MURRAY – The Orleans County Conservative Party Committee on Tuesday passed a resolution, demanding the state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo repeal the SAFE Act. The local group may have made history.

The party’s committee members met at Christos Restaurant on Route 104 and approved the resolution for the controversial gun control legislation approved in January 2013.

“We hadn’t seen any other political parties come forth and do it,” said Allen Lofthouse, Conservative Party chairman in Orleans County. “We hope it will set a precedent.”

The resolution will be forwarded to Cuomo, U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and other state and federal officials.

Lofthouse and the Conservatives were praised for their public stance by County Legislator Don Allport during today’s Legislature meeting. The Legislature has passed several resolutions against the SAFE Act.

Every elected town and village board in the county have also formally opposed the SAFE Act. Lofthouse said it infringes on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

Provided photo

Agnes Recco is joined at her recent retirement party by Sgt. Michael Christopher, a Corrections Officer in the county jail and president of the union, Local 2966 that represents jail and office employees.

Recco worked 22 years for the Orleans County Sheriff Department front office. Recco, better known to her co-workers as “Aggie,” started on Nov. 9, 1992 and worked until Jan. 3. She served as a civil clerk dealing mostly with billing and civil process.

Her retirement was celebrated in the Sheriff Department’s front office on Jan. 3 with lunch and cake put on by her fellow workers. Also, OCSEA Local 2966 presented Recco with a gift card of $220, which is calculated for $10 for each year of service to Orleans County. Family, friends and co-workers gathered on Jan. 25 at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville for her retirement party.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Adam Foley conducts the elementary all-county chorus today during a concert at Holley. The group is singing “Do, Re, Mi.”

HOLLEY – About 650 people packed the Holley High School Auditorium this afternoon for the 2014 Orleans All-County Music Festival.

Today’s concert included the top elementary student singers, the best in the middle school band programs, and the leading singers in the high school choruses for the five school districts – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina.

This is the 60^th anniversary of the Orleans County Music Educators Association. Carrie Kozody, a middle school chorus teacher at Albion, is the group’s current president.

Retired Albion band teacher Dale Smalley leads the all-county junior high band during today’s performance in Holley. The band is playing a selection from “Les Miserables.”

Stuart McLean conducts the all-county high school chorus. They are singing “Zion’s Walls.”

Provided photo – The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center has this sign along Route 31 in Albion.

Press release
Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation

ALBION – The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation announced on Thursday that The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center has been acquired for $7.8 million.

Principals of Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, who recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo, will eventually operate The Villages under Comprehensive at Orleans LLC.

Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation board members Richard DeCarlo Sr., Russell Martino and Richard Moy stated, “The sale of The Villages to Comprehensive will not only allow for continued excellent care of our residents but will also provide additional annual tax revenues for the county, town and school district.”

The Villages operating debt is expected to be reduced to $7.1 million by the end of 2014. This purchase agreement will more than satisfy the outstanding debt and “exceeds the market value of $6.5 million suggested by the senior housing specialists we consulted at Marcus & Millichap,” added Martino, chairman of the HFC, which is a local development corporation.

He also emphasized, “Comprehensive showed considerable flexibility in negotiations with regard to our county’s unique needs. This is a win-win for our community.”

The principals for Comprehensive – Joshua Farkovits, Bernard Fuchs and Mordy Lahasky – will now face a rigorous New York State Department of Health licensure process to operate the 120-bed nursing home in Albion.

Once the review is complete and approval is granted by the state, which could take up to a year, The Villages of Orleans will become a privatized nursing facility owned and operated by Comprehensive at Orleans LLC. County officials indicated no transfer would take place prior to Jan. 1, 2015.

While change of ownership can create angst for residents, their families and employees, Lahasky indicated he and his partners were immediately “…very impressed by the facility and, more important, by the people at The Villages of Orleans, staff and residents alike. The Villages is a gem – it is clearly a well-run facility and we intend to keep it that way. Our aim is to provide even more support and enhance the services offered at the facility.”

