Photo by Tom Rivers – American flags have been placed on the graves of veterans at Lynhaven Cemetery in Lyndonville.

The community will honor veterans with parades and services throughout Orleans County on Monday.

In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a service will follow the parade.

In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade then starting at 10 a.m. It will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.

In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library at the Village Park.

In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow. Both the VFW and American Legion will serve lunch following the ceremony.

Shelby leads for fire training; Lyndonville tops for EMS

File photo by Tom Rivers – Firefighters from Barre, Shelby and Ridgeway trained last October to douse a tanker on fire at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company.

Firefighters in Orleans County topped 9,000 hours of training for fire and emergency medical services last year.

The fire companies and departments were recognized for their efforts during the

Fire Chief’s Association meeting this past Monday at the Barre Fire Company. The County Legislature this Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. will recognize the fire company or department with the most fire and EMS hours.

The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company led the county with 1,163 fire training hours. The Lyndonville Fire Department had the most EMS training hours with 750.

County-wide there were 6,918 fire training hours and 2,589 EMS hours. A husband and wife from Fancher-Hulberton-Murray had the most individual training hours.

Gary Sicurella of FHM completed 217 total fire training hours and his wife Tracey Sicurella completed 192 EMS training hours.

Here are the training hours for each fire company or department: Albion, 563 for fire and 20 for EMS; Barre, 729 for fire and 399 for EMS; Carlton, 337 for fire and 196 for EMS; Clarendon, 410 for fire and 147 for EMS; Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance, 10 for EMS; East Shelby, 216 for fire and 390 for EMS; Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, 782 for fire and 503 for EMS;

Holley, 586 for fire and 40 for EMS; Kendall, 726 for fire and 42 for EMS; Lyndonville, 593 for fire and 750 for EMS; Medina, 227 for fire and 0 for EMS; Ridgeway, 586 for fire and 32 for EMS; Shelby, 1,163 for fire and 60 for EMS.

File photo by Tom Rivers – A state arts grant will provide $2,500 to the Lake Plains Players to help with the costs of putting on a musical in the fall. The group last October performed Les Miserables. One of the classic songs from the musical includes ‘The Innkeeper’s Song’ (Master of the House).

BATAVIA – The new round of state grants for concerts and art projects includes funding for a new canal concert series in Albion and other projects in the county.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council announced the Decentralization Regrant recipients for 2014 in Genesee and Orleans Counties, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts.

GO ART! received 27 applications for the Reach Grant Program for total requests of $65,696. With $41,600 available, 26 of the applicants were awarded grants.

In Orleans County, the awards include:

$2,000 to Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in medina for the Finally Fridays Music Series.

$1,500 for Yates Community Library for More Than Just Books Music Series.

$1,200 to the Lyndonville Lions Club for Concert Fun for the Summer.

$4,000 to World Life Institute for Voices from the Earth – pottery program.

$2,500 to Lake Plains Players for its production of “Follies” in October.

$1,510 for the “A Tale for Three Counties” community reading project.

$800 to the Village of Albion for a new concert series by the canal.

$775 to Hoag Library for Art for Youth: Acrylics.

$500 to the Cobblestone Society Museum for “Stories at the Cobblestone.”

GO ART! also approved a $2,000 grant for artist Stacey Kirby to work with Holley first graders to create a mural for the school.

GOP candidate for governor says state is biggest enemy to business

Photos by Tom Rivers – Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, talks with reporters this afternoon after touring Precision Packaging Products in Holley. Astorino is the Republican candidate for governor against Andrew Cuomo.

Precision Packaging Products VP of Sales Steve Langdon, left, and Andrew Moreau (chief financial officer for Precision) show some of the plastic packaging the company makes for bakeries and the produce industry. Rob Astorino, second from right, toured the factory with State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, right.

Rob Astorino, front left, gets a tour of Precision Packaging Products from Steve Langdon, the company’s vice president of sales.

HOLLEY – Rob Astorino said the state’s high taxes, burdensome regulations and costly worker’s compensation in the state are causing an exodus of residents out of New York.

