Press Release, Tops Friendly Markets

Tops Friendly Markets is pleased to announce that it is expanding its Instacart services yet again, bringing 27 more stores online bringing the overall number of Tops stores with the Instacart program to 111.

The same-day home-delivery service is now offered at the Albion and Medina stores.

“We’re excited to bring the service to thousands of our valued customers,” said Edward Rick, director, consumer marketing & digital for Tops Friendly Markets. “We’ve had such a positive response from customers on our initial launch that we are working diligently to bring the other communities we serve onto the program as quickly as possible.”

Customers can visit TopsMarkets.com/Instacart and enter their zip code to determine if they are within the current TOPS delivery area.

To help celebrate the partnership of Instacart and Tops, Tops is offering free delivery until Jan. 31 when customers shop Instacart at Tops. Complete details on this offer will be available at TopsMarkets.com/Instacart.

Tops announced the same-day home delivery service being available across the chain’s footprint in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, as well as Erie, Pa., in the last quarter of 2017. Tops anticipates rolling out the service into most of its remaining stores by the end of first quarter of 2018.

As one of the region’s largest supermarket chains, Tops customers throughout the geographic footprint, whether residing in a larger city or a rural community, now have access to same-day home delivery from Instacart.

Thousands of items including fresh meat, seafood, and produce literally are right at shoppers fingertips and delivered to their doors in as little as one hour. Customers will not only find a vast majority of Tops in store deals online, but will still find the brands they love, all while earning the gas points they value that they can redeem when they visit Tops fuel stations.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Little icicles hang off the Brown Street bridge over the Erie Canal in Albion.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm watch for 4 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Saturday with 8 to 14 inches of snow expected in Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Chautauqua and southern Erie counties.

“Travel will be very difficult to impossible,” the Weather Service said. “Significant reductions in visibility are possible.”

A flood watch also is in effect from Thursday through Friday night due to extensive snow melt with temperatures in the 50s for two days.

Photo by Kristina Gabalski: Town Supervisor Robert Miller oversees his first Town Board meeting on Tuesday evening.  Town Clerk Cindy Oliver is at left and Town Attorney Jeff Martin is on the right.

MURRAY – Town Board members held their organizational meeting on Tuesday. It was the first meeting for Robert Miller in his official role as town supervisor. Michael Mele, who was elected to the Town Board in November, also is now serving on the board.

Town Board members voted to increase water rates for Kendall (Peter Smith Road) and the Village of Holley.

Ed Morgan, the town’s highway and water superintendent, told the board that Murray hadn’t raised in the Town of Kendall since 2008 and in the Village of Holley since 2010. The Monroe County Water Authority, which provides water to Kendall and Holley, just increased its rates, effective Jan. 1, 2018, Morgan said.

Town Board members voted to increase the rate for Peter Smith Road in Kendall from $3.05/1,000 gallons to $3.50/1,000 gallons. Village of Holley residents will see their rate increase from $3.12/1,000 gallons to $3.50/1,000 gallons.

The rate for Town of Murray residents will remain at $4.50/1,000 gallons, town officials said.

“With Water Authority rates going up every year, it’s not realistic to keep rates the same,” Morgan said. He noted that the Town of Murray does not have a contract with the Water Authority, but is classified as “Out of County Supplementary Supply Class.” He said the town has never signed a long-term contract with the Water Authority because that would allow the Authority to dictate how the Murray system is run.

The new Monroe County Water Authority rate schedule raises the rate the town pays for water from $3.25/1,000 gallons to $3.43/1,000 gallons, Morgan said.

Morgan said he would notify officials in Kendall and Holley regarding the increase.

In other business:

• Morgan also reported that the town will receive $13,050 in federal disaster aid stemming from the March 2017 snowstorm.

• Town Councilman Paul Hendel commended Morgan and the Town of Murray Highway Department for their efforts to keep roads cleared of ice and snow during the stormy weather of the past few weeks. He also said the Town Hall remained open Friday, Jan. 5, despite the frigid temperatures near 0 degrees.

“The supervisor and town clerk felt they should stay open,” Hendel said. “I would like to publicly thank you guys.”

“We got a lot of work done,” Miller said.

LYNDONVILLE – A Lyndonville store sold a first prize ticket in NY Lottery’s Take 5 game on Tuesday. The prize is worth $64,259.

NY Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at the E-Z Shop on West Avenue. The winning numbers were 1–7–12–25–30.

