Contributed Photos – John Grillo, who retired as the Holley-Kendall wrestling coach at the end of this past season was honored at the 70th annual Rochester-Press Day of Champions dinner on Wednesday. Grillo, who coached for 44 years, received the Charlie Wagner Award for his contributions to local sports. During his coaching tenure, the Holley wrestling team earned 22 Genesee Region League and 12 Section V titles. He is shown here with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who received the Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Here Grillo addresses the crowd after receiving his award.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2019 at 8:29 am
BARRE – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that the proposed Keeler Wilson Quarry Expansion will not have a significant adverse environmental impact.
The DEC announced the decision on Wednesday. The public can comment on the mine’s expansion until May 3.
Keeler Construction has applied to expand an existing dolomite quarry by 23.9 acres at 14120 West Lee Rd.
The life-of-mine area would increase to 341.8 acres and the Permit Term area to 192.9 acres. No changes to the current mining methods or production equipment are proposed, the DEC said.
Based on information provided in the survey report, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has determined that the proposed activity will have no adverse impact on registered or eligible archaeological sites or historic structures, according to the DEC report.
Comments on this project must be submitted in writing to the contact person no later than May 3. The contact person is Robert B. Call, NYSDEC Region 8 Headquarters, 6274 E Avon-Lima Rd., Avon, NY 14414, or by phone (585) 226-2466, and email DEP.R8@dec.ny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2019 at 7:43 am
HOLLEY – The State Comptroller’s Office is recommending the school district adopt a comprehensive written procurement policy, and ensure purchases are made with a procurement policy and that a competitive process is used.
That policy should ensure Holley’s gets the best price for goods and services, the Comptroller’s Office said in a report about the school district. (Click here to see it.)
The comptroller reviewed 42 purchases totaling $184,000 to assess how district officials procured goods and services that were not required to be competitively bid. The purchases and services included waste management, facility improvements, school supplies, professional services and road salt.
“We found that 39 purchases totaling $176,000 were made without evidence that officials used a competitive process or obtained the required written quotes,” according to the Comptroller’s report. “The remaining three purchases were properly made using State and Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) contracts.”
When officials do not seek competition to procure goods and services, there is an increased risk that goods and services may not have been obtained for the best value to ensure the most prudent and economical use of public money, the Comptroller’s Office said in its report about Holley.
Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent, sent a letter to the Comptroller’s Office on March 8, responding to the report.
He said Holley will be updating its procurement policy and will include procurement of professional services. The district will ensure a competitive process is used when spending district funds on products and services, with an internal claims auditor monitoring the process, Bartalo said in his letter.
The district’s administration, purchasing agent and internal claims auditor will all be thoroughly trained on the procurement policy, he said.
Bartalo discussed the audit with the Board of Education last month. He told the board the Comptroller’s Office was very positive about the district’s finances overall.
“There is always room for improvement,” he told the Board of Education. “This was a thin report (from the Comptroller’s Office). It was an outstanding report.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2019 at 8:47 pm
Photos courtesy of Andrew Szatkowski: Andrew Szatkowski took this selfie last July when he arrived at a camp with excited kids from Orleans County.
There will be a big push to sign up children in Orleans County for a five-day camp this summer.
Andrew Szatkowski of Medina is trained by the Salvation Army to help people fill out the online application for the camp, which is free and open to children ages 6 to 12. The camp is funded through donations from the Red Kettle drive.
Last year Szatkowski had signups at the four local public libraries. He will be back again to assist families and guardians in signing up children.
Szatkowski will be at the following local libraries from 4 to 7 p.m. to help people register for camp on-line:
• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina on April 11 and May 9
• Hoag Library in Albion on April 18 and May 16
• Community Free Library in Holley on April 25
• Yates Community Library in Lyndonville on May 2
The camp will run from July 24-29, “where kids can experience awesome summer camp fun in a safe and healthy environment,” Szatkowski said. The camp is located on the western shoreline of Seneca Lake. It has been operating since the 1950s “providing incredible memories for countless children, all at no cost to the families,” he said.
Szatkowski said the children last summer gained confidence during the time away, overcoming some initial fears about being away from home. At the camp they went fishing, took swimming lessons, used a lower-ropes course, played Gaga ball, attended church and enjoyed other activities.
Szatkowski wants to break the record of 41 kids from Orleans County attending Long Point Camp in Penn Yan.
After a week at camp, the kids were zonked out and asleep for the ride home.
The 22 kids last year were up from the 7 from Orleans in 2017.
