By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2014 at 12:00 am
The towns of Shelby and Ridgeway were part of investigative piece by Channel 4 News in Buffalo today that looked at taxpayer dollars being spent for public relations.
The two towns hired Andina Barone of Mindful Media Group to fight the effort to dissolve the village of Medina and shift some of those village services and tax burdens to the two towns. A dissolution plan sees a 46 percent increase in town taxes in Ridgeway and 10 percent in Shelby.
The towns have each spent about $3,000 for communication consulting, establishment of 24-hour call line, March print media buy, “Town messaging and dissemination,” art supervision, 5,000 stickers and 5,000 cards, according to a documents obtained by Channel 4.
A big crowd turned out last week at a public meeting about the dissolution plan, and most speakers opposed the plan.
“When each taxpayer is going to see a possible 46 percent increase in their taxes, the town has to spend resources in order to protect its taxpayers and they believed at the time that it was a prudent use of resources,” Emilio Colaiacovo, an attorney for the towns, told Channel 4.
The nearly $6,000 cost to Mindful Media Group doesn’t include the printing and mailing costs for at least three town-wide mailers about the dissolution. One mailer accused Medina Mayor Andrew Meier of mismanaging village finances. Another mailer faulted the Orleans Hub for being “unethical.”
The Channel 4 report highlights that Barone is the daughter of Gabrielle Barone, vice president of the Orleans Economic Development Agency. She is also an influential member of the Republican Party.
Colaiacovo said there is no conflict of interest with the towns hiring the younger Barone, who also does work for the EDA.
“The person you’re speaking of is an employee of the IDA. She has no vote. She has no say. She reports to the CEO of the IDA, so she can tell the CEO everything she would want him to say, he ultimately has the final say on IDA decisions along with its board,” Colaiacovo said.
Channel 4 also noted other public entities that pay for PR, including the Niagara Falls Water Board, Erie County Water Authority and the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2014 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – Residents have more time to submit comments about a proposed quarry in the town of Shelby near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.About 250 people attended a public hearing last week at the Shelby Town Hall. The state Department of Environmental Conservation set a May 12 deadline for written comments about the project. Town of Shelby officials have posted on the town web site that the comment period has been extended until June 9.
Those comments should be directed to Scott Sheeley, regional permit administrator, DEC Region 8, 6274 Avon-Lima Rd., Avon, NY 14414-9519.
Frontier Stone LLC of Wilson is proposing a new, 215-acre dolomite/limestone quarry on a 269-acre parcel about 3.7 miles south of the village of Medina. Residents last week said the project would threaten the refuge, nearby property values and reduce the quality of life for residents and wildlife with dust, traffic and noise, as well as other potential dangers.
For more information about the project and contacting the DEC, visit dec.ny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Opinions run gamut, but most speakers oppose dissolution
Photos by Tom Rivers – Neil Sambovski of Ridgeway, outside the village, speaks against a dissolution of the village because it would drive up taxes for residents in the town outside Medina.
MEDINA – It’s been a topic of conversation for months in coffee shops and the community.
“Everyone has an opinion,” Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Medina Dissolution Committee, said about a plan to dissolve the village’s government. “If you talk to anyone in the village or in the towns, you have an opinion.”
Tonight residents were welcome to air their opinions in public, and many seized the opportunity.
“They’re diverting the tax from people in the village to people outside the village,” said Hannah Brant, a village resident with property in the two towns. “It’s driving a lot of fear into the community.”
Brandt was one of 300 people who attended a public meeting at Wise Middle School about the draft dissolution plan. It calls for dissolving the village of Medina and having its government services picked up by the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby, and other taxing districts or entities.
Colquhoun and the Medina Dissolution Committee approved a draft plan last month. Many residents spoke at the nearly the 2 ½ hour meeting and were against the village dissolution – for many different reasons. Their comments will be considered in any changes to the plan that would then go to the Village Board.
Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Medina Dissolution Committee, said the group will next meet in late May or early June to consider residents comments and whether the draft dissolution plan should be altered.
The Village Board will have public hearings if it decides to proceed with dissolution. It would then go to a public referendum for village residents only.
Several residents outside the village in the two towns said outside-village residents should have a vote as well. One resident called the plan “taxation without representation.”
The plan shifts some of the current villages expenses to the two towns, in particular to Ridgeway. Outside-village residents in Ridgeway would see a 46 percent increase in their town taxes while Shelby residents outside the village would see a 10 percent increase in town taxes. More village streets happen to be in Ridgeway, and so is Boxwood Cemetery, which would become the responsbilty of Ridgeway as part of the plan.
“If my taxes go up 46 percent, I’m leaving Orleans County,” said Neil Samborski of Ridgeway. “We can’t afford it.”
Village resident J.C. Hobbs said village residents have long been overburdened with taxes. He said there needs to be a push to reduce the village taxes.
“It’s all about fairness,” he said.
Village resident J.C. Hobbs said village residents pay too mch in taxes, especially compared to outside-village residents.
Village residents would see a drop ranging from 27 percent in Ridgeway to 34 percent in Shelby. The rate in Ridgeway would drop from $19.49 per $1,000 of assessed property to a projected $14.30, according to the plan. That $5.20 reduction would save a homeowner with a $70,000 house $363 a year in taxes.
Village residents in Shelby currently pay a combined $19.80 rate ($16.45 to the village and $3.35 to the town). That would drop 34 percent to $13.10 and would cut the tax bills from $1,386 for a $70,000 house to $917.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the current taxing structure artificially makes the village taxes about 20 percent higher than those just outside the village borders. Dissolving the village would make the tax rates more equitable.
