Brian Alexander checks the temperature of the oven in his mobile wood-fired pizza truck during a demonstration for graduates of the latest MAP class.

ALBION – The latest class to graduate from Orleans Economic Development’s Microenterprise Assistance Program bring a wide variety of new business ideas to the table.

With Diane Blanchard as manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program, nine of the 11 graduates shared their business plans during graduation Tuesday night at the Village Inn.

Also attending the graduation were Richard Petitte and Sam Campanella with the Small Business Development Center; Jon Costello, a SCORE mentor; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; and Paul Hendel, chairman of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

A former graduate of the class, Laura Kemler, with her husband Kevin, talked to the class about how MAP helped her grow a successful business on Main Street in Albion, selling her hand-crafted, kitchen-inspired goods.

She advised graduates to use their mentors for advice.

“Find someone in your field who has gone before you,” she said. “Try and find wholesalers for all your products and make sure your customer service is stellar.”

Rick and Michelle Gallo of Holley, who graduated from MAP a year ago, were also on hand to share their good news. After taking the MAP class, they opened a very successful hauling business, and just a few weeks ago completed the purchase of a junkyard.

“Because of what I learned in the Microenterprise class, I wrote a business plan which blew the pants off my banker and we got a loan for the junkyard,” Michelle said.

Diane Blanchard, manager of Microenterprise Assistance Program, talks to Michael Blosenhauer of Holley prior to graduation ceremonies Tuesday at the Village Inn. Blosenhauer is hoping to open a grocery store in his home town in coming months.

Graduates who shared their business plans were Michael Blosenhauer of Holley, who hopes to open a grocery store in his home town; Joseph Quill, who wants to expand the diesel repair shop he runs in Barre Center with his son Mike; Missy Rusin of Brockport, who proposes to run a record keeping and consulting business for child care providers; Lorie Soule of Waterport, with 30 years of experience as a notary public, who proposes a notary-on-demand service;

Natasha Wasuck, who with her husband John Hernandez, is opening a wedding/event venue and ice cream parlor on the Erie Canal in Albion; Jennifer Beherns of Scottsville, who has 14 years experience in medical billing and wants to start her own ambulance billing service; Lauren Blair, who was employed at the Whole Approach Health and Wellness Center in Holley and has now purchased the business; James Kusmierczak of Medina, who discovered the benefits of hemp after having pancreatitis and now hopes to begin by selling it online, followed by the eventual opening of a brick and mortar store; and Rebecca and Kevin Alexander of Albion who have built a mobile wood-fired pizza truck.

The Alexanders brought their truck to the Village Inn, where MAP graduates got a first-hand look at the wood-fired oven and how as many as six pizzas can be cooked at once. They have used it in their back yard to cook everything from pizza to the Thanksgiving turkey, Rebecca said. They traveled to Colorado to learn the business and have spent the last six months perfecting their own recipes.

They plan to take the mobile pizza truck to farmers’ markets, private parties and special events.

Each of the graduates shared how much money they would need for start-up costs and what they hoped to borrow in low-interest loans.

Michael Webster and Dorothy Daniels also completed the MAP class but weren’t at the graduation ceremony.

Graduates of the recent Microenterprise Assistance Program posed for this picture during graduation ceremonies Tuesday at the Village Inn. Seated, from left, are Dick Petitte with the Small Business Development Center; Orleans Legislator Ken DeRoller; Diane Blanchard, manager of MAP; Sam Campanella with the Small Business Development Center; and Jon Costello, a certified SCORE mentor. At rear are, from left, Lorie Soule, Michael Blosenhaur, Jim Kusmierczak, Joe Quill, Jennifer Beherns, Natasha Wasuck, Rebecca Alexander, Lauren Blair  and Missy Rusin.

Return to top

Dr. Kaci Schiavone was the keynote speaker at the 33rd annual Top 10 dinner on Monday at Hickory Ridge Golf Course and Country Club.

HOLLEY – The top 10 graduates at four school districts n Orleans County were told their small-town roots will serve them well as they head to the next stage of their lives.

