By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2019 at 7:34 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Oct. 14, 2015 shows some of the 400-foot-high turbines in Sheldon, Wyoming County. Apex Clean Energy is proposing local projects with turbines that would be more than 600 feet high.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make sure the Siting Board includes the impacts of infrasound on the health of residents who live in communities with proposed wind turbine projects.
Apex Clean Energy has proposed large-scale turbine projects in Barre and also in Yates and Somerset.
Those projects will be reviewed by a seven-member State Siting Board, which includes the leaders of five state agencies. Two local representatives also are on the Siting Board for each project.
The Legislature last week passed a resolution asking Cuomo to insist on “comprehensive health impact and environmental studies including consideration for the added potential for sleep disturbances from pulsating night noise dominated by low frequency and infrasound, especially under stable atmospheric conditions.”
The Legislature said it “fully supports” the positions by the Yates Town Board, the Western New York Public Health Alliance and the New York State Association of County Health Officials in demanding the review process for turbine projects include “a comprehensive health and environmental impact study.”
The Legislature’s resolution will be forwarded to Cuomo; Kathleen Burgess, commissioner of the Public Service Commission; State Sen. Robert Ortt; State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; State Assemblyman Michael Norris; Daniel Stapleton, Niagara County Public Health director; Paul Pettit, Orleans County Public Health director; James Simon, Yates town supervisor; and Daniel Engert, Somerset town supervisor.
Provided photo: Orleans County Sheriff Randall Bower, left, is sending 11 children, ages 9 to 12, to a camp for a week in Penn Yan.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower
ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Randall Bower is sending 11 deserving children to the New York State Sheriffs’ Institute Summer Camp.
The Sheriffs’ Summer Camp is located on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of Yates County, for a week of wholesome summer fun..
Now in its 43rd year of operation, the camp will accommodate over 900 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 12 from across New York State this summer. The campers attend at no charge.
Made possible by the generous financial support of the Honorary Members of the Sheriffs’ Institute, the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp provides a solid recreational program while stressing basic values and good citizenship.
“The campers get an insider look at the world of law enforcement,” said Sheriff Bower. “By working with and learning from the sheriffs and deputy sheriffs at the camp, the kids develop a deeper respect for and understanding of the men and women who enforce our laws.”
Campers participate in typical camp activities, like archery, sailing, boating, hiking, and talent shows. They also experience technical and safety demonstrations by deputy sheriffs such as scuba diving, K-9 handling, bicycle safety and boating safety.
The Sheriffs’ Summer Camp is a program of the New York State Sheriffs’ Institute, Inc. The Sheriffs’ Institute was established in 1979 with the mission to assist the office of the sheriff in advancing education in the criminal justice community, preventing juvenile delinquency, and supporting victims of crime and their families. Visit www.nysheriffsinstitute.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 June 2019 at 9:15 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature held its monthly meeting on Wednesday and for the first time met in the new chambers as part of the addition to the County Administration Building on Route 31. The new meeting room is part of a 23,000-square-foot addition to the building.
David Kusmierscak of Medina sat in the front row for the Legislature’s first session in the new space.
David Kusmierscak is a chaplain and gave the invocation at the meeting. He has been giving the prayer at each meeting for several years.
From left in back include county legislators Bill Eick, Skip Draper and Don Allport; County Attorney Kathy Bogan; Chuck Nesbitt, chief administrative officer; and Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the County Legislature.
County legisators stand for the pledge of allegiance, including from left: Bill Eick of Shelby, Skip Draper of Medina, and Don Allport of Gaines.
Niagara-Orleans Dairy Princess Hayley Roehling of Akron was the first person to speak before the Legislature. She spoke about the many nutritional benefits of milk. She urged people to try more dairy products. She said dairy farmers take care of their animals and the land.
County Legislator Bill Eick, a retired dairy farmer in Shelby, presents a proclamation to Hayley Roehling, the Niagara-Orleans dairy princess, that declares June as Dairy Month.
Jim Whipple, chief executive officer of the Orleans Economic Development Agency, speaks during a public hearing about a grant opportunity to continue the Microenterprise Assistance Program, which assists small businesses.
The new meeting room can accommodate about 60 people, which is about twice the seats as the former meeting room in the historic County Clerks’ Building at the Courthouse Square. Sheriff Randy Bower and Jeff Gifaldi, an investigator with the Sheriff’s Office, are in the front of this photo with their backs to the camera.
The Legislature met in the Clerks’ Building since 1982. Prior to that, the Legislature and the former Board of Supervisors, met in a first floor courtroom in the County Courthouse.
