Now there’s a dog with an attitude! “Sloat’s Dog” presents a regal and commanding pose.  (Scott B. Dunlap Collection)

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 40

SHELBY – It is the holiday season! We have been dealing with serious photographs all year long, stern looking men and somber women, buildings and street scenes galore. Time for some lighter fare!

Our submissions today are from the Scott B. Dunlap collection which we have previously used for postmortem and Powerline project photographs.

Born in 1898, Scott B. Dunlap of Dunlap Road in Shelby was a fourth-generation member of the family for whom the road is named. Armed with his new Kodak camera, Scott, who graduated from Medina High School in 1905, took unposed, relaxed photographs of family, friends and animals.

Most likely without intending to, he compiled a precious chronicle of life in rural America in the early 1900s, in those years just before automobiles replaced the horse and buggy. In 2008, Scott B. Dunlap, Jr. donated this collection of over two hundred of his father’s glass plate negatives to the Medina Historical Society.

“Sloat’s Dog” with his snout in the air, cannot but make one smile. It appears that Sloat had another dog, an equally well-fed and imperious canine.

“Sloat’s Dog” #2 (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

According to the 1900 Census, Francis Sloat, a farmer, and his wife, Mary (Dutton), lived in Shelby. Sloat later moved to Corfu, died in 1921 and is buried in Millville Cemetery.

“Dunk’s children” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

What a visual treasure! The horse is old and calm, the girls are dressed up for the occasion, in matching dresses and hats. The younger girl, on the left, is clutching part of the horse’s mane in her hand.

“Dunk” was Frank Dunkelberger, a farmer in Shelby. The 1900 Census lists his age as 30, his daughters Ruth and Rhea were 6 and 4 at the time of the Census.

“Remson’s children” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

Upon investigation, these children with the white cat and a sheep may be Seth Ransom’s grandchildren, rather than Remson’s children, as labeled: Theron, Anita and J. Lawrence Caleb who lived on Southwoods Road in Shelby.

“Boy with two dogs” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

Our last selection (it was difficult to choose) is of this young man, armed with a hunting rifle and two dogs. We were taken by the unsettling expression of the seated dog.

In addition to providing some levity, these photographs contain a treasure trove of attendant details which we can now zoom over and enlarge. Naturally, we relish the challenge of finding additional information on the subjects. Armed with the most basic descriptors “Sloat’s Dog” or “Remson’s Children” we were able to locate information in the Orleans County Genweb site and the New Century Atlas of Niagara and Orleans Counties, 1913.

https://orleans.nygenweb.net

https://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/7112/Orleans+County+1913/

2% raises approved for elected officials, management in county government

Photo by Tom Rivers: Janice Grabowski and Mike Mele, election commissioners for Orleans County, are shown in September when the county introduced new voting machines for the presidential election.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has reappointed the county election commissioners. Janice Grabowski and Mike Mele were reappointed to two-year terms until the end of 2026.

Grabowski has the backing of the Democratic Party Committee while Mele has the support of the Republican Party. Both will be paid $22,539 and $22,990 in 2026.

The tow say they work well together and saw the county transition to 28 new voting machines this past presidential election, replacing ones that were 15 years old. They also have led the county through nine days of early voting, in addition to the general election and primary votes.

In other action from the Dec. 17 Legislature meeting:

• Approved an agreement for the Mental Health Department to accept $48,022 in opioid settlement funds.

• Approved 2 percent in compensation increases for management and elected officials the next two years.

Some of those salaries for 2025 include $20,421 for Legislature chairwoman, $15,441 for vice chairman, and $13,614 for the other five legislators; $137,622 for county attorney; $95,268 for county treasurer (plus $1,750 longevity bonus); $99,273 for director of personnel; $125,111 for public defender (and $49,484 stipend); $92,655 for real property tax director (plus $500 longevity bonus); $125,111 for sheriff (plus $2,000 longevity bonus); and $110,949 for social services commissioner (plus $2,000 longevity bonus).

• The Legislature authorized an agreement for $35,000 with Benjamin J. Bonarigo, PLLC and Kristie L. DeFreze, Esq. to be the assigned counsel administrator. There is also $6,000 for services of an administrative assistant.

• The Legislature authorized an agreement up to $20,000 with Kenneth Spohr for investigative services in the Assigned Counsel Program.

• Accepted a $142,513 grant from the Division of Criminal Justice Services for Criminal Justice Discovery Reform for the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office.

• Approved an agreement with Ron Bierstine of Kent as sportfishing coordinator at a cost of $45 per hour, not to exceed $15,000 for the year.

• Approved an agreement up to $21,000 with Lynne Menz Designs of Kent to provide designs services of tourism promotional materials, such as county travel guide, display ads and other marketing materials requested by the Tourism Department.

