MEDINA – Western New York Energy, owner of an ethanol plant on Bates Road in Medina, has been fined $87,000 for violating the State Environmental Conservation Law.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation reported today that the company was fined in Shelby Town Court on Jan. 14 for illegally disposing of industrial waste on its Shelby property.
The fine stems from a 2013 investigation into illegal activities at Western New York Energy by the DEC’s Police’s Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation unit.
The investigation, lead by DEC Investigator Chris Didion, determined that WNYE and Hydro-Klean, LLC, a company based in Iowa that specializes in industrial cleaning operations for the ethanol industry, were disposing industrial wastes generated during bi-annual plant cleanings.
WNYE processes corn into fuel grade ethanol, and high-pressure water is used to clean burned corn out of the evaporators used in production. The resulting waste wash water, which included trace amounts of ammonia and diesel range organics and is considered an industrial waste, was loaded into a vacuum truck and transported to an area at the rear of the facility and dumped into the ground, the DEC said in a news release.
The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office. In addition to the fine for Western New York Energy, Hydro-Klean pleaded guilty in the Town of Shelby Court in August 2015 to the unlawful disposal of industrial wastes and was fined $50,000.
WNYE has since changed its practices and now collects all waste water from cleaning operations and disposes of it at a local waste water treatment plant.
DEC encourages anyone with information on environmental crimes and violations to call its 24-hour hotline, at 1-844-DEC-ECOs (1-844-332-3267). An online form also is available by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Shelby Fire Chief Andy Benz, left, is pictured with Dale Watts, the 2015 “Firefighter of the Year” for the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. Watts was recognized during the fire company’s annual installation dinner on Saturday.
The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company also honored two 50-year members, Lee Hellert and Anthony “Toby” Satkowski Jr,. and installed officers for the Fire Company, Ladies Auxiliary and Junior Firefighters.
Dale Watts is a 40-year member of the Shelby Fire Company. He is a mechanic at Radiators Plus next door to the Shelby firehall. He is often the first to the fire hall when someone needs help and firefighters are dispatched.
Last March, the emergency dispatch went out about a man in cardiac arrest at Shelby Crushed Stone. The man delivers parts and had been at Watts’ garage earlier that morning. Now the man was unconscious with his heart stopped.
A Shelby Crushed Stone employee started CPR, and Watts was soon on site to take over. The man survived and is alive today.
Andy Benz, the Shelby fire chief, fought back tears in presenting Watts with the “Firefighter of the Year” award before about 200 people.
Watts has been at the firehall since he was a kid. His father, Sid Watts, was one of the Fire Company’s first chiefs.
“It’s in my family,” Watts said.
He estimated he has done CPR 30 times in the past four decades. He is thankful the man survived last year. Watts said that was a first for him, giving CPR and having the person be revived.
Shelby Town Supervisor Skip Draper, right, presents an award to Lee Hellert for his 50 years of service to the Fire Company.
Hellert remains an active volunteer. Over the years he has consistently been among the top 10 of volunteers in responding to calls each year.
“Lee, you’re a special person and I thank God everyday for people like you,” said Gary Lamar, the Fire Company’s outgoing president.
Toby Satkowski, right, also was recognized by Draper for 50 years of service to the Fire Company. Satkowski and Hellert received citations for the State Assembly, State Senate, Congressman Chris Collins, and the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.
Satkowski recently broke his hip. He has been recovering at Medina Memorial Hospital, which arranged a shuttle so he could attend Saturday’s awards banquet.
Officers are sworn in for the Fire Company, including from left: President Tim Petry, Vice President Dale Watts and Treasurer Kirk Myhill. Other officers include: Lori Miller, secretary; Ed Quackenbush, sergeant at arms; Phil Keppler, chaplain; Dale Watts, assistant chaplain; and Gary Watts, steward.
Junior Firefighters are sworn in including Dominic Viterna, secretary; and Dylan Sturtevant, president. Fire Chief Andy Benz is in back and reads them the oath. Other officers include: Andrea Benz, vice president; and Alex Benz, sergeant at arms.
Benz said the Fire Company has been blessed with a strong youth program that is developing a new generation of firefighters.
Eight firefighters completed the basic firefighter training class in 2015, including: Brandon Arnett, Jared Cassett, Jack Miller, Jake Quackenbush, Jessica Reigle, Dustin Shaffer, Hunter Sturtevant and Shawn Woodward.
