Core Learning Standards, show that most local students are not meeting proficiency levels in the tests for grades 3 through 8.

State-wide only about a third of students are at proficiency levels for the math and English tests. The percentage of students who are proficient in math rose from 31.2 percent to 35.8 percent, according to test results released last week by the State Education Department.

The percentage for English Language Arts barely changed, with proficiency rates increasing from 31.3 percent to 31.4 percent, according to the state Education Department. Students who are proficient or higher score a 3 or 4 on the exams.

Here are the proficiency levels for each test in the five local districts in Orleans County:

Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin last February gave a lecture at GCC in Albion about Mount Albion Cemetery and the Civil War era’s obsession with death. Here he holds a memorial created for Major Gen. George Gordon Meade.

ALBION – The man who has been a caretaker of Orleans County’s history for more than 36 years will retire on Dec. 31. Bill Lattin said it’s time for someone else to step into the position.

Lattin has been highly visible in the role. He wrote a weekly column about local history for 35-plus years for The Journal-Register in Medina until the newspaper closed in May. He has been prolific for the Orleans Hub, writing Vintage Orleans features since we started in April 2013. He also has written several local history books.

He has given numerous lectures to service organizations, historical societies and school children. He has led numerous tours about local history, visiting cemeteries, churches and historic sites.

“It’s a smart person that knows when it’s time to step aside to let someone younger take over,” Lattin said today.

Lattin talks about Donna Rodden and the former Albion mayor’s efforts to preserve local history during a dedication for a historical marker on the courthouse lawn last summer. Rodden’s daughter, Chris Capurso, is second from back right.

He is willing to continue as a volunteer with tours and historical talks, but he said he doesn’t want to “tread on the new person’s toes.”

The part-time position pays $8,000. Lattin said his successor should be paid more, and should be outfitted with a computer and new technology to do the job. But he’ll leave that to the County Legislature.

Legislature Chairman David Callard said the position will be filled. The county will soon start the process of seeking a new historian. Callard said Lattin has been exemplary in the role for the county.

“He has been extraordinary,” Callard said. “He has gone above and beyond.”

Lattin stands in the First Presbyterian Church in Albion last December during a stained-glass window tour. This window was created by Henry Keck, an apprentice at the Tiffany studio until 1933, when he started his own company in Syracuse. This is an early work by Keck, created in 1934 as memorial to Ella Beckwith Kenney, a Sunday School teacher at the Presbyterian Church. Lattin said it’s one of his favorite windows in Orleans because of theme and striking colors. It shows a teacher and her two students.

Lattin had multiple roles when he was historian. He was curator and director at the Cobblestone Society Museum until retiring from that position three years ago. He also was a long-time Gaines Town Board member.

He is encouraged by the new co-directors at the museum. Both Sarah Karas and Matt Ballard have given the museum a new energy and direction.

“They’re doing great things,” Lattin said. “What they’re doing I didn’t know how to do or want to do.”

Lattin was recently honored by Friends of Hoag Library for his many lectures at the library. He also was named a “Heritage Hero” in April by Genesee Community College and Orleans Hub for a lifetime of working to preserve and promote the county’s history.

Orleans County will have its flags at half mast today in honor of Marcia Tuohey, a former county legislator who served 10 years as chairwoman of the Legislature. Tuohey died on Thursday.

She was committed to public service following her retirement from the Legislature on Dec. 31, 2005. She was a member of Medina’s Planning Board and was the county’s representative on the board of directors for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

She was the first woman elected as Medina mayor and also the first woman to serve on the County Legislature.

ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce invites its members to nominate businesses, organizations and individuals who have helped the local business community.

The Chamber has set a Friday deadline for nominations for awards in the following categories:

Business of the Year: This award is presented to a business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year. (Must be a Chamber member)

Lifetime Achievement: This award is presented to an individual with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements. (Must be a Chamber member)

Entrepreneurial Excellence: This award is presented to a company demonstrating a unique approach to business that has resulted in a strategic advantage in the marketplace through the use of cutting edge technology or other innovative methods. (Must be a Chamber member)

Phoenix Award: This award is presented to an organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility. (Must be a Chamber member)

New Business of the Year: This award is presented to a business or organization that has opened in the past year. (Does not need to be a Chamber member)

Community Service: This award is presented to a business, organization or individual that has provided meaningful contributions to the community in either professional or non-professional spheres. (Does not need to be a Chamber member)

The honorees will be recognized during an awards program in September. For more on the Chamber, click here.

