Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Route 31 was shut down for about a half hour after this pickup truck hit an embankment at 7:30 p.m., just east of the Eagle Harbor Road intersection.
The driver wasn’t seriously injured but was taken by COVA ambulance to a hospital “to be checked out,” said an Orleans County deputy at the scene.
The deputy said there the cause of the accident hasn’t been determined yet. The accident is under investigation.
The Albion Fire Department responded to the scene.
Press Release, NYS Association of Counties
The Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) program has been through the wringer this budget season. And as the 2019-20 State Budget continues to be debated at the State Capitol, the $60 million appropriation in AIM funding is one of the issues being negotiated by the State Legislature and the Governor.
In the Governor’s Executive Budget proposal, AIM funding was eliminated for municipalities that used AIM for less than 2 percent of their local budgets. This was met by strong opposition by counties, towns and villages impacted by this cut.
In response to this opposition, the Governor amended his budget and mandated that the counties make the towns and villages whole – using county sales taxes.
“This is nothing more than a new $60 million state mandate that homeowners and small businesses will have to finance, while not improving the finances of cities, towns, and villages across the state,” said Chuck Nesbitt, president of NYSAC and chief administrative officer for Orleans County.
Last week, in their one-house budget bills, the State Senate and Assembly restored state funding for AIM, confirming that this program is a state responsibility.
“We commend the Senate and Assembly for recognizing the importance of this state aid program to local governments across the state,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.
Now it’s up to the three branches to agree on how to fund the AIM program in the final State budget. This funding stream is important to towns and villages, but it should not be the responsibility of county taxpayers.
“Our State leaders must preserve the AIM funding restorations as outlined by the Senate and Assembly,” said Nesbitt. “We urge State lawmakers to continue standing up for local concerns as the final 2019-2020 NYS budget is negotiated. Our counties simply cannot afford another unfunded mandate.”
Editor’s Note: The governor’s proposed cuts would reduce AIM funding in Orleans County for eight towns and four villages by $290,276.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The cast of Arsenic and Old Lace goes over the play during a dress rehearsal on Sunday at Medina High School.
Pictured from left on bottom include Gary Steverson as Mr. Witherspoon, Ray Flugel as Dr. Rev Harper and Lieutenant Rooney, A. Peter Snodgrass as Mortimer Brewster, and Jim Staebell as Teddy Brewster. Top row includes Cathie Borczuch Puleo as Martha Brewster and Gail Ingalsbe Graesser as Abby Brewster.
The two women are sisters and are considered sweet old ladies, but they are actually killers, poisoning lonely old men and having them buried in the cellar.
The upcoming shows will be 7 p.m. March 21, 22, 28 and 29 at Medina High School Auditorium. For reservations and ticket information, call (585) 993-1968 or go to westsideacademy.biz.
Proceeds go to the 2020 European Tour by the West Side Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
Dan Doctor is director of Arsenic and Old Lace. He works as the community outreach liaison for Medina Central School.
He founded the West Side Academy on Main Street in Medina in 2011, which trains students in dancing, singing and acting. About 17 to 20 students and parents are going on a trip to Europe in the summer of 2020. The students will be performing at five festivals.
Doctor thought one way to raise funds for the trip would be through a dramatic play.
“I would prefer we perform because that’s who we are,” he said. “We’re performers and we wanted to perform rather than sell stuff.”
Some of cast members in the current show worked with Doctor when he directed plays and musicals at the Palace Theatre in Lockport, beginning in the mid-1990s.
Peter Snodgrass plays Mortimer, a dramatic critic who discovers his two aunts’ hobby of poisoning men with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine and a pinch of cyanide.
Steve McQueen is Jonathan Brewster and Gail Graesser is Abby Brewster. Jonathan is Abby’s nephew. He is a short-tempered psychopath who has committed numerous murders.
Ray Flugel of Medina has been in local community theater for several years. He is a retired registered nurse. His son, Eric Flugel of Albion, is making his stage debut in the play.
ROCHESTER – The 4-H robotics team competed on Friday and Saturday with 50 teams in the Finger Lakes Regional competition at Rochester Institute of Technology. The Orleans County team finished with a 5-5 record and was ranked 26th overall. The team was 13th for its offensive points.
The five wins is the most since the team started competing in 2012, and the 13th ranking in offense also set a new record for the team.
Jody Neal, one of the mentors/coaches, said the team is pleased with the results.
