By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2018 at 10:28 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature passed a formal resolution on Wednesday asking the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to approve funds to hire a school resource officer for every elementary and secondary school in the state.
“This would protect our most vital resource: our children,” said County Legislator Don Allport, R-Gaines.
The county’s resolution follows a push by the New York State Sheriffs’ Association to have a school resource officer in every school in the state. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley also supports the measure.
“We are, unfortunately, in an era where children in schools have too often become a target for evil persons wishing to cause mayhem and terror,” according to the County Legislature’s resolution. “Among the things that can be done quickly to increase the safety of our children and their schools is to provide an armed police presence in the schools.”
Hawley has urged Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for $50,000 in state funding for each school in the state to hire an armed school resource officer.
There are about 4,750 public schools and nearly 2,000 private schools educating students in grades K through 12 in the state, according to the Sheriffs’ Association.
If the state approves the measure, it would cost $237.5 million to pay for 4,750 school resource officers at $50,000 a year for the public schools. Including 2,000 officers for private schools would cost another $100 million.
County legislators say the state is better able to fund the officers rather than the county which faces budget constraints, tax caps and limited sources of revenue.
“The current threat to the safety of our children in their schools is a public safety emergency requiring a statewide response by our state government, with its multiple revenue sources, to address this emergency,” the resolution states.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 March 2018 at 7:10 pm
ALBION – Orleans County legislators this afternoon accepted five construction bids totaling $7,006,600 for a 22,000-square-foot addition to the County Administration Building on Route 31.
Alternates for $495,900 push the total bids accepted to $7,502,500. In addition, the county will pay the Wendel firm $900,000 for construction administration, project coordination, additional design services, commissioning services and grant administration.
Construction is expected to start next month and continue for 15 months until the building is ready for the Health Department, Board of Elections, information technology department and the Legislative office and staff.
The bids accepted include:
• Holdsworth Klimowski Construction of Victor, general construction, for $4,557,000 (base bid), plus $202,600 for alternates, for $4,759,600 total.
• Michael Ferrauilo Plumbing & Heating of Rochester, HVAC, for $1,034,000 (base bid), plus $83,700 for alternates, for $1,117,700 total.
• Suburban Electric of Albion, electrical, for $1,057,000 (base bid), plus $209,600 in alternates for $1,266,600 total.
• MKS Plumbing Corporation of West Seneca, plumbing, for $273,000 (base bid) with no alternates.
• All State Fire & Security of Buffalo, fire protection, for $85,600 (base bid) with no alternates.
The Legislature also approved a $500 monthly stipend for Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer, for serving as the capital project owner’s representative, to be paid from April 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019.
The Legislature said unforeseen circumstances may require change orders in the project. The Legislature authorized Nesbitt to review and approve change orders up to $25,000.
Nesbitt was appointed to Project Oversight Committee with County Legislators Bill Eick and John DeFilipps. That committee will review and be authorized to approve change orders that do not exceed $50,000.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The County Administration Building on Route 31, behind The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, will have an addition to make room for relocated county offices.
The Legislature has approved a maximum bond of $10,063,881 for an addition the building on Route 31, behind the nursing home. The bond is expected to be significantly reduced from grants for the project. The county has already been approved for a $3,682,748 state grant towards the project and could receive more assistance. State Sen. Robert Ortt also secured a $200,000 state grant for the project.
The Board of Elections and Public Health Department currently are 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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 March 2018 at 5:22 pm
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature next week will ask the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to approve funds to hire a school resource officer for every elementary and secondary school in the state.
That resolution by the County Legislature is scheduled to be voted on at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Legislature’s chambers at the County Clerk’s Building.
It follows a push by the New York State Sheriffs’ Association to have a school resource officer in every school in the state. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley also supports the measure.
“Our children are deserving of the best protection possible when they are away from their homes and in the care and custody of our educational institutions,” according to the resolution to be voted on the County Legislature. “We are, unfortunately, in an era where children in schools have too often become a target for evil persons wishing to cause mayhem and terror.”
Hawley has urged Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for $50,000 in state funding for each school in the state to hire an armed school resource officer.
There are about 4,750 public schools and nearly 2,000 private schools educating students in grades K through 12 in the state, according to the Sheriffs’ Association.
