Photos by Sue Cook – Bruce Sidari holds up a hand transmitter, which usually transmits only a couple of miles, but can be boosted with a repeater device to reach much further. There is a repeater at the Orleans County Civil Defense Center, which is connected to the very tall antenna on top of the building.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

ALBION – The Orleans County Amateur Radio Club is encouraging new participants in ham radio. The group held a presentation at the Orleans County Health Department on Wednesday to explain the hobby to the public and provide a starting point for those interested.

“There’s so many aspects of ham radio you can do cheaply or more expensively depending on the way you want to go with it,” said Terry Cook, Club President.

There are over 7,000 ham radio clubs and over 2 million amateur radio operators worldwide. Every operator around the world has a unique call sign, which is the ham radio version of a phone number.

The Orleans County Club is around 60 years old. The original call sign for the group (WA2DQL) used to belong to Albion dentist Doctor Jackson. When Jackson passed, the club took over his call sign in honor of his memory. The club has 35 members, but there are close to 50 people in Orleans County that are radio operators.

“You can have a lot of fun at this hobby and not know anything about technology,” said Program Manager Bruce Sidari.

The club doesn’t want people to be intimidated by the technology. Radios can be purchased inexpensively and can offer a gateway into further education with very minimal effort.

To receive a license to operate a ham radio with a call sign, a person must take a test. Someone seeking a license would attend a four-hour class and then take a test at the end to receive the lowest license level of technician. They learn the basics and regulations to be able to operate a radio. Other more advanced classes can be taken to become licensed further by the FCC to allow for use of different frequencies.

These are QSL cards. They are sent out as a confirmation of a conversation over ham radio or as a reminder that the call signal on the card would like to continue contact with the recipient. Some of the cards in this photograph are from Germany, the Azores, Russia, Wales, Japan and Chile.

Anyone young or old can become an amateur radio operator. The Radio Club wants kids to become involved because it’s a great skill to have, despite other modern technology like the internet being so prominent. It can help with learning other skills like robotics or basic electronics.

“If there’s anything we love, it’s to see kids interested in amateur radio,” Sidari said.

Anyone can benefit through ham radio, whether from the communications aspect or studying other cultures by speaking directly to a person from another country.

Ham operators are especially important during emergencies. When Hurricane Katrina brought down communications systems in Louisiana, ham operators were able to help emergency crews and to pass messages from family members in different areas. Locally, when the a snowstorm struck in October 2006, the ham operators helped with emergency calls until normal operations could resume.

The signals are nearly instantaneous by traveling at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second. Some operators like to bounce Morse code signals off the moon as a personal challenge. The moon is 238,900 miles away. The signals take about one and a half seconds to arrive at the moon and then travel back in another one and a half.

Many astronauts are ham operators and communicate as they pass over various landmasses. The club showed a video of astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock communicating with the United States and Mexico as the International Space Station passed over North America.

Besides hand transmitters, other simple, but more powerful radio equipment can be purchased for people who want to dabble in the hobby and not commit to costly equipment.

Amateur radio operators can also have far reaching capabilities. Operators with the right equipment can reach out to anywhere in the world that has an operator that answers back. The local Radio Club has spoken to many countries. The operators from most countries frequently speak a little English to communicate at least briefly.

The club also participates in several contests throughout the year. On the fourth Saturday in June is Field Day. The club sets up two radio stations at the Orleans County Emergency Management Center and competes against other groups around the world to try and contact as many other operators as quickly as possible in a 24-hour period.

Another major event the group participates in is the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse. The event is a contest with the goal to contact as many lighthouses in a day as possible.

The group will be having a meeting this coming Monday and would love for people to come see what they do, whether to observe or start on the path of becoming an operator. The club holds meetings every second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Orleans County Emergency Management Center located at 14064 West County House Road in Albion.

For more information, visit the OCARC website.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The organizers of an Ultimate Fishing Challenge trip for Vietnam War veterans discussed the initiative with the County Legislature today. The group also brought along the trophy from last year when Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town through the World Fishing Network. The group includes, from left: Eileen Banker, chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Mike Waterhouse, county sportsfishing coordinator; Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor; Paul Fulcomer, director of Orleans County Veterans Service Agency; and Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle.

