Photo by Tom Rivers: Sean Pogue, Barre town supervisor, speaks during Wednesday’s Town Board meeting.

BARRE – The developers of a wind energy project in Barre say the 30-plus turbines would bring at least $1.2 million in revenue to the local governments in the first year of operation, with that total increasing to about $1.8 million in the year 25.

The money would be divvied up among the Town of Barre, Orleans County and Albion school district.

In a normal PILOT (payment of lieu of taxes), the money is split up in a pro-rated manner, to be shared based on the municipalities’ tax rates. The school district tends to get the most money because its tax rate is higher.

Barre town officials want a different revenue-sharing approach with the potential turbine money, where Barre could get as much as 80 percent of the revenue.

That is the position from Sean Pogue, the Barre town supervisor. He favors a Host Community Agreement where the town would get 80 percent of the revenue, with the remaining 20 percent to be shared by the school district and county. (One of the proposed turbines is in the Oakfield-Alabama school district, which could receive an annual payment equal to the average of turbine.)

Representatives from the three taxing entities have met several times, and Pogue said Wednesday the county and school district want a bigger percentage than 20 percent.

The talks are ongoing, and Pogue said the agreement won’t be a normal PILOT. If that was the case, Barre would get 26.8 percent of the revenue, with the county getting 29.0 percent and the school district, 44.1 percent. That is based on the 2019 tax rates – Barre, $9.18, county, $9.96, and school district, $15.10.

Apex Clean Energy is working on an application for 33 wind turbines with a 5.6 megawatt turbine. The negotiations have called for $8,500 to $9,000 per megawatt from Apex, with the company to increase the payments by 2 to 2.5 percent each year.

Pogue said on Wednesday Apex has agreed to $8,900 per megawatt. That adds up to $1,644,720 for 33 turbines with a 5.6 megawatt capacity.

The number would go down if there are fewer turbines or smaller turbines.

If Apex pays $8,900 per megawatt to start, Pogue said the inflation rate to be paid from Apex could be 2 percent more from years 1 to 10, and 2.5 percent from years 11 to 25. If Apex paid $9,000 per megawatt to start, the inflation rate would stay at 2 percent longer – to year 14, then increase to 2.5 percent in years 15 to 25.

“These are just numbers we’re looking at,” Pogue said during Wednesday’s Town Board meeting. “We’re not voting on anything at this time.”

Paul Williamson, Development Manager for Apex’s proposed Heritage Wind, has urged the three entities to “be generous with each other and don’t just try to secure your piece.” He spoke recently to the Orleans Hub.

He said the company is close to finishing its application for the project, which is submitted to the state Department of Public Service and could take two years to review.

Normally, PILOT funds aren’t paid until construction is complete with a project. That could be three or four years from now if the Heritage Wind project is approved.

Williamson and Apex are proposing Barre receive some upfront money before construction starts as part of the Community Host Agreement.

Apex has offered $20,000 for Barre to be paid within 30 days of the signing of the Host Community Agreement. Another $30,000 would be paid on the one-year anniversary of the signing of the HCA. At the commencement of construction, Barre would receive another $200,000, Pogue said.

That is money outside of the HCA and PILOT.

The town supervisor discussed the funds during Wednesday’s board meeting.

“There’s more numbers for you to digest that we can talk about,” he told the board members.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday signed legislation allowing adoptees for the first time to receive a certified copy of their birth certificate when they turn 18 years old. This measure (S3419/A5494) helps ensures that all adult New York adoptees will have the same unimpeded right to information about their birth and biological parents.

“Where you came from informs who you are, and every New Yorker deserves access to the same birth records – it’s a basic human right,” Governor Cuomo said. “For too many years, adoptees have been wrongly denied access to this information and I am proud to sign this legislation into law and correct this inequity once and for all.”

This legislation removes the right of government agencies to restrict the type of information made available to adopted persons and removes the previous barriers to receive information about biological parents to identify medical data that can prevent preventable diseases or untimely death.

Under this new law, the adopted person’s lawful representative or their descendants will also be able to get access the birth certificate if the adoptee is deceased.