The Westchester County executive is making a more business-friendly state a focus in his run for governor against incumbent Andrew Cuomo.

Astorino made three stops in Orleans County today and he saw three success stories: Precision Packaging Products in Holley, Western New York Energy in Medina and the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina. The three have all made major investments in the county.

“They’re winning despite the odds,” Astorino said. “Businesses are begging for relief. New York is the worst in the country for taxes and corruption. The state policies that have been enacted are driving out residents and businesses.”

The state ranks 50^th or dead last in taxes in the country, and Astorino said 400,000 New Yorkers have fled the state in the past three years.

“It’s no secret it’s very hard to do business here,” he said. “The state has become the enemy.”

New York needs to get its tax burden to be less than other Northeastern states, which are competitors for businesses and residents, Astorino said. Then NY needs to push to have its tax burden below Texas and North Carolina, he said.

At Precision Packaging the company has done four major expansions in Holley in 12 years. The company now has 110 employees and 180,000 square feet of space. The company was acquired in March by the Waddington Group in Kentucky. The new owner has the resources to grow Precision in Holley, perhaps doubling the workforce in the next five years, said Andrew Moreau, the company’s chief financial officer.

He said the state can be a challenge for the company, particularly working through the “maze” of worker’s compensation. But Holley has proven a good site for the company, providing lower-cost municipal electricity. The company has room to grow in Holley and the local workforce has stepped up to meet the company’s personnel needs, said Steve Langdon, the company’s vice president of sales.

Astorino has twice been elected as county executive in Westchester where Democrats are far in the majority. He said the county dropped unemployment, added jobs and is in a much stronger position now that he’s in his second term as county executive.

“In Westchester County we lowered taxes,” he said. “We went from losing to winning.”

“We’ve had a net job loss in Western New York,” he said. “I’ll ask Western New Yorkers: Do you think we’re winning?”

Photos by Tom Rivers – Former State Assemblyman Charlie Nesbitt, left, joined State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. George Maziarz for the unveiling of a sign this afternoon that notes Route 98 is the Genesee and Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway. Another sign near the Genesee-Wyoming border in Alexander will be unveiled Friday morning.

POINT BREEZE – A new sign, proclaiming Route 98 as the Genesee and Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway, was unveiled today near the Point Breeze exit off the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Several veterans and local and state officials gathered for the unveiling of the sign near the entrance of the Orleans County Marine Park.

“It’s a great tribute to the veterans,” said State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Another sign will be unveiled in Genesee County on Friday morning near the Genesee/Wyoming border. Hawley said he will push the state Department of Transportation to put up additional signs in Genesee and Orleans counties besides the first two.

State Sen. George Maziarz is pleased the signs are up before Memorial Day.

“We’re honoring the men and women who did not come home,” he said. “This is just a small way to say thank you.”

This is the second state route to be dedicated to veterans in Orleans County. Route 104 has signs in Jeddo and at the eastern edge of Murray declaring it as the American Legion Memorial Highway in Orleans County.

Paul Fulcomer, director of the Veterans Service Agency, said the designations are appreciated by veterans.

“It’s always nice to see a veterans’ memorial highway,” Fulcomer said.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley speaks at the dedication.

Astorino will visit sites in Holley and Medina on Thursday

The Republican candidate for governor will make three stops in Orleans County on Thursday.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino will first be at Precision Packaging Products in Holley at 2 p.m. for a tour of the manufacturing plant. He is scheduled to tour Western New York Energy’s ethanol plant in Medina at 3 p.m. He will then go to tour the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina  at 3:45 p.m.

Astorino was endorsed by Republicans last week to challenge incumbent Andrew Cuomo as governor.

A poll released today shows Cuomo has a commanding lead over Astorino, 57 to 28 percent. Cuomo today announced former Congresswoman Kathy Hochul was his choice for his running mate for lieutenant governor. Hochul represented a district that included Orleans County.

Astorino will spend nearly the entire day in Western New York on Thursday with an 8 a.m. meeting with Rochester area business leaders at the Rochester Business Alliance. After visiting three locations in Orleans County, he will be in Niagara Falls for dinner with the Niagara County Republican Party.

