Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to implement the purchase of American-made steel and iron products by state entities. Under the “Buy American” legislation, the Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority, Bridge Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Office of General Services, SUNY Construction Fund and Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, will be required to include a contract provision requiring the use American-made structural iron and structural steel for all surface road and bridge projects.
“Buy American will help us invest directly in our greatest asset, our workforce, to support economic development and job growth for generations to come,” Cuomo said. “I am proud to sign this legislation to support hardworking men and women, revitalize infrastructure across the state, bolster the strength of our manufacturing industries and cement our status as a global economic leader.”
The legislation requires steel or iron be produced or made in whole or substantial part in the United States and that the entire manufacturing process of these items occur in the United States unless it can be demonstrated that the use of such steel or iron in a particular project should be subject to an exemption.
The legislation will be implemented on April 1, 2018 and will pertain to contracts that are executed after that date. This will allow for consideration of any potential funding requirements or other considerations that may be needed to implement the provisions of the bill on future state projects.
Senator Joseph Robach of Rochester said, “As the Senate sponsor of the ‘New York Buy American Act,’ I am pleased Governor Cuomo has signed this important legislation into law. I was proud to sponsor this legislation, which ensures that New York State road and bridge capital projects will be made with American iron and steel. This legislation makes certain that the materials bought by New York taxpayers will be of the highest quality and are made here at home by American workers.”
The measure also establishes a work group that, among its responsibilities, would be to consider the feasibility of expanding the provisions to other products manufactured in the United States such as concrete, cement and aluminum products, explore reciprocal trade access with a foreign state that may be impacted by this provision to the detriment of the state, consider fiscal impacts, and mitigate any issues with the implementation of the legislation.
This work group will consist of 14 members, with the Governor appoint seven members as well as the chair. The Temporary President of the Senate and Speaker of the Assembly will each appoint two members and each minority leader will appoint one member. The workgroup will provide an interim report of their findings by January 1, 2019 and a final report on January 1, 2020.
Provided photo: Lieutenant Todd Draper and Kye join Security and Law Enforcement students at the Orleans Career and Technical Ed Center.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Medina Police Department Lt. Todd Draper and his K9 partner, Kye, recently stopped in to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center. The purpose of his visit was to spend time with the Security and Law Enforcement students in Steve Browning’s and Dudley Gilbert’s classes.
Lieutenant Draper talked to the students about what it is like to work with his K9 partner – a Belgian Malinois – and the bond he has with him.
“I have had Kye since he was one year old when the police department brought him over from Holland,” Draper told the students. “He is seven years old now and not only do we work together, we live together.”
Drpaer told the classes that when he was offered his promotion to lieutenant he would not accept it if Kye was not part of the package. He appreciates that the Medina Police Department honored his request.
“When he is ready to retire, I am hoping the department lets me purchase him,” Draper said about Kye. “The usual deal is that for a dollar they will transfer ownership to me.”
Belgian Malinois are used as a working dog whose tasks include detection of odors such as explosives, accelerants and narcotics, tracking humans and search and rescue mission.
“This is the breed the Seals used when they went after Osama Bin Laden,” Lieutenant Draper told the students.
He said Kye is trained for narcotics detection and he uses positive reinforcement to keep him on task.
“He has a toy that smells like drugs, so in actuality he is looking for his toy when we are out searching,” he said. “When he finds drugs I reward him for his work.”
He told the students that you never cross train a police dog because when he finds something, you don’t know what he is detecting. He also said that they work with other states to get drugs for the K9 to smell and get accustomed to.
“Drugs are made differently in each area, so it is helpful to expose the dogs to different narcotics.”
He and Kye gave a demonstration on how he locates drugs and how he is used to takedown a suspect, with Mr. Browning volunteering in that role.
He said that Kye’s heightened abilities prove to be a great asset to law enforcement work.
“He has a great sense of smell which is about 1,000 times stronger than ours and great vision,” Draper said. “He is also very athletic. He can jump over a six foot wall.”
Kye is also very social and a great draw to getting the community to interact with him,” Draper said.
“Usually when I am walking through an event alone, I won’t get a lot of eye contact or people talking to me,” he said. “When I have Kye with me everyone comes up to us and wants to pet him and interact with us. He is a great public relations tool. I really could not ask for a better or more loyal partner.”
More than 700 residents and landowners in western Orleans County responded to a lengthy survey covering everything from transportation to housing to inter-municipal cooperation.
Those results are now available for download and review on the Orleans County webpage and will be used to inform the Comprehensive Planning Process. (Click here to see results of the survey.)
The survey asked 93 questions and included responses from residents in the villages of Lyndonville and Medina, and the towns of Yates, Shelby and Ridgeway.
Among the uses most encouraged by survey respondents were farmers’ markets and groceries, followed closely by light industrial and/or manufacturing enterprises. Job creation efforts were ranked as “very important” to develop and/or improve among 80 percent of respondents.
Oft-cited concerns were a lack of well-paying jobs in the area as well as a lack of jobs for skilled laborers. On a positive note, when asked their most serious concern regarding their homes, 64 percent of respondents indicated they were satisfied with their current residence.
During the creation of the Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan in 1999, a similar survey was distributed. A notable change in the intervening years is a marked increase in residents’ concerns regarding the conditions of streets and roads – a 14 percentage point increase in respondents considering their condition to be a “very serious problem.”
A committee of western Orleans elected officials and residents met Wednesday. The group is working with the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development to update the Comprehensive Plan. Those changes will be the focus of public meetings in the future.
