School budgets, propositions, BOE candidates all on ballot

The five school districts in Orleans County will ask for the blessing of local voters for school funding, candidates to serve on the Board of Education and several other propositions, ranging from library funding, to new buses and a proposal to reduce the BOE in one district.

Here is a snapshot of each district:

Albion proposes 1.5 percent tax increase, five job cuts

ALBION: The district’s budget increases overall spending by 0.6 percent or $202,799 to $33,349,049. Taxes would increase by 1.5 percent in a budget that cuts five jobs.

Albion is proposing its first tax increase since the 2006-07 school year. The proposed tax levy, at $8,446,946, is up $124,484. It remains down compared to the $9,094,194 levy in 2006-07.

The district, with the five cuts planned for next school year, will have eliminated 21.5 jobs since the 2011-12 school year. Three of the cuts next school year will come from attrition with two layoffs planned.

The budget preserves all school programs, without exceeding a property tax cap of about 2 percent. The state Legislature established that cap on local governments about two years ago.

Residents will also be asked to approve a school bus reserve proposition that would create a reserve for buses not to exceed $4,821,000. The district would like to take $440,000 from the reserve to go towards new buses. The state pays 94 percent of the bus costs.

Residents will also vote on whether $654,000 can be collected to support operations at Hoag Library.

Two BOE candidates are unopposed: incumbent BOE President Margy Brown and Linda Weller. Incumbent Marie Snyder opted against re-election.

Voting is from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school’s conference room A.

Holley will restore some programs that were cut two years ago

HOLLEY: The district’s $22,976,429 budget increases taxes by 2 percent from $7,393,901 to $7,541,779. The budget would bring back the marching band, elementary student council, ski club, golf and boys and girls basketball for grades 4 to 6. The budget also will add an athletic trainer, a high school social studies teacher and an elementary teacher.

The board decided to return staff and programs that were cut in previous budgets when state aid was drastically reduced for the district. Next school year state aid is targeted to increase by $742,336 from $10,879,581 to $11,621,917.

Residents will also vote on a bus proposition to spend $372,136, and a proposition to raise $102,652 for Community Free Library. Brenda Swanger is unopposed for a three-year term on the Board of Education.

Another proposition seeks to keep the BOE at seven seats rather than continue a downsizing to five members. Voters a year ago approved a phase-in reduction of the BOE from nine to five members.

Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school foyer.

Kendall cuts taxes by $1 million, proposes $25 million project

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Kendall Junior-Senior High School is eyed for most of the $25 million in a capital project that goes before voters today.

KENDALL: The district is proposing a $1 million cut in property taxes. Kendall also wants residents’ support for a $25 million capital project at the elementary and junior-senior high schools.

The proposed $14,051,383 budget would cut taxes from $5,601,132 to $4,606,613. The average tax rate would fall from $21.51 to $17.45 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The district is shedding about $500,000 annually with a paid-off bond and another $115,000 annually with a bus loan payment. Kendall also will see several students with disabilities, who were educated at costly facilities outside the district, move into other communities. Those factors, plus a $553,000 increase in state aid, are allowing Kendall to drastically cut taxes.

Kendall plans to add an elementary teacher, and at least another teacher to help students meet and surpass more stringent state standards. The board also wants to increase the Building and Grounds staff while the district begins work on the capital project.

The $25 million capitol project will be 90 percent funded with state aid. Kendall’s local share already is saved in a capital reserve account.

The project includes new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures. Both sites will also see improvements to parking lots and sidewalks. The classrooms in the junior-senior high school also will be redesigned and upgraded.

Board member Edward Gaesser isn’t seeking re-election. Martin Goodenberry of Morton is unopposed for a five-year term. Voting is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the elementary school.

Lyndonville proposes 1% tax increase

LYNDONVILLE: The $13,094,250 budget for 2013-14 would raise taxes by 1 percent. The budget would eliminate one teacher position due to an enrollment drop. Another teacher is retiring and will be replaced with one who earns less money. The Board of Education also made budget reductions to conferences, supplies and materials.

The budget calls for raising $4,666,578 in taxes, a 1 percent increase from the $4,620,374 collected in the 2012-13 budget.

Residents will also decide the fate of a proposition to reduce the size of Board of Education from nine to seven members, and vote whether to approve $82,500 for the Yates Community Library, the establishment of a $460,000 transportation vehicle reserve fund and a $126,000 bus purchase.