POINT BREEZE – There will be two formal dedication ceremonies this week declaring Route 98 in Orleans and Genesee counties as the “Genesee/Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway.”

The ceremony in Orleans County will be 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Point Breeze Exit off Lake Ontario State Parkway.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. George Maziarz are scheduled to attend the dedication ceremony, which is open to the public.

“In memory of the soldiers who gave their lives to defend our freedoms, we are dedicating the Genesee/Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway,” Hawley said. “As we enter Memorial Day weekend, I hope that people will take time to reflect on the sacrifice of our fallen soldiers and commit their lives to the service of their neighbors. This is how we can truly honor their memory.”

Genesee County will have a dedication ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Friday in Attica at the Genesee-Wyoming County line on Route 98 at 11281 Alexander Rd.

Voters will weigh in on budgets, candidates and propositions on Tuesday

Residents will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote on school budgets, propositions for buses and library funding, and also to elect members of the Board of Education.

Two of the districts will actually cut taxes, two will maintain the same tax levy and one is proposing a small increase.

Here is a snapshot of each district:

Albion

The district is proposing a $33,551,051 budget that increases spending by 0.61 percent from the $33,349,049 in 2013-14.

Albion is proposing a small tax decrease – a drop of 0.1 percent or $7,007 to $8,439,939.

The budget maintains existing programs and sets aside about $130,000 more for computer hardware, software and bandwidth upgrades in anticipation to a transition to on-line testing.

Four candidates are running for three positions on the Board of Education: two five-year terms and one one-year term. The top two vote-getters will get the five-year terms while the candidate with the third most votes gets the one-year term.

Kevin Doherty and David Sidari are both finishing five-year terms. They are running again. Marie Snyder, another incumbent, had a break from the BOE but was recently appointed to fill a vacancy from Melissa Osburn.  Her term has one year remaining. Snyder will be on the ballot. Wendy Kirby also is running for the BOE.

Propositions include $440,000 to spend for buses and $667,070 for Hoag Library. The library money is up 2.0 percent from the $654,000 in 2013-14.

Voting is from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school’s conference room A.

Holley

The 2014-15 operating budget is proposed at $25,070,000, a 9.11 percent increase over the 2013-14 budget of $2,093,571. The budget figure represents the addition of all-day kindergarten, four instructional staff positions and the elimination of short-term debt.

Other propositions include: establishing a $2.5 million capital reserve fund; reducing the size of the Board of Education from seven to five positions (If approved, it becomes effective, July 1, 2015); and raising $104,705 in taxes for the Community Free Library, which is up 2.0 percent from the $102,652 in 2013-14.

Three candidates are running for three positions, with the top two candidates getting three-year terms and other receiving a two-year term.

John Heise, the former BOE president, is running again after choosing not to a year ago. Other candidates include incumbents Robin Silvis and Salvatore DeLuca Jr. Another incumbent, Norman Knight, has opted not to seek re-election.

The vote will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Holley Middle School/High School foyer.

Kendall

Residents will vote on a budget from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the elementary school gymnasium. The $14,826,116 budget increases spending by 5.5 percent from $14,051,383.

The new budget doesn’t cut existing programs. It adds a student services coordinator and two special education teachers, one each at the elementary and high school levels.

The new budget follows one from 2013-14 that cut $1 million from property taxes. The 2014-15 budget will increase taxes by 1.36 percent. The tax levy will slightly rise in the new budget, from $4,606,613 to $4,669,245. That is about $110,000 below the district’s tax cap.

Voters will also weigh in on a proposition to spend up to $250,000 from the district’s school replacement reserve fund.

A new member will also be elected to the Board of Education. Lucille Welch has decided against seeking re-election after 10 years on the board. Chaley Swift is the lone candidate for the five-year term.

Lyndonville

The $13,188,750 budget increases spending by 0.72 percent, but doesn’t raise taxes.

The budget maintains existing programming for students. The budget also includes $100,000 in capital projects, including varsity gym lights, masonry upkeep and dock stairs and hand rails.