“We are committed to providing high quality health care and a quality workplace for employees,” said Farkovits. He added Comprehensive’s principals have “long standing and good working relations with 1199 of the SEIU and a history of working with existing employees to achieve outstanding outcomes.”

The company looks forward to working with the workforce in Orleans County because they have demonstrated “such dedication” to caring for residents of The Villages and “so much pride” in the facility and region.

Members of the LDC requested the purchase agreement state that current employees hired by Comprehensive “will not be subject to salary cuts or reduced Paid Time Off (PTO).”

Noting that a NYS DOH study projects the county’s need for more nursing home beds will reach 360 by 2016, Legislature Chairman David Callard said, “Under the leadership of Comprehensive, we are more optimistic that the needs of our community can be met, well into the future. I am pleased with the way the LDC managed the process and look forward to a smooth transition and fiscal solvency for Orleans County.”

“First impressions are everything to me,” said Karen Wygal, director of nursing at The Villages. “Their facility that I toured was pristine. To me, that is an indicator as to how well the needs of the residents are being met. The staff was welcoming and very engaged with the residents. The high level of care demonstrated in the specialized units was extremely impressive.”

The privatization of The Villages brings back into focus mounting challenges for county-owned nursing homes all over in New York State: rising costs and the increasing costs of public employment.

“Even with reforms and the addition of programs, costs have continued to increase at an alarming rate, while Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels failed to keep pace,” Callard said.

LDC member Richard DeCarlo Sr. said, “We could not, in good conscience, allow this to go on. Comprehensive was no stranger to these concerns, having worked with other county-owned nursing homes, and they were accommodating to our needs. Comprehensive committed to maintaining ownership of The Villages for a minimum of 10 years.”

The Chicago-based firm of Marcus & Millichap was hired to market and sell The Villages. Senior housing specialist and broker Joshua Jandris said, “Comprehensive’s reputation exceeds industry standards.”

He went on to say Farkovits, Fuchs and Lahasky “…showed tremendous interest in the residents and the community and were also very attentive to the specific needs of the county.” Jandris added that the men are respected nursing home operators and are known for investing in their employees and supporting the operational needs of each facility.

Richard Moy of the LDC expressed the same sentiments about Comprehensive. Moy observed, “They all seem to be committed 100% to the success of their facilities and particularly invested in the communities. In fact, they willingly agreed to continue the nationally-recognized Community-as-School program as well as provide meals for Orleans County Hospice.”

According to Farkovits, “Our desire is to augment the existing programs at The Villages and add more specialty services to cater to the growing needs of the community. We plan to enhance the health care options for the residents in and around Orleans County.”

Martino, Moy and DeCarlo also believe Comprehensive has a proactive approach to “optimizing the facility’s potential.”

Both parties were motivated to work out the terms of Comprehensive’s offer. Lahasky made it clear throughout the process, “We will do whatever needs to be done to make sure each resident has the benefit of the all the assets and unique specialty services that Comprehensive has to offer. Simply put, we are confident that together we will all be able to continue to serve the people of Orleans County – quite well.”

Provided photo

Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos pulls the winning ticket this afternoon for a county employee who dressed in red as part of National Go Red Day. Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the County Legislature, holds the basket full of tickets.

Orleans County employees raised $865 by paying $5 each to wear red to promote awareness about heart disease.  Each employee that participated was eligible in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate for a night out.

Mayor Theodorakos pulled the winning ticket for a $50 gift certificate to Albion’s Crooked Door Tavern. Jim Noreck, assistant superintendent of the Buildings and Grounds Department, was the winner.

All proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association to help the ongoing research to eliminate cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the country’s No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death, respectively.

ALBION – A group tasked with finding a buyer for The Villages of Orleans, a 120-bed nursing home in Albion, could decide today which company will be the new owner.

The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed last year by the County Legislature, will meet today at 1:30 in the legislative chambers of the County Clerks’ Building, 3 South Main St.