“The kids are fired up and they want to do it year-round,” Neal said today.
The Orleans team nearly made it to the final round. It was a backup if one of the teams had to bow out.
Some members of the 4-H robotics team get their robot ready for competition on Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology. From left include Jayden Neal, Jack Finley, coach/mentor Jody Neal, Lance Moyer and Jace Conn.
The team needed to build a robot, program it, and design attachments that could pick up balls and disks. They had to cut metal, run wires and program electronics for the robot. They did a lot of trial and error to build a robot that could accomplish the tasks. They used BCA Ag Technologies on Route 31A as a base of their operations.
This is the eighth year the 4-H’ers from Orleans County are competing in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). There aren’t many robotics teams from rural areas.
They started building their robot in January when they opened a box with a pile of parts. They robot was built and programmed to go to specific spots on a space about the size of a basketball court. The robot moved forward and backward, sideways and diagonally.
The robot for the Orleans County 4-H team, number 4093, picks up a ball during a match at RIT.
The teams were given about six weeks to build the robot. On Feb. 19, all of the teams have to stop work with the robot not used again until the competition.
This year the theme is “Destination Deep Space,” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing on July 20, 1969. The course for the FIRST challenge included replicas of cargo ships and rockets, and the robots needed to complete challenges with those elements.
The Orleans team is unusual because it isn’t connected to a school district. Most of the programs are through school districts, with paid staff leading the teams. The Orleans team has members from at least three different school districts, as well as home-schooled students. The team is led by volunteers.
Jack Finley makes an adjustment on the robot during the competition at RIT.
It costs about $15,000 to run the program – to buy the robot and pay the competition entry fees. Xerox in Rochester and Baxter Healthcare in Medina have been the main sponsors for the program.
Jody Neal said the team wants to do more community demonstrations this year with the robot, and will try to expand its fundraising and sponsorships.
All of the teams have names, and the Orleans team is known as “Hardwired.” It competes under the number, 4093.
Lance Moyer, front, and Dan Squires lead the robot to the the next match at RIT.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Geese are flying high over Medina on Sunday evening.
Spring is officially only two days away, and on Wednesday the new season will begin with a high temperature of 51, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. That will be the high for the week.
It’s still a little chilly for spring. Today will get up to 34, followed by a high of 41 on Tuesday. Thursday will have a high of 41, followed by 38 on Friday and 41 on Saturday.
Photo by Tom Rivers: McKenna Callard of the varsity Medina Winterguard is shown during competition on March 9 at Medina’s home show.
JAMESTOWN – Medina’s Novice and Jr. Varsity winterguards traveled to Jamestown on Saturday for competition along with 15 guards from New York and Canada.
In the Novice class, Medina won 1st place after competing against Legacy and Hinsdale. In the RA class, Medina’s Jr. Varsity guard won 1st with a score of 73.75 after competing against Prizm and Legacy.
Winners in other classes were Ventures in the Cadet class with a score of 68.21; Batavia in the A1 class with 75.05; Legacy in SR class with 69.99; Ventures Independent A with 77.45; Jamestown Express in SO with 80.50; Lancaster in IO with 80.6.
Medina will next compete this Saturday in Corning with March 30 the championships at Gates Chili High School.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Karl Driesel, left, president of Barre Fire Company, is shown with Barry Flansburg after choosing him as Firefighter of the Year at the annual installation dinner Saturday night.
EAST SHELBY – Barre Fire Company held its annual installation banquet Saturday night at East Shelby Fire Hall, where new officers were installed and members were recognized for dedicated service.
Longtime member Barry Flansburg served as master of ceremonies and was honored for 40 years as a member of the fire company. He also received proclamations from Assemblyman Stephen Hawley and Senator Robert Ortt.
Flansburg introduced Fran Spohr and her daughter Nicole of Carlton, who volunteered their help during the December search for a missing man. Fran said she heard on the news about the search and called her son-in-law who is a Barre fireman.
“I asked if there was anything we could do,” Fran said.
The two ladies came to Barre and cooked for two days, feeding more than 200 people, Flansburg said.
Barre Fire Chief James Neal chose Kara Bentley for his “Chief’s Award,” which was presented at the annual installation banquet.
Officers for 2019 were installed by Dale Banker, director of Orleans County Emergency Management.
Department officers are president, Karl Driesel; vice president, Jesse Babcock; secretary, Terry Bentley; and treasurer, Edgar Morton.