Senator Velmanette Montgomery said, “I am so proud to have been the Senate sponsor of the Clean Bill of Adoptee Rights and I thank Governor Cuomo for signing this historic piece of legislation. This has been long overdue. We owe our success to the advocacy of thousands of adult adoptees who have fought tirelessly on this issue for over 20 years. The level of support I received for this legislation from adult adoptees all across the state and the nation was astounding. It is important that they have the right to seek answers about their health, their family history and their heritage.”

BARRE – The Town Board will have a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Nov. 25 to vote whether to hire a consultant to review the town’s wind energy ordinance.

The board had the matter on its agenda during Wednesday night’s board meeting but didn’t have a quorum to vote on that issue following the resignation of Richard Bennett as a town councilman and the absence of Tom McCabe.

The three other members at the meeting included Larry Gaylard, Lynn Hill and Town Supervisor Sean Pogue. Gaylard has agreed to lease some of his land to Apex Clean Energy for a wind energy project so he abstained from the vote. That left Barre with only two voting members at the meeting.

Apex has agreed to pay up to $50,000 for the town to hire a consultant to review the Barre ordinance for wind energy projects.

A consultant affiliated to the University of Buffalo will be asked to make a recommendation on turbine height, setbacks from property lines and homes, shadow flicker and sound from turbines.

The town didn’t detail the name or organization of the consultant at Wednesday’s meeting. Lance Mark, the town attorney, said he didn’t want the consultant to be “harassed” with phone calls, emails and messages. He said the consultant isn’t affiliated in any way with Apex or  citizens group – Clear Skies Above Barre – opposing the project.

The Town Board and Planning Board debated how to modify the wind energy ordinance for much of 2018, but the Town Board in January 2019 decided to leave the ordinance alone. That decision didn’t seem to please anybody.

The town ordinance caps turbine height at 500 feet. Apex wants turbines at 650 feet or higher for the Barre project, which could include up to 33 turbines. If the town sticks to 500 feet, Apex could seek a waiver from the local law from a state siting board, which reviews the large-scale wind energy projects as part of a new Article 10 process through the state.

Barre last updated the ordinance in 2008, at a time when most turbines were about 400 feet high. The current ordinance says the turbines need a property line setback of at least 1.5 times the tip height. That is for the property lines where the turbine is located.

The current ordinance also says the turbines need to be at least 1,000 feet from any existing residential or commercial building.

Apex, during discussions with the town in 2018 and early 2019, agreed to 1,500 foot setbacks from residential buildings. The company also suggested 1.5 times the tip height for setbacks from property lines for non-participating property owners, or landowners without an Apex lease.

Clear Skies said the setbacks should be six times the turbine height. That would be at least 3,600 feet or more than a half mile for 600-foot-tall turbines.

The town also wants to set rules for shadow flicker, noise and other environmental issues, as well as the decommissioning of the turbines.

John Metzler, a vocal critic of the proposed project in Barre, urged Barre officials to tell Apex that Barre doesn’t want the project.

He noted a group of about 100 property owners and residents in northern Chautauqua County in September filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court against the developers of a wind farm, claiming to have suffered from having wind turbines too close to homes.

The lawsuit includes residents in the Fredonia, Cassadaga and Forestville areas, who are suing the developers of the Arkwright Summit Wind Farm. The plaintiffs say the turbines have caused sleep disturbance, annoyance, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, motion sickness, bodily sensations, fatigue, stress, depression, memory deficits, inability to concentrate, anxiety and an overall reduced quality of life.

Metzler has sent town officials copies of the 78-page lawsuit.

“Why are we even considering something that will harm the citizens?” he asked the Town Board.

Chris Loss, a supporter of the project in Barre, said the recent town election shows the majority of the voters back the project.

Sean Pogue was re-elected town supervisor with 360 votes compared to 272 for Gerald Solazzo, who ran under the independent “Citizens for Change.”

“There was an election,” Loss said, directing her comments to people critical of the turbines. “The people have spoken. They want the wind turbine project to go through. You guys need to back off.”