Four seats are up for election with the top three voter-getters receiving three-year terms and the fourth-place finisher getting a two-year term. Incumbents Terry Stinson, Tara Neace and James Moody are running again. Harold Suhr and Michelle Dillenbeck also will be on the ballot.

Voting will be from 1 to 9 p.m. at the school library.

Medina budget won’t raise school taxes

MEDINA: The $33,805,130 budget won’t raise school taxes and will restore some staff and modified sports.

Medina two years ago slashed 30 positions and eliminated many extracurricular activities. The 2013-14 budget brings back sports for students in junior high. The district also is bringing back a curriculum director, and will add a network specialist to focus on the school’s technology needs.

Residents will also vote on several propositions, including whether to spend $200,000 to purchase one 66-passenger bus and two 30-passenger buses. Another proposition would establish a capital reserve account for up to $2.5 million.

Four seats on the Board of Education also will be up for election. Three incumbents – Wendi Pencille, Virginia Nicholson and John McCarthy – are seeking re-election to three-year terms while David Sevinski and Lori Draper are also running.  The top three vote-getters will get full terms while the fourth-leading candidate will receive a one-year term.

Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. in the District Office board room next to Medina High School.

Tells Cuomo that law ‘trampled’ gun owners’ rights

ALBANY – More than 1,000 local residents have signed a petition in past 2 ½ months opposing new state gun control legislation, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said today.

He advised Gov. Andrew Cuomo that 1,050 people signed the petition. Hawley asked the governor to re-examine the process for enacting the law and allow his constituents to make their voices heard.

The county governing bodies for nearly all upstate counties, including Orleans, have formally gone on the record opposing the SAFE Act. Orleans has asked the governor and state Legislature to repeal it.

Hawley and many of the county governments say Cuomo and the majority of the Legislature rushed the law into passage in January without feedback from the public.

Many of the provisions of the law are confusing and open to interpretation, Orleans legislators said. The group in February also criticized the law for prohibiting firearm magazines with more than seven rounds, when most magazines have 10 rounds. Gun owners will have to acquire new magazines or alter their existing ones.

Hawley is critical of the way the law was approved without input from New York residents.

“Their voices were not heard during the hurried passage of this law,” he said. “They deserved to be heard then and they deserve to be heard now. I urge you to repeal this law and come to the table, not only with members of the legislature, but with law enforcement officials, mental health professionals and, most importantly, the concerned citizens of our community who have the most at stake when it comes to the laws of our state.”

Hawley sent a letter to the governor today, telling him the SAFE Act did not protect the safety of New York families, but instead “trampled” the Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers.

(left to right) Front Row – Aaron Arnett (Albion), Mason Miller (Albion). Second Row: Teacher Matt Anastasi, Chris Balk (Newfane), Jamal Christian Jr. (Lockport), Codie Miller (Newfane). Third Row: Nate Martin (Newfane), Andy Stone (Newfane), Dylanger Spry (Lockport), Kyle Clark (Lockport) and Travis Ellnor (Lockport).

Press Release: Orleans/Niagara BOCES

The Orleans/Niagara BOCES Building Trades program has been helping out Habitat for Humanity throughout the school year. The organization has asked Matt Anastasi’s class for one more favor. They wanted to know if the class, which is located at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center, would be willing to use their skills on a smaller scale and make a playhouse for them to auction off at the Orleans County Fair to help them raise money.

“Of course we are more than glad to help out,” says Mr. Anastasi. “The students love helping out on something that benefit the people in this community. It is a great organization.”

DeFilipps, DeRoller are backed in first runs for Legislature

Photo by Tom Rivers – John DeFilipps, left, and Ken DeRoller were both endorsed tonight by the Orleans County Republican Committee for the County Legislature.

GAINES – The Orleans County Republican Committee endorsed a slate of candidates for county positions tonight, including two who are new to county elections.

However, John DeFilipps of Clarendon and Ken DeRoller of Kendall both have long-time ties to the community. DeFilipps was endorsed for a county-wide legislator position currently held by George Bower, who is retiring after 24 years as legislator.

DeRoller was backed to represent a district that includes the towns of Carlton, Murray and Kendall. Ken Rush currently serves in that position. He chose not to seek re-election after 14 years on the Legislature.