He worries the current system funnels too much tax burden on village property owners. It is chasing away residents and investment, leading to blight and shrinking tax assessments.
“A healthy town requires a healthy village,” Meier said.
Even with dissolution, village residents will pay about $4 more per $1,000 of assessed property than the outside-village residents. The village debt would stay with the village property owners until it is paid off in abut a decade. That accounts for $2 of that projected tax rate. A new fire district also is suggested to maintain the Medina Fire Department.
The Ridgeway residents outside the village currently pay a $6.71 rate for town, lighting and fire protection. That would rise 46 percent to $9.83 if the village dissolves and services are picked up according to the plan.
Shelby residents would see a 10 percent increase with dissolution with the current rate for outside-village residents going from $8.36 per $1,000 of assessed property to $9.17. That would raise taxes for a $70,000 home from $585 to $642.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said village residents are unfairly burdened with high taxes.
The committee is suggesting a new debt district, two lighting districts, a water/sewer local development corporation, and a new fire district. Ridgeway would take over a town police force that would be contracted to include Shelby, according to the proposal.
Former Mayor Marcia Tuohey said she expects taxes would increase overall because of the new layers of government that are less accountable to residents.
“In the long run we’d be abdicating a lot of our services for more money,” she said.
Marguerite Sherman, a new village trustee, also said dissolution would result in less efficient government, trading one layer for up to five.
She and Mike Sidari, another new trustee, made a point of saying they aren’t necessarily in support of dissolution. Sidari said he moved to the village 29 years ago because of the police protection and other services, which he said naturally results in a higher tax burden compared to the rate outside the village.
“If the village goes by the wayside, there will be less control and who knows where the taxes are going,” he said.
The plan sees $277,000 in cost savings and $541,000 in additional state aid for $818,000 in overall benefit. But with combined budgets of more than $10 million, the $277,000 was called a small amount in operational savings.
The number could have been higher, but the Dissolution Committee didn’t want to eliminate any jobs or curtail services.
Village resident Todd Bensley doesn’t think the savings are enough to warrant dissolution of the village. He thinks the tax burden could be cut with more shared services with the two towns, and a push to become the City of Medina. That would result in siginifciantly more in state aid. Right now Medina receives about $45,000 in state aid as a community of about 6,000 people. Similar-size cities, such as Salamanca, get nearly a $1 million in state aid.
The City of Sherrill has half as many people as the village of Medina, but gets nearly $400,000 in state aid, Bensley noted.
The average village property owner would see $363 in tax savings, according to the plan.
“That sounds good, but look at all of the things we’re losing,” he said.
Bensley serves on the Village Planning Board, which he said has been committed to preserving the downtown historic district, while also welcoming businesses.
“The residents have worked hard to make the village what it is and I want it maintained,” Bensley said. “The mayor is asking us to get rid of a village with a 182-year-old tradition to save a few hundred dollars.”
Bensley also said he didn’t like that the village’s reduction comes with an increase to residents outside the village.
“I don’t want to save money on the backs of my neighbors,” he said.
Dave Kusmierczak said state and federal policies have hurt small-town upstate New York, providing too little aid and too many mandates.
Several residents were critical that the Dissolution Committee didn’t include more representation from outside-village residents. Only Cindy Robinson, a downtown business owner, lives outside the village. Other committee members include Colquhoun, Meier, Village Deputy Mayor Mark Irwin, Charlie Slack and Thurston Dale.
Meier said village residents are also town residents. The committee acted with the best interest of the community at heart, he said.
Leaders from the two towns and village met often in a consolidation and shared service study in 2011. The group suggested the village and two towns merge into one government entity. Meier and village officials wanted to make that happen, and town leaders said then a village dissolution would need to be the first step.
Meier said the bigger savings will come if the two towns join into one town, after the village dissolves. There would be more state aid and more cost efficiencies, bringing down the community’s overall, tax rate, Meier said.
In the mentime, he has sought concessions to village residents from the towns. Meier said village residents pay to plow and maintain village streets. They also are taxed for town streets. He wants an exemption in that portion of the town tax bill, which he said could knock $1 off the tax rate for village residents.
He cited the reconstruction of Gwinn Street, a popular thoroughfare in the village used by school buses and other traffic. Village taxpayers footed the entire $900,000 cost for improvements to that street, depsite its widespread use by motorists outside the village.
Residents enter the gymnasium at Wise Middle School. They walk past a display showing the tax savings annually for residents in the village, depending on the assessment of the property. About 300 people attended the meeting.
Kit Trapasso is a retired psychologist at Medina Central Scool. He lives in the village and has witnessed an exodus of residents, not only from the village but Orleans County and Western New York. (The eight WNY counties all had a population loss from 2000 to 2010.)
Schools have experienced significant drops in student enrollment, prompting some districts, including Medina, to close a school. The Towne Primary School closed about two years ago.
“In New York State we are taxing ourselves to death,” Trapasso said. “I hope as a community we’re willing to work together to say let’s be in for a change.”
Trapasso said he favors dissolving the village and merging the two towns because it has the most savings and promise for reduced tax bills.
Tom McGrane, a retired teacher, said the dissolution process hasn’t gone well. The two towns have sent out information “that has been dividing us.” McGrane said Meier as mayor, Skip Draper as town supervisor of Shelby, and Brian Napoli as town supervisor of Ridgeway need to get over “turf wars” and find a solution for the high taxes.
