By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
EAST SHELBY – Bob Pask directs two Belgian mules on a wagon ride today at West Jackson Corners, the community that includes the East Shelby Community Bible Church. Beth Johnson-Walsh gets a front row seat on the ride.
The church welcomed the community for carriage rides, cookies, popcorn, caroling and other activities today.
Sue Keryk and her daughter Karen Cuddy made balloon art for children inside the church.
The sanctuary also provided a spot for people to sip hot cocoa and eat some baked goods.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BASOM – Leaders of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge have brought some of the creatures and habitat of the refuge inside for visitors to experience as part of a $4.5 million upgrade to its headquarters and visitor center.
Tanya Preisch, an administrative assistant for the refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries, holds a racoon pelt that is part of a new visitor center with many wildlife exhibits.
The entrance of the visitor center includes flocks of birds, suspended high near the ceiling. The birds have a reflective material, giving off changing colors.
Refuge leaders celebrated the new center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. Today the grand opening celebration continues with demonstrations of live birds of prey from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and other games and crafts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the refuge on Casey Road.
The exhibits mimic some of the habitat in the refuge. The new headquarters and visitor center gutted and upgraded the previous building and added 5,000 square feet of space.
The project was driven by the co-location of the refuge staff with employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries. The 18 to 20 employees from Fisheries moved from East Amherst to work out of the refuge.
This exhibit shows a muskrat in its marshy habitat.
This display notes that Native Americans were once prominent at the refuge, a 10,808-acre site in the towns of Shelby and Alabama.
A large fish tank highlights fish in the Great Lakes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand chats with carpentry students at the Iroquois Job Corps Center in Medina today.
MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand hailed the Iroquois Job Corps Center as a model for success, a program very deserving of the government’s support.
Gillibrand stopped by the center today and met some of the students and staff. The center has 225 students who stay in dorms. There are seven Job Corps in the state. This was the first residential program Gillibrand visited.
The students learn hands-on vocational training. She met with students in the carpentry program where they were building a small lighthouse today that will have solar panels on it.
“This is the kind of program we need to support,” she said after meeting students. “It’s good for the economy.”
Sen. Gillibrand tours the carpentry shop with Michael Wisor, a carpentry instructor.
Many of the students learn skills and can enter the workforce. Others pursue college or the military. Job Corps staff will stay in touch for students for two years following their graduation, providing guidance and support, Gillibrand said.
“This program is vital,” she said. “It is a great environment that is 24-7.”
The Iroquois Job Corps is on the wildlife refuge. It opened in 1966. The federal government created the Job Corps program 50 years ago.
Iroquois staff invited Gillibrand as part of the program’s 50th anniversary. She also plans to visit a center in Oneonta on Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has visited the Iroquois Center before. The site is down about 25 students from its capacity of 250. The Department of Labor froze enrollments last year due to a budget shortfall. Gillibrand, Schumer and Congressman Chris Collins have written letters to the DOL to allow the centers to again operate at capacity, said Melinda Maedl, business and community liaison for the Iroquois Job Corps.
“They’ve all been great supporters of the program,” Maedl said.
Gillibrand is pictured with Melissa Volpe, director of the Iroquois Job Corps.
MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will be in Orleans County this morning to tour the Iroquois Job Corps Center on Tibbitts Road in the Town of Shelby.
Gillibrand will meet with students and staff. Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program for disconnected young people ages 16 through 24. Gillibrand wants to hear firsthand from students how the program is preparing them for 21st century jobs.
The Iroquois Job Corps Center is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and uses its training programs to help its students improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. The center is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Firefighter Mark Watts congratulates Eddie Southcott for making a big difference in the community. Southcott was treated to a big party on his 100th birthday today at the Shelby Fire Hall.
Southcott is a World War II veteran and a long-time leader for the fire company. He was led to the fire hall in an antique car. He is currently staying at The Willows, an assisted care residential facility.
Southcott is all smiles after arriving for his surprise party.
Bob Bracey provides a steady arm for Southcott. Many community members turned out for the party today. Bracey is one of Southcott’s neighbors and also serves as a firefighter.
Ron Lasal grew up next to Southcott on South Gravel Road. Lasal made a point of stopping by and congratulating Southcott today.
“He was like a second father to me,” Lasal said. “He was great. I was over there all the time.”
Southcott is pictured in this photo when he served in World War II.
State Assembly members Steve Hawley and Jane Corwin were at the party and presented proclamations from the state, congratulating Southcott for his milestone birthday and his years of community service.