• Approved paying $27,744 to print the 2025 County Travel Guide Bicentennial Special Edition with Freeport Press of New Philadelphia, OH, to be paid out of 2025 I Love New York Matching Funds.

• Authorized creating and filling a full-time tourism assistant in the Tourism Department.

• Approved the following three-year appointments to the Orleans County Planning Board: Daniel Strong, At-Large Central; Darryl Sanford, At-Large Central (Alternate); Brian Napoli, At-Large West; Tom Keeler, Town of Barre; Wes Miller, Town of Barre (Alternate); Chris Kinter, Town of Albion; Kevin Parker, Town of Albion (Alternate).

• Appointed Russ Martino of Lyndonville and John Becker of Kendall to the County Board of Ethics, which consists of five members with staggered terms.

Photos by Tom Rivers

Dr. Michael Richmond, an astronomy and physics professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, was at Hoag Library on Feb. 3 to discuss the upcoming total eclipse on April 8, the first total solar eclipse in Western New York in nearly a century. The last one was on Jan. 24, 1925. During the four minutes of totality, the sun may look like a halo with the blockage of the moon. “It’s unreal,” Richmond told about 75 people during a presentation at Hoag Library. “The sky will be completely dark, except the glowing corona. It’s one of the things in the natural world that makes people go, ‘Awesome!’”

It was a busy year in Orleans County in 2024, with many special events leading up to the rare solar eclipse experience. Orleans County was in the path of totality on April 8. It was a bit cloudy during the 4-minute eclipse that started at about 3:20 p.m.

Here are some other photos from 2024:

Ayden Coston, 14, of Albion takes a tumble on the sled at the bottom of the sledding hill at Bullard Park on Jan. 14. This was the first big snowfall of winter for people to go sledding and get on their snowmobiles. The sledders braved the hill despite strong winds and temperatures in the low 20s.

Chris Forrester, a volunteer at a Jan. 22 food distribution in Albion in the Platt Street municipal parking lot, carries a chicken to a car with two senior citizens. Forrester started volunteering at the monthly distributions about a year earlier. She tries to be high energy in greeting the people, even when it’s 20 degrees out like on Jan. 22. “Everyone deserves a smile,” she said.

Foodlink brought a truck of food from Rochester to Albion. Foodlink also does distributions at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville and in Lyndonville at the Presbyterian Church.

Small town Albion gave a huge show of support for Saul Harrison and his family on Jan. 27. About 1,000 people attended a benefit on his behalf at Dubby’s Tailgate to raise money to help Harrison offset some bills while he is treated for cancer. Harrison, 50, a popular youth sports coach, youth worker for the county DSS, and a deacon at Shiloh Church. Harrison greeted people at a benefit, shaking many hands and receiving many hugs. He said the outpouring of support was very humbling.

Laurie Banker of Albion has wine poured in her glass by Brittany Moden of Victorianbourg Wine Estate in Wilson during the Feb. 3 Wine About Winter in Medina. They are inside the Coffee Pot Café, one of 23 stops for people to get a wine-tasting. Banker attended the event with 14 of her friends. “It’s a fun way to break up the winter and the weather today is beautiful,” she said. The event was a fast sell-out in the dead of winter with all 800 tickets sold.

Nick Hollenbeck dances to “Twist and Shout” with his daughter Emma, age 7, during the Father-Daughter Dance on Feb. 16 at the Carlton Rec Hall. About 125 people attended the dance. The event returned after a four-year absence. “We have fun dancing together,” Hollenbeck said. “”It’s something that is fun to do that is just for us.”

On March 1, the back of Holley’s beloved restaurant, Sam’s Diner, collapsed in a pile of rubble today. The wall gave out at about 9:30 a.m. The diner wasn’t open yet and no one was injured. A special operations team from Monroe County was at the scene to check the stability of Sam’s. There are also many local firefighters, code enforcement and the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

The Gitsis family has owned the diner for nearly 50 years. Sam Gitsis opened it in 1978. It is one of Holley’s most popular gathering places. George Gitsis, the son of Sam Gitsis, is the current owner. He has worked this year to rebuild and get the restaurant back open, which hasn’t happened yet at the close of 2024.

Justin Laureano, right, and Nick Picardo, the Kendall school superintendent, embrace on the basketball court on March 7 during a fundraiser for the Amy Laureano Fund. Amy, Justin’s wife, was a much-loved first grade teacher at Kendall. She passed away on July 30. Jason is an elementary school physical education teacher.

Picardo joined Laureano and his children in the starting lineup during a friendly basketball game featuring Kendall teachers vs. Holley faculty.

“She was magnificent,” Laureano said about his wife, a well-regarded mentor to younger teachers in the elementary school. “She was a spitfire woman who touched a lot of people.”