“We need to really sit down and say let’s do it for the community,” McGrane said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken Printup lives on Bigford Road near a proposed quarry. He said the project would be a detriment to the neighborhood and the wildlife refuge.
SHELBY – Residents in rural southern Shelby said they moved there for the peace and quiet, and the proximity to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches over about 11,000 acres and is home to about 300 different species of birds.
That tranquility would be threatened by a new limestone quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road, residents said in a public hearing attended by about 250 people on Wednesday night. Frontier Stone LLC is proposing to excavate 172 acres in four phases in the next 75 years.
Residents packed the Shelby Town Hall during the public hearing about the draft environmental impact statement, a 1,000-plus page document the company has been working on since 2006.
“The people in this room span the political spectrum but we are united in opposition to this proposal,” said Gary Kent, who is active in the Bluebird Society and Sportsmen Federation in Orleans County.
He said the county has already been losing wildlife habitat with many hedge rows taken out as more land is farmed.
A quarry so close to the wildlife refuge “is ill conceived,” Kent said during the hearing. “It does not have the support of Orleans County residents.”
Gary Kent addresses Molly McBride, an administrative law judge for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, during a public hearing on Wednesday at Shelby Town Hall.
Frontier representatives urged the public to study the DEIS. The project can coexist with the wildlife refuge and Frontier has mitigation plans for dust and other concerns with the project, said Kevin Brown, an attorney for Frontier.
The project is on land owned by the Zelazny family about 3.7 miles south on the village of Medina. Frontier would need to dewater the quarry and estimates it will pump 554,000 gallons of water daily into a drainage ditch.
The company expects 30 truck trips per hour, with 15 coming and going during the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. operational hours from Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Most of the truck traffic would be on Route 63 and Oak Orchard Ridge Road.
Town Highway Superintendent Mike Fuller said the truck traffic would damage town roads at an expense to local taxpayers. He said he opposed the project for that reason and its location by the refuge.
Frontier has completed numerous studies about the possible impacts on wildlife and also groundwater, the top two environmental issues with the project, Brown said. He said the gradual expansion of the mine, about 10 acres of quarrying in the first decade, gives animals at the refuge and nearby plenty of time to adapt.
Phase 1 of the quarry, those first 10 acres, will also become a reservoir and that water will normalize flows out of the quarry and will prove an asset for the area, Brown said. He urged people to read the environmental impact study, which he said is based on science and shows the project can work at the site.
If the quarry proves a problem for local wells, Brown said Frontier would pay to deepen wells or to run a public waterline to the homes.
“If you honestly look through the EIS and the science, you’ll see we’ve reviewed the environmental impacts and this quarry is in the right place,” he said at the hearing.
Kevin Brown, an attorney for Frontier Stone LLC, says the proposed site will not endanger the refuge or nearby residents.
Residents’ comments from the hearing will need to be addressed during a final EIS through the DEC. If Frontier can meet the DEC’s approval, the company still needs to get the support of the Town Board for the project.
The land would need a zoning change from Residential/Agricultural to Industrial, and the town would need to grant a mining permit.
Many residents urged the DEC to reject the environmental study from the company, and they asked the town to keep the land Rural/Agricultural.
Holly Roesch lives a half mile from the proposed site on Fletcher Chapel Road. She doesn’t want “the constant murmur of a quarry” or all the dust drifting onto her property.
Frontier said it would create 15 jobs with the project, but Roesch said that isn’t enough of a benefit for the disruption to the neighborhood and refuge.
She and other residents noted there are many other nearby quarries and the new one would just take business from them. The new quarry may not result in a net increase in jobs.
Roesch and others said the big job creator is proposed on the other side of the refuge. Genesee County officials have been working with regional and state leaders to develop the 1,250-acre Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the town of Alabama.
The STAMP site is a mile south of Orleans County and is projected to create 10,000 jobs in high-tech manufacturing, as well as 50,000 other jobs in support businesses. The site, however, needs to be quiet without ground vibrations and dust.
Genesee County officials are submitting written comments, asking the DEC to insist on studies to make sure the quarry doesn’t make STAMP unusable for nanotechnology and other high-tech manufacturing.
“Mining and nanotechnology do not go together,” said Francis Domoy, a nearby resident who has a doctorate in resource management.
Domoy said mining provides little benefit to a community in a cost-benefit analysis.
The new quarry has the support of the NY Construction Materials Association. The site in Shelby meets the association’s criteria for a successful mine: high quality and quantity of material, ability to be mined, and access to market, said David Hamling, the association president.
The association represents a $5 billion annual industry in crushed stone, asphalt and sand gravel production. Those materials are essential for roads and building projects, Hamling said.
New York uses 175 million tons of aggregate each year or about 10 tons per person, Hamling said.
“It’s a nonrenewable resource,” he said. “Because of its nonrenewability, it’s incumbent on us as a society to plan for the future.”
The Lockport formation runs from Michigan to Rome in New York, said Wendi Pencille, a Ryan Road resident and president of the Citizens for Shelby Preservation. Frontier could find other sites in less environmentally sensitive areas for the quarry, she said.
She listed several concerns with the project, including the discharged water from the quarry. The water would be high in minerals, iron and sulfur and would overflow into the refuge and Oak Orchard Creek.
“The effects of this massive amount of contaminated discharge water on species of plants and animals, including the salmon, have not been evaluated,” Pencille said.
Karen Jones, a resident of South Gravel Road, listed several environmental concerns with the proposed quarry, as well as negative effects on tourism and community character.