There were five candidates on the ballot for town council seats. Two will be elected. Margaret Swan, a Republican and Independence candidate, is in the lead with 307 votes, followed by Kerri Richardson (Citizens for Change, Conservative) at 296 and Cindy Burnside (Citizens for Change) at 270. Other candidates include LuAnn Tierney (Democrat), 237; and Bradlee Driesel (R, I), 105. Driesel stopped campaigning and urged residents to support Swan and Tierney.

The Board of Elections will count absentee ballots on Nov. 19.

Tax rate would actually drop 23 cents due to rising assessments

ALBION — The tentative budget for Orleans County would increase taxes by 2.63 percent, however, the tax rate would drop by 23 cents, from $10.10 to $9.87 per $1,000 of assessed property.

Taxes are increasing but the rate is falling due to rising assessed values in the county, up 4.93 percent or by $85.7 million – from $1.74 billion in 2019 to $1.82 billion in 2020.

The overall budget includes $71,711,638 in spending, which is up 1.0 percent from the $71,031,480 in 2019.

There will be a public hearing on the budget at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the Orleans County Legislative Chambers, 14016 Route 31 West, Suite 200, Albion. This is in the new addition of the County Administration Building.

Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer and budget officer, released the tentative budget today. This is his final one as the county’s CAO. He leaving the position next month after 14 ½ years to take a job in the private sector.

Nesbitt said the budget meets a goal of county officials in keeping staying within the property tax cap, while maintaining services provided by 430 full- and part-time employees. The budget keeps school resource officers at Kendall and Lyndonville school districts. (Those districts reimburse the county for providing officers at the schools, which started in 2018.)

The county budget also invests in infrastructure and tourism growth, Nesbitt said in a budget message.

The county is adding two full-time positions in the District Attorney’s Office – a DA and a clerical position – to meet new duties as part of the state’s criminal justice reform mandates.

The county also is budgeting a $150,000 increase in community college chargebacks.

The budget keeps the same level of funding in 2020 as 2019 for several agencies that provide services in the community: Cornell Cooperative Extension, $240,000; Orleans Economic Development Agency, $190,000; Soil & Water Conservation District, $92,500; four public libraries, $10,000 combined; Sportsmen’s Federation, $4,000; and Geneses-Orleans Regional Arts Council, $3,000.

The fee for solid waste and recycling service will be $212, which is the same as 2019. That cost is holding steady as the county transitioned to larger recycling totes this year, which are picked up every two weeks instead of weekly.

Kristina Martin of Holley won first place in the annual Orleans County Tourism Photo Contest with this photograph of the chapel at Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon.

Martin’s photo received 70 points from 12 judges, the most of the 66 photos entered by 15 photographers, the County Tourism Department announced today.

Peggy Barringer’s “Culvert-cicles” came in 2nd with 62 points. It shows icicles in the Canal Culvert in Ridgeway.

Bobby Boccaccio’s photo of the lighthouse at Point Breeze was 3rd with 47 points

The photos needed to be taken in Orleans County with a “tourism draw.” Twelve judges reviewed the entries and rated their top ten picks from 10 points to 1 point. The points were then tallied and ranked whereby the highest earned points was declared the winner.

Several of the submitted photographs will be featured in the 2020 Orleans County Tourism calendar which is published in late December as well as the Orleans County Travel & Adventure Guide which is anticipated to be published in January and distributed nationwide, the Tourism Department said.

Jules Hoepting of Albion ventured onto the ice on the Erie Canal to get this photo of a canal bridge at sunset. It was among the 66 photos entered in the contest.

ALBION – The Albion Town Board has approved a local law establishing a 15-ton weight limit on Gaines Basin Road from the south entrance of Walmart, going south to the Barre townline, which is between West County House Road and Route 31A (West Lee Road).

Delivery trucks should use alternative routes such as routes 98 and 31, said Michael Neidert, the Albion town highway superintendent.

The town previously didn’t have a weight limit for the road. Neidert said heavy trucks, such as tractor trailers and loaded dump trucks, have avoided going through the village on 31 and 98. Those heavy vehicles have taken a toll on the road, Neidert said.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that applications for home heating assistance will be accepted throughout New York State. Administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Home Energy Assistance Program is making more than $338 million in federal funding available to help older adults and low and middle income New Yorkers heat their homes this winter.

