Press Release, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee

ALBION – Renee Hungerford, CEO of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, recently spent a week in Washington, DC, to meet with members of Congress and their staff to discuss the critical importance of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).

“Helping people to stay out of poverty and stand on their own two feet is something that I believe any political party can get behind,” Hungerford said. “I am thankful for the words of support we have received. During these times of economic difficulty, the assistance we provide to someone in need is more important than ever.”

During her visit, Hungerford emphasized the vital role that the CSBG plays in supporting low-income families and communities. She highlighted how CSBG provides flexible funding that enables Community Action Agencies to offer programs like Head Start and Weatherization, in an efficient and low cost manner.

“Our ability to offer a wide range of programs with one central administration creates efficiency and cost savings,” Hungerford said.

During the visit she also discussed the importance of supporting preservation of the grant programs that fund Head Start and Weatherization.

“Community Action Agencies are held accountable to achieve outcomes,” she said. “We are not about handouts; our mission is to help people achieve self-sufficiency and provide help during a challenging time.”

The Community Services Block Grant is the backbone funding source for Community Action. There are 1,000 Community Action agencies in the country with 47 in the state.

For every $1 from the CSBG, the Community Action agencies leverage $10.54 from other sources, including volunteer hours, to make a positive difference, Hungerford said.

“We build strong communities and families beginning with Head Start through social programs and transportation for seniors,” she said. “We address health-related social needs which are a key driver of positive health outcomes.”

The agencies also are important parts of their local economies, providing meaningful employment for staff and offer work development to others who go on to become agency staff, obtain other employment, or start businesses, Hungerford said.

“This investment, in turn, becomes an investment in the economy of the communities we assist,” she said.

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee remains committed to its mission of reducing poverty and promoting self-sufficiency through various programs and services. Hungerford’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC, underscore the organization’s dedication to securing resources that empower individuals and strengthen communities.

For more information, please contact: info@caoginc.org.

Press Release, ONE Catholic

ALBION – ONE Catholic (Orleans Niagara East Catholic Community) will be holding a three-night Lenten Retreat entitled, “The Eternal Father,” presented by Sr. Mary Claire Strasser, SOLT (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity), April 1 to April 3.

This three-night retreat includes the first three sessions of the SOLT Retreat, “Disciple.” The other six sessions will be offered later in the year.

Each evening’s portion of the retreat will begin at 6:30 p.m. and include a presentation by Sr. Claire, a time for prayer and then fellowship. The topics and locations for each evening are as follows:

• Tuesday, April 1, Holy Trinity, Medina – “God the Father and Becoming His Child”
• Wednesday, April 2, St. Mary’s, Holley – “Living as a Child of the Father”
• Thursday, April 3, Holy Family, Albion – “Mary: Beloved Daughter of the Father”

Father Mark Noonan, Pastor of ONE Catholic, is very excited to welcome all to this Lenten event.

“Sister Claire is an extraordinary Christian speaker,” Father Noonan said. “She is originally from Nashville, and she has served all across our country. I’ve known her for 15 years, and I’ve experienced first-hand her dynamic Christian witness.  Everyone is welcome and invited to join us for this three-night Lenten retreat! You can come for one night, two nights or all three. We want to provide a great spiritual opportunity for our community this Lent.”

More info can be found at onecatholic.org.

Marciano also mounting write-in campaign for other trustee position

James “Scott” Bieliski

MEDINA – Despite the packed-out board meetings in recent months for the Medina Village Board, only one candidate will be on the ballot in Tuesday’s election.

Two trustee positions are up for election, but only James “Scott” Bieliski turned in petitions to be on the ballot. Candidates needed to turn in petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters in the village by Feb. 11

Bieliski will be the only name on the ballot in the election. He is running under the “For the People” party.

Voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.

Two of the incumbent trustees, Diana Baker and Jess Marciano, didn’t turn in petitions for re-election, but Marciano now is seeking election as a write-in candidate to help keep experience and continuity on the board. The trustee terms are for two years.

