Press Release, Orleans County Treasurer Kim DeFrank
ALBION – The Orleans County Treasurer will be accepting school tax payments beginning Sept. 1 for Albion, Lyndonville and Medina school districts.
Payments can be made in person with cash or check or through the US mail by check. Office hours beginning Sept. 5 are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 34 East Park St., Albion.
The county treasurer this year is collecting the Albion school taxes for the first time.
Any questions regarding Albion, Lyndonville or Medina school tax bills, please contact the County Treasurer’s office at (585) 589-5353.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Emergency Management Office on West Countyhouse Road in Albion opened in 1962 as a bomb shelter. County officials want to build a new building that would be above ground with about twice the space.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2023 at 7:53 am
ALBION – The fire chiefs in Orleans County, as well as the Orleans County Fire Advisory Board, are urging county officials to keep working to replace the emergency management building on West Countyhouse Road.
That building opened in 1962 as a bomb shelter. It is mostly below ground. The site is about 8,000 square feet and lacks handicapped accessibility. County officials are eyeing a new building that would be about twice the space.
“The present facility is woefully outdated and incompatible with the needs of the Office of Emergency Management and the fire service of Orleans County,” wrote Allen Turner in an Aug. 16 letter. He is secretary/treasurer for the Fire Chiefs Association and secretary for the Fire Advisory Board.
“A proper building that is ADA compliant, technologically up-to-date and that allows for large group instruction is both necessary and long overdue,” Turner wrote.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was in Albion last Friday to present a $2 million check towards the project which is an estimated $12 million. The county is also seeking $2.4 million from the state towards a new building.
“We realize the cost is substantial but it is also necessary,” Turner wrote to county legislators. “The building built during the heart of the Cold War period is simply not amenable to the needs of 2023. Please do all in your power to make a new, modern facility a reality.”
The new building is planned to be about 17,000 feet. That includes about 11,000 square feet for offices and classrooms, and another 5,600 square feet for equipment storage.
The county’s backup dispatcher center would be there, as well as training space for firefighters and other first responders. There are three full-time employees that work out of the building as well as part-time fire investigators and fire coordinators. There is also space for ham operators to operate if the communications systems totally fail.
The $12 million preliminary price for the new project includes taking down two radio towers – one is 485 feet tall and the other is 225 feet – and replacing them with one tower that would be about 300 feet high. The old underground building would also be demolished as part of the project.
County officials are working with LaBella Associates to develop more detailed plans and designs for the facility.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announces a $2 million federal grant towards a new emergency management facility for Orleans County. She is shown on Aug. 17 speaking outside the current building.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2023 at 7:33 pm
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has extended a contract with sheriff’s deputies, allowing 2 percent raises annually from 2024 to 2026.
The agreement include 24 members in the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. The contract includes changes in the steps.
The deputies had a hiring step which was below a step 1 and went up to step 6, said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer.
“We still have a hiring step but now there are four steps,” Welch said. “The current deputies at the highest step will be placed in step 3 for 2023 and step 4 for 2024.”
The sergeants’ grade and the lieutenants’ grade each had seven steps, but now of these grades have four steps, he said.
“The employees in step 7 will go to the new step 4 for 2023 and remain in step 4 for 2024,” Welch said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2023 at 11:28 am
County Legislator Don Allport
ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Don Allport, R-Gaines, would like to see the sales tax rate in the county drop by a penny, from 8 to 7 cents.
Allport said residents have felt the squeeze in their pocketbooks from soaring inflation. Reducing the sales tax by a penny would add up in a big way for many residents and businesses, Allport said during Tuesday’s County Legislature meeting.
The state and county each take in 4 cents for every taxable dollar. Those 4 cents added up to $22.5 million for Orleans County in 2022, with about $1.3 million of that distributed to the 10 towns and four villages.
The county used to get 3 cents, but raised it to 4 cents on June 1, 1993. The county needs State Legislature permission every two years to keep the 4-cent tax.
That extra penny translates to about $5.6 million. Without that, the county would face a steep property tax increase or would have to significantly scale back services, other county legislators said.
Allport cast the lone vote against seeking to keep the local sales tax rate at 4 cents.