The Fire Company completed 1,855 training hours for firefighters last year, which Benz said led the county. Dustin Shaffer completed 206 of those hours, the most of any firefighter in the county, Benz said.
In addition, John Miller led the county with 708 training hours for EMS. Two Shelby members completed the training to become EMTs: Miranda Miller and Josh Mckeehen.
Darlene Rich, left, was presented with an award by Rosey Pray, the outgoing president of the Ladies Auxiliary. Pray has been a member of the Auxiliary for 76 years and also was the first woman to serve as firefighter in Shelby. She thanked Rich for being a dedicated volunteer in 2015.
The officers for the Ladies Auxiliary in 2016 include: Patricia Fuller, president; Ike Watts, vice president; Lori Myhill, treasurer; Amy Watts, secretary; and Elaine Watts, chaplain.
Andy Benz, center, presents Jeff Lyons with a “Friend of the Fire Company” award. Lyons Collision donates equipment to the Fire Company, including radios and flashlights for the fire police, electric winches, and also runs extrication and other drills for the Fire Company. Gary Lamar, Fire Company president, is at left.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 December 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Valerie Childs, a Ridgeway firefighter, carries a box full of toys this morning. She was one of about 30 firefighters who volunteered to deliver toys to about 150 children in the annual toy drive by the Medina Area Association of Churches.
Firefighters delivered boxes of toys, food and clothes to more than 100 Medina families and senior citizens this morning. The delivery was the last step in annual toy and gift effort coordinated by MAAC, an annual initiative going back more than four decades.
Ridgeway firefighters fill a truck up with boxes of toys. Rick Tuohey is in the truck. He has been helping with the toy delivery the past 18 years.
Don Marchner, Ridgeway fire chief, is in front at right. He has helped deliver the toys for about 40 years.
“It’s for a good cause,” Marchner said. “When you see the kids’ faces light up, it means a lot and makes you feel warm inside.”
Firefighters from Medina, Ridgeway, Shelby and East Shelby delivered toys to Medina families this morning. Paul Wengrzycki, a Medina firefighter, is in front at left.
The Medina United Methodist Church at the former Apple Grove Inn served as the staging area for the MAAC holiday effort.
Brothers Vinny Viterna, left, and Dominic Viterna help load up a truck with toys. Vinny just joined the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company and his brother is a junior firefighter.
Medina firefighter Jacob Crooks gets one of the last boxes ready for delivery.
Medina firefighters also placed 29 red barrels in the community in November and residents filled them up with toys and donations.
Medina firefighters head out to deliver some of the toys and food.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2015 at 12:00 am
The Warrior House in West Shelby on Salt Works Road hosted six veterans from Thursday through Sunday for hunting and fellowship. These three include, from left: Albert Gonzalez from Theresa, near Fort Drum in northern New York; Shannon Girard from Lafayette, La.; and Shane Weyant from Holidaysburg, Pa.
SHELBY – Shannon Girard, 40, says he “slept like a baby” over the weekend on a hunting retreat for wounded veterans.
That is a big deal for Girard and the other veterans, who may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and constant physical pain.
Girard was deployed as a medic to Iraq in 2004-05. The Lafayette, Louisiana resident said the hunting getaway is a perfect way for veterans to calm their nerves and bodies, while connecting with others in the military.
“The best therapy is bringing people together,” Girard said on Saturday after a morning of bow-hunting.
He arrived on Thursday to the Warrior House on Salt Works Road in West Shelby. The house is owned by Peter Zeliff Jr. He has opened the house and his property for veterans to go hunting. Zeliff has assembled a team of volunteers to provide the veterans with food, and also to serve as guides while they pursue geese, pheasants and deer.
“You can decompress when you come out here and be in nature and see the beautiful sunrises and sunsets,” Girard said.
He was on the first hunting trip through the Warrior House in September, when 13 soldiers came together to hunt, with five referred through Chappy’s Outdoors and eight from Operation Injured Soldier. Girard heard about the Warrior House through Chappy’s Outdoors.
Provided photo – Brian Crane of Lancaster holds a goose he shot while hunting on Saturday morning.
Girard was flown up from Louisiana, with his expenses all covered. Girard said being in rural West Shelby was a stark contrast from what he expected when he boarded the plane to head to New York.