The two top vote-getters, whether through a mark on the ballot or write-in, will get two-year terms that start on April 1.

Bieliski, 56, has lived in the Medina community his entire life. He is co-owner and chief operating officer of Maza Communications, which provides communications services to hospitals and the healthcare system. The business takes him all over the state and region.

“My intention is to be solution-based,” he said. “For every problem we have to find a solution.”

Bieliski has considered running for the Village Board before, but believed he was too busy, until now. He is stepping back a little form his business and has the time to devote to the position, he said today.

He owns seven houses in the village, and he said the village taxes have been a big concern for many residents. They have shared those worries when he went door to door to get petitions signed.

Bieliski said he is proud of the village and Medina community, especially with a vibrant business district and professional village staff. But he said village taxpayers bear too much costs for those services.

He wants to see the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway contribute more to Medina’s services, and he said it is long overdue for the county to share more of the local sales tax with the village.

“I want to keep what we have, but we need help from towns,” he said. “Everybody benefits from the village of Medina but the village pays the entire bill.”

Marciano also has made a push for more sales tax sharing as a focus, saying the village needs to keep the pressure on the County Legislature to significantly increase how it shares the local sales tax. The county hasn’t increased the amount to the local towns and villages since 2001, despite the sales tax revenues more than doubling in that time.

The village will get $159,630 of the sales tax in 2025 out of a total expected to be around $23 million this year. That is less than 1 percent for Medina of the total local sales tax in the county.

Bieliski said Medina generates a big share of that sales tax.

“It’s peanuts what we get back,” he said. “We make the county beautiful. We are putting it on the map. We capture that dollar and the person coming in.”

More of that sales tax would bring down village taxes, and allow Medina to continue with full-time fire and police protection.

He said additional revenues from county and the towns is critical for the village. He also said he will take a detailed look at spending, and work with the village employees to identify what they need to do their jobs to serve the community.

“I don’t want them in subpar working conditions,” he said about firefighters, who expressed their concern about an out-of-date fire hall, aging fire trucks and equipment and the proposal for a one-bay addition for a new ladder truck. Firefighters said a two-bay addition and overhaul of the current fire station would best serve the community.

But the board balked at a $6 million price tag, and is now looking at $1.1 million for the one-bay addition.

Bieliski sees the addition as a “band aid” solution to a bigger problem. He thinks there could be other options for housing the ladder truck and doesn’t want to commit just yet.

“We can think our way through this,” he said.

Bieliski has confidence in a quality staff of village employees. He has worked with village DPW, water and sewer, code enforcement for work on his properties.

“I don’t want any of our employees to think they are not valued,” he said. “Ultimately it’s what’s fair for our employees and what’s fair for our tax dollars.”

30 of 42 prisons reopen for legal visits today

File photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans Correctional Facility, a medium security men’s prison on Gaines Basin Road in Albion, will resume legal visits inmates today.

ALBION – The state is resuming legal visits at 30 of the 42 prisons beginning today. That is the first time for legal visits after a strike at the prisons started about a month ago.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision declared the strike over a week ago, and said 2,000 corrections officers had been fired after not reporting to work on the March 10 deadline.

The strike started on Feb. 17 at Elmira and Collins, and by the next day spread to most of the other prisons, including Albion and Orleans.

DOCCS said legal visitations for incarcerated people and their attorneys returns today at Orleans, Wyoming, Wende, Attica, Collins and 30 prisons in all.

Albion Correctional, a women’s prison, is listed to reopen for legal visits in the next 1 to 2 weeks but a specific date is to be determined. Albion is among nine prisons to have legal visits resuming in 1 to 2 weeks. Three prisons – Bare Hill, Sing Sing and Upstate – are “indeterminate” for when visits will resume.

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Congratulations to Culinary Arts teacher Chef James Atzrott and his ProStart team of Emily Chambers (Medina), Selena Wolf (Lockport), Tirsa Converso (Medina) and Justine Fitzsimmons (Medina).