If the state approves the measure, it would cost $237.5 million to pay for 4,750 school resource officers at $50,000 a year for the public schools. Including 2,000 officers for private schools would cost another $100 million.
“Due to budget constraints, tax caps and limited sources of revenue, it is beyond the fiscal capability of many school districts and other local government entities to fund the placing of an armed police officer in every school,” according to the county resolution.
County legislators, in their proposed resolution, said an armed police presence would increase the safety of children and school facilities.
“The current threat to the safety of our children in their schools is a public safety emergency requiring a statewide response by our state government, with its multiple revenue sources, to address this emergency,” the resolution states.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 March 2018 at 12:36 pm
The latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau have been released and the numbers show that Orleans County has the fifth largest population loss among the 62 counties since 2010.
The population is down 4.4 percent or by 1,900 residents from the 42,883 in the 2010 Census. Orleans is now at 40,993, according to the population estimates in 2017. The county is down another 362 people from the 2016 estimate.
Statewide, the population has grown 2.4 percent or by 471,297 since 2010 when the population was 19,378,102. However, the upstate population has declined 1.0 percent or by 61,668 (from 6,339,276) in 2010. Downstate has grown by 4.1 percent or by 532,965 people from 13,038,826 in 2010, according to the Census data compiled by The Empire Center.
Orleans is one of 8 counties with 4 percent of more population loss since 2010, according to the report. Rural counties are leaders in population decline.
Other counties with bigger losses than Orleans include:
• Hamilton County, 62nd of the 62 counties, has the biggest percentage drop at 7,3 percent, down 351 people from 4,836.
• Delaware, 61st, is down 6.2 percent or 2,979 from 47,980
• Chenango, 60th, shrank 5.2 percent or 2,614 from 50,477
• Tioga, 59th, is down 5.0 percent or 2,547 from 51,125
• Orleans, 58th, declined 4.4 percent or 1,900 from 42,883
The nearby GLOW counties also experienced losses.
• Wyoming ranked 53rd out of the 62 counties with 3.9 percent drop or decline of 1,662 from 42,155
• Livingston, 35th, is down 2.4 percent or 1,594 from 65,393
• Genesee, 40th, declined 3.5 percent or 2,213 from 60,079
The Bronx, grew 6.2 percent, and added 86,052 from 1,385,108, to lead the state in population growth.
To see the report from the Empire Center, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2018 at 2:27 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Leadership Orleans, which is in its first year in Orleans County, held its arts and culture program on Thursday. The day started at the St. Joseph’s Lyceum where the Rosario family, owner of Mariachi De Oro Mexican Grill, made Mexican food for breakfast and then taught the class some Mexican folk dances.
R.J. Linder, a loan officer or credit representative with Farm Credit East, dances with Galilea Rosario.
Leonel Rosario, one of the owners of Mariachi, shared how the family opened the restaurant in Medina 6 ½ years ago, serving authentic Mexican food. Mariachi last year was honored as the “Business of the Year” by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
Leonel, his wife Dolores and their children Leonel and Galilea introduced the 25 members of the class to Mexican dance and food. Leonel’s mother Lucha also helped with the breakfast.
Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, also shared early county history. Albion and other canal villages were jumpstarted with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. That is also the year Orleans split from Genesee and was recognized as its own county.
Lattin said the Medina sandstone quarries were a dominant industry. The stone was readily available to build the impressive churches, government buildings and residences in Albion and the canal towns.
Medina sandstone, however, was most commonly used for streets, sidewalks and curbs. While its known as Medina sandstone, the rock was more plentiful in quarries east of Medina in Eagle Harbor, Albion, Hulberton and Holley, Lattin said.
Lattin, shown speaking inside the Lyceum, gave the group tours of Pullman Memorial Universalist Church and the First Presbyterian Church. Those sites, as well as the Lyceum, were built of Medina sandstone. Lattin said the residents and community leaders in the 1800s were full of optimism and confidence as the community took shape.
“They wanted to make a statement,” he said, talking about the soaring structures in the Courthouse Square. “This was a community of wealth in the 19th Century. They wanted to show it off.”
The churches, downtown business district, Courthouse and ornate residences were built in a variety of different architectural styles. Lattin said that diversity “is really one of the cultural assets that we have.”
