Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County officials were joined by State Sen. George Maziarz in turning a ceremonial shovel of dirt this afternoon during a ground-breaking for a new $7.1 million emergency communications system. Pictured outside the Emergency Management Office include, from left: County legislators John DeFilipps, Ken DeRoller, Lynne Johnson, Bill Eick, Eileen Banker (chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley), Maziarz, County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Nesbitt, Legislature Chairman David Callard, and Paul Wagner, EMO director.

ALBION In a just few months Orleans County first responders will have new radios, new transmission towers to send signals, and new emergency communications equipment at the dispatch center and a backup location.

County officials today joined with firefighters, police officers, highway superintendents and other emergency services personnel to celebrate a ground breaking for the project that has been years in the making.

“It’s been a long hard battle,” said Paul Wagner, the county’s emergency services director. “This brings us into the 21^st Century.”

The new system will cost $7.1 million. A state grant will pay $2 million of the cost.

“These things are important but they’re also very expensive,” said State Sen. George Maziarz, who noted state funding is helping with the upgrade.

Firefighters have pressed the county for years to upgrade the system. The radios often have been unreliable, especially on the east and west ends of the county – about 10 miles away from the main transmission tower on County House Road in Albion.

“It’s been a problem for a long time,” said Fran Gaylord, a former Holley fire chief who is now a deputy emergency management coordinator for the county.

Orleans County Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Wagner, right, addresses a crowd during a ground-breaking celebration for the new communications system. Legislature Chairman David Callard, center, and Legislator Lynne Johnson, left, also spoke during the ground-breaking.

When their radios lose a signal, firefighters will often take a few steps to try to pick up service. In dispatch, emergency responders and dispatchers often have to repeat themselves because the signals fade in and out, said Allen Turner, the communications coordinator.

“Sometimes we don’t hear each other,” he said. “This will bring us up-to-date technology.”

The upgraded system has a new tower at Countyhouse Road, one by the Medina water tank on Route 31A and one by the Clarendon Highway Garage just off Route 31A. Medina and Clarendon both let the towers be built on their land without charging the county. County Legislature Chairman David Callard praised them for their intermunicipal cooperation.

The foundation was poured for the Medina site on Tuesday. Next week crews will work on the Clarendon site. The tower is already under construction in Albion.

The new system should be operational in April or May. Wagner credited the county officials for working through a myriad of issues, including negotiations with the Federal Communications Commission and its counterpart in Canada.

Legislator Lynne Johnson was the “bull dog” for the county, helping to push the project forward, Callard said. Johnson, as chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, said fire chiefs often told her the old radio system posed safety risks for the personnel. Johnson was often on the phone with Callard, relaying concerns shared at fire advisory meetings.

The system includes 1,100 new radios. Ten of those will go to probation officers.

Luci Welch, Probation director, said there are many spots in the county along the lake and in remote areas where the current radios don’t work.

“These new radios will help keep us safe,” she said. “Safety is of paramount concern. For us, we never know what we’re going to walk into.”

‘It would be tremendous to have him on the top of the ticket.’- Ed Morgan, Orleans County GOP chairman

Photos courtesy of Ed Morgan – Donald Trump, left, poses for a photo with Ed Morgan, Orleans County Republican Party chairman, at a meeting in New York City on Friday.

Talk of Donald Trump running for governor of New York isn’t a publicity stunt, said Ed Morgan, the Orleans County Republican Party chairman.

“I think he’s in it, but he’s not yet 100 percent,” Morgan said this morning.

Trump, a billionaire real estate developer and a TV personality, is serious about challenging Andrew Cuomo this November. Morgan was among 30 to 35 Republican Party leaders in the state to meet with Trump on Friday at the Trump Tower in New York City.

Trump told the GOP leaders he wants to run for governor, but only if the party unites around him. He doesn’t want a divisive primary against Ron Astorino, the Westchester County Executive.

Trump expects to make a decision in the next two to three weeks. Morgan said a Trump candidacy would be a big coup for Republicans, who are vastly outnumbered by Democrats for state-wide positions.

“It would inject a lot of adrenaline in the party,” Morgan said. “It would be tremendous to have him at the top of the ticket.”

Trump presented his case to the GOP chairmen, Morgan said. Trump said the state’s high tax burden has driven away businesses and residents. Trump as governor would push for significant tax cuts to improve the business climate.

