By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2021 at 8:37 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Fred Miller, right, presents a special recognition award to Tom Kuryla during Wednesday’s County Legislature meeting.
Kuryla was praised for more than 11 years as commissioner of the county’s Department of Social Services. He was commended for restructuring the department during his tenure, which lowered the county’s operating costs while maintaining services to the public.
“Tom was able to rebalance our workforce with the changes directed by Albany so that Orleans County was able to reduce the workforce and maintain the required services to our residents,” said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer. “This unique skill was much appreciated by the County Legislators.”
Tom Kuryla thanks the county legislators and the DSS employees during his brief remarks on Wednesday when he was recognized for his service to the county. He led the DSS since Jan. 1, 2010. He came to Orleans after being deputy commissioner in Seneca County.
The DSS and the county’s Job Development Agency in 2019 were recognized by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance for the county’s success in transitioning people from public assistance to securing employment. The county was honored for its success from 2015 to 2018.
Under Kuryla, the DSS also stepped up efforts with welfare fraud recoveries and cost avoidance. The DSS would often recover about $75,000 in welfare fraud each year and avoid paying out about $1.5 million in unentitled benefits.
“We appreciate all of Tom’s work in Social Services and for working within the system creating positive change in our County,” Welch said. “Tom Kuryla as Commissioner of Social Services brought a balance to the Social Services Department of serving our residents who are in need with an eye and respect for our taxpayers who provide the funds for these services.”
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Volunteers spreading mulch in the playground at P’raising Kids in Medina included Michelle Kingdollar and Elysa Rodriguez from Western New York Energy; Jim Punch from United Way’s board (center); Kathie Valley with P’raising Kids and P’raising Kids’ director Kimberly Southcott and her husband John.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 May 2021 at 8:41 am
The weather may have been cold and blustery, but it didn’t stop United Way of Orleans County volunteers from completing their mission.
Friday was Day of Caring, an annual event sponsored by United Way in which local companies allow employees to take the day off to do projects for non-profits in the county. An amazing 88 volunteers showed up at 8 a.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, where they were welcomed by United Way director Dean Bellack and enjoyed breakfast pizza and bagels from Papa Thom’s Rockin’ Bagels, along with coffee from HeBrews 5:9 in Albion.
Danielle Figura, Orleans County mental Health director, works in a flower garden at Cooperative Extension on the 4-H Fairgrounds during United Way of Orleans County’s Day of Caring on Friday.
Volunteers came from Baxter Healthcare, ARC Angels, Arc of Orleans/Genesee, Catholic Charities/Tri-County, Medina Sandstone Society, Takeform, Velociti, Albion village office, M&T Bank and Western New York Energy.
Also, as part of Day of Caring, local Boy Scouts on Saturday cleaned up around the canal Culvert on Culvert Road and Lions Park in Medina.
United Way director Dean Bellack welcomed the volunteers Friday morning and thanked them for their efforts. He also announced United Way in 2020 raised more money than in any other year.
“We’ve had some amazing things happen this year,” Bellack said.
He went on to announce the approval for a $450,000 grant written by Nyla Gaylord with Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern to hire a grant writer and second United Way employee for the next five years. Early Friday morning he also shared the news the county’s grant request, written by Robert Batt from Cooperative Extension, was approved for $364,000 to fund the county’s Digital Divide initiative.
Work sites where volunteers spent the day included the fairgrounds, Headstart in Albion and Medina, Arc of Genesee Orleans, Camp Rainbow, YMCA, canal culvert, Ministry of Concern and P’raising Kids Daycare in Medina.
Volunteers performed such duties as weeding flower beds, planting flowers, raking, painting picnic tables and spreading mulch.
Day of Caring is an annual event sponsored by United Way, except for last year when it was canceled due to Covid.
John and Tim Winters, standing, and Rachel Frasier rake and clean up around P’raising Kids Day Care Center in Medina on Friday’s Day of Caring.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2021 at 7:19 am
$4.1 million would cover gaps in county, give residents option besides Spectrum
Photos by Tom Rivers: Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson speaks to about 25 officials from the county, local towns and the five school districts during a meeting at Tillman’s Village Inn to discuss how to fund broadband internet in Orleans County.
GAINES – A top priority for Orleans County officials the past decade has been bringing high-speed internet to all properties in the county.
Cost has been a barrier to getting the project done.
But now is the time to bring the service to all county residents, County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said on Thursday evening in a meeting with county, town and school district leaders.
“We all need to buy into this,” Johnson told about 25 of the officials during a meeting at Tillman’s Village Inn. “You’re all getting American Rescue funds. So let’s do this together.”
With millions of dollars coming to the county, towns and school districts from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan, the $4.1 million price tag is now manageable, she said.
Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, said a cooperative effort will make the project affordable to all the municipalities, while meeting a critical need in the county.
The American Rescue Plan will bring $7.8 million to the county, with half expected soon and the other half in a year. The 10 towns in the county will share $4,430,000 with some of that to go the four villages. The federal government hasn’t released how much the villages we get.