The applications need to be filled out electronically. That was a barrier for many families in 2017. Szatkowski said the libraries all have public internet access and he is happy to help get the children signed up.
Szatkowski attended Camp Troutburg, a former Salvation Army camp in Kendall, when he was a kid and he said it was a big highlight of his childhood. He wanted others locally to have a similar experience.
Parents and guardians need to print out a Salvation Army medical form and have a doctor sign it as part of the application. They also need to provide medical and dental insurance cards, and proof of address, which could be a utility bill.
While Szatkowski pushed to have more local children attend the camp last summer, several other people also stepped up to help with the effort.
He and his wife Sara served as chaperones for the bus ride to the camp and back last summer. Szatkowski also was at the camp for a day when he joined his brother in serving 300 Chick-Fil-A meals to the 170 campers and staff. Jimmer Szatkowski opened a Chick-Fil-A in February 2018 in Cicero near Syracuse. Jimmer donated the food to the campers and staff. He will be back again this year.
Mackenzie Sullivan, a registered nurse and nursing supervisor from Orleans Community Health, donated her time as nurse to check medications before children left for camp to ensure all kids were set to go. Community Action also helped to sign up kids, scan documents, and provide facilities and direction.
Dirk Climenhaga, a staff member at Hoag Library in Albion, also helped sign up four children for the camp.
Brenda Jo Nanni of Holley knitted soap bar bags for each of the campers and gave them each a small toy in case they felt homesick. Someone also gave each camper a new pillow, pillowcase and travel kit.
Szatkowski said people interested in applying can attend the session at the libraries, email him at aszat74@yahoo.com or call him at 585-205-0581.
He also expects the campers will need a second bus this year. Any person or business interested in helping to sponsor the extra bus is encouraged to contact him.
Press Release, Department of Environmental Conservation
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today urged New Yorkers to obey the statewide burn ban as conditions for wildfires have become heightened across most of the state Wednesday, with temperatures and winds increasing.
DEC upgraded the fire danger map today as a combination of increasing temperatures, strong gusty winds, and low relative humidity were forecasted. Currently, wildfire conditions are high risk in the southern and eastern parts of the state.
“Dry weather, warming temperatures, and strong winds today have elevated the risk of fires across much of the state,” Commissioner Seggos said. “Please heed the statewide ban and do not burn any brush or yard debris, both now and over the next several weeks as conditions for wildfire outbreaks likely increase.”
In addition, the National Weather Service today issued a red flag warning for the Southern Tier to the Catskills. A red flag warning is a short-term, temporary warning indicating the presence of a dangerous combination of temperature, wind, relative humidity, fuel, or drought conditions which can contribute to new fires or the rapid spread of existing fires.
Residential brush burning is prohibited March 16 through May 14 across New York State. New York prohibits residential burning during the high-risk fire season to reduce wildfires and protect people, property, and natural resources. The ban has been extremely effective in reducing the number of wildfires, and DEC is encouraging New Yorkers to put safety first. Historically, open burning of debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in New York State. When temperatures are warmer and the past fall’s debris, dead grass, and leaves dry out, wildfires can start and spread easily and be further fueled by winds and a lack of green vegetation.
New York first enacted strict restrictions on open burning in 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce air pollution. State regulations allow residential brush fires in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents during most of the year, but prohibit such burning in spring when most wildfires in New York occur. Since the ban was established, the eight-year annual average number of spring fires decreased by 42.6 percent, from 2,649 in 2009, to 1,521 in 2018.
Campfires using charcoal or untreated wood are allowed, but people should never leave such fires unattended and must extinguish them. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round. Wildfires can be deadly and destructive, and the national annual cost of their consequences can range anywhere from $71.1 to $347.8 billion, according to recent study by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Violators of the state’s open burning regulation are subject to both criminal and civil enforcement actions, with a minimum fine of $500 for a first offense. To report environmental law violations call 1-800-TIPP DEC (1-800-847-7332), or report online on DEC’s website.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2019 at 2:42 pm
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and the union representing corrections officers are criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s authorization to close three state prisons, including two within 90 days of the recently passed state budget. These closures will create a cloud of uncertainty for prison employees and threaten public safety across the state, Hawley said.
“I am vehemently opposed to this radical proposal aimed not at protecting the citizens of our state but instead at subsidizing the governor’s runaway tax-and-spend policies in Albany,” Hawley said. “Perhaps the governor plans to overcrowd state prisons or pardon more inmates to decrease the load other prisons will assume as a result of these closures, but this effort is an unnecessary risk to public safety.”
