After debuting last year, county now has 3 teams

Photos by Tom Rivers – Members of the First Lego League work on their Lego robot Monday. The 4-H youths include, from left: Maxim Rambach of Medina, Deegan Bragg of Medina, Zach Moore of Albion, Daniel Squire of Medina and Jayden Neal of Albion. Three Lego teams practice at Liberty Fresh Farms in Albion, the home of the former Remley Printing Company.

ALBION – Monday was a glorious day for a group of 4-H’ers. A new Lego robot kit arrived for a team of Lego builders.

Tiny plastic pieces were then carefully set in rows and piles. The 4-H’ers then began the task of turning the parts into a robot that could be programmed to move pieces and conquer obstacles.

The 4-H program last year launched a First Lego League team. There were 13 kids on the team last year. The Lego League has grown in popularity with 26 members, ages 8 to 14 this year. They are split into three teams.

Zach Moore, 12, of Albion is a returning member. He spent part of Monday’s Lego meeting putting tank treads on the Lego robot “so it can climb over things,” Zach said.

Zach is active in 4-H and shows animals at the 4-H Fair. He prefers working with the Legos.

“I’ve always liked building things,” he said.

One of the Lego teams opened a new robot kit on Monday, which caused great excitement. That team is led by coaches Jason Foote, left, and Michael Beach, who both have sons in the program.

The 4-H Lego Club draws members from throughout the county. Zach said he made many new friends last year in the Lego Club’s debut season. This year incudes 12 returning players, and 14 newcomers, which is fine with Zach.

“Hopefully I’ll make more friends this year,” he said.

The Lego Club was going to practice and have meetings at the fairgrounds in Knowlesville. But the growing program outgrew the space.

The Panek family, owners of an onion packing facility on Route 98 in Albion, offered the upstairs of the former Remley Printing Company building for the teams.

The Paneks’ offer is the latest example of generous support for the Lego teams, and also a robotics club that is in its third year, said Erik Seielstad, one of the program’s coaches and mentors.

Xerox in Rochester and Baxter International in Medina are the main sponsors for the teams in Orleans County, but several other businesses are supporting the program. Each Lego team requires about $1,000 for field kits, robots and entry fees. The robotic team, which features 17 high schoolers, needs about $15,000 a year to compete in events.

Albion friends and Lego team members James Michael Beach, left, and Jacob Foote, both 9, look over the pieces of a new Lego kit.

Seielstad provides hands-on supervision of the teams, while his wife Marlene has become an effective fund-raiser for the program.

“She has a vast network for funding,” her husband said.

Mr. Seielstad, a systems engineer in Rochester, is pleased to see the 4-H members so focused during their meetings.

“It’s a good program,” he said. “It gives kids an opportunity to do stuff. The kids drive it and they make it happen.”

The Lego teams meet three times a week in the fall, and then it drops down to once a month in the winter and spring after their main competition later in the fall. The robotics team starts in January.

The Lego teams through FLL are all working with a common theme – Nature’s Fury – this year. They need to research natural disasters and program their robots to respond to the aftermath. That could mean removing a dangling branch after a hurricane ripped through a neighborhood.

Teams are researching sandstorms, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and other disasters, and they need to have a response plan in place, with the robot moving quickly to complete tasks. The robot may be outfitted with arms or claws to perform some of its missions.

Jason Foote and Mike Beach are co-mentors of one of the teams. Their sons, Jacob Foote and James Michael Beach, are both 9 and they are returning players.

“They’re using Legos to solve real-world problems,” said Mr. Foote, who works as a civil engineer.

James Michael enjoys Legos, and looks forward to the meetings through 4-H.

“It’s still Legos, but they’re taking it to the next step with technology,” said Mr. Beach, a team leader for quality control at CRFS. “You’re trying to get a robot to accomplish something.”

Project includes new transmission towers, 1,100 radios and rebuilt communication system

ALBION A project that has been years in the making and will give emergency responders a new communications system is now projected to cost $7.1 million.

