Press Release, Yates Town Supervisor Jim Simon and Somerset Town Supervisor Jeff Dewart

File photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Oct. 14, 2015 shows some of the 400-foot-high turbines in Sheldon, Wyoming County.

The Town of Somerset (Niagara County) and the Town of Yates (Orleans County) are adamantly opposed to Governor Cuomo’s attempt – under the guise of a last-minute amendment to the state budget process referred to as Article 23 – to accelerate renewable energy development at the expense of our towns, our citizens and our environment.

Towns, citizens, environmental groups, developers and state agencies have operated for almost a decade under Article 10 (the current siting law), so one wonders what changed now that the existing process is hitting its stride. Lord Acton’s quote comes to mind, “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is a power grab, pure and simple.

Article 23, should lawmakers accept it, is sweeping in its scope and changes all aspects of how power plant siting (including industrial scale wind and solar projects) are permitted and approved. It eliminates the role of local zoning laws, allows for eminent domain takings of land, guts critical environmental review, and limits a town’s taxation and assessment powers and ability to negotiate host community agreements.

The proposed changes are inconsistent with our NY State Constitution’s Home Rule provisions and removes all local land-use control for power plants, transmission lines, and battery storage projects greater than 10 mega-watts in size. This is achieved through broadening the definition of an “unreasonably burdensome” local law to mean inconsistent with Cuomo’s energy goals.

The proposed changes will result in financial benefits to out-of-state energy developers at the expense of local governments and citizens. The changes will authorize the state (rather than the counties, towns and school districts) to cap PILOTs (payments in-lieu of taxes), to standardize the methodology for assessing property values with wind and solar energy facilities, and to create generic permitting conditions that could eliminate a municipality’s ability to identify and study the local conditions and problems that may require mitigation.

The proposed changes will alienate local constituents by excluding them from the siting process entirely. Individuals and public interest groups would be excluded from the Article 23 Siting Proceeding. This is a complete reversal of one of Article 10’s primary goals, which is to facilitate meaningful public participation in the siting process.

The proposed changes will exempt developers from a rigorous review of local environmental impacts through reliance on state-wide, yet-to-be-determined conditions and automatic approval provisions.

The most egregious proposed change? Once the application is deemed complete by the newly established Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), the ORES will have one year to issue a final decision.  If the ORES fails to make a decision in one year, then the siting permit will be “deemed to have been granted.”  That’s right, this means that if the ORES (read: the state) doesn’t do its job then the project is automatically approved.

Ultimately, state lawmakers should realize that voting to jettison Article 10 and to force Article 23 into law is an unconscionable power grab and will result in numerous obstacles by picking winners and losers among developers and creating new agencies, staffing, rulemaking and, inevitably, litigation.

Group was recently recognized by Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday presented special recognition awards to highway workers in the county who were recognized on Jan. 30 by the Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association.

The top photo shows John Papponetti (left), Orleans County DPW superintendent, congratulating Steve Fuller, a lead motor equipment operator with the county for more than 30 years. County Legislator Fred Miller is in back.

Fuller heads the county’s paving program, working with local villages and towns to coordinate use of the county’s paver. Fuller has a role in about $3.5 million of paving work annually in the county.

He received the Douglas C. Zefting Public Service Employee Award from the Genesee Valley branch of the American Public Works Association. The award recognizes outstanding public service and achievement of an operational maintenance level employee of a public works agency of a political subdivision.

The Orleans County DPW and Town of Albion Highway Department were honored for the Public Works Project of the Year Award for Small Cities/Rural Communities. The two worked together to replace a culvert on Clarendon Road.

County Legislator Fred miller reads the special recognition award which was presented to John Papponetti and Wayne Krull (second from right), lead MEO, and Brian Ettinger, MEO.

This Town of Albion was awarded a grant through the 2016 BridgeNY Program with an overall project budget of $174,000 for design, construction, and construction oversight. The project was put out to bid as a precast concrete buried structure and wing wall system supported on precast concrete footings. The bids came in higher than budgeted and the town needed to find an alternative method for completing this project.

The construction of the new corrugated metal culvert pipe, approaches and guide rails were designed by Labella and constructed by the Orleans County Highway Department under their shared services agreement with the Town.

The project was completed $30,000 under budget.

The Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association recognized Ed Morgan, the Murray highway superintendent, as the Public Works Leader of the Year. Morgan, right, accepts his special recognition award from Fred Miller on behalf of the County Legislature.