Residents will also spending money from a transportation reserve account, which includes $105,000 for a new bus and $38,000 for a new pickup with a plow.

Another proposition asks voters to approve creating a new capital reserve account that would have up to $2 million. The money can only be expended with voter approval.

The Yates Community Library is seeking voter permission for $84,637, a 2.59 percent increase.

Only one position is open on the Board of Education after voters last year approved shrinking the board by two seats. Incumbent Susan Hrovat is unopposed in seeking a three-year term.

Voting will be from 1 to 9 p.m. at the PEI Library.

Medina

The district is proposing a $34,479,994 budget that increases spending by 2 percent from $33,805,130. The budget does not increase taxes, keeping the tax levy at $9,044,280.

The budget maintains existing school and extracurricular programming, including modified sports.

Residents will be asked to approve a $200,000 proposition to buy one 66-seat bus and two 30-seat passenger buses.

There are five candidates seeking four positions on the Board of Education. The top three candidates will receive three-year terms while the candidate with the fourth most votes gets a one-year term. The one-year term will fill Rosalind Lind’s vacant position.

Three incumbents – Christopher Keller, William Keppler and David Sevenski – are seeking re-election. Other candidates include Renee Paser-Paull and former BOE member Virginia Nicholson.

The vote will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the District Office board room next to Medina High School.

ALBION – The letters keep coming in, about five a week since around March 1.

Residents write to state legislators, Orleans County legislators and Carlton town officials, expressing concern about the bridge and road maintenance with the Lake Ontario State Parkway. The county has received 66 so far about the Parkway’s condition.

“Restriction detours, Bridge Closure and Road Maintenance continue on a downward path, which is having a very negative influence on safe and efficient flow of vehicle travel, which is vital to our Orleans County well being,” according to one letter about the Parkway.

County and town officials have urged residents to write to State Sen. George Maziarz and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley about the Parkway.

“LOSP is a very key resource in the North Country of Orleans County supporting our Tourism and Residential travel,” according to a prototype letter sent by several residents.

The County Legislature and several Town Boards have passed formal resolutions requesting the state not divert funds from the NYS Highway and Bridge Trust Fund. Keeping that money for intended purpose would allow the state to better maintain its roads and bridges, the local government leaders have said.

Gia Arnold has the Orleans County Conservative Party’s official endorsement in her campaign for the State Senate against George Maziarz.

The Conservative Party Committee endorsed Arnold on Tuesday. Allen Lofthouse, the party chairman, said Maziarz, a 19-year-incumbent, is “a good man.”

But the party leaders like Arnold’s passion. The 24-year-old from Holley runs a tree service with her husband Jeremy. Mrs. Arnold is a state-wide leader of New York Revolution, a group that wants to repeal the SAFE Act. She has led rallies around the state against the gun control measure.

“She comes on strong,” Lofthouse said. “She is pretty passionate about her beliefs. She is real focused.”

Lofthouse said Maziarz has been an advocate for school funding, but hasn’t done enough for Orleans County.

“Nineteen years is a long time,” Lofthouse said about Maziarz’s career in Albany. “We’ve been pushing for term limits.”

Lofthouse first met Arnold through their involvement in the Tea Party movement in Orleans County. Arnold is making her first run for elected office.

“I know she’s young but I don’t think it hurts,” Lofthouse said. “Maybe she can draw more young people to be interested.”

Arnold is running for the 62nd Senate District that includes all of Orleans, most of Niagara and a portion of western Monroe counties.

ALBION Two weeks from today Orleans County will transition to a new $7.1 million emergency communications system. The “cut-over” is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 28.

At that time, the county will switch from a 22-year-old analog system to a digital system. There will be better reception and coverage throughout the county, said Paul Wagner, the county’s emergency management director.

The project is adding three new transmission towers – at Route 31A by the Clarendon highway garage, in Albion on Countyhouse Road by the Emergency Management Office and in Shelby on Route 31A by the Medina water tank. That will improve coverage, especially at the outer edges of the county where there have been gaps and unreliability in reception.

