By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2026 at 2:32 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds has 10 new trees on its campus, including eight along Route 31 near the Buzz Hill Education Center and two across the creek.
The Orleans County Bicentennial Committee funded the new trees, wanting to celebrate the county’s 200thanniversary with a gift that will last for years to come.
The top photo shows Bicentennial Committee member Ken DeRoller, left, and County Legislator Fred Miller, with Holley Mayor Mark Bower in back. Bower also is a Bicentennial Committee member.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension picked out the varieties and determined the locations for the new trees, which include four sugar maple, two willows, two white oak, and two bur oak.
Bicentennial Committee members plant one of the sugar maples. From left includes Isabella Zasa, a tourism assistant and digital content creator for the County Tourism Department; County Historian Catherine Cooper; and Ken DeRoller, a former county legislator.
“For centuries, this area was undisturbed and deep woods developed,” Cooper said. “The people who settled this area 200 hundred years ago chopped down the trees to clear the land and make a living.”
The Bicentennial Committee worked on events and projects to celebrate the county’s milestone anniversary in 2025. The group wanted until this spring to team with the Cooperative Extension to plant the trees.
“Today, we have come full circle,” Cooper said on Wednesday. “We are planting trees to help restore the environment and enhance living.”
Press Release, Orleans County Planning & Development Department
MEDINA – Orleans County celebrated Earth Day today by opening registration for its Annual Paint Collection Event, which will be held on Saturday, May 30th at the GCC Campus in Medina.
This event is done in partnership with Niagara County and is open to residents of both Orleans and Niagara counties. Registration is required.
“Earth Day reminds us that protecting our planet starts with everyday choices like reusing what we can and recycling what we can’t, and that is what this paint collection event is all about,” said Corey Winters, Orleans County Director of Planning and Development, which organizes the event. “Last year, hundreds of people participated, helping us keep paint cans out of our landfills. We hope for an even better turnout this year.”
Orleans County works in collaboration with paint-recycling company GreenSheen to collect the paint. Resident and businesses are welcome to bring oil-based, acrylic and latex paint, urethanes, varnishes, shellacs, lacquers, primers and clear coatings to be recycled at no cost.
“As I say every year, as everyone begins spring cleaning, this is a great opportunity to get those old paint cans out of your basement, garage and shed, and ensure they are properly recycled,” said Winters.
WHAT: Free Community Paint Collection Event
WHEN: Saturday, May 30, 2026 from 9am to 1pm.
WHERE: GCC Medina Campus Center, 11470 Maple Ridge Rd. Medina, NY 14103.
Registration for this event can be done at https://circular.eco/event/medina26. Staff will be on hand to unload vehicles so drivers can stay in their vehicles. Those with any questions about the event should call the Orleans County Planning and Development Department at 585.589.3198.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2026 at 10:21 am
Foundations will be asked to support GO Barn!, which has been approved for $7.8 million state grant
Rendering by Red Green Design: The three-story GO Barn! building would have the look of a barn, with the silo having an elevator and stairs to access the three floors. GO Art! said the facility would boost arts programs, agricultural education and entrepreneurial initiatives.
KNOWLESVILLE – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is working on applications to foundations to back a new building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, a project that could top $20 million.
Go Art! is seeking to build the Go Barn! at the fairgrounds. It was awarded a $7,793,000 state grant in May 2025.
Gregory Hallock, the Go Art! executive director, said he is seeking $15 million more from other foundations.
“We’re applying for grants like you wouldn’t believe,” he said Friday during a celebration when Go Art! presented $165,685 in state funding to local artists and cultural programs in Orleans County.
GO Art! is proposing the new building at the fairgrounds to serve as a dynamic hub for arts, culture and community engagement in Orleans County, including: a multipurpose arts and cultural center inspired by the historic Wells Barn design; a dedicated space for fiber arts, workshops and artisan programming; and a greenhouse, designed to grow plants for fabric dyeing and art creation.