The villages are all 100 percent fully covered with high-speed internet. Outside the villages, there are 1,351 addresses that don’t have a chance to hook into the service. There are about 22,000 properties in the entire county.
The five school district collectively will receive $12.5 million in federal funds. However, the districts will be expected to use most of those funds to help students catch up in lost learning during the pandemic, said Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s district superintendent.
The districts today are to receive guidance on how the funds are to be spent, and then have 30 days to submit a plan for how to use the funds. Kruzynski said Medina doesn’t want to make a mistake, using the funds outside the rules and then have to pay the federal government back.
Johnson said the purpose on Thursday’s meeting was to start the conversation among the county, towns and schools in how to fill the gaps in high-speed internet. She said everyone needs to follow the spending guidelines, but she expects there will be flexibility from the federal government.
“This meeting is to get the ball rolling,” she said.
Some of the town supervisors said they still don’t know for sure what their towns are getting in the American Rescue Plan because some of the allotments approved for the towns need to go to villages within those town borders.
John Belson, Yates town supervisor, said the private developer should take on the costs of building out the system.
If that happened, the costs to residents would be exorbitant, Johnson said. Plus, she said, one of the purposes in the funding from the federal government was to address the high-speed internet gaps, which put many students at an extreme disadvantage with remote learning. Many jobs also shifted to home and people couldn’t do them without high-speed internet.
Legislator John DeFillipps said the service is needed to keep the county competitive in keeping and attracting residents. He noted one family from out-of-state was going to build a house in Clarendon but backed out when the site didn’t have internet access.
“The pandemic has shown there is really a deficiency in the entire county,” Johnson said.
The address points currently without access to the internet include: Albion, 74 units; Barre, 302 units; Carlton, 35 units; Clarendon, 57 units; Gaines, 39 units; Kendall, 16 units; Murray, 41 units; Ridgeway, 287 units; Shelby, 206 units; and Yates, 294 units.
Breaking that out in the five school districts the gaps include: Albion, 407 units; Holley, 70 units; Kendall, 30 units; Lyndonville, 385 units; and Medina, 409 units.
David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator, has worked with Lynne Johnson in the Niagara Orleans Regional Alliance the past decade to try to bring the service to the two counties. Godfrey said the two-county partnership has paid off in getting the attention of RTO Wireless, a company that provided high-speed internet throughout Maine and Vermont.
The local officials have been working for 12 years now to bring high-speed internet to swaths of the county and other isolated spots that don’t have access to the service. The officials also want better overall service throughout the county and some competition for Spectrum.
The efforts have hit stumbling blocks with funding. But all of the leg work, documenting 1,351 addresses without access to high-speed internet, puts the county in a good position now that millions of dollars are available from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan.
A vendor also has stepped forward for the first time to work on the project, not only in Orleans but in neighboring Niagara County. The two counties formed the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance and bringing high-speed internet throughout the two counties has been a priority of the alliance the past decade.
RTO Wireless, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, has already brought broadband to the entire states of Maine and Vermont. It could bring the service to Orleans County for $4.1 million. That includes the 1,351 properties without access and opportunities for the other 20,000 property owners to have high-speed internet from a company besides Spectrum.
RTO builds and operates networks with traditional infrastructure such as towers, rooftops, grain silos and utility poles. The company also deploys AeroSite, which resemble blimps filled with helium.
David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator, has teamed with Johnson in the Niagara-Orleans alliance to address the service shortfalls in the two counties. He said the two-county partnership is an advantage for Orleans and Niagara in finding a vendor and could pay off with additional government funding.
‘Twelve years ago it was the number one priority and it remains the number one priority. And now we have the funds. This is a necessary utility as much as water, sewer and electric in this day and age.’ – Lynne Johnson
Orleans is pursuing an additional federal grant and also a member-item award through Congressman Chris Jacobs. If that money comes through, the towns and schools would be asked to contribute less to the project.
She said the county is willing to put $2 million towards the effort. That covers 61 percent of the $3.2 million to put in the infrastructure and the net start-up costs to serve all the properties throughout the county.
However, there is additional $878,150 to be borne by the 1,351 properties, at $650 a unit, to hook into the service.
As the rules are known in spending the federal funds, Godfrey said he expects the two counties can use several different pots of money from the government to fund the project, including the hook-in costs to the 1,351 properties in Orleans without any service right now.
After many dead ends in trying to address the internet gaps in Orleans County, Johnson said she is optimistic the issue will soon be resolved.
The local officials will continue to discuss the project, and study the guidelines on spending the federal money.
“Twelve years ago it was the number one priority and it remains the number one priority,” she said. “And now we have the funds. This is a necessary utility as much as water, sewer and electric in this day and age.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2021 at 1:44 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: These deer are pictured on Nov. 20, 2014 when they were close to the road on the west side of Route 279 in Gaines, just south of Route 104.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature voted on Wednesday to set a public hearing for 4:25 p.m. on May 26 to pass a local law allowing youths ages 12 and 13 to hunt deer with a firearm or crossbow. Those youth would need to be under the supervision of an experienced adult hunter.
The state budget passed earlier this month gave upstate counties the right to opt-in and allow the 12- and 13-year-old hunters.
