Provided photo: Otto will arrive next week and will soon begin training with Jeff Cole, an Orleans County sheriff’s deputy.

ALBION – A flood of community donations has more than paid for a new K-9 to join the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

The County Legislature last week approved spending $8,500 for a German Shepherd from Upstate K-9 in Hilton. The dog named Otto is 2 years old and has been trained in Holland. Otto is due to arrive Oct. 13 at the Buffalo airport.

He will join handler Jeff Cole, a deputy at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office the past decade. Cole and Otto will receive training together in tracking, obedience, article searches, criminal apprehension, as well as drug detection. Cole said the dog could be in service, at the earliest, on Feb. 1.

The Sheriff’s Office has received $9,465 in donations so far, with a $2,500 grant from the Walmart Community Grants Team the biggest donation. But Cole said many residents and businesses have donated to allow the Sheriff’s Office to move forward in acquiring the dog.

“It shows how much the community cares,” Cole said today.

The donations beyond the $8,500 cost for the dog will go towards equipment and training for the K-9 unit.

Cole said Otto will be an asset for local law enforcement for patrols and for narcotics detection.

“He is a phenomenal dog,” Cole said. “We’re very fortunate we were able to get him. A lot of other police departments wanted him.”

Those wishing to donate to the K-9 unit should make checks payable to the “Orleans County Treasurer” with a notation in the memo portion “For Sheriff K-9 Fund.” Checks should be mailed to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, 13925 State Route 31,Suite 400, Albion, NY 14411.

Provided photo: Pictured today at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension from left inlude Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Deborah Roberts; BOCES 2 Asst. Superintendent for Accountability, Assessment and Technology Dr. Michelle Ryan; BOCES 2 District Superintendent Jo Anne Antonacci; Senator Rob Ortt; and Orleans/Niagara BOCES District Superintendent Clark Godshall, Ed.D.

Press Release, State Sen. Robert Ortt

KNOWLESVILLE – During a ceremonial check presentation today, Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) delivered a total of $80,000 in state funding to support educational programs, services and projects throughout Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties.

The Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) received $45,000 for its nationally-recognized adult health care programs offered at both its locations in Sanborn and Medina. The funding will go toward purchasing medical equipment and supplies, hospital beds, and computerized manikins used for scenario-based simulations.

Adult/Continuing Education health care programs offered at O/N BOCES include Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Certified Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy and Home Health Aide. With a high need for employees in the health care field, O/N BOCES is hoping the addition of new, state-of-the-art medical equipment will bolster the number of students in these programs.

Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES was presented with a $15,000 ceremonial check to expand its library instructional services for its students. BOCES 2 will purchase educational tools and technology that will provide the 34,000 students it serves with hands-on experiences and 21st century skills for college and career readiness.

Specifically, BOCES 2 plans to buy additional e-books, so that more students can access its collection, LEGO Robotics kits to teach kids about coding and how it works, MaKey MaKey Invention Kits to turn ordinary objects into touch pads that connect to the Internet, and green screen kits to superimpose images. The technology will enhance creative thinking skills and problem solving skills in students and help them find solutions to everyday situations.

Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension received $20,000 in funding that will be used to implement the Ag in the Classroom and Community Program. Working with school districts and community organizations in Orleans County, the non-profit plans to teach kids, ranging in ages from 3 to 18 years old, about agriculture. The program provides kids with a better understanding of where their food comes from and how it’s produced, and aims to build an interest in agricultural science-related career paths.

The funding was secured by Senator Ortt in the 2016-17 State Budget in addition to state aid secured last year.

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Orleans County has the highest percentage of people in poverty in the nine-county Finger Lakes region, according to a new report from the Rochester Community Foundation and ACT Rochester.

In Orleans County, 15.5 percent of the county’s 42,000 residents were living in poverty in 2014, up by 3.4 percentage points. The rate is much higher in the villages of Albion and Medina. The report states that 20.5 percent of Medina’s 5,962 residents live in poverty. In Albion, the rate is 26.8 percent of 5,799 people in the village, a rate only topped by 27.5 percent in the Village of Webster and 33.8 percent of the City of Rochester. (Medina and Albion are two of nine villages in the nine-county region with poverty rates above 20 percent.)

The federal poverty level in 2016 is $11,880 for a household of one, $16,020 for a household of two, $20,160 for a family of three, and $24,300 for a household of four.

