Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Michael Christopher, center, accepts a special recognition award this afternoon from County Legislator Skip Draper, right, and Sheriff Chris Bourke.

Christopher is retiring after a career as a corrections officer at the county jail. Christopher started in 1992 as a part-time correction officer and became full-time in 1994. He worked his way up through the ranks and was promoted in 2011 to correction sergeant, in 2016 to sergeant first class, and in 2020 he achieved the rank of lieutenant.

Christopher has taken on multiple job assignments within the jail including Incarcerated Individual Disciplinary Coordinator, Classification Coordinator, Livescan Coordinator, Fire Safety Coordinator, and Municipal Police Training Council Certified Instructor. He also served on the Orleans County Safety Board for several years.

“I appreciate Orleans County for hiring me and having faith in me and moving me up in the ranks,” Christopher told county legislators. He is known among his co-workers as “Cadillac.”

Mike Christopher accepts the special recognition award from Legislator Skip Draper. Joining Christopher are his colleagues from left: Sgt. Dawn Basinait, Sheriff Chris Bourke, Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson and Sgt. Chris Shabazz.

Event will be timed with special events leading up to solar eclipse on April 8

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Home, Garden & Outdoor Show on April 6-7 at the 4-H Fairgrounds at a time when the community should see an influx of visitors due to the solar eclipse on April 8.

The Chamber is seeking vendors for the annual Home, Garden & Outdoor Show, which this year will include food trucks, a chicken barbecue, family activities, camping, a bonfire, fireworks and music, said Darlene Hartway, Chamber executive director.

“We are looking forward to combining this historic event with our showcase of the many wonderful businesses available in our area,” Hartway said in a letter to prospective vendors. “We are expanding our show to include a multitude of programs, workshops, events, and fun activities for all ages. We will be utilizing more buildings and outdoor space to accommodate the increase in vendors and attendees. Camping for the weekend event is also available.”

Hartway said the Chamber has boosted the advertising budget and purchased new signage to promote the entire weekend of events.

For more information about being a vendor, contact Hartway at director@orleanschamber.com or at (585) 301-8464.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension is teaming with the Chamber, the Albion Merchants Association and Orleans County Tourism Department for many events at the fairgrounds.

The solar eclipse path of totality will pass through Western New York and Orleans County with the duration of the totality about four minutes beginning at approximately 3:18 p.m. on April 8, a Monday. The partial eclipse starts at 2:04 p.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

Events at the Fairgrounds for Eclipse Over Orleans include:

• April 5 (Friday) – Camp sites available. Visitors will receive Orleans County gift bag with discounts to local businesses.
• April 6 (Saturday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities, and a chicken barbecue by Elks. The day is capped off with fireworks at Fairgrounds at 8 p.m.
• April 7 (Sunday) – Chamber Home, Garden & Outdoor Show with food vendors and kids’ activities. There will also be an Orleans County scavenger hunt with prizes for top three teams and one unique hidden prize. There will be a campfire sing-along with s’mores by the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen from 7 to 9 p.m. The Albion Free Methodist Church will lead a Glow Party at 8:30 p.m. at the pavilion with a DJ.
• April 8 (Monday) – There will be food vendors and kids’ activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be kids’ activity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring the Orleans County 4-H nutritional program leading a session on astronaut food, including hands-on cooking.

Press Release, Orleans County Legislature

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature today said it intends to pass a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting authorizing the county’s Emergency Management Office to utilize $174,000 in grant funding to purchase portable radios for three village law enforcement agencies.

Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, said that action will completes Phase II of a multi-year project to upgrade aging portable radios, which have reached end of life.

“Like all technology, radios are not exempt from constant technological advances that are needed to improve overall system reliability and the security of our public safety communications infrastructure,” Johnson said.  “The Legislature will always make investments in public safety a top priority.”