Youths those ages already are allowed to hunt deer and bear with archery equipment and small game with firearms. Until now, New York was the only state that didn’t allow 12- and 13-year-olds to hunt big game with a firearm. The state is doing a pilot program until 2023 with the lower age.
Mike Donahue, president of the Orleans County Sportsmen’s Federation, urged the County Legislature to allow the 12- and 13-year-old hunters with firearms or a crossbow – under supervision. Donahue, a hunting safety instructor the past 40 years, spoke during Wednesday’s Legislature meeting.
Legislator Fred Miller, D-Albion, opposed setting the hearing. Miller’s district includes the towns of Albion and Gaines, which he said are populated areas on flat land. He is concerned about people hunting with rifles so close to the village and residences.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2021 at 11:51 am
Legislator says county ‘35 years behind the times’ with some land use policies
This chart prepared by the Orleans County Department of Planning shows the number of building permits issued for new single-family houses in Orleans County since 2003.
ALBION — The Orleans County Legislature approved spending $5,000 on Wednesday for a housing market analysis that could show emerging trends to help guide development and also bring more people to live in the community.
The number of new housing permits for single family residences has dropped from 76 in 2004 and 83 in 2004 to below 30 every year since 2007. The county had 16 permits for new houses in 2017, 17 in 2018 and 19 in 2019, according to data from the Orleans County Department of Planning.
Legislator Ken DeRoller, R-Kendall, pushed for the study. He worries about a shrinking population in the county, particularly with student enrollment dropping by about 50 percent in the past 20 years, from 8,400 in all five public school districts to about 4,300 right now.
DeRoller believes the small towns and rural communities have more appeal to young families and senior citizens since the Covid-19 pandemic, but DeRoller said the county may not have the right type of housing to attract more people.
The market analysis from LaBella Associates will look at supply, demand, relevant demographics and community development.
DeRoller has been a part of local waterfront development committees along Lake Ontario and the Erie Canal. He said he sees big potential in particular for housing along the canal. The market analysis could lead to more development with the desired type of housing in the county, boosting the tax base and bringing more vitality to Orleans.
One of the seven county legislators, Don Allport, opposed spending the money for a market analysis. Allport, R-Gaines, said private developers should do their own analysis. Allport said the real estate has been selling briskly, often over the asking price in the past year.
“It is definitely a sellers’ market,” Allport said during Wednesday’s Legislature meeting.
In Orleans County, the average sale for single-family residences was up from $109,820 in 2019 to $122,313 in 2020, with an increase in buyers from Buffalo, Rochester and other metro areas. That includes 886 listings.
DeRoller said there isn’t enough inventory right now for housing in the county. The market analysis may show local governments need to modify some zoning regulations to facilitate new developments.
The county is “35 years behind the times” with some of its land use policies, DeRoller said.
“This $5,000 (market analysis) gives us a view into the future,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2021 at 9:19 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Ferris Wheel, pictured at sunset during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in July 2013, is among the many attractions at the fair.
The New York State Fair will be back in August, with capacity limited to 50 percent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.
The governor, in touting the upcoming State Fair, did not mention county fairs, and the state hasn’t released guidance if those events can also continue this summer, and how they can operate.
“We’re all hopeful that it comes by week’s end,” said Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, which runs the annual fair in Knowlesville. This year’s event is scheduled for July 26-31.
The state would need to provide how to measure capacity for county fairs, which are generally held on a sprawling campus.
The Orleans County 4-H fair usually draws 25,000 to 30,000 people during its week-long run in late July. Last year the county fairs and State Fair were all cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“Every fair is working through the difficult decisions and new challenges that our volunteers and partners are concerned about,” Batt posted on the Orleans County 4-H Fair’s Facebook page. “We really do hope to make it happen and are waiting to see just what we can do to bring the fun.”
The State Fair will be back Aug. 20 to Sept. 6 with live music and entertainment, Midway rides, and agriculture education and awareness in four different, concurrent festivals. They will take place exclusively in the outdoor areas of the fairgrounds in Syracuse.
“This celebration is a unique reward for New Yorkers who have made so many sacrifices during this pandemic and will allow visitors from across the state and the country to enjoy some of the best attractions the Fair has to offer with all necessary safety guidelines in place,” Cuomo said on Monday during an announcement at the fairgrounds. “This is an important step towards the full return of New York’s largest events as we continue to reopen and reimagine our state’s economy.”
Nicole Mrzywka, left, and Will Trembley hand out trophies last July 27, 2019 during the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
At the State Fair this year the fairground’s buildings will not be open to the public, except for bathrooms. Attendees will be required to observe social distancing and wear masks, except when eating or drinking.
People buying food and drinks will be asked to sit while they eat and drink, and ample tables and dining spaces will be made available. Midway rides, games and attractions, as well as all surfaces of frequent customer contact will be rigorously and frequently cleaned and sanitized, according to the Governor’s Office.
Tickets will be sold for each of the outdoor areas, so families can decide which areas they want to visit and plan their day accordingly. To ensure capacity limits and social distancing, attendance at concerts and other live performances will be limited.