At the Pullman Church, Lattin shared how George Pullman, an Albion native who made a fortune with well-furnished sleeping cars for the railroad industry, offered to match $5,000 to build the Universalist Church. The scale of the project grew and Pullman would pay $67,000 to build the new church, which included a Johnson pipe organ and 41 stained glass windows from the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company.
Pullman worked in the furniture and cabinet business in Albion before heading to Chicago, where he became a leading industrialist with his success with the sleeping cars. (He also worked at moving buildings in Chicago.) The Pullman church is a memorial to his parents, James and Emily. Two of the sofas made by Pullman are still used at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home in Albion.
The Christ the Consoler window in the church was slightly delayed which pushed back the dedication of the church to Jan. 31, 1895. The window is signed by the Tiffany company. Its leader, Louis Tiffany, traveled to Albion to oversee the window’s installation. The church wanted a window with the outstretched arms of Christ to fit the denomination’s welcoming tradition.
Lattin said the window cost $5,000 in 1895.
“This window is one of the great we have here in Orleans County,” Lattin said.
The arts and cultural day for Leadership Orleans included lunch at the Shirt Factory Café, a tour of the Hart House Hotel by owner Andrew Meier, a stop at 8:10 Meadworks and other Medina businesses, a group activity at Brushstrokes Studios and a diversity training program led by Betty Garcia Mathewson at The Colonade.
The year-long Leadership Orleans includes 25 people. Each month they focus on a different aspect of the county. Last month they learned about local government, meeting with officials at the village, town, county and state level.
Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower, who is also the county’s Stop DWI coordinator, announced local law enforcement will participate in the STOP- DWI St. Patrick’s Day Crackdown from today through Sunday.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and Medina, Albion and Holley Police Departments will all be part of the DWI crackdown this weekend.
This crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and implemented by the STOP-DWI Foundation.
Every year an increase in drinking and driving occur around the holidays, with deadly results. In 2015, 311 people died on New York State highways due to Alcohol Impaired Driving. In New York State it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher.
The key to keeping yourself and others safe on the highway is to “Have A Plan” for a safe way to get home. Call for a ride from a sober friend, family member, taxi, public transportation or Uber.
Provided photo: Bryan VanWycke (Albion), Connor Miller (Medina), Damien Mault (Lockport), Mr. Browning, Hayley Farwell(Orleans (Orleans County Christian School), Travis Wells (Albion), Amaya Beach (Albion), Katelin Corra (Royalton Hartland), Samantha Pozzobon (Albion), Ariane Wachob (Lyndonville), Deseree Brewer (Lockport), Victoria Brunning (Lockport), Andrea Spink (Lockport), Colon McMullen (Albion), Mr. Gilbert, Sage Reed (Medina), Brandon Orlikowski (Lockport), RedMan Suit (Left) Ayden Fentes (Lockport), RedMan Suit (Right) and Mason Pecoraro (Medina).
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – The Security and Law Enforcement students at the Orleans Career and Technical Center have been receiving training on how to defend themselves using some new equipment.
Steve Browning and Dudley Gilbert, the class’s teachers, had two of their students suit up in a RedMan instructor suit so that the rest of the class could practice defensive tactics. The suits enable the volunteers to sustain blows, without injury, from a plastic baton or with hands as they engage with their classmates in the use of force exercises.
Some of the students were timid about striking back at the students in RedMan suits, but with the encouragement of their teachers and classmates discovered the best way to defend themselves and keep the upper hand in case of an attack.
Mr. Browning and Mr. Gilbert demonstrated using batons and verbal commands on how to reduce the chance of escalation during an arrest or confrontation. They stressed how important it is to practice fast decision making and being aware of what maneuvers their opponent is making so they can counteract against aggressive behavior.
“If our students pursue a law enforcement career they most likely will encounter this type of scenario on the job,” said Mr. Browning. “As officers they will not only have to protect themselves, but those they serve.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2018 at 10:02 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion High School students Enoch Martin, Chase Froman and Laiken Ricker are among the student leaders who will be helping with Wednesday’s student-driven remembrance for the 17 students and faculty killed last month in Florida. Froman, center, is urging his classmates to wear burgundy and silver, the school colors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Students in Orleans County will be part of a nation-wide movement to remember the 17 victims who died in last month’s shooting in Parkland, Florida.