The team, from the Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Orleans Career and Technical Education Center, took first place at the NYSRA (New York State Restaurant Association) ProStart Invitational held at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. They will be representing the state at the National ProStart Invitational May 2-4 in Baltimore, Maryland.

ProStart is a two-year, industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students that integrates practical skill sets and allows students to become familiar with restaurants and food service and prepare them for the workforce.

The team’s menu consisted of flat iron steak with tri-colored baby carrots, polenta fries with a chimichurri sauce and strawberry fraiser for dessert. The team competed against seven other teams and were thrilled they came out on top of the competition.

“We cried every day from the stress of everything,” says Selena Wolf.  “We were very emotional and they were things that were going wrong like the burners being higher than what we practiced with and having to use plastic thermometers as opposed to metal. We finished with seven seconds left.”

The team said they started screaming when they were announced as the winners and then it was Chef Atzrott’s turn to cry.

“We were so excited and so glad to have won it for our teacher,” Selena Wolf said. “We are so ready to go to Baltimore and hopefully win there, too!”

HOLLEY/ALBION – The Holley Interact Club prepared more than 600 meals last week to be served at the Open Door Mission in Rochester and the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen in Albion.

The Interact Club includes about 80 students committed to community service. The club embraced a “Feed the Need” initiative.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Interact Club members are shown are making 140 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches last Wednesday in the junior/senior high school cafeteria.

Those sandwiches were delivered to the Open Door Mission on Friday. Students decorated bags with artwork and added inspirational messages for 70 bags. Each bag had two sandwiches, chips and juice.

Provided photo: High School Principal Matt Feldman greets students working on the bagged lunches for the Open Door Mission.

This was the second year that the Holley Interactors made sandwiches for the Open Door Mission. Thursday the group served at the “OK Kitchen” for the first time after club advisor Sam Zelent saw a social media post by kitchen director Faith Smith, seeking help preparing and serving meals for one of the Thursdays.

The Holley community donated the food for a sloppy joe dinner, including 90 pounds of ground beef, 83 cans of Manwich, 83 jars of peas, 500 Little Debbie snacks and a $100 from Wegmans. The Holley school kitchen staff cooked the sloppy joes which were then reheated at the OK Kitchen.

“Honestly it was the community that did this,” Zelent, a social worker, said Wednesday about the food.

The following day she and club co-advisor Erin Dibble were with eight Interact students to prepare and serve the food at the OK Kitchen, which is located at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion on Route 31.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Sam Zelent, the co-advisor of the Holley Interact Club, gives the group a pep talk before they served sloppy joes last Thursday at the OK Kitchen. Clockwise from Zelent include MacKenzie Fiorito, Lily Moore, Brianna Pellegrino, Leon Wilcox, Charli Gearing, Madie Lowell, Kylie Dann, Joscelyn Underwood and the back of Erin Dibble.

Provided photos: (Left) Brianna Pellegrino and Lily Moore are on cleanup duty at the OK Kitchen. (Right) MacKenzie Fiorito and Joscelyn Underwood greeted the community with smiles while working in the OK Kitchen last Thursday. The students arrived at 1 p.m. and stayed until well after 6.

The Holley Interact Club was amazed by the OK Kitchen and the commitment of the volunteers led by director Faith Smith.

The Interactors would like to be back again soon helping at the kitchen, even though it isn’t located right in Holley.

“Orleans County is a small county and we need to stick together,” Zelent said.

Charli Gearing, right, and the Interactors serve in the food last Thursday.

“I gained a lot of knowledge about my community and its needs and that there should be more opportunities like this for us younger kids to help make a difference,” she said.

Another student, Madie Lowell, said the experience was “eye opening.” She is impressed by the volunteers to help out every week, preparing and serving an average of 500 meals.

Faith Smith, the OK Kitchen director, said she appreciated the service and the enthusiasm from the Holley students. She welcomes more groups to try preparing and serving a meal. They can contact her at (585) 319-1578 or by email at mesilly12@yahoo.com.