“Just being here it’s a whole different world,” he said. “Everyone thinks New York is a city, but there is a countryside. It’s beautiful.”
Brian Crane, 35, of Lancaster didn’t have to go to far to get to the Warrior House. Crane arrived to the site on Thursday night with his father, Rodney Crane of Conesus in Livingston County.
The younger Crane has a lower-back injury from his military service. He enjoys hunting, especially with his father. The two say it is increasingly difficult to find land to hunt as fields are posted or bought for development.
On Saturday morning, Crane shot his first goose.
“It gets you away from the stresses of life,” he said.
Crane heard about the Warrior House through Ed Spence. They were in the same unit together. Spence, 45, of the Town of Alabama in Genesee County was injured while training in 2007. He suffered four herniated discs in his back.
Ed Spence of Genesee County has become a leader with Operation Injured Soldier.
He was in bed and a wheelchair after the accident. An invitation to go fishing and then hunting in Michigan helped get him out of a funk.
“It gave me my life back,” Spence said.
He used to work full-time as a firefighter in paramedic for the City of Batavia. He is now the volunteer director for Operation Injured Soldier in the Northeast Region.
He has the connections to wounded veterans and will refer them to the Warrior House. Spence said there are so many wounded veterans that the Warrior House could be busy every weekend. He knows of only one other place like the Warrior House in the country: Brave Heart Estates in Michigan. The sites welcome veterans to come hunt.
Tim Wolcott of Albion volunteered as a guide for the hunters this past weekend. Wolcott, 48, served in the Army from 1987 to 1991. He enjoyed meeting the veterans at the Warrior House, staying up late telling stories and getting up at 4 a.m.
“We’ve had a lot of laughs,” Wolcott said. “It’s about making new friends. It’s not about killing animals. It’s about bringing people together.”
Photo courtesy of Thom Jennings – Tim Wolcott serves as a hunting guide for veterans through the Warrior House.
Wolcott said the Warrior House “will definitely grow.” He said there are plans for a rifle range and hunting trips for kids who lost a parent to war.
“These are kids who don’t have someone to take them hunting,” Wolcott said.
Sue Zeliff said she her husband Pete Jr. are thankful for the support in developing the Warrior House. She was busy Saturday preparing lunch and serving the veterans their meals.
“We’re very fortunate we can give back to the people who have given so much,” she said.
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society is making several thousand dollars available in grants to community organizations and projects.
The grants generally range from $200 to $500 and are awarded to qualifying not-for-profit organizations and/or programs in the Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby region.
Funding is intended to help programs that clearly benefit this community and that have favorable tax and regulatory status.
The community endowment has given out nearly $20,000 over the past five years. The most recent round of grants included funding for improvements to the veterans plot at Boxwood Cemetery, to the Medina Business Association for Old-Tyme Christmas, emergency dollars to fix porch damage at the Medina Historical Museum, dollars to The Arc of Orleans toward kitchen equipment for Camp Rainbow, support for Medina’s Civil War Re-Enactment last April, stone repair from frost damage at the Armory (“Y”), and continuation of student scholarships.
To apply for a grant, organization leaders need to fill out a Sandstone Trust Application form and mail to Sandstone Trust, Post Office Box 25, Medina, by the application deadline, Nov. 14.
Application forms can be obtained as follows: In person at Medina Parts Co. (NAPA) 345 N. Main St. or Michael Zelazny, CPA 511 Main St.; By regular mail request sent to Sandstone Trust, PO Box 25, Medina, NY 14103; or online from the Sandstone Trust web page www.sandstonesociety.org.
Questions may be sent by email at sandstonesociety@gmail.com or calling Michael Zelazny, CPA at 585-798-1006.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Dawn Keppler says she wants association to reach out to rural judges
Photo by Tom Rivers – Dawn Keppler, the Shelby town justice since 1999, is one of 12 justices from around the state serving on the board of directors for the New York State Magistrates Association. She was elected to serve on the board on Sept. 28.
SHELBY – Dawn Keppler, a town justice in Shelby since 1999, was elected by her peers to serve on the board of directors for the NYS Magistrates Association, the first judge from Orleans County to serve on the organization’s board.
Keppler was picked for the board on Sept. 28 during the Magistrates annual conference in Niagara Falls. The association provides training and resources for town and village justices throughout the state.
