Shelby

Vote on Medina dissolution unlikely for next village election in March

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 August 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – A committee looking at developing a plan for the dissolution of the village of Medina met for the first time on Thursday at City Hall. A group of village residents is working with the Center for Governmental Research to develop the plan. The group includes, from lower left going clockwise: Paul Bishop and Scott Sittig of CGR, Medina Mayor Andrew Meier, Village Trustee Mark Irwin, Committee Chairman Don Colquhoun, and members Charlie Slack and Thurston Dale.

MEDINA – A public referendum about dissolving the village of Medina’s government probably won’t be ready in time for the March 2014 village elections due to a tight time frame to develop an orderly plan for the village’s dissolution.

“Let’s take our time to come up with a plan that we can all consider and accept,” Mayor Andrew Meier said during the Dissolution Committee’s first meeting Thursday. “I see no reason why to go through an expedited process.”

Medina is using a $50,000 state grant to hire the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester to help prepare the plan. There is a chance CGR and the committee could have the plan fall quickly into place, and possibly be ready for a public vote in March. But Meier and committee aren’t pushing for that as a time frame.

“We need to give the public time to chew it over,” said Don Colquhoun, chairman of the Dissolution Committee.

A public referendum can’t come sooner than about three months after the Village Board formally endorses a dissolution. That gives time for the public to study the plan and make an informed vote.

In order for the dissolution to be part of the March 18 village election, the Village Board would need to endorse a dissolution plan in December to allow for three months of public review before a vote.

Meier expects the village will call for a special election on the issue later in the year.

CGR has a lot of work to do with data collection and interviews with village officials and representatives from the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway. CGR needs to take an inventory of village assets and debts. The group will present a plan for how the debts will be paid if the village dissolves, and how current village services can best be folded into the two towns.

To pay off some debts, some village assets could be sold, including highway equipment and buildings, such as the historic but mostly underutilized City Hall.

Some services, such as police and fire, may continue with the formation of special taxing districts. The committee will look at which government entity would own the village’s water and sewer plants, and how those services can best be provided if the village dissolves.

Colquhoun, the committee chairman, said the group is determined to continue with the process, to look for ways to reduce the costs of government in the community while still maintaining services. The study may show it doesn’t make sense to dissolve Medina. He is going in with an open mind, not committed to dissolution.

“We don’t want to disrupt everyone’s lives,” he said. “But let’s see the data. I think people need to know the alternatives. Everyone complains about their taxes and says there’s nothing you can do about it. This is something we can do about it.”

If the issue goes to a public vote, only village residents will go to the polls. Residents in Shelby and Ridgeway, outside the village, don’t get a vote, but they can participate in the planning process.

Medina’s dissolution committee meets for first time Thursday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA A committee that has been tasked to develop a plan for the village’s dissolution will meet for the first time at 1 p.m. Thursday. The session will be in the main meeting room at City Hall, 600 Main St.

Mayor Andrew Meier is a member of the committee. He is hopeful a plan can be developed and presented to the public by next spring. A dissolution of the village would need approval by village residents.

Medina received a $50,000 state grant to prepare the plan. The village on July 8 voted to hire a consultant and formed a committee to develop a plan for the orderly dissolution of the village. Don Colquhoun, former executive director of the Arc of Orleans, is leading the committee.

Other committee members include Cindy Robinson, a Main Street business owner and president of the Medina Business Association and the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Slack of Slack Insurance; Thurston Dale, a retired veterinarian; Meier; and Village Trustee Mark Irwin.

The group will work with the Center for Governmental Research to develop a plan to dissolve the village and fold those government services and assets into the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.

CGR will be paid $55,555 for its work. The organization assisted Medina and towns of Ridgeway and Shelby with a consolidation study about two years ago. That project showed the costs of providing services could be reduced by $200,000 to $400,000 with consolidation of services, plus the state would likely give the communities $600,000 annually as incentive aid for reducing layers of government.

