By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2019 at 10:19 am
‘Together we did some fantastic things and now Medina seems at the brink of a wonderful future and I believe the best is yet to come.’ – Martin Busch
MEDINA – Marty Busch, Medina’s code enforcement officer, is retiring on Sept. 28 with his last day in the office on Aug. 13.
Busch has been the village’s code enforcement officer for 24 years, during a time of renaissance in the downtown business district and expansion in Medina’s Business Park.
In a letter to the Village Board on June 24, Busch thanked the village officials and community for the opportunity to work in Medina.
“The job introduced me to people, took me places and showed me things I never could have imagined,” Busch wrote in his letter. “Most of all I am extremely grateful to have worked with and for the most dedicated, hard working and in some cases brave people I have ever known. Medina is truly blessed to have such public employees and officials.”
Busch said it has been a team effort as Medina has enjoyed significant recent investment in many building projects.
“Together we did some fantastic things and now Medina seems at the brink of a wonderful future and I believe the best is yet to come,” Busch said in his letter.
He attended Monday’s Village Board meeting and updated the board on the new 58-room Cobblestone Suites hotel that is under construction on Maple Ridge Road next to Pride Pak. Busch said the foundation is done and the building will start to take shape soon.
The company wants to open the new hotel in March 2020.
Mayor Michael Sidari praised Busch for his service to the village.
In other action at Monday’s meeting, the board:
• Accepted the resignation of Don Marchner as a callman in the Medina Fire Department. Marchner has been responding to fire calls for 52 years. He is a former career firefighter and then police officer for Medina.
In his retirement, he has remained active with the Fire Department. He also stops by every morning to have coffee with the firefighters, said Fire Chief Tom Lupo.
“He has served us well and we wish him well in his future,” Lupo said.
Marcher sent a June 12 letter to the village, announcing he was stepping down as a callman on June 30.
“I wish to thank the residents of the village for giving me the opportunity to serve them,” Marchner wrote. “I also wish my fellow brother firefighters the best of luck in the future and stay safe. I appreciate what each and every one of you have done for me. Keep up the good work, and remember, Protect and Serve.”
• Approved spending $2,000 to dispose of old court records from 1880 to 2011. The village and towns of Ridgeway and Shelby are each paying $2,000 to dispose of 252 boxes of old court records.
Photo courtesy of Hoag Library: Patrick Holman of Medina performed a magic show on Saturday to help celebrate the start of the summer reading program at Hoag Library.
ALBION – Local performer Patrick Holman kicked off Hoag’s Library’s Summer Reading Program, A Universe of Stories, this past Saturday with an exciting magic show. Holman entertained about 45 people at the performance, with 24 children registering for the reading program.
There is still time to enroll in the summer reading program. Registration is still open to children and adults, and concludes Aug. 15 with a performance by Buffalo & Brandy and cookout with the Albion Lions Club.
Hoag Library has collaborated with community partners, including local business owners, elected officials, and educators from Albion Central School to bringthis engaging summer program to Albion.
In addition to events at the library, staff will participate in community events, such as the Summer Parks Program, the Orleans County 4-H Fair, and the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park.
For information on other programs and activities at Hoag Library, visit www.hoaglibrary.com or through Facebook.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – David Bellavia will become the first living Iraq War veteran to receive the Medal of Honor today.
President Donald Trump will present the nation’s highest military honor to Bellavia during a ceremony scheduled for 3:25 p.m. in the East Room of the White House.
Bellavia, 43, lives in Waterport and is a Lyndonville graduate. He is a former staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. He is being recognized for his actions defending fellow soldiers while serving in the second battle of Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 10, 2004.
While serving as a squad leader in Operation Phantom Fury, a 2004 American offensive on the western Iraqi City of Fallujah, Bellavia saved his entire squad when he cleared a housing block of enemy combatants who had pinned down his unit. Once Bellavia secured the safety of his squad, he re-engaged with the enemy combatants, re-entered the house where enemy fire was located, proceeded to kill four enemy insurgents, and wounded a fifth.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2019 at 7:32 am
‘It would be hard not to know there is an election going on.’ – Skip Draper, chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party
Today is primary day and the chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party expects a big turnout even though the date of the primary is in June, rather than the usual September.
The local primary calendar was moved up to align with the schedule for state and federal primaries.
“It’s different but there has been plenty of advertisements,” said Skip Draper, the GOP chairman. “It would be hard not to know there is an election going on.”