Keppler said she will push for rural judges to better use the training programs offered through the Magistrates Association. All judges need to complete certification and training each year. They can take courses on-line or in person at conferences. (Ridgeway Town Justice Joseph Kujawa and Kendall Town Justice Debbie Drennan attended the four-day conference in Niagara Falls.)
Keppler was backed by a nominating committee to serve on the State Board. She has been the judge since Shelby and Ridgeway voted to share services in the court system, with the Shelby Town Hall used for both courts, and the Shelby and Ridgeway judges having jurisdiction in both towns.
The Village of Medina also dissolved its court in 2011, with those cases shifted to Ridgeway and Shelby.
Keppler said more towns and villages are looking to share services with their court systems.
“I’m one of the unique judges who has dealt with consolidation,” she said. “Many are now talking about it.”
The Town of Yates also has joined Shelby and Ridgeway in having multi-town jurisdiction for the judges. The three towns have gone from two judges each to one each. Yates keeps its court system at the Yates Town Hall.
Keppler said the shared system has been beneficial in the Medina community, where people going to court were often confused whether they went to the Ridgeway or Shelby town hall, or the Medina Village Hall. Now, they just go to the Shelby Town Hall.
Keppler works with her husband Phil and family in a cattle business, SK Herefords. Keppler manages the office and books, and helps when needed in the barn.
She also is the office manager for Webster, Schubel and Meier, a law office on West Center Street in downtown Medina.
She enjoys her job as the local town justice.
“It’s interesting – no case is ever the same,” she said. “Your job is to apply the law as it is written and uphold fairness in the courtroom.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run has raised more than $250K
Photos by Tom Rivers
EAST SHELBY – There were about 200 people out walking and running the 3.1-mile course on a chilly Saturday morning for the 27th Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run.
The course starts near the East Shelby Fire Hall on East Shelby Road.
The Knights and Kaderli families have raised more than $250,000 with the event in 27 years. The money is put in a fund and given to help families with expenses while battling cancer.
John Bertrand of Clarence has a big burst of energy at the start of the race. He finished third overall with a time of 23:51. John is the grandson of the late Richard Knights.
Mr. Knights died from cancer in 1984. Five years later Sue Scharping Kaderli died from the disease.
The two families work together with fund-raisers for the Knights-Kaderli Fund. Other families also help, including the family of the late Dave Millis of Albion. Together they are able to distribute about $50,000 annually to help about 50 families battling cancer.
John Kaderli, the son of the late Sue Kaderli, sells raffle tickets on Saturday. There were about 100 gift baskets available during Saturday’s event. Kaderli thanked the community for supporting the cause for so many years.
“It’s a fabulous fund,” he said. “We’ve been able to help a lot of people.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Shelby site is listed on National Register of Historic Places
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Alice Zacher, the Shelby town historian, speaks after a new historical marker was unveiled on Sunday at the Millville Cemetery on East Shelby Road.
Zacher wrote the application to have the marker paid for by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
Shelby Town Councilman Ken Schaal, left, and Mike Fuller, the highway superintendent, remove a cover from the historical marker on Sunday. The town pays for the upkeep of the cemetery. Fuller and the Highway Department installed the marker.
The Millville Cemetery was established in 1871. The cemetery was an early Quaker burial grounds. Back then the graves were close together. The cemetery would take on the rural garden cemetery style, with bigger spaces between graves, towering trees and ornamental grave stones.
The cemetery in 2007 was included on the National Register of Historic Places. Three other cemeteries in Orleans County are on the National Register: Mount Albion Cemetery, Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon; and Boxwood Cemetery in Medina.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, leads about 30 people on a tour of the cemetery.
Lattin praised the Shelby citizens from more than a century ago for creating such a beautiful place. Those residents went to one-room school houses and graduated with eighth-grade educations, Lattin said.
They may not have earned college degrees, but they they knew about the power of trees, a well-designed chapel and an attractive landscape, Lattin said.
“This cemetery tells a lot about the people back then,” he said. “Look at their appreciation of nature and aesthetics. There is no other chapel like this in the world.”
The monuments and Victorian funerary art reflect the prosperity of the community back when it was home to three sawmills, gristmill and turning mill, according to the description of the site on the National Register.
The cemetery is elevated in an otherwise flat area. “The landscaping and roads and the plantings make it an exemplary vernacular rural cemetery,” according the Department of the Interior, which decides whether a site meets the threshold to be on the National Register.