Firematic officers are chief, James Neal; assistant chief, Ben Flansburg; 1st lieutenant, Bert Mathes; 2nd lieutenant, Brian Bentley; 3rd lieutenant, John Egloff; 4th lieutenant, Barry Flansburg; EMS captain, Andrew Faskel; fire police captain, Judy Kurtz; chief mechanic, Doug Bentley; and assistant mechanic, John Egloff.
Directors are Mark Farone, Patrick Lamka, Bill Basinait, Bert Mathes, Gary Mufford and Austin Zobel.
Fire commissioners are Mark Farone, Bill Basinait, Gary Mufford and Doug Bentley.
Andrew Faskel, right, chose Brianna Caldwell as EMS Person of the Year. She was recognized at Barre Fire Company’s installation banquet Saturday night. She also had the most training hours.
James Neal and Ben Flansburg handed out certificates for years of membership. Several have five years, while Cindy Newlands and Karl Driesel were recognized for 20 years; Jesse Babcock for 30 years; and Barry Flansburg, 40 years.
Brianna Caldwell had the most training hours, with 251. EMS captain Andrew Faskel chose her as the “EMS Person of the Year,” saying she is also the newest EMT in the department.
Neal chose Kara Bentley for his “Chief’s Award,” saying she is his secretary and volunteers to do anything which is needed.
Barry Flansburg received the honor of being named “Firefighter of the Year,” not only for his 40 years of dedicated service, but for discovering a fire at the fire hall last summer and preventing more severe damage.
Driesel presented his “President’s Award” to Bert Mathes.
A tribute was paid to Paul Gillette, a member who died during the past year.
Betty Hazel, president of the Ladies Auxiliary, presented a check for $500 to the fire company, which Driesel said will be used to purchase personal protective equipment.
Officers of the Barre Fire Company for 2019 were sworn in by Orleans Emergency Management director Dale Banker during the annual banquet Saturday night at East Shelby Fire Hall.
Ben Flansburg, left, assistant chief of Barre Fire Company, poses with Bert Mathes, who was recipient of the President’s Award.
Barre Fire Department president Karl Driesel, left, was presented with a certificate for 20 years of membership in the fire department by Ben Flansburg, assistant chief, and James Neal, chief.
Gary Mufford received recognition at Barre Fire Company’s installation banquet Saturday night for years of membership and helping to organize the banquet.
HOLLEY – A Holley woman didn’t let vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome keep her from an active student life at Holley Central School and then in college, where she was majoring in a radiological technology program.
Andie Carpenter
Andie Carpenter, 20, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 31. She was in her last semester at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake. She died after an artery ruptured.
“She was a bright light,” said her mother, Maria Vowles. “She lit up a room.”
Andie wasn’t diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos until she was 15. That diagnosis followed years of doctor visits when Andie and her family knew something was wrong. She bruised easily. Her skin stretched far more than a typical person’s. She slept with her eyes open.
These are tell-tale signs of Ehlers-Danlos, which doesn’t have a cure. Ehlers-Danlos weakens the connective tissues of the body. It also can weaken blood vessels and organs.
Andie and her family were grateful for the diagnosis, and Andie refused to lay low in life.
“She didn’t like to be called fragile or delicate,” said her stepmother, Mandy Carpenter. “She didn’t want to be thought of as weak. She was a strong girl. She never let anything get in her way.”
Andie was strongly urged by doctors not to play contact sports. Even a small collision could turn into a big bruise.
So she ran cross country, a demanding sport where the races are 3.1 miles with training runs even farther. She ran hard, even with swollen feet.
“She liked being a part of the team and the friendship,” said her father, Josh Carpenter.
Andie also played tennis and briefly tried basketball for Holley. She gave up basketball after tearing ligaments in her knee.
Andie Carpenter was well liked for her friendly personality and her determination.
She enjoyed photography and taking hikes in nature. She wanted to be a 46er, climbing all of the mountain peaks in the Adirondacks. She was partway on that goal.
Andie researched her college major, and picked the rigorous radiological technology program, which includes taking CAT scans. Only 22 students get into the program at North Country Community College, and many don’t get through the program, which includes 1,500 hours in clinical training and work on site at radiologic technology departments across the North Country.
Andie did her training at the Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, Canton-Potsdam Hospital and the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.
“She worked hard and focused on her studies,” her mother said. “She was three months from graduating.”