The Genesee County Ag Society, which is planning a July 24-31 fair in Batavia, said it is encouraged that the State Fair is going forward. The Genesee fair last year held livestock shows and looks forward to expanding what is offered this year.
“We are hoping that, in the near future, the Governor and his office will be addressing how the County Fairs should proceed, so that we can move forward with some great entertainment and Livestock shows for our community,” the Genesee County Ag Society said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of Samantha Zelent: This group of Holley Interact Club members have on Earth Day shirts. They will be out today with the Holley Rotary Club picking up trash and debris from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at part of the state-wide Canal Clean Sweep.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2021 at 8:12 am
Many volunteers will be out in Orleans County today in community cleanup events that are held annually near Earth Day. Some of the events are part of the state-wide Canal Clean Sweep.
HOLLEY – A group from Holley will be out for the Canal Clean Sweep from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. That includes about 30 students in the Holley Interact Club, 13 school staffers and 10 Rotary Club members. They will be picking up trash along the canal and also hitting spots in the village.
They will meet at the Holley Gazebo and walk along the Erie Canal to the bridge at Bennetts Corner Road, cross the bridge and walk along the canal to the lift bridge and return to the gazebo.
ALBION – In Albion, there will be a Canal Clean Sweep today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are welcome to show up at Tinsel on Main Street by the lift bridge, where trash bags and gloves are provided.
The Albion Lions Club also is doing an environmental cleanup today and will be hitting several spots in the community.
MEDINA – There are two spots in Medina for the Canal Clean Sweep today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. One group led by Colleen Brakenbury will meet at the Prospect Avenue Bridge and go from there to the State Street canal bridge.
The Medina Rotary Club will work on the area from the Marshall Road bridge, taking the path west to Fruit Avenue.
The Medina Lions Club is planning its annual environmental cleanup day on May 1. Volunteers will pick up trash from Medina village parks and streets, and spread mulch along the north bank of the canal in the village. A group on that day will also pick up debris at the Canal Culvert, a popular spot where motorists can drive under the Erie Canal.
KENDALL – In Kendall today the Lions Club is spearheaded the annual community cleanup day. Volunteers meet at the town highway garage at 9 a.m. on Crandall Road and then disburse until noon. The Lions Club will be joined by scouts, high school seniors, and church and community groups in picking up trash along the roadways.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2021 at 7:17 am
Insurance company nixes popular event at Orleans County 4-H Fair
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jacob Golding of the Doughboys nears the top of the grease on July 26, 2019 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. For about 40 years, the grease pole climbing challenge was a very popular event to conclude busy days at the fair. The Doughboys started to slip on this day and weren’t able to get another team member to the top. They battled for several minutes before toppling in front of a big crowd of several hundred people.
KNOWLESVILLE – One of most popular events at the Orleans County 4-H Fair has been banned by the fair’s insurance company.
The grease pole draws big crowds each night to watch teams try to reach the top of a 20-foot-pole slathered in grease. The teams often slip and struggle, and many don’t complete the challenge. It is a fun spectacle for the crowd, which tends to offer encouragement to the teams.
The Grease Monkeys competed in the grease pole climbing competition three days at the fair in July 2019, getting better each time. The first night on Wednesday they didn’t get to the top. Friday they qualified for the finals. Brian Smith is the base for the team, followed by Colton Chappius, Jacob Golding and Jakob Hering.
There have been sore necks and backs, but no one has ever needed First Aid in the 40 or so years of the competition, said Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, which runs the fair.
He was notified about a month ago the insurance company would no longer allow the grease pole. Niagara County was trying to start the grease pole at its fair and told the insurance provider Orleans has long had the popular competition.
The insurance company rejected Niagara’s request, and also told Orleans it would have to end the event.
“It’s a total bummer,” Batt said.
An insurance company stopped the grease pole in the early ’80s, back when the event was held closer to Route 31 near the Trolley Building. After a few years, the insurance provider gave it another chance. The pole was relocated to the volleyball court with a softer surface on the west side of the fairgrounds.
The event has been a rite of passage for many 4-H’ers who join a team when they turn 18. Batt was among the 4-H’ers who gave it a try.
Batt didn’t know of another fair that had the grease pole. It was a daring event in a fair that doesn’t have a demolition derby and doesn’t allow alcohol.
“I had never seen it at any other places,” Batt said. “It’s something maybe we could try to get back into in a few years.”
The fair is coming up with a new challenge that Batt thinks will be a crowd-pleaser. Teams of two will need to push a giant round hay bale in a circle.
Jeremy Neal, the grease pole chairman, is heading the effort of the new challenge. He is experimenting on the course and size of the hay bales.
“We are testing it to make sure a person can do it,” Batt said. “We want it to be challenging. It won’t be easy.”
The hay bale rolling event will be open to competitors 16 and older. That is 2 years younger than the cutoff for the grease pole.
It will be easier for people to form teams because they won’t need as many members, and they won’t destroy shirts and jeans from the event like with the grease pole. They also won’t have to worry about gobs of grease getting in their hair.