ALBION – The Ultimate Fishing Town will be giving Vietnam War veterans the Ultimate Fishing Experience on June 25.

On that day at least 11 charter boat captains will take Vietnam veterans who live in Orleans County out on Lake Ontario for the chance to catch a big Chinook salmon and other fish.

The Point Breeze fishing community and Orleans County Tourism Department are joining for the five-hour fishing trip, which will be free for veterans.

Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator, wants to express appreciation for the Vietnam War veterans who were often treated with disrespect when they returned home after their service.

“I can think of no other group of service men and women that were so underappreciated for their service to our country,” Waterhouse told the County Legislature today.

Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town contest last year in an on-line voting competition through the World Fishing Network. The WFN awarded the community $25,000 to promote the fishery.

Part of the that money will be used to give the charter captains a stipend for their gas and expenses for the fishing trip on June 25. The charter captains have volunteered their time to be part of the event.

Four or five veterans can fit on each charter boat. The trip is open on a first come, first served basis with a deadline set at May 30. Veterans interested should contact Waterhouse by phone at 585-589-3103 or by email at sportfishing@orleansny.com.

The local committee that is deciding how to spend the $25,000 prize includes Waterhouse, Sharon Narburgh, Joyce Harris, John Denniston, Mark Lewis and Bill Camann.

Paul Fulcomer form the Veterans Service Agency is assisting with the Ultimate Fishing Challenge. The initiative also includes support from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office, Ken DeRoller from County Legislature and Wayne Hale from the County Planning and Tourism Department.

Press release, Arc of Orleans County

ALBION – The Arc of Orleans has received a $10,000 grant from the NYSARC Trust Services Board for recreational opportunities for people they support.

Last year The Arc received a similar grant from NYSARC Trust Services. Sixty-four individuals with developmental or other disabilities benefited from the 2013 funding.  They were able to participate in many great activities they normally wouldn’t have been able to without the NYSARC Trust Recreation Grant.

They attended the Ringling Brothers Circus, Monster Jam, a Buffalo Bills Game, several movies, and eight individuals enjoyed a gym membership for three months. The grant also paid for outings to a Rochester Amerks Game, Stokee Farms, the Lucille Ball Museum, Hamburg Lights, and Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Arc consumers also attended a showing of The Grinch, Polar Express and The Wizard of Oz. They ended the year with a holiday celebration at the Historic Tillman’s Inn.  The Arc of Orleans County plans to use the funds in the same fashion this year.

Photo by Tom Rivers – This file photo shows the top of the Orleans County Courthouse, a building constructed in 1858 and the focal point of a historic district in Albion.

ALBION – A new report puts Orleans County near the top of the list for the best-run counties in the state.

The county has a low debt per capita, doesn’t overspend its budget, has a strong rating from Moody’s, and hasn’t neglected infrastructure maintenance, according to the study in the New York State Bar Association.

The study includes a new set of metrics for evaluating a county. James Coffey, Dr. Robert Christopherson and Patrick Bowen presented the results of their study in the winter issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Lawyer.

The authors urged municipal attorneys to weigh the factors in the report as they advise municipal boards. The authors say many elected officials don’t look at the long-term health of a government. That includes tackling needed infrastructure projects without taking on too much debt. That may mean raising taxes to maintain and improve the community, the authors said.

The report is critical of “those leaders who cut taxes irresponsibly while allowing the infrastructure of the community they represent to deteriorate.”

They argued that municipalities must be profitable, or they risk bankruptcy. Well-run governments also promote confidence in their communities, spurring investments in housing and businesses.

Orleans is the fourth-rated county in the report, with Herkimer the top-rated followed by Clinton and Seneca. Delaware rounds out the top five.

The five lowest of 62 counties ranked include Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester and Saratoga. Those counties have budgets where their revenue doesn’t cover expenditures. They also have high debt per capita, which results in a larger percentage of tax money going to interest payments rather than directly to services.