Bill Lattin leads the group on a tour of the cemetery. He discussed many of the Victorian features of the gravestones, the ornamental symbols to reflect mourning and a belief in an afterlife.
Lattin congratulated current Shelby citizens, led by Alice Zacher, for getting the Millville Cemetery on the National Register and for the work in getting the chapel (behind Lattin in the photo) repainted this past August.
“They should be commended,” Lattin said about the Shelby citizens. “You’re carrying on a tradition of aesthetics.”
Lattin has family buried in the cemetery. He noted the names of many family plots, such as Dresser and Pask, that are names of roads in the community.
Many prominent local residents are buried at Millville, including this large grave marker for Arnold Gregory, who left money to start a hospital in Albion. The statue in back left marks the grave for Asa Hill, a Civil War soldier and local farmer.
Photos by Thom Jennings – Some of the hunters pose with some of the birds harvested during the hunt last weekend in Shelby
SHELBY – It’s shortly after 4:00 a.m. on a rainy Saturday morning in Shelby, but the spirits of the visiting veterans and volunteers at the newly christened Warrior House are not dampened.
“That’s why they call it water fowl,” one of the volunteers quips when asked if the morning hunt will take place in the rain.
Thirteen injured veterans were the guests of honor for the first weekend of what is dubbed “Operation Restoration,” a new program that brings wounded veterans together for a weekend hunt at a house on Salt Works Road in Shelby.
Hunters and veterans finish up breakfast and get ready for the hunt.
Just a few weeks ago the residence that now serves as a sleeping quarters was cleared out and cleaned up by a small army of volunteers, many of them from the Akron Free Methodist Church.
The kitchen now houses new appliances, donated from various individuals and businesses and what once served as a living room is now filled with newly constructed beds, built with volunteer labor from the Christian Youth Corps, a group based in Delevan, NY.
Christian Youth Corps group receives guidance on how to construct bed frames last month.
A hunter relaxes at the newly made sleeping quarters.
The concept of The Warrior House was developed in May of this year, not long after Peter Zeliff Jr. purchased the property on Salt Works road, which at one time was a commercial hunting business. A conversation between Zeliff and tractor salesman Joe Pionessa led to what became a series of organizations and individuals working together to make the first weekend hunt possible.
By 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, Doni Roehling cooked over a dozen breakfast sandwiches and the hunters began gathering their commemorative goose calls and headed to the blinds.
By 5:00 a.m. the house was quiet, with just a few volunteers staying behind to clean up, including Zeliff and his seven-year-old son Owen.
In less than six months the Warrior House has become a reality, and what was originally supposed to be an initial group of 10 hunters became 13, five came through Chappy’s Outdoors and eight from Operation Injured Soldier.
By the conclusion of the weekend the group harvested over 60 geese, and several pheasants and pigeons, all while enjoying the camaraderie and support of volunteers and fellow military veterans.
This past weekend’s hunt is only the beginning of Zeliff’s long-term plans for The Warrior House. The second group of injured veterans will arrive the weekend of Oct. 30, and there are plans for other groups to utilize the property over the next year.
This shows one of the commemorative custom-engraved duck calls.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 September 2015 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – Mike Fuller has worked 40 years plowing and building roads in the Town of Shelby, including the past 10 years as highway superintendent.
He has helped the town expand its water system, and wants to push for more public water access in Shelby.
Mike Fuller
Fuller, 61, also makes the town highway department available for clearing land and helping to make land more attractive for businesses being wooed by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
Fuller, the fire chief for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company the past 12 years, said he is grateful for such an active role in the community. He is seeking another four-year term as highway superintendent.
“All of my men are very conscientious and don’t waste money,” Fuller said of the Highway Department, which incudes four motor equipment operators and three part-timers who mow cemeteries and town property.
Ed Houseknecht forced a Republican primary on Thursday with voting from noon to 9 p.m. at the Shelby Town Hall on Salt Works Road.
Houseknecht and Fuller are both 61. They were classmates as kids at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Medina.
Ed Houseknecht
Houseknecht was the superintendent of the Medina Department of Public Works for 23 years. He worked for the DPW for 30 years and then entered the private sector with Sergi Construction. He helped install the water and sewer mains in Albion and Medina with the major road reconstruction projects in those villages about a decade ago.
He returned to the public sector when he was appointed as the Orleans County highway superintendent, serving in the job for six years until retiring from the position in 2010.