The three-man board of directors will go into executive session to discuss a purchase agreement for the county-owned nursing home.

The group is considering more than price, LDC chairman Russ Martino has said. The board wants the new owner to work with Albion Central School to continue an alternative education program at the site. At-risk students at Albion take classes at the nursing home and do an internship or job shadowing with staff.

The nursing home also currently prepares meals for residents at the hospice residence down the road. Martino wants that partnership to continue.

The LDC and county hired Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group, a Chicago firm that specializes selling nursing homes. The firm helped find purchase offers and is working with the LDC on the sales agreement. Marcus and Millichap will get a 2.5 percent commission as its fee.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a county-owned nursing home since 1960, has been acquired by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC for $7.8 million.

ALBION – It’s been a long-dreaded day that supporters of the county-owned nursing home hoped wouldn’t arrive. The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center was sold today for $7.8 million to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC.

The new owner likely won’t take over until next year. It needs to get through the certificate of need review process by the state Department of Health. That usually takes 12 to 18 months.

“I am bitter because it’s too bad,” said Gary Kent, one of the leaders of Concerned Citizens of Orleans County, a group that fought the sale. Concerned Citizens tried to stop the sale through a court fight, public protests and the recent county election.

Kent believes the county owes it to its seniors to maintain a quality nursing home with dedicated employees. He worries the quality of care could suffer under private ownership.

Kent, a former county legislator, said the $7.8 million price was “ridiculous” given that the county spent more than $10 million on a renovation and addition in 2007. It also added a wing in the mid-1990s that Kent said is “just like new.”

That price exceeded the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.

“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services recently bought three nursing homes in Buffalo that were owned by Catholic Health Services. Comprehensive also owns a site in Albany.

County officials toured the Albany site and one of the Buffalo nursing homes. The group was impressed by the investment in the facilities.

County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt went on the tours with Karen Wygal, director of nursing at the Villages. They were joined by Russ Martino, Richard Moy and Richard DeCarlo Sr., all members of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation.

The County Legislature last February voted to transfer the nursing home to the Health Facilities Corporation, a local development corporation formed to sell The Villages.

The group is pleased with the sale price, said Martino, the group’s chairman.

He also praised the company for agreeing to allow space at the nursing home to continue to be used for an alternative school program at Albion. Comprehensive also will keep an existing agreement to prepare meals for the Hospice of Orleans residence.

Comprehensive principal owners include Joshua Farkovits, Bernard Fuchs and Mordy Lahasky. They have ownership stakes in other nursing homes besides the ones in Buffalo and Albany.

The new owners acknowledged the change of ownership can be upsetting to some residents, their families and employees. Lahasky said he and his partners were immediately “…very impressed by the facility and, more important, by the people at The Villages of Orleans, staff and residents alike. The Villages is a gem – it is clearly a well-run facility and we intend to keep it that way. Our aim is to provide even more support and enhance the services offered at the facility.”

Comprehensive, as part of the 45-page agreement signed today, agreed to own the site for at least 10 years. It also pledged not to reduce employee wages.

Cindy Troy, president of the CSEA union, worries about the employees and the residents of the county nursing home.

Troy expects benefits will be cut to employees, leading to more turnover and diminished care for residents in the 120-bed nursing home.

“I’m really concerned, not just for the employees but for the community,” Troy said this afternoon after the county announced the sale. “I’m worried about whether we’ll have a stable workforce. You don’t have a good nursing home if you don’t have a stable workforce.”

The new owners didn’t specify whether workers would see a reduction in healthcare or retirement benefits. County officials have cited employee benefits as a prime driver of operational costs – and deficits at the site.

The nursing home employs about 125 workers. They currently are eligible for the state retirement system.

The sale will reduce the county’s overall workforce by about a third. Kent, the former legislator, said the seven-member county Legislature should cut its pay by least 25 percent when the sale is final.

“Their workload will be down,” he said.