Andrew Jones of Kent enjoys conquering the grease pole with the Troll Diggers on July 27, 2019. The Troll Diggers won the last four grease pole titles. Last year’s event wasn’t held due to the fair being cancelled due to Covid-19. The Troll Diggers in 2019 included team captain Jeff Ebel, Lyssa Jones, Nathaniel Jenks, Alyssa Ebel, Isaiah Jenks, Zach Kimmel and Andrew Jones.
This year’s fair – ‘a lot of unknowns and questions’
Regarding this year’s fair, scheduled for July 26-31, Batt said the fair officials are waiting for guidelines from the state Department of Health.
The fair committee is planning for a range of versions of the fair – from a small scaled down version with livestock shows, 4-H exhibits and drive-through dinners to a nearly full fair with rides and lots of entertainment.
“I’m as hopeful as hopeful can be,” Batt said. “But right now there are a lot of unknowns and questions.”
Joe Clark holds on tight as the second guy up for “The Barn Animals,” one of the teams that competed in the grease pole on July 29, 2017. Most of the team members are parents of kids who show animals at the fair, or are long-time 4-H members. The Barn Animals couldn’t quite get to the top of the pole.
Alex Graff, a Medina native, was covered in grease, but had a great time during the grease pole championships on July 27, 2013 to cap off the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Steven Papponetti is trying to climb on Graff’s shoulders. Graff and Papponetti are members of the Rough N Ready team. They weren’t able to reach the top of the pole on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2021 at 6:49 am
KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County Republican Party wants to engage a new generation in local government and community affairs.
The Young Republicans will be meeting today at 7 p.m. for the first time in many years. The gathering will start at 7 p.m. at the “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County on Route 31.
The Young Republicans are targeted to people 40 and younger. They don’t need to RSVP. They can just show up for the meeting.
“We need younger people involved in politics in Orleans County,” said Laura Olinger, who is helping to coordinate the push to restart the Young Republicans in the county.
Orleans Robotics Photo – Orleans County 4-H Robotics team members Jacob Draper, 17; Zach Neal, 16; Jayden Neal, 18; and Jacob Foote, 17, work on adjustments to their robot in advance of participating remotely in the 2021 FIRST Robotics competition.
Press Release, Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team
KNOWLESVILLE – “It was frustrating at first, but the kids thrived when they got together, adapted, and made the best out of one of the better robots we have ever built,” said Jody Neal, a mentor and coach of the Orleans County 4-H Robotics Team “Hardwired,” regarding the 2021 FIRST Robotics Competition, held remotely.
Neal explained that the Orleans team of 10-12 youths is much smaller than many teams they compete against, which can have 100 members.
“It gave the kids a boost to see the robot they built compete,” he said, adding the Orleans Hardwired team feels they did well and likely would have been in the top section at in-person finals based on their performance.
Club members typically work for weeks developing a robot they take in-person to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Finger Lakes Regional Competition at RIT. Neal said the team was at RIT in mid-March of 2020 when the competition shut down as the first Covid lockdowns and restrictions were put in place.
The RIT competition typically draws 50 teams with complicated and varied Covid regulations around the country this year, the FIRST organization made the decision to offer remote opportunities for competing in 2021. “2021 Infinite Recharge II” included a Games Design Challenge, an Innovations Challenge and a Skills Challenge, which utilized the robot made during the 2020 season.
Neal says the Innovations Challenge, “had nothing to do with the robot. The teams had to market an idea to judges.” The Orleans County Hardwired team came up with a tool to help people utilize Zoom who live in places like assisted living facilities and often face challenges using the video and audio conferencing platform.
Orleans team members Jacob Foote and Zach Neal worked on the Game Design challenge. Foote, who is currently enrolled at GCC and a junior at Albion, explained, “Each team could design the outlines of a competition for the robots. The theme of the competition we made was centered around medieval fantasy. During the design process of our game, we bounced ideas for obstacles and challenges in the game. We also had to consider the different experience levels for different teams so the game wasn’t too easy or challenging.”
Team member Jayden Neal of Albion, a homeschooled high school senior who also takes courses at GCC through their STEM program, worked on the Skills Challenge portion of the event. The challenge consisted of five separate challenges.
“The top three scores in these challenges were counted. We entered four of the challenges – the HyperDrive Challenge, AutoNav Challenge, Power Port Challenge, and the Interstellar Accuracy Challenge,” he said. “For the HyperDrive Challenge, our driver had to manually navigate four courses. For the AutoNav Challenge, our robot had to autonomously navigate three of those courses. In the Power Port Challenge, our robot had to shoot as many balls at a target as we could in one minute. For the Interstellar Accuracy Challenge, we had five minutes to shoot from several specific locations on the field with a limited amount of balls.”
Orleans Robot Photo – Team members only needed to make a few adjustments and programming changes to get their robot ready for the remote 2021 competition. The robot was built in 2020, but the FIRST competition at RIT was shut down when Covid hit in March of last year.
Jayden said the challenges were recorded on video and submitted online. Orleans team members ended up with good scores on some of the challenges.