Houseknecht has his own excavating company, Ed Houseknecht LLC. He installs water, sewer and septic – “any kind of digging,” he said.
Houseknecht said he is open to more shared services and cooperation with neighboring muncipalities, including the Village of Medina.
“I’m all for doing more with less,” he said.
He sees big potential with the vacant land for businesses in Shleby. He said his experience with infrastructure could pay off in developing that land for new companies. Houseknecht was the Medina DPW superindent when the orginal Medina Business Park was developed near Bates Road and Route 31A.
“I’m about doing some things that will move the town ahead,” Houseknecht said. “My entire life I’ve got my job based on my qualifications and what I can produce. If I’m the highway superintendent, I’ll be fully accessible.”
When he was Medina DPW superintendent, he was given a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest award by the Rotary Club, even though he isn’t a member. Houseknecht was recognized for helping to develop Rotary Park in downtown Medina.
When he was county highway superintendent, he was named employee of the year, an award that typically doesn’t go to a department head.
Houseknecht was instrumental in shifting major utilities as part of the nursing home renovation and addition project. The county didn’t contract that work out. Houseknecht and highway department tackled the job.
Houseknecht noted he has nearly 30 years of management experience, as well as his own skills in running heavy equipment.
“My whole purpose for wanting to do this is to make the town better,” Houseknecht said about seeking election as Shelby highway superintendent. “At this stage I have some talents that would behoove the taxpayer to have people come here and be involved.”
The highway department plows and maintains 46 miles of town roads, and also plows 18 miles of county roads and 14 miles of state roads.
Fuller said the town is utilizing computer technology in its sanders to “use just the right amount of salt to save taxpayers’ money.”
He said he is working to upgrade town roads, making them wider and stronger with more durable materials. That will allow the roads to better endure and handle bigger tractor trailers and farm equipment.
“The town roads weren’t built for that kind of equipment,” he said.
But the town needs to respond to the changes in agriculture and local industry, as more farms and companies utilize larger vehicles and equipment, Fuller said.
He is pleased the town is nearly done with Water District No. 11 and will open bids for Water District No. 10 later this month. The town is working on District No. 12 as well.
In addition, Fuller said he works with the Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District to upgrade town culverts to help with drainage of farmland.
SHELBY – A Medina man is hospitalized this morning with life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a car Monday night in the Town of Shelby.
The incident occurred at about 9:45 p.m. in the 11400 block of Harrison Road. Christopher M. Caldwell, 37, had been a passenger in a 2003 Chevrolet 4-door sedan operated by Danielle E. Conrad, 38, of Irondequoit in Monroe County.
At some point the two got into a domestic dispute and Caldwell was dropped off on Harrison Road. Conrad drove off, but returned to pick up Caldwell a short time later. She apparently drove past him at one point, then drove down the road and turned around. During all this time they were conversing with each other by cell phone.
Conrad drove down Harrison Road a second time and this time she struck Caldwell. He was flown by Mercy Flight helicopter to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo.
Conrad is charged with driving while intoxicated, driving with .08 percent (or more) Blood Alcohol Content, operating a motor vehicle while using a portable electronic device, and vehicular assault 2nd degree (Felony). She will appear in Town of Shelby Court later this morning.
Shelby firefighters assisted at the scene and Medina Fire Department Ambulance transported Caldwell to the awaiting helicopter.
The incident investigation and arrest was conducted by Deputy D.J. Pahuta, with assistance from Sgt. G.T. Gunkler, Investigator S.E. Brett, Deputy T.N. Tooley, and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan.
SHELBY – The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company has been approved for a $39,855 federal grant, Congressman Chris Collins announced today.
“This important funding will allow our department to purchase new auto extrication tools and improve safety in the local community,” said Andrew Benz, fire chief of the Shelby Fire Company. “The tools that we are currently using are over 20 years old. We are appreciative of Congressman Collin’s efforts on behalf of our department.”
The money is allocated through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which is designed to help first responders improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.
“Providing the necessary funding for our first responders is an excellent and prudent use of federal money,” Collins said. “Our local heroes need the proper resources to do their jobs and protect our communities. Many small fire companies and emergency medical service providers are unable to purchase necessary equipment upgrades due to financial limitations. This funding will help create more efficient and effective first responders, and I am honored to help these local fire companies secure federal grants.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 August 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Cavalry Tabernacle Church, which has owned the former Medina High School for the past 20 years, is looking to leave the site on 324 Catherine St. for a new building to be constructed on Maple Ridge Road.