“I love this state, and I see where it’s going,” he told The Buffalo News. “We’re going to be another Detroit.”

Trump connected with the Republican leaders on Friday, coming across as a regular guy, Morgan said.

Donald Trump meets with Republican Party leaders from different counties in the state during a session on Friday.

“He’s not as sarcastic, bombastic and showboating as you see on TV,” Morgan said.

Morgan serves as regional chairman for the Republican Party in Western New York. If Trump pursues the position, Morgan said Trump agreed to appear at many of the counties this year, which would energize the Republican base. Trump also said he would self-finance his campaign if he runs for governor.

Morgan said Cuomo has already stirred the passions of conservatives, particularly with the SAFE Act, a controversial gun control measure. Gun owners have criticized the legislation as an infringement on their Second Amendment rights. A new organization, New York Revolution, is trying to unite gun owners to unseat Cuomo as governor.

Trump cited the groundswell of opposition to Cuomo with the SAFE Act in making the governor vulnerable for re-election.

“He awakened a sleeping giant,” Morgan said about Cuomo’s leadership with the SAFE Act.

ALBION – Orleans County won’t let the State of New York use the county seal for any enforcement efforts with the SAFE Act, a controversial gun control measure approved by the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo last January.

State officials want to use county seals with the state seal on pistol recertification notices. Orleans doesn’t want its seal associated with the SAFE Act.

The county also doesn’t want to devote its resources, whether law enforcement or at the county clerks’ office, to enforcing and processing the SAFE Act.

“They should be responsible for all the costs and enforcement,” County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard said about the state.

The County Legislature passed a resolution on Wednesday, joining many other counties around the state, in opposing use of the county seal on pistol permit notices.

The legislators said that enforcement of the SAFE Act also should not be a burden of the local police agencies.

“The enforcement is clearly the responsibility of the state police,” said Legislator Lynne Johnson, R-Lyndonville.

The Legislature was praised by Mattie Zarpentine of Holley, who is the Western New York coordinator for New York Revolution, an organization that formed after the SAFE Act was passed. The group is a Second Amendment rights supporter and has been protesting the SAFE Act.

Zarpentine urged the Legislature to continue to oppose the legislation and work for its repeal.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion, is site leader for the new Jobs for Life program in Orleans County. Classes start Jan. 27 at Hoag Library.

ALBION – A group of local churches are working to break a cycle of poverty and high unemployment in our community. The newly formed Hands 4 Hope Orleans believes jobs are critical to the dignity and self sufficiency of local residents.

The organization is launching a “Jobs for Life” program, an eight-week class where participants meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The first class is on Jan. 27 at Hoag Library in Albion.

“We will focus on character and integrity,” said Tim Lindsay, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion and the site leader for Jobs for Life.

The class is free to participants. Lindsay and the organizers want to match each participant with a mentor from the community who will serve as a resource and encourager during the process. That relationship could last during the eight-week class, but Lindsay hopes it will be long-lasting.

“It’s good to have someone walk alongside you through the ups and downs, to provide encouragement and support because it can get discouraging when things don’t go the way you want,” he said. “It takes perseverance.”

Jobs for Life has been tried in other communities and Lindsay said the program has been successful in connecting people to jobs that match their skills.

Each graduate will receive a certificate and businesses can have faith the students have learned the importance of values, showing up on time, conflict resolution, team work, a positive attitude, taking responsibility and overcoming roadblocks.

Many churches provide emergency relief, such as clothing, material aid and food through pantries and soup kitchens. Lindsay said Jobs for Life aims to get at the root of poverty, trying to give people skills and direction to become self sufficient.

He expects 10 to 12 people will be in the first class. The group welcomes participants, mentors and a network with local businesses.

Besides Harvest Christian Fellowship, the Oak Orchard Assembly of God, Light of Victory, Albion Free Methodist Church and Alabama Full Gospel are all working on Jobs for Life.

For more information, including how to apply to be a mentor, send an email to info@hands4hopeorleans.org or call Lindsay at (585) 589-0777. For more information on Hands 4 Hope Orleans, click here. That site includes an application for participants in the class.

D’Imperio’s book highlights 50 sites, including 2 in Orleans

The cover of “Unknown Museums of Upstate New York” includes a photo of the Cobblestone Universalist Church in Gaines, which is part of the Cobblestone Society Museum.

ALBION – Chuck D’Imperio wanted to highlight 50 museums in Upstate New York, sites that he says are important caretakers of local history and culture.

