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.

Photos by Tom Rivers – The village of Albion has 10 to 15 “zombie houses” that have been left abandoned after residents were foreclosed on by a bank. The banks often fail to maintain the sites. The top photo shows 347 West State St., Albion.

Just down the street at 327 West State St. stands another abandoned house.

Another abandoned house in Albion stands at 324 West Park St.

They are called the biggest problem properties in residential neighborhoods locally. So-called “zombie houses” are abandoned homes and the owners of the buildings, typically banks that let the sites sit in limbo for years, are hard to pinpoint.

There are thousands of these abandoned properties state-wide, and at least a couple dozen in Orleans County. The issue has caught the attention of State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who wants state legislation that would require mortgage lenders to take responsibility for estimated 15,000 abandoned properties statewide.

The attorney general also plans to create a statewide registry that would allow municipalities to track abandoned homes and enforce local codes.

Local code enforcement officers welcome any help from the state in going after the owners of the properties and requiring them to maintain the sites.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Marty Busch, the code enforcement officer in Medina. “It’s very hard to track down the owner, whether it’s a bank or a mortgage company.”

The villages often will board up broken windows and have the DPW mow lawns. A fee is added to the property’s taxes, and billed to the owner.

The village of Albion billed $22,350 for mowing last year for the multiple trips at neglected properties. The village also billed $1,970 for boarding up fees.

Ron Vendetti, Albion’s code enforcement officer, said the houses are his biggest headache because there often isn’t a clear owner or contact person.

“I write the violations and some of the banks may assign a property manager, but some don’t have them,” he said. “You don’t have anyone you can deal with.”

He sees houses that could be sold sitting empty for several years, often falling into disrepair. Some people have expressed interest in buying the houses, but Vendetti said the owner – the banks or mortgage companies – don’t move on a sale.

Vendetti and Busch both think the banks lost track of what they actually own because there was so much mortgage selling among the entities in the mid to late 2000s.

“It’s a consistent problem, but the banks don’t give a rat’s a– about us,” Vendetti said. “People want some of these houses but they go nowhere.”

Schneiderman wants to change that, and is proposing stiff financial penalties for banks or mortgage companies that are unresponsive. If a bank fails to register an abandoned house, it could be fined as much as $1,000 a day.

The attorney general also wants to double the size of land banks to 20 in the state. These nonprofit organizations could acquire abandoned or foreclosed properties and then decide whether to rebuild, demolish or redesign them.

Vendetti and Busch both estimated there are 10 to 15 “zombie houses” in both Albion and Medina. Vendetti is also the code officer in the village of Holley and he said there are at least four there, plus eight houses left vacant from a chemical leak at Diaz Chemical more than a decade ago.

The zombie houses are easy to spot. Drive around on garbage day and they don’t have garbage out, Vendetti said. Many are missing curtains. In the winter there are no footprints in the snow. When the warm weather comes, the grass will grow wild.

For neighbors, the houses bring worry. Some of them have had squatters, Vendetti said.

Busch welcomed the attention from the attorney general. He wants to see the issue become a bigger priority.

“It’s extremely difficult just to establish the owner,” Busch said. “If it’s an out-of-state bank or mortgage company, it’s hard to find someone who even knows about the property. Half the time I don’t think they know what they have.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Monsanto gave $2,500 each to Community Action or Orleans & Genesee and Hospice of Orleans County. Jim and Jean Peglow, farmers in Barre, nominated the agencies for the grants from Monsanto. Monsanto Northeast business manager Jeff Cunningham, center, presented the checks to the agencies in Albion on March 22. He is joined in the photo by, from left: Jean and Jim Peglow; Mary Fischer, executive director of Hospice; Annette Finch, community services director for Community Action; and Ed Fancher, Community Action executive director.

ALBION – Jean Peglow and the other members of West Barre United Methodist Church have long been supporters of Hospice of Orleans County and Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

The church wanted to boost its contributions to the two agencies, and found a way to meet that goal through a grant program offered by Monsanto. Peglow applied to the “America’s Farmers Grow Communities.” She was successful in securing $2,500 each for both agencies.

On March 22, Jeff Cunningham, Monsanto’s Northeast business manager, arrived in Albion with large ceremonial checks for Hospice and Community Action. The company, which sells seeds and other agricultural products to many local farmers, has been offering the grants for three years.

“We wanted to put more money back in the local communities where are customers are,” he said.

Both agencies say they will put the money to good use.

Community Action is seeing increased demand at its food pantries in Albion, Holley and Batavia, said Annette Finch, the agency’s community services director.

The $2,500 will allow Community Action to supplement some of the food donated by Food Link. The agency may use the money to purchase vouchers at grocery stores for milk and eggs, which aren’t available at the pantries due to space constraints.

Hospice opened a new residence in December for terminally ill patients. The $2,500 will help pay for personal care items and support the care for residents in the home, said Mary Anne Fischer, Hospice executive director.

Peglow’s husband Jim and his brother Jon are co-owners of Angevine Farms in Barre. The brothers use Monsanto products.

Mrs. Peglow said she is pleased to see the Monsanto funds will help the local causes.

“This is basically seed money for the different agencies,” she said.

‘They’re here to make sure I never give up.’

Photos by Tom Rivers – Leah Farrington is congratulated on completing the Jobs for Life program by mentors and leaders on the program at a graduation program on Monday at the Hoag Library. Farrington is one of five graduates in the first class.

ALBION – Two months ago Leah Farrington started the Jobs for Life program, which is run by a group of churches. Today, Farrington is signing up for the culinary institute in Niagara Falls.