“Anytime you can recognize a veteran it is special,” Hawley said. “It’s a testament to the Greatest Generation. There are not a lot of veterans left from that time.”
The Shelby Town Board presented a proclamation to Southcott and declared it “Eddie Southcott Day.”
“It gives you an opportunity to honor a lifetime resident and a person who has contributed to others his whole life,” said Skip Draper, the Shelby town supervisor.
Southcott is a special person to Shelby firefighters. Many stop by The Willows to see him and take him out to dinner.
“It’s good to honor somebody, especially someone like Eddie,” said Sidney Watts, a past president for the fire company. “None of our members have even come close to 100 years.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2014 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – The Medina community and the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company will honor Ed Southcott on Saturday for his 100th birthday.
There will be a processional of antique cars and a fire truck from The Willows, where Southcott is a resident, to the Shelby firehall on Route 63. The community is encouraged to be out on Main Street at about 4 p.m. on Saturday when Southcott and his family head to the fire hall.
“He’s a local guy who’s super nice,” said Tom Fuller, who is chairman of the celebration party for Southcott.
Southcott is a former chief of the fire company. He has been a member for more than six decades. He also is a World War II veteran who flew bomber planes.
Saturday’s celebration will include proclamations from the U.S. Senate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Shelby Town Board, Orleans County Legislature and State Legislature.
Provided photo – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library has received several grants from the Medina Sandstone Trust to retain a program to microfilm or digitize old Medina newspapers, thus preserving access to hometown history. Catherine Cooper, library directory, is shown here. She said the library web site gets a steady stream of “hits” at this program by people seeking Medina facts and background.
Press Release
Medina Sandstone Society
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society is guiding its endowment, the Sandstone Trust, into its fourth season of taking grant requests in the immediate community that comprises Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby. The society will accept grant applications until Nov. 14.
Michael Zelazny, chairman of the committee on grants, stressed that filing of the grant requests is a simple matter of only five or 10 minutes.
“We’ve had a good history of providing our small-sized grants to Medina area programs and organizations and we’ve been able to distribute over $15,000 to more than 30 organizations,” he continued.
Zelazny’s request for applications is targeting organizations that qualify through tax or regulatory status and which have “a clear profile of programs to benefit the community.”
Checks ranging from $200 to $500 go to help worthy programs. The chairman listed typical projects benefitted since 2011 such as downtown Christmas lighting, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, Medina Historical Society, Medina Business Association, The Arc of Orleans, YMCA, Orleans Renaissance Group, CAC pre-school, school-parent activities, downtown clock project, Medina Tourism Program, Parade of Lights, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Family Literacy, Millville Cemetery Association and other groups.
Application forms for the grant program are available from the society’s website (click here). Printed copies of the application can be obtained at the Medina Village Offices, 119 Park Ave., NAPA Auto Parts on North Main Street, or at the office of Mr. Zelazny at 511 Main St. Or by a mail request to the Sandstone Society, Box 25, Medina 14108.
SHELBY – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the name of the teenager who died late Friday afternoon after sustaining a gunshot wound at his home in the Town of Shelby.
Jacob A. Stahl, 15, was a 10th grade student at Medina High School. He and a teenaged friend were in an upstairs bedroom when the incident occurred.
While the investigation is continuing, Sheriff’s Investigators are reasonably certain that Stahl’s death was a tragic accident that resulted from the careless handling of a loaded firearm. There is no evidence at this time that suggests foul play. The other youth, whose name is being withheld, has fully cooperated with investigators.
Medina Central School District officials were notified early in the investigation so they could make preparations for grief counseling when students and faculty/staff return to school on Monday.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Police officers are parked along Salt Works Road in West Shelby this evening after a 15-year-old died from a gunshot wound in the house in the back right.
Press Release
Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess
SHELBY – A 15-year-old boy is dead tonight, apparently from a fatal gunshot wound sustained late this afternoon.
The incident was reported to Orleans County 9-1-1 at about 5:30 p.m. Sheriff’s deputies and first responders were dispatched to a single-family home in the 5000 block of Salt Works Road. The deceased resided in that home.
The youth was pronounced dead at the scene by Orleans County Coroner Joseph Fuller. The boy was transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester for autopsy.
Another male youth, who is not a relative, was present at the time of the incident. The deceased boy’s father was also at home, but was in another part of the house when the incident occurred.
The incident remains under investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were assisted at the scene by State Troopers from the Albion barracks, the Shelby Fire Department, and Medina Fire Department Ambulance.