Besides a larger meeting room for the Legislature, the 23,000-square-foot addition also includes offices for the legislative staff, the Health Department, Board of Elections and information technology department.
The building is connected to the current County Administration Building with the addition on the south side. The current CAB includes the Department of Social Services, Job Development, Tourism, Planning and Development, Office for the Aging, Department of Motor Vehicles and Personnel.
The building at 14016 Route 31 West is located on a hill behind the nursing home.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 June 2019 at 11:23 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved spending more than $630,000 for four new radio towers, communication shelters and an emergency power source.
The projects are funded through a state grant for $5,897,141. That grant will also pay for technology to connect separate radio systems and new radio channels to strengthen communications between multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
The County Legislature on Wednesday approved a $452,019 bid from Patriot Towers in Scottsville to supply communication shelters and UPS (uninterruptible power source).
The Legislature also approved a $181,200 bid from Fred Nudd Construction in Ontario, NY for four communication towers. Three of the towers will be 180 feet high and they will be located by the Public Safety Building on Route 31 in Albion, Millers Road in Yates and near the Kendall Central School in Kendall at a site that is to be finalized, said Dale Banker, director of the Emergency Management Office in Orleans County.
The other tower will be 150 feet high and will be near the Holley water tank on Route 237.
The new towers should be up by late 2019 or in early 2020, Banker said.
The new towers and equipment are part of an upgrade to the emergency communications system, which serves firefighters, law enforcement, highway employees, probation and some other municipal workers in the county.
The system currently has poor coverage in the Holley area, along Lake Ontario and some other isolated locations in the county, especially in buildings with thick walls.
The county was successful with a grant application through the 2018 Statewide Interoperable Communications Targeted Grant through the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 June 2019 at 7:27 pm
ALBION – Without Murray, Chris Bourke would be trailing Brett Sobieraski in votes for the Republican line for sheriff in the November election.
After Tuesday night, Bourke holds 99-vote lead over Sobieraski, 1,793-1,694. There are more votes to be counted on Monday morning.
Chris Bourke
There are 10 towns in Orleans County, and Bourke has the most votes in five of them, while Sobieraski leads in four and they are tied in one, Barre.
Most of the town votes were fairly close, but Bourke had a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in Murray, 337 for Bourke to 175 for Sobieraski. That 162-vote lead was huge for Bourke, the current undersheriff.
Brett Sobieraski
Murray is the home of current sheriff, Randy Bower, who isn’t seeking re-election and backed Bourke. Michael Mele, the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office, will serve as undersheriff with Bourke. Mele lives in Murray and is on the Town Board. He is also vice chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party.
Bourke and Sobieraski both live in Carlton, where Bourke has 183 votes to 166 for Sobieraski.
While Bourke had a strong showing in Murray, with 65 percent of the vote, Sobieraski had the most dominant performance in any town with the results in Kendall, where his two sons graduated from high school and where Sobieraski was a youth sports coach. He had 73 percent of the vote, 182 to 66 for Bourke.
This chart shows a town by town breakdown of the votes (not including absentees and affidavits).
Town
Bourke
Sobieraski
Albion
180
225
Barre
97
97
Carlton
183
166
Clarendon
208
129
Gaines
158
149
Kendall
66
182
Murray
337
175
Ridgeway
232
259
Shelby
198
233
Yates
134
79
Total
1,793
1,694
Source: Orleans County Board of Elections
There is still a small chance Sobieraski could emerge the Republican victor when the absentees are opened on Monday morning at the Orleans County Board of Elections. There were 139 absentees taken out. They needed to be postmarked by Monday to be counted for the primary. There are some affidavit ballots for people who went to the polls but weren’t in the voter registration book. The BOE will determine which of those ballots will be counted.
Bourke already has secured the Independence and Conservative party lines in the Nov. 5 election.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 June 2019 at 9:41 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Nadine Hanlon, a “runner” for the Town of Kendall, delivers ballots to the Board of Elections in Albion on Tuesday at about 9:45 p.m.
Tuesday’s primary was a historic election, and not just for the results at the polls. It was the last time the Orleans County Board of Elections will be running an election based out of a wing in a nursing home. BOE workers have been packing up the office and getting rid of some materials as they get ready for a move.
The Board of Elections next month will settle into a new space just up the hill at the County Administration Building.
Janice Grabowski, an election commissioner for the county, waits for the ballots and results at the Board of Elections. She currently works out of a section in the nursing home built in the 1960s. She said she is looking forward to going to the new space.