The county increased the maximum cost from $5.3 million to $7.1 million during the Legislature’s meeting this morning. The $5.3 million figure was from about a year ago when the county voted to pursue a maximum of $4.5 million in financing for the project.

The county doesn’t intend to borrow more for the project. County officials expect Orleans may need to use about $4.2 million of the bond to cover its share of the project.

Since approving the $4.5 million bond for the project in April 2012, the county was awarded a $2 million state grant towards the project from the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. That lessens the local burden for paying for the project.

The original scope of the communications upgrade has changed from when the county voted to seek the $4.5 million bond. County officials were eyeing two new radio transmission towers, one on each end of the county that would be leased.

The county instead will pay to build three towers that are 180 feet high. One will be on land owned by the town of Clarendon near its highway garage off Route 31A, the other will be next to the county’s Civil Defense Center on Courthouse Road in Albion and the other will be next to the Medina water tank on Route 31A. Medina and Clarendon both agreed to lease the land to the county at no cost.

“Originally this was a lease versus buy situation, and we’re going to buy,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

If the towers were leased, the county’s ongoing annual costs would be higher, Nesbitt said. By owning the infrastructure, the county can also collect co-leasing fees if other companies want to put communications equipment on the towers.

The county also was considering piggybacking on Monroe County’s communication system, but that was going to cost more than having its won dedicated system, Nesbitt said.

Orleans County approved a $5 million deal last year with the Harris Corporation to rebuild the county’s emergency communications systems. Harris will reprogram 1,100 portable radios and make upgrades to the dispatch center.

The county’s radio system was last overhauled in 1992. The county has one transmission tower on Countyhouse Road. That’s about 10 miles from the eastern and western ends of the county. Firefighters, police officers, and other first responders for years have complained that the county’s current radio system is often unreliable, particularly on the edges of the county.

Harris is manufacturing the infrastructure for the Orleans project at its facility in Henrietta. The new system will meet the P25 industry standard for digital radio communications.

The new towers should be up in the spring and the new system should be operational next summer, Nesbitt said.

Agenda includes helicopter landing pad in Medina and addition for RS Automation in Albion

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board will review the site plan for a new Dunkin’ Donuts on Thursday, one of the last hurdles for the company to knock down a warehouse and build a new site on Main Street in Albion.

If county planners approve the project, Dunkin’ still needs a final vote from the Village of Albion Planning Board. That vote is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at Village Hall on East Bank Street.

Dunkin’ wants to begin demolition in October and have the shell of the new building up soon after. The company is eyeing a January opening for the new store.

County planners will review the site plan at 7 p.m. in Conference Room C of the County Administration Building, 14016 Route 31 West, Albion.

Dunkin’ wants to remove a warehouse between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks. The store would be 2,000 square feet with 46 parking spaces. There would be a drive-through and driveways on both Main and Platt streets.

The property is at 153 South Main St. in the General Commercial District.

The Orleans County Planning Board will consider two other projects at its Sept. 26 meeting, including site plan review for a helicopter land pad and access drive on Ohio Street in Medina. That will be near Medina Memorial Hospital in the Single-Family District and Medical Services Overlay District.

Planners will also weigh in on the site plan for a detached storage building in the town of Albion at 4015 Oak Orchard Rd. The building in the Light Industrial District will be next to RS Automation, which is owned by Rick Stacey.

Photos courtesy of Theresa Price

MEDINA – About 50 members of the Orleans County ABATE went on the group’s annual toy run today, raising money and toys for Community Action of Orleans and Genesee. The bikers started the ride at the former Ames plaza in Medina and headed to Albion the hour-long ride concluded in Medina at the VFW.

Annette Finch, Community Action’s director of community services, is pictured with Santa. An employee at Community Action is pictured with some of the toys and money raised during today’s ride.

The toys will be shared with families served by the agency during the upcoming holiday season.  For more information about Community Action’s toy effort, contact Annette Finch at her Albion office, 589-5605.