She was living in an apartment. She was a responsible adult, making sure all of her bills were paid. She was looking forward to starting her career.
Andie wrote this in her memoir about living with the disease:
“Even though I found out that I have (vascular) Ehlers Danlos, I still act like the same person I use to be. I still participate in many activities and enjoy life. You either accept the fact that you have the disorder and go on with your life like a normal person or worry about what could happen and not enjoy life at all. I chose to accept that I have it and go on with my days without worrying about it.”
About 400 people attended her calling hours last month at a Brockport funeral home. The family is thankful for the outpouring of support.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of love from the Holley community,” Mandy Carpenter said.
The family is establishing scholarships in Andie’s memory and is planning upcoming fundraisers.
The first event will be June 9 at World Gym in Rochester, 1717 East Ave. Participants can donate in a fun and challenging workout. Andie’s mother is a member of this gym.
There will be a 5K fun run/1-mile walk on July 13 in Holley. The course will go by the Holley Waterfalls and is similar to the route for the Holley cross country team, a course she ran hundreds of times. The 5K starts at 10 a.m. with the walk beginning at 10:10 a.m. Check in is at the Holley gazebo by the canal park.
More information about those events is available at the Adventuresinlove4Andie on Facebook. Or, you can email adventuresinlove4Andie@gmail.com.
The North Country Community College is establishing a memorial scholarship for Andie Carpenter. The scholarship descriptions says, “Andie was a bubbly person who made everyone smile a bit more each and every day. This award is given to a hard-working, determined, and driven to succeed graduate, who is always willing to go the extra mile to help others. The recipient of this award is a lot like Andie; he or she has a positive outlook on life, who is always making those around them happier.”
Andie’s family and friends also are creating a scholarship through the Holley Central School. They are accepting donations to the Andie Mae Carpenter Scholarship Fund, Holley Central School District, 3800 North Main Street, Holley, NY 14470.
The family also is raising money for the Center for Vascular Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome Research, c/o Hal Dietz, MD, Institute of Genetic Medicine fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, 855 North Wolfe Street, Rangos 550, Baltimore, MD 21205. (www.hopkinsmedicine.org).
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville school district is joining with Barker and Roy-Hart for a joint bussing contract, hoping that will drive the costs down.
Lyndonville was notified its current transportation provider, Student Transportation of America (Ridge Road Express), wouldn’t accept a renewal of the contract at a cost-of-living rate.
STA wants to keep providing service to Lyndonville, but said the contract needs to be rebid to reflect higher operating costs.
STA also has provided the service to Albion the past 30 years and that contract was rebid, with STA the low bidder – at a 30 percent increase. The company told Albion school leaders the rising minimum wage is pushing up operational costs with bus drivers and aides getting paid more money.
Joe DiPassio Jr., Lyndonville’s school business administrator, has budgeted a $258,064 increase in transportation, which is up 36.8 percent. The district won’t know the costs until the bids come in.
Lyndonville on Monday voted to rebid the bus contract in a joint deal with Barker and Roy-Hart. The economies of scale with the three districts should result in a better price, said Jason Smith, Lyndonville’s district superintendent.
Barker will serve as the lead agency in the bidding process. The districts will share the costs for the joint transportation bid, estimated at $14,450.
MEDINA – The village is seeking the community’s input about the Maple Ridge Corridor, including ways to make the busy road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
A 13-question survey asks community members how frequently they use Maple Ridge, for what purposes and if they would use the road more often if there were designated spots for pedestrians and cyclists.
Click here to see the survey. The survey will be available online until March 29.
The village was approved for a $50,000 grant to study pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on Maple Ridge Road, from Bates Road to the former Ames Plaza.
The study may help Medina make its case for a state grant to help pay for sidewalks on that stretch of Maple Ridge. The $50,000 grant from the Genesee Transportation Council includes a $5,000 local match from the village.
Medina previously has applied for a TAP – Transportation Alternatives Program – grant for sidewalks and a pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek. The village has been denied TAP funding so far.
The TAP is 80 percent federally funded with a 20 percent local share. The funding is from the federal government, but awarded by the state.
The sidewalk project with a small bridge was estimated to cost $1.3 million, according to initial cost estimates from Labella Associates in Rochester. Medina has found other funds for the bridge, using money from a revolving-loan fund that was managed by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. That fund is being closed out, with the remaining money going to projects in Orleans County that increase handicapped accessibility or serve low-income residents.