Orleans leads the region at a 15.5 percent poverty rate. Other counties aren’t too far behind: Monroe and Yates, 15.4%; Livingston, 14.7%; Seneca, 13.0%; Genesee, 12.6%; Wayne, 11.9%; Ontario, 10.4%; Wyoming, 10.2%.

“Rising poverty threatens our children and our future,” said Jennifer Leonard, president and CEO of the community foundation. “These unwelcome statistics underscore the importance of the coordinated, strategic actions we’re taking to lift our community’s trajectory.”

Ed Fancher is executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. He said the agency has seen an increase in people needing help paying bills and providing food and basic needs for their families. Many of the people have jobs, but their wages aren’t enough to cover their bills, Fancher said.

“Most of the people who are poor don’t want to be poor,” Fancher said. “Day to day they are doing the best they can to get through.”

Community Action runs a food pantry and tries to help people facing utility shut-offs and other emergencies.

“We’ve seen an uptick in people at our front door,” Fancher said. “We see a lot of people who are struggling day to day to keep going.”

There are anti-poverty initiatives and funding, but Fancher said the state tends to direct most of those funds to cities.

The report from the Rochester Community Foundation and ACT Rochester notes that Orleans County’s population shrunk 5 percent from 2000 to 2014. Orleans has the highest rate of single parenthood in the region, and higher proportions of Orleans residents rely on some form of public assistance, particularly the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. Despite those statistics, student performance on state tests is strong and the high school graduation rate exceeds the region and state, according to the report.

Here are some highlights on Orleans County in the poverty report.

• The child poverty rate in Orleans has increased since 2000 and is now tied for 2nd highest in the region at 23 percent.
• In 2010-14, 17% of Orleans households consisted of married couples with children, an 8-point decline from 2000.
• Orleans had the smallest share in the region of married couples with children, and the largest share of single parents with children in 2010-14.
• In 2014, tourism revenue per resident was $560, well below the state ($3,160) and region ($1,280). Only Wayne County had lower revenue per resident than Orleans.
• In 2010-14, 43% of families were headed by a single parent, above the nation (35%), state (37%), region (39%), and every other county in the region.
• 

  There were some positives in the latest poverty report about Orleans County, including growth in manufacturing jobs. This photo from September 2014 shows a 48,000-square-foot addition taking shape at Brunner International in Medina.

  In 2014, there were 27 cases of child abuse and neglect per 1,000 children under 18, more than the state (17) and region (15). Only Seneca and Yates had higher rates than Orleans in the region.

• The teen pregnancy rate in 2013 was 4.0%, higher than the state (3.7%), region (2.9%), and every regional county.
• The voter registration rate in Orleans fell from a peak of 83% in 2005 to 73% in 2014, below the regional and state rates of 79% and 76% respectively.

• Orleans also had relatively lower voter turnout with just 29% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2014 midterms, below the region (35%) and every county in the region. Turnout fell by 5 points from 34% in the 2010 midterms.

• In 2014, the unemployment rate in Orleans was 7.6%. It fell from a high of 9.7% in 2012, but the 2014 rate was higher than the nation (6.2%), state (6.3%), region (5.8%), and every other county in the region.

• Total jobs in Orleans fell slightly from 2013 to 2014 (0.1%), in contrast to increases in the state (1.8%), nation (1.9%), and region (0.8%).
• The manufacturing sector in Orleans grew by 27% from 2001 to 2014 – an extraordinary achievement, given large losses in the nation (23%), state (33%) and region (34%). Orleans was the only county to experience more than a 5% increase in manufacturing jobs over that period.
• In 2014, the average salary in Orleans was $38,800, an increase of 10% from 2000. This compares to an increase of 6% nationally, 7% for the state, and no change for the region. However, Orleans’ salary in 2014 was lower than the nation ($51,400), state ($65,900), and region ($45,100).
• Orleans has had extraordinary growth in prekindergarten participation, and has the highest rate in the region. In 2014, 64% of eligible Orleans children were enrolled in prekindergarten, higher than the state (44%), region (40%), and every other county. The rate rose by 52 points from 2001, outpacing the state and regional increases (both 29 points).
• In 2010-14, the median household income in Orleans was $48,000, the lowest among the counties in the region and well below the nation ($53,500), state ($58,700), and region ($52,300).