Loreli Ryan dances to “Maniac” with the Medina varsity winter guard team during the March 9 “Colorburst” show at Medina High School. There were 25 guard units competing at the event, up from 19 from a year ago at the Winter Guard Show in Medina. About 500 people attended the competition.

Jimmie Swift starred as Gaston, an ultra-masculine villain who is determined to marry Belle in Kendall’s production of Beauty and the Beast. He carries his bumbling sidekick LeFou, who is played Mike Hallowell. Kendall performed the show on March 15-16. All five of the Orleans County schools performed musicals in the spring.

It got dark out on April 8 for about 4 minutes beginning at 3:19 p.m. for the solar eclipse. Many were disappointed by the cloud cover, but the sky got spooky and birds took off flying in wild directions. Darkness settled over downtown Albion in this photo looking from the First Presbyterian Church of Albion, which tailored the message on its sign to tie in with the historic event, the first total eclipse in Orleans County since 1925.

A pickup truck plunged into the Erie Canal in Medina on April 13. The truck was headed south on Route 63 (North Gravel Road) but failed to negotiate a right turn onto the lift bridge. The truck went straight and fell into the Erie Canal, which was drained. The driver wasn’t seriously injured from the crash. Automotive Solutions in Medina used a heavy wrecker tow truck to pull the pickup from the canal.

Albion Fire Chief Jeremy Graham and firefighters from several departments responded to a fire at Oak Orchard Estates just before midnight on April 14. Fire engulfed a trailer resulting in the death of  William E. Christy, age 68. Several of his neighbors, firefighters and responding law enforcement officers tried to get inside and help him.

Members of the second grade Glee Club at Oak Orchard Primary School sang three songs to help celebrate the tree planting on Earth Day in Medina on April 26. Here they are singing, “This Land Is Your Land.” Medina continued its Arbor Day tradition by planting nearly 70 trees

Cheech, one of the pro wrestlers who competed April 26 in the Medina High School gym, acknowledges the crowd after he won a five-man scramble. It was one of the featured battles in the “Spring Smash,” a benefit for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. Empire State Wrestling brought a group of pro wrestlers, including three with ties to Orleans County, for the event which was attended by 450.

Everett “Frenchy” Downey is shown on May 11, two weeks before he retired from selling and repairing televisions, stoves, laundry machines, refrigerators and freezers for six decades in Orleans County. Frenchy called it a career at age 94.

“I have loved what I’ve been doing every day,” Downey said in the showroom at Frenchy’s at 13576 Ridge Rd. “I got to know a lot of people. I always have thought of my customers as my friends. I want to help them if I can.”

Lisa Bower-Logsdon, owner of Lisa’s Dace Boutique for 47 years, is hugged by Kamryn Berner, one of her faculty choreographers, at the end of a May 11 recital at the Holley Junior-Senior High School Auditorium. Heather Kelley, second from right, and Caitlin Milizia, the other choreographers on staff, move in to congratulate Bower-Logsdon on her career. Kelley succeeded Bower-Logsdon as the owner.

“The dance studio became my second home, as I know it was for so many of our students,” Bower-Logdson said. “It was there that I met such wonderful families and made everlasting friendships. Bot now, it is time to pass the torch to capable hands and I am confident that this studio will continue to thrive.”

There were no injuries on June 6 after stalled truck was hit by a train in Fancher. A flatbed tow truck from A & M Transmissions and Complete Automotive Center had just left a parking area north of the railroad tracks when the truck stalled on the tracks as a train was rounding the bend to the east.

Father Mark Noonan, priest for a family of six Catholic churches in Orleans and eastern Niagara counties, met with about 35 parishioners on June 19 for about two hours at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Holley. Father Noonan went over recent data, showing a declining number of priests and church attendees in the 8-county Diocese of Buffalo. The Diocese would announce it was closing St. Mark’s in Kendall and St. Stephen’s in Middleport.

Daci Doward shakes hands with Albion school district superintendent Mickey Edwards on June 28 during Albion’s commencement, which included 130 graduates.

Gerald “Shorty” Nellist, a World War II veteran, served as grand marshal of the Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville. He is driven in a car by his son-in-law Harold Suhr. Nellist would pass away on Dec. 2 at age 97.

Heidi Franco-Lopez of Albion celebrated a quinceañera for her 15^th birthday. It was a big party at the Elba fire rec hall on July 6. Many of her friends and family in Albion attended the celebration that is popular in the Latin American culture.

A barge carried two sections of a bridge on the Erie Canal early in the morning of July 19. The barge is headed west near the curve in the canal in Gaines Basin. The transport of the bridge, in four sections that were 266 feet long, was featured prominently in the media during its three-week journey from Albany to Buffalo along the canal. The bridge was set in place in October over the I-190 near the Niagara Street exit.