In Orleans County there will be memorial observances inside the schools and team-building exercises to help students connect with their classmates. The events aren’t intended to be political, local school leaders said.
At Medina High School, students are planning an assembly where the names of the 17 victims will be read. The school resource officer will address the student body. Students have also created a hat with the Medina Mustang logo and the logo from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a 19-year-old gunman opened fire last month with an assault rifle. The hat with the two logos will say #NeverAgain and will be sent to the Florida school, said Mark Kruzynski, the Medina district superintendent.
In Kendall, students and staff developed a 17-minute mini lesson that focuses on character and compassion, said Julie Christensen, the district superintendent.
Students are also expected to observe a 17-second moment of silence for each of the victims.
“Rather than a walk out, empower students to interact with each other in meaningful conversations on what they can do to improve the climate of Kendall,” she said. “The goal is to help our students understand how we treat each other and the impact on society.”
Holley students will have a memorial observance at 10 a.m. at the high school. Students will gather in the auditorium to read the names of the victims in the Florida shooting.
Holley students also have created posters with information about each of the 17 victims. They will observe a moment of silence for each life lost. Students also are selling wristband bracelets, with proceeds going Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
In Albion, the middle school student council has planned 17 minutes of team-building exercises that is intended to include all 420 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, Middle School Principal Brad Pritchard said.
Student leaders in the high school are encouraging students to wear burgundy and silver on Wednesday, the school colors for Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Senior Class President Victor Benjovsky will share a reflection over the PA system and students will observe a moment of silence. Seventeen student leaders will also spend the school day making an effort to connect with all students.
“It’s the students reaching out to the students,” said Enoch Martin, a junior.
Lyndonville doesn’t have any events planned for Wednesday, but the district – students, teachers and administrators – have been discussing student safety and the atmosphere at the school for the past month since the shooting in Florida, said Jason Smith, the district superintendent.
Provided photo: Diesel technology students and staff include, from left: Max Chraston (Roy-Hart), Marshall Nichols (Roy-Hart), Bryan Cooper (Roy-Hart), Kaelyn Watson (Albion), Carolyn Merlin (Barker), teacher aide Gail Urtel, Matthew Miller (Newfane), Nathan Grant (Roy-Hart), Rhett Wagner (Medina), Ryan Hnat (Newfane), Kyle Kasier (Barker), Robert Nesbitt (Barker), Alex-John Doran (Lyndonville), Dominic Fazzolari (Barker), Preston Harris (Barker), Mr. Wallace, Kyle Berry (Newfane) and Michael Bartosik (Albion).
Press Release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Diesel Technology teacher, Ed Wallace, was recently gifted with a heavy duty diesel truck from the University of Northwestern Ohio. He will use this to train his students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.
The University is known worldwide as being a leader in training for automotive, diesel and high performance industries in Lima, Ohio.
“We have a recruiter from UNOH that comes in to talk to the students, his name is Pat Dixon,” said Mr. Wallace. “One day I was talking to him about how I would be able to get some used training equipment from the college for my class after they were done with it. He got back to me and said they have two diesel semi-trucks that they would be willing to donate. He sent me photos, I looked at the trucks and after discussion with our principal, Dr. Weyrauch, and we decided one of the trucks fit our criteria. It’s newer – a 1999 Freightliner with a Cummings M11 diesel engine. The truck was in very good shape.”
In order to get the truck, BOCES had to be willing to go get it. Mr. Wallace and craft committee advisor, Randy Librock from Relco Systems, towed the truck back from Ohio to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.
“This has been a huge asset to the Diesel Technology Program,” Mr. Wallace said. “Our class has been able to use it for training on: air brake systems, steering and suspension, and diesel engines. I would like to say thank you to UNOH because they understand the value in student education and training at the high school level. I am very appreciative for their help and support of my program.”
Board also wants to honor adults who work and volunteer on behalf of children in Orleans County
HOLLEY – The Orleans County Youth Board wants to honor local youths for their community service and adults for their work on behalf of children in Orleans County.
The Youth Board is sponsoring its 36th annual Youth Recognition Dinner on May 10. The Youth Board each year recognizes about 20 youths for their outstanding community service or if they have taken on an extraordinary role in their family.