DeFilipps, 55, has been a member of the Clarendon Town Board for 12 years. He owned a convenience store and gas station in Clarendon for 10 years before joining the Town Board. He worked 28 years at General Motors in Rochester before retiring six years ago. He recently helped develop the Red Rock Ponds RV Resort in Murray.

DeFilipps and DeRoller both met with the 10 town GOP committees in recent weeks before the countywide meeting tonight. The Republicans are concerned about local taxes, DeFilipps said.

“The consensus is we’re at a turning point with the way government is running and with what we can afford,” DeFilipps said after the endorsement meeting at The Village Inn.

DeRoller worked 38 years at Kodak, retiring 11 years ago in the information technology department as a business analyst. DeRoller, 66, also worked as Kendall’s town assessor and served 25 years on the Town Planning Board, including 15 years as chairman.

He has been a member of the Orleans Economic Development Agency the past 10 years. He also helped shape a waterfront development plan in 2002 for the towns of Yates, Carlton and Kendall, a project that helped those communities secure grants.

DeRoller said his experiences, especially with economic development and land use, will be an asset to the seven-member Legislature.

“I want to make a difference in the rural community,” DeRoller said. “With the Legislature, I thought it was time for me to step up.”

Ed Morgan, the Republican Party chairman, said DeRoller and DeFilipps are both well-rounded candidates with years of business and community service. They’ve also proven themselves at the town level, Morgan said.

The GOP committee also endorsed five incumbent legislators: David Callard of Medina, Bill Eick of Shelby, Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville, Don Allport of Gaines and Henry Smith Jr. of Gaines.

The committee also supported two other incumbent candidates running for county-wide positions: Susan Heard of Albion for country treasurer and Karen Lake-Maynard of Medina for county clerk.

Artwork by Connie Mosher of Albion

Press release, GO-Art!

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presents the 2013 Artist Road Show in Orleans County this Saturday from 10am to 3pm. This event is free for all attendees.

Previously called the Open Studio Tour, this sixth annual event features an Art Trail with five artists in a variety of media at three studios and galleries in Orleans County, all open for guests to experience art and meet the artists in person.

The Artist Road Show is envisioned to provide an exciting opportunity to see artists at work, view or purchase art, raise awareness of art and culture and contribute to tourism in Genesee and Orleans counties. A map of all sites and artists may be picked up at GO ART!, Seymour Place, 201 East Main Street in Batavia and at participating sites as well as online at www.GOart.org.

Sites and Artists featured in Orleans County include:

At Marti’s on Main:
Connie Mosher, Kim Martillotta & Chris Versteeg

227 N. Main St., Albion, NY 14411

Connie Mosher
I am primarily a painter experimenting in other mediums,such as Polaroid transfers and scanner photography. I love capturing the image of fresh flowers in all their delicate beauty on the scanner. They are alive!

Kim Martillotta
First of all, I am an artist. I sculpt, collage, paint, and I am a photographer. That is what I do, and who I am. I also have a great little Fine Art Gallery. It has given me the opportunity to meet other artists and show the world their art. I want to inspire, and in the process have been very inspired myself. We have First Friday events from May thru December and I encourage folks to stop by any time. Meet the artists and have some fun!

Chris Versteeg
My goal is to encourage people to really look at, and enjoy our surroundings. And, to generate a smile, perhaps.

Artwork by the Mental Health Association

At MHA of Orleans County:
MHA Art Workshop artists

20 S. Main St., Albion, NY 14411

MHA of Orleans County
Creative individuals meet every Wednesday for Art Workshop, and are thrilled to be part of The Road Show. View their unique styles and techniques within this large group of student artists. Pieces range from sculpture, hand crafted beads, watercolors, oils and acrylics. You will find Abstract and Realism in this workroom. Stop in to MHA, where these semi-pros are happy to talk to you about their work! Artists will also be working on some new pieces as you tour. Some pieces are for purchase.

At Solace Pointe:
Betsy LaMere

1882 Kent Rd., Kent, NY 14477

Betsy LaMere
Betsy specializes in equine/canine art and is a member of the IEA and CAG. Known for her distinctive style in pen and ink, Betsy also creates images of companion animals, nature and florals in photography, acrylics and colored pencils.