Cuomo said the inmate population has declined significantly. Since he started as governor in 2011, the prison population has dropped by nearly 10,000, a 16.7% reduction from 56,419 to 46,973 people. The current population is at its lowest level in 30 years and leads the nation with the lowest imprisonment rate of any large state, Cuomo said.
From its peak of 72,649 twenty years ago, the population has decreased by more than 25,000 people – a 35.3% reduction, the governor said.
The state operates 54 prisons. The prisons that will close haven’t been identified. Hawley said shuttering three prisons will strain the others.
“This proposal also jeopardizes the employment and safety of thousands of prison personnel, including correctional officers, who put their lives on the line every day for the communities in our state,” he said in a statement. “Overcrowded prisons complicate correctional officers’ jobs and could lead to an increase in violent attacks against these public servants. I will continue my fight against prison closures and ensure the safety of our correctional officers and the public at large is our preeminent concern.”
Cuomo has said, “Prisons are not a jobs program.” He said he wants to end the era of “mass incarceration” and recognize that there are more effective alternatives to lengthy imprisonment.
The union representing 26,000 corrections officers in the state, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, said closing prisons will make other correctional facilities more dangerous for incarcerated individuals and correctional officers, while devastating the communities with the prisons that will close.
“The Governor and Legislature have seemingly done the impossible. They’ve made one of the most dangerous prison systems in the country even more dangerous for both incarcerated individuals and correctional officers,” said Michael B. Powers, president of NYSCOPBA. “The stats don’t lie — prison violence is at an all-time high.
“By consolidating the incarcerated into other facilities, prisons will be overpopulated and violence will only increase. This does nothing to reduce the prison population and improve prison conditions that certain Legislators and the Governor have been advocating for. If anything, it does the opposite. And the archaic and inhumane practice of double bunking has artificially created open beds, and open beds gives the Administration false justification.
“On top of that, closing prisons will undoubtedly devastate two communities and with only 90 days’ notice, despite a law in place mandating one year’s notice. Jobs will be lost, the tax base will suffer and the local economy will be crushed — all because of the Governor and the Legislature.
“And if the Administration says there will be no layoffs, we all know that statement is twisting the truth. These closures are going to force families to uproot and move across the state, and that’s not a choice that all will make. We demand that the Governor reveal the prisons that will be closed immediately.
“Simply put, the Governor and the Legislature have unequivocally turned their backs on the men and women who keep order in our prisons. This is something we won’t soon forget.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2019 at 12:46 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Strong wind knocked down this sign on East State Street in Albion today. The sign lets motorists know there are big trucks on the road while construction crews work to rebuild a canal wall behind Community Action.
A wind advisory is in effect for Orleans County and Western New York until 6 p.m. today. The National Weather Service in Buffalo said there will be westerly winds from 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph.
“Winds of this magnitude may bring down a few tree limbs and result in isolated power outages,” the Weather Service said. “Winds will also cause trash cans to blow around. Travel in high profile vehicles may be difficult at times.”
MEDINA – A Medina man was arrested on Tuesday for drug and grand larceny charges.
Joseph Newton
He is the eighth person arrested since last month following an investigation into a crack cocaine sales distribution in Orleans County, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force said today.
Joseph Newton, 33, of 207 East Center St. was charged on Tuesday. His arrest is related to a March 7 arrest of seven others, the Task Force said.
Newton was charged with one count each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, which are Class B felonies.
He also was charged with one count of fourth-degree grand larceny, a Class E felony, for allegedly taking a boat motor from the Town of Shelby in August 2018. Information obtained during the above drug investigation led to this charge.
Newton was arraigned in Ridgeway Town Court by Two Justice Joseph Kujawa, who committed Newton to the Orleans County Jail without bail due to his previous criminal history. Newton is to return to Ridgeway Town Court at 9 a.m. on April 8.
Newton was wanted on several outstanding warrants throughout Orleans County. Medina police officer Richard Messmer received information of Newton’s whereabouts. Newton was taken into custody with assistance from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Further arrests and charges are pending in this investigation, the Task Force said.
Awards ceremony will be April 26 at GCC’s Medina Campus Center
Press Release, Genesee Community College
MEDINA – The Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards recognize the work and dedication of those who give their time and resources to preserve and protect the history of Orleans County for future generations.
The Heritage Heroes Awards will be bestowed upon the 2019 winners at a special ceremony on Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at Genesee Community College’s Medina Campus Center in Medina. The awards are co-sponsored by SUNY GCC and the Orleans Hub. The entire community is invited to come and help honor these important individuals.