Kent has disputed many of the numbers put out by the county about the deficits at the site.

County officials have said deficit have topped $2 million in recent years. It was listed as a $825,000 deficit on the 2013 county tax bill. Callard and county officials feared the nursing home could require a $4 million or more in county contributions in the future due to shrinking federal aid.

Richard DeCarlo, one of the LDC board members, said those deficits would be too much for county taxpayers.

“We could not, in good conscience, allow this to go on,” he said.

The new owner brings expertise and resources to the site, Callard said. The sale preserves the nursing home as a resource for years to come, he said.

“I have great expectations,” Callard said. “I think you’ll see capital investment and innovative ideas.”

ALBION – The county-owned nursing home has been sold for $7.8 million to a company that recently purchased three Catholic Health facilities in Buffalo.

Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC will be the new owner of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 120-bed nursing home on Route 31. The final approval for the sale will come after the state Department of Health reviews the company’s certificate of need. Those reviews often take at least a year.

The sale won’t become effective until after Jan. 1, 2015. That will honor the time frame put out by the County Legislature about two years ago when it told the public and nursing home employees the site would stay county-owned until at least 2014, Legislature Chairman David Callard said this afternoon.

He is pleased with the price, which exceeds the $6.5 million market value set by the county’s consultants with the sale, Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group in Chicago. The price also will allow the county to pay off the $7.1 million in debt left on the nursing home following renovations and an addition in 2007.

“It’s a really good deal with a really reputable company,” said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

Orleans Hub will have more on the sale.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A motorist turns from West Park Street onto Main Street in Albion this evening at about 8:30. Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess issued at travel advisory at 3:30 p.m. today. He is lifting the advisory at 11 p.m.

“Drivers should continue to use caution due to slippery conditions and also in isolated areas of poor visibility due to blowing and drifting snow,” Hess said.

Orleans County has been pounded by storm today

Photos by Tom Rivers – A Village of Albion plow truck is on East Park Street, preparing to turn on Platt Street. It’s been a busy day for the DPWs and highway departments.

It has been snowing almost constantly since this morning, but the snow has slowed its pace and it should taper off tonight, the National Weather Service advised.

A travel advisory remains in effect for Orleans County. I went for a walk by the Courthouse Square around 8:30 p.m. There was hardly any traffic out. I saw more plow trucks than other vehicles.

Main Street was mostly deserted. Here is a photo looking south by the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. The historic marker notes that journalist Terry Anderson grew up in Albion.

The First Presbyterian Church shrugs off the latest winter storm. The church was built in 1874 from local Medina sandstone. It has endured many winters. The Orleans County Courthouse, built in 1858, is the focal point of the district that is named to the National Register of Historic Places.

The snow shows off the sandstone blocks in the Presbyterian Church.

A plow truck heads up Route 98 in front of the Presbyterian Church.

The County Treasurer’s Office looks peaceful after about a foot of snow fell today.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub photographer Cheryl Wertman was in Medina earlier today when she took this photo through a windshield, showing the treacherous driving conditions in Orleans County.

By Tom Rivers, editor

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess is urging people to avoid driving unless it’s necessary. The sheriff has issued a travel advisory due to the rough driving conditions.

Today’s snowstorm has reduced driver visibility, and created difficult driving conditions with slippery roads.

The sheriff hasn’t issued a travel ban so people can still go to and from work.

“if you don’t have to go out, then don’t,” said a county dispatcher. “Use good judgment.”

The dispatcher said there hasn’t been any serious accidents due to the road conditions. A few vehicles did slide off the roads.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued a state of emergency for the entire state due to the storm. All five school districts in Orleans County have cancelled after-school activities.

All 5 Orleans County districts cancel after-school activities

Photo by Tom Rivers – The photo above shows Gaines Basin Road, just south of Route 104. The photo was taken at about 11:30 a.m. looking south.

It’s nasty with white-out conditions, blowing snow and slippery roads.

