ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved $50,000 each for both the Cornell Cooperative Extension and for a workforce development initiative.

The money comes from part of the $7,887,187 in federal funds set aside for Orleans through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Legislature in a resolution last week said the $50,000 for the Extension will assist the agency with infrastructure upgrades. Legislators said the Covid-19 pandemic restricted the Extension from generating revenue to fund the infrastructure upgrades. The pandemic, for example, forced the cancelation of the Orleans County 4-H fair in 2020.

The other $50,000 goes for technical job training for Orleans County residents. The money goes to Livingston County Workforce Development, which was a grant recipient for the four-county Genesee-Livingston-Orleans-Wyoming (GLOW) Workforce Development Board.

“Orleans County has an increased demand from Orleans County residents for job training so that these residents may be qualified for existing jobs that require specific technical skills training,” county legislators stated in a  resolution. “Orleans County has a significant number of job vacancies that require specific technical skills.”

Legislators last week also approved using $29,400 for 250 copies of NetMotion connectivity software from Brite Computers in Victor.

Since the pandemic started in March 2020, county workers have been more mobile and not confined to the office.

“The increased mobility of the workforce creates an increase in the risks to cybersecurity,” legislators said.

The NetMotion connectivity software gives the county government more cybersecurity protection, legislators said.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 24th annual business awards. The deadline to nominate a business or person is Sept. 11.

The businesses and individuals will be recognized during an awards dinner on Oct. 20 at the White Birch in Lyndonville.

The categories include:

• Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Lifetime Achievement – This award is presented to an individual with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements.
• Phoenix Award – This award is presented to an organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility.
• New Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business or organization that has opened in the past year.
• Community Service Award – This award is presented to a business, organization or individual that has provided meaningful contributions to the community in either professional or non-professional spheres.
• Agricultural Business of the Year – This award is presented to an agricultural business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Small Business of the Year – This award is presented to a small business that has experienced significant achievements/success throughout the year.

Send a nomination to the OCCC, PO Box 501, Medina, NY or email it to director@orleanschamber.com, through Google forms (click here), the Chamber’s Facebook page or the Chamber website.

Sheriff’s budget for gas, diesel also boosted $31K this year due to rising fuel costs

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved several resolutions and agreements for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

• One resolution is with the NYS State Canal Corp. for $39,920 for marine patrols to enforce the NYS Marine Law and monitor activity along the canal and its pathway, effective from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

• The Legislature last week also voted to transfer $31,000 from contingency to the Sheriff’s Office so its budget has enough money to pay for diesel and gas, which are much higher than a year ago.

• The Legislature also authorized filling vacancies in the Sheriff’s Office including two vacant part-time dispatchers at $15.68 per hour, a vacant part time correction officer in the county jail at $15.68 per hour, and a vacant part time deputy sheriff in the Sheriff’s Road Patrol at $24.80 per hour.

• In another resolution, the Legislature authorized the sheriff to apply for $30,190 from the state in the STOP DWI Plan. This funding for this plan would allow the Sheriff’s Office, and other local law enforcement agencies, to participate in increased STOP DWI patrols throughout the year with combined total of $5,000. The money also would pay for $4,000 of equipment, with $5,000 also going to town courts, $5,000 to probation, $10,840 to the Orleans County Youth Bureau for outreach and education. Another $350 would cover administrative fees including NYMIR and Association dues. This STOP DWI Plan goes from Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2023.

• The Sheriff’s Office also was authorized to apply for a $15,000 High Visibility Engagement Grant from the state’s STOP DWI Foundation. The money would allow the Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies to do increased DWI patrols during peak holiday periods throughout the year. Grant period dates are effective from Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023.

• The Legislature approved purchasing jail uniforms for $16,050 from Galls LLC in Lexington, Ky.

• The county accepted a $50 donation to for the Sheriff’s K9.

Survey planned to get feedback to strengthen childcare services and availability

In February, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services announced that funding would be made available to develop new childcare programs in areas of the state without sufficient childcare slots, known as childcare deserts.  They identified most of Orleans County as a childcare desert.

On Aug. 3 the United Way of Orleans County hosted a “listening session”  with representatives from the county, day care providers and interested professionals, to discuss the lack of childcare in Orleans County and develop ideas for strengthening childcare resources.

Rachel Bonsignore, director of Lift-Off Western New York, facilitated the discussion and information sharing session and in an e-mail to all who attended, summarized the challenges and gaps identified by the group and what is going well in Orleans County. She also listed opportunities and a timeline going forward.