Pencille said the project should be denied by the DEC due to the impact on fish, wildlife and residents due to hazardous substances, particulates, gasses, dust, vapors, noise, radiation, odors, nutrients and heated liquids from the quarry.
“There are other locations for mining limestone in New York State that do not pose a threat to the environment, to sensitive wildlife species and to communities,” Pencille said.
The Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and also the 11-county Finger Lakes Conservation Council spoke out against the project by the refuge.
“We feel a quarry at this location is not worth the risk to the environment,” said Mike Elam, president Finger Lakes Conservation Council. “Twenty-one thousand acres of wetlands could be compromised. The drilling, blasting, noise and traffic would be disruptive.”
Mining by the site could also effect the aquifer that feeds Oak Orchard Creek and wetlands, he said.
Sandy Mendel, president of the Friends of the Refuge, said the site draws 35,000 to 50,000 a year with 87 percent of the visitors from 30 miles away or farther. That boosts the local economy, returning about $5 for every $1 spent maintaining the site, she said.
The air pollution, noise, lights and traffic from the quarry operation “will almost certainly degrade quality of life at refuge,” she said.
Charles Malcomb, special counsel from the Hodgson Russ law firm, is representing the town with the project’s review. Malcomb asked for a second public hearing because some residents weren’t able to get in the meeting room due to the crowd.
He also asked for more time for residents to submit written comments to the DEC. The deadline has been set at May 12.
The town wants more studies from Frontier and the DEC about the impact on hydrogeology and wildlife. The mining could disrupt the groundwater for residents in the area, including about 250 who live at the Iroquois Job Corps. They use about 35,000 to 40,000 gallons of groundwater a day.
Malcomb said the Town Board wants to maintain the open and rural character of the community. Frontier would need to have farmland rezoned.
About a dozen residents near the proposed quarry spoke at the hearing and asked the DEC to reject the project. Lorraine Davis lives on Baker Road, 1.7 miles from the site, and relies on well water.
“If we lose our water, there is no other source,” she said. “The negative impact of this is tremendous.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2014 at 12:00 am
About 250 attend hearing at Town Hall
Photos by Tom Rivers – Shelby resident Russell Cree speaks against a proposed quarry, saying it would be disruptive to a peaceful neighborhood.
Town Hall was packed with residents tonight during a public hearing about a proposed quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road.
SHELBY – Town Hall was at capacity – and then some – for a public hearing tonight about a proposed quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road.
Residents voiced concerns about the proposed quarry’s impact on nearby residential wells, the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge, and a proposed high-tech manufacturing park only a few miles away in the town of Alabama. That site is projected to have 10,000 jobs at full build-out. The state has committed $33 million in this year’s budget to advance that project.
The quarry would have a 75-year mining life. The 215-acre site would add 15 jobs to the community, according to Frontier Stone LLC.
The company has been working eight years on studies to get its draft environmental impact statement accepted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC held a public hearing about that 1,000-page plus report, and 250 residents turned out for the 2 ½ hour hearing.
Residents said the quarry would bring dust, noise, vibrations, heavy trucks, and foul water to a quiet and pristine area.
Brian McCarty lives on Dunlap Road. He enjoys the wildlife in the community, and said the refuge needs to remain a sanctuary for birds and animals.
“There is a higher calling as stewards of the earth that we all have to address,” he said at the hearing. “Where will the eagles go?”
Police worked 3 decades to ID remains of Shari Lynne Ball
Press release, New York State Police
SHELBY – The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, conducting a Cold Case investigation, has announced that an unidentified female body found in the Town of Shelby October 1983 has been identified as a Florida woman.
The body, which was found by a hunter several feet off the shoulder of State Route 63, was in a severely decomposed state and believed to have been there for several months.
The victim has been identified as Shari Lynne Ball. She was reported missing by her family in June 1983 to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Shari told her family that she was going to New York State to begin a modeling career. She made contact with a friend a day or two after she left Florida from a truck stop in Ashland, Va., but was never heard from again after that.
At the time of discovery, there was no identification near the body and no identifying characteristics on the body. The New York State Police has worked tirelessly for the last 30 years in trying to positively identify this person following every lead that came in. The cause of death is listed as “Undetermined.” However, police believe foul play may be involved.
In October 2013, there was a break in the ongoing Cold Case. The State Police BCI in conjunction with the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office and with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, requested a court order for the exhumation of the body from the cemetery in Albion, in order to obtain DNA for further analysis and entry into the National DNA Database.
Ultimately the DNA was processed and entered for comparison by the Chief Medical Examiners Office in New York City. A Database match was made to a family member who had entered their DNA several years ago in hopes of some day finding their loved one.
At the time of her disappearance Shari Lynne Ball was reported as being 20 years old, white female, 5’ 04”, 100 pounds, hazel eyes and blonde hair. She was also known to use the name of Timmerman.
The New York State Police is working with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and is asking that anyone who knew Shari Ball, or anyone who may be able to provide any information about her, to contact them at 585-344-6210.
‘The main thing I learned was to never give up on myself.’ – Graduate Rolando Ramos
Photos by Sue Cook – The Iroquois Job Corps graduating class of spring 2014 consisted of 132 graduates. Not everyone was able to attend the ceremony, however, because many graduates had already started their new jobs.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – Friday was a day of celebration at the Iroquois Job Corps in Medina as 132 students graduated from the program.
Job Corps offers training and education with free tuition to students ages 16 to 24. They earn a high school diploma or GED, and learn a trade with the goal of finding and keeping a good job.