There were 283 people who got four out of five numbers correct and those tickets are worth $340.50. There were 8,262 tickets with three numbers correct and those are worth $19 each. NY Lottery reported that 84,498 tickets received free play prizes by getting two out of five numbers.

Every night at 11:21 p.m., five winning numbers are randomly selected from 39 numbered balls in a special draw machine, under the observation of an independent auditing firm.

YATES – The Town Board is proposing revisions to the Wind Energy Facilities Law that would ban wind turbines from within 3 miles of the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Town Supervisor James Simon said that follows a recommendation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which sees the 3-mile buffer along the shoreline as an important flyway for birds.

Yates held a public hearing on Monday on the proposed changes to its law. The current law in Yates calls for minimum setbacks from the lake of 1,800 feet or 4.5 times the turbine height.

Somerset also is proposing a 3-mile buffer from the shoreline. Apex Clean Energy has proposed siting about 50-60 turbines that would be up to 600 feet high in the two towns.

Other changes in the law include:

• Reducing the allowable noise decibels to “residential receivers” from 45 during the day (7 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to 42, and from 40 at nighttime to 39 decibels.

• The current setbacks from non-participating property lines is a minimum of 3 times the turbine height for land with houses or buildings, and 4.5 times the turbine height for vacant land. The proposed change increases the minimum setback to a half-mile (2,640 feet) or 6 times the turbine height, whichever is greater.

• The setback from roads and public right-of-ways is a minimum of 1,800 feet or 3 times the height of a turbine. Yates is proposing to increase that to a half-mile or 6 times the turbine height.

• The setback from the boundary of the Village of Lyndonville is currently 1,800 feet or 4.5 times a turbine height. Yates wants to increase that setback to a minimum of 1 mile.

• The setback from the boundaries from other towns is currently 1,800 feet or 3 times a turbine’s height. Yates is proposing a half-mile setback or 6 times a turbine’s height, whichever is greater.

• The setback from residences is currently 1,800 feet or 4.5 times a turbine height. Yates is proposing to increase that to a half-mile or 6 times a turbine’s height.

• In addition, Yates is now proposing setbacks of 1 mile from schools, churches, and cemeteries. The town law currently doesn’t include setbacks for those sites.

The proposed changes go to the Orleans County Planning Board for review this month on Jan. 25. Simon said the revised law is expected to be voted on by the Town Board in February.

“The Yates Town Board has a deeper understanding of the rural character and local home rule values of our community as a result of our ongoing work in the Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan and the Lake Waterfront Revitalization Program committees,” according to a statement from the Town Board. “There is a growing body of research from reputable agencies, organizations, governments and municipalities which indicates significant risks to the public health, safety and welfare as a result of the increasingly recognized deleterious effects of poorly sited industrial wind turbines on human health, avian and bat habitats and flyways, noise and light pollution, hydrology, property values, prime agricultural land, tourism, scenic views, recreational areas, public gathering places, open spaces and cultural and historical resources.”

MEDINA – A Medina company working on an expansion at its manufacturing site on Maple Ridge Road is planning to add 50 workers over five years, said James Whipple, CEO of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

Takeform Architectural Graphics expects 40 of those new employees to be hired within three years, Whipple said.

The EDA held a public hearing on Tuesday afternoon for incentives offered to Takeform as part of a 15,500-square-foot expansion to an existing 30,000-plus-square-foot building.

Only Whipple and the Orleans Hub editor were at the hearing. Whipple took that as a sign no one opposes the incentives for the project.

Takeform wants the additional space and equipment so the company can grow its business – the design and manufacture of custom signage and graphics and related activities.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency is considering three incentives to help the company with the expansion.

One incentive includes a sales tax exemption, saving Takeform the 8 percent sales tax on up to $1,350,000 for building materials, equipment, machinery, fixtures and furnishings. That exemption would save Takeform up to $108,000.

The EDA also is proposing a mortgage tax exemption for a mortgage up to $2.5 million. Exempting Takeform from the 1 percent mortgage tax will save the company up to $25,000.

The EDA also plans to propose a 10-year tax exemption plan on property taxes for the addition. The company wouldn’t have to pay property taxes the first year for the addition and then would pay 10 percent of the assessed value the second year, with another 10 percent added annually until it’s at full value after a decade. Takeform would continue to pay the full value for the current building during the 10-year plan.

The exemption only includes the addition and includes the taxing jurisdictions of the Village of Medina, Town of Shelby, Medina Central School and Orleans County.