A number of factors were identified as challenges and gaps in the childcare system in Orleans County.

Shared information and understanding population trends by age and geography; pre-K expansion plans in schools, full or half day, timelines and wrap care option; changes in how employers do business, such as working from home, hybrid, hours and flex time; and employee childcare needs.

• Attitudes and beliefs – a perception that early childhood educators are “babysitters,” instead of education professionals who are highly trained, well regulated and offer safe and enriching care; lack of political support and recognition that childcare is an economic development driver and opportunity for Orleans County.
• Supply of childcare that matches families’ needs, including traditional hours, a lack of providers that operate during evenings, overnights and/or weekends; distribution challenges of registered child care options close to parents’ home or place of employment; getting new providers.
• Transportation – Limited public transportation options and hours; varied car ownership and related costs (fuel, insurance); ride sharing is limited, particularly for families with young children.
• Costs – Parent often pay the equivalent of rent or their mortgage for childcare; awareness of the Child Care Subsidy program and parental eligibility; program operating costs, payroll, overhead, etc., infrequently breaks even; impacts on minimum wage increases by centers and GFDE programs.
• Workforce – Hiring and retaining high quality staff; workforce pipeline, expected retirements; minimum wage and struggle for competitive wages outside of early care and learning field.

Opportunities for improving childcare access and services included developing a targeted employer and parent survey, to include small and large businesses, churches and faith community, Leadership Orleans alumni and partners; and convening a childcare community forum, to include schools, employers, child care providers, government partners, workforce development, schools, libraries, higher education and pediatricians.

Its purpose would be to create a better understanding of how business gets done (onsite, hybrid and work from home) and the unique needs of their workforce and employees with children.

Short-term opportunities (five to eight months) identified are creating an Orleans County Early Childhood Educator of Distinction Award, a county proclamation of April 1 – 8, 2023 as “Week of the Young Child” and planning events and happenings during “Week of the Young Child,” by libraries and church sermons, etc.

Medium-term opportunities (12 months) include a community child-care plan/agreement, created and informed by the community; and improved and continuous communication with schools, employers, the county, Child Care Resource and Referral (services in Orleans County provided by Community Action) and policy makers.

The report has been well received by those in attendance at the “listening session.”  The opportunity to share information and ideas on the topic of childcare in Orleans County strengthened communication among providers and generated many new ideas.

As a starting point, the group endorsed the idea of conducting a survey. Bonsignore suggests a survey should be a collaborative effort between Community Action, Leadership Orleans and United Way. Any others who would be interested in participating are welcome. After the survey goes out, the group will convene again to review the results and invite additional community members to help with a plan to strengthen childcare services and availability in Orleans County.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone speaks during last week’s County Legislature meeting.

ALBION – Orleans County District Attorney has seen the ravages of the opioid epidemic up close in his role as district attorney.

Many defendants with no previous criminal history have turned lawless with burglaries and robberies in an attempt for cash to buy drugs.

Some of those defendants would die of overdoses.

“Each day there are 600 more addicts at a tremendous cost to our society,” Cardone said last week when he addressed the County Legislature on Opioid Overdose Awareness Day. “It is costing us the lives of our children.”

The most recent statistics from 2020 count six fatal opioid overdoses in Orleans County, 15 in Genesee and seven in Wyoming County.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.

The opioid overdoses increased from 56,064 to 75,673 in the 12-month period ending in April 2021.

“This is the greatest crisis our country faces, without a doubt,” Cardone said.

Cardone said the country needs to do more to slow all the fentanyl and synthetic opioids coming in from Mexico and China.

“If we had another army or nation killing 100,000 of our people we’d declare war on them,” Cardone said. “We need to wipe out drugs coming into our country.”

The DA said the federal government needs a stronger response. He said he appreciates the efforts of local law enforcement, including the Major Felony Crimes Task Force, in trying to fight the problem.

But Cardone said too many of the drugs flow unabated into the country and find their way to Orleans County.

“These drugs are foisted upon our community,” he said.

To raise public awareness of opioid overdoses, the County Courthouse is being illumined in purple through the end of August.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: The Orleans Women’s Leadership held its first meeting during the Covid pandemic on Wednesday night at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Among those who attended are, clockwise from left front, Laura Olinger, Wendy Oakes Wilson, Gloria Brent, Kelly Schrader, Kelly Kiebala and (in foreground), Ann Fisher-Bale.