Dr. Kaci Schiavone, a 2009 graduate from Holley, last year earned her medical doctorate degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo. She is currently a general surgery resident physician at the University of Rochester.

Her training requires her to care for critically ill patients while engaging in multi-disciplinary surgical setting. Upon completing the five-year residency program, Schiavone will continue training in a more specialized surgical fellowship.

She admitted during her speech that she often wondered if she was ill-prepared for the rigorous coursework, especially compared to her classmates, who typically came from more affluent school districts or prep schools.

“You’re likely to meet many people who had very different upbringings than you had and they’ll lack the perspective you’ve garnered by being raised here,” Schiavone told about 200 people at the Top 10 dinner. “You may not realize it yet but there is immeasurable value in that perspective.”

More of her classmates drove luxury vehicles than had ever been to a farm.

“They predominantly went to large high schools where they didn’t know most of the students they graduated with,” she said. “And in the beginning of my life outside of high school, that made me feel like an outsider. It took me time to realize though that that difference was not something to make me feel inferior, but should be a point of pride.

“As a product of this place, you are all endowed with a deep sense of community. There is a feeling of belonging, an understanding that the people around you are all connected to you, and that they all play a role in your development as a person, no matter how small their role is.  That sense of community will guide you when you leave here and hopefully you will infect others with it as you interact with new people and places.”

Abrianna Kruger of Holley is congratulated for being in Holley’s Top 10. She is shaking hands with Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature. County Legislator Bill Eick is at left. Brian Bartalo, the Holley school district superintendent, is next to Johnson.

Schiavone said the seniors who are soon to graduate will see their lives speed up.

“You should be excited, but wherever it is you’re headed, remember where you came from,” she told the Top 10. “While I have spent every year since graduation in one city or another, I am so appreciative that I was raised out here, in the country.  I have met plenty of people – good people with good intentions – who have a hard time truly understanding what matters in life.”

Dr. Schiavone offered the Top 10 some advice if they are feeling overmatched in college or in their careers.

“If you find yourself in that position, I encourage you to do what I did: call your mom, take five minutes to cry, and then fight through it,” she said. “It may mean that you need to recalibrate, adjust, or just work a little harder, but you have already shown that you are smart and hardworking and that you have it in you to succeed.”

Her mother is Karri Schiavone, Holley’s elementary school principal. Her father Dan Schiavone is a dentist in Holley.

June Christensen, Kendall school district superintendent, hugs Morgan Davis, one of Kendall’s honor grads.

Kaci Schiavone urged the Top 10 to face adversity and challenges head on.

“Do not run away from it when it is no longer easy,” she said. “It is not meant to be. You don’t grow by taking on the easy tasks. And growth is really the meaning of life. It is what will keep your life interesting and will make you feel as if you are moving toward something. To that extent, you must treat your accomplishments as rest stops and less so as final destinations.”

Schiavone also highlighted her fiancé, Michael Pretsch, who graduated from Holley in 2007. He didn’t push himself too hard as a Holley student, but he has since graduated from law school and is a lawyer.

“It is important to use high school and the work you’ve put in so far as a foundation and not as a definition of who you are,” Schiavone said. “What you have attained to date will always be a part of you, but there will also be so much more.”

Anna Oakley of Kendall is congratulated by Lynne Johnson. Nadine Hanlon, president of the Kendall Board of Education, is next to Johnson.

The Top 10 at the four school districts include:

• Holley — Emily Bibby, Neila Hand, McKenzie Hill, Abrianna Kruger, Shawna Lusk, Madison Marsh, Gregory Morrill, Lexianne Seewagen, Anastasiya Yaroshchuk and Kristina Yaroshchuk.

• Kendall — Ryan Barrett, Ethan Billings, Jessica Coble, Morgan Davis, Matthew DiNatale, Michael Gardner, Peter Gilman, Hunter Menze, Anna Oakley and John Rath.