ALBION – Orleans County municipalities have different ways of enforcing building and property maintenance codes, which can be confusing to residents and businesses who want consistency across the county, said District Attorney Joseph Cardone.

He spoke to the County Legislature on Wednesday, asking the group to be part of a county-wide meeting with village and town officials about establishing consistency in code enforcement.

Cardone’s office prosecutes some of the code infractions. The code enforcement officers also go to court for code violations.

Legislature Chairman David Callard said he supported a push for more consistency in enforcement across the county. Cardone said many of the towns and villages have common code definitions, but they are interpreted differently by some code officers and municipalities.

The upcoming code enforcement meeting could also raise the prospect of county-wide code enforcement. In Wyoming County, a county about the same population as Orleans, the county handles county enforcement, which results in more uniformity throughout the county.

Cardone is reaching out to towns and villages, and offered to coordinate any meetings about the issue.

Photo by Tom Rivers – New York Revolution, a grass-roots organization that formed after the state passed an anti-gun law in January, has rallied public opposition against the SAFE Act by attending many community events, including the Lyndonville Fourth of July parade, as shown in this photo.

Nine months ago the group didn’t exist. Now it has secured resolutions from the 10 Town Boards, four Village Boards and the Orleans County Legislature all in opposition to the state’s new anti-gun law.

New York Revolution also is mounting a voter registration drive. The organization wants citizens to be more involved in the political process at the local, state and national levels. A big goal: voting out Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his re-election effort next year.

Cuomo pushed the SAFE Act through the state Legislature in January, a process that many have decried because there weren’t public hearings. Many detractors also say the law is unconstitutional, an attack on Second Amendment gun rights.

Gia Arnold of Holley was outraged when the law was passed. The 23-year-old mother of three young children helped form the New York Revolution, and coordinated a SAFE Act protest by the county courthouse in April. She has become the state leader of NY Revolution and has attended gun rights rallies throughout the state.

She also has been working to secure the resolutions from the local governments, believing a unified front in Orleans would send a message to Cuomo that the law is roundly opposed in Orleans. She hopes other counties will follow suit.

“We are very proud we got them all,” Arnold said this morning. “It’s a big accomplishment for Orleans County and I hope Gov. Cuomo will take notice.”

Medina and Lyndonville villages were the last to go on record against the SAFE Act. Those Village Boards voted on Monday.

Arnold has been busy in recent months, attending government meetings, parades and gun clubs, trying to mobilize residents against what she said is an unconstitutional law.

“When the law was passed in January, I told my husband we couldn’t stay quiet any longer,” Arnold said. “There are too many people staying under the radar. We need to make our voices heard.”

7 houses and cobblestone church will be on tour

Photos by Tom Rivers – This home owned by Ken and Mary Anne Braunbach on Zig-Zag Road in Gaines will be part of a tour of cobblestone houses on Saturday.

The Cobblestone Universalist Church on Route 104 was built in 1834. It’s part of a museum that is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with that designation.

GAINES – Between 1825 and 1860, early settlers in Orleans County, many of them farmers or quarry workers, used round stones on the exterior walls of their houses.

They set the stones in rows, using lime mortar. The buildings have proved durable, and unique to western and central New York where about 900 cobblestone structures still stand.

Orleans County has about 100 of them, including the Cobblestone Universalist Church built in 1834. That church and a house next door will be part of a tour this Saturday that also includes six other historic cobblestone homes.

The tour is a fund-raiser for the Cobblestone Society Museum. It also provides the public a chance to compare the masonry and architectural features of the buildings, and see how the property owners have worked to preserve the interiors or to make some modifications. Organizers believe this is the first local historic home tour that exclusively features cobblestone buildings.

Mary Anne Braunbach serves on the museum board of directors. Her home on Zig-Zag Road will be on the tour.

Braunbach and her husband Ken are both retired teachers from the Lockport school district. Braunbach, an Albion native, was looking for a house in the country about 19 years ago. She and her husband were looking for a house in either Middleport or Medina to stay close to Lockport.