Rolando Ramos, the student government president, stood before his classmates at commencement and told his story. He was working two jobs to support his family, but had dropped out of high school and did not have a diploma. He wanted to improve his situation and decided enrolling in Job Corps was the best solution. Ramos is graduating from the Brick Mason program.
“I told myself you need to set an example to your sisters and make your mother proud,” he said as he addressed the crowd in the gymnasium. “I learned a lot in this program. The main thing I learned was to never give up on myself.”
Ramos turned to the underclassmen watching from the bleachers. “If I did it, you all can do it, too.”
Another graduating student from Buffalo, Damone Foster, was also given the opportunity to speak. He offered a message of hope and achievement.
“We did it guys,” he said to the eruption of applause. “I came here and it really changed my life. I achieved a lot and it made me a better man today. I got to know a different Damone. Don’t let anything break you down. Stay positive and stay happy.”
Foster was the first child his mother has been able to see graduate. He and his two sisters dropped out of high school. Damone said the program was important for his future, but he also wanted his mother to be proud and to have the experience of watching one of her children walk the stage. Foster has graduated as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant and already has a job at the Waterfront Nursing Home in Buffalo.
Kylil Young is posed with Rev. William Coplin of Urban Christian Ministries of Buffalo and Louise Ross, the Admissions Counselor of Buffalo. Ross encouraged Young to enter Job Corps and was given the opportunity to see him graduate and congratulate him.
Job Corps Director Melissa Volpe distributed the diplomas to the students as they walked the stage. She instructed the graduates to not be afraid to follow their dreams even if it is a hard road and people tell you to give up.
“Don’t stop digging until you hit a river of blessings,” Volpe said. “Nothing worth having comes easy. You have to push through.”
The technical training Iroquois Job Corps offers falls into the categories of construction or medical careers. Brick masonry, carpentry and painting are the construction options. The medical options include Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA), Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) and Medical Administrative Assistant (MAA). Students can also earn their driver’s license through the program.
Center Director Melissa Volpe shakes hands with Keonna Pearson. Pearson is graduating from the Certified Nurse’s Assistant Program. To the right of the stage are Nursing Instructors Audrey Evans and Jimmy Ponder.
Many people often associate troubled inner-city kids with Job Corps. Not all those who attend are from Buffalo or Rochester. Students from the local area are also able to attend. Some students come from as far as Syracuse and even New Jersey.
Sometimes students enter the program for reasons such as dropping out of high school to being the caregiver of an ill family member.
The Iroquois Job Corps campus is located inside the scenic wildlife refuge. It gives students an opportunity to attend school in an environment as free from outside distractions as possible.
Once the graduation was complete and the students threw their caps into the air, they were able to celebrate with their families. The graduates all expressed endless gratitude to their teachers and their families. Tears were shed as people around the gym bear-hugged each other.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Vibrations could be an issue for ‘quiet’ site
ALABAMA – One of the attractions to building a 1,250-acre mega-site manufacturing site by a swamp: It’s quiet.
A “quiet” site is essential in the nanotechnology, the construction of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices.
The Alabama swamp and the rural surroundings make for a very quiet site, without vibrations in the ground that can compromise the manufacturing at such a small scale.
A proposal for a 215-acre quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road, not too far from the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and the proposed STAMP site, has officials concerned in Genesee County.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center will weigh in on the quarry proposal, asking the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the quarry developer for studies to make sure the project wouldn’t have a negative impact on STAMP.
“There are some concerns about vibrations,” said Steve Hyde, president of the GCEDC. “Let’s do a study. It may not be an issue.”
The proposed STAMP (Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park) is projected to attract $20 billion in investment, employ 10,000 on site and have a spinoff impact of another 50,000 jobs in the region. Companies could manufacture semiconductor 450mm chip fab, flat panel display, solar, and other advanced manufacturing, Hyde said.
Just north of the site in the town of Shelby, Frontier Stone LLC wants to develop and operate a dolomite/limestone quarry. If the company can satisfy the DEC’s standards with a final environmental impact statement, Frontier will then need a permit from the town of Shelby for the project.
There will be a hearing at 6 p.m. at the Shelby Town Hall on April 30 for the draft environmental impact statement.
David J. Mahar, president of Frontier, has been working on the quarry project the past eight years. He has projected 15 jobs at the site. The quarry would be operated over 75 years on land that has been owned by Chester Zelazny.
Hyde said the quarry may not have an impact on STAMP, but he would like to see tests done to assure there wouldn’t be too much ground vibrations to make the site in Alabama unattractive to developers in nanotechnology.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Officials from Ridgeway, Shelby offer ways to reduce taxes
MEDINA – If the village of Medina dissolves, the two towns expected to pick up villages services don’t plan to continue the Medina Police Department.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and State Police could assume the police work, town officials said Friday while meeting with some reporters.
The Medina Dissolution Committee recommended police protection be provided in a town-wide force that would cover Ridgeway and Shelby. Ridgeway would manage the police and contract with Shelby for the service, according to the Dissolution Plan.
The police department budget is about $1 million a year. Brian Napoli, the Ridgeway town supervisor, told The Daily News of Batavia he doesn’t support a town-wide force. The Sheriff’s Department and State Police could handle police calls in the community, he said.
“There’s a ripple effect if the village dissolves into the two towns, and people don’t see a need for another level of police protection,” he told The Daily News. “They’re happy with Sheriff’s Department and State Police. They don’t see a need to expand it, especially when they see a 46 percent tax increase.”