Scott Bennett, left, and Richard Nenni work as election technicians. They put a card from the voting machines into a computer at the Board of Elections to give a tally for each of the candidates.
They had a full report with the vote totals complete at about 10 p.m., an hour after the polls closed.
A board tracks when the ballots are dropped off from each of the towns.
Beth Wood was one of the runners from Barre, tasked with delivering the ballots to the Board of Elections. She walks down the hallway at the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, which is the former county nursing home.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 June 2019 at 8:57 am
‘America is blessed with the heroes and great people, like Staff Sgt. Bellavia, whose intrepid spirit and unwavering resolve defeats our enemies, protects our freedoms and defends our great American flag.’ – President Donald Trump
Photos courtesy of Ed Morgan: President Donald Trump applauds David Bellavia after presenting him with the Medal of Honor on Tuesday afternoon during a ceremony at the White House. Bellavia is a Lyndonville graduate and continues to live locally.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Nov. 10, 2004, David Bellavia was in Fallujah, Iraq. It was his 29th birthday. The Lyndonville native was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army.
His unit was going house to house, checking buildings to see if insurgents were hiding. The first nine houses were empty.
Bellavia checked his 10th house and encountered five insurgents, all hiding in different spots. Bellavia killed four and wounded a fifth.
He fought them by himself, risking his own life, and saving members of his unit who were trapped. Bellavia on Tuesday was presented the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military recognition, during a ceremony at the White House.
“In the dark of night, shards of glass, brick and plaster flew into the air, wounding multiple soldiers,” Trump said during a 25-minute ceremony. “The wall was ripped to shreds. David knew they had to get out. David thought they had had it. He leapt into the torrent of bullets and fired back at the enemy without even thinking. He just took over. David took over. He provided suppressive fire while his men evacuated, rescuing his entire squad at the risk of his own life. Only when his men were all out did David exit the building, but the fighting was far from over. Militants on the roof fired down at them with round after deadly round.”
The president continued, “Knowing that he would face almost certain death, David decided to go back inside the house and make sure that not a single terrorist escaped alive or escaped in any way. He quickly encountered an insurgent who was about to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at his squad. David once again jumped into danger and killed him before he had a chance to launch that grenade.
“Next, two more insurgents came out of hiding and fired at David. He returned fire, killing them both. Then, a third assailant burst out … wearing a wardrobe, and opened fire. David shot and wounded the man, but he escaped up the stairs. Racing after him, David engaged in hand-to-hand combat and killed him, too. Bleeding and badly wounded, David had single-handedly defeated the forces who had attacked his unit and would have killed them all, had it not been for the bravery of David.”
It wasn’t over. Another insurgent jumped down from the third-story roof. Bellavia shot him and the assailant fell off the balcony.
“Alone in the dark, David killed four insurgents and seriously wounded the fifth, saving the soldiers and facing down the enemies of civilization,” Trump said in his speech.
He draped the medal around Bellavia’s neck. The presentation was made in front of 32 service members who served with Bellavia in Iraq, including 12 soldiers who were with him on Nov. 10, 2004.
The president also mentioned that Bellavia’s 99-year-old grandfather in Jamestown served in World War II in Normandy and inspired Bellavia to join the infantry.
“David exemplifies the same warrior ethos that gave his grandfather and all the heroes of Normandy the strength to defeat evil exactly 75 years ago,” Trump said.
Bellavia is the first living veteran from the Iraq War to be presented with the Medal of Honor.
“America is blessed with the heroes and great people, like Staff Sgt. Bellavia, whose intrepid spirit and unwavering resolve defeats our enemies, protects our freedoms and defends our great American flag,” the president said.
“David, today we honor your extraordinary courage. We salute your selfless service and we thank you for carrying on the legacy of American valor that has always made our blessed nation the strongest and mightiest anywhere in the world.”
David Bellavia is pictured with his mother Marilyn Bellavia and his friend Charlie Nesbitt at the White House on Tuesday, when Bellavia received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor. Nesbitt of Albion was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and previously was recognized with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2019 at 5:16 pm
‘He lived and breathed public safety in Orleans County. That was all he thought about.’
Photo by Tom Rivers: Paul Wagner, the former county emergency management director, is shown on May 28, 2014 when the county celebrated a $7.1 million overhaul to its emergency radio communications system. Wagner is pointing to a rack that transmits signals from the radio towers to the consoles and the radios.
CLARENDON – Paul Wagner handled many emergency situations in his career, from major weather events to massive fires.
Wagner did it all in a laid-back manner. He didn’t get ruffled and his calm demeanor helped other people keep their cool in some difficult circumstances.