“Cold weather can bring added hardship for low-income and working-class New Yorkers who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding provides them with a critical stop-gap to help them afford the cost of heating their homes during the late fall and winter months.”

Eligible homeowners and renters may receive assistance of up to $726 per month, depending on income, household size and how they heat their home. A family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $4,797 or an annual gross income of $57,546 and still qualify for benefits.

Applications are accepted statewide at local departments of social services and, for New Yorkers living outside of New York City, also online at myBenefits.ny.gov.

Last year, nearly 1.5 million households received heating assistance through HEAP. Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additionally, households that have already received assistance may qualify for a one-time emergency HEAP benefit if they are at risk of having their heat shut off or running out of fuel, and do not have sufficient resources to resupply. Applications for emergency benefits will be accepted starting on Thursday, January 2. Anyone in need of emergency assistance should contact their local department of social services.

Click here to see where to apply in Orleans County.

‘This is a wake-up call that these dangers are very real, and tomorrow we may be faced with a different outcome.’ – Assemblyman Hawley

Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Following the stifled plot of three middle school students in Albion who intended to conduct a violent attack inside their school, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is reiterating a call for armed school resource officers (SROs) to be present inside every school in New York state.

The school resource officer assigned to Albion Central School helped thwart the planned attack after receiving information from school officials about a threatening message posted on the app Discord.

Hawley’s legislation, A.3732, supported by both Republicans and Democrats, would mandate that all school resource officers are properly trained veterans or retired law enforcement and provides $50,000 in state grants to each school district that hires a SRO. Hawley wrote Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie during 2018 budget negotiations asking for funding for each school statewide to hire more armed security following the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“I applaud the work of local law enforcement and teachers in Albion for stopping this plan and thank them for their vigilance. The situation at Albion Middle School proves that increased security measures are absolutely necessary in schools across the state. This is a wake-up call that these dangers are very real, and tomorrow we may be faced with a different outcome,” Hawley said. “I will continue pushing for each school around the state to be given grant funding to hire at least one armed School Resource Officer. We cannot place a cost on the safety of our children and our teachers.”

ALBION – A former inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility admitted to striking a corrections officer with a closed fist several times on Feb. 15.

Aniah Ferguson, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Orleans County Court this morning. She will face an additional 1 ½ to 3 years in prison when she is sentenced on Feb. 6 by County Court Judge Sanford Church.

Ferguson was taken to the emergency room at Medina Memorial Hospital on Feb. 15. While in the bathroom, her mechanical restraints were removed from one wrist. When a female correction officer tried to put the restraint back on, Ferguson allegedly punched her several times with her free hand, causing injuries to the CO’s head, including a bloody nose, and contusions to her eye, face and head.

Ferguson has since been transferred to Bedford Hills.

District Attorney Joseph Cardone said the correction officer suffered “substantial pain” from the attack and needed medical treatment. She also missed work and needed to take pain medication.

Ferguson is in prison after an incident in 2015 when she led an attack on a 16-year-old girl at a McDonald’s in Brooklyn. When she was at Rikers Island, Ferguson assaulted a captain at the New York City jail.

In other cases in County Court today:

• An Oakfield man was arraigned for two counts of felony driving while intoxicated, one count of aggravated DWI (for BAC above 0.18) and one count of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Troy Bailey, 50, was charged on July 27 on Main Street in Shelby. He was allegedly driving drunk without a license. His BAC was 0.194 percent.

• An inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility was arraigned for aggravated harassment of an employee by inmate. Angela Tuitt, 33, allegedly threw fecal matter at a corrections officer.

• Christopher C. Taylor, 35, of West Avenue in Medina was arraigned for two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. He allegedly intended to sell cocaine and possessed more than a half ounce of cocaine.

He also was arraigned on one count criminal nuisance in third because people were allegedly engaging in unlawful activity on his premises.

Taylor also has been charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree for allegedly using scales or balances to weigh controlled substances.