D’Imperio’s book, “Unknown Museums of Upstate New York,” includes two sites in Orleans County: The Medina Railroad Museum and the Cobblestone Society Museum.

He will be in town on Jan. 25 to talk about the book and his journeys around the state in cataloging the sites. He wrote the book as a guide to 50 “treasures” that tell unappreciated stories of the state’s history.

Bindings Bookstore and Tillman’s Village Inn will host D’Imperio for an evening dining event and book signing.

He has several museums from Western New York in the book, including The Holland Land Office Museum of Batavia, the Kazoo Factory museum in Eden, the Jell-O Gallery in LeRoy, the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, the Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum in East Aurora, the Steel Plant Museum of Western New York and the Millard Fillmore House Museum in East Aurora.

D’Imperio will be sign copies of the book at 6 p.m. on Jan. 25. Tickets are available at Bindings Bookstore in Albion, a lily and a sparrow in Medina and Johnathan’s Pastry Shoppe in Holley.

Three of the five school districts – Holley, Lyndonville and Medina – are closed today due to the single-digit temperatures in the morning with the wind chill making it feel 5-below.

Rainbow Preschool in Albion, Gaines Country Preschool in Gaines, Orleans County Christian School in Medina and the Orleans-Niagara BOCES outside Medina have also closed today.

Albion and Kendall school districts are open.

ALBION – Orleans County Conservative Party leaders blasted tax-saving plans for two projects in Orleans County, deals that will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in in less tax revenue for local municipalities.

That’s how Al Lofthouse, Conservative Party chairman, sees it.

“You’re raping the taxpayer,” he told county legislators at today’s Legislature meeting. “It’s thoroughly disgusting.”

Lofthouse opposes a tax abatement deal for the Wegman Group, a real estate company from Hilton that wants to develop the 400-unit Cottages at Troutburg.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency has crafted a 10-year tax savings plan for the 126-acre site in the northeast corner of Kendall along Lake Ontario. The plan only applies to the land. Any new seasonal cottages will be taxed at 80 percent of their value.

The land is currently assessed at $1,305,200. The EDA proposal would save the company more than $200,000 over 10 years.

“You’re taking public money and giving it to private companies,” Lofthouse said.

The land, a former Salvation Army camp, was tax exempt for about 40 years and didn’t generate any tax revenue for the local municipalities until very recently, said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the EDA.

She said the project could boost the town’s tax base by $30 million when it’s fully developed. She told Lofthouse to look at the PILOT in the early stages of the project as a small investment for the bigger return later as the cottages are built.

The EDA will have a public hearing 9 a.m. Jan. 15 at the Kendall Town Hall for the Troutburg tax abatement plan

Paul Lauricella, Conservative Party vice chairman, also said he opposed a sales tax exemption for Claims Recovery Financial Services, which could spend up to $4,430,000 for new equipment, machinery and furnishings as part of its relocation and expansion into the former JP Morgan Chase call center on East Avenue.

The company won’t have to pay sales tax on any of those purchases, a benefit that could save the company up to $354,400 because of the sales tax exemption. Both the county and state won’t collect $172,200 each in sales tax if CRFS spends $4.43 million for equipment and furnishings in its expansion and relocation. The sales tax abatement was approved last month.

The county didn’t give away the sales tax because it’s money that was never received, said Chuck Nesbitt, county chief administrative officer.

CRFS has about 600 employees in the county now and plans to add 150 more as it moves into the former Chase site. The company was being wooed by economic development agencies to expand in Texas. The company, led by Albion resident Jodi Gaines, picked Albion to grow.

“The sales tax abatement helped them to stay in Orleans County,” Barone said.

All five school districts aren’t open amidst storm

Albion Central School is closed today due to the bitter cold and snowstorm. District officials made the call early this morning.

All five school districts in the county are closed. Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina all announced on Monday they were closing today. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared Orleans and 13 other counties as under a state of emergency due to the storm.

Orleans County is escaping the brunt of a winter storm that is unleashing blizzard-like conditions on nearby counties.

While Genesee, Erie and Wyoming are being pummeled with snow, harsh wind and a bitter wind chill, Orleans so far is mostly afflicted by the cold temperatures.

“There hasn’t been any trouble in Orleans County,” a dispatcher said at about noon. “The roads are clear although it’s blowing over in some spots. It’s just business as usual.”