MEDINA – It was in 2018 when Skip Helfrich, director of Leadership Orleans, took notice that many business owners in Orleans County are women.

Helfrich was in the process of organizing the first class of Leadership Orleans, and while compiling a list of business people, he received the names of 127 women in business.

He shared that information with Kelly Kiebala, director of the Orleans County Job Development Agency; Laura Olinger, president and owner of Bentley Brothers; and Wendy Oakes Wilson, general manager of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and LynOaken Farms.

“We formulated a group of local women leaders that became Orleans Women’s Leadership in 2019,” Helfrich said. “Those three women nurtured it to where it is today. I have a lot of passion for effective leadership, and Orleans County has many women making a difference every day in this county. I support their leadership efforts and all the great results they achieve.”

To date 75 women have been involved in the Leadership Orleans program, doing what they do in very diverse roles as leaders in Orleans County. OWL is just another network for bringing them together, Helfrich said.

At their first meeting in 2019, 39 women attended. OWL was barely getting started and had a year of programs planned when Covid hit in March 2020, resulting in the programs being canceled.

Wednesday was the return of what OWL hopes will be regular programming. The agenda for the evening was a social trivia event, compiled by Catherine Holland. Admission of $20 included a glass of wine and snacks.

Programs for the rest of the year are “Exploring Work-Life Balance” Sept. 20 at the Lockstone in Albion; “Dare to Leap” Oct. 19 at Zambistro’s Restaurant in Medina; and a Christmas social event Nov. 17 at Bent’s Opera House. All events run from 7 to 9 p.m.

To sign up or for more information, e-mail Holland at catherine@oakeswinery.com.

Susan Howard, left, Orleans County’s first assistant district attorney, and Ann Fisher-Bale chat with Skip Helfrich, head of Leadership Orleans and originator of the Orleans Women’s Leadership which had its first meeting I nearly three years on Wednesday evening.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Don Allport, left, on Wednesday congratulates Paul Pettit, public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties, for being elected to the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Board of Directors.

Pettit was picked for a three-year term as a Director for Region 2, representing local health departments in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NACCHO is the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. Pettit’s term began on July 1.

Pettit said he will use the position to advocate for public health funding for rural communities.

He thanked the Legislature for supporting him in the role, and also for providing resource for the local public health department.

Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman, commended Pettit for leading the county’s response during the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.

“You stepped forward and the state took notice,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Dr. Arthur Mruczek, an ophthalmologist and member of the Orleans County Medical Scholarship Board, shares with the County Legislature on Wednesday that the Lyndonville Area Foundation has matched the county’s $72,000 commitment for a medical scholarship. He said the $144,000 total is one of the biggest medical scholarships available in the state. He is joined by Russ Martino, left, of the Lyndonville Area Foundation.

ALBION – Orleans County has a new incentive to bring doctors to serve the community: one of the most lucrative scholarships available in the state.

Orleans County can now offer a medical scholarship for $144,000 over four years. The County Legislature in December 2021 voted to increase the size of scholarship from $36,000 to $72,000. The Lyndonville Area Foundation has since voted to match that amount, bringing the total to $144,000.

“We’re in desperate need of doctors,” said Lynne Johnson, the County Legislature chairwoman and a member of the board of directors for both Orleans Community health and the Lyndonville Area Foundation.

Dr. Arthur Mruczek, an ophthalmologist and member of the Orleans County Medical Scholarship Board, said the $144,000 is one of the largest medical scholarships available in the state. The $36,000 annually for four years would cover about 60 percent of the $60,000 annually to be in medical school, Mruczek said.

The county needs to promote the scholarship locally and at medical schools, he said. Mruczek believes the scholarship would get medical students’ attention, and should result in doctors making a commitment to serve in Orleans County after they graduate.

They would need to commit five years to the county to get the scholarship. Mruczek believes many would stay more than five years once they stay and get connected to the community. He said Orleans County residents in medical school would be given preference for the scholarship.

Mruczek,a Corfu native, was the first recipient of the medical scholarship in Orleans County back in 1969. He received $18,000 in the scholarship and went on to work in a long career as an ophthalmologist in Medina.

Other scholarships recipients who served in Orleans include Frank Cutson, Joseph Misiti, Deborah Preishel (White), Eric Johnson and Celeste Stahl Balaban.

Others were approved for the scholarship but they decided not to practice in Orleans County and paid back the scholarship.