“If we were allowed to go back to 3 percent that would put $5 million back into the economy,” Allport said. “We should be lowering taxes on the economy.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored businesses and residents during an annual awards dinner on Oct. 20, 2022 at the White Birch in Lyndonville. Pictured, front, from left: Brad, Ken, Gregg and Elizabeth Rush from Rush’s Farm Market, Agricultural Business of the Year; Faith Smith, director of Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, Chamber’s Community Service award; Anthony Tardibone and Bryan Hazel, owners of Roadies Pizzeria & Sports Bar, Small Business of the Year. Second row: Becky Gagne, co-owner of Red, White and Moo, New Business of the Year; Lillian Strickland and Rebecca Alexander of Dubby’s Tailgate, Phoenix Award; Michael Smith of Orleans Koinonia Kitchen; and Jenna and Martin Bruning of The Gallagher Barn, The Hidden Gem. Back row: David Gagne of Red, White and Moo; Brian Alexander of Dubby’s Tailgate; David Snell of Snell Realtors, Lifetime Achievement; Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo, Business of the Year. Missing: George Bidleman, Business Person of the Year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2023 at 5:06 pm
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 25th annual business awards banquet on Oct. 19 at the White Birch Country Club in Lyndonville.
The deadline to nominate a business or person is Sept. 11.
The categories include:
• Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Lifetime Achievement – This award is presented to an individual with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements.
• Phoenix Award – This award is presented to an organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility.
• New Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business or organization that has opened in the past year.
• Community Service Award – 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.
• Agricultural Business of the Year – This award is presented to an agricultural business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Small Business of the Year – This award is presented to a small business that has experienced significant achievements/success throughout the year.
• Hidden Gem – This award is presented to a business that has made a positive contribution to tourism in Orleans County.
Courtesy of Orleans County Tourism: Lynne Menz of the Orleans County Tourism Department designed these glasses for the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The county is using funds from the tourism department to purchase 25,000 of these glasses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2023 at 1:10 pm
Orleans County Tourism and also the Chamber of Commerce urge local businesses and organizations to plan promotions and events for the total solar eclipse.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature wants to see the county benefit from the hoopla and influx of visitors from the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Orleans is in the direct path of totality between 3:19 and 3:23 p.m. A total eclipse occurs about once every 18 months somewhere on Earth, but only happens in the same place about every 360 to 410 years.
The County Legislature on Tuesday approved spending $9,045 from its contingency fund to buy 25,000 eclipse glasses with the Orleans County tourism logo. The glasses will provide some eye protection and also be a keepsake from a memorable day.
The county is working with the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce on acquiring the glasses. The $9,045 was approved to go to the Chamber which will then buy the glasses. They are expected to be made available and distributed by the county, and local towns and villages.
Orleans County will be in the direct path of the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 between 3:19 & 3:23 PM.
Orleans County businesses, organizations and schools: send us your plans to commemorate this once in a lifetime event and we will promote it on our Events Calendar. Complete and submit this form to be considered. (Must be available to the public.)
“This will be a big tourism draw,” said Dawn Borchet, the county’s tourism director.
People are already booking hotel rooms and other lodging in the county that day. She knows plans are in the works to open public land, including at Lakeside Beach State Park, for viewing opportunities of the eclipse.
“It’s fun,” she said today. “It only happens once in a lifetime.”
The county tourism has a page on its website devoted to the eclipse. The tourism department urges businesses, schools and other organizations to share their plans on the tourism site for commemorating and participating in the historic day. (Click here for more information.)
Darlene Hartway, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, also sees the eclipse as a big opportunity for businesses and the county.
“People are already booking hotels,” she said. “It’s going to be beneficial for our area. It’s gearing up to be a momentous thing.”
She commended the Legislature for approving the expenditure for the glasses.
Businesses would be wise to have promotions for the eclipse, to help make the day even more memorable for local residents and visitors, Hartway said.
I Love New York created this graphic showing the path of the solar eclipse. Orleans County is in direct path of the phenomenon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2023 at 11:23 am
Lisa Stenshorn, clerk to Legislature, praised for earning certification
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Nyla Gaylord, acting executive director for the United Way in Orleans County, accepts a proclamation on Tuesday from County Legislature Fred Miller.
The Legislature proclaimed September as “United Way Month in Orleans County.” The organization was praised for an annual fundraising campaign that supports many agencies in the county.
The United Way has also spearheaded other projects in recent years, acquiring grants to assist residents with digital literacy and other issues, including housing.
“The Orleans County Legislature urges all community-minded citizens to not only applaud the efforts of the volunteers but also the contributions of these agencies by offering their wholehearted support,” the Legislature stated in the proclamation.
Lisa Stenshorn, clerk to the County Legislature, is congratulated by Legislator Bill Eick for becoming a “Certified Legislative Board Clerk,” a distinction earned through the NYS Association of Clerks of County Legislative Boards. Stenshorn has been clerk to the Legislature since January 2021.