Caleb Knoll, 7, of Lyndonville leads “Rose” around the show ring during the Clover Bud showmanship competition in the Dairy Show on July 23 during the Orleans County 4-H Fair. It was Caleb’s first time showing an animal at the fair.

Stacey Kirby Steward painted an agricultural theme on a fiberglass ox statue during the Orleans County 4-H Fair during the last week of July. The ox was painted as part of a celebration of the Orleans County bicentennial in 2025.

The band Tryst from Rochester closed out the Rock the Park 9 music festival at Bullard Park on Aug. 3. Tryst opened with “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

The concert by Tryst capped two days of music with about 1,000 people attending the festival.

Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, speaks during an Aug. 11 tour of the cemetery for the Orleans County Alms House on County House Road in Albion. About 75 people attended the tour, which highlighted a once-forgotten cemetery. Lattin spoke at an Albion seventh-grade class in 2010, which spurred interest in the cemetery. The students helped to get the site cleared of overgrown vegetation and have the head stones reset.

Jim Kirby holds an apple that was battered by hail on Aug. 11. Kirby said 100 of his 170 acres of apples were badly damaged by hail. Several Orleans County apple farms experienced significant loss from the hail.

The community stepped up in a big way at benefit for Eli Howard on Sept. 21 at the Sacred Heart Club in Medina. Eli Howard, left, is shown with his family and other loved ones in the kitchen at Sacred Heart Club. He is next to his daughters Jelia and Kylee, and Eli’s wife Jana. Howard, 50, is battling stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.

There were more than 200 baskets and gift cards in the raffle, as well as other items in a silent auction and 50/50 drawings. The 500 chicken barbecue dinners sold out and there was a line on North Gravel Road from the lift bridge to The Gallagher for the dinners.

“I’m never at a loss for words, but I am today,” Howard said. “It takes a community to help and that’s what we have today.”

The Holley school community dressed up as Disney characters for the annual parade through the village on Sept. 27. The freshmen class created a float with a theme from the Pirates of Caribbean.

A group gathers in the chapel at Boxwood Cemetery on Oct. 6 for the third annual Boxwood at Night event. The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery lit up many of the monuments, trees and other parts of the cemetery, inviting the public to “see the cemetery in a new light.” More than 200 people attended. The event included nine different docents who portrayed people buried in the cemetery.

Ernestine Freeman (right), a resident at The Village of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, passes out treats to Tristan Streams of Lyndonville, who is followed by his mother, Mercedes Streams. They attended a “Haunted Hallway” at the nursing home on Oct. 26.

It was the first “Haunted Hallway” at The Villages, an effort to raise some money for the activities fund and also get people inside to meet some of the residents.

Medina High School student Riley Tompkins dressed as an elf and his classmate Logan Trillizio wore a Santa costume in the Home for the Holidays 5K in Medina on Nov. 30. They are sprinting at the end of the race on North Main Street near the American Legion. There were 150 participants in the event with temperatures in the low 30s.

Lyndonville lit up 82 Christmas trees on Dec. 7 in its annual holiday tradition at Veterans Park. Lyndonville started decorating Christmas trees in the community in 2013 with 26 the first year. Many families, businesses and organizations decorate the trees.

The Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade on Dec. 14 in Albion was capped with this float with Santa in a sleigh on a trailer with a band, Christmas trees and reindeer in flight. A group of volunteers tried to create a float with the flair of the late Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa school in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966. Howard also was the Santa for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and operated Christmas Park in Albion.

A construction worker who labored on the rehabilitation of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion takes photos of a 40,000-pound crane crossing the bridge at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 as part of a final inspection before the bridge reopened to traffic. The bridge was closed for more than two years for an extensive rehab. About 80 percent of the steel is new on the bridge that was originally constructed in 1914.

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this year right… TOGETHER!!!

I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and are on your way to a very Happy New Year! With that in mind I wanted to share a story from back in June 1999, I had just started my new life with my new wife which included our honeymoon in Cancun, MX. Outside of Canada this would be my first time traveling to another country and I was excited to share this adventure with Sheryl. Beyond a few initial glitches, since Sheryl had booked everything beforehand using her maiden name I was called Mr. Smout throughout our stay, we had a great time.

Beyond being able to enjoy the beautiful pools at our resort we ate well and made our mark on the sand volleyball court. We also went on some excursions which were included in our package. When it came time to choose which ones we would be doing Sheryl, a lover of all things beach and ocean, chose snorkeling around a coral reef and spending the day relaxing by the beautiful blue water of Xpuha. I, on the other hand, having watched Jaws way too many times as a kid chose to stay inland and explore the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá.