Many people walk along Maple Ridge Road or use motorized wheelchairs. Mayor Mike Sidari said the sidewalks would improve safety for many local residents.
Maple Ridge has become busier with GCC, manufacturing plants, chain stores and a residential community. The Orleans EDA also expects construction to start soon for a hotel on Maple Ridge next to the Pride Pak vegetable processing plant.
MEDINA – Orleans County’s lone hospital is trying to raise awareness about proposed cuts in Medicaid, which would reduce Medina Memorial Hospital’s revenue by $400,000 the next two years.
For a rural, low-volume hospital those cuts can be devastating, said Larry Knox, political and community engagement coordinator for 1199SEIU, a union for healthcare workers.
“In rural hospitals there is no fat to cut,” he said during a news conference and rally on Friday at Medina Memorial Hospital.
Gov. Cuomo proposed the Medicaid reductions as part of his budget proposal in January. Healthcare workers from throughout the state will be in Albany on Tuesday to send a message to state legislators to restore the $500 million in Medicaid funding for hospitals of all sizes.
Larry Knox, right, is the political and community engagement coordinator for 1199SEIU, a union for healthcare workers. Several union members attended the conference at Medina Memorial on Friday. Healthcare workers will be in Albany on Tuesday to protest the proposed Medicaid cuts.
“The union and the hospital administration do not always agree on issues but in this case we are in total agreement,” said Amy Stiles, a respiratory therapist at Medina Memorial the past 19 years. “These cuts will assuredly lead to more layoffs which will severely impact safe patient care.”
The hospital is part of Orleans Community Health, which has healthcare sites in Albion, Medina and Batavia.
Mark Cye, OCH chief executive officer, said the Medina Memorial is the only “safety net” hospital in the region.
“Consistent state and federal funding cuts jeopardize the future of hospitals across our state,” Cye said.
Stiles, the respiratory therapist, urged the state to look for cuts elsewhere in a $175 billion state budget.
“The health of our community is at stake,” she said.
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 5, Issue 11
On occasion I stumble across rather interesting photographs that grab my attention; either the image itself is intriguing or the inscription contains a fascinating tidbit of information. While uncovering a box of photographs and albums, I discovered an image with the inscription “F. J. Wickham Lyndonville, N.Y. this man went to Panama and helped build the Panama Canal.” So who was Mr. F. J. Wickham and how did he end up in Panama?
Born to Samuel Kenyon Wickham in Yates, Jeremiah Fernando Wickham grew up in Orleans County with his brothers George and Dewitt working the family farm and attending the district schools of the area. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 both Dewitt and Jeremiah enlisted with the 8th New York Heavy Artillery, but Jeremiah despised his first name (his grandfather’s name) and elected to enlist under his middle name. He served the duration of the war while earning the rank of corporal, his brother Dewitt rising to the rank of lieutenant.
After the war, the brothers had a falling out over a business decision which proved problematic for Fernando when applying for his pension. Using his middle name to enlist instead of his first, he was required to provide a deposition proving who he was, which he requested of his brother who then refused to do so; that is, until a special investigator showed up at his home to request it. Fernando returned to Yates where he lived on the county line, working as a carpenter by trade. His military service helped earn employment with the U.S. Government, working as an inspector of the shores of Lake Ontario up until the 1890s when he was employed as a breakwater inspector in Buffalo.
The specifics regarding his employment with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) are unknown, but in 1905 he was sent to Colón, Panama as a superintendent on the Panama Canal project. The 48-mile wide canal started in 1881 by the French was an expansive project taken over by the U.S. in 1904 when President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the purchase of the Panama Railroad and French excavation equipment at a cost of $40 million.
Upon his arrival, Wickham wrote home to describe his trip to this foreign area. The ship departed New York City on June 21, 1905 with forty passengers on board, most traveling with the ICC. While traveling to Cuba, he recalled seeing a “nearly fifty-foot whale” and a school of porpoise that traveled with the ship for a few hundred yards. The arrival of the vessel at the Port of Colón was startling as the conditions of the town were extremely poor.
Any available space in the town was taken up by the machinery left by the French when they abandoned the project in 1894, most of it was deteriorated and unusable. Wickham remarked, “You could not conceive the amount [of equipment] unless you could see it, and then I do not think a person could.” He went on to say, “It was wonderful the amount the French laid out here to abandon, and the small results accomplished with the outlay.”