Legislator Fred Miller, right, presents a proclamation to Renee Rowley, child support coordinator for the county. She is joined by, from left: DSS Commissioner Holli Nenni, and child support staff Danielle Champeney, Holden Carter, Jennifer Hammons, Pam Jenks and Danielle Kickbush.
Legislators declared August as “Child Support Awareness Month.”
“Parents have the most critical role in the development of their children, and an obligation to provide safe, loving and secure environments in which their children can grow and flourish,” the proclamation states. “Studies have shown that when both parents provide financial and emotional support, children are less likely to engage in unhealthy and unproductive behaviors and are more likely to do well in school and succeed later in life.”
Legislators praised the Child Support Enforcement Program and child support professionals in county for “a vital role in assisting parents in achieving and maintaining economic security for their children.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2023 at 8:37 am
Holli Nenni
ALBION – The homeless population is increasing in Orleans County, with available emergency housing maxed out, forcing the county Department of Social Services to use rooms outside Orleans at hotels in Batavia, Niagara Falls and Brockport.
Holli Nenni, the DSS commissioner, said the county spent $1,435,600 on emergency shelter from July 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023. That is double what the county was paying for about a year before that.
The number of people placed as homeless increased from 45 in July 2022 to 75 last month, she told local officials on Tuesday evening during the monthly Orleans County Association of Municipalities meeting at the Black North Inn.
Of those 75, the county DSS found housing in Orleans County for 45 of those people with the other 30 having to take rooms outside the county. The DSS works with Dollinger’s in Albion and the Medina Motel to house people in need of emergency shelter.
Nenni said the county has 12 new applications this month for more people who are homeless without a place to stay.
She said there isn’t enough affordable housing in the county.
“This is a complicated issue and we struggle to meet with it every year,” she said.
The Orleans County Legislature declared a state of emergency on May 17 due to the homeless situation and the lack of available beds in case migrants or asylum seekers were sent to the county from New York City. That state of emergency remains in effect.
The state of emergency declaration has been modified since May to not mention migrants or asylum seekers. County officials said the homeless crisis warrants the declaration on its own.
“The state of emergency has been declared due to the County of Orleans experiencing a housing crisis due to an increase of 164% in placement of homeless persons since July 2022 exceeding our limited number of temporary and permanent emergency housing facilities,” according to the declaration on June 16. “In-county placement of emergency homeless persons have increased 134% and out-of-county placement of emergency homeless persons have increased 400% since July 2022.”
The challenge to find emergency housing could get even more difficult once the cold weather season is here. The state’s “code blue” executive order requires DSS to find shelter for homeless from Nov. 1 to March 31, or when the temperature drops below freezing or during other inclement weather. DSS is required to find the shelter without going through the usual application process, Nenni said.
Last year, 153 people were served in the county through “code blue” for a total of about 500 stays. The state reimbursed the county 100 percent for those expenses. Nenni said the state is setting the county’s allocation at $73,000 for this year for “code blue.”
With the homeless population outside of code blue, Nenni said the state reimburses the county 29 percent of the cost for housing single adults. If DSS finds housing for a homeless family, the state reimburses the county about half the expense, she said.
The local DSS also needs to find transportation for the people to get to appointments, even when they are placed out of county.
Nenni said DSS is looking for more options locally to help those in need of housing. One local organization is considering running a warming shelter at a local church to have another housing option locally for “code blue.”
“We want to develop a warming shelter because we have so much overflow already and code blue is coming,” Nenni said.
She said two landlords also are willing do two-week stays for homeless residents, which could turn into longer-term housing.
The Holley Hotel last Aug. 24 was closed due to sanitary conditions, which took 40 units out of mix. Many people in need of emergency housing stayed at the Holley Hotel, which hasn’t reopened yet.
Nenni said none of the current group of people receiving homeless assistance were tenants at the Holley Hotel when it closed.
She has reached out to other hotels in the county about providing emergency housing, but they have declined. The hotels receive the full daily rates, but the county does not have to pay sales or occupancy taxes on the rooms.
Photo by Tom Rivers: U.S. Kirsten Gillibrand right, was in Albion today to present a ceremonial $2 million check to Orleans County officials, including Justin Niederhofer, the emergency manager director; and Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the County Legislature. The money will go towards a new emergency operations center that would cost about $12 million.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 August 2023 at 1:19 pm
ALBION – Orleans County is $2 million closer to building a new emergency operations center. The county needs about $10 million more to replace a bunker-style civil defense center on West Countyhouse Road.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand met with county officials today to present a ceremonial check for $2 million. That is the maximum in federal aid the county could receive for the project, said Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director.