• Median income in Orleans fell by 11% from 2000 to 2010-14, a larger drop than the state (5%) and region (6%).

For more on the report, click here.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The county is also planning to add shore power for the Marine Park on the Oak Orchard River.

ALBION – Last year the docks were redone with a new composite deck surface. This year a new playground opened at the Orleans County Marine Park on Route 98 in Carlton.

The upgrades aren’t done. The county is looking to upgrade shore power for boaters at the park.

The County legislature last week authorized spending $22,820 to Labella Associates in Rochester to study ways to upgrade electricity for the docks, and also to prepare bid documents for contractors interested in the project.

The county may also look to have cable television available for boaters if it’s not cost prohibitive, said Jim Bensley, the county’s Planning Department director and manager of the Marine Park.

The park has 72 boating slips and has been at near capacity this season, Bensley said. The park opens on April 15 and closes Oct. 30.

Bensley said the electricity could be upgraded this year after Oct. 30. If cold and snowy weather comes in November, the work could be completed next spring before April 15.

The state has provided a $81,500 grant towards the Marine Park upgrades, which have been estimated at $166,000. That includes the playground, new decking, electricity, and WiFi improvements.

The Legislature approved other expenses last week, including:

• $48,350 to Mader Construction of Elma to refinish and repair the Public Safety Building’s exterior stucco.

• $13,500 to CID LLC of Rochester to paint the stairs at the Fire Training Tower at the Emergency Management Office on West County House Road.

• $28,750 to Grove Roofing Services of Buffalo for a new asphalt roof on the second floor of the Public Safety Building.

• $26,250 to purchase six mobile data terminals from Island Tech Services in Ronkonkoma, NY, with the terminals to be used by the Sheriff’s Department. The mobile data terminals are being paid for by a state grant.

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File by Tom Rivers: Marcy Downey performed several popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s during a concert Feb. 19 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, as part of the library’s Finally Fridays concert series during the winter. Lee-Whedon has hosted that series for 15 years.

ALBION – The four public libraries in Orleans County once again are seeking a funding increase from the county to the level of $1 per person or $42,883.

The libraries in Albion (Hoag Library), Holley (Community Free Library), Lyndonville (Yates Community Library) and Medina (Lee-Whedon Memorial Library) currently share $10,087 from the county. The $10,087 has been the libraries’ funding level from the county since 2011.

Directors from the four libraries last week asked county legislators for a funding boost. Libraries could use more money to keep up with the costs of providing computer access, programs, books, magazines and other information for residents, the directors said.

The county was giving $29,914 to be shared among the four libraries as recently as 2002, but that dropped to $7,480 in 2003. Since then, the amount was raised to $12,587 in 2007, $13,617 in 2010, and then was cut to $10,087 in 2011. It hasn’t changed since then.

In addition to books, magazines and other reading resources, the libraries provide concerts, family activities, historical programs, meeting space and other programs.

“With a poverty rate in Orleans County of 15.5 percent, not every family can afford to buy books, pay for Internet access, or enroll their children in educational summer camps,” Kristine Mostyn, assistant director at Lee-Whedon, told the county officials.

She noted the recent summer reading program attracted 2,230 participants who combined read 3,604 books. She said the libraries partner with local agencies, parks programs, businesses, museums, zoos and other organizations for programs.

Betty Sue Miller, director at the Hoag Library in Albion, said the library is a critical resource for many in the community who would otherwise not have Internet access. The four libraries and others in three counties share materials as part of the NIOGA library system, Miller said.

Sandra Shaw of the Community Free Library said the local libraries “are living, breathing entities that change with time and technology.” The libraries provide basic computer training, and show patrons how to use some of the latest gadgets, from e-readers, iPads, and MP3 players.

Catherine Cooper, the Lee-Whedon director, said libraries are under constraints of the tax cap, which set a target cap of 2 percent increases annually, although it has been smaller than that in recent years because the cap is tied to inflation.

“It’s quite difficult,” Cooper said today about staying under the cap. “The amount you are allowed to raise is not very much.”

If there was an increase in county support, Cooper said libraries would likely use the funds to offer more materials and programs.

The county budget is typically adopted in late November or early December.

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ALBION – It will be a quiet local election season this year after highly contested races a year ago, highlighted by the three-way race for Orleans County sheriff.

This year, the district attorney is the highest-ranking position on the local ballot. Joseph Cardone of Medina has served as DA since 1992. He is endorsed by the Republican Party and doesn’t face opposition for another four-year term.