All five school districts closed today with a wind chill forecast at about 30 below zero.

Genesee County is getting hammered with snow, on top of the cold and wind. That county has issued its first travel ban since 1977 when the Blizzard of ’77 hit.

Orleans County cut its unemployment rate from 10.2 percent in November 2012 to 8.5 percent this past November. Despite that progress, Orleans still has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the state.

Bronx County led the state with an 11.2 percent rate, followed by Jefferson at 9.0, Kings at 8.7 percent and Hamilton at 8.5 percent.

The state’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.7 percent in October 2013 to 7.4 percent in November, the lowest level since January 2009, according to the New York State Department of Labor. The state’s economy added 4,300 private sector jobs, raising New York State’s private sector job count to 7,493,500 – another all-time high, according to the DOL.

The unemployment rate in Orleans remains persistently high, especially compared to nearby rural counties. In the GLOW region, Genesee has the lowest rate at 6.1 percent, followed by Livingston at 6.4 and Wyoming at 7.1 percent.

The counties in New York with the lowest unemployment rates include Tompkins at 4.4, Putnam at 5.0, Nassau at 5.1, Saratoga at 5.2, and Rockland at 5.3 percent.

ALBION – Orleans County Court is closed today. The Office of Court Administration has closed all County, Supreme and Family Courts in Western New York due to today’s bitter cold.

In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter is closed today due to the plunging temperatures and nasty wind chill. Those needing help can reach a trained professional for confidential guidance at 1.800.272.3900.

Orleans among 14 counties in state declaration

Press release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has declared a state of emergency as a major winter storm has moved from the Midwest into Western New York and the Tug Hill Plateau region of the State.

The State of Emergency includes Orleans County and the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Oneida, Oswego, Wayne and Wyoming.

Earlier today the governor announced that parts of the New York State Thruway in WNY will be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions and he directed the State Emergency Operations Center to open at 8 p.m. based on the forecasted winter weather conditions in Buffalo and Western New York.

These actions were taken due to a severe winter weather event that is forecast to include 36 inches of snow in the coming day-and-a-half, lake effect snows in some areas up to four inches per hour, wind gusts up to 40 mph and wind chill temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero. The Thruway in this area will be reopened when conditions allow.

A state of emergency mobilizes resources to local governments that otherwise are restricted to state use only and allows the governor to suspend laws and regulations that would impede rapid response.

The governor urged Western New Yorkers and residents in the Tug Hill Plateau region to avoid traveling and stay inside their homes until the worst of the storm has passed.

“As this new winter storm develops, bringing heavy snow and high winds, I strongly urge all citizens in these regions to exercise caution, avoid travel, and stay indoors,” Cuomo said. “To ensure an effective and rapid response to this winter storm, I am declaring a state of emergency, so resources can get to communities where they are needed as quickly as possible.”

Miller

ALBION – The trial against accused murderer Frederick Miller of Carlton will begin March 10 with jury selection starting at 10 a.m.

Orleans County Court Judge James Punch set the schedule during a court appearance this afternoon by Miller. The trial was set to start on Jan. 13 but was pushed back to give Miller’s attorney time to file motions and arguments in the case.

Miller hired defense lawyer Robert King of Rochester on Dec. 7. For nearly nine months Miller was represented by the public defender.

King filed a motion about a search by police of Miller’s home following the March 4 murder, when Miller allegedly killed his girlfriend, Rachel Miller. Police did not have a search warrant. Punch said he will soon make a decision about the motions filed in the case.

Rachel Miller, 53, died of blunt force trauma combined with multiple stab wounds. The couple allegedly had a fight on March 4 at a home they shared on Oak Orchard River Road.

Frederick Miller has rejected a plea bargain for pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He would face a sentence of 15 years to life in state prison if he accepted that plea bargain.

His attorney told Judge Punch that Miller won’t accept a plea bargain and wants to take the case to trial.

Punch said there won’t be any more plea bargain discussions. The case is now on track for trial.

“Please do not come back to me and request a plea bargain while we are in session,” Punch said. “It’s done now at your request.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

Motorists in Orleans County and Western New York are getting a jolting ride this winter as potholes proliferate due to the freeze-and-thaw cycle of the winter.

These two photos show pavement with chunks missing on Route 31 near the driveway that leads to the County Administration Building. This week’s weather promises more punishment for the local, county and state roads.