The county also has applied for a $2.4 million state grant and is awaiting whether that will be approved. There isn’t a set timetable on when the new building will be constructed. The funding secured by Gillibrand needs to be spent by the end of 2025.
The emergency management office was built as early 1960s bomb shelter. It has a leaking roof and a shortage of space.
The current building is 8,000 square feet – 80 by 100 feet. Most of the structure is underground. It isn’t handicapped accessible and doesn’t have enough space for the emergency management office, Niederhofer said.
The new building is planned to be about 17,000 feet. That includes about 11,000 square feet for offices and classrooms, and another 5,600 square feet for equipment storage.
The county’s backup dispatcher center would be there, as well as training space for firefighters and other first responders. There are three full-time employees that work out of the building. There is also space for ham operators to operate if the communications systems totally fail.
“The new facility will be ADA compliant, appropriately sized to accommodate all needed staff, support equipment and allow for the emergency operations center to be at a ready state,” Niederhofer said. “It will ensure the EOC can be operational in minutes versus hours, while simultaneously utilizing the backup dispatch and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, which provides back up communication capabilities during disasters.”
Kirsten Gillibrand greets firefighters and first responders, including Scott Buffin, the assistant EMO director for the county.
Gillibrand said the federal funding will assist Orleans in having a modern facility where first responders can plan and be quickly deployed to help residents in all kind of emergencies.
The $12 million preliminary price for the new project includes taking down two radio towers – one is 485 feet tall and the other is 225 feet – and replacing them with one tower that would be about 300 feet high.
The initial civil defense center cost $107,000 to build, County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said.
Construction costs have dramatically risen since then, especially since the Covid pandemic.
Johnson said the county “is in desperate need of an upgrade” at the site. She thanked Gillibrand for advocating for the county to be awarded the federal funding.
“Through Sen. Gillibrand’s unyielding dedication to public safety, and her genuine compassion for the people she serves, she has secured $2 million to help us build a brand-new Emergency Management Office,” Johnson said.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand gets a tour of the current emergency management office, which was built as an underground bunker.
Justin Niederhofer, right, said the site is too small for many training classes and programs, as well as other services and storage needs for the emergency management office.
A preliminary site plan by LaBella Associates puts the new building next to the current structure. It would be west of the current building and would include parking.
County officials are expected to seek more detailed designs from LaBella as the project moves forward.
Kirsten Gillibrand meets long-time ham radio operators Bruce Sidari, center, and Terry Cook. They both said they welcome a more modern facility.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 August 2023 at 5:51 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County DPW (Buildings and Grounds and Highway Departments) collected more than 1,000 tires today during the annual household hazardous waste collection day at the County DPW. The top photo shows Andy Beach in a loader for the DPW, moving the pile of tires.
The county will pay Modern Disposal Services to remove the tires. An exact count of the disposed of tires wasn’t available but county officials believe it topped the 1,200 from a year ago.
County residents claimed 570 slots to dispose of household hazardous waste. Propane tanks and fluorescent bulbs were popular items for residents to unload at the collection event, said Corey Winters, a planner with Orleans County Department of Planning and Development. That department manages the annual event in August.
This photo shows one of five boxes full of old propane tanks.
Employees from Environmental Enterprises, Inc. of Cincinnati wrap up the collection event today. The county typically pays the company about $18,000 to collect and remove the household hazardous waste, with the state them reimbursing the county about half of the costs.
Household chemical and items that can be discarded include: oil-based paints solvents, polishes/waxes pesticides, motor oil & filters adhesives & resins, fluorescent bulbs, auto tires (limit 10), auto & marine batteries, household batteries, aerosols, acids, corrosives, antifreeze and empty propane tanks.
County officials say the collection day for tires has resulted in far fewer being discarded in countryside ditches and over embankments.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 August 2023 at 3:04 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Aug. 14, 2021 shows the Orleans County DPW moving tires into the pile by the DPW garage on West Academy Street in Albion. Orleans County residents were able to drop off 1,200 tires that day.
ALBION – There are still slots available for Orleans County residents to get rid of household hazardous waste and tires at no charge.
The county has its annual household hazardous waste collection day this Saturday outside the Orleans County DPW on West Academy Street in Albion.
So far residents have registered for 385 of 600 spots to dispose of household hazardous waste, and 130 have signed up to unload old tires with 80 spots still available.