Firefighters and police often voice complaints about drops in coverage at the eastern and western ends of the county.

The emergency communications system includes 1,100 radios for police, firefighters, Probation officers and other emergency responders. The project includes 390 new radios while the others are being reprogrammed for the new system.

The upgrade also includes emergency communications equipment at the dispatch center and a backup location. Wagner said the analog system will continue as a standby in case there are any glitches with the new system.

A new map – “Route 98 has it all!” – connects attractions along Route 98 from downtown Albion going north to Lake Ontario.

About 20 businesses and attractions are noted along the Route 98 corridor, starting with Arnold’s Auto Parts a block off 98 on West Bank Street and ending at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.

The map highlights restaurants, fly shops, gas stations, an art gallery, gift shops, farm markets, marinas, lodging and historic sites, such as the Pratt Opera House and the Cobblestone Society Museum.

“We’re trying to connect the waterways and the historic attractions,” said Judith Koehler, who worked on the project for the Albion Main Street Alliance. The organization partnered with the Western Erie Canal Alliance in the project.

The map will be distributed beginning today in other canal communities, including Lockport and Lyons. The map will also be available at several locations in Orleans County.

Koehler pushed to have the map ready for the start of the canal season and she met that goal. The canal opened this week for its 190^th season. Koehler said Albion wants to connect its canal and historic enthusiasts to tourists at the lake, and vice versa.

“This will be a reciprocal partnership,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Brooke Pontillo was elected this morning as the new president of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. She is pictured outside the Chamber office on Main Street in Albion.

ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has a new president who is committed to helping local businesses become stronger.

Brooke Pontillo, a senior account executive for Toshiba, has been working in the county for 16 years. The Batavia resident has Orleans as her sales territory.

“The people of Orleans County have been so good to me and Toshiba,” she said this morning.

The Chamber has 350 members. It has nearly $27,000 in the bank. Pontillo credited Kathy Blackburn, the Chamber’s executive director, for leading the organization to a stronger financial position.

A growth in members as well as revenue from events is making the Chamber healthier, and putting the group in a position to do more for the community, said Cindy Robinson, the outgoing president. She served in that role for three years.

Last month’s Home and Garden Show, for example, netted $5,579 for the Chamber. The event at the fairgrounds attracted 3,500 to 4,000 people over two days, Blackburn said.

Last year the Chamber debuted a public art project, the Palettes of Orleans. It included 73 paintings by artists that were displayed at businesses. The artwork was auctioned off in October and some of the proceeds are being directed to each of the five school districts in the county for art scholarships. Each district will receive $250.

The program will be capped at 50 paintings, and this year they will be on 11-by-14-inch canvasses. Artists have a July 1 deadline to complete the paintings.

The Chamber today also elected Mark Merithew of Apple Blossom Florist in Medina as vice president. Brett Hill of Albone & Hill Plumbing and Joseph Organiściak of Sandbox Union were elected as new members of the board.

“We had another year of growth with new events, new members and new board members,” Robinson said during the annual meeting. “The board is moving in the right direction.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – About 75 bikers gathered by the Orleans County Courthouse this afternoon and then left on a 50-mile motorcycle safety and awareness ride. The event was orgranized by the Orleans County chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education.

Chuck Persons, president of ABATE in Orleans County, urges bikers to be safe on the roadways. He is speaking from the top of the courthouse steps.

Murray Highway Superintendent Ed Morgan, one of the speakers at the rally, said local roads are in “deplorable shape” after a brutal winter. Morgan was representing State Assemblyman Steve Hawley at the rally. Morgan credited Hawley and State Sen. George Maziarz for a state funding boost to help fill potholes.

Chuck Persons addresses a crowd of about 75 bikers before their 50-mile ride through the county today. The ride ends at the VFW in Medina.

Adam Tabelski, a representative for State Sen. George Maziarz, spoke at the rally and praised the ABATE chapter for its push for safety. Tabelski urged other motorists to take extra care for the motorcycles on the highway. “Look twice, save a life,” Tabelski said, quoting a popular ABATE sign.

Motorcyclists listen to speakers in front of the courthouse.