Napoli and Skip Draper, the Shelby town supervisor, held a press conference on Friday to discuss alternatives to dissolving the village. (Orleans Hub wasn’t invited to the press conference and is the target of a mailer from the two towns about “biased reporting.”)
The Daily News of Batavia reported on the press conference. For more, visit thedailynewsonline.org and search for “Medina dissolution: Supervisors say more options exist for services.”
The Medina Dissolution Committee last week approved a plan to be presented to the public and Village Board. The plan retains existing services and staff. The two towns would assume many of the services currently provided in the village. The Dissolution Committee also suggested creating a debt district for village debt, a fire district, and local development corporations or authorities for water and sewer.
The committee and its consultant, the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, calculated a $277,000 savings in reduced operational costs. That isn’t much of a savings when spread over the budgets for the two towns and village, about $11 million total, the town supervisors told The Daily News.
That is less than a 3 percent savings.
“If we assume the $277,000 is correct, we’re on a pretty narrow margin, and we’re gambling on a pretty narrow margin that we’re going to save anything,” Draper told The Daily News.
The state provides incentives for dissolution or government consolidations. The Dissolution Committee and CGR say the state would give $540,000 in incentives annually, money that the state says can be counted on for years to come.
Napoli said told The Daily News he supports some shared services, such as code enforcement and merged water billing. Those services could be shared without a dissolution, he said.
The Committee’s report said village property owners could see their tax rates fall from $5 to $7 per $1,000 of assessed property, while outside village residents in Shelby would see an 81 cent increase in their tax rate and Ridgeway residents would have their rate go up $3.12.
Ridgeway’s rate would increase 46 percent. That is partly because the town portion outside the village currently has the lowest rate of the three governments: $6.71 per $1,000 of assessed property. That would go to $9.83 with the dissolution.
Village residents in Ridgeway would see their rate drop by $5.20 or 27 percent from $19.49 per $1,000 of assessed property to $14.30. In Shelby, village residents currently pay a $19.80 rate for village and town taxes. That would drop 34 percent to $13.10 or by $6.70 if the dissolution plan takes effect.
Shelby residents would see a 10 percent increase in their tax rate, according to the dissolution plan. Outside-village residents would see their rate go from $8.36 per $1,000 of assessed property to $9.17.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier and the “One Medina” group ultimately would like to see the village dissolve and the two towns merge into one entity. That would provide more cost savings with government efficiency and attract more state incentives for consolidation.
Meier believes those gains in savings and state aid would likely offset the tax increases for outside-village residents with the dissolution.
SHELBY – Doug Bracey gets a lot of comments about a mannequin he decorates for different holidays at the corner of Route 63 and Fletcher Chapel Road. Orleans Hub featured the mannequin in St. Patrick’s Day garb last month.
Bracey most recently has the mannequin decorated as the Easter Bunny. He’s disappointed someone took the mannequin on Monday, sometime between noon and 3 p.m.
He would like the mannequin returned so he can continue his tradition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Editorial
MEDINA – They say they are the source for facts on proposed dissolution of the Village of Medina because Medina Mayor Andrew Meier and his hand-picked committee have skewered the details in a Dissolution Plan.
The Town Boards of Ridgeway and Shelby say they offer the “facts” on the dissolution, yet they don’t say how the details are being “skewered.” They allege impropriety from Meier and a Dissolution Committee, but don’t offer any “facts” to back up the claims.
The two Towns Boards have stepped up their efforts to undermine Meier, accusing him of mismanaging the finances of the village. There is nothing to back up this claim. No report from the comptroller’s office. No audit. They have nothing specific, but the two Town Boards have started a smear campaign, questioning Meier’s integrity and competence.
I don’t think anyone expected officials from the two towns to readily embrace the dissolution of the village. For nearly 200 years the village has paid the lion’s share of the bills and provided the bulk of the services in the Medina community. Village residents have a much bigger tax bill than their neighbors outside the village boundaries. Many of the village services – fire, ambulance and police – often go outside village boundaries for services on the village’s dime.
The village tax base has shrunk in recent years. The houses are falling in value while the assessments grow outside the village in the two towns. Moving outside the village can save a homeowner about $1,000 in taxes each year. That is quite an incentive to leave.
Meier is 34 years old. He doesn’t see how the village can prosper long-term with such a disparity between the village tax rate and the rate for those outside the village, especially when the latter enjoy many of the village services without paying towards them.
Village residents not only pay village taxes but they also get taxed by the town. It’s a tough deal for the village residents. A fair-minded person would question the disparity in taxes and should want to do something about it.
Meier has pushed the issue. Other communities have done consolidation and shared services studies, but they seldom go anywhere. It’s a lot of work coming up with a plan. You’re going to anger constituencies. You, unfortunately, will pay a price. That, sadly, is a fact and the two Town Boards are making sure of that in Medina.
They have hired a PR consultant and a press release that went out Sunday felt like an attack on Meier. He was the only one singled out by name despite several people working on the dissolution plan.
None of Town Board members will speak to the media, including the two town supervisors, Skip Draper in Shelby and Brian Napoli of Ridgeway.
You can submit them questions through a hotline or Facebook page. Those questions won’t be seen by the public and the “Towns” will respond on Facebook or they will issue a press release to selected media members. I was told Orleans Hub is on the list, but our repeated requests for a press release went nowhere. Another reporter forwarded it to me on Monday.
I had no idea the Orleans County press corps struck such fear in the hearts of the two Town Boards. Jim Krencik from The Daily News in Batavia, Howie Balaban from The Journal-Register in Medina, and I have the two Town Boards taking what may be an unprecedented step in the history of our democracy. They will not talk to reporters.
