KENDALL – Town of Kendall officials today joined Dollar General staff in celebrating the opening of a new store on Route 18. Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata, front right center, welcomed the new store and said the community anticipates a long-lasting relationship with the store. Barb Flow, a town councilwoman, joins Cammarata in front at center left.
The store opened for the first day on Dec. 18. Today was a grand opening celebration.
Many residents braved the cold weather to attend a ribbon-cutting celebration at 8 a.m. The 9,100-square-foot structure is on Route 18, just west of the Kendall Road (Route 237) intersection.
This is the fifth Dollar General in Orleans County. Other stores are located on West Avenue in Albion, Route 31 in Holley, Maple Ridge Road in Medina and Ridge Road in Medina (just south of Lyndonville).
State Senator Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) is calling on the governor to delay the NY SAFE Act’s pistol recertification deadline. As outlined in the NY SAFE Act, pistol permit holders who fail to recertify their license by the January 31 deadline will result in having their license revoked.
“Pistol permit holders need to be aware that this deadline is approaching quickly,” said Sen. Ortt. “Individuals who are caught with a pistol and an outdated license will be subject to prosecution as outlined by the NY SAFE Act. While we continue our fight to repeal the constitutionally intrusive NY SAFE Act, we must be aware of the hurdles in our path to victory.”
Sen. Ortt called for a delay to the pistol permit deadline, which would allow the county clerks the appropriate amount time to process recertification requests.
“Many pistol permit holders in my district have yet to receive the proper paperwork alerting them of the need to recertify,” Ortt said. “We must delay the deadline to avoid what will become a bureaucratic nightmare for residents, law enforcement and local officials.”
Ortt held a news conference Thursday at the Niagara County Courthouse with other elected officials, discussing the push to delay the recertification deadline.
“Though we remain adamantly opposed to the SAFE Act and continue to fight for its repeal, it important that our constituents are given proper notice and time to complete this process,” said Assemblyman Michael Norris (R-Lockport). “This extension request makes common sense and it will also assist local governmental officials deal with the complexities of the recertification process.”
For questions regarding the status of a pistol permit, individuals can visit the State Police website (click here) or call Ortt’s district office at (716) 434-0680.
MIDDLEPORT – The Royalton-Hartland Central School District Board of Education has selected three candidates to continue the interview process for their Superintendent of Schools position which will soon be available due to the impending retirement of Dr. Roger Klatt.
The three finalists are: Scott E. Payne, Superintendent of Schools at Pine Valley CSD; Dr. Taweepon Siminski, Director of Educational Services at Akron CSD; and Dr. Henry J. Stopinski, Founding Principal of the Health Sciences Charter School in Buffalo.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this coming week each finalist will meet all day with various stakeholder groups (teachers, parents, boosters, students, support staff, and administrators) who will interview and provide the Board of Education with critical feedback regarding each candidate.
Community sessions with similar opportunities for input are scheduled for the same dates from 6 to 7 p.m. in the High School Media Center. One candidate will be available each evening of the aforementioned dates to discuss their qualifications and respond to questions from the community. The Board of Education strongly encourages the community’s participation in the search process.
ALBION – Richard Remley takes the oath of office as Albion town supervisor on Thursday while his wife Kim holds the Bible in a light-hearted moment at the Town Hall.
Remley, former owner of a printing company in Albion, just completed a four-year term at town councilman. He moved up to town supervisor and was elected to a two-year term in November. He succeeds Matt Passarell, who decided not to seek re-election to town supervisor but is staying on the board as a councilman.
Remley has been in the community with the Albion Rotary Club and Cobblestone Museum. He also was co-leader of the fundraising campaign for the new Hoag Library.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 6 January 2018 at 8:07 am
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 4, Issue 1
YATES – Another year has passed, and I often wonder if I will have enough “new” material to write 52 articles. Reflecting on the number of requests for information that flow through my office on a weekly basis, I started thinking about the number of questions I have received about the various New York State historic markers.
Although the State no longer funds the purchase, installation, or upkeep of these important monuments, those installed since the program started in 1926 showcase locations that are significant to the development of our communities. Perhaps utilizing some space in this column will help add to the information cast upon these blue and gold signs.