Wagner, 73, died on June 21. He served as director of the Orleans County Emergency Management Office for 14 years, until retiring on July 18, 2014.
“He didn’t get all bent out of shape,” said Pat Eick, who worked as secretary for Wagner in the two-person office on County House Road. “Paul was very calm and easygoing. He was a great man to work for. He was very much respected.”
Wagner spent more than 50 years in the fire service. He started working for the county as a deputy fire coordinator in 1979. He became EMO-1 on July 3, 2000.
The initially was focused on coordinating services and training with fire departments and EMS providers, but grew to emergency preparedness with big weather events and the possibilities of terrorist attacks.
The office also administers the emergency radio communications system. Wagner pushed through a $7.1 million upgrade.
“He was essential with the new emergency communications system,” said Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature. “Public safety was his number one concern. He lived and breathed public safety in Orleans County. That was all he thought about.”
Wagner was highly regarded by firefighters, EMTs and all the first responders in the county, she said.
“He’ll be missed throughout the ranks,” she said. “He had a leadership quality that spanned all the ranks.”
Wagner retired as a chemist from Kodak and then worked full-time as the director of the Emergency Management Office. He joined the Shelby Fire Department when he was 18. When he moved to Clarendon, he joined that department and eventually became Clarendon’s fire chief.
Dale Banker followed Wagner as EMO-1 for the county and has worked in the job for nearly 5 years. Banker said it is a demanding position, with lots of coordinating among local, state and federal agencies.
He praised Wagner for pushing through the $7.1 million upgrade of the radio system.
“That was a monumental task,” Banker said.
The county is working on another $6 million upgrade of the system to improve coverage in the county and have interoperability with neighboring counties.
Wagner also was successful in advancing the county’s fire investigation unit and he established the firefighter accountability system at a fire scene, Banker said. Firefighters’ tags are kept at a fire scene when a firefighter goes inside a structure. Fire officials keep track of who goes in and comes out.
“He was a people-person,” Banker said. “He was very easygoing and he got along with everybody.”
Wagner’s memorial service will be at 2 p.m. on July 6 at the Clarendon Fire Department Recreation Building, 16169 E. Lee Road, Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2019 at 5:54 pm
The polling locations for Tuesday’s primaries in Orleans County include a new location for Murray residents. Instead of voting at the Holley Jr./Sr. High School, voters will cast their ballots at the Murray Town Hall.
The polls are open from noon to 9 p.m.
Most of the polling sites are at town halls, although Albion votes at Hoag Library and part of Ridgeway uses the Volunteer Fire Company.
Here is a list of the polling sites:
• Albion – Districts 1 through 6 – Hoag Library, 134 South Main St.
• Barre – Districts 1 and 2 – Town Hall, 14317 West Barre Rd.
• Carlton – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 14341 Waterport-Carlton Rd.
• Clarendon – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 16385 Church St.
• Gaines – Districts 1 through 4 – Town Hall, 14087 Ridge Rd.
• Kendall – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd.
• Murray – Districts 1 through 6 – Murray Town Hall, 3840 Fancher Rd. (Route 31)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2019 at 8:36 am
More than 100 people are part of coalition which cites progress in declining teen drug and alcohol use
Photos by Tom Rivers: Pat Crowley, left, is director of the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition. She is joined by Dr. Dan Webb, co-owner of Catalyst Research in Depew, which does surveys of teen substance abuse for Orleans United.
KNOWLESVILLE – A federal grant that has funded a program to help prevent youth substance abuse in Orleans County expires on Sept. 30.
But that shouldn’t be the end of the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition. The coalition is expected to continue but leaders of the organization aren’t sure yet in what form.
The DFC grant funded the coalition’s efforts for 10 years, with the group securing funds in two 5-year cycles.
More than 100 people from agencies, school districts, law enforcement, churches and other community groups have been part of the coalition since it formed more than a decade ago.
Pat Crowley, director of Orleans United, said that valuable collaboration should continue. Some of the staff resources will be picked up by the prevention program at Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
Other coalition partners will be asked to continue programs, such as the free roller-skating at the YMCA over Christmas and spring vacation. The Medina Area Association of Churches has helped with that program.
The coalition met earlier this month to reflect on a decade of progress in reducing teen use of tobacco products, drugs and alcohol.
The grant funded staff, prevention programs, surveys of students on their drug activities and attitudes, and supported other coalition activities.
Pat Crowley, right, recognizes GCASA prevention educators – Diana Fulcomer, left, and Sherri Bensley – for their work in helping to reduce teen substance abuse.