Then they saw the house on Zig-Zag. It needed some work, but the two teachers liked the history behind the house, which was built in the 1840s.

They have filled it with antiques and other pieces that have a connection to the community. Braunbach also owns a historic downtown building. When she was cleaning out the basement of 138 North Main St., she found three empty glass bottles of beer from the 1800s. She cleaned the bottles and has them on display in her house.

She also has been collecting containers from the 1800s that were used to transport goods by canal boats. Those salt glaze pottery jugs were used to send hard cider great distances. Other containers held grains.

Braunbach has other local historical pieces, including artwork about the canal, including the Main Street lift bridge.

“This home is full of sentimentality,” she said. “That’s why I love this house so much. It has a story. I’m proud to be part of the area’s history.”

Cobblestone home builders set round stones in mortar as part of the exterior walls.

Braunbach and her husband put a cedar addition on the back of the house. People know they enjoy local history. One friend gave them a hitching post. They bought another one, giving their property three of those artifacts from the horse-and-buggy era. They believe one by the road is an original from more than a century ago.

The Braunbachs hope the house endures as a historic site for years to come. Mrs. Braunbach is exploring having it on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other houses on the tour include the Ward House owned by the The Cobblestone Society Museum, Bullard-Lattin House owned by C.W. “Bill” Lattin, Burgess House owned by Theresa Ames, Steward House owned by Sheri Egeli, Blood House owned by Dennis and Beth Thompson, and the Tolford House owned by William and Cecelia Feldman.

The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advance sale tickets are available at the Hoag Library and the Cobblestone Society Museum. On Saturday, tour programs and day-of-tour tickets will be available for pickup at the library and the Cobblestone Society Museum. Call (585) 356-5532 for more information.

The Braunbachs’ property includes three historic hitching posts. This one is unusual with its cube shape.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A team of volunteers spent several hours today helping with projects at Hospice of Orleans, including cleaning the windows and working on the landscaping, as well as other tasks as part of a “Day of Caring.”

The group pictured includes, from left: Pat Bennett, Amanda Ledger, Mary Jo Allen, Sue Verheyn and Sherry White. They are all employees at Baxter International in Medina. Another Baxter employee, Melinda Murray, was part of team at Hospice.

Baxter sent 60 employees out for service projects in the county that were coordinated by the United Way of Orleans County. Altogether, 80 volunteers joined for the first Day of Caring in the county.

United Way Executive Director Lisa Ireland wanted the day to be part of Sept. 11.

“I wanted to turn a day of tragedy into a day of good,” Ireland said while stopping by Hospice today. “We wanted to turn it into a day of service and remembrance.”

Volunteers also spent six or seven hours on projects at Camp Rainbow in Ridgeway, two Head Start sites, Habitat for Humanity in Medina, the Community Kitchen at Christ Church in Albion and the Grace’s Place child care center in Holley, where volunteers read to children and gave each child a book donated by Baxter.

Baxter employees were able to use today as a work day if they signed up for a service project. The company and its employees last year contributed $50,000 to the United Way.

“They have an amazing philanthropic culture,” Ireland said.

Provided photo from United Way

ALBION – Local Boy Scout leaders Tom Madejski, left, and Bryan Catlin accept a check on Tuesday from United Way Executive Director Marsha Rivers to help cover camp costs for a scout in need.

United Way of Orleans County supports 20-plus partner agencies and programs through an application and allocations process each year. In addition, a portion of campaign funds, raised through workplace giving programs, individual and corporate donations, is reserved for needs that arise in the community throughout the year.

This month, the United Way was able to “fill in the gap” for a Boy Scout whose account, despite his own dutiful fundraising efforts and his faithful participation in troop activities, still fell slightly short of camp costs.

“Thanks to generous United Way supporters, this boy can join his comrades at Camp Dittmer, strengthening friendships and making memories that will help get him off to a confident and healthy start in life,” said Marsha Rivers, United Way executive director.

