Photo by Tom Rivers – The organizers of an Ultimate Fishing Challenge trip for Vietnam War veterans discussed the initiative with the County Legislature today. The group also brought along the trophy from last year when Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town through the World Fishing Network. The group includes, from left: Eileen Banker, chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Mike Waterhouse, county sportsfishing coordinator; Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor; Paul Fulcomer, director of Orleans County Veterans Service Agency; and Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle.

ALBION – The Ultimate Fishing Town will be giving Vietnam War veterans the Ultimate Fishing Experience on June 25.

On that day at least 11 charter boat captains will take Vietnam veterans who live in Orleans County out on Lake Ontario for the chance to catch a big Chinook salmon and other fish.

The Point Breeze fishing community and Orleans County Tourism Department are joining for the five-hour fishing trip, which will be free for veterans.

Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator, wants to express appreciation for the Vietnam War veterans who were often treated with disrespect when they returned home after their service.

“I can think of no other group of service men and women that were so underappreciated for their service to our country,” Waterhouse told the County Legislature today.

Point Breeze won the Ultimate Fishing Town contest last year in an on-line voting competition through the World Fishing Network. The WFN awarded the community $25,000 to promote the fishery.

Part of the that money will be used to give the charter captains a stipend for their gas and expenses for the fishing trip on June 25. The charter captains have volunteered their time to be part of the event.

Four or five veterans can fit on each charter boat. The trip is open on a first come, first served basis with a deadline set at May 30. Veterans interested should contact Waterhouse by phone at 585-589-3103 or by email at sportfishing@orleansny.com.

The local committee that is deciding how to spend the $25,000 prize includes Waterhouse, Sharon Narburgh, Joyce Harris, John Denniston, Mark Lewis and Bill Camann.

Paul Fulcomer form the Veterans Service Agency is assisting with the Ultimate Fishing Challenge. The initiative also includes support from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office, Ken DeRoller from County Legislature and Wayne Hale from the County Planning and Tourism Department.

Press release, Arc of Orleans County

ALBION – The Arc of Orleans has received a $10,000 grant from the NYSARC Trust Services Board for recreational opportunities for people they support.

Last year The Arc received a similar grant from NYSARC Trust Services. Sixty-four individuals with developmental or other disabilities benefited from the 2013 funding.  They were able to participate in many great activities they normally wouldn’t have been able to without the NYSARC Trust Recreation Grant.

They attended the Ringling Brothers Circus, Monster Jam, a Buffalo Bills Game, several movies, and eight individuals enjoyed a gym membership for three months. The grant also paid for outings to a Rochester Amerks Game, Stokee Farms, the Lucille Ball Museum, Hamburg Lights, and Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Arc consumers also attended a showing of The Grinch, Polar Express and The Wizard of Oz. They ended the year with a holiday celebration at the Historic Tillman’s Inn.  The Arc of Orleans County plans to use the funds in the same fashion this year.

Photo by Tom Rivers – West Park Street in Albion shows wear and tear from a tough winter.

The new state budget includes $40 million to help municipalities patch roads after the harsh winter. Orleans County municipalities will receive about $250,000 of the “Extreme Winter Recovery Grants,” state Sen. George Maziarz announced today.

The county, villages and towns in Orleans County already receive about $2.5 million in state money through the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program or CHIPS. Those state funds help municipalities with surface improvements on locally-controlled thoroughfares.

In this year’s budget, between CHIPs increases and the EWR grants, Orleans County local governments received aid increases of between 9 percent and 12 percent over last year, Maziarz said.

“As Orleans County residents know, this last winter did a lot of damage to our streets and roads,” Maziarz said.  “As a result, we are driving record amounts of aid to local governments so we can help them fix potholes and patch road surfaces. I made this a priority in our budget negotiations and I’m glad we were successful.”

Below is a list of Orleans County municipalities and the street repair funding they are receiving this year:

Photo by Tom Rivers – This file photo shows the top of the Orleans County Courthouse, a building constructed in 1858 and the focal point of a historic district in Albion.

ALBION – A new report puts Orleans County near the top of the list for the best-run counties in the state.

The county has a low debt per capita, doesn’t overspend its budget, has a strong rating from Moody’s, and hasn’t neglected infrastructure maintenance, according to the study in the New York State Bar Association.

The study includes a new set of metrics for evaluating a county. James Coffey, Dr. Robert Christopherson and Patrick Bowen presented the results of their study in the winter issue of the New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Lawyer.

The authors urged municipal attorneys to weigh the factors in the report as they advise municipal boards. The authors say many elected officials don’t look at the long-term health of a government. That includes tackling needed infrastructure projects without taking on too much debt. That may mean raising taxes to maintain and improve the community, the authors said.