We started with the snorkeling adventure which began with us and a number of other couples each taking a small motorboat an hour out into the ocean to where the reef was. Having never driven a boat before it was an exhilarating experience outside of Sheryl screaming because she thought we were going to flip over (I only know one speed). Once we arrived and got in the water however the scary part for me began. Having never snorkeled before it was going to be sink or swim for me because once my face went into that water it wasn’t coming out whether I could breathe or not. Our entire time there I scanned the depths non-stop but thankfully never once saw a shark. I did swim over one while snorkeling this past summer but that’s another story.

The next outing was to Chichén Itzá where we learned a lot about the Mayan culture, tried some roadside tacos (our guide revealed afterward that chicken was scarce, so it was most likely lizard meat that we had eaten), and climbed to the top of The Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo). It was a good day but also a very hot and tiring day which is why when we showed up for our final excursion, an afternoon on the beach at Xpuha, Sheryl wasn’t feeling well and decided she had better take a nap.

Between being bored, feeling a bit invulnerable since I had already courageously survived snorkeling, and because the water was so clear you could see quite a distance, I decided to take my chances and rent an inflatable mat which I used to float on. I was a bit hesitant at first but soon enough I had given in to the relaxing motion of the ocean and all but fell asleep as I stared out into the endless horizon with neither land nor a boat in sight.

This went on for a while before I began to hear shouting behind me from a distance. As I groggily turned over to face the beach I suddenly realized that I was nowhere near shore. Every time the mat had gently rolled over a small wave I had drifted further and further out to sea and had no idea because without a fixed point there wasn’t any way to know that I had moved even a little let alone a lot.

As I quickly assessed the situation a different type of panic set in, I couldn’t understand a lot of what the locals were shouting at me in Spanish but even under duress I recognized when they started yelling “Shark!” I don’t know how I swam back to shore as quick as I did but if there was a shark in the vicinity it probably got pushed aside by my wake. In the end I was all too happy to be back getting an earful from my new bride who had gone to sleep and woke up worried she might never me again.

The reality is that I did not intentionally choose to float out into dangerous waters and had I been laying the opposite direction looking at the shore I would have been able to see the second I was starting to drift and would have maneuvered myself back to safety at once. So, my question to you dear reader is, “What are you focusing on as you prepare to begin a New Year in 2025?”  As I just proved, it’s too easy to not focus on anything and simply drift along, ending up where you really don’t want to be. However, by setting goals and finding a fixed point to focus on you can start moving in the direction of where you want to be by year’s end

In his book, Principle of the Path, Andy Stanley makes a great observation which is that “Direction, Not Intention, Determines Your Destination.”  Good intentions may be helpful when making New Year’s Resolutions, which will most likely be forgotten by February, but if you really want to start becoming who who you are called to be then direction is key. Simply put… you need to figure out where you are, figure where you want to go, and then decide one thing you could do to start moving in that direction. Then do it.

See you in 2 weeks!

Pastor Randy

ALBION – The owner of Wild Flour Deli and Bakery announced today the business will be closing at its Albion location on Route 31 and moving to Brockport.

Beth Miller of Holley posted on Facebook she is “devastated” to make the decision. She had posted in recent months that business was often slow in Albion.

She opened Wild Flour in November 2021 at 438 West Ave., making sandwiches, soups, salads and baked goods. She promoted the business as a healthier option than fast food and pizza.

“We are sorry and truly heartbroken by this decision, but there was truly no other choice,” Miller posted on Facebook.

She attended many local concerts and events, selling sandwiches, pie and other food to help promote the business.

Wild Flour will close in Albion on Feb. 27. Miller doesn’t have a date on when she will open in Brockport. She said she will rent a local food kitchen and will still cater events and parties and do shows during the summer. She is considering a food truck as well.

“We have loved our time here and value all of our customers so much,” Miller said on Facebook. “But it is time for us to move on.”

Wild Flour Deli and Bakery won first place in Albion’s Christmas Parade in December 2023. This photo shows Wild Flour owner Beth Miller walking by the float that created a baking scene. There was a baking fight in front of the judges with some dough being tossed around. Wild Flour won third in the most recent parade on Dec. 14.

A high wind watch has been issued for Sunday evening through Monday afternoon for Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Erie counties.

There will be southwest winds from 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 60 mph possible, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

The period of strongest winds will most likely occur early Monday morning, the Weather Service said.

The high temperatures for the coming days include 54 today, followed by 57 on Sunday, 44 on Monday, 44 on Tuesday and 39 on Wednesday, which is New Year’s Day.

Town sought land by Lake Ontario but purchase was defeated in public referendum in June

This map shows the boundaries of 153 acres in the Town of Yates that will be acquired by the Western New York Land Conservancy with a state grant for $1,120,387.