“It is happening,” Hallock said about the ambitious project. “We are still working on it. We’re raising money.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Gregory Hallock, executive director for the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, speaks during Friday’s award presentation to artists and organizations in Orleans County. GO Art! presented $165,685 in grants for projects and programs in Orleans County. The awards celebration was held at GO Art!’s historic building at 201 East Main St. in Batavia.
The building is planned for the west end of the fairgrounds near Taylor Hill Road. The fairgrounds is an ideal location for the cultural center, located between Medina and Albion, Hallock said.
The building would have flexible or adaptable space that could be used for many things. Hallock and Go Art! envision two art galleries, artist studios and a residence where artists could bunk instead of driving home in the wee hours of the night. Hallock would like to the building to be used for many art forms – culinary, folk, horticultural, literary, visual, muli-media and more.
The facility would be accessible and inclusive to all community members, Hallock said. The GO Barn! would have hands-on programs in arts, agriculture and sustainability that would provide workforce readiness. Hallock said GO Art! wants to partner with local schools and organizations in “fostering a lifelong learning environment.”
The Go Art! website says $14,960 has been donated towards the project so far. Click here for more information on how to support Go Art!
Linda Knipe, the Go Art! board president, praised Hallock for securing several grants for arts and cultural programs in both Orleans and Genesee counties.
“Gregory has been a prolific grantwriter, and he is good at it,” she said.
Knipe would like to diversify the funding for GO Art! and be less reliant on grants. She welcomes sponsorships and donations to assist the local arts council.
“We are seeking more contributors,” she said. “We can use everyone in the two counties to really talk up GO Art! and get people to support us.”
Linda Knipe, GO Art! board president, said the organization has been successful securing grants for programs in Genesee and Orleans counties. She urged the community to support GO Art! through sponsorships and donations.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2026 at 8:21 am
Arts organization says requests exceeded $385K allotment for 2 counties
Photos by Tom Rivers: Rob Klino, president of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, accepts a grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts on Friday. The funding supports a Boxwood at Night program on Oct. 3 that includes light displays, musicians and portrayers dressed in period costumes. The grant was among several presented by Jodi Fisher (center), the program director and Statewide Community Regrant co-coordinator for GO Art! Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper, right, represented State Sen. Rob Ortt and gave certificates to the grantees. Go Art! administers the funds as a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts. It was developed in 1977 to ensure that the state’s cultural funding would reach every part of the New York State.
BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presented $165,685 to artists and organizations in Orleans County on Friday, funding that will go to concerts, arts programs and other projects boosting cultural life in the county.
GO Art! presented funding awards on Saturday to Genesee County artists and organizations. Altogether the two counties for the second straight year received $385,000.
This year’s funding allowed for an increase in the maximum awards, up from $5,000 to $7,500. The program also allowed for restoration of a mural for the first time. Arthur Barnes, an artist from Millville, will use a grant to give a major facelift to his iconic mural in the Medina Canal Basin of two mules pulling a packet boat. That mural is at least 25 years old.
Gregory Hallock, executive director for GO Art!, said the two counties together receive the largest amount of funding outside of Manhattan in the State Council of the Art’s regrant program. The Statewide Community Regrant Program (SCR) was developed in 1977 to ensure that the state’s cultural funding would reach every part of the New York State.
Hallcok said there were more applications in the two counties this year, and the $471,955 in requests topped the amount available. That should help GO Art! when it applies for funding next time. GO Art! can show the state there is more demand in the two counties than the existing funding levels.
The $385,000 in both 2025 and 2026 is above the $336,000 in grants for artists and community events that celebrate the arts in 2024. That was up from $210,000 in 2023, and well above the $70,000 that was available for the two counties back in 2019.
Lyndonville Lions Club leaders David Godfrey and Lynne Johnson accept the grant for a summer concert organized by the Lions Club. The grants were presented by Jodi Fisher and Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper.