He pleaded not guilty in court today and is free on $20,000 bail.

• Jacob Harbaugh of the Niagara Falls rejected a plea offer for third-degree burglary and third-degree grand larceny.

Judge Church set Jan. 21 for the start of a trial against Harbaugh. He is one of three defendants who allegedly stole three dirt bikes from a Ridgeway garage on Oct. 16, 2018.

If found guilty, Harbaugh could face 3 ½ to 7 years in prison. As part of a plea deal, his sentence would be capped at 2 ½ to 5 years in prison. Harbaugh rejected the offer today.

Betterment Committee also doing hunter’s breakfast on Saturday

Photo by Tom Rivers

BARRE – The Barre Betterment Committee  hosted its first lighted tractor parade down Route 98 last Dec. 15.

The photo shows a tractor with a large American flag in back. Lamb Farms of Oakfield brought this tractor. There were about 10 tractors in the debut parade.

The parade will be back on Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. It starts on East Barre Road. The ending spot is to be determined.

The Barre Betterment Committee also is putting on its first hunter’s breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Town of Barre highway garage. Saturday is the opening day for regular hunting season with firearms.

The committee will be serving all-you-can-eat venison sausage and gravy, biscuits, pancakes, eggs, juice and coffee. The breakfast is open to the community and costs $10.

For more on the Betterment Committee, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jennifer Thom, one of the organizers of the 5k Operation Honor on Saturday, presented a $4,000 check today to Orleans County Joint Veterans Council Van Service. Thom is handing the check to Dave Kusmierczak (right), chairman of the Joint Veterans Council. Steve Johnson, left, is the group’s treasurer.

Thom and Sarah Levanduski-Surdel started Operation Honor last year with a 5K in Medina as their first event. Last year the race raised $3,000, which was given to the Warrior House in Shelby. The Warrior House provides a hunting retreat for veterans.

Thom and Levanduski-Surdel want to use the proceeds from the 5K to support veterans’ programs in the community. David Thom, Jennifer’s father, is a volunteer driver for the van service.

Jennifer Thom said the community was generous in sponsoring the event, which also included 40 participants who paid a $25 each to run or walk the course. The union for state corrections officers, NYSCOPBA, was the biggest sponsor at $1,500.

“This is a great shot in the arm,” Johnson, treasurer for the Joint Veterans Council, said about the $4,000 donation. “It will really help us.”

The Council has five vans. They purchased a low-mileage vehicle this summer for about $18,000. Johnson said the $4,000 from the 5K will go into a fund for the next vehicle.

The Joint Veterans Council runs the all-volunteer program, which has 27 drivers and 13 office volunteers.

The van service has taken 1,712 veterans to medical appointments this year, on 1,304 trips, through Oct. 31. Last month, the volunteers took 178 veterans to medical appointments.

Most of the trips are to VA healthcare sites in Batavia and Buffalo. The eras of the veterans served include 6 from World War II, 176 from Korea, 810 from Vietnam, 266 from the Persian Gulf and 454 from peacetime, according the Joint Veterans Council.

The vans so far this year have travelled 42,475 miles with volunteers putting in 4,694 hours.

GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum honored many dedicated volunteers and supporters during the organization’s annual meeting on Saturday at Tillman’s Village Inn.

Brenda Radzinski was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year. She is active in many activities at the museum, including as a docent for school tours and for other museum visitors. Radzinski is a museum trustee and helps with the many of the museum events.

She had a lead role in developing the script for a Ghost Walk last month. She created a quilt that was auctioned off to benefit the museum. She volunteered at a bridal show in Medina, to promote the museum as a wedding venue.

Radzinski is a master gardener and helped decide where to put perennials on the museum grounds. She also volunteered during “cobblestone kids’ days” during the summer and the led the crafts activities with children.

The following were recognized with awards during the Cobblestone Museum annual meeting, front row, from left: Erin Anheier with Proctor Award for leading two big capital projects at the museum; Pat Morrisey with the Donna Rodden Hospitality Award for hosting events on behalf of the museum; Anna Migitskiy, who manages Lures Restaurant in Kendall, which was presented with the New Business Partner award; Grace Kent of Albion, with Rufus Bullock Award for outstanding and sustained contributions to the museum.