YATES – A state grant will allow 153 acres in the Town of Yates by Lake Ontario to be protected for future generations.

The state announced on Dec. 26 that it awarded a $1,120,387 grant to the Western New York Land Conservancy to acquire the 153-acre Yates Lakeshore Preserve.

This is the land the town sought to buy, but it was rejected in a public referendum on June 20 by 260-145. Yates officials envisioned walking and nature trails at the site.

The town had negotiated buying the land for $700,000 from NYSEG, with the stipulation the purchase come from grant funds not local tax dollars. Some residents stated they were concerned losing the land’s tax revenue, about $25,000 a year, and also the ongoing maintenance and insurance costs for the town.

The land owned by NYSEG was at one time eyed for a power plant. That project ended up at Somerset.

Town Supervisor Jim Simon saw the 153.3 acres by Lake Ontario as a tremendous opportunity for the town to preserve undisturbed land for generations to come. The site is next to the 6-acre Yates Town Park on Morrison Road.

He is pleased to see the land will be protected from development. When the town was eyeing the property, he said Yates officials received three inquiries about purchasing the land, and then two more requests after the June 20 referendum. The Land Conservancy was one of those entities.

In each case, Simon said he passed along the contact to NYSEG’s real estate manager.

“Needless to say, although we don’t yet know the details of the grant since we were not involved in the WNYLC grant request or the award, the Yates Town Board is very excited that the announced grant award will allow WNYLC to preserve and protect one of the few remaining natural watersheds and flora/fauna habitats in the western Lake Ontario littoral,” Simon said.

The state, in announcing the grant, said the acquisition in the Marsh Creek watershed by the Conservancy will protect drinking water and preserve lakeshore landscapes.

Kyle Semmel, communications manager for the Land Conservancy, said the organization has a mission “to permanently protect land with significant conservation value for the benefit of future generations, and this property is just such a place.”

The state funding comes from a DEC Water Quality Improvement Grant (WQIP). The primary purpose of the WQIP program is to improve water quality in the state, Semmel said.

The Yates land has for two public water intakes 2.5 and 6.5 miles downstream that serve more than 18,000 residents in eight municipalities: the towns of Yates, Albion, Barre, Carlton, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway, Albion/Orleans Correctional Facilities, and the villages of Lyndonville and Albion, Semmel said.

“For the first few years of our ownership of the property, we will restore the shoreline and streambank areas to prevent erosion,” he said. “We also plan to conduct ecological restoration of the forested portion of the property to reduce invasive species, plant more native species, and enhance wildlife habitat.”

The 153 acres of lakeshore habitat are also of significant ecological value, featuring shrubland, mature native trees, successional forest, and abundant nesting and migratory bird habitat, Semmel said.

“Once conserved, this property will be restored to enhance habitat for rare and protected plants and animals, and to allow increased water retention on site,” he said. “Given its location along the Lake Ontario shoreline, the property is ideal for low-impact public access. The Land Conservancy will bear all stewardship and maintenance costs, including trail maintenance, signage, and other necessary public access amenities.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – An Albion police vehicle driven by officer Chris Glogowski was the first to cross the Main Street lift bridge after it reopened to traffic today at about 4:30 p.m.

Many of the cars and trucks that followed beeped their horns in delight that the bridge was back open after being closed since Nov. 14, 2022. When it closed, the state Department of Transportation estimated it would reopen in 18 months or the spring of 2024.

But there have been delays in getting materials for the project, pushing the completion back.

The bridge rails on the inside of the bridge, for example, didn’t arrive until a week ago. Those rails are critical to protecting the bridge’s beams.

A happy construction worker from Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport removes a sign about the bridge being out.

Crane-Hogan served as general contractor for the project. The company said there is more work today below the bridge with the lifting mechanism. The bridge may need to close briefly in the spring before the project is entirely complete.

A construction worker takes photos of a 40,000-pound crane going over the bridge as part of a final inspection to make sure the bridge didn’t shift from the weight.

The community started to get excited when the concrete barriers were removed about 2:30 this afternoon on the southside of the bridge. Several people posted on social media, hopeful today would be the day for the bridge to reopen.

The barriers on the north side were removed about 3:30 p.m. DOT staff also took down the detour signs late this afternoon.

Liz Groat, one of the vendors at Downtown Browsery, said the closed bridge has been difficult on the downtown merchants, who first endured the misery and restrictions of Covid-19 in 2020, and then saw a big reduction in traffic since the bridge closed in late 2022.

Jim Theodorakos, owner of Morrison Realty, is thrilled to have the bridge back open. He said the detour, even just a block away on Ingersoll Street, has been inconvenient for the community. His business office is two buildings from the bridge on the south side.