In 1989, an Urban Development Corporation grant was used to install fifteen historic markers in towns and villages throughout Orleans County. The project was initiated through the Orleans County Tourism Board and is noted on each marker as “Orleans County Community Pride” (Bill Lattin wrote about this project in his column Bethinking of Old Orleans vol. 11, no. 39). Each marker was cast from heavy aluminum by the Walton-East Branch Foundry in Walton, NY and installed by the respective highway departments for each municipality. These markers now cost around $1,300, but were less than half of that total when this project was undertaken.
These signs, such as the one installed at Shadigee to mark the location of Yates Pier, serve a valuable purpose in pinpointing significant historical sites that no longer exist. As the marker reads, a 275-foot-long pier was built in 1850 by Nathan Gilbert to ship lumber and grain by way of Lake Ontario. H. A. Botsford served as a customs agent at the location which also served as a docking area for passenger ships and freighters.
Situated approximately one mile north of Yates Center, a business venture was started by area farmers who hoped to create a pier from which to ship wheat and other grains to Canada and eastern New York. George Lane, a prominent farmer from Newfane, held the majority stock in the company and the 26-year-old Nathan Gilbert of Yates was selected to construct the pier. In 1852, Jonathan Edgecomb of the Orleans County Committee on Farms indicated in a report to the New York State Assembly that Berrick Gilbert, father of Nathan, operated a large farm near the lake in Yates which occupied some of the finest land in the county. A warehouse was constructed near the pier upon the old Chamberlain & Simpson warehouse site, which was swept into the lake several years prior.
Lane relocated from Newfane to Lockport in 1856 where he opened a nursery business selling fruit and ornamental trees. Erastus M. Spaulding took over the shipping business until he entered the Army during the Civil War, to which his brother Henry and another man, O. D. Phelps, took over the business. In 1873, Richard Barry opened a lumber yard near the pier dealing in pine and cedar shingles, yellow cedar posts, fence boards, and lath, as well as plaster water lime and cement, which he “kept constantly on hand and sold cheap for cash.”
Yates Historian Virgina Cooper noted that the site was prominent among fishermen as well, including Harvey Moon and George G. Thayer who were mentioned specifically in the 1870s. Yet just like Oak Orchard Harbor, this site became a destination for pleasure seekers, many whom opted to stay at the Ontario House operated by Silas Hopkins (the site now occupied by the water treatment plant). Upon the hotel’s reopening in 1876 after renovations, the building offered a large dining room, a 20×60 foot hall for dancing, two croquet courts, boats “with experienced men to attend them,” large swings, and bathing houses; it was destroyed by a fire in 1925.
Of course, the site was not without its fair share of misfortunes. In October of 1873, the Young America, a propeller vessel departing from Oswego and bound for Cleveland, broke down at 4 p.m. on October 22nd, two miles above the pier. Eventually the vessel drifted towards shore and ran aground, taking on water. A tug boat was dispatched to retrieve the vessel soon after. Five years later on August 24, 1878, eighty people from Shelby, Ridgeway, and Medina boarded the tug J.J. Morely from the pier for an excursion trip to Port Hope, west of Coburg, Ontario. The vessel departed at 8:30 a.m. and did not arrive until 3 p.m. The rough seas caused quite the commotion, “badly stirring up” the passengers, “particularly the Misses.” In the hopes of avoiding the turbulent waters, the passengers stayed overnight, but the return voyage was considered far worse than the prior trip!
When Isaac Signor published Landmarks of Orleans County, New York in 1894, he noted that there were no remnants or any indication that a pier ever existed at the site. In 1981, County Legislator Frank Berger pushed the issue of constructing a fishing pier on the site.
Provided photo: NYS Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball, front left, congratulates Jim Bittner on being recognized with the New York State Agricultural Society Distinguished Service Citation on Thursday in Syracuse. Also pictured, front row, third from left: Margo Sue Bittner, NY Farm Bureau representative Sandy Prokop, and NY AG Society President Beth Claypoole. Back Row: Kevin Bittner of Barker, David Bittner of Lyndonville, Janet Walker of Holley, and Award Committee Chair Richard Church.
The New York State Agricultural Society, the oldest Agricultural organization in New York State, honored Jim Bittner of Appleton with a Distinguished Service Citation at its 186th annual meeting on Thursday in Syracuse.