Albion, Medina and Lyndonville schools have cancelled all afternoon and evening activities due to the storm. Holley and Kendall will dismiss students early, and both have cancelled after-school events.

Holley will send middle and high schoolers home at 12:30 with elementary students to follow at 1:30 p.m. Kendall will send middle-high school students home at 2 p.m. When the busses return, elementary students will go home.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until 10 tonight for most of Western New York, including Orleans County. The heaviest snow will be late morning through mid-afternoon across the region, according to the Weather Service. We could get 5 to 9 inches of snow today.

Gov. Cuomo has declared a state-wide emergency due the storm. Some downstate highway crews have severely depleted road salt supplies, the governor said.

Statewide, the state has 1,700 plows, 359 loaders and 4,000 operators on the roads, Cuomo said.

“This is a significant winter storm impacting all regions of the state and we are taking all necessary steps to keep New Yorkers safe,” Cuomo said. “I have declared a state of emergency for all counties so that we can continue our effective and quick response in communities that have been hit the hardest. New Yorkers in affected regions should stay off the roads, check on their neighbors and loved ones, and stay inside their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.”

Super Bowl makes for hectic day at pizzerias

Photo by Tom Rivers – Brian Christiaansen, owner of the Mark’s Pizzeria in Albion, gets ready for the onslaught of orders later for the Super Bowl. Christiaansen also owns the Mark’s Pizzerias in Medina and Newfane.

ALBION – The biggest game of the year is also the busiest day for many local pizzerias. They have all of the employees working today, preparing pizza and chicken wings, with a fleet of drivers ready to make deliveries.

“It’s like cooking the Thanksgiving dinner for everybody,” said Ken Printup, owner of Uncle Sal’s Place in Albion.

With nearly two decades in business in Albion, Printup said he and his staff of 17 employees have the frantic pace of the Super Bowl down to a science, doing prep work and managing the kitchen to get the orders out for the game.

“The first few years we did half as much as we do now, but there was twice as much chaos,” he said. “We’ve got it down now.”

The Super Bowl is his biggest day, followed by Thanksgiving Eve and then Halloween, Printup said.

At Mark’s Pizzeria in Albion, employees and owner Brian Christiaansen started at 9 this morning, after a busy day on Saturday prepping for today. Christiaansen has his entire staff of 27 working in Albion today, including 14 delivery drivers. He also owns the Mark’s sites in Medina and Newfane.

“This is by far our busiest day,” he said. The action peaks between 4 and 7 p.m.

Dan Passalacqua, co-owner of Avanti Pizza in Albion and Medina, said Avanti is actually busiest on Halloween and Christmas Eve. But today will be huge.

“It’s all hands on deck,” he said. “It will have its challenges because everybody wants their pizza before game time. We’ll just keep going until the phone stops ringing.”

Editorial

They showed up in force in Albany on Monday, in what has become known as the annual “Tin Cup Brigade.” Leaders of cities with big problems: shrinking tax bases and populations, and rising costs for pensions, employee benefits and mounting infrastructure needs. The mayors of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Yonkers and New York City all demanded more help from the state.

“Let’s make this the year that the state steps up to the plate when it comes to investing in public safety at the community level,” Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said at a joint legislative hearing about the state budget. “Let’s make this the year when we start to make our cities strong and truly livable again.”

The mayors painted a picture of despair – deteriorating neighborhoods and loss of businesses and residents – while also sharing hope that the cities would be stronger with more state funding.

They were hammering at the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities, a program that provides $715 million in state money to cities, villages and towns. The cities already get the lion’s share of that money – far more in per capita dollars than the towns and villages. (Click here for an Orleans Hub article on Monday detailing the disparity.)

‘The main problem for these villages is a state government big on lectures and mandates, with no money to back it up.’

Most small cities get between $100 and $200 per person. In villages of similar size, the per capita aid from the state generally ranges from $5 to $10. Big cities get even more per capita. Buffalo, the second biggest city after New York City, gets $617 per person.