Every two years the coalition has surveyed about 1,500 students in Orleans County. There will be another survey this fall of teens at Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina school districts. That survey will be paid for by the DFC grant.
The coalition has data on alcohol and tobacco use among students in grades 7 through 12 over 12 years. The surveys show a big drop in substance abuse, although students’ perceptions about risk are down, especially with marijuana use.
Some highlights form the survey in 2017 include:
• Alcohol use among students dropped from 28.1 percent in 2005 to 17.5 in 2017, a 37.8 percent decrease. (The survey asked if teens had used alcohol in the previous 30 days.)
• Tobacco use with cigarettes went down from 13.6 percent of students in 2005 to 5.4 percent in 2017, a 60.3 percent drop.
• Students since 2015 have also been asked about e-cigarettes. Orleans United added e-cigarettes after vape shops appeared in many communities selling flavors of products like they are selling candy. In 2015, 14.7 percent of students said they used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. The survey in 2017 showed 14.0 percent of students used an e-cigarette recently.
• Marijuana use was at 10.4 percent in 2017, which is down from 12.1 percent in 2005. The rate hasn’t changed much in Orleans in the 12 years. Webb said the national rate is 14.5 percent, and other communities have seen a big increase in marijuana use among students.
• Orleans United started asking students about non-prescribed medications in 2013 and 2.7 percent said then they had taken non-prescribed prescriptions in the previous 30 days. That percent increased to 3.4 percent in 2015, and then dropped to 1.7 percent with the latest survey.
The coalition used DFC funds for billboards and other advertisements to warn about the dangers of substance abuse. Crowley said there won’t be funds for the large signs in the future.
She thanked the many coalition partners for their commitment to reducing substance abuse in the community. She said the coalition started with 10 active members and grew to 131.
The coalition’s cross section from the community and multi-year commitment is unusual, said Dr. Dan Webb, co-owner of Catalyst Research in Depew. His firm has done surveys every two years of local teens and their substance abuse. He credited Crowley for building a strong community network, and for securing the funds for the programs for over a decade.
“It’s not easy managing grants,” Webb said on June during a coalition meeting at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. “Pat has kept the money flowing for the county for 10 years.”
Pat Crowley recognizes DFC Coalition supporters including from left: Tom Robinson, Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, Paul Fulcomer, Jan Albanese of ACT – Helping Youth ACT Responsibly, and Sue Metzo, of the Medina Area Association of Churches.
The coalition is working on the upcoming National Night Out at Bullard Park in Albion. Many local agencies and law enforcement departments will meet the public and run activities from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 6. About 1,000 people attended the event last year.
Crowley also said the coalition recently completed project Sticker Shock, where stickers were put on alcohol containers, warning stores not to sell the beverages to people under age 21.
The coalition also has been part of the National Prescription Take-Back Event, where 7,708 pounds of unused prescription medications have been dropped off in Orleans County since 2012.
Scott Wilson, superintendent of the Orleans County Jail, helps run the drug take-back program, which includes drop-off sites at the Orleans County Public Safety Building and the Holley and Medina fire departments.
The take-back event on April 27 yielded over 676 pounds of unused medication and sharps. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will continue to support future collection events with the purpose of safely disposing unused medications and to reduce the potential for criminal diversion.
The Drug Free Communities Coalition provides advertising and volunteers at each collection site.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The new 96-gallon recycling totes were delivered to parts of the Village of Albion today, including these ones on Chamberlain Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 June 2019 at 4:40 pm
ALBION – The new recycling carts are being distributed in Orleans County. There are about 15,000 to be delivered.
It will take about three weeks for Rehrig Pacific Company of Erie, Pa. to deliver them the 15,000 addresses in the county. The task will be completed by June 30, county officials said.
The new 96-gallon capacity wheeled cart are replacing 18-gallon bins. The new totes can be used right away.
The smaller bins can be kept by residents, or they can put them out to be taken by Modern Recycling. The bins should be labelled “Take Me” if residents don’t want them.
Modern said the bins can be handy to collect recyclables inside a house and then dumped into the cart.
The new recycling totes replace the smaller 18-gallon bins. The new totes have green covers to make it clear the totes hold recycling.
The county contracts with Modern for garbage and recycling pickup. The company will switch to every other week collection for recycling beginning July 1. Garbage will still be picked up weekly.
The County Legislature in February approved spending $776,500 for 15,444 recycling carts. Those costs are coming out of the fee in the county taxes for garbage and recycling for residents. The county is seeking a state grant for half of the costs. If the grant comes through, the county will use that to pay off a lease payment it took out to cover half of the expense.