Last year’s winners include:

Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Medina as Business of the Year, Hojack’s Bar & Grille in Carlton as New Business of the Year, OrleansHub.com for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Roger Andrews of Evans Ace Hardware with the Phoenix Award, GLOW YMCA in Medina for Community Service, Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse for Community Service, Jodi Gaines of Claims Recovery Financial Services for Lifetime Achievement, the late Judy Christopher of Albion for Lifetime Achievement, and Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension for Agricultural Business of the Year.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion firefighter Carmen Quatro is pictured on top of a fire truck while watching the fireworks on July 5 at Bullard Park.

Orleans Hub set a new record for overall pageviews in July with 444,389. That topped the previous record of set in June when there was 438,579.

The on-line news site started on April 2, 2013 and keeps growing. When we launched, my personal goal was to reach an average of 3,000 unique visitors each day. That was about the combined Orleans County circulation of the Medina Journal-Register and The Daily News.

But we’re well past 3,000. In July we averaged 4,641 unique visitors each day. That was down slightly from the June record 4,757, but a little drop-off was expected with less school news and high school sports. (Mike Wertman still finds a lot of local sports to write about even in the summer.)

Here are our Top 5 stories for July in terms of “clicks,” people who clicked on the headline or followed the story through Facebook or Twitter.

1. Man arrested after manhunt in Holley (July 14)

Photo by Tom Rivers – Emmeritt Massey sits in a chair in front of her garden on South Main Street on July 18 after a bullet just missed her earlier that day while she was tending to her flowers and vegetables.

2. Handgun recovered after shot fired in Medina (July 18)

3. Holley mourns Carmelo Rivera, who starred on the football team (July 8)

4. Medina police looking for assailant (July 19)

5. Police make arrest in July 18 gunshot in Medina (July 28)

She was first woman to serve as Medina mayor, County Legislature chairwoman

File photo – In this photo from May 2013, Marcia Tuohey is pictured in Albany with State Sen. George Maziarz when she was recognized as a “Woman of Distinction” by the State Senate.

MEDINA – Marcia Tuohey, the first woman to serve as Medina’s mayor and also as chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, died earlier today when she was found home by family.

Tuohey has been a prominent local leader for about four decades. She retired from the Legislature on Dec. 31, 2005, but didn’t stay idle. She represented the county on the board of directors for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. and was picked by her fellow board members to serve as their vice chairman.

She also has served on Medina’s Planning Board, and was vocal during the board’s meeting on Tuesday, which lasted nearly three hours.

“She was genuinely concerned about Orleans County,” said David Callard, the current Legislature chairman. “She was a true leader.”

Mrs. Tuohey served with style. She was known for her fashionable hats and outfits, and also for taking charge of a meeting.

“Even when she retired, she worked hard, often behind the scenes,” Callard said. “She had a very active life.”

While Legislature chairwoman, she pushed through a new fire training tower, a public safety building, renovations to the courthouse and Clerk’s Building, and upgrades to the Orleans County Marine Park. Mrs. Tuohey also was a cancer survivor, beating colorectal cancer about a decade ago.

In May 2013, she was invited to the state capitol to be recognized as a “Women of Distinction.”

“Marcia has been a mainstay in business and government in Orleans County for many years,” State Sen. George Maziarz said when Tuohey was recognized. “More that than though, she’s been a trailblazer for women who want to take an active role in improving their communities. She has worn many hats – literally and figuratively – but today our hats are off to her.”

Tuohey was first elected to the Medina Village Board in 1979. Prior to that she enjoyed an active business career in Medina for 30 years as the co-owner and operator of a nursing home, motel and restaurant, mobile home park, and rental properties. Her success can be attributed to a great aptitude for recognizing and meeting the needs of the community, and possessing a strong work ethic, Maziarz said.