The experience provided an opportunity for Jayden and the team to be mentored and guided on programming skills. “We used our robot from last year, and we did not make too many changes,” he explained. “We did switch out the front and back wheels to a different style to allow smoother turning. One the programming side – my job – I wrote some code that would allow us to list a bunch of points on a grid that the robot would then follow, then created those paths for the AutoNav Challenge, it wasn’t the fastest, but it did work.”
Team members did not have to spend much time on adjustments for the shooting challenges, Jayden noted. Last year, a vision system was added to the Orleans robot that allowed it to line up with the target as well as estimate the distance and set the speed accordingly. “Just doing a minor tweak to the shooter to optimize it for the further distances we would be shooting at in the accuracy challenge, and a recalibration of distance to rpm portion of the code, allowed us to do alright in those challenges,” he said.
Overall, the team did well. “We ended up placing 8th in our group for the skills challenges,” Jayden said. “Our team is typically right in the middle of the pack at competitions, so we were pretty happy with that.”
Jayden has also been working to analyze unofficial statistics for this year’s competition. “Out of a little over 1,400 teams, we would be in 338th place on team 3015’s global leaderboard,” he said. “Our scores would also put us in 14th place out of the 45 teams from New York State that chose to compete. Although I wish I could have seen how this robot would have performed at a normal competition, these challenges were fun and did give us away to compete against other teams.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 April 2021 at 3:27 pm
Program now in 4th year gives group a chance to explore many facets of the county
Photos by Tom Rivers: Pictured from left, front row: Nicole Goyette, Elissa Smith, Joanna Follman, Sam Covis, Kathy Jurs, Sherry Haylett, Donna Ciccarelli, Stacy Newell, Denise Klos and Ben McPherson. Back row: Mike Magnuson, Sean Snook, Rebecca Alexander, Gabe Myers, Roberta Conn, Melinda Pitcher, Chris Ranallo, Cat Holland, Renee Hungerford, Ayesha Kreutz, Mourad Attar, Rich Allis, Scott Wilson, Rob Riemer and Justin Niederhofer.
LYNDONVILLE – The fourth class for Leadership Orleans started this past week with a two-day retreat at the White Birch Golf Course.
The program started in 2018. Each year about 25 community members participate in the program. They used to meet monthly and spend a full day examining an aspect of the county, and hearing from leaders in different industries, businesses, human services, education and other sectors of the community.
This year’s class was pushed back due to Covid-19 concerns. Instead of meeting monthly, the class will get together twice a month some of months to ensure a full year of programming.
The opening retreat included several ice breakers to help the class get better acquainted, a personality profile awareness, and discussion about servant leadership.
Laura Olinger, owner and president of Bentley Brothers, speaks during the opening retreat last Thursday for Leadership Orleans at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.
Olinger is a member of the steering committee for Leadership Orleans. She said the program shows the county’s strengths and looks for ways to overcome the challenges.
“It can be really easy to say we’ve always done it this way,” Olinger said. “But this brings together a group of people who want to be involved and see the community do better.”
Skip Helfrich, director of the program, said there continues to be strong interest from the community in leadership Orleans. This year’s class includes 11 organizations that haven’t been part of the program before. He already has three applicants for the 2022 program.
“This class is a great way to learn about Orleans County,” he said. “Everyone builds a network and you’re learning about your community.”
In coming months the class will have days focused on legislative affairs, an adventure leadership day, community health, education, business and culture, tourism and recreation, agribusiness, economic and workforce development, simulated society, volunteerism, and a closing retreat and graduation.
Participants pay a tuition for the program, which also receives $16,000 in funding from the county, as well as many sponsors.
The 2021 class includes:
Rebecca Alexander, co-owner of Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza
Rich Allis, pastor of Light of Victory Church in Albion
Mourad Attar, quality engineer for Baxter Healthcare
Donna Ciccarelli, global purchasing planner at Baxter Healthcare
Roberta Conn, office manager for Oak Orchard Community Health Center
Sam Covis, assistant director Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina
Joanna Follman, payroll administrator for Millennium Roads in Lyndonville
Nicole Goyette, assistant principal for Orleans/Niagara BOCES
Sherry Haylett, director of finance for the Arc of Genesee Orleans
Cat Holland, retail manager for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina
Renee Hungerford, executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
Kathy Jurs, herd care manager for Orleans Poverty Hill Farms in Albion
Denise Klos, manager of operations for RTS Orleans
Ayesha Kreutz, program coordinator for the Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern
Mike Magnuson, reference librarian for Hoag Library in Albion
Ben McPherson, financial advisor for Edward Jones Investments in Lockport
Gabe Myers, customer service manager for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina
Stacy Newell, chief operating officer for Claims Recovery Financial Services in Albion
Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of Orleans County Emergency Management Office
Melinda Pitcher, manufacturing supervisor for Baxter Healthcare
Chris Ranallo, manager of Cobblestone Country Federal Credit Union in Albion
Rob Riemer, deputy for Orleans County Sheriff’s Office
Elissa Smith, elementary principal at Lyndonville
Sean Snook, operations manager at Claims Recovery Financial Services in Albion
Scott Wilson, superintendent at Orleans County Jail
The 2021 class met on Thursday and Friday at the White Birch.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 April 2021 at 12:00 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Samantha Koons of the Office for the Aging assists with a food distribution on Friday in Albion. Greg Gilman of Community Action also helped move boxes of food to trunks of vehicles.