GO Art! distributes the funds on a 60-40 split between Genesee and Orleans, with Genesee getting about 60 percent based on its larger population. In the 2020 Census, Genesee had 58,388 residents compared to 40,343 in Orleans County.
Hallock said he hopes the state will continue to boost the funding for the program in 2027.
“I don’t know what will happen next year,” he said at Friday’s grant award celebration. “We’ve been on a steady increase and hopefully that will continue.”
He praised Jodi Fisher, the program director and Statewide Community Regrant co-coordinator, for her extra work in assisting the many applicants through the grant process.
Linda Knipe, GO Art! board president, also said Hallock has been very successful in applying for grants to boost arts and cultural programs in the two counties.
Kendall Town Board members David Gaudioso, center, and Barb Flow, left, accept the grant for the Town of Kendall to add murals on the south side of the Town Hall.
The grant recipients in Orleans County include:
• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library – Finally Fridays! Concert series during winter
• Yates Community Library – More Than Just Books concert series
• Brandi Zavitz – For the Love of Dogs Mural II at the Medina Dog Park
• Lyndonville Lions Club – I Hear the Music concert
• Village of Holley – Village of Holley Canal Series and festivals
• Arthur Barnes for restoration of a mural of two mules pulling packet boat in Medina Canal Basin
John Grillo, the Village of Albion recreation director, accepted three grants for programs in the community, including a summer concert series on Wednesdays at Bullard Park, a July 3rd Independence Day celebration at Bullard, and the Albion Summer Festival on Aug. 1 at Bullard which will feature six bands.
• Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum which is adding music to nightly light show at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse
• Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events – Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park
• Village of Albion – Village of Albion Summer Concert Series
• Friends of Boxwood Cemetery – Boxwood at Night, “See the Cemetery In a New Light” on Oct. 3
• Albion – July 3rd, Independence Day Celebration
• Sheyanza Basheer – Brush & Giggles arts program at Lyndonville Central School
• Tegan Leach – Sharing the wonder of fiber arts, workshops at Hoag Library
• Laura Jackett – Art in library workshops
Brandi Zavitz receives a grant to expand a mural at the Medina Dog Park. She created a mural last year that is 32 feet long. She painted portraits of 69 dogs, 3 cats and Orly the Ox (the county’s bicentennial mascot). The mural will get bigger this year with 50 more dog portraits to be added.
• Shabeeha Raushad – Colors of Lake Alice, a children’s book
• Town of Kendall for murals on south side of Town Hall
• Valerie Collins – “Keepers of the Land,” paintings of family farmers to be displayed at Hoag
• Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association – 2026 Hoag Music Series
• Mary Jo Whitman for mural “Holley is Home” on Heath building in Village of Holley
• E-YAH-Pah-Hah Wind Quintet – Classical music series in Albion including 2 commissioned pieces
Sheyanza Basheer received funding for “Brush & Giggles,” an arts program at Lyndonville Central School.
• Community Free Library in Holley for art program
• Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County – blacksmith demonstrations and the AppleJack Band at county fair
• Friends of Orleans County Marine Park – Popup and jam, a marketplace at the Marien Park with music and vendors on Sept. 12
• Friends of Orleans County Marine Park – artist Terri Wood is creating a fisherman selfie sign for fishermen to pose with their catch
• Orleans County Tourism – restoration of Charlie the Chinook, a 13-foot-long fiberglass fish that will remolded and repainted
• Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, Barre Betterment Committee – 2026 Barre Betterment Committee public events
• Judd Sunshine – Erie Canal Songwriting Project at Medina Central School
• Janet Klossner – leading classes on “All Things Fiber”
Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, accepts a grant to fund blacksmith demonstrations and a performance by the AppleJack Band at this summer’s Orleans County 4-H Fair.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 April 2026 at 6:51 pm
Parents, caregivers also welcome for child seat safety check on April 25
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will again be participating in the National Prescription Drug Tack Back Day on Saturday.