The 2019 Orleans County Heritage Heroes are:
• Tom Taber – Taber, an Albion resident, has devoted many years to chronicling local connections to the Civil War.
In 2003 he completed his first book, “Hard Breathing Days-The Civil War Letters of Cora Beach Benton.” Taber transcribed, edited and researched 160 Civil War period letters of historical and genealogical interest from the Orleans County wife of a soldier. He followed that effort in 2012 with a 320-page book, “Orleans Battery – A History of the 17th New York Light Artillery in the War of Rebellion.” The book details the service of 240 men from Orleans County who served in the war. Taber worked dutifully for 15 years to track down stories about Orleans County men who fought in the war. He feels like he has adopted the soldiers from the 17th, many of whom returned from the war and led distinguished lives.
Harriette Greaser is pictured in July 2015 with the staircase made of golden oak at her historic home across from the Orleans County Courthouse. She and her late husband Phil lovingly brought the house back to its original grandeur.
• Harriette Greaser – Harriette Greaser and her late husband Philip restored two grand homes in Orleans County, including a prominent house in Albion’s historic Courthouse Square, earning them the Landmark Society of Western New York Historic Home award in 2002. That house was built in 1893 at the corner of East State and Platt streets as the manse for the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. It had been the church manse, the home for the pastor, since the house was built in 1893. The house was designed by acclaimed Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner, and was constructed in the Queen Anne style. The house was in rough shape when the Greasers bought it, and they completely transformed it, scraping away old paint, bringing back original woodwork, planting trees, hedges and a big garden of flowers and vegetables. In addition to her restoration efforts, Mrs. Greaser has been the organist for Holy Family Parish/St. Joseph’s Catholic Church since 1987.
Lynne Menz receives a special recognition award during the Orleans County Heritage Festival on Sept. 8, 2017. Derek Maxfield, one of the festival coordinators, presents Menz, one of the festival coordinators, with the award for her efforts in promoting the county’s historic assets.
• Lynne Menz – Lynne Menz is a strong supporter of making historical artifacts and local heritage preservation an attractive destination for young and old in Orleans County. Her direct assistance with GCC’s Civil War Initiative (2013 – 2015) and her leadership on the event committee for the Orleans County Heritage Festival (2017-2018) were instrumental in highlighting the noteworthy history of Orleans county people, places and things. In 2018, Lynne orchestrated the screening of “Pieced Together” – the first film documentary about the American quilt square trail movement – at Kendall High School which featured filmmaker Julianne Donofrio and Orleans County Barn Quilt Trail organizer Lora Partyka. Her recent efforts are culminating in a labor of love started by her father, Bill Menz, to honor Orleans veterans who mustered to go to war through the Medina Armory (now the YMCA) with the installation and dedication of a seven-foot bronze World War I soldier on the grounds of the YMCA this fall.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Todd Bensley, Village of Medina historian and member of the Boxwood Cemetery Commission, stands in the veterans’ section of Boxwood Cemetery. Bensley last year published a 314-page book about the cemetery.
• Todd Bensley (Receiving the Bill Lattin Municipal Historian Award) – Bensley has worked as the Medina village historian since 2004. Prior to that he was president of the Medina Historical Society. He has led numerous historical tours of Medina, engaged students in local history and written a book about the community’s historic cemetery. Through his role as a teacher at Medina High School, Todd leads student and new teacher tours of Medina and assists his students with a local history project each year. He teamed up with the Medina Sandstone Society to establish the John Ryan School of Historical Excellence in 2015. In 2014, he worked with the State Historic Preservation Office to designate Boxwood Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places. That effort led to more research on the cemetery, which culminated with his book, “Boxwood Cemetery: Where the Past is Present.” Proceeds from the book are donated to Friends of Boxwood Cemetery.
Neil Johnson signs a copy of a booklet he put together about the history of the fair. He is pictured on July 24, 2017 at the fair in Knowlesville. For about a half century he also has helped lead a 4-H club for rabbit raisers.
• Neil Johnson (Receiving the Bob Waters Lifetime Achievement Award) – Johnson has been the Albion village historian since 1980. He wrote a weekly column, “Albion, Oh Albion,” in the Albion Advertiser for 26 years, compiling more than 1,300 columns about village history, often highlighting regular folks in the community. He has written books about the history of Swan Library and the Orleans County 4-H Fair. He teamed with historian Bill Lattin to do an inventory of all the historical markers in the county. They are included in a book in 2001. Johnson was critical to the effort in 2000 for the establishment of a monument at Mount Albion Cemetery for at least 50 pioneer black residents in the county. Neil also has been honored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension with the Legacy Award for serving as a 4-H leader for a rabbit club for more than 40 years. Johnson worked as an archeologist and taught anthropology at The SUNY College at Brockport. He continues to do monthly lectures – “Take a Bite Out Of History” – about local history.