The county typically pays Environmental Enterprises, Inc. of Cincinnati about $18,000 to collect and remove the household hazardous waste, with the state them reimbursing the county about half of the costs.
Household chemical and items that can be discarded include: oil-based paints solvents, polishes/waxes pesticides, motor oil & filters adhesives & resins, fluorescent bulbs, auto tires (limit 10), auto & marine batteries, household batteries, aerosols, acids, corrosives, antifreeze and empty propane tanks.
Items that won’t be accepted include explosives, pressurized tanks, ammunition, PCBs, pathologic waste, infectious waste, radioactive waste, syringes, pharmaceuticals, computers & electronics, tires on rims, commercial & farm vehicle tires.
The collection runs from 8 to noon for household waste and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for tires. The event is organized by the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development. For more information, call the department at (585) 589-3198 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday through Friday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2023 at 4:51 pm
Issue won’t be on ballot in November to allow more time to gather data, try to make case to the public
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature voted unanimously today to rescind a resolution from July 19 that would have put a District Court up for public referendum on the November ballot.
The Legislature is putting the issue on “pause” to allow a committee more time to gather and present facts to the public.
The Legislature passed a resolution on July 19 to have voters decide whether the county would shift to a District Court to handle many of the criminal cases currently in town courts. The District Court would be full-time Monday through Friday.
The proposal faced a lot of pushback from town justices and other community members during a July 20 public meeting in the legislative chambers of the Legislature. They wanted more specifics on how the court would operate, what it would cost and why the town courts aren’t sufficient.
The county faced an Aug. 7 deadline from the Board of Elections to remove the referendum from the ballot. The Legislature called a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. to rescind the resolution.
“The committee needs more time,” said Kathy Bogan, the county attorney.
The committee exploring the District Court includes District Attorney Joe Cardone, Sheriff Chris Bourke, Public Defender Joanne Best, Albion Town Justice Joe Fuller (representing the Orleans County Magistrates Association), Assistant DA Susan Howard, County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch, former Gaines Town Justice and Assistant DA Bruce Schmidt and county legislators John Fitzak and Skip Draper.
Fuller spoke during the July 20 public meeting and made it clear he is adamantly opposed to a District Court. He said there are too many unknowns with the court, and believes the town justices are fulfilling their duties in court facilities that are all paid for.
Cardone and Public Defender Joanne Best said they see a push from the state to have District Courts with judges who are trained as attorneys. Cardone and Best want to see the county move to a District Court before a state mandate.
They said a District Court would offer more consistency with justice in Orleans County, and would operate on a full-time daily schedule to allow cases to move more quickly.
Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer, said the committee will work to provide “clear and concise answers” for the public.
The committee needs financial data from the town courts on the expenses and revenues at the town level. Cardone said few of the courts have provided that information. The committee may pursue those facts through the Freedom of Information Act.
Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the Legislature’s vote to rescind the resolution to allow more time to make the case to the public was in response to the concerns raised at the public meeting on July 20.
“What’s important is we’re listening to the people,” she said.
File photo by Tom Rivers: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer was in Genesee County on Sept. 1, 2021 at the STAMP site in Alabama. He welcomed Plug Power as the first business at the 1,250-acre site. Pictured at right is Plug Power President/CEO Andrew Marsh and Steve Hyde (far right), who is president and CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2023 at 8:36 am
ALBION – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has pushed for years to promote the STAMP site in Alabama, just south of the Orleans County line.
He has made phone calls to top executives in the semiconductor and clean energy industries, urging them to come to STAMP. He has championed legislation to support chip manufacturing and helped secure funding for the park’s infrastructure.
Schumer, the U.S. Senate majority leader, said he is aware of a dispute between Genesee and Orleans counties about the sewer discharge from the 1,250-acre site. Orleans is contesting having up to 6 million gallons of treated wastewater from STAMP be discharged into the Oak Orchard Creek in Shelby.
“I would hope the two counties can come together,” Schumer in Albion on Tuesday when he was promoting an a plan to slow the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. by imposing economic sanctions on Mexico and China. Schumer took questions on other issues from reporters and he was asked about the STAMP sewer dispute between Genesee and Orleans.
A $9.7 million sewer line with pumps is under construction along Route 63. The 9-mile-long project needs two temporary construction easements from Shelby property owners, and Orleans has opposed those easements. The Orleans County Legislature and Orleans Economic Development Agency are concerned the wastewater from STAMP could cause erosion, flooding and hurt the water quality of the Oak Orchard, which is a world renown fishing attraction for trout and salmon.