“I’m passionate about bringing doctors here because you gave me an opportunity that was beyond my expectations,” Mruczek told county legislators on Wednesday.

He said the big scholarship is “an incredible product” that should bring medical talent to the rural community, where the pay is typically much less than in the suburban and city hospitals and healthcare facilities.

“It’s a nice opportunity to get fresh blood in Orleans County,” he said.

For information about the scholarship, contact the County Legislature office at 585-589-7053.

The unemployment rate for Orleans County was at 4.2 percent in July, compared to 5.5 percent a year earlier, the state Department of Labor reported today. (In July 2020, early in the Covid pandemic, the unemployment rate was at 9.4 percent in Orleans.)

The unemployment rate also dropped statewide from 7.1 percent in July 2021 to 4.8 percent last month. Nationally the unemployment rate declined from 5.7 to 3.8 percent.

The state DOL is reporting there were 400 more people working in Orleans County in July, compared to the previous July, from 16,200 to 16,600. The number of unemployed declined from 900 in July 2021 to 700 last month.

Genesee County, where the unemployment rate is at 3.0 percent, also saw an increase in people working, from 28,200 in July 2021 to 29,600. The number unemployed dropped from 1,300 to 900 during that time, the DOL reported.

The unemployment rates among Western New York counties for July include:

• Orleans, 4.2%
• Genesee, 3.0%
• Wyoming, 3.0%
• Livingston, 3.4%
• Niagara, 4.1%
• Erie, 4.0%
• Monroe, 3.9%
• Chautauqua, 4.2%
• Cattaraugus, 4.1%
• Allegany, 4.1%

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Matt Herman, center, tosses a tire in a big pile on Saturday. He was one of five employees from the Orleans County Department of Public Works collecting tires as part of the annual household hazardous waste collection event.

The pile was up to about 1,000 tires after about two hours. Other DPW employees assisting with the tires included Andy Beach, Paul Gray, Nick Deuil and Mike Pritchard.

Andy Beach, left, and Mike Pritchard pull tires from the back of a pickup on Saturday. The county extended the tire drop off by an hour to help accommodate the demand for disposing the tires.

The county had 300 slots for the household hazardous waste collection event outside the DPW facility on West Academy Street. The 300 slots were all taken and county officials estimated 80 others called to try to get an appointment.

Employees with Environmental Enterprises in Cincinnati collect household hazardous waste from Orleans County. Many of the fluids were emptied into large drums to be hauled away.

The household hazardous collection event is a chance for residents to dispose tires, propane tanks, auto/marine batteries and other hazardous household waste in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Some of the items include oil-based paints, solvents, adhesives & resins, aerosols, motor oil & filters, pesticides, acids, fluorescent bulbs, corrosives, household batteries and antifreeze.

The event typically costs about $18,000 to collect and haul away the waste, with state paying half of the cost.

This group takes a short break during the collection by a box full of 1-pound propane tanks. There were 600 of those smaller propane tanks collected in the first two hours. Pictured from left include Mike Dunn of Environmental Enterprises; Jim Bensley, director of the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development, which manages the event; Paul Gray with the Orleans County DPW; and Corey Winters of Planning and Development.

Dunn worked 36 years with Environmental Enterprises before coming out of retirement to help with a staff shortage. Gray is retiring on Friday after 25 years with the DPW and Highway Department.

Funding will help economic development agency work through cash-flow challenges

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans Economic Development Agency board of directors and staff for the agency met for their monthly board meeting on Friday morning in Albion at the Albion Visitor’s Center at 121 North Main St. At right are board vice chairman Skip Draper and (second from right) Michael Dobell, the EDA executive director.

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency will use a $500,000 loan from the county government to get through a cash-flow challenge.

The EDA will need to pay back the loan at a 2 percent interest rate over the next 3.5 years.

The economic development agency has seen some of its funding slowed during the pandemic because businesses have put projects on hold. Businesses pay the EDA a small percentage of an overall project that receives EDA assistance.

“Covid has killed economic development for the past two years,” said Skip Draper, vice chairman of the EDA board and a county legislator.

One example, BOMET Recovery planned a new 37,000-square foot facility at the Medina Business Park. Plans for the new building were announced nearly two years ago at 100 Marcia Tuohey Way, the northside of the road facing Bates Road.

But construction hasn’t started. Construction costs have skyrocketed, and there are supply chain delays.

BOMET also is based in Canada. The U.S. closed its border to Canadians in March 2020 due to Covid restrictions, and didn’t reopen it until November 2021.