In 1982, she was elected Medina mayor. She served in the high-profile post for eight years until being elected to the County Legislature in 1990, the first woman elected to the county board. After six years, she was picked by her peers on the seven-member body to serve as chairman of the Legislature from 1996. She stayed in the position for 10 years, the longest tenure of any Legislature chairman in county history.

Tuohey attended several of the recent Village Board meetings, giving her opinion about the possible dissolution of the village government. Tuohey suggested the Village Board make more cuts in the village budget to cut taxes.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Former Medina Mayor Marcia Tuohey attended a Village Board meeting in June and said village taxes could be reduced with more cuts in the village budget.

When Tuohey retired in December 2005 from the County Legislature, she was interviewed by The Daily News of Batavia.

She said she became involved in village government in 1979 when she was concerned about a proposed $10 million new sewer plant in Medina. She believed that was too much money. She helped the Village Board instead pursue a rehabilitation plan that upgraded the existing plant for $3 million.

She said she has tried to keep the taxpayers her focus in her 26 years of elected office, including as chairwoman of the Legislature.

She was asked in the interview what has been most rewarding about being an elected official.

“From my perspective, seeing things get done and accomplished, whether its programs or a new building or being involved with the development of an industrial park,” she told the newspaper. “My first loyalty has always been to the taxpayers. I believed in keeping taxes down. Take for instance last year (in 2005) they were lowered, even though the easiest thing would be to raise them. When no one shows up (at a hearing) you shouldn’t assume they are happy. We have a budget and programs should be funded, but not overfunded.”

Orleans Hub will have more on Marcia Tuohey in the coming days.

File photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans County Courthouse will be open for court on Wednesday after the building was treated by an exterminator.

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse will reopen on Wednesday after an exterminator sprayed the building following a flea infestation.

The building was closed on Monday and today, with court functions shifting to the Albion Village Hall today.

The 8th Judicial District, which oversees courts in Western New York, reports the courthouse will be open tomorrow.

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse is closed until Wednesday so the historic site can be rid of fleas.

The State Supreme, County and Surrogate Courts will remain closed Tuesday, with Family Court shifting to the Albion Village Hall, 35-37 East Bank St., The Daily News is reporting.

Remediation work started today after an infestation was discovered throughout the courthouse, The Daily News reported.

Photo by Tom Rivers – This sign promoting the Niagara Wine Trail is in Lockport. More of the signs are headed to Orleans and Monroe counties after the trail was expanded.

Orleans County wineries and business owners cheered a long-sought move last September when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation expanding the Niagara Wine rail through Orleans, all the way to Route 390 near Rochester.

Orleans officials and businesses expected the expanded wine trail would lead to more tourists and customers for Orleans wineries, farm markets, restaurants and other businesses.

It’s been nearly a year since the state expanded the trail, but a road-side sign is yet to go up in Orleans County, promoting the Niagara Wine Trail.

That should soon change, local winery owners said.

Paul Schwenk of Schwenk Wine Cellars of Kent is picking up Wine Trail signs next week that will go on Route 18, directing people to his winery on Bills Road. He will hand the signs off to the state Department of Transportation, which will install them.

“Let’s hope they are up by Labor Day, at the latest,” Schwenk said on Thursday.

Wendy Wilson of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina is also hopeful the signs will be along Route 104, promoting the Wine Trail. She worked on expanding the wine trail for several years.

Each of the signs needed a DOT permit. Wilson said about 100 new signs will be going up to promote the expanded trail.

The Niagara Wine Trail used run along Route 104 mostly in Niagara County. It reached into Orleans to include the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery near the western end of Ridgeway. But it couldn’t keep moving east, without a change in the state law.
Several groups, including the wine industry, tried for years to extend the wine trail.

The State Senate was the first to go for it, but the Assembly didn’t agree until last year. The state about three years ago approved funding for the signs.

This trail is expected to be a tourism boost for Western New York. It will stretch from Niagara Falls through Orleans and into Monroe County. It also will run south from the Falls area into Erie County.

The trail will run on Route 104 between the Ferry Avenue/Route 62 intersection in Niagara Falls and Route 390 in Monroe County. That will be known as “Niagara Wine Trail Ridge.”