Orleans Hub wrote about this glaring inequity on Monday. That was also the day the Assembly and Senate held the joint hearing in Albany about local government.

I’ve tried to find out why the cities’ per capita aid is so much more than villages, despite their comparable services and comparable problems. I still haven’t got any good answers.

But I think the main reason may be the mayors of the cities aren’t afraid to ask for the money. They go to Albany and demand it.

The same hearing on Monday didn’t include a mayor from a village. (Click here to see the list of speakers.) The city leaders also were on the radio and television, trying to make their case for more money. I don’t think the state legislators realize how unfair the state aid sharing is, and I don’t think they know the depth of distress in the villages. No village voice is heard in Albany, advocating for these places.

The big cities are led by professional politicians making six-figure incomes with huge staffs to draft speeches and line up media appearances. The villages have mayors who typically are working other full-time jobs. These mayors make less than $10,000 a year. They don’t have assistants. They drive themselves and don’t have security.

The state legislators should insist on hearing from some of the mayors from these upstate villages.

Warren, the Rochester mayor, noted that her city gets less per capita than others, including Buffalo. However, at more than $400 per person, Rochester gets far more per capita than the $6.41 for village of Albion residents.

I agree with this statement from Warren: “Let’s make this the year that we work together to come up with a needs-based AIM aid formula that provides equitable assistance to all.” That should apply to the villages as well as the cities, Mrs. Mayor.

Orleans Hub’s editorial on Monday detailed the unfairness in state aid per capita for cities versus villages. Small cities get far more than villages, despite functioning in largely the same ways. However, the cities get about 20-to-1 more in aid per capita.

Take the city of Salamanca, population 5,815. It gets $928,131 in state aid or $159.61 per person. The village of Albion, population 6,056, gets a measly $38,811 or $6.41 per person. The village of Medina and its 6,065 residents get $45,523 or $7.51 per person.

I’ve had trouble sleeping since discovering the state-sponsored discrimination against the village people over the weekend. I’m so angry and outraged about it, knowing that fair treatment from the state would have prevented some of the devastation in these upstate villages.

The state has been shafting these communities, leading to their demise. If the villages, many with full-time police and myriad of other services, were on par with cities like Salamanca, we would have much different places. They would be much healthier places with smaller tax rates, updated infrastructure and higher property values. It wouldn’t feel like these places are falling apart.

‘Fair treatment from the state would have prevented some of the devastation in these upstate villages.’

Many of those familiar with upstate villages will recall grander, more prosperous days. I often hear people reminisce about Albion as “the place to be.” Yes, we have lost major industries, and the loss of well-paying jobs has hurt these communities.

But the state’s feeble aid has been a dagger in the heart. It’s year after year of neglect and indifference. And the governor has the gall to lecture these places that he rarely sets foot in about controlling expenses and reducing layers of government.

The main problem for these villages is a state government big on lectures and mandates, with no money to back it up.

County has fallen from 10.9% to 8.4% in year

The latest unemployment news from the state Department of Labor shows a marked improvement in the unemployment rate in Orleans County, compared to a year earlier. However, Orleans still ranks among the counties with the highest jobless rates in the state.

Orleans County had a 10.9 percent unemployment rate in December 2012. That fell to 8.5 percent in November 2013, and then to 8.4 percent last month.

The counties with the four highest rates include Bronx, 10.6 percent; Hamilton, 9.1 percent; Jefferson, 9.1 percent; and Lewis, 8.9 percent.

The following have the lowest unemployment rates: Tompkins County, 4.1 percent; Nassau, 4.8 percent, Putnam, 4.8 percent; and Rockland, 4.9 percent.

The state DOL report shows a growing private sector job count, up 109,900 from December 2012 to December 2013. The state’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in December 2013, which was down from 7.4 percent in November.

The unemployment rates for other rural GLOW counties include 6.1 percent for both Genesee and Livingston, and 7.3 percent for Wyoming.