The Sheriff’s Office will release additional information as the investigation evolves.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 October 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Village officials were scheduled to meet with the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby last week for continued shared service talks.
The meeting set for Oct. 6 was cancelled. Ridgeway Town Supervisor Brian Napoli sent an email to reporters today trying to clear up misunderstanding about why the meeting was cancelled. Napoli said leaders from all three municipalities agreed to cancel the meeting “because Medina asked for additional time to prepare.”
But Medina Mayor Andrew Meier disagreed with Napoli’s assessment. Meier said the village isn’t dragging out the process.
The two towns were supposed to crunch numbers for the costs of taking over plowing and highway work within the village. The towns were to have numbers ready for a Sept. 2 meeting. Shelby Town Supervisor Skip Draper presented a proposal that would save villagers in Shelby $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed property in their tax rate, while other Shelby residents (outside the village) would see a tax increase of 45 cents per $1,000.
“If there is a message here it’s that this is very doable,” Draper said on Sept. 2.
Meier didn’t think those numbers were completely accurate because they didn’t include costs for salt and gasoline.
Napoli didn’t have a proposal at that meeting, but sent one about two weeks later. Meier said both proposals have been lacking in detail. The towns have also asked for more information from the village.
Meier said he is hopeful there can be serious talks among the three municipalities.
“We do have things we can work on, but it seems like we’re stalling out again,” he said.
The three municipalities met regularly in 2012 but those meetings were shelved. The village supported a dissolution study and that plan has the village dissolving with its services passed to the town towns, a local development corporation and an authority.
The two towns have questioned the accuracy of the dissolution data, and doubt if there would be significant savings with dissolution.
The dissolution plan identifies $277,000 in savings spread over three budgets that total about $11 million. That’s less than 3 percent and town officials said they only occur if everything went according to the plan perfectly.
The plan also identifies $541,000 in additional state aid as an incentive for dissolution, bringing the total benefit to the community of $818,000. The town leaders said the state aid may not be long-lasting
Village residents have the only vote on the issue if it goes to a public vote. The Village Board hasn’t set a referendum but a group of residents have been circulating petitions to force a vote on the issue.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2014 at 12:00 am
EAST SHELBY – Charlene Pratt, left, of Medina joins about 250 participants in the 26th annual Knights-Kaderli walk and run this morning. The 3.5 mile course started next to the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company.
Melissa Knights Bertrand, daughter of the late Richard Knights, welcomes the group of runners and walkers. Her niece Natalie Pellicano is at right. Natalie kicked off the race by shouting. “1, 2, 3, Go!” Bertrand helps organize the race and volunteers with for the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
The walk and run has raised about $20,000 each of the past five years. The Fund typically has about $50,000 a year to share with Orleans County residents and their families fighting the disease.
These runners take off near the start of the race. In its 26 years, the walk and run has raised nearly $250,000 for the Knights-Kaderli Fund. For more information on the fund, click here.
The fund was started by two families in honor of Richard Knights, who died from cancer in 1984, and Sue Scharping Kaderli, who died from the disease in 1989.
Todd Zinkievich, left, was among the participants in today’s walk and run. For many years the Zinkievich family has helped raise money for the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
This trio walked the course in honor of Susan Bennett of Barre, who was 67 when she died from cancer on Jan. 11. Kathy Jurs, left, is best friends with Bennett’s daughter, Amy Neal (center). Bennett’s daughter-in-law Jennifer Bennett also joined the walk today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Mayor says town now needs to resolve water cost dispute
SHELBY – A standoff in recent months over the water source for two new water districts in the town of Shelby has been resolved. The Village Board voted unanimously to have Medina provide the water.
The board, in particular Mayor Andrew Meier, had been reluctant to supply the new districts until the Town Board agreed to pay its share of an “ad valorum” charge to the Niagara County Water District. For Shelby, the charge would be nearly $25,000 a year for all of the water districts.
The Niagara County Water District billed the village $134,437 this year for the fee. The village hired Bonadio & Co. to determine a fair distribution of the charge and the firm calculated $24,171 for Shelby water users, $6,748 for Ridgeway water users and the village, $103,528.
Shelby doesn’t believe it needs to pay towards the fee, saying the village already hits the town with higher water rates than villagers pay. Ridgeway town officials have ignored the issue, except for an email from Town Supervisor Brian Napoli, who last Oct. 3 said the village “gouges” the towns for water.
“This appears to be another desperate attempt to use the Towns as funding sources for the Village’s overspending, poor financial management and inept budgeting,” Napoli wrote to Meier, in a message that was copied to Ridgeway and Shelby officials. “We have no intention of allowing the Village to dictate what goes into our budget. How do we proceed? By ignoring it.”