The complement to the Ridge route is the “Niagara Wine Trail Lake,” which follows Route 269 north from its intersection with Route 104 at the Niagara-Orleans County Line to Route 18. It then runs west to Route 425, then south to Route 62 and along that route until its intersection with I-290 in Amherst.

Lisa Ireland is first director for merged Orleans agency

File photo by Tom Rivers – Lisa Ireland, executive director for the United Way of Orleans County, joins campaign chairman Charlie Nesbitt last Sept. 11 in unveiling the $325,000 fund-raising goal. Ireland served as the United Way executive director the past three years.

MEDINA She led two Orleans County United Way charters through a merger, helped the combined organization raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local agencies and spearheaded a “Day of Caring” on Sept. 11.

Lisa Ireland said it has been an honor to serve as executive director of the United Way of Orleans County the past three years. But she is leaving the position next month to take a job at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She will be working in the development office, raising money for scholarships.

The United Way in Orleans used to have Eastern Orleans and Western Orleans chapters. Now they are unified with an office in Medina. The United Way set a campaign goal last September to raise $325,000 for 20 different agencies.

“It’s an amazing, amazing job,” Ireland said. “With 20 agencies you see a whole variety of different work. You’re able to touch a lot of lives.”

The United Way is seeking a new director. Candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Bill Hungerford, board chairman at wgh@takeform.net. For more information on the position, click here to go to the United Way website.

Ireland said she will be available through the end of August to help with the transition to a new director. It’s a busy time for the agency as it plans for a new fund-raising campaign and also the Day of Caring on Sept. 11. On that day volunteers go out and work with many community service projects.

“We purposely chose Sept. 11 wanting to turn a day of tragedy into something positive,” Ireland said.

Ireland grew up in Albion and lives in Brockport. She was just elected president of the Board of Education in Brockport. Prior to the United Way, she was director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern and the development director of Hospice of Orleans.

“I’ve worked 12 years in human services in Orleans County,” she said. “It’s been such an honor to work with everyone in Orleans County.”

Provided photo – This undated photo, provided by Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin, shows the Courthouse Square in its pre-automobile days with hitching posts to tie up horses.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A hitching post will be installed sometime soon near the historical marker at the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn.

This hitching post is next to the home where Grace Bedell grew up on West State Street in Albion. Bedell is the girl who wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, encouraging him to grow a beard.

ALBION – The historic Courthouse Square will soon add an artifact from a bygone era.

The County Legislature has agreed to accept a hitching post from the Albion Main Street Alliance. The post will be added to the southeast corner of the courthouse lawn, likely in August, said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

The post will be located near a historical marker that was installed last July. That marker, with a log cabin logo, honors the pioneering spirit of Albion’s first residents. The marker recognizes William McAllister.

In December 1810, McAllister bought 368 acres in Albion, the east side of the village, from the Holland Land Company. The following year he built a log cabin where the current County Clerks’ Building stands next the county courthouse.

McAllister and his wife, known only in historical information as “Mrs. McAllister,” were Albion’s first settlers. The hitching post adds to that spirit of honoring the pioneers and early residents in the community. That was part of my message last week when I addressed the Legislature.

I showed them pictures of the many hitching posts and carriage steps in the community. I think Albion and Gaines have more of these survivors from the horse-and-buggy era than anywhere else. (I don’t think an inventory has ever been done to see which community has the most of these historical relics.)

Most of Albion’s hitching posts and carriage are on side streets. We don’t have too many along the state roads. AMSA is working with the village and now the county to have four hitching posts put back on Main Street. They will be set back off the state right of way. By having four in more prominent places on Main Street, we’ll be better able to promote the other sites that have hitching posts and carriage steps.

Many of them are in front of grand old houses from the 1800s or other historical sites, including the Cobblestone Society Museum and Mount Albion Cemetery.

I encouraged the Legislature to consider putting six to eight hitching posts along Main Street in front of the courthouse lawn, replicating the setup from the 1800s. I think we could find that many hitching posts or have them made.

I think the county could negotiate the placement with the state Department of Transportation, as long as the county assumes liability. I just wanted to put that idea out there for the county officials to mull over. For now I’m happy the Legislature will allow the one to go by the historical marker.