Orleans carries a per capita debt of $347 per person, compared to $1,286 in Westchester County and $3,026 in Nassau. Orleans, from 2008 to 2012, also underspent its revenues by 2.68 percent a year. Saratoga was over by 6.08 percent and Nassau went over by 13.28 percent.

“We’ve been conservatively run for a long time,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The county’s budget for 2014 totals $79.8 million. That includes a first-time debt payment of $475,000 for an upgraded emergency communication system.

Nesbitt said the county is looking at other projects, including new roofs for the County Administration Building and Public Safety Building. It also has 68 bridges and about 500 culverts in its inventory.

The county has an A1 rating from Moody’s, which County Treasurer Susan Heard said, “is a great rating for a county our size.”

Moody’s gives the county a high rating partly because of a low debt burden and a stable tax base. Moody’s has recommended a larger fund balance for the county. Orleans has about $5 million in reserve funds, but Heard said county legislators have opted to not raise taxes to grow the reserve funds.

“It could be higher but the county has chosen to instead lower taxes,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – West Park Street in Albion shows wear and tear from a tough winter.

The new state budget includes $40 million to help municipalities patch roads after the harsh winter. Orleans County municipalities will receive about $250,000 of the “Extreme Winter Recovery Grants,” state Sen. George Maziarz announced today.

The county, villages and towns in Orleans County already receive about $2.5 million in state money through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program or CHIPS. Those state funds help municipalities with surface improvements on locally-controlled thoroughfares.

In this year’s budget, between CHIPs increases and the EWR grants, Orleans County local governments received aid increases of between 9 percent and 12 percent over last year, Maziarz said.

“As Orleans County residents know, this last winter did a lot of damage to our streets and roads,” Maziarz said.  “As a result, we are driving record amounts of aid to local governments so we can help them fix potholes and patch road surfaces. I made this a priority in our budget negotiations and I’m glad we were successful.”

Below is a list of Orleans County municipalities and the street repair funding they are receiving this year:

4-H’ers finish third year of building a robot with skills

Provided photos – The Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team poses for a photo at the regional competition last week at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The group includes, front row, from left: Liz Meyer, Hayden Allis and Kelsey Evoy. Back row: Michael Reese, Mack Lamirand, Marlene Seielstad, Morgan Seielstad, Brad Lamirand, Don Allis, Trevor Scott-Avery, Sam Reese, Jairus Martin, John Redshaw, Andrea Schwartz, Alyssa Shortridge, and Erik Seielstad. Team member Ben Miller and Nick Ettinger are missing from photo.

ALBION – A team may be called Joe’s Average Slackers, but the group of high schoolers from Albion and Medina is hardly lacking in determination.

For the third straight year, Orleans County fielded a robotics team through its 4-H program. The team competed in a regional competition last Thursday through Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Orleans students built a robot and programmed it to perform tasks – grabbing and shooting a big ball, and also playing defense against others teams.

The team named its robot,“Animal,” and it scores during the competition.

The Orleans team lost several close matches and didn’t come home with a trophy at the RIT competition that included 49 teams.

“It isn’t just about winning,” said Erik Seielstad, one of the mentor’s for the program. “It goes beyond the robots and winning. There’s an opportunity to interact with kids.”

The 12-member team started meeting in January, brainstorming the design for its robot. It met at RS Automations in Albion. The company is one of many supporters for the program, which requires about $25,000 annually in sponsor support to pay for the robot, equipment and entry fees.

Some of the other main sponsors are Baxter Healthcare in Medina, Xerox in Rochester, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Stanton Signs in Medina, Takeform in Medina, and the 4-H Youth Development program.

Some of the drive team members wait for their cue to take the field for an upcoming match.

The Orleans team competes in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). There aren’t many robotics teams from rural areas. Marlene Seielstad, Erik’s wife and one of the mentors, praised the community support for the program.

“It’s worth every penny for what the kids get out of it,” she said. “When we were done the kids were so positive and they all had smiles. That’s the kind of team you want.”

The Orleans team gave Congressman Chris Collins a tour of their setup at RIT on Friday. Kelsey Evoy and Liz Meyer explained how they built the robot and the rules of the game to the congressman, who has a background in engineering.