• Lyndonville — Justin Corser, Hannah Despard, Grace Hayes, Noah Heinsler, Tamara Huzair, Anna Lewis, Sage Moore, Natalie Ostrowski, Jocelyn Plummer and Carly-Grace Woodworth.

• Medina — Emma Baldwin, Alissa Blount, Jessica Granchelli, Margaret Griffin, Kaela Grosslinger, Kody Leno, Raymond Paull, Cora Payne, Jonathan Pietrafesa and Kali Schrader.

Grace Hayes of Lyndonville is greeted by Jason Smith, Lyndonville’s school district superintendent.

Margaret Griffin of Medina is congratulated by Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

Anna Lewis of Lyndonville accepts her awards from Lyndonville school officials, including her father Ted Lewis (left), who is president of the Board of Education.

Cora Payne and Jonathan Pietrafesa of Medina look over the certificates and plaques they received for their academic excellence.

Return to top

ALBION – The steering committee for the waterfront development plan for seven Erie Canal municipalities held its kickoff meeting on Tuesday, and set a goal for identifying projects in the coming months that can boost the local economy and better utilize the canal.

Orleans County received a $62,000 state grant in December to develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for the canal communities outside the Village of Medina. That includes the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway, Gaines, Albion and Murray, and the villages of Albion and Holley.

The state recently added a new sign promoting the Empire State Trail, the towpath and trail system of the canal. This photo was taken during the winter near the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. A steering committee said the canal needs mile markers and more signage about services available in the canal towns.

Medina is working on its own LWRP and has been meeting for several months on the plan.

The county has hired LaBella as a consultant for the plan for the seven municipalities. The first meeting on Tuesday followed several years of effort to get the communities together to work on a plan.

Each of the municipalities has a representative who will weigh in on current strengths and weaknesses of the canal, and opportunities to make the historic waterway and towpath a bigger asset.

“This is the right time for us,” said County Legislator Ken DeRoller.

The state is looking to spend more money to promote the canal and make it a better resource for the canal communities. The canal’s new caretaker, the New York Power Authority, also has shown a commitment to improving the canal infrastructure, DeRoller said.

Gov. Cuomo and the State Legislature have made money available for the canal communities in recent years for economic development projects. The Orleans communities have tapped few of those funds, partly because there isn’t a waterfront revitalization plan in place.

The steering committee for the LWRP will be looking for ways to improve trail access, perhaps add a boat or kayak launch, improve signage (mile markers and information about services) and also try to identify economic development projects with businesses near the canal.

The committee will have three public sessions in the coming months with a goal to have the plan complete in about a year.

That document can then be used to help the municipalities pursue grant funding through the state.

The steering committee members include: Ken DeRoller, Orleans County; Jake Olles, Town of Albion; Samuel Robinson, Village of Albion; Tyler Allport, Town of Gaines; Mark Bower, Village of Holley; Chris Van Dusen, Town of Murray; Mary Woodruff, Town of Ridgeway; and Ed Houseknecht, Town of Shelby.

Only half of the group attended the first meeting. DeRoller said this is a great opportunity for the communities to brainstorm ways to capitalize on the canal, which a nationally known brand passing through the county.

The plan also will look at opportunities 500 feet from the canal in the towns, and 1,000 feet from the canal in the villages.

The committee considered some of the strengths of the canal in Orleans County. They noted the county has seven of the 16 lift bridges on the canal, intact historic downtowns, and other historic assets (Cobblestone Museum, Courthouse Square, historic cemeteries).

DeRoller said the recent opening of 39 Problems in Albion and Holley Falls Bar & Grill are important sites for the downtowns, and desired places for tourists.

The county has a strong agricultural sector that siphons from the canal during dry periods when crops need water.

DeRoller also pushed for a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for the Lake Ontario waterfront in Kendall, Carlton and Yates. He said the county is fortunate to have the lake and canal. The LWRPs should help the communities to better utilize the lake and canal.

“I’m really interested in anything having to do with water,” DeRoller said.