People are welcome to dispose of unwanted prescriptions drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, 13925 Route 31 in Albion.
The Sheriff’s Office also on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be offering a Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Point Event at Public Safety Building.
According to data, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 to 13, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.
Preventative measures, such as proper installation of car seats, booster seats and seat belts can reduce the likelihood of death and injuries. Informing and instructing parents and caregivers on child passenger safety and proper installation of car seats is critical to saving young lives, he said.
The Sheriff’s Office will have passenger safety technicians will inspect car seats and booster seats to ensure that a child is in the appropriate seat for their size and age.
ALBION – Registration is now open for the Orleans County Department of Social Services’ (DSS) next Lilypad Safe Harbour series event which will start on Thursday, April 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main Street in Albion.
The remaining sessions will be held on April 23rd and April 30th. Each session covers separate topics, therefore, it is highly suggested youth attend all three sessions.
The Lilypad is open to all Orleans County youth aged 12 to 21 years old. The goal of Lilypad is to educate young people on building healthy relationships and self-esteem, as well as how to recognize red flags that will protect them from online predators.
“Our Lilypad Safe Harbour events are all about giving young people the tools to create healthy relationships, set boundaries, and protect themselves from potentially dangerous situations,” said Cyndi Stumer, Deputy DSS Commissioner. “Young people face a lot of pressures in a world where we are all connected through our devices, so we want them to be safe and know where to turn to for help.”
Stumer said the event will feature multiple speakers several different community partners that will offer insights into the resources available to young folks and the signs to look for when a situation could pose a threat, particularly in areas like online grooming and exploitation.
“We approach this material in a manner that allows young people to feel comfortable discussing these serious topics,” said Stumer. “We will also be providing snacks, holding raffles and handing out prizes throughout the evening to lighten things up.”
Advance registration is preferred for planning purposes. However, walk-in registrations are also welcome. To register your youth for Lilypad, please contact Orleans County Safe Harbour at Safeharbour@orleanscountyny.gov or by telephone at 585-589-2837.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2026 at 1:00 pm
Orleans wants to upgrade former GCC site in Albion, which is now used by Probation Department
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Probation Department now utilizes the former GCC building in Albion at 13925 Route 31, West Suite 200. The County Legislature approved paying $975,000 to Herring Enterprises of Holley for the building in October 2023. The county also bought 25.7 acres of vacant land from James Herring Sr., adjacent to the site for $500,000.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has released a list of funding requests for the 24th Congressional District in New York, and noted a $1.65 million request from Orleans County to upgrade the former GCC site in Albion, which is now used by the Probation Department.
The Orleans County Legislature approved spending $975,000 for the GCC site on Route 31 in October 2023. It is now used by the Probation Department, which moved out of the Public Safety Building.
Lynne Johnson, the County Legislature chairwoman, said she and county officials met with Tenney and her staff in February to make the case for the funding and need to upgrade the county’s public safety facilities.
“Congresswoman Tenney promises us she would fight hard for our project and we are so grateful she has delivered,” Johnson said in a statement released by Tenney’s office.
Skip Draper, a county legislator on the Public Safety Committee, added, “These funds will help with the continued realignment of our public safety services, including the modernization of the former Genesee County Community College building in Albion for the Probation Department. This is an investment to help keep our community safe and we thank Congresswoman Tenney for her tremendous efforts.”
Tenney on Wednesday announced she has submitted 20 projects to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration through the Fiscal Year 2027 Community Project Funding process. Municipalities and nonprofit organizations can submit requests for federal funding for high-priority projects with strong local support. Each submission is reviewed to ensure transparency, accountability, and that taxpayer dollars are directed toward projects that deliver measurable benefits to communities across NY-24, Tenney said.
This year’s submissions focus on strengthening infrastructure, enhancing public safety, investing in clean water and drinking water systems, and supporting workforce development across Upstate New York, she said.