Meier would like to have a plan developed in the next six to nine months. The Village Board could then accept the plan and schedule a referendum for village residents. Town residents outside the village don’t have a say at the polls on the village’s fate.

Meier believes dissolving the village and its layer of government will significantly reduce Median’s tax rate, making the community more desirable for residents and businesses. Medina has the highest combined tax rate – village, town, school and county – in the Finger Lakes region. That rate is about $54 per $1,000 of assessed property, with the village accounting for about $16 of that tax rate.

Eagle Scout adds pavilion by Shelby boat launch

Contributed Story Posted 24 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo courtesy of Darlene Rich, Shelby town clerk

SHELBY – Zach Waild, an Eagle Scout who built a pavilion in Shelby, is joined at a ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday by several local, county and state officials, as well as a representative for Congressman Chris Collins.

Waild organized the fund-raising for the project and was actively involved in its construction. The pavilion is located at the boat launch along the Erie Canal. The site is on Route 31E at Hoffman Road.

Several officials attended the ribbon-cutting, including Town Supervisor Skip Draper, State Sen. George Maziarz, and county legislators Lynne Johnson and Bill Eick.

Singing Vikings, penny pie, and lots of old-time fun in East Shelby

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

Erik Olsen, right, and his son Levi entertain as the “Singing Vikings” during today’s “Old Tyme Day” celebration at the East Shelby Community Bible Church. Olsen is the church’s pastor.

There were several teams of horses giving wagon rides today as part of the “Old Tyme Day” celebration at the church on East Shelby Road.

Andrew McKee, 13, of Medina gets ready to sling a gumball at a big painting of David, as part of a “Slay the Giant” activity at Old Tyme Day.

Pie, lemonade, ice cream and other treats were all a penny.

The East Shelby Community Bible Church started “Old Tyme Day” about two decades ago. The church has built the West Jackson Corners village across from the church, and continues to add more old-fashioned activities to the annual festival.

Old-Fashioned Day returns to West Jackson Corners at East Shelby church

Posted 21 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release, East Shelby Community Bible Church

SHELBY – The East Shelby Community Bible Church will turn back the clock by about a century today serving baked goods for a penny and hosting horse-drawn rides and other old-fashioned activities.

The annual “Old Tyme Day” begins with a church service today at 10 a.m.

Immediately following church, all old-fashioned activities will begin. There will be an opportunity to ride in a Model A car.

New attractions this year include a “Flea Circus” and more children’s games. Church volunteers will demonstrate cooking over an open hearth in the log cabin, making homemade bread, butter and jam, and ice cream.

Participants will also have a chance to learn to make goat milk cheese, soap and goat milk fudge. There will also be popcorn, ice cream suckers, and penny candy at the local store.

Heritage activities will include horse and wagon rides, corn husk dolls, basket weaving, spinning, quilting, cheese making, candle making and woodworking.

There will also be a washer woman in the square singing as she washes clothes. Visitors will also be entertained by the West Jackson Corners “Band of Renown” and the church choir. There will be a special Gospel concert in the church.

The tractor-drawn wagon will be taking folks on a guided tour of the East Shelby Cemetery to hear some of the history of the local people buried there. This cemetery dates back to the 1800s and includes the tomb of Civil War veteran Ziba Roberts.

The barn will house sheep and goats, while the henhouse will contain a flock of laying hens.

There are gardens to visit – a kitchen herb garden, a vegetable garden and the famous gardens in the village square. While visiting be sure to check out the heirloom gardens at the parsonage as well.

When the Old Tyme Day first began it was a small affair next to the church with just a couple of buildings. As the event grew it was necessary to purchase land across the road from the church and establish the village on that site.

Today West Jackson Corners has a log cabin, barn, hen house, teepee, carriage barn, woodworking shop, store, grange hall, children’s playhouse, dress shop along with other buildings and beautiful flower gardens in the village square.

West Jackson Corners is located on the East Shelby Road across from the East Shelby Community Bible Church. It is 1 mile south of the hamlet East Shelby and 7 miles south east of Medina.