Everything must be funneled through a PR consultant. They will take residents’ questions through a Facebook message or you can leave a message on a hotline.
I have been a reporter in Orleans County for 18 years. Not everyone likes me, but I think everyone tolerates me, even when they don’t like questions. Draper and Napoli are both veterans in their positions and they should know answering an occasional phone call from a reporter is part of the territory.
President Barack Obama will take reporters’ questions, and he’ll do it live in front of the cameras. Even Vladimir Putin talks to reporters in Russia.
But the Town Boards in Shelby and Ridgeway desperately want to control the message, even if it means spreading innuendo.
The two towns have a “Dissolution Facts” Facebook page that is run by an anonymous “Towns.” No name of a town official is credited with any of the comments that have pointed criticism of the dissolution plan approved by a committee last Thursday.
I have covered some scandals and everyone who had a fall from grace at least stood before the cameras and public and answered some painful and embarrassing questions. They didn’t shrink and hide. I give them credit for “facing the music” in a difficult situation.
I really don’t understand the Ridgeway and Shelby stance. Why hide behind an anonymous Facebook page or a PR consultant?
These are hardly embarrassing questions: What do you think of the dissolution plan? How might it be improved? The village residents are also town residents – how will you serve them?
The increase in taxes for outside-village residents can likely be offset if the two towns merge. Will you work towards a merger or cost savings with Ridgeway/Shelby? If no, then why not?
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 April 2014 at 12:00 am
SHELBY – A group of Shelby residents will have a pubic meeting on Thursday to discuss a proposal for a new quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road.
The Citizens for Shelby Preservation welcome the public for the 7 p.m. meeting at the East Shelby Firehall, 5021 East Shelby Rd. The group formed in 2006 when the plan for a new quarry was first pitched.
David J. Mahar, president of Frontier Stone LLC, submitted a 4,000-page document – the draft environmental impact statement – that has been accepted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC will have a hearing on the DEIS at 6 p.m. on April 30 at the Shelby Town Hall.
Wendi Pencille is president of the Citizens for Shelby Preservation. During the meeting on Thursday she will highlight pieces of the DEIS.
She opposes the quarry mainly because it is so close to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
“There shouldn’t be a mining permit by a sensitive habitat,” she said today. “We’re not against quarrying, but not in an environmentally sensitive area.”
Pencille urged concerned residents to attend the meeting Thursday and also the public hearing on April 30. If Frontier secures a DEC permit, it still needs town approval for the project. Pencille urged residents to attend Town Board meetings and make them feelings known to town officials.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Town officials decline to speak directly to the media
MEDINA – The towns of Shelby and Ridgeway have hired a public relations professional to connect with the media and release information from the towns’ perspective about a possible dissolution of the village of Medina.
Shelby and Ridgeway hired Andina Barone, owner of Mindful Medina Group. She also works with the Orleans Economic Development Agency to write press releases and contact members of the media.
She said officials from the two towns won’t be taking interview requests from the media right now, but will be releasing information in the upcoming weeks.
The Town Boards from Ridgeway and Shelby issued a joint statement, questioning why no one from one of their boards was on the Dissolution Committee. They also alleged poor fiscal management from village officials have led to the push to dissolve.
“Accurate data and detailed information on the potential tax impact to residents and efficient delivery of municipal services has not been forthcoming from Medina Mayor Andrew Meier’s office,” according to the press release. “Town officials believe the dissolution process is flawed. It is their position, and that of the respective board members, that the Mayor of Medina should first address his own lack of fiscal management in relation to the Village of Medina, before attempting to dissolve it.”
Meier and the Dissolution Committee see dissolving the village as a way to bring down a tax rate for village property owners that is the highest in the Finger Lakes region. That tax rate includes the village, town, county and school.
Dissolution would shave about $5 to $7 off the overall village rate that is about $54 per $1,000 of assessed property. The town leaders previously told the media they weren’t inclined to follow the dissolution plan. They haven’t said how they would provide services to village residents if the village dissolved. Village residents also live in either the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway and pay taxes to those municipalities.
The Dissolution Committee includes Meier, Village Trustee Mark Irwin, retired Arc of Orleans Director Don Colquhoun, Medina Business Association President and downtown business owner Cindy Robinson, Charlie Slack of Slack Insurance and Thurston Dale, a retired veterinarian.
“It is a travesty that Ridgeway and Shelby town board members were not included in a dissolution plan or public announcements that might greatly impact both towns,” according to the press release from the two Town Boards.
“Town board members and residents of Shelby and Ridgeway have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of information available to the public and the manner in which the mayor chooses to conduct meetings.
“Dissolution Committee meetings are held at 8 a.m. in City Hall (600 Main Street) in the upper level of the old court room, which is not handicapped accessible. There are no questions allowed. Both town supervisors are of the opinion the mayor’s choice of time, location and format was strategic, so as to limit the number of residents able to observe the proceedings and gather information.
“Both supervisors and all town board members of Ridgeway and Shelby will remain steadfast in their efforts to communicate the facts about dissolution to the community and serve residents in a manner worthy of their trust and confidence.”
The two towns have a Facebook page about “Dissolution Facts” and also have launched a web site: 2towns4ThePeople.com.
Meier and local attorney Nathan Pace on Thursday announced a push for “One Medina” that would dissolve the village and merge the two towns into one municipality: The Town of Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – As a plan for dissolving the village of Medina nears completion, a new “One Medina” movement is set to launch.