Back row: Andre Tsyupa, owner of Lures Restaurant, New Business Partner award; Brenda Radzinski, volunteer of the year; Andre Migitskiy of Lures Restaurant; Gerard Morrisey, donna Rodden Award for hospitality; Camilla VanderLinden of the Dunn Martin Fund for Communtiy Partner Award; and Gary Kent of Albion with Rufus Bullock Award.

Besides the volunteer of the year, the Cobblestone Museum recognized the following:

The Rufus Bullock Award was presented to Gary and Grace Kent for their “outstanding and sustained contributions to benefit the museum.” The Albion couple have been long-time supporters and volunteers for the museum. The award is named for Bullock, who grew up in Albion and went on to be elected as governor of Georgia in 1868. His outhouse form his home on Liberty Street in Albion is now at the museum. Bullock moved back to Albion and donated many valuables to the former Swan Library for the community to enjoy.

• The Frances Folsom Cobblestone Board Alumni Award is a new award for “excellence in serving the museum by a former board member.” The debut award was presented to Susan Starkweather Miller, a former museum trustee who remains active with the museum, leading tours. The award is named for Frances Folsom, a former Medina resident who became First Lady in 1886 at age 21 when she married Grover Cleveland at the White House.

Starkweather Miller this past year led a Summer Garden Bus Tour on July 20. This bus trip around the county looked at several spectacular horticultural displays.

She also led a bus trip on Feb. 9 to the George Eastman House in Rochester. The tour included a visit with Landscape Manager Dan Bellavia, who shared how the Eastman Mansion prepares for the earliest bulb show in North America.

Starkweather Miller makes the trips fun with “cobble-scones” and unique door prizes, said Chris Sartwell, a museum trustee.

Sue’s mother Roz Starkweather accepted the award on Saturday.

• The Community Partner Award was presented to Camilla VanderLinden of the Dunn Martin Fund, which has provided funding for the museum’s internship program during the summer.

Next year the Dunn Martin Fund will pay for a closed circuit camera system at the Cobblestone Universalist Church. Events in the church’s sanctuary will be able to viewed in the church’s basement, which is handicapped accessible.

Anna Migitskiy accepts the New Business Partner Award for Lures Restaurant in Kendall. “We’re excited for the opportunity to be in the community,” she said.

• The New Business Partner was presented to a new supporter of the museum. Lures Restaurant, led by Anna and Andre Migitskiy, shared 20 percent of the proceeds from a day of sales at the Kendall location in march with the museum.

• Donna Rodden Hospitality Award is named in honor of the late Albion mayor who was instrumental in having many historic sites in the community be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Patricia and Gerard Morrisey have opened their home for cobblestone events and volunteered at many other museum programs.

• The Proctor Award was presented to Erin Anheier for assisting the museum in an extraordinary manner. She has spearheaded two big capital projects at the museum, writing and managing grant projects that included masonry repairs to the 1849 Cobblestone Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse also received a new roof, had wooden trim work painted, and windows restored.

Anheier also led a grant project at Farmers Hall to strengthen the foundation and add collar ties to firm up the rafters. The building, formerly the Kendall Town Hall, was sagging. The additional foundation support will stop that, and the turnbuckles will keep the building from spreading apart.

The Proctor Award is named for John Proctor, the founder of the Childs hamlet where the museum is located.

Derek Maxfield, a professor at Genesee Community Community, was the keynote speaker and shared about Ulysses S. Grant in his role as general for the Union during the Civil War.

The museum has a 19-member board. Erin Anheier of Clarendon was elected as president. She will succeed Richard Remley, who will be in the role of executive vice president in 2020. Anheier served this past year as vice president of development. Toni Plummer will be in that role in 2020.

Other officers for 2020 include: Kevin Hamilton as treasurer, Shirley Bright-Neeper as secretary, Grace Denniston as corresponding secretary, and Gail Johnson as membership secretary.