‘Patsy Cline’ performs in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Josie Waverly portrayed Patsy Cline during a concert tonight at Medina High School. About 150 people attended the event, which was a fundraiser for the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company.

The fire company has been fortunate to have a wave of new recruits who could all use new turn-out gear and air packs. It can cost $8,500 to outfit each firefighter with the proper gear, said Gary Williams, a member of the fire company who took the lead in organizing the Waverly concert.

Medina picks consultant, names committee for dissolution plan

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2013 at 12:00 am

‘We have an obligation to proceed. This is what we were elected to do.’ Medina Mayor Andrew Meier

MEDINA The Village Board hired a consultant and formed a committee to develop a plan for the orderly dissolution of the village, an end result that ultimately will need voter approval to become a reality.

The village was awarded a $50,000 state grant in February to develop a plan to dissolve the village and fold those government services and assets into the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.

The board tonight voted to hire the Center for Governmental Research based in Rochester to help develop the plan. CGR will be paid $55,555. The organization assisted Medina and towns of Ridgeway and Shelby with a consolidation study about two years ago. That project showed the costs of providing services could be reduced by $200,000 to $400,000 with consolidation of services, plus the state would likely give the communities $600,000 annually as incentive aid for reducing layers of government.

“We’re beyond the study phase,” said Andrew Meier, the village mayor. “I’m hopeful we can come up with a plan that will reduce the taxes and preserve the services. That will be the question.”

The board hired CGR and also formed a citizen committee to help with the plan. Don Colquhoun, the retired executive director of The Arc of Orleans County, will lead the committee. Colquhoun participated in the consolidation study.

“He has extremely good organizational skills and he is respected by the two towns,” Meier said. “He is a godsend.”

The committee and CGR could have a plan in place in six to nine months. The Village Board could then accept the plan and schedule a referendum for village residents. Town residents outside the village don’t have a say at the polls on the village’s fate.

Meier believes reducing the village’s layer of government will cut taxes for village residents. Medina has the highest combined tax rate – village, town, school and county – in the Finger Lakes region. That rate is about $54 per $1,000 of assessed property, with the village accounting for about $16 of that tax rate. Residents outside the village don’t pay a village tax.

“We have a problem in the village and the county with very high tax rates,” Meier said.

He wants to reduce the taxes for village residents to make the community more attractive for residents and businesses for years to come.

“We’re going to get at solutions, not just Band-Aids,” he said about the tax problem. “We have an obligation to proceed. This is what we were elected to do.”

The committee and CGR could look at establishing districts for police and fire protection. Those districts could extend beyond the current village boundaries so there is a bigger tax base to support those services. Meier noted many of the properties on Maple Ridge Road enjoy village services and access to the village population base of about 6,000 people without currently paying village taxes.

“It makes intuitive sense,” Meier said about lower taxes with less government layers. “Let’s flesh out the data and see where it takes us.”

Forrestel opens indoor riding arena

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Medina site aims to be top riding camp in Northeast

Photos by Tom Rivers – Mary Herbert, owner of Forrestel Riding and Sports Camp, opens the doors to the new indoor riding arena today after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Margaret Darroch, Forrestel’s operations director the past six years, said the new indoor arena will help make Forrestel a year-end center.

MEDINA – Forrestel, a riding and sports camp on Main Street in Shelby, showed off its new indoor arena today.

The farm also is opening its original farmhouse from 1825 as a bed and breakfast with two rooms. Forrestel will soon kick off its 33^rd season of English horseback riding camps. It draws campers from all over the world. Half of the 20 camp counselors come from Britain and spend the summer in Shelby.

The site has a mix of modern amenities and it’s steeped in history, with buildings from Shelby’s mill days in the 1800s.

“We are transitioning to a year-round business,” said Margaret Darroch, the Forrestel manager. “I can really envision this place bring the place for horse people in the Northeast.”

The arena is 148 feet by 68 feet and includes a viewing area that’s 64 feet by 12 feet.