New York State Commissioner of Ag and Markets Richard Ball thanked Bittner for his service on various committees and pointed out that the Ag Society is like a family reunion. Producers, academics, political leaders and others involved in some aspect of agriculture come to celebrate this vital industry.
After relating Bittner’s history on the family beef farm and with Bittner Singer Orchards, presenter Richard Church, quoted nominator David Grusemeyer, New York Farm Viability Executive Director, who said, “Jim was a founding board member and later led the NYFVI as its chair with a level head, steady hand, and inquisitive spirit.”
Commissioner Ball confirmed that adding, “The industry is stronger today because of his great work.”
Church then listed the various agricultural organizations in which Bittner is involved: Niagara County and NY Farm Bureau, US Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, NYS Advisory Council on Agriculture, New York Specialty Crop Advisory Committee, Agricultural Labor Advisory Group, SILO committee, Cornell School of Ag and Life Science’s Deans Advisory Committee, and Council of Agricultural Organizations. In addition, he has served on the NYS Horticultural Society Board of Directors.
In the community, Bittner is a long-time member of the Barker Lions Club and works with the Lewiston Kiwanis to have Niagara County peaches at their annual festival.
New York Farm Bureau Executive Director Jeff Williams thanked Jim for his service pointing out that they have worked together since 1975 when they were NY Future Farmers of America officers together. Williams pointed out the numerous lobbying activities in both Albany and Washington in which Bittner has participated.
In his “thank you” speech, Bittner acknowledged those who helped and supported him along the way: his parents, Joe and Theresa Bittner; children Kevin, Janet and David; wife Margo; and the two farmers who gave him the opportunity to farm, Frederick Atwater and Tom Singer.
Bittner also encouraged the group to reach out to those outside of agriculture to promote understanding.
“If you aren’t at the table, you may be on the menu,” he said.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Wendy Jacobson, former CEO and president for Orleans Community Health, speaks during a celebration on April 10, 2015 following a series of improvements at the North Wing of Medina Memorial Hospital. Donors contributed $513,000 to upgrade the North Wing for long-term residents.
Press Release, Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital
MEDINA – Wendy Jacobson, CEO/President of Orleans Community Health, tendered her resignation to the board of directors on December 1, 2017 with a final work date of December 31, 2017.
Her decision to leave at this time was based on several personal factors and she has been offered other opportunities that will be advantageous to her career. We thank Wendy for her dedication and hard work during the past three years as CEO.
She was instrumental in moving OCH forward in the fast-changing field of healthcare. Some of the accomplishments achieved during her leadership include: establishing OCH as a Critical Access Hospital, implementation of the 340B Drug Savings Program, Revenue Cycle Improvement, Lake Plains Dialysis renovations, ED/Lobby renovations started, Rural Access grant received to purchase new equipment, updated Imaging equipment, recruited Dr. Wolf for Albion, established a strong reciprocal partnership with Baxter, new surgical lights for the OR, updated the café, transitioned to Team Health for our Emergency Room, just to name a few.
We wish her all the best on her future endeavors.
Mark Cye (current OCH chief financial officer) will serve as interim CEO/President.
Press Release, NY State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II
The State Police is reminding pistol permit holders of the upcoming deadline to complete recertification of their permit.
Recent changes to New York State Penal Law require license holders to recertify every five years. Individuals who were issued a Pistol /Revolver License before January 15, 2013, must recertify by January 31, 2018.
The deadline to recertify for those issued a license on or after January 15, 2013, is five years from the date the license was issued.
There is no cost for recertification.
The State Police have created a simple online process that allows licensees to quickly complete their certification. More information can be found by clicking here.
Licensees who do not wish to use the online process can download a form from the above link. Paper forms will also be available at any State Police station.
Failure to recertify will serve as a revocation of the license, per NYS Penal Law Section 400.00(10)(b).
As part of the recertification process, licensees must affirm that they are not prohibited from possessing firearms under state and federal law, and must also confirm certain personal information, as well as provide details about the pistols and/or revolvers they own.
Out of state residents who do not possess either a New York State Drive License or a Non-Driver Identification Card must use the paper form to recertify and must attach a copy of their driver’s license or non-driver identification card from their state where they live.