New trustee terms beginning on Jan. 1 will be filled by the Rev. Don Algeo, Diana Flow, Pat Morrissey and Al Capurso.

Remley said the museum is committed to be part of a revived historic district in the Childs hamlet along Route 104 in Gaines. The museum has worked to preserve its historic buildings and is interested in developing a visitor’s center in the future.

This past year the museum put up new signs on its campus. A new front door was replaced on the Brick House next to the Cobblestone Universalist Church and some of the Brick House shutters were repainted.

The leaking gutters on the Cobblestone schoolhouse were repaired. An electric heaters was installed at the schoolhouse and a derelict furnace was removed. The bell tower on the schoolhouse also should soon have a roof repair, and there will be landscaping behind the schoolhouse to raise the frost level at the corners. A well stone will also be placed at the schoolhouse, which was built in 1849.

Kathy Scroger and Judy Ernenwein of Kendall stopped by Farmers Hall for a photo after the annual meeting. The building used to be the Kendall Town Hall but was taken apart and reassembled at the Cobblestone Museum. The building received new foundation peirs and rafter collars this past year.

At the Farmers Hall, a building that was once the Kendall Town Hall, new foundation piers were put under the building and roof rafter ties were installed.

The museum also put new roof shingles on the book sale building, which was a voting booth in Hamlin.

Museum seeks $4,000 to replace furnace in Ward House

Remley and the museum are making a year-end appeal for $4,000 to replace the furnace in the Ward House, which was built around 1840.

Any funds received beyond the furnace cost will go in an account for future building maintenance.

Donations can be sent to the Cobblestone Society, P.O. Box 363, Albion NY 14411.

The museum has an upcoming event to close out 2019. The annual Christmas Tour of Historic Homes will be from 2 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 and includes many stops in Albion with the option of a bus tour.

For information about tickets, check CobblestoneMuseum.org or call (585) 589-9013.

Maarit Vaga, a museum trustee, shares some plans for the museum’s 60th season in 2020. The museum plans to step up its community outreach, including creating a float to be in the local community parades.

Photo courtesy of Margaret Stanley

RIDGEWAY – There are icicles hanging in the Canal Culvert in Ridgeway. The canal still has a lot of water, and some of that seeps into the culvert. When it’s well below freezing, the culvert will have many icicles emerge.

Margaret Stanley sent in this photo today of the Canal Culvert, the only spot where you can drive under the Erie Canal.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Pictured, from left, last November include Sherry Tuohey, coordinator of Christmas Box Program for MAAC; Annette Finch, Community Services director for Community Action; Michelle Figueroa, case manager for Community Action; Ronnie Barite, president of board of directors for Community Action; Andrew Szatkowski, toy drive chairman; and Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo.

MEDINA — A one-day toy drive will be back for the third straight year on Nov. 30, which is the Saturday during Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas and Parade of Lights.

Toys can be dropped off from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Canalside Tattoo Company, 540 Main St. The toys will be distributed by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, and also the Medina Area Association of Churches.

Last year the toy drive filled 12 bags with toys and also netted $1,001 to buy toys and food for families.

The money was raised through a Chinese auction, where for every toy donated or for every $5 given in cash, people get a chance to win one of 20 packages donated by local businesses.

Andrew Szatkowski serves as the toy drive organizer. He is putting together packages from local businesses. If they want to donate items or gift cards, they can reach him at ajs@takeform.net or (585) 205-0581.

The MAAC distributes toys to about 150 children and their families in the Medina area. The toys from the one-day drive supplement the toys given in the 30 red barrels that are set up at Medina locations.

Community Action is collecting toys and food for about 350 children in their families in Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Snow clings to leaves on a tree on West Academy Street on Monday, the beginning on a snow storm that dumped about 10 inches in parts of Orleans County.

It’s going to be cold in Orleans County and WNY today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 24. The day started in the single digits. Medina was as ow as 3 degrees in the early morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The cold temperatures follow a snowstorm that left about 10 inches of snow in Medina, Albion and other parts of the county.

Tonight the temperature will drop to 22. Thursday will get back above freezing with a high of 36, while Friday is forecast to reach 37 degrees, according to the Weather Service.