Wickham was stationed with the architectural department and charged with overseeing the repair of buildings constructed by the French during the previous two decades. It is likely that his work as a carpenter prepared him for this type of employment. Many U.S. papers published stories about the horrors of life in Panama, the terrible health conditions and poor living conditions. Wickham remarked that many men arrived with the expectation of minimal work and high pay, but arrived to find the opposite. Young men were frequently disappointed by the lack of recreational activities; the typical day consisting of work followed by sleep with no time for anything else.
He concluded his letter by writing that his health was good, but that he had already lost some weight, which he said, “I could afford to do that, for I was most too fleshy when I came away.” His wife, Anna Gray Wickham, remained in Orleans County with their daughters and upon his return, the family relocated to Pasadena, California where Fernando died in March of 1923.
MEDINA – Local school district leaders say they worry about filling teaching positions, especially with many teachers retiring after this school year.
Julie Christensen, Kendall Central School Superintendent
Normally, there is a wave of new applicants but fewer college students have been pursuing the teaching profession. That has districts competing for a smaller number of teachers, especially for sciences.
“We’re having a really hard time,” Julie Christensen, Kendall Central School superintendent, said about filling some openings. “The media really did a number on the teaching profession.”
Kendall is struggling to fill all positions, including elementary teachers, bus drivers and cleaners. Christensen was among a panel of speakers on Thursday afternoon during a session for Leadership Orleans. There are 26 people in the second year of Leadership Orleans. Each month the class goes on tours and focuses on an issue or a sector of the community. This month’s focus is on education.
The panel said it is getting harder to attract teachers to the county. Teachers are in demand, and they can earn more in suburban school districts, and often don’t have to teach a range of sections of a subject. For example, in Medina a French teacher has to lead several classes at different levels of the subject. That means the teacher is preparing multiple lesson plans. In a bigger district, that teacher might only have one or two lesson plans, said Mark Kruzynski, the Medina school superintendent.
Medina expects to have 15 teaching openings to fill after this year, and that number could go up if more teachers retire.
“We’re struggling to find qualified people,” said Marc Graff, Medina school business administrator.
Medina also is seeing fewer student teachers and student observers, he told Leadership Orleans.
Christensen said Orleans County would benefit from better PR, with local officials and residents touting safe and nurturing schools with very high graduation rates.
The school leaders shared their opinions about challenges facing school districts.
Chad Kenward, Medina Police Chief
Christensen said social media has some downsides. Inaccurate information often quickly spreads in the community. Social media also is a conduit for bullying and sexting among students, she said.
Chad Kenward, the Medina police chief, worked for eight years as the school resource officer in Medina. He said school safety remains a priority. He is grateful the school district has continued a partnership with the police department, welcoming an officer into the district as a resource officer. Corey Ambrose is the current school resource officer.
“These days the school resource officer is the first line of defense,” Kenward said. “We are talking to kids every day. We are liaison between the police department the school.”
Kenward would connect with students by participating in gym class, helping coach modified basketball and being an active volunteer with the marching band.
He also taught students about bullying and discussed the role of law enforcement with drug seizures.
Kenward said the role allows the police to build relationships with students in a nonconfrontational way. Kenward said the officer makes the district safer and prevents problems, although that is difficult to quantify.
Graff, the school’s business administrator, said the officer “is worth every cent.” Medina pays the village about $60,000 to have an officer work full-time out of the district during the school year. During the summer, the officer returns to the police department for road patrol.
“Just the fact there’s a (police) car parked out front” is a deterrent, Graff said.
Albion, Kendall and Lyndonville also are paying for school resource officers, and Holley hires COPS security, a private security firm.
Graff said the school districts are feeling the financial pressure. Because they are low-wealth districts in Orleans County, they are very dependent on state aid for their budgets. That amount can vary. Graff said the state hasn’t been providing what districts are due through the Foundation Aid formula.
Districts are preparing their budgets now. They will likely be adopted by the boards of education in April and go before voters on May 21. However, districts still aren’t sure what their state aid will be because the state budget hasn’t been adopted, Graff said.
The state and school districts aren’t on the same fiscal years.
“We’re guessing on revenue,” Graff said. “We’re building a budget on guesswork until we truly know what we’re getting.”
Districts also now contend with the tax cap, which is advertised as a 2 percent cap but can vary based on many factors. Sometimes the tax cap is barely above 0 percent. In 2019-20, Medina has a cap of about 4 percent.