The church would like to start construction on some of the site work this fall with the building to go up next year. Pastor Vince Iorio said the church would like to move in next fall, 2016. The congregation is still raising funds for the entire project.
Cavalry Tabernacle has the old school for sale for $150,000.
“We’re looking for buyers,” Iorio said after Thursday’s Orleans County Planning Board meeting.
The church wants to build a 9,306-square-foot building on Maple Ridge Road near Salt Works Road in the General Business District. The wood-framed structure would be on a 34-acre parcel. About 3 acres would be disturbed with the project, which would include a parking lot for 58 vehicles.
The church would have a stormwater retention pond on the property.
The Orleans County Planning Board voted for the project on Thursday and recommended Shelby officials OK the new construction. Shelby should require lighting for the project that would “minimize any ambient light pollution on neighboring residences,” county planners said.
Iorio said there are no immediate plans for much of the other vacant land owned by the church, but some of it could perhaps be used as ball fields in the future.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Pride Pak plans new facility in Medina Business Park
SHELBY – A Canadian company has decided against using a vacant manufacturing site in Medina and instead is planning a new facility for a vegetable processing, packaging and distribution facility.
Pride Pak Canada Ltd. wants to build a 66,000- to 80,000-square-foot facility in the Medina Business Park on Maple Ridge Road. That building, plus equipment, would be an $11 million investment, said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The company would like to break ground this fall on the project. It is working to pick a contractor.
The Town of Shelby voted on Tuesday evening to seek a $734,000 grant through the state Office of Community Renewal to assist Pride Pak with the project. The Ridgeway Town Board had sought the grant for Pride Pak but the application is being reintroduced because of the change in location for the project.
The company would have 40 employees in its first year, another 40 the second year and would reach about 200 at full capacity, Barone said.
Pride Pak was interested in the former BernzOmatic property. That site in Medina was vacated last year by Worthington Cylinders. The site is a 180,000-square-foot facility at 1 BernzOmatic Drive.
Pride Pak decided instead for a new building. The company may expand beyond the new building in the future, Barone said.
The Orleans EDA previously approved a property tax discount for Pride Pak if it bought and used the BernzOmatic site. In addition to a discount on property taxes, Pride Pak was approved for a sales tax exemption for equipment and building materials, an estimated savings of $280,000.
In addition to the jobs and boost in tax base, Pride Pak would benefit the local economy by buying some local produce, and packaging it to be distributed to grocery stores. The company wants to expand its operations from Canada and better serve a large northeastern US grocery chain, Orleans EDA officials said.
Pride Pak also has been approved for 1 megawatt of hydropower, which is deeply discounted electricity from the New York Power Authority.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Phoebe Allen, 6, of East Shelby rides a horse that is led by Leah Sheelar. There were several horses available for rides today at Old Tyme Day at the East Shelby Community Bible Church.
The church celebrated its annual old-fashioned festival today, and a few thousand people were served pie, hot dogs, popcorn and candy – all for a penny.
The church also treated people to wagon rides, candle-making, horseback rides and many other activities that were light on technology.
Sandra Snyder of Medina stays busy making popcorn, which proved a popular snack even on a hot and humid day.
Lydia Miller, 9, of Albion shows her skills in walking with stilts.
These “townspeople” showed up at the town meeting agitating for women’s rights. They include, from left: Brie Olsen, Olivia Doberstein and Becca Nigro.
The church brings to life the West Jackson Corners hamlet for Old Tyme Day and the community held a mock election for mayor.
Here is one of the ballots for mayor. Each candidate ran an energetic campaign during the festival today, delivering stump speeches and passing out propaganda.
Alice Root, a volunteer with the church, has the pies ready for the crowd. The church served up 285 pies – more than 2,000 slices of pie altogether.
The pie and everything else were only a penny today.
Doug Fairbanks of Arkwright in Chautauqua County leads this wagon ride.
West Jackson Corners was full of people and activities by the church on East Shelby Road.
Erik Olsen, pastor of the church, leads the town meeting at West Jackson Corners.
Susanne Keryk, left, and her daughter Karen made flowers and animals out of balloons. Susanne’s son Keenan was also a balloon artist.