The report is critical of “those leaders who cut taxes irresponsibly while allowing the infrastructure of the community they represent to deteriorate.”

They argued that municipalities must be profitable, or they risk bankruptcy. Well-run governments also promote confidence in their communities, spurring investments in housing and businesses.

Orleans is the fourth-rated county in the report, with Herkimer the top-rated followed by Clinton and Seneca. Delaware rounds out the top five.

The five lowest of 62 counties ranked include Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester and Saratoga. Those counties have budgets where their revenue doesn’t cover expenditures. They also have high debt per capita, which results in a larger percentage of tax money going to interest payments rather than directly to services.

Orleans carries a per capita debt of $347 per person, compared to $1,286 in Westchester County and $3,026 in Nassau. Orleans, from 2008 to 2012, also underspent its revenues by 2.68 percent a year. Saratoga was over by 6.08 percent and Nassau went over by 13.28 percent.

“We’ve been conservatively run for a long time,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The county’s budget for 2014 totals $79.8 million. That includes a first-time debt payment of $475,000 for an upgraded emergency communication system.

Nesbitt said the county is looking at other projects, including new roofs for the County Administration Building and Public Safety Building. It also has 68 bridges and about 500 culverts in its inventory.

The county has an A1 rating from Moody’s, which County Treasurer Susan Heard said, “is a great rating for a county our size.”

Moody’s gives the county a high rating partly because of a low debt burden and a stable tax base. Moody’s has recommended a larger fund balance for the county. Orleans has about $5 million in reserve funds, but Heard said county legislators have opted to not raise taxes to grow the reserve funds.

“It could be higher but the county has chosen to instead lower taxes,” she said.

4-H’ers finish third year of building a robot with skills

Provided photos – The Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team poses for a photo at the regional competition last week at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The group includes, front row, from left: Liz Meyer, Hayden Allis and Kelsey Evoy. Back row: Michael Reese, Mack Lamirand, Marlene Seielstad, Morgan Seielstad, Brad Lamirand, Don Allis, Trevor Scott-Avery, Sam Reese, Jairus Martin, John Redshaw, Andrea Schwartz, Alyssa Shortridge, and Erik Seielstad. Team member Ben Miller and Nick Ettinger are missing from photo.

ALBION – A team may be called Joe’s Average Slackers, but the group of high schoolers from Albion and Medina is hardly lacking in determination.

For the third straight year, Orleans County fielded a robotics team through its 4-H program. The team competed in a regional competition last Thursday through Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology.

The Orleans students built a robot and programmed it to perform tasks – grabbing and shooting a big ball, and also playing defense against others teams.

The team named its robot,“Animal,” and it scores during the competition.

The Orleans team lost several close matches and didn’t come home with a trophy at the RIT competition that included 49 teams.

“It isn’t just about winning,” said Erik Seielstad, one of the mentor’s for the program. “It goes beyond the robots and winning. There’s an opportunity to interact with kids.”

The 12-member team started meeting in January, brainstorming the design for its robot. It met at RS Automations in Albion. The company is one of many supporters for the program, which requires about $25,000 annually in sponsor support to pay for the robot, equipment and entry fees.

Some of the other main sponsors are Baxter Healthcare in Medina, Xerox in Rochester, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Stanton Signs in Medina, Takeform in Medina, and the 4-H Youth Development program.

Some of the drive team members wait for their cue to take the field for an upcoming match.

The Orleans team competes in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). There aren’t many robotics teams from rural areas. Marlene Seielstad, Erik’s wife and one of the mentors, praised the community support for the program.

“It’s worth every penny for what the kids get out of it,” she said. “When we were done the kids were so positive and they all had smiles. That’s the kind of team you want.”

The Orleans team gave Congressman Chris Collins a tour of their setup at RIT on Friday. Kelsey Evoy and Liz Meyer explained how they built the robot and the rules of the game to the congressman, who has a background in engineering.

The teams at RIT came from all over New York, with others teams from Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.

Three teams advanced to a competition in St. Louis. Those teams include the Lockport Warlocks, Newfane Circuit Stompers and Clifton Park Rocketeers.

The team from Orleans County, No. 4093, plays defense during the competition.

Joe’s Average Slackers and the Orleans 4-H will host a 6:30 p.m. informational meeting on May 7 at the Cooperative Extension’s Education Center in Knowlesville.

The Seielstads said more team members will be needed next year because half of this year’s group will be graduating. For more information, e-mail the Seielstads at robotics@wiksclan.com.

The new state budget gives local school districts sizable increases in state aid, money that districts will use to maintain existing programs and also hold down taxes.