The new carts, at $50.28 each, hold 96 gallons. Rehrig Pacific Company of Erie, Pa. is the contractor for the new totes.
Each tote has a number with bar code and an RFID so the totes can be tracked. Residents should write down their totes’ identification numbers to make sure they aren’t mixed up with their neighbors’.
The switch to the larger carts will make it easier for Modern Disposal to pick up recycling, and should hold off increases in the costs for picking up garbage and recycling for the next few years, county officials said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 June 2019 at 9:56 pm
Employees will move into new space over the next month
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County officials held a ribbon-cutting and open house today for the new 23,000-square-foot addition to the County Administration Building.
The new addition will provide offices for about 50 county employees, as well as other meeting rooms and the Legislature’s chambers.
Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson cuts the ribbon for the new building. She is joined by County Legislators Bill Eick, left, and John DeFilipps. Gerald Summe, right, is executive vice president of Wendel. That firm served as construction manager for the project. Eick and DeFilipps were on the construction committee for the project, along with Chuck Nesbitt, the chief administrative officer.
The Information Technology department moved into the building about two weeks ago to get the computer system ready for the employees. The legislative staff and county administrative officer will move from the County Clerks’ Building to the new site the end of next week.
Then the Public Health Department will move from its space next to the nursing home. The Public Health Department works out of what used to be a wing for the nursing home. Many of those offices used to be rooms for nursing home residents. The setup isn’t efficient for a modern office, county officials said.
The Board of Elections also works out of a wing in the nursing home. The Board of Elections will move to the new building in early July, after the June 25 primary.
County Legislator Bill Eick, left, and Peter Houseknecht, the deputy highway superintendent, look out from the atrium in the second floor of the new building. The project included an expanded parking lot. About 60 spaces were added.
The county had a ground-breaking ceremony for the building on April 25, 2018. The Legislature approved a maximum bond of $10,063,881 for the addition the building on Route 31, behind the nursing home. The bond is expected to be about $6.5 million due to grants for the project. The county has already been approved for a $3,682,748 state grant towards the project and State Sen. Robert Ortt also secured a $200,000 state grant.
The larger grant includes funds to create space at the neighboring Mental Health Building for a primary doctor from Oak Orchard Health. Mental Health also has two therapists working out of Oak Orchard Health’s site on Route 31 in Albion. That building has a renovated office and entrance.
The Board of Elections and Public Health Department have been leasing space from Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services. Comprehensive purchased the former county-owned nursing home for $7.8 million in January 2014. The county has been leasing space from Comprehensive for Elections and Public Health because those offices are part of the nursing home complex.
Moving those offices from those sites will spare the county from paying those lease payments. The money the county was paying for the lease will go towards paying the debt for the addition.
A new meeting room can accommodate about 60 people, twice the room as the current meeting space for the County Legislature. It will hold its first session in the new meeting room on June 26.
County officials say the new space is much more accessible to the public. This is the view from the Legislature chairman’s spot.
Chuck Nesbitt, the chief administrative officer, leads a tour through the building, which includes a scanner to walk through as an added safety feature.
Stan Dudek, the retired chief administrative officer, gives Lynne Johnson positive feedback about the new facility.
The new building is connected to the original Administration Building. There are currently about 125 people working out of the original building for the Department of Social Services, Office for the Aging, Job Development, Tourism, Planning and Development, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Personnel.
Chuck Nesbitt shows a meeting room that is part of the suite for the Public Health Department.
This space will be used by the Board of Elections when that office moves over next month.
Lynne Johnson thanked residents and the county employees for their patience during the construction project.
She also thanked the contractors, including Holdsworth Klimowski Construction of Victor, which was the general contractor for the project. Suburban Electric of Albion did the electrical work for the new building.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion seventh-graders unveiled a new interpretive panel today at the cemetery off County House Road where 250 people are buried who lived at the former Alms House. Pictured from left include Iris Capurso, Kim Weese, Jack Kinter, Gina Sidari, S’Koi Sanders-Smith and Kayla Burgio.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2019 at 3:04 pm
‘In today’s world we need to treat people with dignity and respect. We’re giving names to those who were perhaps not treated with dignity and respect.’ – County Historian Matthew Ballard
ALBION – An interpretive panel was unveiled today by Albion seventh-graders and Orleans County officials that lists the names of 250 people buried in a cemetery behind the former Orleans County Alms House on County House Road.
The seventh-grade service learning class at Albion, led by teacher Tim Archer, took the lead with getting the panel erected. The Daughters of the American Revolution contributed $750 towards the panel and the Orleans County Historical Association also donated $500 for the effort. The Orleans County Highway Department installed the panel.