The EDA has many projects in the economic development pipeline, but businesses remain cautious about forging ahead with expansions or setting up new operations.

“People are taking their time and making sure they are set up for success,” said Michael Dobell, the EDA executive director.

The EDA will use some of the loan from the county to advance on infrastructure projects at the Medina Business Park. The EDA wants to expand the roadway at both sides of the business park to make it more attractive for new business investments.

The EDA also is stepping up its marketing efforts in Canada with regional economic development councils. The agency on Friday renewed a $5,000 commitment with Invest Buffalo Niagara (click here) to market Orleans County sites to Canadian companies.

The county allocates $190,000 annually to support the Orleans EDA’s efforts in the county. The agency has three full-time staff. Draper said the board on the EDA is discussing asking the county for an increase in that allocation for 2023. Draper said the EDA runs a lean operation at a much lower cost than most similar-size counties.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Traffic passes over a culvert on Taylor Hill Road in Ridgeway by the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

ALBION – Orleans County legislators were urged by the county’s Department of Public Works commissioner to set aside local funds for bridge and culvert projects.

John Papponetti, the DPW commissioner, said there isn’t enough funding from the state and federal governments for the county to keep up with aging and deteriorating infrastructure.

He cited a culvert on Taylor Hill Road in Ridgeway as an example. The country twice tried for state funding through the Bridge NY program but didn’t get it.

The culvert’s condition has only worsened in that time, Papponetti said. He urged legislators to plan on doing one culvert a year with local dollars and not wait for state or federal aid.

He would like the Taylor Hill Road culvert to be replaced next year, so it either opens right before the fair in late July or with construction starting after the fair.

“We can’t always get federal and state revenue,” he said.

The culvert by the fairgrounds is deteriorating and is scheduled to be replaced next year.

The county owns 68 bridges, about 80 large-diameter culverts and about 200 lane miles of roads, Papponetti said.

The county DPW can do smaller pipe culverts in house, he said. But larger culverts, about 12 to 20 feet, should be bid out for a contractor and those projects can be about $750,000.

He advocated for legislators to set aside local funds for the culverts and bridges, money that can be accessed without all the red tape needed for state and federal funds.

The local funds would help the county DPW keep up with the needed maintenance and repairs of the infrastructure. Papponetti said he doesn’t want to see culverts or bridges closed due to deficiencies and unsafe conditions.

“We need to continue to invest and move forward,” he told county legislators during a meeting on July 27. “I know you have a fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers to make sure we’re spending our money wisely.”

Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the Legislature wants to make funding available for the infrastructure work. That is the main reason why the county opted not to suspend the local share of sales tax on gas. Some counties decided to do that after the price hit $2 or $3. The state has suspended its 4 percent sales tax share on gas for the remainder of 2022.

“That is why we talked at length about capping sales tax on gas,” Johnson said. “We thought it much better to use for infrastructure.”

The Legislature on July 27 approved the engineering and design for the Taylor Hill Road culvert, with $76,000 from the infrastructure reserve to be paid to Ravi Engineering & Land Surveying P.C. in Rochester.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Fred Miller, right, presents a proclamation during the July 27 County Legislature meeting to Janet Cheverie, left, the county’s child support coordinator and Holli Nenni, the Department of Social Services commissioner, declaring August as “Child Support Awareness Month.”

“Parents have an obligation to support their children, financially and emotionally,” county legislators stated. “Studies have shown that when both parents provide financial and emotional support, children are less likely to engage in unhealthy ad unproductive behaviors and are more likely to do well in school and succeed later in life.”

Legislators said the county Department of Social Services has a child support enforcement program and other child support professionals who work with parents to provide economic security for their children.

County Legislator Skip Draper also presented a proclamation to Probation Supervisor Sarah Osbourne which recognized July 17-23 as “National Pre-Trial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week.” Legislators urged residents to recognize the work of those in community corrections who “uphold the law with dignity, while recognizing the right of the public to be safe-guarded from criminal activity.”

Community corrections professionals are responsible for supervising adult and juvenile offenders in the community, often working in partnership with community agencies and groups. They promote prevention, intervention and advocacy, legislators stated in the proclamation.

“Community corrections professionals provide services, support and protection for victims,” legislators said. “Community corrections professionals advocate community and restorative justice.”

Legislators also agreed to allow the courthouse to be illuminated in purple from Aug. 21 to Sept. 3 to recognize opioid overdose awareness.