Chris Bourke
The change in the calendar didn’t give candidates as much time to prepare their campaigns, from meeting with party officials for endorsements to securing names on petitions.
Normally a candidate needs signatures from at least 5 percent of registered voters in their party. That threshold was lowered this year to 3 percent for the town and county offices. Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved the reduction due to the shortened election calendar.
“There was short notice about the change,” Draper said. “We didn’t have as much prep time. Ultimately I think it’s a good thing (to have the primaries in June).”
Brett Sobieraski
There are several primaries today, headed by a countywide race for sheriff. Randy Bower, the incumbent sheriff, isn’t seeking re-election. Undersheriff Chris Bourke, the second in command at the Sheriff’s Office, is running for sheriff against Brett Sobieraski, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department. Bourke and Sobieraski both live in Carlton.
Sobieraski campaigned with Tom Drennan four years ago to be Drennan’s undersheriff. Drennan was the chief deputy at the time. Bower would win a close election for sheriff over Drennan.
Bower in 2015 won the Republican primary, with a razor-thin 27-vote lead, 1,588 to 1,561, on primary day. When the absentee ballots were counted a few days later, Bower won 1,671 to 1,650.
There were 3,321 voters in that primary. The Orleans County Board of Elections has 5,800 ballots ready for today. That includes enough for a 50 percent turnout in towns that have town races, and 45 percent for the other towns with no town races but still the hotly contested sheriff’s election.
The candidates in the primary races include:
Republican Party
• Orleans County: Sheriff — Brett Sobieraski and Christopher Bourke
• Clarendon: Highway Superintendent — Tracy Bruce Chalker and Robert Freida
• Murray: Town Supervisor — Robert Miller and Joseph Sidonio
• Murray: Town Councilman (2 positions) — Neil Valentine, Dirk Lammes and Lloyd Christ Jr.
• Ridgeway: Town Supervisor — Brian Napoli and David Stalker
• Ridgeway: Town Councilman (2 positions) — Mary Woodruff, Sarah Fisher and Duane Payne
• Shelby: Highway Superintendent — Dale Root and Michael Fuller
Independence Party
• Murray: Town Supervisor — Robert Miller and an opportunity to ballot
• Murray: Town Councilman (2 positions) — Neil Valentine, Lloyd Christ Jr. and an opportunity to ballot
• Delegates to the 8th Judicial District, 144th Assembly District (Shelby in Orleans County) — Darla Schultz Bubar and Ciara Haylett
• Alternate Delegates to the 8th Judicial District, 144th Assembly District (Shelby in Orleans County) — Brian Michel and David Haylett Jr.
Working Families Party
• Delegates to the 8th Judicial District, 144th Assembly District (Shelby in Orleans County) — Jeffrey Gaston and Donald Kirsch
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2019 at 5:54 pm
The polling locations for Tuesday’s primaries in Orleans County include a new location for Murray residents. Instead of voting at the Holley Jr./Sr. High School, voters will cast their ballots at the Murray Town Hall.
The polls are open from noon to 9 p.m.
Most of the polling sites are at town halls, although Albion votes at Hoag Library and part of Ridgeway uses the Volunteer Fire Company.
Here is a list of the polling sites:
• Albion – Districts 1 through 6 – Hoag Library, 134 South Main St.
• Barre – Districts 1 and 2 – Town Hall, 14317 West Barre Rd.
• Carlton – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 14341 Waterport-Carlton Rd.
• Clarendon – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 16385 Church St.
• Gaines – Districts 1 through 4 – Town Hall, 14087 Ridge Rd.
• Kendall – Districts 1 through 3 – Town Hall, 1873 Kendall Rd.
• Murray – Districts 1 through 6 – Murray Town Hall, 3840 Fancher Rd. (Route 31)
Photo by Tom Rivers: A combine is shown on Oct. 12 in Barre on West Barre Road during the harvest season.
Press Release, NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles today informed drivers and operators of slow-moving vehicles to be prepared for a new law that takes effect June 26.
Under the new law, farm, construction and other machinery designed to operate at speeds greater than 25 mph and less than 40 mph will now be required to display a Speed Identification Symbol (SIS) and the “slow-moving vehicle triangle.”
The SIS must indicate the vehicle’s top speed and operators will also be required to carry documentation from the manufacturer indicating the maximum speed the vehicle was designed for.
Today, the DMV and the Department of Agriculture and Markets also urged motorists to watch for slow-moving vehicles during the spring, summer and fall when they are most likely to be on the road. Motorists are reminded it is illegal to pass slow-moving vehicles in a no-passing zone even though they are traveling at slower speeds.