Morgan has been the Murray highway superintendent the past 30 years. During that time, Morgan has helped facilitate the construction of more than 50 miles of waterlines to serve the residents of the community.

Morgan and the Highway Department also replaced the Highway Department flat roof with a new truss roof, built a large storage building and expanded the Town Hall to accommodate the expanding court system with accessibility for town residents and operational staff.

They also built a 1,200-ton salt storage building and installed a computerized fuel system to accommodate not only the town’s needs, but also service two fire departments.

The Highway Department also served as the lead agency in the construction of the Holley Industrial Park including, roads, water and sanitary. Morgan, as member of the Holley Sports Boosters, also was instrumental in building two complete soccer fields for the Holley Central School District. He has been inducted in Holley’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Morgan is active in the community with the Holley Rotary Club, past chairman of Orleans County Republican Party, trustee at St. Mary’s and St. mark’s Parish, commissioner for the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire District, chairman of the board of directors for Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation Board, and Orleans County’s representative on the board for the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The words “In God We Trust” have been added to the legislative chambers for the Orleans County Legislature. The seven-member Legislature voted on Sept. 25 to have the words displayed in the meeting room next to the county seal.

The Legislature has been meeting in the new space since June. The body moved from the County Clerk’s Building at Courthouse Square to an addition on the County Administration Building on Route 31.

“Whereas, the County desires to display this patriotic motto in the Legislative Chambers as a way to solemnize public occasions and express confidence in our society,” states the Legislature’s resolution from Sept. 25.

The Rev. Dan Thurber, pastor of the Oak Orchard Assembly of God church on Ridge Road in Medina, led a dedication on Wednesday afternoon for the inscription. Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, back left, and Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the Legislature, are also pictured.

Thurber noted that “In God We Trust” has been on U.S. currency since 1864 and have been the national motto since July 30, 1956, adopted about a decade after the end of World War II.

The four words also are engraved above the entrance to the Senate Chamber and the speaker’s dais in the United States House of Representatives.

“Whereas, in both war and peace, these words have been a profound source of strength and guidance to many generations of Americans,” the county resolution states.

Thurber, during his dedication message, referenced Proverbs 3:5-6:

“Trust in the Lord in all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

He thanked the county legislators for voting for the display.

“I’m thankful this Legislature so fit to put ‘In God We Trust’ in these chambers reminding us everyday that it is beyond us, it is beyond ourselves, it is beyond our own capacity. There is someone greater than us.”

Click here to see a video of Thurber giving the dedication message and offering a prayer.

Bruce Schmidt of Gaines also thanked the Legislature for displaying “in God We Trust.” He said it shouldn’t be considered as promoting religion.

“It is a historic artifact,” Schmidt said about the four words. “It recognizes religion in our national life and is an expression of patriotism.”

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• The Orleans County Planning Board has cancelled its regularly scheduled February meeting for tonight due to inclement weather.

• The choir rehearsal for the PACT Easter Cantata is cancelled today. The group was scheduled to be at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion at 6:30 p.m.

• Albion and Medina schools are closed today.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 1 p.m. in Orleans County with moderate to heavy snow with 3 to 6 inches expected.

A winter weather advisory then follows from 1 p.m. today until 4 p.m. Friday with additional snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Winds gusting as high as 55 miles per hour will result in blowing and drifting snow with greatly reduced
visibility from Thursday morning through Friday, the Weather Service said.

Winter Storm Warning in effect until 1 p.m. Thursday

Medina Central School has announced it will be closed on Thursday with heavy snow in the forecast.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 10 tonight until 1 p.m. for Orleans County with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected.

A Winter Weather Advisory is then in effect from 1 p.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. on Friday, with another 1 to 3 inches of snow.

Winds gusting as high as 55 mph will result in blowing and drifting snow with greatly reduced visibility from Thursday morning through Friday, the Weather Service said.

A blizzard warning is in effect for parts of Western New York until 4 p.m. Friday when 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected for Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and southern Erie counties.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Lisa Moule, left, a 14-year employee of the Medina Post Office, was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award this morning, for realizing one of her customers was having a medical emergency. Moule called an ambulance and waited until they arrived, quite possibly saving the woman’s life. With Moule are Gary Vaccarella, acting district manager; Scott Streebel, Medina postmaster; and Medina operations manager, Eugene Oyer Jr.