He is thankful people can get to the office without “going around, and around, and around.”

He was able to cross the bridge just a few minutes after it reopened today.

The project is about six months late, with still more work to be done. The east side sidewalk remains closed to pedestrians so contractors can get in and out of the north pit below ground. The stairs will go in when the work is done in the pit. That deadline is just before the reopening of the Erie Canal for the navigation season in May.

The sidewalk on the west side is open to pedestrians.

Some of the steel fabricated was off by a tiny amount, but the lift bridge has a very low tolerance for imperfections with steel, one of the contractors said. Even being off by a thickness of a hair is unacceptable for some of the parts, he said.

About 80 percent of the bridge has new steel. The top steel beams and some of the diagonal pieces remain from the original 1914 bridge.

Crane-Hogan employees remove a “Road Closed” sign. The company and other construction workers cheered after the final inspection and the bridge was reopened. Some of the workers have been driving 1 ½ hours each way to work on the project.

LYNDONVILLE – Emily Cebula is retiring next week after leading the Yates Community Library since 2008, a time when the library expanded cultural programming and gave the interior a significant renovation.

The Yates Town Board issued a proclamation on Dec. 12 praising her “exemplary” service as the library director.

She was commended for organizing and leading the “Lyndonville Reads” community reading project, overseeing a summer outdoor concert series, and her “exceptional” collaborative work with employees, volunteers, the board of trustees and NIOGA.

The Yates Town Board also cited Cebula’s efforts to implement the Orleans Digital Literacy Project, and her enhancements of the library website with digitized local newspapers and school yearbooks.

“The Yates Town Board hereby recognizes Emily Cebula’s faithful service to our community as director of the Yates Community Library, and wishes her all the best in her retirement,” the proclamation stated.

Cebula is the second public library director to retire this year in Orleans County. Sandra Shaw also retired from leading the Community Free Library in Holley.

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – Firefighters respond this morning to a fire in Barre barn owned by Richard Miller at 13481 Miller Rd.

Firefighters and Miller said the fire started from a skid steer. The fire spread to some hay in the barn.

Firefighters moved the scorched hay from inside, and hosed down the skid steer.

Miller said a neighbor called him to say there was smoke coming from the barn at about 9 a.m.

Two cows were inside as well as many sheep, and they were safely moved to an outdoor pasture. Miller is retired from farming. His two granddaughters show the cows in the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

The barn didn’t appear to suffer any damage from the fire.

Firefighters from Barre, Albion and Medina responded to the scene, as well as the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

Photos by Tom Rivers: John Riggi, left, has stepped down as Yates town councilman and his spot will be filled by Steve Vann, who is shown speaking at a Lyndonville Board of Education meeting in May.

YATES – The Yates Town Board has appointed Steve Vann to fill a vacancy as town councilman with the resignation of John Riggi.

Vann, the chairman of Village of Lyndonville Planning Board, was appointed on Dec. 12. He starts on Jan. 1.

Vann was a member of the Lyndonville Board of Education. He works as a president of J.S.C Management Group which operates many Burger King restaurants.

Riggi served nearly a decade on the Town Board. He was active in a fight against large wind turbines in Yates and Somerset, serving as president of the Save Ontario Shores group. During his tenure on the board, Yates passed town ordinances making it more difficult to site industrial-sized turbines in the town.

Town Supervisor Jim Simon said Vann will be an asset to the Town Board starting on Jan. 1. Vann brings a business acumen, and expertise in finance and health care expenses, Simon said during the Dec. 12 meeting.

File photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from October 2021 shows a farm scene looking down from Presbyterian Road on the Erie Canal in Albion, looking north. The bridge was close to traffic on Dec. 30.

ALBION – The canal bridge on Presbyterian Road will close to traffic Dec. 30 and is expected to be closed for a repair until May 1, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office announced today.

The bridge is the last canal bridge on the west side of the Town of Albion, located between the Allens Bridge Road bridge and Knowlesville lift bridge.

Photo by Tom Rivers: One of the stops during the Oct. 5 Boxwood at Night event included a display with a list of the 107 people buried in a potter’s field at the cemetery. Of those 107, only 28 have head stones. The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery would like to install a plaque in the cemetery listing all 107 people. The Medina Sandstone Society is contributing to that effort.

Press Release, Medina Sandstone Trust

MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Trust, a community endowment that disburses small grants to local programs, projects, and organizations has released its 2024 grant awards.

The following programs and organizations were funded a total of $5,600 for 2024’s round of grant funding.