The schedule is set for the food distribution program on Fridays through the end of May.
The federal Department of Agriculture last week said the “Families Food Box Program” program won’t be continuing after May. The program has had five rounds and delivered 157.1 million boxes of fresh produce, milk, dairy and cooked meats to Americans across the country since last April.
Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, announced the fresh produce boxes will be delivered as part of the Emergency Food Assistance Program where they can be delivered more efficiently with less waste and at a lower cost. It is unclear how that will affect the program locally. The food is delivered by Foodlink.
People line up in vehicles often by 5:30 to 6 a.m. for the distributions that are scheduled to start at 8 to 8:30 a.m. There are usually 300 boxes of food each week, but sometimes there are more. People are encouraged not to block driveways while they are waiting.
Anyone interested in volunteering can call the Office for the Aging at (585) 589-3191.
The schedule through the end of May includes:
April 23, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
April 30, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
May 7, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-HFairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
May 14, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
May 21, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-HFairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
May 28, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2021 at 10:29 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Greg Gilman, an employee with Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, helps with a food distribution this morning in Albion. The federal government has funded the program since last April but announced it won’t continue after May.
“This helps hundreds of families every week,” said Annette Finch, emergency services coordinator for Community Action.
The program has been going most Fridays in Orleans County since April 2020. People line up in vehicles often by 5:30 to 6 a.m. for the distributions that are scheduled to start at 8 to 8:30 a.m. There are usually 300 boxes of food each week, but sometimes there are more, including today when the usual 20-pound box was supplemented with oranges, pears, Brussels sprouts, hummus and eggs.
“We never know what we’re going to get until they pull up here,” Finch said about the delivery trucks.
The schedule the next two weeks includes:
April 23, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
April 30, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, announced this week the fresh produce boxes will be delivered as part of the Emergency Food Assistance Program where they can be delivered more efficiently with less waste and at a lower cost.
The “Families Food Box Program” had five rounds and delivered 157.1 million boxes of fresh produce, milk, dairy and cooked meats to Americans across the country.
Anthony Washington, an Iroquois Job Corps employee, takes a box to one of the vehicles.
Samantha Koons of the Office for the Aging has been a steady presence at the distributions for many months.
Kevin Ross was among a team from the Job Corps that assisted this morning in the rain with temperatures in the low 40s.
Photos by Tom Rivers: State Sen. Robert Ortt, center, speaks today outside the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency office on Route 31. He is joined by Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Veterans’ Services Office Director Nancy Traxler.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 April 2021 at 2:55 pm
ALBION – State Sen. Rob Ortt and Assemblyman Steve Hawley both were resoundingly opposed to the state’s new $212 billion budget.
But both acknowledged there are some good parts of the spending plan, included $4.5 million for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer to Peer Program.
That program was zeroed out in the governor’s initial budget proposal. It was at $3.5 million. Ortt and Hawley both said the Republican conference pressed hard for the program to get an increase.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley also spoke during the news conference today.
“I am proud to have fought to restore this vital, life-saving funding into this year’s budget so that veterans may get the mental health assistance they need and deserve,” Ortt said. “It is shameful that Gov. Cuomo opted to cut the funding for this program completely in his Executive Budget, but its inclusion in the final state budget is welcome news.”
Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties will share $185,000 with each county getting an equal third of that amount or $61,667. Niagara and Monroe counties each have also been approved for $185,000.
Orleans will run the program out of the Veterans Service Agency. None of the funds will go towards administering the program with the money going solely to boost social opportunities and peer connections among veterans. In the past the program has paid for fishing outings, baseball and Buffalo Sabres games, YMCA programs, a train ride with the Medina Railroad Museum and other activities.
The Peer to Peer Support Program was established in honor Pfc. Joseph P. Dwyer, who is from Suffolk County and later moved to North Carolina. After returning home from Iraq, Dwyer suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury. He received care from the VA, but had a hard time integrating into civilian life, eventually taking his own life.
“22 veterans a day take their lives due to the lingering effects of their service at nearly 1.5 times the rate of the general population,” Ortt said. “This funding will help connect those suffering from the invisible scars of war with the assistance they need to survive, and we must continue the fight to ensure this program is a permanent fixture in the budget every year.”
Ortt and Hawley both said they want to see the funding become a permanent part of the state budget, and not be in limbo each year.
“To think that funding for this vital program was ever on the chopping block is incredibly disheartening, and I am grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature for preserving this program as the governor tried to defund it entirely,” Hawley said. “For many veterans, the hardship they face persists even after they return from duty, and we should be doing all we can to help them in their struggles for all they do for us and our nation. As a veteran myself and member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I can’t say enough how much of an impact programs such as the Dwyer program have on the lives of soldiers returning to civilian life and how disastrous losing such an important program would be.”