Forrestel leaders believe the camp offers a riding, sports and outdoor adventure program that is among the finest in the country.

Forrestel owner Mary Herbert led a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new arena this afternoon. She exuded enthusiasm about the improvements at Forrestel, saying the arena will make for the best camp season ever.

The new arena is 148 feet by 68 feet, and includes a 64 by 12 foot viewing area for parents and spectators to watch the action.

Forrestel also is open for receptions, parties and historic tours. Forrestel has a kitchen and the facilities to feed a crowd.

“We’re adding more, but we’re primarily about the horses,” Darroch said.

The original farmhouse from 1825 now has two rooms open as a bed and breakfast.

One of the guest rooms in the bed and breakfast.

News flash: Girls love horses

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Willow Groth, 6, of Albion is thrilled to pet a horse at Forrestel, a riding and sports camp at 11380 Main St., Medina. The camp, going into its 33rd year, held an open house today from 1 to 4 p.m. Willow’s mother, Laurie Genagon-Groth, is the camp’s art program director.

Karolina Korytko, 9, of Buffalo befriends one of the horses at Forrestel in Medina. Karolina will attend camp this summer as a beginning rider.

MEDINA – I moved to Orleans County 17 years ago and finally made it to Forrestel Farm today for the first time.

I will have a story later about Forrestel’s new indoor riding arena. That facility will give the sports and riding camp more options when there is rainy or cold weather, and should extend the program to a year-round operation.

Forrestel also held its annual open house today and the place was nearly overrun with girls. (My 7-year-old daughter was one of the kids in her glory, petting the horses and feeding them grass.)

I wanted to post some photos right away from the visit because I have so many and won’t be able to fit them all in the one story. Forrestel is a photographer’s dream.

Discovering the Millville Cemetery, another local historic landmark

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Shelby site is listed on National Register of Historic Places

Photos by Tom Rivers – The Millville Cemetery, which was established in 1871 on East Shelby Road, includes this iron arch with the cemetery name. The large statue in the background marks the grave for Asa Hill, a Civil War soldier and prominent local farmer.

This wood frame chapel has a Medina sandstone foundation. It was built into a hill and also served as a receiving vault and office.

SHELBY – Last month I write about Hillside Cemetery in Holley being nominated at the state level to join the National Register of Historic Places, a decision that is expected to be announced this month by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In doing research on Hillside Cemetery, I discovered that two other cemeteries in Orleans County were on the National Register. I knew Mount Albion was recognized, but I didn’t realize Millville Cemetery made the list in 2007.

I stopped by the cemetery Friday evening on the way to the East Shelby fire hall. Millville Cemetery is impressive, especially the monument to Asa Hill, a Civil War soldier who returned to community and became a prominent farmer. His family put up the large monument, where local lore suggests he is looking towards Sanderson Road, keeping watch on the family farm, said Bill Lattin, the county historian.

The monument for Asa Hill honors the Millville resident who served in the Civil War.

If we ever establish a Civil War Trail in Orleans County, Asa Hill’s monument should certainly be on the list. Several other Civil War soldiers are buried at Millville.

The wood frame chapel in the cemetery was built in a Gothic Revival style in 1894. It includes a Medina sandstone foundation. The chapel also served as the cemetery office and receiving vault.

Millville Cemetery was established in 1871. A sandstone retaining wall faces East Shelby Road. 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.

There are many enormous and grand trees in this cemetery.

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.

The Millville Cemetery Association, like many independent cemetery associations, recently disbanded and turned the cemetery over the to town. Shelby is now owner and guardian of the cemetery. Hillside also folded and the Town of Clarendon is the site’s owner.

Country church shines in Shelby

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

The East Shelby Community Bible Church stands tall on a beautiful spring day this evening on 5278 East Shelby Rd. The congregation has worked to renovate and expand the church since 1989. The church was built in 1854 and includes stained-glass windows from 1919.