MEDINA – Lisa Moule is the first one to tell you she’s not a hero.

But that’s not what her superiors and fellow co-workers at Medina Post Office think.

Moule this morning was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award by acting district manager Gary Vaccarella, for possibly saving the life of a customer on her delivery route.

“This was the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this, and it was scary,” Moule said.

A 14-year employee of the Postal Service, Moule started a recent day like any other, except that she had an express piece of mail which had to be delivered by noon.

“The piece was going to my sister’s best friend’s mom, and she was at the end of my route,” Moule said. “So I asked my supervisor if I could deviate and deliver that piece first, and they gave me permission.”

Moule was familiar with the woman, as she was in a wheelchair and would get up in the morning and unlock her door, so Moule could bring her mail in to her. That particular morning, Moule arrived at the lady’s house three hours earlier than usual.

“I took her mail in to her, but that day I knew something was wrong,” Moule said. “She couldn’t find words to communicate with me. “I said, ‘Honey, I can’t leave you like this. I’m going to call an ambulance.’ The lady said no, and I told her I knew she would be mad at me, but I had to call the ambulance.”

Moule waited until the ambulance arrived, and told them something was wrong with the lady. She told Moule she had gotten up as usual and made her bed, but then became confused and couldn’t think. Moule knew she had had a stroke in November and her medications had been changed. She shared this information with the paramedics on the ambulance. They asked if the lady usually acted like that, and Moule told them, “Absolutely not. I’ve talked to her every day for the last two years and this is not normal.”

The lady ended up in the hospital for three weeks, after being diagnosed as having multiple strokes. After a week, Moule went to see her and met the lady’s niece, who looks after her affairs. The first thing the niece said was, “I want to give you a hug.”

The first thing Moule wanted to do was get the niece’s contact information so she could keep in touch.

“The niece told me she keeps thinking how different things might have been if I hadn’t gotten there when I did,” Moule said. “I’m happy things aligned just right so I could get there when I did. A week later, there was a fire on my route and I called it in. I don’t think of myself as a hero. I am who I am.”

Moule’s grandfather Ray Bates was a mail carrier in Lyndonville for many years. He always told her, “As long as you can sleep at night, you’ve done the right thing.”

Moule is the first employee in the history of the Medina Post Office to win the Postmaster General Hero Award. Participating in her presentation with Vaccarella was Medina Postmaster Scott Streebel, Operations Manager Eugene Oyer Jr. and Supervisor Scott Wackenheim, who submitted Moule’s name for the award.

Employees of the Medina Post Office pose on the steps with Lisa Moule, center, who was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award this morning by acting district manager Gary Vaccarella, who stands beside her.

The state has approved projects for two school districts in Orleans County in the latest round of funding through the Smart Schools Bond Act.

Lyndonville was approved to spend $89,900 for classroom technology while Medina was approved for $339,234 in high-tech security.

The money is available through a $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act, which was passed by NY voters in 2014.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced the approval of 133 Smart Schools Investment Plans aimed at improving school security and reimagining teaching and learning for the 21st century. The approved plans, totaling $110.7 million, will help ensure safety, modernize classrooms across New York State, and equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the global economy, Cuomo said.

The funding approved by the state in the latest round of Smarts Schools projects includes $19.0 million for school connectivity, $9,600 for community connectivity, $24.8 million for classroom technology, $3.1 million for Pre-K classrooms, $10.9 million to replace TCUs (Transportable Classroom Units), $51.5 million for high-tech security and $1.4 million for non-public schools.

In Orleans County, the five school districts were approved for about $7 million combined in technology aid as part of the $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act. The state breaks that down to $2,238,441 for Albion; $1,311,463 for Holley; $967,959 for Kendall; $733,151 for Lyndonville; and $2,000,222 for Medina.

File photos by Tom Rivers: Orleans County Historian Matt Ballard speaks on May 26, 2016 during a ceremony at Mount Albion Cemetery, when a marker was unveiled at the Civil War section. That project was led by Albion seventh-graders with Ballard assisting the students with some of the research. Students catalogued the burial locations for more than 250 Civil War veterans buried at Mount Albion.

ALBION – Orleans County Historian Matthew Ballard is resigning to take a position at the college in North Carolina.

Ballard, 31, has served as county historian the past five years, a tenure where he modernized the county’s Department of History, cataloguing many documents and photos and making them available online.