“Bureaucrats in Washington do not know our communities better than the people who actually live and work here,” Tenney said. “These projects reflect the priorities of local leaders across NY-24 and focus on delivering real results. From upgrading water systems and supporting first responders to investing in workforce development and economic growth, these submissions put our communities first. I will continue fighting to ensure these projects are funded and that every federal dollar sent back to our district is spent responsibly and effectively.”
The list of submitted projects in Tenney’s district include:
$1,000,000 for Town of Brutus – Joint Sanitary Sewer System Improvements
$5,000,000 for Genesee County / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Section 219 Environmental Infrastructure Project
$1,803,820 for SUNY Genesee Community College – Welding Workforce Development Initiative
$2,000,000 for Town of Cape Vincent – Water District No. 7
$1,000,000 for Town of Pamelia – Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements and Expansion
$1,250,000 for Livingston County Sheriff’s Office – Mobile Command Vehicle Acquisition
$750,000 for Oak Orchard Community Health Center – Rural CARE (Community Access, Realignment and Expansion) Initiative
$1,000,000 for Niagara County Sheriff’s Office – In-Car Mobile Radio Replacement Project
$2,000,000 for Town of Porter – Waterline Improvement Project
$1,000,000 for Ontario County – Animal Care Facility Improvements
$7,000,000 for USDA Agricultural Research Service – National Grape Improvement Center
$1,000,000 for Ontario County – Wastewater Pump Station Modernization Project
$1,650,000 for Orleans County – Facility Rehabilitation for Seniors and Probation Services
$2,000,000 for Town of Volney – Sewer Project
$2,000,000 for Town of Reading – Water System Expansion
$1,000,000 for Town of Hastings – Wastewater System Expansion
$4,500,000 for New York State Veterans Cemetery – Finger Lakes – Infrastructure Improvements
$2,500,000 for Village of Newark – North Main Street Reconstruction
$1,429,600 for Village of Arcade – Waterline Replacement
$2,393,000 Village of Dresden – Water System Improvements
Board chairman said organization has already implemented many changes, cites record high revenue shared with municipalities
Photo by Tom Rivers: Byron Brown, president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., speaks to the Orleans County legislature on Sept. 23, 2025. He highlighted financial successes at WROTB and Batavia Downs, which have resulted in more revenue for member municipalities including Orleans County. An audit from the state comptroller said better management from WROTB would result in even more revenue to the member municipalities.
Press Release, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s Office
An audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. (WROTB) found poor oversight of operations by the board of directors, cost overruns and significant estimation errors.
The audit found WROTB’s failure to take action to address the declining handle, the total amount wagered on horse races and other gaming activities, adjust to changes in the gambling industry, and control costs limited the amount of revenues provided to participating municipalities.
DiNapoli offered 16 recommendations to help the organization improve its financial operations, which WROTB officials said they were acting on. The audit covered the period from January 2021 through December 2024 and some contracts going back to 2020, with nearly all the period being before significant changes in WROTB board and leadership occurred.
“The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation is under pressure as revenues decline from its horse racing and wagering operations, and it must rein in costs and strengthen its financial operations,” DiNapoli said. “The corporation is supposed to benefit local participating municipalities and taxpayers, and even as the gambling industry changes, the board can adapt without losing that mission. I’m encouraged by steps the current board and new management have taken, and urge continued progress.”
WROTB was formed in 1973 and is owned by 15 participating counties and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester. It offers off-track pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing at Batavia Downs Gaming and other locations. A portion of the revenues generated are distributed to the participating municipalities. The board is comprised of representatives from the 15 participating counties and two cities. WROTB management changed significantly in October 2024, when the former CEO resigned and the board appointed a replacement.
Lack of Oversight, Documentation and Transparency
Auditors found the board essentially relinquished its oversight responsibilities and allowed corporation management to monitor its own financial operations and spending. Auditors determined that board members did not receive financial reports to discuss in a timely manner and never received cash flow and other critical statements necessary to monitor spending and adjust budget lines that were overspent.