The teams at RIT came from all over New York, with others teams from Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.

Three teams advanced to a competition in St. Louis. Those teams include the Lockport Warlocks, Newfane Circuit Stompers and Clifton Park Rocketeers.

The team from Orleans County, No. 4093, plays defense during the competition.

Joe’s Average Slackers and the Orleans 4-H will host a 6:30 p.m. informational meeting on May 7 at the Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Knowlesville.

The Seielstads said more team members will be needed next year because half of this year’s group will be graduating. For more information, e-mail the Seielstads at robotics@wiksclan.com.

The new state budget gives local school districts sizable increases in state aid, money that districts will use to maintain existing programs and also hold down taxes.

Four of the five school districts don’t expect to raise taxes. Kendall, which is considering a 1.9 percent tax increase, may direct some of the state funding for needed technology and safety improvements, said Nadine Hanlon, president of the Board of Education.

Kendall last year cut school taxes by $1 million, reducing the average tax rate from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The board will meet on April 9 and plans to adopt a budget that will go before voters on May 20.

The other four school districts don’t plan to raise taxes and will maintain their existing programs for students.

Here is a chart showing a breakdown of the operating aid:

The governor proposed smaller aid increases for the schools, ranging from 0.1 percent for Lyndonville to 3.3 percent for Medina. The State Legislature pushed for more and got it.

“We were very pleased to see the numbers,” said Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent. “It will fill our gap. We’ll certainly have what we need to continue our current programs.”

Bonnewell and school administrators will recommend a budget to the Board of Education on Monday that doesn’t increase property taxes.

Based on the governor’s budget that proposed a 2 percent increase in aid, Albion was looking at a $139,000 gap to maintain current programs and not raise taxes. That $139,000 would have raised taxes by 1.6 percent. The Legislature gave Albion a 4.5 percent increase or about $500,000 more than the governor’s budget.

Some of that increase may go into a reserve fund to be used in the future or to help with any unexpected expenses.

Holley was already planning to cut school taxes by 10.6 percent or $800,000. The governor proposed a $153,466 or 1.3 percent increase for Holley. The final budget boosted Holley’s operating aid by $392,000 or 3.4 percent.

Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent, said he will soon meet with the Board of Education to discuss how to best use the additional state aid.

The $800,00 tax cut will reduce residents’ tax rate from $25.11 to a projected $22.44 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The governor’s budget gave Lyndonville a tiny increase of $946 in additional operating aid. The final budget gives Lyndonville a $185,419 increase. That is enough to hold taxes steady, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.

“At this point, the district is considering a 0 percent increase on the tax levy, and the district is not looking to add staff or programs,” he said. “We will continue to invest resources in our instructional program to meet the increased demands of the Common Core and the Regents Reform Agenda.”

Medina will see the biggest increase in state aid, a 7.3 percent jump or an additional $1,345,670. The governor proposed a 3.3 percent increase.

Medina won’t be adding staff or programs and won’t seek a tax increase, said Jeff Evoy, the district superintendent.

“This additional money certainly helps and we are appreciative, but we will still be using appropriated fund balance and reserves to support our expenditures next year,” Evoy said. “Our goal is to maintain existing programs. However, all expenses will be carefully monitored.”

Cuomo proposed an $807 million increase in education aid for schools in 2014-15, a 3.8 percent increase. The state Legislature boosted that number to a $1.1 billion hike.

Provided photo – An article that was first published on Orleans Hub about Ed and Floreen Hale became a world-wide phenomenon.

Orleans Hub has published nearly 3,000 news and sports articles since we went live last April 2. Many of the stories were widely shared through Facebook and Twitter.

Crime stories, breaking news and tragedies tend to be the most popular for single-story “clicks.” That happens with most news sites.

But some of our most popular stories were uplifting and positive. Our top story for the year featured the 60-year marriage of Ed and Floreen Hale and their death a day apart in a Batavia hospital in February.

“A love story to the very end” was published on Feb. 16 and had 11,008 clicks before we had to send it to a different page off our server. The story was shared around the world and was so popular it crashed our server.

Provided photo – An article about the inspiring life of Albion band teacher Wayne Burlison has been shared by hundreds of people through Facebook and Twitter.