Justin Niederhofer, director of the Emergency Management Office, said, “In a rural community, such as Orleans County, it is imperative to first responder safety that all responders have secure and reliable communication equipment. After determining that most of the portable radio equipment used throughout the county was reaching the end of its usable life cycle, and several radios were no longer being supported or repairable by the manufacturer, the Emergency Management Office launched a project to upgrade the aging radios.”

According to Niederhofer, Phase I of the project included upgrades to all eleven local fire departments at a cost of $229,528 and was completed in 2022.

Phase II includes replacement of radios for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $165,164, and the villages of Albion, Holley and Medina at a cost of $174,000. As first responder radios are upgraded, the old radios will be utilized to replace older portable radios that are in use by town highway departments and school districts.

These upgrades will expand communications capabilities with our neighboring counties.  Currently all county law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies have direct communication capability with Genesee County agencies.

When this project is complete, the Sheriff’s Office will be able to directly communicate with all bordering counties law enforcement partners. Additionally, the Village of Medina PD will be able to communicate with Niagara County law enforcement agencies and the Village of Holley PD will be able to communicate with Monroe County law enforcement agencies.  Monroe and Orleans County fire agencies are working on programming updates that will allow for direct communications with each other when responding to fires and other emergencies.

The project is being funded by the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Statewide Interoperable Communications Formula-Based Grant. The grant money is generated from the public safety communications surcharge that is charged by wireless phone service providers to their customers.

The use of grant funding prevents increases in the county, town and village tax levies while improving mission critical communications and operational efficiency for county first responders.

Press Release, Orleans County Youth Board

ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Board today announced it is extending the deadline for youth service program and project funding applications to March 1.

The reason for this extension is to give youth organizations more time to review different funding opportunities since the New York State Office of Children and Family Services made three new funding sources available in 2024.

According to Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch, the Youth Development Program has historically been the main source of funding. This year there are three additional funding sources available for Orleans County – Youth Sports and Educational Opportunity Funding, Youth Sports Education Funding Infrastructure and Youth Team Sports Allocation.

“The Youth Board wanted to ensure that there was no confusion as to which funding allocation each agency was applying for so the deadline was extended,” Welch said. “Hopefully this will provide potential applicants more time to review all the funding opportunities, understand the different requirements for each, and ultimately maximize their funding requests for the benefit of the youth they serve.”

Applications and the required documents for each funding allocation may be found on our Youth Bureau website by clicking here.

ALBION – A State Supreme Court judge has set 10 a.m. on March 7 for a hearing in a court case between Orleans and Genesee counties, where Orleans is trying to block a sewer main from being built on Route 63 in Shelby.

Hearings have been cancelled or delayed the past few months. The hearing on March 7 will be at the Orleans County Courthouse before Judge Frank Caruso.

Orleans is represented by Lippes Mathias LLP in Buffalo and contends Genesee didn’t have the county’s permission to install the sewer main in Orleans County. The sewer, at full buildout of the STAMP manufacturing site in the Town of Alabama, would direct 6 million gallons of treated water to the Oak Orchard Creek.

Orleans states the sewer discharge would have a negative impact on the county’s fishing industry, which is a nearly $30 million economic boost to Orleans County. The additional water from STAMP could also hurt the economic development efforts in Medina by overtaxing the creek, Orleans attorneys say in the lawsuit. (The Town of Shelby has since joined the lawsuit as an intervenor.)

Genesee County in its court filings contend Orleans gave consent to the project, which was years in the making, by never objecting to it – until the very last moment. Its years of silence should be viewed as support of the project, say attorneys from Phillips Lytle LLP, which are representing the Genesee County Economic Development Center and others named in the lawsuit – G. DeVincentis & Son Construction Co., Inc., Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation, and STAMP Sewer Works, Inc.

The attorneys called the lawsuit from Orleans “a baseless attempt … to obstruct or delay construction of a long-planned, duly-approved infrastructure project.”

The Genesee attorneys claim Orleans is making “obstructionist proceeding” in a last-ditch attempt to stop the project as part of an “extortionate” demand from Genesee for money to get the Orleans blessing.