This is the second big effort by Albion students at the site. About a decade ago the former cemetery was overgrown with sumac and weeds. The grave markers were toppled.
S’Koi Sanders-Smith speaks at the panel unveiling today. Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, is at right.
Bill Lattin was the county historian about a decade ago when Archer’s class first worked on a project at the cemetery. Lattin shared in the class about the name of County House Road, how there used to be an Alms House at the site.
The Alms House opened in 1833 and closed in 1960, when the county infirmary or nursing home opened on Route 31, just west of the Village of Albion.
“The Orleans County Almshouse was the last refuge for old men and women too weak to work and take care of themselves,” Lattin wrote in the foreword of a booklet about the site in 2011. “It became a home for the homeless, friendless, orphan, vagrant, poor, sick, and mentally ill. Dependents, paupers, and even delinquents lived at the Orleans County Home on County House Road.”
Albion students and the county put up this marker for the cemetery in 2011, and also reset grave markers and cleared out brush.
Lattin’s classroom visit about a decade ago spurned Archer and his students to research the site, and work with the county officials to get the site cleaned up, and the stones reset. A historical marker was added by the road, letting people know about the Alms House. After the Alms House building were razed in 1962, the county repurposed the main part of the site for the Civil Defense Center. A fire training tower is next door.
The cemetery is in the back, surrounded by a corn field. When the cemetery was rededicated in 2011, 74 grave markers were reset.
Matt Ballard, the current Orleans County historian, has followed in Lattin’s footsteps as a frequent visitor in Archer’s classes, discussing local history.
Ballard recently made an exciting discovery. He found a ledger from the cemetery, which lists the names and dates of death for 250 people buried at the cemetery. The superintendents of the Alms House kept the ledger, and some of those superintendents added details about the lives of those buried in the cemetery.
Matt Ballard shows a ledger listing the names and dates of death for people buried at the cemetery. Some of the entries include a biographical sketch of the people who lived at the Alms House.
Ballard said the entries with details of the lives showed compassion and care from the superintendents, who wanted to list some of the contributions of those who were buried often in unmarked graves or with a stone and only a number.
Ballard left the ledger with the class and Archer and his students made a list of all the names and the dates of death. Those details are now on the interpretive panel by the cemetery.
“These are lives worth remembering,” Archer said at a dedication today. “A big part of what I try to emphasize with the kids is that every life has value.”
Ballard praised the school district for supporting a class that does many community service projects and has students “on the front lines working with local history.”
The panel includes the names of people buried at the cemetery. The panel also includes words from Lattin in the foreword of the 2011 booklet: “The names of those who rest here are long forgotten, but their existence deserves respect and reverence. They no longer can speak for themselves. Hence we must note that buried here is someone’s ancestor, a person once loved by those who cherished them in the rocking cradle and held trembling hand in sickness and old age at death’s beckoning. These bodies now dust, are lives worth remembering because of the interdependent web of existence and the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
The cemetery is now well cared for by the county and is visible from Route 31A near Keeler Construction. Ballard is pleased to see the names of the people are now displayed, rather than a cemetery with only unmarked graves and numbers on stones.
“In today’s world we need to treat people with dignity and respect,” Ballard said. “We’re giving names to those who were perhaps not treated with dignity and respect.”
Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, praised the students and the historians – Lattin and Ballard – for their efforts in honoring the people at the cemetery.
“Today we are here to properly pay tribute to those that are known to be buried in this quaint little cemetery, marked only by numbers but remembered as real people, in the middle of this productive farmer’s field,” Johnson said. “It takes many people to keep history alive.”
County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson thanked the Albion students and local historians for their work at the cemetery for the former Orleans County Alms House.
Gina Sidari hands out copies of a booklet about the cemetery that was first published in 2011. It has been updated with the names of people buried at the site. She hands the copies to from left Bill Lattin; Matt Ballard; Betty Sue Miller, director of Hoag Library; Penny Nice, regent of the Orleans County chapter of DAR; Patrice Birner, member of the Orleans DAR and state historian for the DAR; Tim Archer, the service-learning class teacher; and Don Allport, county legislator.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2019 at 9:31 am
The Orleans County Democratic Party has announced its endorsements for candidates at the town and county level for the Nov. 5 election.
Fred Miller
The party is backing Fred Miller of Albion for another two-year term on Orleans County Legislature. He represents a district that includes the towns of Albion and Gaines.
Miller, owner of a hardware store in Albion, is the lone Democrat on the seven-member County Legislature. He was first elected to the Legislature in November 2013. Republicans haven’t run a candidate against him since then.
