Photo by Tom Rivers – Sheriff Randy Bower talks with deputies and members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office last week when Jim DeFilipps was recognized at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds as NY Deputy of the Year.

ALBION – Sheriff Randy Bower was elected last November with some bold initiatives, including drug treatment services for inmates in the County Jail.

Bower said the Sheriff’s Office has met many of his goals in his six months of office, including a new Sheriffs Transition Addiction Management Program (STAMP), which provides inmates with drug and mental health counseling. Inmates approved for the program also receive Vivitrol, a drug that helps block opiate cravings.

Bower went over some of the highlights of his first six months in office in a report last week to the Orleans County Legislature.

• The Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division K9 Unit to have a drug-sniffing dog come through the jail to search for drugs. Bower said it has made the jail safer and been a deterrent for people trying to smuggle in contraband.

• In the first months of the year, deputies have made 526 traffic stops, served 501 papers, responded to 317 motor vehicle accidents and 167 alarms, executed 57 warrants, and responded to 18 assaults, 45 burglaries, 106 larcenies, 116 calls for harassment or aggravated harassment, and 61 overdoses or psychiatric calls.

• The Sheriff’s Office has pushed to bring a “STOP DWI” traveling display to local school districts. The display includes victim statements, personal items from crashes, newspaper clippings and aftermath accounts.

Provided photo – Chief Deputy Michael Mele and Holley Principal Sue Cory are pictured with the STOP DWI “Courage to Serve” traveling display at the Holley school in April.

• The Sheriff’s Office has collected more than 1,000 pounds of prescription narcotics during drug take-back days. There is a drug take-back bin in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office and Bower said he wants drug take-back collections sites to also be available at the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments.

• The Sheriff’s Office has boosted participation in community events, including DWI crash simulations at local school districts during prom and graduation season.

• The Orleans County Marine Division added patrols along the Erie Canal, using an $8,000 state grant. The Marine Division also patrols 24 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline and Lake Alice.

• On June 15, the Sheriff’s Office and County Highway Department erected a roadside sign on Gaines Basin Road in memory of Deputy David Whittier, who was struck by a drunk driver on the road. He died on Sept. 8, 1989. Bower said Whittier is believed to be the only Orleans County deputy to die in the line of duty.

Photo by Tom Rivers – This sign was installed on Gaines Basin Road, about a quarter mile south of Route 104. The marker is a memorial for Deputy David Whittier, who was fatally injured here in 1989.

• The Sheriff’s Office added a part-time animal control officer, Ariel Strickland, to help with a high call volume, Bower said. Starting June 1, the county assumed animal control duties in the Village of Medina.

• Bower, in his campaign for sheriff, wanted public safety dispatchers to have access to school cameras in case of an emergency inside schools. Medina has partnered with dispatch to allow access to its cameras, and Bower said he is working to have all school districts in agreement by the start of the new school year.

“The men and woman of the Sheriff’s Department have really stepped it up,” Bower told county legislators in highlighting the initiatives.

The sheriff has other goals including establishment of a K9 service to be led by Deputy Jeff Cole. Bower also said he is pursuing grant funding for a bomb-sniffing dog.

Bower has also reached out to the faith community and has about a dozen chaplains, from a diversity of faiths and denominations, available to assist staff on calls.

“A lot has happened and we’re excited about some of the new programs being developed,” said David Callard, Legislature chairman.

ALBION – The paint has been flaking off the historic Orleans County Courthouse in recent years.

The iconic building, the centerpiece of the Historic Courthouse Square, will soon be repainted. The County Legislature on Wednesday approved a bid from Panek Coatings of Albion to paint the building, as well as the neighboring County Clerks’ Building, for $106,450.

Construction of the courthouse was completed in 1858 in the ornate Greek Revival style. The dome is 36 feet wide.

The courthouse and 34 other buildings are part of the Courthouse Square Historic District, which was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Most of the $106,450 bid by Panek is focused on the courthouse, but the Clerks’ Building will also be painted. That building was built in 1888 and brought the Eastlake architectural style to Albion’s Courthouse Square.

The unemployment rate in Orleans County fell to 5.0 percent in June 2016, that’s down from 6.2 percent in June 2015, according to the state Department of Labor.

The state-wide unemployment rate was 4.5 percent last month, compared to 5.2 percent in June 2015.

The DOL reports there were 17,200 people working in Orleans last month, compared to 900 unemployed. That compares to 17,300 working in June 2015, and 1,100 who were unemployed.

The unemployment rates for other nearby counties include: Niagara, 4.8; Monroe, 4.3; Erie, 4.4; Genesee, 3.8; Wyoming, 4.1; and Livingston, 4.4.

Columbia County has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in the state at 3.2 percent, and the Bronx has the highest at 7.0 percent.

The state DOL reports the state’s private sector job count increased by 120,700 since June 2015. In June 2016, the number of private sector jobs in the state was an all-time high at 7,918,400, according to the DOL.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Main Street lift bridge in Albion is slated for rehabilitation in 2018-19 as part of the DOT’s capital plan. The Albion bridge, plus the one on Route 19 in Brockport, are scheduled for $7.8 million in rehab work.

ALBION – A five-year capital by the State Department of Transportation includes repairs to the lift bridge on Main Street in Albion, $13 million to rehab six other canal bridges in Orleans County, and money to pave the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

Orleans County officials have been pressing the state to spend money to fix bridges and pave the Parkway. The DOT plan includes more than $14 million for Parkway work and nearly all of it is in Monroe County.