Shelby officials are willing to have a “good faith” discussion about the issue, attorney Karl Essler wrote to village officials on Sept. 16. Essler in his letter said the village needed to move forward on the water supply agreement so Shelby could advance the two water districts.
He said residents in the two districts have wells that are “severely poor quality” and pose a health threat to residents.
Essler said the village shouldn’t use the water supply issue as leverage in negotiating the Niagara County WD charge, which Essler said the village already applies to the town with higher water rates.
Village Attorney Matthew Brooks, in a Sept. 19 letter to Essler and Shelby officials, said the village is obligated to demand the ad valorum charge after the review by the auditing firm, which spelled out the responsibilities for the two towns for the charge.
Brooks, in his letter to Essler and Shelby, urged the town to stop a pattern of “unresponsiveness” and “brinkmanship.” Brooks said legal action may be needed to resolve the issue if the Town Board can not negotiate in good faith. Brooks said he wants the issue resolved by the end of the year.
Meier said he is hopeful the two towns will soon pay their share of the charge, which currently is borne solely on village water users. The Village Board in May voted to raise water rates for village residents. Meier said the average residential town water users gets a better deal than village water users.
“We’re looking for a resolution to this issue,” Meier said Tuesday evening. “The towns need to follow through with their end of the bargain.”
Photos by Sue Cook – Classic trucks line up for the truck show.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County fairgrounds was packed today with hundreds of people for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company’s September to Remember event.
This is the 12th year that the East Shelby Fire Company has put on the event, watching it grow from just a small swap meet to what it is today. The swap meet let vehicle enthusiasts get together to exchange parts and information.
“It was just a swap meet the first two or three years,” said event chairman Dave Green. “We thought we would give it up because we weren’t getting many people or making any money really, but then we started the truck and car show and it just took off and it’s gotten bigger and bigger every year.”
The flea market, swap meet, and craft show spread across most of the fairgrounds.
Some vehicles are for sale at the swap meet including ones that could be turned into someone’s pet project.
Today, about 50 trucks came out for the show ranging from 1900 until present in both modified and unmodified categories. The car show is much more popular and about 300 cars are expected to participate.
The categories include all different eras of trucks.
Tracy Flint from Barre brought a modified 1941 Chevy truck for the Saturday show. He purchased it eight years ago and has been making changes to it ever since. The vehicle now sports a gothic look that includes spiderwebs and skulls.
“It’s my retirement project,” he said. “When I first got it, I was going to make a rat rod out of it. The only rule with rat rods is to do it the way you want and this is the way I want it. I wanted something different.”
Flint sits behind the wheel of his vehicle. The mirrors and the steering wheel are held by chrome skeleton hands.
Flint has a shop at his house that he uses to modify his truck and fabricate parts. The wood that lines the bed of the truck was cut from a black walnut tree in Albion 20 years ago. Flint estimates he’s put about $15,000 into the truck so far and keeps it nice for shows, rather than driving it as a regular daily vehicle.
The event features 140 vendors that make up the swap meet, flea market and craft show, as well as a car/truck show and a lawn-and-garden tractor pull. The truck show was Saturday, while Sunday will feature only cars. The Ladies Auxiliary is also serving food. About 50 volunteers from the Fire Company and the Ladies Auxiliary run event.
“It depends on the weather, but we can make anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000,” said Green. “Last year it was $5,000 when it rained all day on Saturday. It’s a good fundraiser for our fire department. Gear and stuff is so expensive to buy and we need all the money we can get. This helps us out.”
Competitors bring out their tractors before the pull begins.
The lawn-and-garden tractor pull will return again on Sunday. Participants in the pull can be as young as six years old, though they generally pull on the smaller, often unmodified tractors.
Nick Zandrowicz gets ready to put his tractor on the scale to see if he needs to add or remove weights to qualify for his category.
Nick Zandrowicz, 13, wanted to start when he was four, but had to wait. He had watched his uncle doing tractor pulls with a triple-snowmobile-engine tractor and was excited to get started. When he turned six, he began immediately competing in events. His older sister also participates in tractor pulls.
“My parents fund this. I couldn’t afford to do this myself,” he said. “This is is something that they really support. We’re more of a motorsport family. We have a full trophy case of trophies between me and my sister.”
Marvin Cummings from Oakfield has been a hobby tractor puller for about 10 years. He attended the event today with a modified garden tractor to run exhibition instead of for a prize.