Farrington, 22, of Albion said Jobs for Life’s mentors and instructors helped bring out her strengths over 16 classes.

“They taught me to feel comfortable with myself and to have confidence,” Farrington said Monday during a graduation program for the first Jobs for Life class in Orleans County.

Four others graduated from the program, which is aimed to break the cycle of poverty for some local residents. The class taught soft skills such as the importance of showing up on time, preparing a resume, interviewing, and dressing appropriately.

Farrington said the 6 to 8 p.m. classes on Mondays and Thursdays worked well with her schedule. The group met at the Hoag Library.

The first class of Jobs for Life graduates in Orleans County include, front row, from left: John Snook, Leah Farrington, Josh King, Dave Tetrault Sr., and Dave Tetrault Jr. Back row: mentor Ocie Bennett, student relations leader Cindy Mordino, site leader and mentor Tim Lindsay, instructors Rick and Dee Huntington, instructors Becky and Todd Wolford, business relations leader Craig Platter, mentor Deb Scott, student relations leader and mentor Donna Ernenwein, prayer team member Debbie Thies, and advisory member Don Snyder.

Local business leaders shared tips for success with the class, and instructors and mentors offered support and encouragement.

“They’re here to make sure I never give up,” said John Snook, one of the graduates. “They’re someone I can talk to.”

Snook, 25, of Albion said he has never had a mentor until the class. His immediate goal: “find a good job that I like to do.”

The Rev. Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion, pushed to start the Jobs for Life program, which he said has had success in many other communities. He praised the five graduates for finishing the course.

He said the mentors and program leaders want to stay supportive of the graduates as they pursue the job market.

“I’m so excited for all of you,” Lindsay told them during a graduation ceremony at the Hoag Library. “You will be in our prayers.”

Dave Tetrault Sr. and other graduates were treated to a cake and other refreshments following the graduation ceremony. They each received a certificate for completing the program.

Josh King, 28, of Holley also finished the program and plans to enroll at Monroe Community College for precision machining. King worked in construction for 10 years. He never prepared a resume until the Jobs for Life class.

“I met a great group of people,” he said. “Everybody rallied around me. Just having a network of great people is very reassuring to me.”

A father and son also completed Jobs for Life. David Tetrault Sr., 58, and his son, David Tetrault Jr., 36, are both hunting for jobs.

The elder Tetrault worked 25 years in Rochester for a machining company that went bankrupt. He would like to get into landscaping or building maintenance. He volunteers caring for the Harvest Christian Fellowship property on Route 31.

Tetrault learned to write a resume in the class. He praised the program for making class members stand up and speak before the group.

“This is a very needed program,” he said.

His son volunteers as the sound technician at church. The younger Tetrault said he has some job prospects in Watertown.

Todd and Becky Wolford volunteered as instructors on Monday nights. Mr. Wolford, a teacher at Lyndonville, stressed character for the class.

“The character traits are what people are looking for,” Wolford said.

Some of the employers who addressed the class said they were open to employees who may have made bad choices in the past, or struggled with circumstances beyond their control.

“It was encouraging for them to hear that,” Wolford said. “They need to press through the hurdles and road blocks. They know they can get back up and keep going.”

Press release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES

New York State has selected a new high school equivalency test called Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) to replace the General Education Development (GED) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma, effective Jan. 2, 2014.

The TASC will be aligned to the Common Core Standards over the next three years, increasing in difficulty each year.

“The TASC is very different from the GED exam that we have given since 2002,” said Susan Diemert, adult literacy coordinator for Orleans-Niagara BOCES. “It measures examinees’ levels of achievement relative to that of graduating high school seniors, and readiness for college and the workforce.”

The test was developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill and is now available on paper or online.  The TASC is composed of five sections including math, reading, writing, science, and social studies.

“The GED exam was primarily a reading comprehension test – if the student had good reading and math skills, then he/she could probably pass the exam. The TASC now requires the individual to have knowledge of basic social studies and science content and advanced math skills,” Diemert said. “Adult students will now have to learn facts about government, historical documents, American history, and World history for social studies.  The science section will require the student to have prior knowledge in the areas of biology, chemistry, and earth science.”

All five sections are different and will become increasingly more difficult through 2016.

Orleans-Niagara BOCES Adult Literacy program is one of 13 districts throughout the state to give the TASC online. We are the only district that has multiple sites, four in total throughout Niagara and Orleans counties.

“Students can take the exam online in one of our computer labs or on paper at scheduled times,” said Jessica Bush, chief examiner for the TASC.  “Due to the more difficult nature of the test, we recommend that individuals take a Readiness Practice Test. The Readiness Practice Test is half the length of the actual test and determines the student’s ability to pass it.”

Orleans-Niagara BOCES  is offering preparation classes at 14 different locations including Niagara Falls, Lockport, North Tonawanda, Sanborn, Albion, and Medina. A student may start class at any time. Morning, afternoon, and evening classes are available. Classes are free to any Niagara or Orleans resident.

“We do not recommend that anyone take the TASC without proper preparation,” added Diemert.  “We have TASC preparation classes throughout Niagara and Orleans counties that specifically teach the skills needed to pass the test.”

Anyone who took the GED exam and failed any section of it prior to Jan. 1 can carry over the passing scores for two years and re-take failed areas. GED scores will expire on Dec. 31, 2015. The student can combine the passing GED scores with the new TASC scores to obtain a high school equivalency diploma.

To obtain further information on anything related to high school equivalency or for a schedule of Readiness Practice Test sessions, please call Susan Diemert at Orleans-Niagara BOCES, 1-800-836-7510 or 731-4176 ext. 3003.