The article last Thursday on the life of Wayne Burlison, a 36-year-old music teacher, quickly emerged as our second most popular story. Burlison left a big imprint on the community as a teacher, runner, musician and member of the Albion Free Methodist Church.

“Albion schools mourn loss of beloved ‘Mr. B’” had 6,968 page views. (These numbers don’t include people who read the articles on the main web site without clicking on the link to the single-page story.)

Here are the other news articles with the most page views:

3. “3 in Medina arrested after drug bust,” published on Feb. 13 (3,828).

4. “3 teens charged after numerous burglaries in eastern Orleans,” published on March 6 (3,120).

5. “Firefighters extricate driver in a daring rescue in Murray,” published on Dec. 13 (2,959).

6. “Paul Lauricella, 24, killed in Lyndonville accident,” published on Jan. 15 (2,689).

7. “DA: 4 burglars can expect lengthy state prison sentences,” published on Dec. 6 (2,420).

8. “Day-old baby left with Medina FD,” published on May 28 (2,220).

9. “Medina woman, 28, dies in Carlton crash,” published on Sept. 14 (2,126).

10. “State Police helicopter swirled above Albion last night,” published Sept. 4 (2,104).

File photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans Hub has published more than 2,000 articles in our first year, including a feature on June 30 of Chet Wheelock, 82, of Kent riding in a hot-air balloon with his daughter, grandson and great-grandson.

Orleans Hub officially launched a year ago today. We were brand new, full of excitement and determination.

In our first year we posted 2,267 news articles, 568 sports stories and 4,513 photos. Those articles generated more than 2.8 million page views in the first year.

Orleans Hub operates under The Lake Country Pennysaver on 170 North Main St. The Pennysaver’s ad salesmen Gary Hill and Brad London sell the ads for the Hub, and The Pennysaver provides much of the back-office and technical expertise to make the site work.

I hoped Orleans Hub would shine a light on a lot of the good in Orleans County, helping to connect neighbors and the community. I think we’ve been able to do that.

We’ve gained strength with each passing month, adding advertisers, traffic and “friends” on Facebook and Twitter. (We’re up to 4,300 friends and followers on social media.)

Provided photo – Kathy Jurs of Albion is pictured with characters at Disney World after running a half marathon in January. She raised $5,123 for leukemia, which was the most of anyone from western and central New York. Jurs battled Non-Hodgins lymphoma in 2010. She ran the half marathon in honor of her friend Susan Bennett.

We have had some lively discussions about local issues on our Facebook page. Readers also sent in more than 150 letters to the editor in our first year. Those letters cover a range of topics.

To help start the Hub, I left The Daily News in Batavia, where I worked for 16 years covering Orleans County, and other news in Genesee and Wyoming counties. I wanted to focus on Orleans, where I live.

I thought Orleans tended to be a tag-on to other news organizations. They tended to only report on our news if it was a sensational crime or something bizarre. I thought that gave the region and Orleans residents a warped view of our community.

We’ve reported on the crimes and some of the strange stories, but we’ve tried to highlight the many positives as well.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fire truck has a giant glowing Mickey Mouse at the back as it heads down Main Street through a big crowd in downtown Medina during the Parade of Lights last Nov. 30.

We’ve also added staff from our debut on April 2, 2013. Mike Wertman joined us in late August after a long career covering local sports for the Medina Journal-Register.

He retired from The Journal and then joined us to continue his love of chronicling the local sports scene. His wife Cheryl photographs the athletes in action. They are committed with a high level of professionalism.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub started covering local high school sports in the fall with Mike and Cheryl Wertman. They were at the Oct. 18 football game between rivals Albion and Medina. This photo shows Dylan Lewis diving into the end zone for Medina’s first touchdown which sparked the Mustangs to a wild 38-31 victory over Albion at Spierdowis Field.

Sue Cook works as a graphic designer at The Lake Country Pennysaver. Karen Sawicz, publisher of the Hub and the Pennysaver, moved some of Sue’s hours to the Hub about two months ago, and that has boosted our weekend coverage as well as added more community news.