“One Medina” will be led by attorney Nathan Pace. He was chairman of the Medina-Ridgeway-Shelby Study Committee in 2010 and 2011. The group recommended the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway merge and the village dissolve to become one government.
That Pace-led committee saw a 30 percent reduction in taxes for the three governments if they became one entity.
The current village dissolution plan forecast about $1 million in reduction of the local tax burden by dissolving the village and passing its services to the two towns and local development corporations. Those numbers will be presented in more detail on Thursday.
Pace and Medina Mayor Andrew Meier see more savings if the two towns pursue a merger if the village dissolves. That would reduce the cost for delivering government services and also attract state incentives. Both would reduce a tax burden that is a disincentive to attracting residents, businesses and investment, Meier said.
The committee working on a dissolution plan for the village of Medina expects to have numbers on Thursday that will show the impact on taxes for people who live in the village and those who are outside in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.
That data will be discussed during an 8 a.m. meeting at City Hall. The dissolution plan is expected to be voted on by the committee. It will then go to the Village Board. Ultimately, for the dissolution to take effect it will need approval from village residents in a public vote.
Meier will hold a press conference Thursday at 12:30 p.m. He will be joined at City Hall by Pace and Don Colquhoun, chairman of the dissolution committee.
Officials from the two towns have Facebook pages and also a web site about the village dissolution. They call their web site, 2towns4thepeople.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2014 at 1:26 pm
SHELBY – A stone company has completed a draft environmental study for a 215-acre quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road, not too far from the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has accepted the draft environmental impact statement and will take public comments about the plan during a 6 p.m. hearing April 30 at the Town Hall on Salt Works Road.
“We are pleased with the DEIS as its analysis reinforces our long-standing position that responsible mining can provide mineral reserves without harming the environment,” said David J. Mahar, president of Frontier Stone LLC.
Frontier proposes to develop and operate a dolomite/limestone quarry in Shelby, south of the Village of Medina. If the company can satisfy the DEC’s environmental standards with a final impact statement, Frontier will then need a permit from the town of Shelby for the project.
Mahar said the quarry will add 15 jobs and also will benefit the local economy through the purchase of goods and services from local vendors and service providers, such as local truckers, electricians, and equipment and materials suppliers. He also expects the mine will supply lime to local farmers.
Mahar has been working on the project for nearly a decade. The quarry would be operated over 75 years on land that has been owned by Chester Zelazny.
During a public hearing in June 2006, many residents spoke against the plan, saying it didn’t belong in such a peaceful area. Residents then said the quarry operation would shake foundations in homes, congest roads, threaten the water table, depress real estate values and put birds and animals at risk in the refuge.
Mahar said the environmental research for the DEIS includes extensive studies and analysis to determine the potential impacts to wildlife, wetlands and habitat.
“The refuge is a true natural treasure in our community and we were pleased with the DEIS’s analysis which fully evaluates and addresses potential impacts on the refuge from the proposed quarry’s operation,” Mahar said.
The DEIS also looks at the potential impacts to property values and employment. The project will have a “negligible” effect on property values, according to the DEIS.
“We expect our quarry operation to generate significant economic benefits to the community in terms of, among other benefits, additional employment, the purchase of services and goods in the area for many years,” Mahar said.
He pursued the site on Fletcher Chapel Road because he said it will produce high-quality construction aggregate and high-grade agricultural lime.
“There is a rich and extensive deposit of high quality stone on the site and the location allows for the most efficient and reliable means to mine it while minimizing impacts compared to any other location in the town,” he said.
Frontier Stone issued this Fact Sheet about the project:
• Frontier Stone LLC proposes to develop and operate an approximately 215.5-acre dolomite/limestone quarry on a 269.45-acre parcel of land which will produce high quality construction aggregate and high-grade agricultural lime.
• The proposed quarry is located in the Town of Shelby in Orleans County about 3.7 miles south of the Village of Medina. The property principally fronts along Fletcher Chapel Road with a small portion along Sour Springs Road. The proposed site historically was and currently is used for farming. South of the site is a National Grid power line and south of the power line is the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
• The excavation area is approximately 172.2 acres. Mining will be divided into four phases over the operational life of the mine estimated to be 75 years. The proposed mine will lower the present topographic surface by 100-150 feet. The site will be reclaimed by grading, replacing topsoil and revegetating upland areas with an approved seed mix. The reclamation objective and plan is to create open space and will include the creation of two lakes for recreation and wildlife habitat preservation.
• It is anticipated that the quarry operation will create approximately 15 jobs directly and also increase demand for goods and services including from local vendors and service providers such as local truckers, electricians and materials suppliers.
The mine will also supply an economical source of lime to local farmers providing the means to increase corn production that will allow local farmers to supply additional corn stock to Western New York Energy, the corn-to-ethanol plant in the town of Shelby.
• Where appropriate, the DEIS identifies mitigation measures to be implemented during construction and operation of the mine to minimize potential impacts.
For example, the DEIS concluded that area roads and intersections with upgrades to be provided by Frontier are more than adequate to safely handle the anticipated traffic volumes. Additional measures to be implemented include erosion control measures to prevent impacts from surface water run-off, best management practices to prevent significant dust generation, among others to be implemented to minimize impacts.
• Mining and processing will normally occur from April to November, depending on weather conditions and demand for our product during the construction season, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 6 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
For more information on the company, go to Frontier Stone’s website by clicking here. To see the DEIS, click here (Document is on website for Continental Placer, Inc.).