Pistol/Revolver License holders who live in New York City, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties are not required to recertify through this process. Each of these municipalities already requires license holders to renew or recertify their license on a periodic basis.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 January 2018 at 12:40 pm
ALBION – Two Albion men accused of unlawful imprisonment against a woman and other felonies have been cleared of those charges.
The two men have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug charges, but the more serious charges have been dismissed.
Demetrius Bennett, 39, and Mark Bennett, 31, were both charged on Nov. 2 after a police raid at a Beechwood Boulevard apartment where police believed a woman was being held against her will.
That woman had allegedly sent text messages to family saying she didn’t know where she was and wasn’t allowed to leave.
That woman has a severe learning disability. After interviewing her and her family, and reviewing a medical report, District Attorney Joe Cardone said a crime hadn’t been committed against the woman.
When police searched the apartment, they found a small quantity of drugs. The two Bennetts, who are not related, were not selling the drugs. They pleaded guilty in Gaines Town Court to misdemeanor drug possession which carries a maximum of a year in jail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 January 2018 at 11:32 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Traffic moves along Main Street in Albion near the railroad tracks this morning. The snow has made it difficult for some drivers to see cars, especially if they don’t have their headlights and taillights turned on.
Gary Befus of Albion was out driving this morning, taking care of some errands and checking on the American Legion Post on Gaines Basin Road, where he is a member.
Befus said many vehicles didn’t have their lights on.
“It’s frightening,” he said. “You can’t see people.”
Some vehicles will automatically have the headlights come on, but Befus said the sensors don’t always do their job in snowy conditions so the lights might not come on.
He urged people to manually turn on the lights, which better ensures the headlights and taillights are both on.
Befus also reminded people to wipe the snow off the front and back lights.
A car on East Park Street crosses Platt Street this morning in Albion in difficult driving conditions.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 5 January 2018 at 8:32 am
Contributed Photo – Members of the Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina Club hockey team are off to a fine start to their debut season. In the front row are Corey Saj, Colin Dodge, Trevor Crawford, Jason Kuchey, Michael Kuchey and Rocco Spagnolo. In back are Evan Birkemeir, Luke Luckman, Jacob Harris, Tom Paisley, Joe DiBenedetto, Dylan Krzykowski, Rhett Wagner, Connor McNeil , Dominic Peracciny, Drew Marsh and Matt Saj . Missing from the photo is Carson Gates.
Currently riding a five game winning streak, the fledgling Roy-Hart/Barker/ Medina club hockey team is off to a strong start in its inaugural season of Western New York Club League competition.
The Roy-Hart/Barker Medina squad, which is comprised of players from four local school districts all with previous club hockey experience, is currently 6-4 overall. The team is 4-2 in the White Division whose lineup also includes Wilson/Newfane, Dunkirk/Fredonia, East Aurora/Holland, City Honors, Cheektowaga and Olean.
Roy-Hart, which is serving as the host district for the club squad, has seven players on the team including junior forward Michael Kuchey, sophomore forward Jason Kuchey, freshman forward Dominic Peracciny, senior forward, Joe DeBendetto, senior goalie Evan Birkemeir, junior defender Thomas Paisley and sophomore defender Colin Dodge.
Barker is represented by the trio of senior defender Luke Luckman, senior forward Rocco Spagnola and sophomore forward Jacob Harris.
Medina has five players on the team including junior forward Matt Saj, freshman forward Corey Saj, freshman forward/defender Conner McNeil, senior goalie Carson Gates and junior forward Rhett Wagner.
Rounding out the team is the Akron trio of junior forwards Mark Krzykowski and Drew Marsh and sophomore forward Trevor Crawford.
The players all previously competed on club teams at rinks in Batavia, Brockport and Wheatfield.
The RBM squad plays its home games at the Cornerstone Arena in Lockport.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 January 2018 at 6:38 pm
ALBION – Orleans County is closing county government operations on Friday, except for the Sheriff’s Office, Highway and Buildings and Grounds.
“Due to the bitter cold and wind-chill factors varying from -20 to -30 below zero, the Chair has authorized me to close the county operations and all non-essential personnel should not report Friday,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.
Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Legislature, made the authorization to close the county buildings with all non-clerical Sheriff’s, Highway, and Building and Grounds staff to report as usual.