Ballard has also written a weekly column – “Overlooked Orleans” – and led numerous tours at local cemeteries, as well as downtown Albion. He also has spoken at many local organizations and is a frequent guest at Albion Central School, sharing with seventh-graders about local history.

Ballard has served in the part-time role while working full-time at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili, where he is director of library services.

He is taking a job at Davidson College near Charlotte. He will be Davidson’s assistant director of collection strategies.

“I’m at the point in my life where I have to decide what path I want to take, whether libraries or history,” Ballard said.

The library position, ultimately, pays better than working as a historian. Ballard was paid $8,600 as county historian in 2019. The pay was bumped up to $11,500 this year.

Ballard said he worked hard to share stories and history from the county, whether in the weekly column, tours or speaking engagements. He also responds to many emails with people seeking information about the history of houses, businesses and genealogy, as well as assistance in getting birth, marriage and death records.

Ballard has been dedicated to the position. When Ballard was on his honeymoon in July 2017, he and his wife Christine planned a trip to England, France and Poland. They visited the Somme American Cemetery in Bony, France and paid their respects at the graves of local soldiers who trained with Company F at the former Medina Armory.

Ballard is the former director of the Cobblestone Museum and then served as its board president. He has been president of the board of trustees for the Orleans County Historical Association and an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

He has juggled his full-time job at Roberts with his historian’s duties, while also finishing his graduate work at Brockport State College in American History. He graduates in May. He also has a master’s degree in library science from the University at Buffalo.

Matt Ballard was in costume in September leading tours of downtown Albion and the Courthouse Square. About 300 people attended two tours of “Murder and Mayhem,” tours highlighting notable characters and some crimes in the community.

Ballard is an Albion native. He joined Orleans County Genealogical Association when he was 18 and served as treasurer for more than a decade, and was a frequent speaker at the organization’s meetings.

His interest in genealogy led to him pursuing career as a historian and archivist. In February 2015 he was appointed as county historian, following Bill Lattin, who served in the role for about 35 years.

Ballard added to the Department of History’s digital presence, adding a laptop, email address and updated content on the website.

He has expanded the number subject files from 250 to about 1,400, and that doesn’t include about 750 family files for gathering genealogy materials.

He also catalogued about 500 rare books and the local history publications, and has the department prepared for a move from the basement of Central Hall to the second floor. This building on Park Street also serves as the Treasurer’s Office.

Ballard was named a “Friend of Education” by the Albion school district on April 1, 2019 in appreciation for several projects with seventh-graders. Ballard teamed with Albion’s service learning class to secure a headstone for Civil War veteran John Frost at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Brown Road in Gaines.

They also added a historical marker at Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon for Charles Herbert Taylor, the only known Orleans County resident killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. Ballard also helped secure a historical marker for Lemuel Cook of Clarendon, the last living pensioner from the Revolutionary War. That marker is at Cook Cemetery on Munger Road. (Another marker is expected to be dedicated this spring in Holley for home that was a safe house on the Underground Railroad.)

Ballard and the seventh-graders also had a large bronze tablet from World War I placed back at its original location on the Orleans County Courthouse. The historian and students also created interpretive panels in Albion about the Erie Canal and the former Poor House on Countyhouse Road in Albion.

Ballard said he is willing to help his successor with a transition into the role as historian. He praised the county officials for embracing some of the changes he made to the office, with more computerization and soon more office and storage space.

‘I took the job and made it what I wanted it to be,” he said. “My hope is the next person coming in will have a solid platform coming in.”

He said the county is fortunate to have many dedicated and effective historians at the town and village level. He sees more potential to promote local history and attract visitors with heritage tourism.

“There is so much more that this position could be with the right person and the right level of support,” Ballard said.

Press Release, Rochester Technology & Manufacturing Association and Monroe Community College

MEDINA – “Signing Events” aren’t just for professional athletes anymore. Today high school students from Orleans/Niagara BOCES and their families will gather in Medina at 5:15 p.m. for the second  “Signing Day” for the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program. The students are in the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Class led William Rakonczay.

Modeled after the NFL’s high-energy, suspense-filled Draft Day, the Youth Apprenticeship “Signing Day” will feature an official “Draft Clock,” contract announcements, signings between students and employers, photo ops, team swag, and the first steps to bright careers for these youth.

This unprecedented program, coordinated by the Rochester Technology & Manufacturing Association and Monroe Community College, was launched in Fall 2019 and includes a competitive, multi-phased application and interview process that pairs qualified high school students with local manufacturing companies for related instruction, job shadowing, and paid co-ops.