The state implemented the cap in 2012. Since then, the number of voters for school budgets has dropped significantly in WNY because residents feel assured the tax increases will be minimal. Graff presented data that showed the number of voters in 2012 for school district budgets in WNY was 72,379. That was down to 46,302 in 2018.
Robin Silvis, vice president of Holley Board of Education
Robin Silvis, vice president of the Board of Education for Holley, said there is apathy among many community members. They don’t tend to vote or attend meetings. She does, however, hear people’s concerns about the school when she is at the grocery store.
Silvis said the board of education sets policy for the district, without micromanaging. If people complain about a teacher or perhaps other issues at school, Silvis directs them to take those concerns to the building principal.
“You have to go through the proper channels,” she said.
She has been on the board the past 10 years. She is proud of Holley’s transformed school campus and push for academic excellence.
“On the school board I promote communication and awareness,” she said. “The biggest challenge is the budget and that hasn’t got any easier in the past 10 years.”
In addition to the panel discussion about challenges in public education locally, Leadership Orleans toured Medina’s school campus, which is undergoing a $34 million capital project.
The day started at GCC’s campus center in Medina where there was a panel discussion about alternatives and supports to public education. Speakers included Danielle Douglas, adolescent outreach program coordinator for the Brockport Migrant Education Program; Melinda Grimble, continuing education instructor for the Orleans-Niagara BOCES; and Cynthia Blosenhauer, program director for the Orleans County Adult Literary Services.
Leadership Orleans also toured and met with students at the Iroquois Job Corps in Shelby, and also toured the Orleans-Niagara Education Center in Medina, where BOCES offers career and technical programs.
Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley
As a result of Gov. Cuomo and the State Senate failing to include the New York State American Legion Boys State program in their individual budget proposals, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has taken action.
Hawley and more than 40 other lawmakers have signed onto a letter calling for the program’s full restoration that will be sent to legislative leaders and the governor ahead of the April 1 budget deadline.
The Boys State program melds aspiring high school seniors with American Legion counselors and active duty Marines during a week-long training seminar at SUNY Morrisville. The students engage in physical fitness, teamwork building and leadership training exercises while also learning the intricacies of state government.
“This is a unique program that brings together active service members, veterans and high school students eager to become future leaders and active in civic affairs,” Hawley said. “Including $150,000 in a budget that is expected to total over $175 billion is a small investment we can make to help the future leaders of New York grow and excel. Students from every region of the state attend this program and I urge the governor and legislative leaders to restore this funding and keep the Boys State program vibrant and active.”
Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today announced bipartisan legislation to combat the opioid crisis. The John S. McCain Opioid Addiction and Prevention Act would limit the supply of initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain to seven days. This bill is named after late-Senator John McCain, who was the Republican lead of this legislation last Congress.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nearly two million Americans misusing prescription opioids, and each day, 41 people die from an overdose related to these prescription painkillers. The CDC also found that in 2017, 68 percent of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid.
This bill would create a seven-day prescription limit for opioids so that no more than a seven-day supply may be prescribed to a patient at one time for acute pain, such as a wisdom tooth removal or a broken bone. This would help restrict the excess supply of opioids and help minimize the risk of abuse.
“Too many families throughout New York and our country have suffered from the devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic. No community has been left untouched, and we need to be proactive when it comes to ending this crisis,” said Senator Gillibrand. “One of the root causes of opioid abuse is the over-prescription of these powerful and addictive drugs. I’m proud to join with Senator Gardner to introduce bipartisan legislation that limits the over-prescription of opioids. This would help our communities combat opioid addiction, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to pass this bill.”
This seven-day prescription limit would not apply to the treatment of chronic pain; pain being treated as part of cancer care, hospice care, or other end-of-life care; or pain treated as part of palliative care. This federal legislation is modeled after laws in several states. Currently, fifteen states, including New York, limit initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain.
The John S. McCain Opioid Addiction and Prevention Act would help reduce the amount of excess opioids by requiring medical professionals, as a part of their Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registration, to certify that they will not prescribe an opioid as an initial treatment for acute pain in an amount that exceeds a seven-day supply.
Medical professionals would also have to certify that they would not provide a refill. Under current federal law, a medical professional must register with the DEA in order to be allowed to prescribe a controlled substance in the United States. This registration must be renewed every three years.