Four of the five school districts don’t expect to raise taxes. Kendall, which is considering a 1.9 percent tax increase, may direct some of the state funding for needed technology and safety improvements, said Nadine Hanlon, president of the Board of Education.

Kendall last year cut school taxes by $1 million, reducing the average tax rate from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The board will meet on April 9 and plans to adopt a budget that will go before voters on May 20.

The other four school districts don’t plan to raise taxes and will maintain their existing programs for students.

Here is a chart showing a breakdown of the operating aid:

The governor proposed smaller aid increases for the schools, ranging from 0.1 percent for Lyndonville to 3.3 percent for Medina. The State Legislature pushed for more and got it.

“We were very pleased to see the numbers,” said Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent. “It will fill our gap. We’ll certainly have what we need to continue our current programs.”

Bonnewell and school administrators will recommend a budget to the Board of Education on Monday that doesn’t increase property taxes.

Based on the governor’s budget that proposed a 2 percent increase in aid, Albion was looking at a $139,000 gap to maintain current programs and not raise taxes. That $139,000 would have raised taxes by 1.6 percent. The Legislature gave Albion a 4.5 percent increase or about $500,000 more than the governor’s budget.

Some of that increase may go into a reserve fund to be used in the future or to help with any unexpected expenses.

Holley was already planning to cut school taxes by 10.6 percent or $800,000. The governor proposed a $153,466 or 1.3 percent increase for Holley. The final budget boosted Holley’s operating aid by $392,000 or 3.4 percent.

Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent, said he will soon meet with the Board of Education to discuss how to best use the additional state aid.

The $800,00 tax cut will reduce residents’ tax rate from $25.11 to a projected $22.44 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The governor’s budget gave Lyndonville a tiny increase of $946 in additional operating aid. The final budget gives Lyndonville a $185,419 increase. That is enough to hold taxes steady, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.

“At this point, the district is considering a 0 percent increase on the tax levy, and the district is not looking to add staff or programs,” he said. “We will continue to invest resources in our instructional program to meet the increased demands of the Common Core and the Regents Reform Agenda.”

Medina will see the biggest increase in state aid, a 7.3 percent jump or an additional $1,345,670. The governor proposed a 3.3 percent increase.

Medina won’t be adding staff or programs and won’t seek a tax increase, said Jeff Evoy, the district superintendent.

“This additional money certainly helps and we are appreciative, but we will still be using appropriated fund balance and reserves to support our expenditures next year,” Evoy said. “Our goal is to maintain existing programs. However, all expenses will be carefully monitored.”

Cuomo proposed an $807 million increase in education aid for schools in 2014-15, a 3.8 percent increase. The state Legislature boosted that number to a $1.1 billion hike.

Provided photo – An article that was first published on Orleans Hub about Ed and Floreen Hale became a world-wide phenomenon.

Orleans Hub has published nearly 3,000 news and sports articles since we went live last April 2. Many of the stories were widely shared through Facebook and Twitter.

Crime stories, breaking news and tragedies tend to be the most popular for single-story “clicks.” That happens with most news sites.

But some of our most popular stories were uplifting and positive. Our top story for the year featured the 60-year marriage of Ed and Floreen Hale and their death a day apart in a Batavia hospital in February.

“A love story to the very end” was published on Feb. 16 and had 11,008 clicks before we had to send it to a different page off our server. The story was shared around the world and was so popular it crashed our server.

Provided photo – An article about the inspiring life of Albion band teacher Wayne Burlison has been shared by hundreds of people through Facebook and Twitter.

The article last Thursday on the life of Wayne Burlison, a 36-year-old music teacher, quickly emerged as our second most popular story. Burlison left a big imprint on the community as a teacher, runner, musician and member of the Albion Free Methodist Church.

“Albion schools mourn loss of beloved ‘Mr. B’” had 6,968 page views. (These numbers don’t include people who read the articles on the main web site without clicking on the link to the single-page story.)

Here are the other news articles with the most page views:

3. “3 in Medina arrested after drug bust,” published on Feb. 13 (3,828).

4. “3 teens charged after numerous burglaries in eastern Orleans,” published on March 6 (3,120).

5. “Firefighters extricate driver in a daring rescue in Murray,” published on Dec. 13 (2,959).

6. “Paul Lauricella, 24, killed in Lyndonville accident,” published on Jan. 15 (2,689).

7. “DA: 4 burglars can expect lengthy state prison sentences,” published on Dec. 6 (2,420).

8. “Day-old baby left with Medina FD,” published on May 28 (2,220).

9. “Medina woman, 28, dies in Carlton crash,” published on Sept. 14 (2,126).