In addition to the youth awards, at least two adults will be honored for their service to young people.
The Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award recognizes a youth-serving professional whose work surpasses normal expectations.
The Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award is given to an adult who provides service as a volunteer to Orleans County youth.
Nominations are due to the Youth Bureau by March 30. For more information, call the Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960, or email youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us, or click here to see an application.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2018 at 12:53 pm
State Sen. Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, said the state broadband grants announced last week only brings “peanuts” to Orleans and Niagara counties.
Orleans was approved for $36,669 in in state funding to expand broadband to 154 addresses with Hughes Network Systems LLC will be the contractor for the work in Orleans. Niagara County was approved for $173,487 for 955 addresses.
The Orleans numbers pale compared to other rural GLOW counties. In Genesee County, the state is providing $118,603 in grants for 519 addresses. In Livingston County, the state grants total $274,203 for 881 addresses, and in Wyoming County, the grants include $727,528 for 1,031 addresses.
Ortt released this statement today:
“After many broken promises – and half a billion dollars later – many residents of Niagara and Orleans County will not be receiving quality broadband services promised by the state. Significant work is underway by the private sector, but we are years away from seeing those results.
“When I saw the press release hailing the accomplishments of the New NY Broadband and announcing its conclusion, I asked ‘What about Orleans and Niagara?’ Apparently, someone else noticed that omission because another ‘final’ award went out, delivering peanuts and sub-par satellite coverage to many of my constituents. In a modern economy, families, schools, and small businesses rely on basic internet services and the state has absolutely failed them on this issue.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2018 at 9:02 am
ALBION – Orleans County will hold its annual tax auction on May 23 for properties with several years of delinquent taxes.
The auction will be held at the Albion Elk Lodge, 428 West State St. The sales start at 10 a.m.
The county hired Absolute Auctions and Realty to run the auction for the next three years. At the auction, buyers agree to a sale price and also have to pay a year of the back taxes. The buyer also agrees to an 11 percent buyer’s premium which goes to the auctioneer.
In other action at last week’s Legislature meeting:
• Approved spending $74,863 for new carpet in the Mental Health Department building with the Federal Medicaid Salary Sharing funds covering the cost. Greenfield Flooring in Henrietta is the contractor.
• Approved spending $19,526 for furniture and furnishings for the mental Health Department with $10,350 from Krantz Furniture in Albion and $9,176 from Staples in Orlando, Fla. There is no county cost with Finger Lakes Participating Provider System paying the bill.
• The sale price was increased for county-owned land at 106 Beaver St., Albion. The county increased the price from $12,501 to $14,337 for DePaul Acquisitions LLC, which is looking to put a housing development at Liberty and Beaver streets. The added price reflects the addition of the 2018 county/town real property tax bill.
• Appointed Tracy VanSkiver to a two-year term as the Village of Albion’s representative on the County Planning Board, with Matthew Hand serving as the alternate.
• Renewed a $25,000 annual contract with Heath & Martin Law Firm in Holley to administer the assigned counsel program.
• Accepted a $1,500 donation for a new hanging ceiling gas heater for the Orleans County Animal Shelter.
• Reappointed the following to four-year terms on the Orleans County Youth Board: Scott Green of Medina, Cynthia Lonnen of Albion and Barbara Flow of Kendall.
• Approved a $5,000 payment to Mercy Flight for air medical transfers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2018 at 8:27 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is seeking state funding for drug treatment services and a transition program in the county jail.
Those services would reduce the likelihood of people committing new crimes when they are released, county legislators said last week when they sought funding from the State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
Many of the inmates in the county jail are addicted to drugs, and those addictions lead to other criminal behavior, including larcenies, burglaries, domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and other crimes. Legislators said about 80 percent of the crimes for people in jails state-wide can be linked to drug use.
The state is funding community-based treatment programs for individuals and their families in recovery. However, county legislators said there “remains a significant gap in the treatment and support of continuum care” in the local jails.
Providing services in the jail is a “unique opportunity” when inmates are clean and sober, legislators said.
In addition to having services in the jail, the county wants to develop a comprehensive re-entry plan and transition program for inmates with addictions. That would greatly reduce the possibility of those people from reusing drugs, overdosing or committing new crimes, legislators said.