Return to top

‘If it is the new normal we need to come up with a new plan because this isn’t working.’ –  IJC commissioner Jane Corwin

GREECE – Four newly appointed members of the International Joint Commission, three representing the United States and one from Canada – heard from elected officials from Orleans County and other south shore communities about the impacts of flooding from Lake Ontario.

The IJC commissioners met at Greece Town Hall with officials for 90 minutes before going into Greece communities to see flooded roads, yards and homes and businesses fending off water with sandbags and pumps.

The IJC is tasked with regulating water levels. The commission has used a new plan for regulating the water levels the past three years, the first change in more than a half century.

A property owner has sandbags inside large grain bags along the shore in Kendall by Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road.

Two of the three years – 2017 and now 2019 – have seen major flooding along the lakeshore.

“I would just ask for patience,” said new IJC commissioner Jane Corwin, who is the U.S. section chair. “I know that isn’t easy for people evacuating their homes and losing their businesses.”

Pierre Béland, the IJC’s Canadian section chair, said Mother Nature is most at fault for the high lake levels, not a plan for regulating the lake.

She and the new commissioners just started the job less than two weeks ago. They want to see how much of the flooding is attributable to Plan 2014 and how much is from melting snow and rainfall.

Pierre Béland, the IJC’s Canadian section chair, said the high lake levels are due to rain and the high water levels in the other Great Lakes.

“These is no plan that would have relieved better than 2014,” Béland told reporters at Greece Town Hall. “There is no way to get more water out of the system without flooding other people.”

But there have been other wet springs and winters with lots of snow. The lake levels only were this high in 2017 and now this year. That has community leaders pointing to the Plan 2014 as a culprit.

Béland said the precipitation is the main cause.

“It’s unique,” he said about the rainfall. “it’s unseen. It hasn’t happened before.”

Corwin said water was let out in the fall at the maximum levels allowed by Plan 2014. But, State Sen. Robert Ortt said the old plan would have let out even more water in the fall, before it’s too late in the spring to respond without flooding the Canadians.

Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence, said he supports scrapping Plan 2014 and going back to the plan from the 1950s which resulted in only one flooding event, in the mid 1970s.

“We can’t continue down this road,” Collins said.

He attended the closed door session with officials from the six counties.

“Their testimony confirmed what a catastrophe we’ve been dealing with,” Collins said.

Jane Corwin and other local officials and IJC members meet with reporters after a closed-door session at the Greece Town Hall to discuss the impact of the high waters.

In Orleans County, no roads have been closed yet due to flooding.  Several roads have been closed in Hamlin and Greece in neighboring Monroe County.

Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, attended the session today with the IJC commissioners. She said the IJC’s new representatives will work to have a better plan in place long-term. Unfortunately, that won’t help with this year’s flooding, Johnson said.

“We want more of a quick fix,” she said.

Johnson is thankful Corwin, a former state Assemblywoman from Clarence, is on the IJC. Her Assembly district included parts of Orleans, Niagara and Erie counties.

The shoreline at Oak Orchard Harbor by the lighthouse takes a beating today from the waves.

“She knows our area,” Johnson said. “She knows our lake. She has sailed our lake.”

The three lakeshore towns in Orleans – Carlton, Kendall and Yates – have all declared a state of emergency due to the high lake levels. The towns have worked with residents to put sandbags by the shoreline.

Inmates and the National Guard have helped to fill and stack sandbags. The state also has brought in AquaDams, which are large tubes filled with water.

Corwin said she is impressed by the collaboration among the local governments, and the state and federal agencies.

The IJC commissioners will find answers for the cause of the flooding, to see if it’s mainly from precipitation that can’t be handled or if Plan 2014 is at fault, too, Corwin said.

“Is this the new normal or is it an extended flooding level like 2017?” she said. “If it is the new normal we need to come up with a new plan because this isn’t working.”

In the meantime, Assemblyman Michael Norris, R-Lockport, said the lakeshore communities are suffering economically, as well as from the flooding. He reminded the community that many businesses are still open and would welcome support from their customers.

Return to top