Open Meetings Law expert will speak in Shelby tonight

Posted 29 April 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release

MEDINA – The chairman of the Committee on Open Government will be in Medina today to discuss changes to the Open Meetings Law, the Freedom of Information Act and the Personal Privacy Protection Law.

Robert Freeman is the leader of the state agency on open government. He will speak at the Shelby Town Hall at 7 p.m., a visit coordinated by the League of Women Voters in Orleans County.

Residents are welcome to attend the free presentation, which will include time for questions and answers. The Town Hall is located at 4062 Salt Works Rd.

Wildlife Refuge gets an upgrade

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2013 at 12:00 am

New visitor center and administration building at 10,808-acre site

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Roster, manager of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, stands outside the new visitor center and administration building on Casey Road in Basom. The building includes solar panels and more exhibit space, as well as room for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries.

BASOM – The 50,000 to 75,000 visitors to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge now have a better place to kick off their experience to the 10,808-acre site in the towns of Shelby and Alabama.

The refuge has a new visitor center and administration building. New exhibits will come in the fall. For now the expanded and revamped building includes a bigger store, new bathrooms, and “cams” that show bird nests and a marsh. The marsh cam allows viewers to pan the camera to focus on the wildlife, which includes bald eagles.

“It’s a big improvement,” said Carl Zenger, a long-time volunteer with Friends of the Refuge. “It’s a larger room. There’s more room for exhibits.”

Zenger and refuge staff and volunteers are busy this week preparing for one of the site’s busiest weekends, the annual Spring Into Nature event this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many free activities are planned for the day that will draw on 70 volunteers and other partner agencies.

The $3.5 million project, which gutted and upgraded the previous building and added 5,000 square feet of space, 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.

Fisheries employees focus on issues with the Great Lakes and invasive species. They had been leasing space in Erie County.

Carl Zenger, a volunteer with Friends of the Refuge, checks a marsh cam inside the new visitor center.

The refuge has four employees and is looking to fill two vacancies, said Tom Roster, the site’s manager. He said refuge and Fisheries are sharing some duties, and he expects more cost-savings in the future with joint bookkeeping, filing, mailing and some administrative functions.

He is looking forward to new exhibits that will introduce visitors to the refuge. The goal will be to whet their appetites and then send them out to experience nature on the trails.

“At the visitor center we just want to give them a taste of what’s going on the refuge,” Roster said. “We’ll be targeting exhibits that get our message across and can be interactive, without being too high maintenance.”

The new building also includes solar panels that provide electricity and heat water inside the building. Roster said an exhibit will show how much energy the panels are producing, and how many saved trees that represents.

The refuge is located between Rochester and Buffalo and has draw bigger numbers of visitors in recent years. Roster said there is a fine balance in drawing people, while also safeguarding the habitat for the animals.

“We’re not a park,” Roster said. “The National Parks cater to people. Here, our mission is to make wildlife the priority, not that people can’t enjoy the refuge.”

Fire Department tries to transition from gun raffles

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Every spring and fall, the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company has traditionally raffled off guns as a fund-raiser.

But those events may be over after the state passed a new gun control law, the SAFE Act, in January. Gary Williams, a long-time volunteer for the company, said Shelby is looking at other fund-raisers.

He would like to invite Josie Waverly, a country music singer from Hilton, to the community as a benefit for the fire company. However, the fire hall isn’t the best venue for a concert, he told Medina school officials during a March 12 Board of Education meeting.

“We could have it in our hall, but people would enjoy it more if it was in the auditorium,” Williams said.

Jeff Evoy, the district superintendent, said school facilities can be used by the public. But he wouldn’t support a Waverly concert in June, when the school calendar is so packed.

“My biggest concern is June because it’s such a pressure-cooker,” Evoy said.

Williams spoke with Waverly’s manager and there are dates open in July. Evoy said he would support a concert that month. Shelby may have to pay the school for the cost of custodial services and assure the district it has insurance for the event.

Waverly was in concert March 1 at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, performing music from Patsy Cline. Williams said Waverly should appeal to people of all ages.