“This is just one recent example of the many ways United Way is able to bring good causes together with good people.”

Photos by Tom Rivers – Andrew Muscari, a Holley police officer, lights a candle in memory of the 60 police officers who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A Mercy Flight helicopter from Batavia prepares to land next to the Elk’s Club in Albion just before a Sept. 11 memorial service.

ALBION – Twelve years after terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil, the first responder community in Orleans County gathered today for a memorial service at the Elk’s Club in Albion.

Larry Montello, a member of the American Legion, coordinated the memorial service for the 10^th straight year. He said firefighters, police officers, medics and other first responders are “true heroes.” They charged into danger after the World Trade Center towers were hit by airplanes full of jet fuel.

“Fanatics can crumble our buildings to the ground, but they can never triumph over the American spirit,” said State Assemblyman Steve Hawley. “We are the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Hawley spoke about the country’s strength, as a land of religious freedom and opportunity, and how that sometimes incites hatred from other countries. The United States continues to revel in its cultural diversity, refusing to bow to bigotry and hatred, Hawley said.

Montello has been determined to keep the memorial service going, and he invites first responders from throughout the county, members of fire departments, ambulance squads, law enforcement and Mercy Flight.

Other communities have stopped doing the memorial services, particularly after the 10^th anniversary of the attacks two years ago, State Sen. George Maziarz noted.

He praised the Legion and the many agencies for continuing to pause on Sept. 11 to remember the victims from the terrorist attacks.

“I’m honored and proud to serve Orleans County in the State Senate,” he said.

John Ulmen, a member of the U.S. Navy, speaks during today’s Sept. 11 memorial service at the Elk’s Club in Albion. Ulmen served a tour of duty in Iraq. Larry Montello, right, organized the memorial service for the American Legion. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, left, and State Sen. George Maziarz spoke at the service.

County Legislator Don Allport addressed a crowd of about 50 people, telling them he is “disgusted” that U.S. and state leaders “are systematically taking our rights away.” Allport said the country needs to seal its borders to keep out terrorists.

“We are the most compassionate country in the world, but when we are pushed we will fight back,” Allport said.

John Ulmen of Kendall works as the Rite Aid manager in Albion. After the Sept. 11 attacks, he enlisted in the Navy and served 14 months of active duty, including seven months in Camp Fallujah, Iraq.

Ulmen said U.S. military personnel are deployed around the world, performing critical missions every day.

“I can tell you that today, wherever they may be, they feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that they are standing the watch for all of you,” said Ulmen, whose son Jacob has joined the Navy.

There will be vigil at 6 p.m. today by the Sept. 11 memorial by the Orleans County Courthouse. That memorial was dedicated two years ago.

John Leggat and his horse Nino carry a flag-draped casket during a memorial service today at the Elk’s Club at Albion.

Photos by Tom Rivers – United Way of Orleans County kicked off its annual fundraising campaign tonight, setting a $325,000 goal. Lisa Ireland, United Way executive director, and honorary chairman Charlie Nesbitt announced the goal before agency leaders and campaign volunteers during a kickoff at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina.

MEDINA – Agencies that perform vital human services in Orleans County will have a well-known community cheerleader helping to raise money on their behalf in the coming months.

Charlie Nesbitt, the area’s former state assemblyman, is serving as honorary chairman for United Way of Orleans County’s annual fund-raising campaign.

This will be the organization’s first campaign since the merger of the Western and Eastern Orleans United Way chapters. The merger became official last December.

United Way raises funding for about 20 local agencies that serve youths, senior citizens, people with developmental disabilities and other residents.

Nesbitt didn’t need too much convincing to lead the fund-raising effort.

“I found out that real work is being done,” he told campaign supporters during a kickoff celebration at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. “These aren’t things that are nice to do. These are things that have to be done.”