At full build-out STAMP can accommodate up to 6.1 million square feet of advanced technology manufacturing, office and retail space. GCEDC projects direct employment of up to 9,330 full-time jobs with a regional economic impact for support companies serving the site.

The first two tenants at STAMP – Plug Power and Edwards Vacuum – would have a daily discharge of 50,000 gallons of treated wastewater, GCEDC said.

Press Release, Orleans County Youth Bureau

ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Bureau today announced that nominations are now open for its 42nd Annual Youth Recognition awards.

The purpose of these awards is to recognize those youth who have performed outstanding service for our community and/or have assumed an extraordinary role within their families by helping to support themselves.

“These awards are a great opportunity to highlight the many young people who are doing some extraordinary things in service of others,” said Jack Welch, chief administrative officer for Orleans County.  “Every year, I am amazed at the nominations we receive and it makes me very happy to realize these are the folks who will one day assume leadership roles in our community.”

Anyone is welcome to nominate a candidate, but nominations from family members must be accompanied by a supporting recommendation from a non-family member. Nominees must reside in Orleans County and be a minimum of 14 years of age and under the age of 21 before June 30 of the current award year.

In addition to the youth recognition awards, the Youth Bureau is also accepting nominations for the Helen Brinsmaid Award, given to an Orleans County youth-serving professional, in a paid position, whose work surpasses normal expectations, and the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award, presented to an adult who serves the youth of Orleans County in a volunteer setting.

All nomination forms can be found by clicking here. Nominations must be submitted to the Youth Bureau by March 31.

For information about the awards, contact the Youth Bureau at 585-589-7053 or OrleansCountyYouthBureau@OrleanscountyNY.gov.

Sales tax up more than $5 million in the county since 2019

Orleans County continues to see growth in its sales tax revenue. The state comptroller reported the county’s sales tax collection went up more than $600,000 from $22.46 million in 2022 to $23.10 million last year.

That continues a streak of sizable increases in the local sales tax, which has now grown by more than $5 million since 2019.

• $23.1 million in 2023
• $22.5 million in 2022
• $21.8 million in 2021
• $19.4 million in 2020
• $17.7 million in 2019

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reported that 50 of the 57 counties outside New York City experienced growth in the local sales tax in 2023.

Here are the changes among the four rural GLOW counties:

• Genesee up 2.4 percent from $54.87 million in 2022 to $56.20 million in 2023
• Livingston up 6.9 percent from $44.79 million in 2022 to $47.89 million in 2023
• Orleans up 2.8 percent from $22.46 million in 2022 to $23.10 million in 2023
• Wyoming up 5.1 percent from $24.77 million in 2022 to $26.03 million in 2023

Sullivan County had the largest increase among counties in the state at 11.6%, followed by the counties of Schoharie (10.9%), Chenango (7.9%) and Schuyler (7.8%), DiNapoli reported.

Yates County saw the steepest decline in collections (-5.6%), followed by the counties of Cayuga (-2.5%), Steuben (-1.5%) and Rockland (-1.4%).

Local government sales tax collections in the state totaled $23 billion in calendar year 2023, up 4.2%, or $919 million, from 2022, largely influenced by growth in New York City sales taxes, DiNapoli said.

NYC’s sales tax growth of 5.9% in 2023 exceeded the amount for the counties and cities in the rest of the state (2.4%). NYC accounts for about 40mpercent of the state-wide total. NYC’s growth was boosted by increases in domestic and international tourism, which approached pre-pandemic levels this past holiday season, the state comptroller stated.

“Growth in local sales tax collections statewide moderated in 2023, following two years of double-digit increases,” DiNapoli said. “The fluctuations in sales tax collections that characterized the pandemic period have subsided. Local officials should plan for sales tax revenue with more stable and modest growth rates.”

In 2020, during the peak of the Covid pandemic, sales tax collections were down 10 percent statewide, and then increased by 19.1 percent in 2021, 12.7 percent in 2022 and then 4.2 percent in 2023.