“This time of year, it is very common to see farm, construction and other slow-moving vehicles on the roads and motorists should be ready to respond appropriately,” said DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder. “These vehicles are incredibly important to New York’s farming community, to the workers who fix our roads, and many other construction crews. Please respect their operators and do not try to recklessly pass them.”
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “It’s critical that drivers be on the lookout for slow-moving vehicles, especially as farm activity increases this time of year. Tractors and farm equipment cannot easily maneuver out of the way of traffic or speed up like other vehicles. So, we urge everyone to be aware and look out for the safety of our farmers.”
When motorists encounter a slow-moving vehicle on the roadway they should:
• Slow down immediately
• Increase following distance to create a safety cushion
• Be alert and watch for unexpected turns
• Pass with care only when it is safe and legal to do so
• Be aware that animal-powered vehicles may make unanticipated movements
• Be aware that equipment in tow may sway on the road
• Remember slow-moving vehicle operators may have poor visibility due to loads and equipment in tow
Operators should be aware that the slow-moving vehicle triangle should be placed in the center of the back end of the vehicle, located two to six feet above the road and kept clean and replaced when faded. The SIS should be displayed next to the triangle. Each piece of agricultural equipment, whether self-propelled or used in combination, must separately display the required emblems. It is illegal to put slow-moving vehicle emblems on stationary objects – such as mailboxes or driveway posts.
Under state law, self-propelled agricultural equipment can be used on public roads after dark and when visibility is less than 1,000 feet when it has two white head lamps, one red tail light on the rear as far left as possible and two amber lamps at least 42 inches high and visible from the front and rear.
Vehicles drawn by animals should display on the rear either a slow-moving vehicle triangle or a lighted lantern with a red lens at least four inches in diameter, with the center of the lens to be 42 inches above the ground, the lantern to be near the left edge of the vehicle. The vehicle also should have 72 square inches of a high quality white or whitish-gray reflective tape.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2019 at 3:23 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Nichols, Long and Moore Construction in Tonawanda puts a new layer of crushed limestone dust on the Erie Canal towpath near Allen’s Bridge Road in Albion today.
The company uses a roller to harden the towpath after the limestone dust was put down. The company was hired for the job after the towpath was beat up from construction equipment as part of the tree removal and embankment maintenance project.
The Canal Corp. had a new layer removed in parts of Albion and Medina when the material wasn’t compacting very well. The new limestone dust is a finer material.
The Canal Corp. and the contractors are working to have the new surface for the towpath ready by July 1. Next month there are two big cycling events that will be passing through on the towpath.
The new surface covers most of the towpath from Medina to Spencerport.
Nichols, Long and Moore Construction is using a paving machine to put down the limestone dust.
A State Canal Corp. employee asked people to please observe the signs that say the trail is closed in some sections so contractors can get their work done.
CARLTON – More than 100 people – veterans and their family members – enjoyed going fishing on Sunday at St. Mary’s Archery Club.
The outing was the latest event organized and sponsored by the Orleans County PFC. Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Program.
The St. Mary’s Archery club hosted the event in conjunction with Dwyer volunteer coordinator Catherine Schmidt to bring veterans and their families together for a relaxing day to be spent with one another.
The VFW Post No. 1483 in Medina sponsored all the food and refreshments for the event.
This is what the program is all about bringing community partnerships together to make veterans and families in Orleans County feel supported for their service.
Veterans and their families enjoyed the sunshine, fishing, food, games and each other’s company.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2019 at 12:07 pm
ALBION – The Clarendon Road culvert in Albion will be closed for about a month this summer so a new culvert can be installed.
The Town of Albion received a $174,000 grant from the state’s BridgeNY program for the project.
A section of Clarendon Road from Route 31 to Holley Road will be closed beginning July 8. Local traffic will be allowed, including for the elementary school, the Town Hall and Victory Baptist Church.
Construction of the new culvert should take about four weeks, said Mike Neidert, Albion highway superintendent.
The construction bids came in over budget, so the town is doing the project with the Orleans County Highway Department.
The new culvert is expected to be under budget, Neidert said.
Anyone with questions about the project can contact Neidert at the Town of Albion, (585) 589-7048 ext. 16 or email highway@townofalbion.com.
The board of commissioners for the International Jont Commission is doing everything possible to provide all possible relief to Lake Ontario and upper St. Lawrence River residents, while considering impacts throughout the system.