The keynote speaker for the awards ceremony will be Dr. Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer. Dr. Bailleul-LeSuer is currently the historian of the Western Monroe Historical Society, whose headquarters are at the Morgan-Manning House in Brockport. However, she is first and foremost an Egyptologist and she continues her research on birds in ancient Egypt. To get a better understanding of the various ways that birds were incorporated into the daily life of ancient Egyptians, she especially studies the bird mummies now held in museum collections. In 2012-13, she was guest curator of the Oriental Institute Museum special exhibit entitled “Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt.” She is now working on the publication of a monograph entitled “From Marshes to Farmyard: Aviculture and Poultry Husbandry in Pharaonic Egypt.”
The award ceremony on April 26 will be held in GCC’s Medina Campus Center, located at 11470 Maple Ridge Rd. The event is free to attend and open to the public, but seating is limited. A reception will follow the ceremony featuring light refreshments.
For more information on the awards or the ceremony, contact Jim Simon at simon@genesee.edu or Prof. Derek Maxfield at ddmaxfield@genesee.edu or by calling the Medina Campus Center at 585-798-1688.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2019 at 10:24 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – RESTORE Sexual Assault Services, a program of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, has put 720 orange flags on the front lawn of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion.
The flags are out in April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Each of the five counties that RESTORE serves (Monroe, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston) is hosting a display in April emphasizing the role communities play in standing against sexual violence, RESTORE officials said.
The 720 small orange flags represent a stark statistic: every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. That’s 720 every day.
The display supports survivors, challenges “locker room talk” and helps raise awareness of resources available to become educated, help survivors and prevent sexual assault.
The flags will be on display throughout April. Additional flag displays will travel across the region over the month, hosted by the colleges with whom RESTORE partners for advocacy, education and support.
RESTORE 24-hour hotlines: 1-800-527-1757 (Livingston, Wyoming, Orleans and Genesee Counties) and 585-546-2777 (Monroe County).
Photos courtesy of Sue Starkweather Miller: Olivia Peterson talks about her special qualities with her invited guest, Mrs. Klips.
Courtesy of Albion Central School
ALBION – The after school “Girls Group” participated in a tea party celebration last Thursday to learn social etiquette and build strong connections.
One of the goals of the group was to help the girls feel like they have a strong connection to someone in the school. To help form this connection, a tea party was organized. Each girl could invite a staff member who they admired. Each girl instantly knew who they wanted to invite. They made a special invitation and hand delivered it to their special person.
Carlyanne Dix and Mr. Plewinski share a cup of tea.
Another goal of the group was to learn social etiquette. During the tea each girl greeted the invited teacher, pulled the chair out for the teacher, and held a conversation with him and/or her. Prior to the tea, group leaders talked about appropriate responses. An example would be to not say the word “YEP!” and to answer in complete sentences. The group practiced making appropriate eye contact and how to initiate and keep a conversation going.
The girls made paper clouds with rainbows that served as placemats. The girl’s name was written on the cloud and each color of the rainbow was something she liked about herself. This proved to be a great conversation starter.
Madison Velky pours punch for her invited guest, Mrs. Reith.
The girls also made a favor for each teacher. It was a teapot with a teabag attached that said, “Thanks for making time for tea and me!”
Tea, iced tea, lemonade, water, and pink and white cupcakes were served at the party.
The tea party was a great success! The girls were excited and their faces lit up when they saw their teachers. The teachers were just as excited and honored to be invited by the students.
The Girls Group afterschool club is sponsored by the Title I Program. Advisors are Mrs. Keller and Mrs. Lang.
Each student gave their special guest a teabag favor.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 April 2019 at 9:07 pm
MEDINA – The Village Planning Board this evening approved the site plan for the proposed conversion of 511 West Ave. into a hostel.
The board’s OK followed last Thursday’s vote of support for the project by the Orleans County Planning Board.
Andrew Meier, owner of the Hart House Hotel on West Center Street, wants to open the hostel with six rooms. The new business would be called Bunkhaus and would offer a clean and more affordable rest stop on the western end of the Erie Canal between Buffalo and Rochester.