Endorsements include 2 who seek to be new coroners: Dr. Julie Woodworth and Kevin Dann

MEDINA – The Orleans County Republican Committee has endorsed John Sansone to be the district attorney, succeeding Joe Cardone, who is retiring on Dec. 31.

John Sansone

Sansone and Susan Howard both work in the DA’s office, and both have been meeting with town Republican committees. Today they met with the full county committee. There were 79 votes this morning at the Knights of Columbus in Medina, and Sansone secured a majority of the votes.

“I think both the candidates are very talented attorneys,” said Skip Draper, the county Republican chairman. “It’s the committee’s job to vote for their first choice.”

Howard has been the first assistant DA for 12 years. Sansone also is an assistant district attorney.

Draper said he expects there will be a primary in June for district attorney, and may be as well for coroner.

Six people sought three positions for coroner. The committee endorsed incumbent Rocco Sidari of Albion, and backed Kevin Dann of Holley and Dr. Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville.

Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, did not get enough backing for the endorsement. Cassandra Boring, one of the owners of Mystic Dragon’s Lair in Medina, also sought the endorsement and so did former coroner, Dr. Eric Johnson. Charlie Smith of Ridgeway isn’t seeking re-election.

Dann, a former Holley fire chief, is an EMT for the Ridge Road Fire District and a 911 dispatcher at Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Woodworth is a member of the Department of Nursing and Allied Health at Niagara County Community College, where she has been recognized with SUNY’s distinguished teaching award. She has a PhD in nursing education.

Other endorsements today include Claudia Tenney for Congress, Rob Ortt for State Senate, Steve Hawley for State Assembly, and Nadine Hanlon for county clerk.

(Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include Dr. Eric Johnson as one of the six people seeking the endorsement for coroner.)

Press Release, Orleans County Clerk Nadine Hanlon

ALBION – Orleans County Clerk Nadine Hanlon today reminded pistol permit holders that with the start of the New Year they should check to see if they are due to recertify their permit with the New York State Police.

Nadine Hanlon

Concealed carry permit holders must now recertify every three years, while those with premises restricted permits will continue to recertify every five years. Those who either received a concealed carry permit or recertified in 2021 must recertify this year by the date of issuance on their permit.

“I want to make sure our pistol permit holders remain in good standing with the state and are not putting their permits at risk, even knowing the frustration many of us feel about this law,” Hanlon said.  “And if you are overdue to recertify from a previous year, I urge you to get it done immediately.”

Hanlon said those who need to re-certify should go to the State Police recertification website at https://firearms.troopers.ny.gov/pprecert/welcome.faces. Those recertifying should have their pistol permit and their New York State driver license or non-driver identification available before they begin the process, as providing specific information from these documents will be necessary.

“Although the Orleans County Pistol Permit Office does not have any role in the certification process nor access to the state system, we will do our best to assist Orleans County permit holders with any questions or concerns,” Hanlon said.  “The state website can also answer many questions or folks can call 1-855-LAW-GUNS (1-855-529-4867) with questions on New York’s gun laws.”

Johnson says county is close to completing broadband internet project

LYNDONVILLE – Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the county wants to share more services with local governments to increase efficiencies and drive down costs.

Johnson said a group from the Legislature, the town supervisors and village mayors have been meeting to look for ways to work together more to bring down expenses.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, speaks Friday at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon a the White Birch Golf Course.

Johnson spoke during Friday’s Legislative Luncheon organized by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. She cited the shared services as a big initiative this year.

She favors continued exploration of a district court that would serve multiple towns. District Attorney Joe Cardone and Public Defender Joanne Best have pushed for the court, saying it would be more efficient, and also allow for more consistency in local justice.

Cardone and Best also anticipate the state will eventually require district courts, including in smaller counties. Many of the town justices have pushed back on the court, saying it will ultimately be more expensive and a judge serving multiple towns will be less connected to the community.