• Hands for Hope Street Ministry to provide Purex and laundry detergent to clients.
• The Canalside Radio to assist with the purchase of 100-watt FM radio transmitter and related equipment, antenna, etc.
• The Medina Historical Society for funds to cover historical speakers and publicity costs for future programming.
• ORG – Friends of Boxwood Cemetery for assistance with the cost of installing a memorial in Potters Field, listing the names of the 107 people who are buried there. Currently there are only 28 headstones.
• GO Art! for assistance with purchasing a wagon, stage, tires, sound and projection equipment to be used first in August 2025 for the Erie Canal Artisan Festival and other future festivals and events.

This is the Medina Sandstone Trust’s 13th round of awards with over $65,000 in small grants and $10,000 in scholarships awarded so far.

The Medina Sandstone Trust encourages local non-profit agencies to apply for the 2025 round of grant funding. Instructions on how to apply will be released in October 2025.

Donations to help support the Medina Sandstone Trust can be made at any time to the Sandstone Society, Post Office Box 25, Medina, NY 14103 or donate online (click here). Gifts to this 501(c)(3) are tax deductible.

Overall the 10 towns, 4 villages remain at same level since 2001

Charts: Orleans Hub with data from Orleans County Legislature.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has set the sales tax amounts for the 10 towns and four villages for 2025.

Overall, the towns and villages collectively remain at $1,366,671, the same amount they have received since 2001.

But in 2025, there is a slight shift to the villages by $4,014 or $383,407 to $387,421. Most of that increase is for the Village of Albion – up $3,077 to $162,169.

The county uses a formula in determining the village share by dividing the village taxable value by the town taxable value. In Albion, which completed a village and townwide reassessment in 2024, the village assessed value increased a bigger percentage than the towns’, resulting in a slight boost in the local sales tax.

That was also the case in Lyndonville, where Yates and the village completed reassessments in 2024. The village share went up $1,566, while Yates is down by $1,566.

In Holley and Medina, where there weren’t town-wide reassessments in 2024, the village share shrunk – down $530 in Medina and $98 in Holley.

The previous year, Shelby and Ridgeway completed town-wide reassessments that resulted in an $8,114 sales tax shift for Medina in 2024 – from $152,046 to $160,160. But next year it will creep back by $530.

The majority of town and village boards in 2023 passed resolutions asking the County Legislature to increase the sales tax to the municipalities, but the Legislature opted against that in the 2024 budget, citing other rising costs for the county.

The towns and villages didn’t make much noise about the issue in 2024, and Legislature has again kept the sales tax at $1,366,671.

The county takes in about $23 million overall in local sales tax. After big increases in recent years, the sales tax revenue was lagging behind for much of 2024, compared to 2023 levels. The county did see growth in the third quarter and was $150,000 ahead of the 2023 levels after the third quarter.

Fossil fuel companies will pay for critical infrastructure, resiliency projects to protect from flooding and extreme heat

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today signed landmark legislation to bolster New York’s efforts to protect and restore the environment by requiring large fossil fuel companies to pay for critical projects that protect New Yorkers.

Legislation S.2129-B/A.3351-B creates a ‘Climate Superfund’ to support New York-based projects that bolster New York’s resiliency to dangerous climate impacts like flooding and extreme heat.

“With nearly every record rainfall, heatwave, and coastal storm, New Yorkers are increasingly burdened with billions of dollars in health, safety, and environmental consequences due to polluters that have historically harmed our environment,” Governor Hochul said. “Establishing the Climate Superfund is the latest example of my administration taking action to hold polluters responsible for the damage done to our environment and requiring major investments in infrastructure and other projects critical to protecting our communities and economy.”

This landmark legislation shifts the cost of climate adaptation from everyday New Yorkers to the fossil fuel companies most responsible for the pollution. By creating a Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Program, this law ensures that these companies contribute to the funding of critical infrastructure investments, such as coastal protection and flood mitigation systems, to enhance the climate resilience of communities across the state.

New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Executive Director Blair Horner said, “The governor’s approval of the Climate Change Superfund Act is a welcome holiday gift for New York taxpayers. Until her approval, New York taxpayers were 100% on the financial hook for climate costs. Now Big Oil will pay for much of the damages that they helped cause. As a result, New Yorkers will have their future tax burden reduced by $3 billion annually. This legislation is also designed to ensure that the oil industry will protect consumers from Climate Superfund costs being passed along. It’s a win for taxpayers and consumers. NYPIRG applauds the action by Governor Hochul, Senator Krueger, Assemblymember Dinowitz, and the other legislative supporters for making this innovative proposal become law.”

Another new significant climate law signed by Governor Hochul earlier this week expands upon New York State’s 2014 prohibition of high-volume hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas. Legislation S.8357/A.8866 amends the State Environmental Conservation Law to prohibit the use of carbon dioxide in gas or oil extraction to prevent potential negative health or environmental effects from carbon dioxide fracking in the state.