The property tax savings plan will be in more detail Friday when the Orleans EDA board of directors meets at 8 a.m. at 121 North Main St., Albion. The board will vote on the incentives on Friday.

Photo courtesy of Chris Busch: The Orleans County YMCA, the former Armory in Medina, is pictured on Friday when the temperatures were about 0 degrees for much of the day. The temperature is forecast to reach 57 on Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a flood watch from 10 a.m. Thursday through 4 a.m. Saturday due to snow melt and about a half inch of rain.

The watch includes Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

People living in areas that are prone to ice jam flooding should take the time in advance to prepare for the potential for flooding this Thursday and Friday, the Weather Service said.

“Area creeks and rivers have thick ice in place,” the Weather Service said. “Rapid rises in water level can break up this ice, which can then become jammed where there are constrictions in the river or creek channel, such as curves or other restrictions.”

Temperatures are on the rise with a high forecast today at 43 with a low of 41, followed by a high of 57 and low of 50 on Thursday. Friday is forecast for a high of 52 and a low of 16.

The weekend will be cold with a high of 17 on Saturday and a high of 15 on Sunday, according to the Weather Service.

Here is how Main Street in Medina looked during the deep freeze last Friday. The historical marker notes that famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke in Medina in 1849 and 1869.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Part of the shoreline on Lomond Shores in Kendall is shown last month. The high Lake Ontario waters and pounding waves chewed away big chucks of backyards last year, with the lake getting closer to many houses. Many residents are trying to put in new breakwalls.

The State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year approved $15 million for residents along Lake Ontario that suffered property damages.

Those funds have already been depleted, and more money is needed as part of the upcoming state budget, according to a letter from several state legislators to Gov. Cuomo.

“It is clear to us that although $15 million was a good start to help reimburse homeowners, unfortunately, it didn’t even scratch the surface,” wrote State Assemblyman Steve Hawley. “We need to get a clear understanding of the number of applications each of the not-for-profit housing organizations have approved and the dollar amount of damage. It is imperative that the funding for this program be increased to make good on the promise to make everyone whole!”

Hawley sent the letter today to Gov. Cuomo. Other legislators who signed it include Assembly members Michael Norris, Peter Lawrence, Angelo Mornello, Bob Oaks, William Barclay and Mark Johns, as well as State Senators Robert Ortt, Pamela Helming and Joe Robach.

In Orleans County alone about 500 people have been approved for funding for breakwalls and to fix other property damage. There 48 of those projects complete or under construction, according to PathStone, which is administering the program for the state in Orleans County.

Hawley and the state legislators said their offices field many calls from concerned residents who worry they won’t be reimbursed from the lake flooding.

The legislators asked Cuomo to determine how many projects need funding along the southshore and at what cost. The Legislature and governor should work to include the money in the 2018-19 state budget, according to the letter.

Republicans propose freezing school property taxes for senior citizens, and eliminating those taxes for seniors in 10 years

The State Senate unveiled a plan today that would make the property tax cap permanent and also would freeze property taxes for senior citizens.

“Starting with property taxes, I’m supporting a permanent property tax cap, protecting STAR rebate checks and increasing their payouts, and freezing property taxes for seniors,” said State Sen. Rob Ortt. “It’s time we go after the embarrassing designation as one of the nation’s highest taxed states.”

The Senate’s ‘Blueprint for a Stronger New York’ would make permanent the self-imposed 2-percent cap on state spending and the 2-percent property tax cap so that billions of dollars in taxpayer savings being created by those initiatives can be cemented for the long term, according to the Senate GOP.

The 2-percent spending cap has reduced spending by $41 billion since the Republicans regained the majority in the Senate in 2011, the GOP said.

Senator Joseph Robach (R-Rochester) sponsored the legislation to keep the spending cap permanent. That would put an end to the historic pattern of “boom and bust” cycle budgeting and ensure a balanced, fiscally responsible budget this year, and every year, the Senate GOP said in a news release.

Since the property tax cap was enacted in 2011, it has reduced taxes by $23 billion in the state. Growth in property taxes skyrocketed by over 73 percent for New York school districts between 2001 and 2011 and 53 percent in counties, the Senate GOP said. The cap was created to limit the annual growth of property taxes levied by local governments and school districts to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan (R-East Northport) proposed the legislation to make the property tax cap permanent. It passed in the Senate.