“Some are afraid of giving up their power or losing a position,” Johnson said about shared services.

The town judges said there is limited information about the financial implications of a district court. They said it will be more costly.

Johnson said that data should be available this year and presented in public hearings. She expects the issue with be on the ballot in a public referendum in November.

She said there has been great progress in a push to get high-speed internet throughout the county. A final tower will be going up in Carlton as part of the project, which has been a decade in the works.

“We’ve had a lot of help with a lot of grants,” she said during the luncheon. “Next year at this time we can say Orleans County has internet. I thank you all for your patience. There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

The United Way is currently using a grant to help hook up low-to-moderate income families to the internet at no cost to the resident. That grant expires Feb. 15 and includes the villages of Albion, Holley, and Medina and the towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby. The grant pays for free installation of wireless broadband service and free equipment, a $650 benefit.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley speaks at the luncheon. Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman, is at left.

Johnson was asked if the Legislature will share more of the local sales tax with towns and villages. The county has kept the total sales tax share to the four villages and 10 towns at the same level since 2001 – $1,366,671.

The local sales tax was at $22.5 million in 2022 and the amount has more than doubled since 2001.

“The more we give to towns, the more we have to raise taxes at the county level,” Johnson responded. “It ends up at the end of the day coming out of yours and mine’s pockets.”

Assemblyman Steve Hawley spoke about the Governor’s proposed executive budget at $233 billion. He said the Republican conference in the Legislature will speak out about $2.4 billion in proposed aid to help with the migrant crisis. He doesn’t want to see money going to migrants when there are proposed cuts to some school districts, and when the CHIPS highway aid  is down $60 million to $530 million.

Hawley said the state needs to rein in its Medicaid program, and pull back on some of the options and benefits.

“We have the Cadillac of Medicaid programs in the United States of America,” he said. “We opt into pretty much everything and the county has to pay a percentage of that.”

Darlene Hartway, Chamber executive director, welcomes the presenters and a crowd of about 75 people. Speakers included County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Ag Commissioner Richard Ball, and representatives from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and State Sen. Robert Ortt.

The speakers were also asked about a lawsuit between Orleans and Genesee counties, where Orleans seeks to halt construction of a sewer line from the STAMP manufacturing site in the Town of Alabama to the Oak Orchard Creek in Shelby. Orleans contends the sewer discharge would hurt the county’s recreational and economic development efforts, especially in Medina.

Chris Zeltman, a representative for U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, declined to speak in detail about the lawsuit, citing the ongoing litigation. But Zeltman said STAMP offers the chance to be a significant job creator for the region.

Plug Power is building a $290 million green hydrogen fuel plant at STAMP as the site’s first tenant. The company expects to have 65-70 workers at STAMP when it opens.

Edwards Vacuum has committed to building a $319 million manufacturing facility at STAMP. That new “factory of the future” will serve the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing sectors and create approximately 343 new high-paying jobs.

“We fight every day to get jobs in New York State,” Zeltman said. “We continue to monitor (the lawsuit between Orleans and Genesee) but ultimately it’s the courts that will resolve this.”

Andrew Dugan from State Sen. Rob Ortt’s office said Ortt supports the STAMP site and wants to see companies locate there, but believes Genesee should have worked with Orleans on the project.

“We understand the job creation aspect,” Dugan said in response to the question. “We fight every day too to bring jobs to our area. No one disagrees about the importance of the jobs. The challenge is making sure this process is done with cooperation and togetherness. I think that’s where some of the concerns are.”

Orleans County Republican Committee meets Feb. 3 to pick candidate

ALBION – A union representing about 50 employees in the Sheriff’s Department has endorsed John Sansone to be Orleans County’s next district attorney.

John Sansone

Joe Cardone, the current DA since 1992, isn’t seeking re-election. Both Sansone, an assistant district attorney, and Susan Howard, the first assistant DA, are seeking to be Cardone’s successor.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Employees Association today announced it has endorsed Sansone. The union represents corrections officers, public safety dispatchers, sheriff’s office clerks, and jail cooks.