“The proposed hostel in Central Business District will be an excellent addition to Medina’s hospitality industry,” said Chris Busch, Planning Board chairman in Medina. “It will be a great option for bicyclists who are among the more frequent users of the Erie Canal Trail.”
The first floor would have six rooms for the hostel. The two upper apartments would remain. WiFi would be available.
The six former examination rooms would be outfitted with a bunk bed, lounge chair, clothing storage, sink and mirror, and area to store up to two bicycle. An existing bathroom would be shared by all of the patrons.
• The Planning Board this evening also was updated on the construction of the former Bent’s Opera House which is being renovated to become a restaurant, boutique hotel and event space
“We’re extremely pleased to hear of and see the progress made at the Bent’s site,” Busch said. “It is an absolutely massive undertaking that will both preserve and transform the structure for generations to come.”
• The board also was updated on the addition at Zambisto’s on Main Street, which will add room inside for dining and for parties and an option for rooftop dining. There is a target date of May 1 for completion.
“We’re very pleased to see the Zambistro project nearing completion,” Busch said. “This project is unique in that it is the first new building construction in the Historic District in a very long time. The addition of rooftop dining is also a first for Medina. Such rooftop venues are generally seen in metropolitan areas like Buffalo where they have become very popular, attracting patrons from a wide area. We have no doubt that it will do the same here and will be a tremendous addition to Medina’s burgeoning culinary scene.”
• Construction of the new Cobblestone Inn and Suites, a 58-room hotel, also is expected to get started in May on Maple Ridge Road.
CLARENDON – The Clarendon Historical Society invites you to join them for the start of their 2019 season of talks on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. when Chad Fabry of Holley will present “Putting Things Together with a Purpose: English Barns.”
Local residents pass by barns every day without realizing that they are engineering marvels with a long history. Here’s a chance to appreciate what makes our local barns so special. One of these is the so-called “English Barn.”
Fabry will show us how these unique structures were designed, constructed and used. He will also go into the history of the techniques used by the carpenters, their tools, and their materials.
Fabry is an old-house enthusiast and historic building expert. He describes himself as a pragmatic preservationist. In addition to restoring his own beautiful Victorian home, he serves as a code enforcement officer and does home inspections.
The Clarendon Historical Society is excited about the rest of 2019. Here is what is planned:
• May 15: Barbara Chapman, Katie Andres and Dick Thomas – The Building Legacy of J.T. Wells and Sons
• June 19: Carol Bailey – The History of the Grange Movement
• July 17: Dee Robinson – Topic to be announced
• Aug. 21: Gina Schelemanow – The Cook Families of Bergen and Clarendon
• Sept. 18: Peter Jablonski – Historical Research and Recovery
• Oct. 18: Bruce Schwendy – The Three Erie Canals: History and Folklore
All programs take place at the Clarendon Historical Society, 16426 Fourth Section Rd., which is the intersection of Route 31A and Church Street in Clarendon. The presentations are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The museum will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. on the days when there is programming (the 3rd Wednesday of the month beginning in April and going through October.)
Photo courtesy of Holley Central School: Holley students serve local senior citizens breakfast during last year’s event in May.
HOLLEY – The school district is welcoming senior citizens, ages 55 and older, for the 14th annual senior citizen breakfast in the Holley Elementary Café.
The May 2 breakfast is free for seniors and the district will offer transportation if needed. The breakfast will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
The district offers the breakfast as a way to thank senior citizens for their support of students and the school district over the years.
Holley students will serve the seniors, and students will also sing for the guests.
Seniors interested in attending the event, need to RSVP by April 26 to Connie Nenni in the District Office at 638-6316, ext. 2003. When seniors RSVP, then should also let Nenni know if they need a ride.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 April 2019 at 2:31 pm
ALBION – The Albion Board of Education accepted a $2,500 grant from Monsanto on Monday through the company’s “America’s Farmers Grow Communities program.”
Monsanto chooses a customer for the grant, and that customer picks a local organization for the funding.
Phil Panek of Albion was picked by Monsanto for the grant, and he chose to support the Albion agriculture program at the school.
This is the second time a local Monsanto customer picked the Albion agriculture program to receive the grant. In 2014, Albion farmers Doug and Mitchell Kirby also chose the school’s agriculture program for the $2,500 grant.
This is the 10th year of the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, where farmers have the chance to direct a $2,500 donation to a nonprofit of their choice. So far Monsanto has awarded more than $33 million to over 8,000 nonprofits across rural America.