United Way leaders set a $325,000 fund-raising goal. That money is directed to agencies including 4-H and Cornell Cooperative Extension, Camp Rainbow through the Arc of Orleans, Meals on Wheels, Boy Scouts, Community Action’s Main Street store, Community Kitchen at Christ Episcopal Church in Albion, GCASA and Students United for Positive Action, Girl Scouts and Hospice of Orleans.

Honorary campaign chairman Charlie Nesbitt helps rally United Way supporters tonight during a campaign launch at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

Other funded agencies include Just Friends, Medina Youth Commission, Ministry of Concern, Habitat for Humanity, Orleans County Adult Learning Service, PathStone Domestic Violence Shelter, Regional Action Phone, Senior Citizens of WNY, and the Orleans County YMCA.

United Way held its first Day of Caring today, when about 80 volunteers worked on service projects at several sites throughout the county. Lisa Ireland, the United Way executive director, planned the event to fall on Sept. 11, the 12^th anniversary of terrorists attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

She wanted the volunteers to turn a day of tragedy into a day devoted to service.

She noted that Baxter International in Medina sent 60 employees to work on projects in the community. Baxter and its employees contributed $54,000 to the 2013 campaign. Nelson Patterson, the company’s vice president in Medina, also serves on the United Way board.

Baxter bought the former Sigma in Medina, and employs 490 people, with another 60 other people working on a contractual basis.

Patterson wants the company and the employees to give back to Medina and Orleans County.

“Baxter has a heritage of being involved in our communities,” Patterson said at the United Way kickoff tonight.

Ireland praised Baxter for its commitment. She also commended Nesbitt for leading the new campaign.

Nesbitt was an Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. He played Little League with Ireland’s older brother Rick Engle, who also served in Vietnam. Engle did not come home alive. He was killed during the war.

Ireland said Nesbitt has always been kind to her family. When Ireland asked him to serve as honorary chairman for the fund-raising effort, Nesbitt said he couldn’t say no to Engle’s younger sister.

Nesbitt believes the community will respond to the campaign, giving to United Way and its member agencies.

“This is a very generous place,” he said about the county.

ALBION – On the 12^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, Orleans County will pause to remember the victims from those attacks.

Many residents will also be part of a United Way “Day of Caring.” They will tackle service projects throughout the county, the first time United Way has launched such an event in Orleans County.

Teams of volunteers will gather at Shelridge Country Club in Medina at 8 a.m. before heading out for their service projects.

At 10 a.m. there will be a memorial service at the Elk’s Lodge on West State Street in Albion. All American Legion Posts, military personnel, firefighters, police officers, deputies, medics and other first responders are welcome to attend the memorial tribute. Other community members also are urged to attend the service. The event is sponsored by the American Legion, Elk’s Club and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee.

There will also be a candlelight vigil at the Sept. 11 memorial by the county courthouse at 6 p.m.

Snook wins Carlton primary for highway superintendent

Several incumbents faced Republican primary battles today and nearly all of the veteran elected officials staved off the challengers.

In Carlton, however, Paul Snook won the GOP line from incumbent David Krull for highway superintendent. Snook received 215 votes to Krull’s 155. Krull was elected four years ago.

The other Carlton incumbents managed close victories, including Town Clerk Pam Rush against Lea Olles, 215-155. Two Carlton Town Board members, Jim Shoemaker and Joyce Harris, kept the Republican line for the general election, holding off Bilal Huzair. Shoemaker led with 212 votes, followed by 190 for Harris and 145 for Huzair. Huzair has the Conservative and Democratic lines so there will be a rematch on Nov. 5.

In Clarendon, incumbent Town Councilman Paul Nicosia led three candidates for two board seats with 185 votes. Marc Major, who forced the primary, secured the GOP line with 111 votes, edging out GOP-endorsed Donna DeFilipps, who had 96.

In Ridgeway, incumbent Highway Superintendent Mark Goheen was able to keep the Republican line after holding off Raymond Wendling. Goheen received 225 votes to 196 for Wendling.