Chris Caufield, a lieutenant in the county jail, is the union president of Council 82 – Local #2966. He said the union heard both candidates outline their experience, qualifications and plans for the office if elected.

“We are confident that Mr. Sansone will continue to be fair, firm, and consistent when it comes to holding offenders accountable for their actions and will always act with the interest of public safety in mind,” Caufield said in a statement from the union. “Furthermore, our members believe that Mr. Sansone possesses the requisite leadership qualities, integrity, and experience to lead the District Attorney’s office moving forward, as it faces the challenges of new and proposed laws aimed at reforming the justice system.

“We anticipate a great working relationship with the District Attorney’s office led by Mr. Sansone, and we ask the community to join us in supporting Mr. John Sansone for Orleans County District Attorney in the upcoming election cycle.”

The Orleans County Republican Committee meets Feb. 3 to discuss its endorsement for district attorney as well as other offices.

Group would be trained for rope rescues, grain entrapment and water rescues

File photo by Tom Rivers: Ray Keffer of the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company is on shore while three firefighters head out into the icy water of a quarry by the Erie Canal in Murray to go after a dog on Jan. 4, 2020. Firefighters were able to safely bring the dog to the shore. They also assisted the owner of the dog in getting up the embankment. The Orleans County Emergency Management Office wants to create a technical rescue team for rope rescues, grain entrapment and water rescues.

ALBION – The Orleans County Emergency Management Office is looking to create a technical rescue team for firefighters from multiple departments to train and work together and share equipment.

The team would be trained for highly technical rescues, such as rope rescues, grain entrapment and water rescues. There will be a public hearing at 4:25 p.m. on Feb. 20 for the creation of the Technical Rescue Team. The hearing will be at the legislative chambers of the Orleans County Office Building, 14016 Route 31 in Albion.

“We will have joint training where will we all work together,” said Justin Niederhofer, the EMO director.

Carlton, Clarendon, Medina, Murray and Shelby fire departments each have equipment for technical rescues. Firefighters from those departments, as well as other departments without that equipment, will have an opportunity to be trained to be on the technical rescue team.

Not all departments with rescue equipment have the same gear. The team will train on each department’s equipment to be familiar with the ropes, harnesses and other tools. Some departments also have grain rescue equipment which includes steel plates and an augur. The team members will also have wet suits for going into the water.

Niederhofer said firefighters deploy rope rescues when people are stuck down ravines and embankments.

The formation of the team will also increase the chances for grant funding for equipment and training, Niederhofer said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Hannah Brundage, a Kendall High School senior, shared her winning speech from the Orleans County American Legion Oratorical Competition on Tuesday with the County Legislature.

Brundage won the county event, and also the 8th District Level. She will next compete at Mt. Morris on Feb. 2 for the zone level competition. Zackary Baron of Albion, who was second at the district level contest, also advances to the zone level competition on Feb. 2.

Brundage entitled her speech, “Understanding the Government.” She began by asking how many in the audience ever leave home, wondering if they will ever see their loved ones again, not knowing if they would make it back alive?

Her father, Daniel Brundage, experienced that as an Army veteran with the 10th Mountain Division. He served a tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. As a firefinder radar technician, his job was to locate incoming artillery and their trajectories and determine the enemy’s position.

“Putting his life on the line, he was able to save countless other soldiers from a gruesome death,” Hannah Brundage said. “Just like him, thousands of men and women in the military are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect us. Many do not return.”

In her speech she talks about the power of Congress to declare war, and how the president sometimes oversteps the executive role and commits the country to conflicts and warfare, without Congress’s support.

She also highlights other powers of Congress that affect Americans, from the economy to civil rights. Congress also plays a big role in judging whether the president should be impeached for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Brundage urges citizens to educate themselves on the Constitution and the role of government.

“As James Madison said, ‘Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives,’” she said.