The Parkway paving includes $8.97 million to pave the parkway from Route 19 east to Payne Beach, and $5.2 million to pave the Parkway from Route 19 in Hamlin to Route 237 in Kendall. The Parkway paving projects are slated for 2017-18.

Some of the other projects in Orleans, identified in the capital plan, include:

• $430,000 in preventive maintenance for 8 bridges in Orleans County (2016-17)

• $3.13 million to pave Route 98 in Albion (2017-18)

• $13 million to rehab six bridges over the Erie Canal in Orleans County (2017-18)

• $1.63 million for Holley pavement preservation on Route 31 and 237 (2018-19)

• $7.8 million for lift bridge rehab on Route 98 in Albion and Route 19 in Brockport (2018-19)

• $1.35 million for bridge rehabilitation on Route 104 over Oak Orchard Creek (2019-20)

State Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) highlighted the list of projects. He said he was pleased to see several canal bridges in the five-year DOT capital program plan.

In addition to the bridge construction work, the state will install sensors on weight restricted canal lift bridges to monitor the structural integrity and to better assess appropriate corrective measures, Ortt said.

“For years, our local roads and bridges have been dangerously underfunded by the state,” Ortt said. “For the first time in more than a decade, the State Legislature has achieved true parity in transportation funding between upstate and downstate – the DOT and the MTA – with $27.1 billion for each entity over a five-year period.”

There are 16 lift bridges on the canal and seven of them are in Orleans County. There are more than a dozen other steel truss canal bridges in Orleans that are about a century old.

“This money is a good start to help fix the structural problems in our region,” Ortt said. “The infrastructure improvements to the two canal lift bridges will contribute to economic growth while maintaining the safety of the individuals who use them, including our farmers and emergency personnel. We need reliable infrastructure to stimulate the economy, create jobs and protect future generations.”

A complete list of DOT projects can be found by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Gavenda – People are pictured at Point Breeze during sunset on Thursday.

The severity of the drought conditions in Orleans County and Western New York has intensified, according to a weekly update released Thursday by the United States Drought Monitor.

Last week Orleans County was considered to be in “moderate drought.” Now, much of the county is in “severe drought,” according to the Drought Monitor.

State-wide, 11.39 percent of the land mass is considered in severe drought, while 44.39 percent is in moderate drought and 89.57 percent is considered at least abnormally dry, which is an improvement from a week earlier when 93.67 was considered at least abnormally dry.

Click here for more from the Drought Monitor.

Provided photo, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office  – Sheriff Randy Bower, left, and Undersheriff Chris Bourke are pictured with a new radar speed sign.

Press Release, Sheriff Randy Bower

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has a new radar speed sign. Sheriff Randy Bower issued this statement today about the sign:

“In our continuing attempt to provide for the safety of Orleans County residents, the Sheriff’s Department has recently purchased a new radar speed sign using grant money secured by State Senator Robert Ortt. Using radar technology, the sign detects and displays the speed of oncoming vehicles, thus alerting drivers to check their current speed to the posted speed limit and adjust accordingly.

“These traffic control devices have been proven very effective in improving traffic safety, especially in transitional speed zones, work and school zones, residential neighborhoods, and on roadways adjacent to special events such as concerts, carnivals, festivals, and fairs. Researchers believe that a majority of speeding occurs when drivers become complacent or distracted.

“While motorists may overlook ordinary speed limit signs, they are more likely to see and pay attention to these traffic-calming innovations. The device’s electrical system is supplemented with solar energy and the entire unit is very mobile and can be easily moved to different locations as needed.”

File photo by Tom Rivers – In this photo from last October, Jay Pahura, a motor equipment operator for the Albion Department of Public Works, runs a roller over fresh pavement on Hamilton Street. The village will receive $22,775.05 in state paving funds, part of the $100 million fund state-wide.

New York State is making $100 million available to almost 1,600 municipalities throughout the state to support the rehabilitation and reconstruction of local highways and roads.

This funding, provided under Governor Cuomo’s PAVE NY initiative, is being administered by the New York State Department of Transportation as part of its $21.1 billion five-year Capital Plan.The PAVE NY program emphasizes projects that improve the physical condition of local roadways, create jobs and enhance local economic competitiveness.

“From replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge to the transformative redesign of LaGuardia Airport, New York has been leading the way in reshaping our infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st century,” Cuomo said. “PAVE NY funds strategic investments in local roadways, helping ensure roadways across the state are in good repair, remain reliable for motorists and able to help foster regional economic growth for years to come.”

PAVE NY funds are awarded to New York City and cities, counties, towns and villages for activities such as roadway resurfacing, widening and realignment; construction of turning lanes at intersections; and new drainage to mitigate the harmful effects of flooding.

In Orleans County, the funds add up to $573,186.38. That includes the following: County of Orleans, $294,362.76; Town of Albion, $13,926.46; Town of Barre, $35,103.49; Town of Carlton, $28,017.44; Town of Clarendon, $24,172.92; Town of Gaines, $9,150.03; Town of Kendall, $15,135.70; Town of Murray, $16,431.93; Town of Ridgeway, $26,726.17; Town of Shelby, $25,454.18; and Town of Yates, $20,231.67.

The shares to the four villages include: Village of Albion, $22,775.05; Village of Holley, $6,145.02; Village of Lyndonville, $3,963.36; and Village of Medina, $31,590.21.