The start of 2018 also means millions of taxpayers will begin to see significant savings as part of the Senate Majority’s Middle Class Income Tax Cut. Tax relief will ultimately reach $4.2 billion a year and reduce middle class tax rates by 20 percent for employees and tens of thousands of small businesses, the Senate GOP said.

The Senate Majority Conference will also advance measures to help all New Yorkers negatively impacted by Federal income tax changes that were recently approved in Washington D.C.

In 2018, 2.5 million residents will receive nearly $1 billion in property tax rebate checks – over and above the tax relief already provided by the STAR program. The Senate Majority secured the checks in 2015 and will make it a priority to prevent any diminishing or eliminating of those rebate checks in this year’s state budget.

In addition, the Senate Majority is proposing a 25-percent increase in the size of the current property tax rebate checks.

Many seniors on fixed incomes face a particularly difficult challenge affording New York’s high taxes, the Senate GOP said. To help alleviate this financial pressure and prevent older New Yorkers from being forced to move to lower-taxing states, the Senate Majority will propose a new freeze on school property taxes at current levels for seniors. In addition, the Senate will go one step further and propose completely eliminating school property taxes for seniors over the next ten years.

New York has some of the highest energy costs in the nation, and state taxes on energy impose a major expense on millions of families and seniors. To provide relief to overburdened taxpayers, the Senate Majority plan would eliminate the 2-percent Gross Receipts Tax on utility bills, resulting in $190 million in savings.

The energy tax savings would also expand upon the energy savings achieved when the onerous 18-A energy tax surcharge was phased out. Now that the surcharge has been eliminated, the Senate Majority’s Affordability plan would go even further by eliminating the base, underlying 18-A assessment tax and have the $90 million in savings come from the state’s general fund.

Each year, thousands of older New Yorkers leave their communities and move to other states because of the taxation of a large portion of retiree pension income. The Senate Majority proposes to help reverse this trend by doubling the current exemption on pension income and save seniors $275 million. This initiative, combined with the property tax reductions proposed above, would make New York more affordable for more seniors.

“As part of our ‘Blueprint for a Stronger New York,’ State Senate Republicans took an important first step today to create a more affordable state in 2018,” Ortt said. “Instead of political posturing or suing Washington, state leaders should be discussing ways to restrain spending and cut taxes. This is the only way we can help our seniors, working families, and small businesses.”

HOLLEY – Holley Central School Board of Education President Brenda Swanger Monday evening introduced the district’s interim superintendent, John Schiess, during the regular monthly meeting of the board.

Schiess was appointed to the post during a special meeting on Jan. 2, and will serve while Superintendent Robert D’Angelo is out on extended medical leave.

Swanger told Orleans Hub that D’Angelo’s medical condition arose suddenly and the board is grateful that Schiess accepted the interim post.  She said she expects D’Angelo to be on medical leave until sometime in February.

Schiess is a retired assistant superintendent for Human Resources at Pittsford Central School. His career in education has spanned more than 35 years. He currently works as an education consultant and most recently has served as interim assistant superintendent for Monroe #1 BOCES.

Additionally, Schiess has served as adjunct faculty at Monroe Community College and the University of Rochester.

“I’ve really enjoyed my first week,” Schiess told board members. “You have a wonderful facility here.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The state Department of Transportation has a crew out today filling potholes on Route 31 in Albion.

The bitter cold took a toll on the local roads, leaving many cracks and crater-like potholes.

The DOT used cold patch to fill many of the potholes on Route 31 today.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Medina firefighters were called to help put out a fire on Feb. 4 at 536 Bates Rd., one of 2,802 calls in 2017.

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department responded to nearly 3,000 calls in 2017. The 2,802 calls was a busy year, the department posted on its Facebook page today.

“We’ll have more numbers up once the annual report gets done but here is one stat that speaks volumes: 34% of the calls overlap each other,” the department posted. “1 out of every 3 calls, we already have one crew out on a run!”

The 2,802 calls is close to the 2,920 in 2016. The record for call volume was 2014 when Medina FD responded to 2,986 calls.

The department will have more personnel to respond to calls this year after being approved on Aug. 31 for a $530,661 federal grant to boost staffing. That grant – Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) – is for over four years and covers a percentage of the salaries and benefits for four new firefighter positions.

ALBION – The home of David Callard was allegedly burglarized in May, with about $50,000 in damages.

Zachary S. Natale, 24, of Medina has been indicted on second-degree burglary, third-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal mischief. He is to appear in Orleans County Court on Jan. 18 in front of Charles Zambito, the Genesee County judge who is handling some of the cases in Orleans.