The Interact Club is also looking forward to its next big event, the community cleanup on May 17 when they pick up litter along the canal trail, village streets and parks.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Mike Hallowell starred as Willy Wonka in Kendall’s production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on Friday and Saturday.

He is shown singing the “Golden Age of Chocolate” with the Oompa-Loompas, which work in his chocolate factory. Wonka announces that he is retiring and he must choose a new successor.

Kayla Minster is in the role of Charlie Bucket and she comforts her father, Ryan Gaesser after he was laid off from his job at the toothpaste factor. Charlie sings “Think Positive” and encourages her dad to not give up.

Charlie lives in an impoverished with four bedridden grandparents. From left include Grandpa George (Sammy Conte), Grandma Georgina (Kierra Davenport), Grandma Josephine (Brooke Rodas) and Grandpa Joe (Karter May).

Grandpa Joe predicts Charlie will one day be working in the Wonka factory.

These kids hold lollipops while performing “The Candy Man.”

The Candy Man (Mike Hallowell) greets the children and sells them Wonka bars. Charlie is the only kid too poor to afford a candy bar. She helps The Candy Man and is given a lollipop and a newspaper. Charlie takes the newspaper home and finds out Wonka has a contest with five golden tickets hidden in candy bars. The winners get a tour of his factory and lifetime supply of chocolate.

Augustus Gloop (Noah Morehouse), an over-sized German boy who loves to eat, gets the first golden ticket. He sings, “I Eat More!” and tries to sample the desserts.

Phineous Trout (Emma O’Neill), a reporter, interviews the very spoiled Veruca Salt (Adrianna Schiavone) who has the second golden ticket. Her father Mr. Salt (Lucas Wachtel), owner of a very successful nut company, made his factory workers open hundreds of thousands of candy bars in search of the ticket.

Violet Beauregarde (Elli Baker) gets the third golden ticket. She is abrasive and loves to chew gum. She is joined in the interview by her mother, right, played by Irelynn Maloney.

Maddie Teavee, played by Madison Hults, finds the fourth golden ticket. Teavee loves video games and cell phones. Riley Passer plays her mother, Ms. Teavee.

Grandpa Joe (Karter May) is delighted when Charlie wins the fifth and final golden ticket. Charlie invites Grandpa Joe to join her on the trip to the chocolate factory and grandpa is so happy he gets out of bed for the first time in years, singing “(I’ve) Got a Golden Ticket.”

In the factory tour, the group gets whittled down after failing temptations until the final person is left. That is the one Wonka wants to take over his factory.

First building was demolished in 1893, and second fell into disrepair and was razed in 1969

The first Presbyterian Church in Knowlesville was constructed in 1832, and then demolished in 1893 when a new building was erected.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian 

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 11

“Like all things earthly, passing away,

“The old brick church may no longer stay,

“Though dear to our hearts as our childhood home,

“Within its walls we may no longer come.

“Now lingering near the old church ground,

“We hear the busy workmen’s sound

“And see the fragments here and there

“Of what was once our house of prayer”

These lines, composed by Mrs. I.O. Root in 1893 concerning the demolition of the first Presbyterian Church building in Knowlesville, still resonate. They capture that acute feeling of loss that is felt when a church closes and remind us that nothing is permanent.

The early settlers in this area, having first built their homes, soon turned their attention to providing a place of worship. On August 27, 1817, the following eleven people convened at the Oak Orchard schoolhouse and formed the First Religious Society of the Town of Ridgeway: Orange Wells, Leonard Dresser, Daniel Gates, Elizabeth Whipple, Mary Ann Taylor, Lois Robbins and Sarah Lawrence, Dr. William White, Archy B. Lawrence, Martha Marsh and Anna Sheldon.

At that time the township comprised the present townships of Ridgeway, Barre, Shelby, Yates, Carlton and Gaines, all but four of the present towns which had not yet been named.