Orleans officials also don’t want to have the creek levels rise to levels that limit Orleans from promoting its own Medina Business Park.
The attorney for STAMP, Matthew Fitzgerald, said during a July 27 public hearing the 6 million gallon discharge from STAMP would raise the creek water levels by 0.2 inch and would have a negligible impact. He said the project has undergone an extensive environmental review from state and federal agencies.
Schumer declared himself a big supporter of STAMP while he was in Albion. He has personally helped secure Plug Power and Edwards Vacuum as tenants for STAMP.
Plug Power is building a $290 million green hydrogen fuel plant at STAMP as the site’s first tenant. The company expects to have 65-70 workers at STAMP when it opens.
Edwards Vacuum has committed to building a $319 million manufacturing facility at STAMP. That new “factory of the future” will serve the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing sectors and create approximately 343 new high-paying jobs.
A full build-out at STAMP will result in 9,000 new jobs for the region, Genesee County economic development officials said.
The sewer project along Route 63 into Orleans is critical for the full development of STAMP, officials at Genesee County Economic Development Corporation said at the July 27 hearing.
“It’s a problem the two counties have to get together and resolve,” Schumer said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer speaks in the Orleans County legislative chambers this afternoon, discussing federal efforts to sanction China and Mexico for spreading fentanyl in U.S. Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone, at right, said fentanyl “is the worst crisis we have in the country today.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 August 2023 at 4:47 pm
ALBION – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said a new weapon against “the scourge of fentanyl” is almost ready to be deployed. It just needs final passage from the House of Representatives.
The Senate last week approved the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. It would allow President Biden to place economic sanctions on China and Mexico for contributing to the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, Schumer said as a press conference in Albion today.
“We need to stop the flow of this awful, awful drug,” Schumer said. “We have to protect our country and our kids from these deadly drugs, which are getting deadlier and deadlier.”
In Orleans County there have been 23 fatal drug overdoses since 2019 and Genesee County has 53 fatal opioid overdoses during that time. Of those overdoses, 64 of the 76 or 84 percent involve fentanyl, said Paul Pettit, director of the public health departments in Orleans and Genesee counties.
“Orleans County has seen the devastation that fentanyl can cause,” Schumer said.
He noted that $9 million in illegal drugs have been seized in Orleans County by law enforcement, including 114 fentanyl pills.
Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone said the federal government needs to lead the effort to stop fentanyl from getting into the country.
District Attorney Joe Cardone said law enforcement efforts are not enough to stop fentanyl and illegal drugs. The federal government needs to lead the fight against stopping the problem at the source, before it gets into the U.S., Cardone said.
“This is the worst crisis we have in the country today,” Cardone said.
The country lost 106,000 people to fatal drug overdoses in 2021. Cardone said the drug epidemic is robbing the country of its youth.
“On a local level it’s impossible to defeat this problem,” Cardone said. “We need federal action to stop the flow into our country.”
Schumer said the drug epidemic hits every community in the country. He wants to declare international fentanyl trafficking a national emergency.
“From Buffalo to Rochester to right here in Orleans County, fentanyl continues to take the lives of far too many New Yorkers each and every day,” Schumer said. “We must make getting this deadly drug off of our streets and out of the U.S. a top priority, and the just passed Senate defense bill provides a rare window of opportunity to do just that.”
ALBION – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand welcomed a contingent last week from Orleans County to Washington, D.C., for her First Responders Summit.
The summit brought together local officials, law enforcement officials, firefighters and EMTs to learn about how leaders from the local, state and federal level can work together to keep our communities safe.
The group from Orleans County included County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, Legislator Merle Draper, Legislator John Fitzak, Chief Deputy Rob Reimer, Chief Deputy Jeff Gifaldi, and Justin Niederhofer, the director of Emergency Management.
“Senator Gillibrand’s First Responders Summit was full of important information,” said Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature. “From the FBI to FEMA to DOJ to ATF, the speakers were educational and inspirational. This summit will increase coordination between local, state and federal stakeholders and I’m excited to get to work.”
Programs included a panel on federal grants & programs, a federal government town hall, a panel on recruitment and retention and remarks from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“I am so grateful that I could welcome our incredible Orleans County legislators to Washington for my first responders summit,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The summit provided lawmakers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMTs the opportunity to connect with top federal officials to learn more about how federal resources can flow into New York State. This important work will help our first responders do their jobs safely and effectively, and will strengthen our communities.”