This event is made possible with the generous support of The Bank of Castile and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, please call 585-343-9313, email info@GOart.org or visit www.GOart.org.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Russ Martino, chairman of Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation, jots down notes during a presentation today during the organization’s meeting at the public health department. Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, is pictured across from Martino.

ALBION – The consultants and firms are lining up to help Orleans County sell its 120-bed nursing home, The Villages of Orleans on Route 31.

From accounting, legal and real estate services, several firms are pitching their services to Orleans County and its newly created entity, the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation. The County Legislature in February voted to transfer the Villages of Orleans to a three-member Local Development Corporation, which that group tasked with finding a buyer and selling the facility.

County officials want to be out of the nursing home business because projections show $2 million to $4 million annual operating losses at the site.

Despite the deficits, the county nursing home has plenty of value to other operators, said a real estate professional who helps counties sell the properties.

“These nursing home are a commodity and they’re extremely valuable if run the right way,” said Josh Jandris, a senior associate with Marcus and Millichap’s National Senior Housing Group, a Chicago firm that specializes selling nursing homes.

That firm is working to sell nursing homes for nine NY counties – Chautauqua, Chemung, Essex, Ontario, Orange, Rockland, Saratoga, Steuben and Ulster.

Shrinking government reimbursement rates plus rising employee costs for publicly owned facilities have led to a big push to sell the municipally owned sites in the past three years, Jandris told the LDC during its meeting today.

Josh Jandris, a senior associate with Marcus and Millichap’s National Seniors Housing Group based in Chicago, discusses how the firm can help get a good price for The Villages of Orleans.

The firm is working with 21 governments in six states to sell nursing homes. Jandris said the company has helped governments sell sites at 25 percent above the minimum bid. The firm can help determine the market value for The Villages and then market the site to 2,500 potential buyers, Jandris said. His firm would receive 2.5 percent of the sale price.

Another organization, the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, said it would work with the county to sell the property for a fee that would likely range from $60,000 to $100,000, depending on the services. CGR’s cost also includes the services from Health Dimensions Group, which has connections with potential buyers throughout the country, said Don Pryor, CGR’s director of human services.

CGR would also work to determine the market rate for The Villages, and could research potential buyers to make sure they are good fit for the county, committed to quality care and serving “hard-to-place” residents who may have behavioral problems or be on Medicaid.

Jandris said Marcus and Millichap would also vet potential buyers to make sure they have good track records for serving patients and employee retention.

Don Pryor, director of human services research for the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, meets with county officials and members of the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation on Wednesday to discuss how CGR could help sell the 120-bed county nursing home.

Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said the county wants a buyer that would continue the Communty As Schools program with Albion Central School, where at-risk students take classes and work in internships at the nursing home. Jandris said the county can stipulate that and set other demands on the buyers, but that may result in a lower sale price.

Nesbitt also wants to hear proposals from potential buyers on how they would reuse the entire facility, including wings from the early 1960s that are mostly empty. That space might be able to be used for a senior daycare or respite site.

The new LDC will seek proposals from firms to market the nursing home and provide consulting services for the sale. That proposal will go out May 17 and will be due June 3. The LDC is expected to meet soon after June 3 to review the proposals.

The LDC during today’s meeting approved two agreements for professional services. The Harris Beach legal firm in Pittsford will represent the group on an as needed basis and will bill by the hour, including defending the county in a lawsuit filed by two citizens who say the county illegally transferred the nursing home and its assets to the LDC.

The Bonadio Group, a Pittsford accounting firm, will charge $8,500 annually to make sure the LDC submits the appropriate regulatory filings with the state.

“We assure you they will be done and be done on time,” said Nick Mazzo, a municipal consultant with Bonadio.

The LDC is aiming to complete a sale by Dec. 31, 2014.

Front row from left: Michelle Neal, Shentelle Shaffer, Kasey Turrell, Lauren Zulick, Tara Milton Back row from left: Nicole Szatkowski, Jessica Makowski, Tanya Kopp, Stacy Erck, Brynne Perfitt, Erica Stahl, Todd Harris, Daniel Beatty

Press Release: Orleans/Niagara BOCES

May is the month when nurses of all types are recognized and celebrated. The Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) students at the Orleans and Niagara Career and Technical Education Centers have been working hard to complete their 1,730 hour course that will allow then to take the NCLEX exam for their license. The Orleans/Niagara BOCES students spend 510 hours at local hospitals to get their clinical hours and assist the nurses in many of their duties taking care of those who are recovering or require treatment. They deserve big congratulations for all the hard work and dedication to starting this rewarding career.