Developed by the RTMA and MCC, this unparalleled initiative was created to proactively address the increasing need for a well-trained labor supply in the manufacturing sector.

“We are experiencing a resurgence of American Manufacturing in our region and must take bold steps to provide highly skilled workforce to grow manufacturing capacity,” stated Bob Coyne, Workforce Development Director for the RTMA.  “The former days of manufacturing are behind us and we are proud to usher in the next generation of talented students who will help lead the industry to a new era of technology, international competition, and manufacturing distinction.”

Twenty leading manufacturers have stepped forward to serve as Student Sponsors for the inaugural Youth Apprenticeship Program. These companies include: E&R Machine Inc, JT Precision Inc, NAC, Niagara Precision Limited, Pivot Precision, TF Enterprise, Voss, Precision Grinding & Manufacturing, Acro Industries, Inc., Jrlon Engineered Products, JML Optical, Love Beets, OptiPro, Optimax, Kodak, PEKO Precision Products, Micro Instrument Corp., Precise Tooling & Manufacturing, and Cannon Industries.  The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program is supported by funding from RG&E and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

ALBION – Sentencing has been delayed about a month for three students who have pleaded guilty to conspiracy for plotting to attack the Albion Middle School.

The case is being handled in Orleans County Family Court. Judge Sanford Church on Tuesday pushed back the sentencing because he wants additional mental health evaluations for the students.

The three were charged on Nov. 7 after an alleged plot to bring weapons to the school and harm classmates.

Two of the boys have pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the second degree, and one of those boys also pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment for sending a “disturbing image” to a female classmate, said Joe Cardone, the district attorney.

A third boy in an alleged plot pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the sixth degree.

There are no sentencing promises as part of the plea agreements. The judge could decide the boys need to be detained at a juvenile detention facility, or he could give them a lesser punishment of perhaps probation.

The boys are currently not allowed back in school. They are being tutored off site.

Because the three boys are all juveniles at age 13 their names aren’t to be publicized by the media.

Sentencing has tentatively been set for March 31.

New legislation on Jan. 1 gives overtime wages for farmworkers after 60 hours in a week

BATAVIA – New state legislation started on Jan. 1 that gives overtime wages to farmworkers after 60 hours in a week. This is the first time farmworkers have had overtime pay.

State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon announced on Monday she will convene a wage board for farm laborers that will hold hearings, review and make recommendations regarding overtime work for farm laborers in New York State. That could include requests to reduce the number of hours worked in a week for farm laborers to qualify for overtime.

There will be public hearings at five locations in the state, including one at 11 a.m. April 23 in Batavia at Genesee Community College, at the William Stuart Forum, 1 College Rd. (Click here to register to speak at the hearing and see other hearing locations.)

Under the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, which Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law last year, the wage board will consider and make recommendations as to overtime work and, specifically, will hear testimony about reducing the threshold for overtime below 60 hours per week and whether to do so in phases.

“We worked hard to ensure this bill included the proper labor protections and benefits that our farm laborers are entitled to,” said Commissioner Reardon. “We have an opportunity to improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of farmworkers. Overtime is a key component and we need to get it right.”

The Wage Board includes the following members:

• David Fisher, President of the New York Farm Bureau

• Denis Hughes, former President of the New York State AFL-CIO

• Brenda McDuffie, President of the Buffalo Urban League

Fisher, as president of NY Farm Bureau, released the following statement:

“What will be especially challenging for farmers and their employees alike is the timing of the statutorily required hearings.  The law directs the Wage Board to hold its first meeting by March 1 with a report due by December of this year.  It will be incredibly difficult for board members to reasonably determine if the overtime threshold should be justifiably lowered.

“Farmers have just started to implement changes on their farms to comply with the new law and are still determining what is best for their small businesses and employees. Further, crops are not even in the ground for the spring planting season, let alone having no real-world examples of how this new law will impact harvest season. This short window of time also does not allow any ability to see how different growing conditions due to extreme weather can impact overtime needs.

“New York Farm Bureau strongly believes it will take data from multiple growing seasons to appropriately evaluate the economic realities and labor challenges facing New York agriculture as a result of the new overtime threshold implemented only weeks ago. And until that can happen, it should not be lowered.