Nancy Traxler, director of the Orleans County Veterans’ Service Office, said programs are being planned through the program. She expects those activities to be announced soon as Covid-19 restrictions are being eased.
“Veterans all over New York are being helped by this program, and it would have been a great loss to the veteran community had this funding not been added back into the budget,” Traxler said.
Veterans in Orleans County interested in upcoming activities through the Dwyer program can call Traxler’s office at (585) 589-3219.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 April 2021 at 6:50 pm
Slate shows several Republican primaries, including races for town supervisor in Barre, Murray
Candidates for local town and county elected positions have filed petitions to run for those offices in November. However, some will face Republican primaries on June 22.
The primaries include two races for town supervisor, including retired Sheriff Randy Bower trying to oust Joe Sidonio in Murray. In Barre, Sean Pogue faces a challenge for town supervisor from Scott Burnside. Barre also has four candidates running for two other positions on the Town Board.
The slate of candidates include two changes on the seven-member County Legislature. Ken DeRoller and John DeFillipps aren’t seeking re-election.
Republicans backed Ed Morgan, who is retired as Murray highway superintendent, for the at-large position currently held by DeFillipps. John Fitzak, a member of Carlton Town Board, was endorsed by Republicans for DeRoller’s position representing the towns of Carlton, Kendall and Murray.
Candidates usually need to submit petitions signed by at least 5 percent of the registered voters in their party. This year, due to Covid-19, the number of signatures was reduced to 1.5 percent.
Those petitions needed to be turned into the Orleans County Board of Election by the March 25 deadline.
There is still a chance for candidates to run for an elected position. They can do it under an independent line. They would need petitions signed by at least 2.5 percent of the total registered voters in that town, district or county. That is down from the 5 percent requirement before Covid. Those petitions are due to the Board of Elections from May 18 to May 25.
Here are the candidates who have submitted petitions so far:
Town of Albion
Town Supervisor – Richard Remley, Republicans
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – Arnold Allen Jr. and Sandra Bensley, both Republicans
Town of Barre
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Scott Burnside and Sean Pogue, both Republicans
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – George McKenna, David Waters, Lynn Hill and Tom McCabe, all Republicans
Town of Carlton
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – Jeffrey Gifaldi and Deborah Yockel, both Republicans
Town Clerk (1 position) – Karen Narburgh, Conservative and Republican; and Dori Goetze, Republican
Highway Superintendent (1 position) – Kurt Van Wyke, Republican
Town Justice (1 position) – Kevin Hurley, Republican
Town of Clarendon
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Richard Moy, Republican
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – William Fox, Democrat; Marc Major, Republican; and Christopher Caufield, Republican
Town of Gaines
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Tyler Allport, Republican
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – James Kirby and Kenneth Rush, both Republicans
Town Justice (1 position) – Henry Smith Jr. and Charles Prentice Jr., both Republicans
Town Clerk (1 position) – Susan Heard, Republican
Town of Kendall
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Anthony Cammarata, Republican
Town Councilpersons (2 positions) – Paul Jennings and Wayne Martin Jr., both Republicans
Town Clerk (1 position) – Amy Richardson, Republican
Town Justice (1 position) – Debra Kluth, Republican
Town of Murray
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Joseph Sidonio, Conservative and Republican; and Randy Bower, Republican
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – Michael Mele and Paul Hendel, both Republicans. (A petition also was submitted for Robert MacClaren, a Republican, but he declined the nomination and won’t be on the ballot.)
Highway Superintendent (1 position) – Dirk Lammes, Conservative and Republican
Town Justice (1 position) – Gary Passarell, Republican
Town Clerk (1 position) – Cynthia Oliver, Republican
Town of Ridgeway
Town Councilperson (2 positions) – David Stalker, Conservative and Republican; Jeffrey Toussaint, Republican; and Cliff Barber, Republican
Town Clerk (1 position) – Laurie Kilburn, Conservative and Republican; Elisa J. “E.J.” Cox, Republican; and Hannah Hill, Republican
Highway Superintendent (1 position) – John Olinger, Republican
Town of Shelby
Town Supervisor (1 position) – Jeffrey Smith, Republican
Town Councilpersons (2 positions) – Edward Mathew Zelazny, William Bacon and Stephen Seitz Sr., all Republicans
Town of Yates
Town Supervisor (1 position) – James Simon, Republican
Town Councilpersons (2 positions) – Paul Lauricella Jr., Conservative; and Terry Chaffee Jr. and Harold Suhr, both Republicans
Town Justice (1 position) – Donald Grabowski, Republican
Orleans County
Legislator District 1 (Barre, Calrendon, most of Shelby) – William Eick, Republican
Legislator District 2 (Ridgeway, Yates, part of Shelby) – Lynne Johnson, Republican
Legislator District 3 (Albion and Gaines) – Fred Miller, Democrat
Legislator District 4 (Carlton, Kendall, Murray) – John Fitzak, Republican
Legislator At-Large from West (countywide) – Merle “Skip” Draper, Republican
Legislator At-Large from Central (countywide) – Donald Allport, Republican
Legislator At-Large from East (countywide) – Edward Morgan, Republican