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

ALBION – Tomorrow on May 15^th, as we celebrate National Peace Officers Memorial Day, we honor the memory of two Orleans County law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty:

New York State Police Sergeant Harry A. Adams was killed on Sept. 1, 1951. Adams was directing traffic at the scene of a motor vehicle accident on Sawyer Road in the Town of Carlton when he was struck by a drunk driver.

Sergeant Adams was a 28-year veteran of the State Police, having enlisted in December 1923. He had been assigned to Orleans County since 1932 and was in charge of the Gaines sub-station. At the time of his death, Sergeant Adams was 55. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Orleans County Deputy Sheriff David H. Whittier died on Sept. 8, 1989 from injuries sustained eight months earlier on Jan. 19, 1989.  On that January night, Whittier was on patrol when he came upon an un-occupied vehicle on Gaines Basin Road in the Town of Gaines.

While Whittier was out checking the abandoned pick-up truck, the truck was struck by another vehicle operated by a drunk driver. The impact pinned Whittier between his patrol car and the truck he was checking. Whittier never recovered from the injuries he sustained as a result, and eventually succumbed to those injuries.

Whittier was a two-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and was fulfilling a life-long dream of a career in law enforcement. At the time of his death, Deputy Whittier was 41. He was survived by his wife and two children.

We salute these brave men who gave their lives in the performance of duty. They are not forgotten.

The Men & Women of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

The mechanical voting machine may not see another local election.

When residents vote on the school budgets in Orleans County next Tuesday, they will cast their ballots on the new optical scan machines that have been used by towns and county since 2010.

The old mechanical lever machines, technology that had been used for about a century, may have seen their last local election.

“Some of them are getting unrepairable,” said Clara Martin, a deputy election commissioner for the Orleans County Board of Elections.

The county’s voting machine technicians met with the five school districts and they reached a mutual decision to phase out the old machines for the optical scans.

The change to optical scan machines will cost Albion Central School about $1,500 more for the election. Each ballot cost 60 cents, said Shawn Liddle, Albion’s assistant superintendent for business.

The mechanical voting machines have been phased out for most elections throughout New York as part of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The federal government paid most of the upfront costs for the new machines that have electronic scanners.

I hope we can keep some of the old machines around as museum pieces. I know some of the local towns have taken them to the scrap yard.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Chamber of Commerce events coordinator Ginny Kropf, left, and Gaines artist Carol Culhane hold palettes that will be featured in an upcoming Chamber project. Culhane painted a scene of fishermen in the Oak Orchard River by the Archer’s Club. Kropf is holding a blank canvas, one of 50 the Chamber wants to be painted as part of the “Palettes of Orleans.”

ALBION – A new Orleans County Chamber of Commerce initiative will showcase local artists, scenes and businesses.

The “Palettes of Orleans” aims to have 50 palettes painted that will be displayed by local merchants for at least the summer. The palettes will be auctioned off during a celebration in October at Hickory Ridge Country Club in Holley. Some of the proceeds will go towards art scholarships at each of the five school districts in the county.

So far businesses have agreed to sponsor 30 of the palettes, and Chamber officials are confident they will meet their goal of displaying 50. Businesses pay $10 to have a palette displayed in their storefront until the auction in October.

The Chamber will develop a map of the palettes, and will encourage residents and visitors to follow the trail and vote for their favorite piece of artwork.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the reception,” said Kathy Blackburn, the Chamber director.

She learned about the palette project from a similar initiative by businesses at Keuka Lake. Palettes of Keuka has been an annual event the past six years.

In Orleans 20 artists have agreed to paint the palettes for free. The artists will benefit from exposure, said Carol Culhane, an artist from Gaines. She has painted the first palette, fly fishermen in the Oak Orchard River by the Archer’s Club. Culhane also has agreed to paint a Charles Howard-themed palette with the Santa Claus School. That will go inside the Five Star Bank for a few months.

The Chamber has a list of the participating artists. Businesses that join the program will connect with the artist and pick a theme for the palette. The Chamber wants to have all the palettes claimed by June 1. Proceeds form the auction will help fund art scholarships that will be awarded beginning in 2014.

For more information, contact the Chamber at 589-7727.