Natale is currently in Niagara County Jail in Lockport where he faces charges for several burglaries.

He allegedly broke into Callard’s house on Fruit Avenue in Ridgeway on May 14, flooding the house by plugging drains. He also is accused of breaking other household items and stealing about $5,000 worth of items, including a television, computer and jewelry.

Callard was the chairman of Legislature for nearly eight years. He resigned on Aug. 2, citing personal reasons. He had been a county legislator for nearly 24 years.

187,000 pounds collected last year in Orleans

File photo by Tom Rivers: Paul Gray, a motor equipment operator for the Orleans County Highway Department, moves a pallet of computer units and other electronic waste at the County Highway Department on Sept. 18, 2015.

ALBION – Orleans County renewed a contract to continued three electronic waste drop-off sites.

The county started an e-waste program in September 2015. It has three drop-off sites for residents to dispose of cathode ray tube televisions and other e-waste – monitors, computers, peripheral devices and other household electronics.

The County Legislature last week voted to renew a contract with Sunnking Incorporated in Brockport. The company has been paid about $28,000 to $30,000 a year with the state covering half of the costs.

“We’re very pleased with this program,” said County Legislator Ken DeRoller of Kendall.

Last year 187,000 pounds of e-waste was dropped off at the three sites, which include:

• The Orleans County Highway Garage, 225 West Academy St., Albion;

• Town of Murray Highway Garage, 3840 Fancher Rd., Holley;

• Town of Shelby Highway Garage, 4062 Salt Works Rd., Medina.

The drop-off sites are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday (except on holidays).

County officials moved to create the program after the state on Jan. 1, 2015 no longer allowed e-waste to be picked up through curbside trash pickup.

When garbage companies couldn’t pick up TVs, many of them started showing up in roadside ditches.

For more on the program, click here.

ALBION – Several people were sentenced in Orleans County today with an inmate at Orleans Correctional Facility getting the longest, an additional 1 ½ to 3 years in prison.

Jaquan Hill, 22, of Suffolk County is serving a six-year sentence for first-degree burglary. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to having a woman bring drugs into the prison to give to him.

Promoting prison contraband in the first degree carries a maximum of 2 to 4 years in prison. As part of a plea deal, Hill was given a maximum of 1 ½ to 3 years in prison.

In other cases in court today:

• Matthew Engert, 26, of Holley was sentenced to three years of probation for third-degree assault, an A misdemeanor, for punching another inmate in the head at the Orleans County Jail on Feb. 14.

Engert already has served about 4 ½ months in the county jail. Judge Sara Sheldon, interim county court judge, said probation should ensure Engert receives anger management and substance abuse treatment.

• A Rochester woman who was scheduled to be sentenced today didn’t appear in court and Judge Sheldon issued a warrant.

Kenya L. Yawn, 22, could be sentenced to up a year in jail after pleading guilty to petit larceny for stealing about $2,000 worth of merchandise from the Albion Walmart Supercenter on March 2. Yawn allegedly took a television, modem, Fitbits, hard drives and other items from the store.

Her attorney Dominic Saraceno asked that the case be adjourned and a warrant not be issued. He said Yawn has attended all of her court appearances and was likely facing a probation sentence.

Susan Howard, assistant district attorney, asked for a warrant and Sheldon granted the request

• Laura L. Spear, 50, of Salt Works Road in Medina pleaded guilty to petit larceny and will avoid jail as part of a plea deal. Spear admitted she took $20,918 from her mother by using her credit card. Spear, who has no prior criminal record, agreed to pay restitution.

She will be sentenced on March 26.

• A Rochester woman will be screened for the judicial diversion program. If she is accepted and completes the program, her felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor and she will avoid jail.

Georgeta M. Coleman, 19, was charged on June 14 by the Albion Police Department after she allegedly stole a motor vehicle in Albion. She has been arraigned for fourth-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree.

Coleman has a similar charge in her past. Coleman said she used marijuana and K2 almost daily for two years.

• Judge Sheldon set Jan. 29 as a hearing for an Albion man who allegedly violated terms of his probation.

Kolin McKain, 21, of Albion already has been on probation four times and has twice been convicted of driving while intoxicated. District Attorney Joe Cardone said McKain violated probation by repeatedly using drugs and also being found with alcohol.

If the judge determines McKain violated his probation, he could face up to a year in jail.