The Democratic Party endorsed the following for town offices:
• Albion – Darlene Benton and Terry Wilbert for town council positions, and Michael Neidert for highway superintendent.
• Barre – Luann Tierney for a town councilwoman, Maureen Beach for town clerk, and Rick Root for town justice.
• Kendall – Margaret Lynn Szozda for town councilwoman.
• Ridgeway – Michael Maak for town supervisor.
• Shelby – Darlene Rich for town clerk and Michael O. Fuller for highway superintendent.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: The graduating class of the latest Microenterprise Assistance Program gathered outside the Village Inn before dinner Tuesday night to see the mobile wood-fired pizza truck Brian and Rebecca Alexander of Albion propose to operate after graduating from the program.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 June 2019 at 7:35 am
Brian Alexander checks the temperature of the oven in his mobile wood-fired pizza truck during a demonstration for graduates of the latest MAP class.
ALBION – The latest class to graduate from Orleans Economic Development’s Microenterprise Assistance Program bring a wide variety of new business ideas to the table.
With Diane Blanchard as manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program, nine of the 11 graduates shared their business plans during graduation Tuesday night at the Village Inn.
Also attending the graduation were Richard Petitte and Sam Campanella with the Small Business Development Center; Jon Costello, a SCORE mentor; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; and Paul Hendel, chairman of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
A former graduate of the class, Laura Kemler, with her husband Kevin, talked to the class about how MAP helped her grow a successful business on Main Street in Albion, selling her hand-crafted, kitchen-inspired goods.
She advised graduates to use their mentors for advice.
“Find someone in your field who has gone before you,” she said. “Try and find wholesalers for all your products and make sure your customer service is stellar.”
Rick and Michelle Gallo of Holley, who graduated from MAP a year ago, were also on hand to share their good news. After taking the MAP class, they opened a very successful hauling business, and just a few weeks ago completed the purchase of a junkyard.
“Because of what I learned in the Microenterprise class, I wrote a business plan which blew the pants off my banker and we got a loan for the junkyard,” Michelle said.
Diane Blanchard, manager of Microenterprise Assistance Program, talks to Michael Blosenhauer of Holley prior to graduation ceremonies Tuesday at the Village Inn. Blosenhauer is hoping to open a grocery store in his home town in coming months.
Graduates who shared their business plans were Michael Blosenhauer of Holley, who hopes to open a grocery store in his home town; Joseph Quill, who wants to expand the diesel repair shop he runs in Barre Center with his son Mike; Missy Rusin of Brockport, who proposes to run a record keeping and consulting business for child care providers; Lorie Soule of Waterport, with 30 years of experience as a notary public, who proposes a notary-on-demand service;
Natasha Wasuck, who with her husband John Hernandez, is opening a wedding/event venue and ice cream parlor on the Erie Canal in Albion; Jennifer Beherns of Scottsville, who has 14 years experience in medical billing and wants to start her own ambulance billing service; Lauren Blair, who was employed at the Whole Approach Health and Wellness Center in Holley and has now purchased the business; James Kusmierczak of Medina, who discovered the benefits of hemp after having pancreatitis and now hopes to begin by selling it online, followed by the eventual opening of a brick and mortar store; and Rebecca and Brian Alexander of Albion who have built a mobile wood-fired pizza truck.
The Alexanders brought their truck to the Village Inn, where MAP graduates got a first-hand look at the wood-fired oven and how as many as six pizzas can be cooked at once. They have used it in their back yard to cook everything from pizza to the Thanksgiving turkey, Rebecca said. They traveled to Colorado to learn the business and have spent the last six months perfecting their own recipes.
They plan to take the mobile pizza truck to farmers’ markets, private parties and special events.
Each of the graduates shared how much money they would need for start-up costs and what they hoped to borrow in low-interest loans.
Michael Webster and Dorothy Daniels also completed the MAP class but weren’t at the graduation ceremony.
Graduates of the recent Microenterprise Assistance Program posed for this picture during graduation ceremonies Tuesday at the Village Inn. Seated, from left, are Dick Petitte with the Small Business Development Center; Orleans Legislator Ken DeRoller; Diane Blanchard, manager of MAP; Sam Campanella with the Small Business Development Center; and Jon Costello, a certified SCORE mentor. At rear are, from left, Lorie Soule, Michael Blosenhaur, Jim Kusmierczak, Joe Quill, Jennifer Beherns, Natasha Wasuck, Rebecca Alexander, Lauren Blair and Missy Rusin.