During its meeting on June 21, the Board decided to maintain outflows at their current record-high levels, 10,400 m3/s (367,270 cfs), for the next week considering there is very little capacity for passing water on the lower St. Lawrence River due to Lake St. Louis flooding conditions. Many areas around Montreal and Lake St. Louis still remain flooded presently.
Significant precipitation over the last few days throughout the system have increased outflow from the Ottawa River into the lower St. Lawrence River. This has caused water levels on Lake St. Louis to rise to 22.42 m (73.56 ft) again, only 6 cm (2.4 in) below the levels causing significant flooding.
Before making their decision to maintain the current outflow, the Board considered the impact of increased currents and flows on multiple stakeholders, and received testimony from various groups, such as shoreline owners, hydropower, municipal and industrial water uses, recreational and commercial navigation, ecosystems, and upstream and downstream conditions.
Even with high outflows, it is expected that Lake Ontario will remain stable or decline slowly for the next several weeks. The Board continues to seek any opportunity to lower Lake Ontario faster than what is presently possible, and will be meeting again this week to review its regulation strategy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2019 at 8:31 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Alec Sherman is pictured with a display about the Albion marching band from 1950 to 1975, when the Purple Eagles were led by his father, Moses Sherman.
The display at Hoag Library includes trophies, programs, photos, a band jacket and vinyl records of band concerts.
This display will be up until Thursday. The library rotates exhibits. Betty Sue Miller, the library director, was in Sherman’s marching band. She urged Alec to put together the display.
“I thought it was a neat look back at time,” Alec said about the exhibit.
Moses Sherman is shown in action leading the Albion marching band. This photo is from the early 1970s.
Sherman grew up in a small town in Vermont. He earned a degree at Ithaca College and first worked at Tully, a small school district in Central New York. He was hired at Albion in 1950 and stayed until 1975. He finished his career in Massena in northern New York.
Sherman passed away in 1997. His father had tremendous pride in the Albion band, Alec said.
The band performed all over New York, including about 30 times each summer at fire department parades and community festivals. A highlight for the band during Sherman’s tenure was a week-long trip to England in 1972. More than 100 students performed in London. The band also performed in Montreal and Toronto.
Moses Sherman’s trumpet is part of the display at the library.
“He taught them life lessons about dedication and preparation,” said Alec, who is a retired U.S. history teacher at Albion. He also coached basketball, softball and track.
Alec also played in his father’s bands. Alec played the cornet, a small brass instrument like a trumpet. He graduated in 1968 and saw first-hand his father’s devotion to the music program.
A trophy and band jacket are in the exhibit.
Alec Sherman is selling digitally remastered albums, ranging from 1964 to 1974, of the band’s concerts. Sherman has recordings from eight spring concerts, which were typically two-hour events.
The remastered CDs are available for $35 each and Sherman uses the proceeds for $500 annual scholarships given each year in memory of his father (to be awarded to a graduating senior who is active in the band program) and also for Alec’s mother, Margaret McKirdy Sherman, who was a teacher at Albion. Her scholarship is a humanitarian award going to a graduate with a record of community service.
For more information about the CDs, contact Alec Sherman at alecsherman1950@gmail.com or click here for more information on the Albion Alumni Foundation website.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2019 at 6:09 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Rianne Hand, 8, of Albion sits on the new Buddy Bench at Veteran’s Park at the corner of Linwood Avenue and Butts Road in Albion.
Rianne is a first year Brownie in Troop 82036. Her older sisters, Samantha and Allie, are in that troop, which donated the Buddy Bench for a Silver Award project for six Cadette Scouts. The troop is led by Crystal Hand, mother of the three sisters.
The Scouts used proceeds from cookie sales over two years to pay the $670 cost for the bench. If people are feeling lonely, they can sit on a Buddy Bench and a friend is encouraged to go sit with them.
The bench is at Vets Park for most of the summer and will be moved to Bullard Park later this year. Bullard is currently under construction. The summer park programs will be based out of Vets Park this summer.
Mayor Eileen Banker, right, joined the Girl Scouts in a ribbon-cutting this afternoon. The Scouts include, from left: Olivia Miller, Allie Hand, Katelyn Kowalski, Lucy Rivers, Eowyn Pate, Samantha Hand and Maia Pate.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2019 at 5:30 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This group of Albion community members took orders for 500 T-shirts that say, #Albion Strong with a purple eagle, the Albion school mascot.
Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the Moody family, who are grieving the loss of Brennan Moody, 17, from a car accident. Brennan was a very well-liked Albion student who was to graduate on Friday with about 150 other classmates.