“New York Farm Bureau appreciates that the Department of Labor accepted our organization’s suggestion to hold the Wage Board hearings in areas of the state that provide easier access for the farming community to attend. We highly encourage our members to take the time to speak at one of the hearings or submit public comments to help better inform the Wage Board members.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The railroad tracks are pictured Saturday at dusk in Medina near Allis Road.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm warning for Orleans County from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 p.m. Thursday, with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected.

The winter storm warning also includes Genesee, Niagara and northern Erie counties.

“Winds could gust as high as 45 mph resulting in significant blowing snow,” the Weather Service said. “Travel could be difficult with very poor visibility and snow-covered roadways. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute on Thursday.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to speed up the permitting process for large-scale renewable energy projects, including solar and wind energy that are often met with resistance in their communities.

“This legislation will help achieve a more sustainable future, invigorating the green economy and reaffirming New York’s position as a market leader with a revamped process for building and delivering renewable energy projects faster,” Cuomo said on Friday in announcing the legislation which is a 30-day budget amendment.

If adopted, the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act will create a new Office of Renewable Energy Permitting to improve and streamline the process for siting of large-scale renewable energy projects. The governor said the projects deliver significant benefits to local communities.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley is critical of the governor’s proposal because he said it takes local control of energy projects from local municipalities.

“This is an unprecedented attack on the autonomy of our local governments,” Hawley said in a statement. “If the people who live in our towns and villages Upstate have no say when it comes to something as fundamental as land use, what rights can they reasonably expect to maintain? Of course Cuomo’s wealthy donors in the energy industry want him to be able to handpick their projects and situate them wherever is best for them. That doesn’t mean the governor should go along with it.”

The governor wants to establish the Office of Renewable Energy Permitting, which will consolidate the environmental review and permitting of major renewable energy facilities. This will create a single forum in which the Department of Economic Development’s (the state agency arm of Empire State Development) new Office of Renewable Energy Permitting, or “Permitting Office,” to ensure permitting decisions are predictable, responsible, and delivered on pace to help the state achieve a goal of having 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

The governor wants to ensure that complete applications are acted upon within one year, except in the case of certain former commercial and industrial sites, which will be reviewed within six months.

Municipalities will have an opportunity to advise the Permitting Office on compliance with local laws and the Permitting Office will consider and may apply local laws in light of the state’s clean energy and environmental goals.

Projects that have already commenced permitting under the current Article 10 process will be able to opt-in to the new permitting process to ensure they can also accelerate their schedule for completion.

State Sen. Chris Jacobs of Buffalo, who is running for Congress, also criticized the proposal by Cuomo.

“I have seen this Governor try to ride roughshod over the democratic process and rights of local communities many times in the past, but this is by far the worst instance,” Jacobs said.

The current law governing the siting of renewable energy projects allows local municipalities to have representation and a voice in whether a project application is approved. The new system being proposed by Cuomo creates a review and permitting process controlled entirely by the governor’s state agencies, Jacobs said.

“This is the most undemocratic and frankly arrogant proposal from the governor I have seen,” Jacobs said.

‘People are caught off guard to have a homemade taste in a jar.’ – Darrin Albanese

Photos by Tom Rivers: Darrin Albanese is shown with jars of Albanese’s Finest Gourmet Pasta Sauce on Monday after they were freshly made by Permac in Bergen. Albanese has the sauce at about 25 locations in Western New York and soon it will be available at many Tops stores.

ALBION – Darrin Albanese for years enjoyed cooking for family and friends. He liked to see their exclamations, especially with his homemade spaghetti sauce.

Some of his friends liked it so much they insisted he make more batches and put it in jars for them to take home.

Albanese, 52, uses natural, fresh ingredients with no added salt or sugar. He has tweaked the recipe from his mother Theresa and father David.

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking, especially for when people come over,” Albanese said.

Last year, after prodding from friends and his daughter Kaleigh, he decided to make the sauce available as a business.

He worked with Cornell University’s Food Venture Center to test the shelf life of the sauce and affirm the scheduled process for a manufacturer to make the sauce in bigger batches.

In late October, he had the first jars available of Albanese’s Finest Gourmet Pasta Sauce. ANG Shur Sav in Churchville was the first store to put it on its shelves. Now Albanese’s Finest is at about 25 locations, and soon will be sold at several Tops stores.

Albanese has been doing tastings at many of the sites and that has fueled many of the sales of the traditional Italian marinara sauce.