Counties in New York are asking the state to approve $12.8 million annually for the programs in jails.
The resolution approved by the Legislature is being sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, State Sen. Robert Ortt, and Assembly members Steve Hawley and Michael Norris.
Sheriff Randy Bower also said he has a team of trained recovery coaches who will also help inmates as they transition from the jail back to the community. Those coaches will help people with addictions attend their treatment programs and spend time “with the right people,” Bower said.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Marcy Downey performed several popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s during a concert in February 2016 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, including Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis Presley. The concert was part of the library’s Finally Fridays series during the winter. The series was approved again for funding from GO Art!
BATAVIA — The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presented grants to artists and local organizations for $63,084, including for many cultural programs in Orleans County.
GO Art! has been administering the New York State Council on the Arts’ Decentralization Regrant Program for 31 years. A panel picks from applications submitted by municipalities, organizations and artists. The awards were presented last Thursday at GO Art! in Batavia.
Reach Grants for community arts groups include:
The Cobblestone Society for the Cobblestone Museum Arts Series — $4,431
Village of Holley for concerts at Canal Park — $2,100
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina for Finally Fridays — $2,500
Village of Albion for Concerts on the Canal — $1,200
Lyndonville Lions Club for The Sound of Music — $2,600
World Life Institute for Voices from Earth: Pottery Experience in Orleans County — $3,143
Yates Community Library in Lyndonville for More than Just Books — $1,200
The Arc of Genesee Orleans for Sprout Touring Film Festival and Art Show — $2,249
Batavia Concert Band for its 2018 summer concert series — $4,180
Batavia Players for its 2018 theatrical season including the filming of Romeo and Juliet — $3,000
Genesee Chorale for its 2018 season — $4,431
Genesee Symphony Orchestra for “GSO at 71: Ready, Willing and Able” — $5,000
Genesee Valley Wind Ensemble for its autumn concert — $1,438
Gillam-Grant Community Center for Art from Every Angle — $3,748
Woodward Memorial Library for Everyone’s an Artist — $973
Town of Le Roy for Music in the Park — $776
Spark Grants are for artists teaching the process of their art in a public school setting or to adult learners:
Judd Sunshine at Albion Central School District for an Erie Canal song writing project — $3,300
Annette Taylor at Albion High School for a poetry walk called “We the People” — $1,866
Julie Lambert Coleman at Wolcott Street School in Le Roy to teach the art of paper and its influence on the human race — $3,400
Jill Pettigrew at the Batavia Senior Center to paint “Mural, Mural on the Wall” with the help of senior citizens — $4,050
Ripple Grants for projects where artists involve the community in the creative process:
Diana Martin to illustrate “Ellen’s Elephant” — $2,500
Eric Zwieg for his project, “A Killer, A Victim, A Mourner” — $2,500
Mandy Humphry to paint a mural in Batavia on the All State building — $2,500
Provided photo – Pictured from left include: Charles Bruning (Royalton Hartland), James Terwilliger (Royalton Hartland), Lance Krieger (Royalton Hartland), Franklin Laport (Royalton Hartland), Ryan Croft (Albion) and Tom Paisley (Royalton Hartland).
Press release from Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Welding students in Eric Farrell’s and John Schrock’s junior classes at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center recently incorporated many of the skills they learn in class into an interesting project. The students made a lawn roller for an Orleans/Niagara BOCES employee, Mark Standish.
“I had a sample in my shop and it involves a lot of different fabricating skills and machinery,” said Mr. Farrell. “The lawn roller ties into a lot of math the students need to learn to be a welder/fabricator, so I thought it would be a great project for them.”
The students utilized welders, saws, rollers, a CNC plasma cutter and AutoCAD, a design and drafting software to design and complete the piece. After it was finished, the Auto Body students at the center painted it a glossy black.
The Welding students were very proud of their work and said how much they enjoy their class and working on the roller. Mr. Farrell said he and Mr. Schrock like to challenge the students with having them use the fundamentals of welding to create interesting or artistic projects. In this case it was not only educational, but very beneficial for Mr. Standish.
“The students did an excellent job of building the roller and I know it will last a lifetime,” said Mr. Standish. “I was really impressed by what they achieved.”