“It’s just a hobby,” he said. “You don’t prep, you just pull up to the track, put it to the floor and you go as fast as you can go. There’s no practicing until you get here.”
His fiance, Pat Keller, added, “I think it’s great. It’s something to do and something to look forward to. It’s great to come out here.”
Cummings and Keller clean and prep their tractor for the pull.
The event continues Sunday rain or shine from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and will feature the car show. There will also be musical entertainment. Parking is $5 per car.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
WEST SHELBY – It was about 35 years ago when Rob and Marcia Cook’s daughter Carrie came home with a tiny tree in a coffee cup. She got the little tree on a field trip.
The Cooks planted the white pine in their back yard on Salt Works Road. They would plant hundreds of other trees on what had been a hay field.
But about a year ago Mr. Cook noticed disease was killing some of the trees, including the one he planted with his daughter. The Cooks took down some of the trees, not wanting the disease to spread and wipe out all of the trees.
But they were reluctant to remove white pine their daughter brought home from school. They cut down most of it, but left an 8-foot-high stump. A wood carver put their last name in it and fashioned a sculpture of a green heron. Those birds are frequent guests in their back yard. The family lives near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
“It’s sentimental,” Mr. Cook said about the tree. “We wanted to keep it.”
I met the Cooks last week when I went to their house to get a picture of Kay Van Nostrand visiting Mrs. Cook’s mother Adelia Hellert. The Cooks have an impressive property, a nature wonderland.
Mr. Cook said residents from the Orchard Manor often come out to sit near his back yard pond and to listen to the birds. The harsh winter killed many of his fish in the pond, but he is restocking and looking forward to welcoming more guests, especially his 11 grandchildren.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2014 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – Town Supervisor Skip Draper sees tax savings for village residents if the Town of Shelby assumes plowing and street maintenance duties from the village.
Draper presented his numbers this evening during a joint session between elected boards for Shelby, Ridgeway and the Village of Medina.
Draper believes villagers could see their tax rate drop by $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed property for those in Shelby, while other Shelby residents would see a tax increase of 45 cents per $1,000.
“If there is a message here it’s that this is very doable,” Draper said after the meeting.
The village currently has five personnel dedicated to street maintenance and plowing. The village has about 50 miles of streets and 30 percent are in the town of Shelby and 70 percent in Ridgeway.
Draper, after talking with Shelby Town Highway Superintendent Mike Fuller, said the Shelby portion of village streets could be handled with an additional full-time worker throughout the year and a part-time seasonal employee for the winter.
Those two workers would cost about $90,000 for salary and benefits. The town would also have to add a 6-wheel dump truck with a plow and add a plow to an existing 1-ton pickup. Draper said that estimated $172,689 cost could be bonded over 10 years at a cost of about $18,000 annually.
The town would see $108,676 in added expense, but that would be reduced to $94,636 due to $14,040 in state highway revenue for plowing and sanding inside the village. Every $15,000 represents about 7 cents on the tax rate in Shelby. The $94,636 would raise Shelby’s overall tax rate by 45 cents.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier thought Draper budgeted too low by not accounting for road salt and other expenses. Draper said he didn’t include Christmas lights, banners, trees and watering.
“Those numbers don’t seem very believable,” Meier said following the meeting. “We’re talking about taking over major services in the village.”
Ridgeway Town Supervisor Brian Napoli didn’t have a comparable proposal prepared but he said it stands to reason Ridgeway would have to add two full-time workers and seasonal staff given the workload would be about twice as much for Ridgeway compared to Shelby.
If Ridgeway adds two and Shelby one that would be a net reduction of two full-time workers from the current village personnel assigned to the work.
A highway consultant, Tom Lowe, looked at the needed manpower for the two towns in a recent study. If Shelby and Ridgeway assume village highway work, Lowe suggested five workers for the two towns to do village roads, Meier said.
The three boards set Oct. 6 for the next meeting to discuss the issue. Meier said it will likely take hundreds of hours of work to fully analyze the issue and prepare a takeover for the towns to handle village highway work. But first the towns need to be specific about what they’re proposing to take over, Meier said.
Draper would like to see the towns work at taking over all non-emergency services from the village. That would bring down the taxes in the village and eliminate duplication of services between the village and the two towns.
He would like to see an agreement in place before the village budget is approved by May 1, 2015. He thinks the towns could be plowing village streets in the following winter.
Meier favors a dissolution plan that he said spells out in great detail how some village services, including plowing and street maintenance, should be taken over by the towns. Some village residents are circulating petitions to bring dissolution to a public referendum.