10. “State Police helicopter swirled above Albion last night,” published Sept. 4 (2,104).

File photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans Hub has published more than 2,000 articles in our first year, including a feature on June 30 of Chet Wheelock, 82, of Kent riding in a hot-air balloon with his daughter, grandson and great-grandson.

Orleans Hub officially launched a year ago today. We were brand new, full of excitement and determination.

In our first year we posted 2,267 news articles, 568 sports stories and 4,513 photos. Those articles generated more than 2.8 million page views in the first year.

Orleans Hub operates under The Lake Country Pennysaver on 170 North Main St. The Pennysaver’s ad salesmen Gary Hill and Brad London sell the ads for the Hub, and The Pennysaver provides much of the back-office and technical expertise to make the site work.

I hoped Orleans Hub would shine a light on a lot of the good in Orleans County, helping to connect neighbors and the community. I think we’ve been able to do that.

We’ve gained strength with each passing month, adding advertisers, traffic and “friends” on Facebook and Twitter. (We’re up to 4,300 friends and followers on social media.)

Provided photo – Kathy Jurs of Albion is pictured with characters at Disney World after running a half marathon in January. She raised $5,123 for leukemia, which was the most of anyone from western and central New York. Jurs battled Non-Hodgins lymphoma in 2010. She ran the half marathon in honor of her friend Susan Bennett.

We have had some lively discussions about local issues on our Facebook page. Readers also sent in more than 150 letters to the editor in our first year. Those letters cover a range of topics.

To help start the Hub, I left The Daily News in Batavia, where I worked for 16 years covering Orleans County, and other news in Genesee and Wyoming counties. I wanted to focus on Orleans, where I live.

I thought Orleans tended to be a tag-on to other news organizations. They tended to only report on our news if it was a sensational crime or something bizarre. I thought that gave the region and Orleans residents a warped view of our community.

We’ve reported on the crimes and some of the strange stories, but we’ve tried to highlight the many positives as well.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fire truck has a giant glowing Mickey Mouse at the back as it heads down Main Street through a big crowd in downtown Medina during the Parade of Lights last Nov. 30.

We’ve also added staff from our debut on April 2, 2013. Mike Wertman joined us in late August after a long career covering local sports for the Medina Journal-Register.

He retired from The Journal and then joined us to continue his love of chronicling the local sports scene. His wife Cheryl photographs the athletes in action. They are committed with a high level of professionalism.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Orleans Hub started covering local high school sports in the fall with Mike and Cheryl Wertman. They were at the Oct. 18 football game between rivals Albion and Medina. This photo shows Dylan Lewis diving into the end zone for Medina’s first touchdown which sparked the Mustangs to a wild 38-31 victory over Albion at Spierdowis Field.

Sue Cook works as a graphic designer at The Lake Country Pennysaver. Karen Sawicz, publisher of the Hub and the Pennysaver, moved some of Sue’s hours to the Hub about two months ago, and that has boosted our weekend coverage as well as added more community news.

We’ve had some steady contributors since the site started. Bill Lattin, the county historian, provides the Vintage Orleans photographs and the information about the people and places in these pictures, which are often more than a century old.

Nola Goodrich-Kresse, the county’s public health educator, writes a weekly column about health and wellness.

Hub readers also send in photos of sunrises, giant snowmen, Snowy Owls, bald eagles, fires and other news. Those contributions make it appear that the Hub is often several places at one time.

I’m thrilled people are reading and participating in the site. We’re excited and determined as we start Year 2.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Brown Street Bridge in Albion has been closed for nearly two years. Several other bridges also are shut down or face weight reductions in Orleans County.

A state fund that was set up for infrastructure repairs in 1991 has been raided to pay for other state expenses, leaving less money for road and bridge work, Orleans County legislators said.

County officials have been pressing the state in recent years to repair canal bridges. Several are either closed or have weight reductions. That adds travel time for residents, businesses and farmers who need the bridges to get across the canal.

“We have desperate infrastructure needs,” said Legislator Ken DeRoller, R-Kendall.

Orleans County legislators formally called on the state to stop siphoning off money from the fund to pay for borrowing and operating costs for other state agencies.

Residents and taxpayers pay billions in taxes and fees into the Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund. They pay through highway taxes, motor vehicle taxes and fees, petroleum business taxes and other fees.

However, legislators said more than 75 percent of the funds or $1.6 billion was diverted to other agencies in the last state fiscal year.

The County Legislature passed a resolution urging the governor and State Legislature to develop a multi-year plan for the fund to meet the infrastructure needs for bridges and roads in the state.

“Hopefully the governor will pay a little attention to it,” said Legislator Fred Miller, D-Albion.