We’ve had some steady contributors since the site started. Bill Lattin, the county historian, provides the Vintage Orleans photographs and the information about the people and places in these pictures, which are often more than a century old.

Nola Goodrich-Kresse, the county’s public health educator, writes a weekly column about health and wellness.

Hub readers also send in photos of sunrises, giant snowmen, Snowy Owls, bald eagles, fires and other news. Those contributions make it appear that the Hub is often several places at one time.

I’m thrilled people are reading and participating in the site. We’re excited and determined as we start Year 2.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Brown Street Bridge in Albion has been closed for nearly two years. Several other bridges also are shut down or face weight reductions in Orleans County.

A state fund that was set up for infrastructure repairs in 1991 has been raided to pay for other state expenses, leaving less money for road and bridge work, Orleans County legislators said.

County officials have been pressing the state in recent years to repair canal bridges. Several are either closed or have weight reductions. That adds travel time for residents, businesses and farmers who need the bridges to get across the canal.

“We have desperate infrastructure needs,” said Legislator Ken DeRoller, R-Kendall.

Orleans County legislators formally called on the state to stop siphoning off money from the fund to pay for borrowing and operating costs for other state agencies.

Residents and taxpayers pay billions in taxes and fees into the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund. They pay through highway taxes, motor vehicle taxes and fees, petroleum business taxes and other fees.

However, legislators said more than 75 percent of the funds or $1.6 billion was diverted to other agencies in the last state fiscal year.

The County Legislature passed a resolution urging the governor and State Legislature to develop a multi-year plan for the fund to meet the infrastructure needs for bridges and roads in the state.

“Hopefully the governor will pay a little attention to it,” said Legislator Fred Miller, D-Albion.

Today was a great day for building snowmen. There were quite a few in front yards in Orleans County.

The snow-bombing Saturday night, followed by temperatures above freezing today, made it ideal to create the icy creatures.

Orleans Hub readers shared photos of their snowmen. The snowman on top was made in Albion by Kurt and Cathy Schmitt, Adam Burlison, his cousins Ryan and Grant, Lindsey Mann and Katie Mann.

Cathy Schmitt also sent in this photo of the group’s snow bunny. They ran out of eyes.

Carrie Kozody in Medina shared this picture of a snowman made by her husband Brian and their daughters. Kozody said the snowman didn’t hold up well as the temperatures went up later in the afternoon. “Winter takes a final bow,” she said, with hope that spring weather will soon arrive.

It will on Monday when temperatures hit a high of 50, followed by a high of 62 on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Kyle VanAmeron made this snowman of a rocker in Albion. The badminton racket is a guitar and Kyle gave the snowman some funky hair.

The Bentley family in Albion created a snowwoman and a snowman. Janie Bentley sent in this photo of “SnowElle Bentley,” siblings Elle Bentley and Owen Bentley, and “SnowMcOwen.”

A Medina family made a lineup of snowmen on Mill Road. Theresa Gobeli sent in this picture. She made the snowmen with her mother, three cousins and two aunts. Seven kids under age 12 also joined in the fun.

The Rivers family in Albion also made a snowman. He fell over around 4 p.m. and needed some reinforcing. Tom Rivers took the photo.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Sandy Creek flows under the East State Street bridge in Albion.

ALBION – About half of the 67 county-owned bridges are rated as structurally deficient and need work, according to an engineering report.

“It doesn’t mean they are unsafe,” said John Papponetti, an engineer with Labella Associates in Rochester and project manager for the bridge study in Orleans County.

Only one county-owned bridge, the short span over Marsh Creek at “The Bridges” in Point Breeze, is closed. But Papponetti said more bridges could face a shutdown if they aren’t rehabbed soon. Six bridges are rated as functionally obsolete and don’t meet current standards.

The county has 16 bridges that rate at a 6 or higher, which is considered in “great” shape, Papponetti said. Another 18 rate a 5, which is in good condition. But 28 are rated as a 4, which Papponetti said is poor condition. There are five bridges considered less than a 4, which is “deficient.”

“Those ones need serious work,” Papponetti said.