There are three four-year terms as coroner on the ballot. Republicans have endorsed incumbents Scott Schmidt (also backed by the Democratic Party), Rocco Sidari (also backed by the Conservative Party) and Charles Smith for the position. Katy Owczarczak has been endorsed by the Democrats.

The election for coroner is the only contested race for local candidates.

The Republican candidates for town positions are all unopposed. They include:

• Albion – Arnold R. Allen Jr. for one-year term on Town Board;

• Carlton – Karen Narburgh for one-year term as town clerk;

• Gaines – Sharon Harding for one-year term as town clerk;

• Murray – Theodore Spada Jr. for four-year term as town justice.

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ALBION – Orleans County legislators were prepared today to commit to a $3.9 million solar energy project, with a solar array to be installed at the Albion Business Park on Route 31 near Butts Road.

However, county officials had misgivings after learning other counties tackling the projects have experienced delays in hooking the system into the power grid. That situation seems exclusive to National Grid in New York, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The solar project was projected to save the county $2 million to $2.5 million in electricity costs over 25 years. But that was only if the county could secure production incentives for the renewable energy project.

Nesbitt said the system would need to be in place and connected to the grid by Dec. 31, 2017. Other counties have experienced delays with National Grid, making the projects stretch out to 18 months.

If Orleans had to wait 18 months to connect to the grid that would be beyond the deadline for receiving the production incentives, making the project a cost liability for county taxpayers, Legislature Chairman David Callard said this afternoon.

“It’s a disappointment,” Callard said during today’s County Legislature meeting. “We just felt it’s not a good decision to make.”

Callard said some municipalities have had vendors, such as Solar City, assume the risk for a solar project, trying to have it operational and hooked to the grid in time to be eligible for tax incentives.

That’s a risk that Callard and county legislators decided not to take.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency owns the land at the Albion Business Park. The park includes a health care site owned by Orleans Community Health. Most of the other land is wooded and considered a wetland.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: A row of trees is pictured at sunset last March on East Barre Road in Barre. The town is eyed for a 200-megawatt wind turbine project.

BARRE – In Yates and Somerset, there are numerous signs showing either support or opposition for Lighthouse Wind, a 200-megawatt wind energy project proposed by Apex Clean Energy.

Signs say “Apex Go Home” or “Too Big, Too Close.” Others urge the community to “Harvest the Wind.”

Members of Save Ontario Shores, a citizens group opposed to the turbines near the lakeshore, have had rallies against the project.

In Barre, where Apex has been laying the groundwork for a 200-megawatt project, the project hasn’t yet faced opposition from Barre residents.

In fact, Barre Town Supervisor Mark Chamberlain said he hasn’t heard any complaints from Barre residents about “Heritage Wind.”

It’s still early. Apex announced Monday it has filed a draft Public Involvement Plan. The company will be meeting with residents, local officials and other community stakeholders. Apex said it will soon open an office locally.

Chamberlain said Ben Yazman, project developer for Apex, has been at recent Town Board meetings and has been meeting with landowners.

“They’ve certainly made themselves known in the town,” Chamberlain said. “I haven’t heard any gripes. People are wondering about leases.”

Apex officials said Barre has the wind strength and access to transmission lines, as well as lots of land in farming community that would work for the turbines. Yazman said the turbines take up a ½-acre of land and will provide landowners and the community steady annual revenue.

Apex believes it can work within the town’s zoning for turbines. Barre allows turbines up to 500 feet high.

The Town Board doesn’t have a final vote on the project. A seven-member State Siting Board, with two local representatives, makes that decision.

A project has yet to complete the new Article 10 siting process for turbines. Officials in Orleans and Niagara have gone on the record opposing Article 10 because it takes away local control and gives the state the power to approve the projects.

“It’s a long, long process,” Chamberlain said. “No one has made it through yet.”

Apex officials have said they need enough leases with landowners for a project to even be considered by the Siting Board. Yazman said Barre residents have been receptive so far to leasing land for turbines.

“If people want it and people sign up, that’s the determining factor,” Chamberlain said. “If they can’t get enough people to sign up, they’re dead in the water.”

The town supervisor said he doesn’t plan to push for or against the project.

“I will try to stay neutral,” he said. “I’m not going to lobby one way or the other.”

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