“People tell me it has an undeniable taste,” Albanese said. “People are caught off guard to have a homemade taste in a jar.”

The jars are 24 ounces and include fresh spices and herbs.

Permac Enterprises in Bergen manufactures the sauce for Albanese, and about 160 others. Jamie Lloyd, co-owner of Permac, said Albanese has one of the fastest trajectories of any of the businesses the company has worked with the past 16 years. Lloyd said securing a purchase order from Tops, less than four months after the first jars went on the market, is very unusual. It’s hard to get shelf space in the bigger grocery store chains.

He said Albanese has a quality product, and he is a good promoter, connecting with stores and doing many tasting events for people to try the pasta sauce.

“You got to make sure everybody knows how good it is,” Lloyd said. “It’s up to them to get out and market it.”

Albanese said he takes the sauce on the road, often driving 100 miles or more a day, offering samples to store managers or owners. If the store agrees to sell the sauce, Albanese will try to set up tastings for people to try the sauce on pasta or bread.

The label was designed by Darrin Albanese and includes a photo of his daughter Kaleigh, who encouraged her father to make the sauce available to more people. The label also includes a swan, which has been Darrin’s nickname since childhood. “I wanted to show her if you put your mind to something you can do it,” Albanese said.

Once they taste the sauce, the sales are easy, he said. He sold seven cases, about 80 jars, at a tasting at the Miller’s Bulk Foods on Route 104 in Ridgeway. He had to drive home to Albion when he ran out of jars at a tasting at the Runnings store in Brockport.

Albanese is pleased with the early success of the product. He is looking to make a meat sauce available in May.

When he was a teen-ager, he worked at his family’s restaurant, Albanese’s Restaurant & Lounge, which was open for about 20 years on Route 31 in Albion. He also did dishes at Tillman’s Village Inn.

Albanese said he feels like the timing is right for Albanese’s Finest. He sees a public wanting higher-quality foods, that are all natural and taste like they are homemade.

He knew his family and friends liked his pasta sauce. The reaction these past four months has proven the sauce has appeal beyond his immediate circle.

He recalled his first tasting on Nov. 15 at Skip’s Meat Market on Ridge Road in Greece. He had the sauce in a crockpot. There was a line of people wanting to try the sauce. They gave him an enthusiastic response.

“It’s fun to know something you came up with that people enjoy it,” he said. “The experience at Skip’s Meat Market solidified that even strangers like my sauce.”

Albanese’s Finest is currently available in Orleans County at the following locations:

Albion – Save-A-Lot and The Back Room Bakery

Holley – Hurd Orchards

Kendall – Partyka Farms

Medina – The Bread Basket. Miller’s Bulk Food, LynOaken Farms and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery

To see the full list of locations, check the Facebook page for Albanese’s Finest.

MEDINA — The Medina Village Board is urging the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to amend criminal justice reforms that started on Jan. 1.

The “drastic changes in the laws” are “overly broad and vague and having unintended consequences at the municipal level,” according to a resolution approved by the board on Monday evening.

The criminal justice reforms don’t allow judges to set bail in many cases where there used to be discretion for bail.

The state also overhauled the discovery process and now requires an expedited timeline to provide materials such as police reports, radio transmissions, body-worn and dash-cam video, laboratory test results and volumes of other materials and data related to prosecution. There is now a mandate to turn over voluminous trial-related material within 15 days.

The new laws were approved as part of the state budget last year, without public or law enforcement input.

The changes have put more demands on police departments, court systems and district attorney’s offices, forcing many of them to add staff to be in compliance with the laws.

The Medina board said the increased costs come without state aid during a time of a state-imposed tax cap of about 2 percent.

The Medina board said prosecutors and courts are being consumed by the demands for misdemeanor and felony cases, making it impossible to prosecute vehicle and traffic infractions within the timeframes of the new discovery mandates.

The Medina board asked for the following amendments proposed by the New York State Conference of Mayors, which still meet the intent of the criminal justice reforms:

• Ensure that cities and villages are provided with additional financial and operational support to offset the cost of the mandated measures;

• Allow 60 days for prosecutors to disclose evidence to the defense for criminal charges;

• Excuse from the accelerated discovery requirements any charge not involving a misdemeanor or felony;

• Adjust the 20-day arraignment requirement to accommodate local courts that meet on a monthly basis;

• Allow prosecutors to withhold sensitive information, such as victim contact information, without having to obtain a court order.