The county has submitted a plan to replace the decks on three bridges and perform preventive maintenance on 17 others. The $3.5 million in projects has been submitted to the Genesee Transportation Council, which will determine how to allocate $251 million in federal funding for nine counties in the Genesee-Finger Lakes region.

Papponetti, a former Albion resident, said about $380 million in requests has been made in the Transportation Improvement Program.

“We’re not guaranteed that any or all of these will get funding,” he said.

If the county’s TIP request is approved, the decks would be replaced on the Lakeshore Road bridge in Yates over Marsh Creek, the Marshall Road bridge in Ridgeway over Johnson Creek and the Dunlap Road bridge in Shelby over Oak Orchard Creek.

Papponetti said preventive maintenance – milling and paving, sealing, cleaning and other repairs – could get another 15 to 20 years out of some bridges.

The worsening condition of the county bridges mirrors a problem throughout the state, said Jerry Gray, the county highway superintendent. There hasn’t been enough federal and state funding to keep up with all repair needs, he said.

“We should be concerned about our bridges,” Gray said. “We have a lot that are borderline. We’re at the tip of the iceberg.”

Papponetti presented the bridge report to the County Legislature on March 27. A five- to seven-year plan would target other replacements and repairs for up to $12 million in construction work. If the GTC approves the projects, the federal government would pay 80 percent of the costs, with the state possibly paying up to 15 percent. The county would pay at least 5 percent of the costs.

The tight federal and state budgets have pushed resources to heavily trafficked bridges, Papponetti said. That hurts a rural county like Orleans. But he and county officials have been telling the GTC that the rural bridges are important, especially for agriculture, the area’s top industry. Shutting down a bridge or posting a weight restriction impairs the ability for farmers to get into their fields and transport their goods, Papponetti said.

Gray said the many of the spans won’t last much longer.

“A lot of them are coming of age,” he said. “We’ve maintained them all we can.”

Any span longer than 20 feet is considered a bridge. The county also has numerous culverts that range in size from 5 to 20 feet. The highway department currently doesn’t have an inventory of all the culverts. Papponetti and LaBella will be working this year to make a list of the culverts, rate their condition and develop a plan for maintaining them.

“This is the beginning of a long-term approach for dealing with highways and bridges,” said David Callard, the Legislature chairman. “We need to stretch our dollars as far as they will go.”

Provided photo – Pictured from left include: County Legislator Lynne Johnson of the Public Safety Committee, Lieutenant Bob Perry, Sheriff Scott Hess, Public Safety Dispatcher Roger Wilkins and Paul Wagner, director of Emergency Management.

Press release
Orleans County
Sheriff’s Department

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess this afternoon recognized two members of his staff who have retired:

Lieutenant Robert Perry completed a 20-year law enforcement career on Thursday.  Bob joined the Sheriff’s Office in January of 1994, under then Sheriff David Green.  Perry transferred to the Albion Police Department in September of that same year.  He returned to the Sheriff’s Office in 2001 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 2002.  His last assignment was as “C” Line Patrol Supervisor, working the 3:30 p.m. to midnight shift.

Roger Wilkins completed a 23-year public safety career on Wednesday. Roger joined the Sheriff’s Office as a Correction Officer in the County Jail in December of 1990, under then Sheriff Green.  In January of 1992, Roger transferred to Emergency Communications as a Public Safety Dispatcher, where he remained until retirement.  His last assignment was on the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.

“The retirement of these individuals represents a loss of over 43 years experience to the citizens of Orleans County,” said Sheriff Scott Hess. “While they will certainly be missed, they have our very best wishes in whatever the future holds for them.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

Members of “Concerned Citizens of Orleans County,” including Adolf Genter of Albion, again picketed along Main Street on Wednesday during the Orleans County Legislature meeting. About 20-25 people stood in support of keeping The Villages of Orleans as a county-owned nursing home. The Legislature in February voted to transfer ownership of the facility to a local development corporation, which is working to find a buyer for the 120-bed facility on Route 31 in Albion. Concerned Citizens have since picketed outside the Legislature meetings the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, and each meeting time has featured nasty weather, either freezing cold or a downpour.