When the board made changes to annual operating plans, they were done during workshops, which were not documented and included in meeting minutes. Holding discussions where important decisions are made essentially behind closed doors limits the transparency that is expected of a public entity.
The board also did not authorize all procurements of goods and services over $15,000, as required by its own policy. Instead, the board again relied on WROTB management to monitor costs and present resolutions to amend the authorized costs when needed.
Declining Handle
While increased wagering in its video gaming operations improved WROTB’s overall financial condition, its horse racing and wagering operations deteriorated at a steady pace over the audit period. During the four-year period, WROTB’s handle declined 34% ($23.5 million), resulting in in less statutory distributions to the horse racing industry, the New York State Gaming Commission, as well as allocations to local governments. In 2024, WROTB distributed $6.7 million to participating governments, over $3 million (31%) less than the previous calendar year.
Increasing Expenses
WROTB’s revenue increased approximately $3.7 million (7%) while operating expenses grew by more than $8.4 million (22%), over the audit period. The most significant expense increases included:
Salaries, which increased by 38% since 2021 and accounted for more than $16.8 million (40%) of WROTB operating expenses in 2024 and exceeded the 2024 operating plan by $400,000.
Professional services, which increased by 23% and accounted for more than $2.5 million of the 2024 operating expenses.
The board allowed management to enter into contracts for legal services and consultants without proper board approval and exceeded the approved spending amounts by over $1 million. WROTB only received reports detailing the consultants’ work for which WROTB was billed from eight of the 17 consultants it had approved contracts with, four of which were only verbal, including three from lobbyists. The board did not receive any reports from nine of the 17 consultants it had approved contracts with detailing the consultants’ work for which WROTB was billed for and paid.
For example, management paid legal firms $844,954 in excess of board-approved amounts. In one case, management paid a firm $247,969 for work unrelated to a contract and without receiving detailed invoices. Management also paid over $400,000 to two other law firms for general counsel duties and work on a lawsuit without receiving any board approval for their services. Similarly, management paid $168,040 to eight consultants without board approval.
Incomplete Implementation of Prior Audit Recommendations
Two audits, released by DiNapoli in September 2021, found WROTB spent at least $121,000 on tickets to sporting events, concerts, food and alcohol for board members, employees and other individuals without the oversight required by state rules, and that WROTB’s CEO did not reimburse the organization for his personal use of an official vehicle in a timely manner. He later reimbursed WROTB $3,484 after an internal auditor found that he was not following WROTB’s policy.
Auditors found that in response to this previous audit, WROTB improved its records on who was given promotional tickets to an event, whether they were comps, giveaways or purchased by an employee, and the host of the event. However, in several instances, the host name could not be identified because only the first name was listed. WROTB also updated its take-home vehicle policy and restricted its use of take-home vehicles, as recommended in the second prior audit.
Click here to see the report and recommendations from the comptroller.
Editor’s note: In a response to the state comptroller’s office, WROTB Chairman Dennis Bassett wrote in a letter that the board has already implemented many changes to improve oversight. He noted WROTB distributed $12.9 million to member municipalities in 2025, the most ever and up by 93 percent from the $6.7 million in 2024.
“This performance was achieved despite continued decline in pari-mutuel handle and ongoing losses in branch operations,” Bassett wrote in a letter dated Feb. 26. “The increase reflects improved operational oversight, disciplined financial management, and implementation of two Board-approved reform agenda designed to strengthen internal controls and enhance transparency and accountability.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2026 at 8:24 am
ALBION – The non-emergency administrative phone lines for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office are currently down. The phone lines, such as (585) 589-5527, aren’t working and the Verizon doesn’t has an estimate for restoration at this time, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.
Callers can instead use 911 for non-emergency needs until the other phone lines are back in service.
Verizon and Orleans County technicians have been working on this issue since 1:30 a.m.
“We will advise when the lines have been restored,” Bourke said. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