The volunteers took orders for the shirts today at Bullard Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. D.J. Button of Digital Ink Arts in Albion is pushing to have the shirts ready to be distributed at the park on Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m.
There will be another delivery at Bullard on Sunday, June 30, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Kelly Brannan headed the effort to have the shirts made in time for Friday’s graduation. Brannan’s son Gage is an eighth-grader with Brennan’s brother Jackson.
“We just wanted to bring the community together,” Mrs. Brannan said.
There may be an additional order for shirts at another time.
Many people also donated today to the family of Sean Weis, who was seriously injured in the accident.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2019 at 10:10 am
D.J. Button of Digital Ink Arts has designed shirts and will have them available by Friday, when the Class of 2019 graduates from Albion.
ALBION – The community is rallying to support the Moody and Weis families.
Brennan Moody, 17, died in a car accident on Tuesday on Eagle Harbor Road. One of his best friends, Sean Weis, was badly injured in the crash and is at Erie County Medical Center.
Community members are organizing fundraisers to assist the two families.
• Today at Bullard Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. orders will be taken for “Albion Strong” T-shirts. The shirts are $15 and Digital Ink Arts in Albion will have them available on Thursday, June 27, at Bullard from 6 to 7 p.m. There will be another delivery at Bullard on Sunday, June 30, from 2 to 3 p.m. All proceeds from the T-shirt sales are going to the Moody family.
There will also be collection jars on tables at Bullard to help the Weis family with medical expenses.
• There is also a meal train for the Weis family. People can sign up to provide meals by clicking here. Pam Parker is the organizer. She reports that Sean is out of intensive care and is now in a regular room at ECMC.
• On Monday, June 24, Jimmy Z’s Plates and Shakes on Main Street in Brockport will donate 20 percent of sales to the Moody family for customers who mention Brennan. That fundraiser goes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Red Check Rustic will also donate 20 percent from its sales on June 29 to the Weis family. Red Check Relic has a monthly market behind the Pratt Building in Albion. The market meets in the back of Beaver Alley and North Liberty Street and includes crafters, vendors and a food truck.
• There will be an “Albion Strong” benefit with a chicken barbecue begins at 3 p.m. on Aug. 11 at The Gallagher, a barn and event center at 244 North Gravel Rd. in Medina. For more information on that event, contact albionstrongtogether@gmail.com.
Photos courtesy of David Klafehn, a member of Kendall’s Class of 1986
KENDALL – The Kendall Alumni Association held a launch celebration and reunion party on Saturday, and about 125 people attended the event, including graduates, their children and grandchildren. Many alumni toured the recently renovated school, turned pages of decades of yearbooks, and caught up with old friends.
Multiple generations of graduates joined together for this picture in the school cafeteria. Pictured from left are: Tacha Gennarino (’90), Mary Gaesser (’78), Robert Wilson (’17), Maya Rutland (’16), JoAnne Hill (’82), Eileen Hill (’81), Taylor Rutland (’16), Sue Klafehn (’60), Pat Suhr (’57) and Carol Klafehn (’66).
John Richards (’86), Mike Hill (’86) Dave Sedore (’85), Jason Glather (’87), Dan Hill (’80) and Mike Golden (’87) provided live entertainment during the event.
The newly formed Alumni Association also held softball and volleyball games.
Madison Rath (’17) and Morgan Rath (’15) get some help from Ron Gaesser (’83) while looking in a yearbook and trying find their parents, Chuck and Melissa Rath, and Aunt Julia and Aunt Tricia.
Larry Klafehn (’60) took some time to look at his plaque and others in the Kendall Athletic Hall of Fame.
Renee Sheelar (’89), Paula Browe (’89), Sue Kyle (’89) and Tina Visconte (’89) caught up with Gary Kent (’62) and shared a few stories. Kent taught social studies at Kendall.
Some of the members of the Alumni Committee and the band get together for a picture – Melissa Rath (’84, AC), Mark Porter (’88, AC), John Richards (’86, AC), Mary Gaesser (’78, AC), Carol D’Agostino (77, AC), Jason Glather (’87), Paula Browe (’89, AC), Mike Hill (’86, AC), Karen Gaesser (’85, AC), Dave Sedore (’85) and Mike Golden (’87).
Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the Moody family, who are grieving the loss of Brennan Moody, 17, from a car accident. Brennan was a very well-liked Albion student who was to graduate on Friday with about 150 other classmates.