At first, the Society affiliated with the Congregationalists, but in 1820 resolved unanimously to unite with the Presbytery of Rochester. For the first fifteen years, meetings were held in homes, schoolhouses and barns.

The Holland Land Company provided a tract of one hundred acres to the first organized religious society in a township. The new trustees secured this “Gospel lot.”

With the completion of the Erie Canal, a settlement grew in the area later named Knowlesville. In 1831, the Society voted to accept a piece of land from John Aldrich and to purchase as much as was necessary for the site of a church building from John Vedder at the rate of $50 per half-acre.

A Federal style brick building was erected at a cost of $3,500. William Knowles provided half of the cost. The building was dedicated in 1832 and remodeled in 1861. It was demolished in 1893. A second brick church was built on the same site at a cost of $12,000. The Gospel Lot was sold at that time, and the proceeds were used for construction costs.

The second Knowlesville Presbyterian Church building, constructed in 1893, was demolished in 1969.

The “New Brick Church,” Victorian Romanesque in style, was dedicated in 1894. It flourished for many years, but closed in 1964, due to declining attendance. The parish was dissolved, and the physical assets were turned over to the Rochester Presbytery. The church building was demolished in 1969 as it had fallen into disrepair.

Today, a vacant lot remains on the north side of the street where the church was once located but its presence is still remembered by the street name: Presbyterian Street.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Kyler Preston steers the Batavia Pedal Party down Main Street in Albion for the Sip N’ Stroll. The pedal bar and a bus helped move people to the 15 stops at the event, where registration was at Dubby’s Tailgate and many of the stops were in the downtown.

The Albion Merchants Association organized the event and sold 362 tickets. There was a big increase in men attending the event. Organizers tried to expand the offerings from more than wine to cater to the men. There were also tastings of ciders, beers, meads and other drinks.

Christin Cady pours wine from Lake Ontario Winery and Cidery which is based in Hilton and Webster. She was set up at Brushstrokes Studios.

The crowd makes its way into Brushstrokes to sample some of the alcoholic beverages.

This family from Albion attended the Sip N’ Stroll together. They are pictured at 39 Problems. Pictured from left includes Thomas St. Pierre Jr., Brooke St. Pierre, Ashleigh Barnard, Richard Barnard III and Edwina St. Pierre.

Circle B Winery in Elba served fruit wines at Arnold’s Auto Parts. From left include Circle B staff member Ashley Roesch and co-owner Ingrid Bowen. The winery has been in business for six years has 22 varieties with no sugar added. From right include two friends from Medina, Sandy Thaine and Loretta Smith. They said they enjoy trying the different wines at the Sip N’ Stroll each year.

These retired Holley teachers and coaches, Dan Goodwin (right) and John Grillo, try wine inside the Downtown Browsery. It was served by Riley Kibler of Main Street Winery in Arcade.

These friends, many of whom are in a zumba class together, met up for the Sip N’ Stroll. They are shown inside Tinsel and the Lockstone. From left include Mollie Radzinski, Maggie Martin, Tina Neal, Heidi Peterson, Brenda Griffin, Angie Wolfe, Julie Sanford and Carolyn Williams.

They group said the tasting event showcases many of the businesses in the downtown while giving friends a fun outing together.

“We have a lot of nice spots,” Wolfe said the businesses.

The group hopped on the pedal bar after the stop at Tinsel and then crossed the bridge over the canal.

A wind advisory was issued at 3:06 a.m. today for Orleans County and continues until 8 p.m.

There will be south winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph, becoming southwest later this afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

The advisory also includes Niagara, northern Erie and Genesee counties.

Today there will be showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 4 p.m., then showers likely between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. There will be a high near 71, with the temperature then dropping to a low of 32 tonight.

The highs then include 38 on Monday, 57 on Tuesday, 66 on Wednesday and 51 on Thursday.

The Swallow Hollow Trail is 1.3-mile loop and includes the 2,000-foot boardwalk that takes pedestrians through a  marsh, forested wetlands and upland habitat.