The survey and updated plan also can be used to bolster grant applications for sidewalks and other infrastructure.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 December 2017 at 9:32 am
GAINES – The Town of Gaines will celebrate a series of Town Hall improvements at 10 a.m. Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
State Sen. Rob Ortt is scheduled to attend the event. Ortt secured a $75,000 state grant that covered most of the recent improvements – new insulation, siding, windows and doors, which all improve the energy efficiency in the building.
Klips Construction did the work after submitting the low bid of $83,445. That included a handicapped accessibility ramp and door on the front of the building. Klips also added a front enclosure by the main entrance of the Town Hall on Ridge Road.
The town in recent years also improved security of the building through funding from the state Justice Court Assistance Program (JCAP).
The public is welcome to attend the ribbon cutting on Monday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2017 at 10:37 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Lori Cyr, director of the Kendall Community Band, passes out bells so the audience could participate while the band played “Jingle Bells” during a concert at Hoag Library this evening.
The Kendall Community Band played many holiday classics during an hour-long Christmas concert.
Many of the band members wore Santa hats during the concert. These musicians include, front to back, Paul Rider on clarinet, Don Bishop on tenor sax, and Mike Metcalf on tuba.
The band played the following selections: Yankee Fanfare, Joyous Christmas Spirit, Hogan’s Heroes March, Christmas from the ’50s, Fantasia on an Irish Hymn, All I Want For Christmas Is You, An American Christmas Portrait, Fantasy on ‘The Minstrel Boy’, Grease!, American Christmas Festival and We Need A Little Christmas.
Kay Metcalf plays the clarinet and Skip Scroger plays the trumpet.
The band started five years ago for Kendall’s 200th anniversary celebration and has continued with musicians from throughout the county and western Monroe.
The band welcomes more members. For more information on the band, click here for its Facebook page.
Provided photo: Medina students Camryn Eick, left, and Marah Ritzenthaler are pictured with advisor, Kristen Armenia.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Every year, staff at Clifford Wise Middle/Intermediate School donates gifts for their Angel Tree that benefits several families with children in the Medina School District.
This year the Jr. FFA decided to help out. With the guidance of their advisor, Kristen Armenia, they wrote to the makers of some of their favorite products.
“In addition to those presents we like to send home hygiene products to the families,” Armenia said. “The students wrote letters to the companies that manufacture hygiene products, and asked them for donations. They were so excited when they received toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, body wash and body cream donated.”
ALBION – CRFS recently did a toy drive at the Albion company. Those toys were given to the United Way of Orleans County, which then donated them to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. Community Action will be giving toys to more than 200 families from donations from the community.
Pictured include from left: Dave Cook, President of United Way; Michelle Figueroa, caseworker for Community Action; Ed Fancher, Executive Director of Community Action; Kaitlyn Delamarter, Executive Director of United Way; and Jackie Gardner, incoming president of United Way.
Rome Santiago allegedly committed crime while on duty with Arc of Genesee Orleans
Press Release, Undersheriff Chris Bourke
Rome A. Santiago
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday arrested an Albion man on sex abuse charges. Rome A. Santiago, 39, of East State Street in Albion has been charged with sexual abuse in the third degree.
Santiago is employed by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. The alleged inappropriate and unwanted contact took place with an adult client during outings in the Orleans and Genesee County area.
The Arc of Genesee Orleans assisted and fully cooperated with the Sheriff’s Office during this investigation.
Santiago was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Albion Court on Dec. 20 at 9 a.m.
The investigation was conducted by Investigator K. Strickland, Undersheriff Christopher Bourke, and assisted by Lyndonville Police Officer William Larkin.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2017 at 10:27 am
Percentage is much higher than women serving in elected roles
Photos by Tom Rivers: Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County Office for the Aging, speaks to senior citizens on Wednesday about the Yellow Dot and Vial of Life programs that include information about emergency contact numbers and medical histories. Blanar is one of 12 women leading a county department.
ALBION – In Orleans County, only 3 of the 15 elected officials for county positions are women. That 20 percent rate mirrors the state-wide average of 21.7 percent. (There are 257 women in county elected positions out of 1,187 total, according to the New York State Association of Counties.)
However, the Orleans County government’s leadership has a much higher percentage of women in leadership roles. The county has 26 department heads and women are serving in 12 of those jobs or 46 percent of the total.
John DeFilipps, chairman of the County Legislature, said the county looks at the qualifications when picking a department head. Women often are the top candidates for the job.
He noted the recent hiring of Joanne Best as the county’s public defender. She succeeds Sandy Church, who was elected county judge. Best stood out among many qualified applicants, DeFilipps said.
The management team members for the county government who are women include:
Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the Legislature; Karen Lake-Maynard, county clerk; Janice Grabowski and Kathleen Case, election commissioners; Lynne Menz, tourism director; Kelly Kiebala, Job Development director; Melissa Blanar, Office for the Aging director; Lucille Welch, Probation director; Joanne Best, public defender; Dawn Allen, director of Real Property Tax Services; Kimberly DeFrank, county treasurer; and Jocelyn Sikorsky, Youth Bureau director.
The management team members who are men include:
Gerald Gray, county high and buildings and grounds superintendent; Chuck Nesbitt, county chief administrative officer; Edwin Moss, director of computer services; David Schubel, county attorney; Joe Cardone, district attorney; Dale Banker, Emergency Management director; Matt Ballard, county historian; Mark O’Brien, director of Mental Health Department; Jack Welch, personnel/self insurance director; James Bensley, director of the Planning Department; Paul Pettit, director of Public Health; Randy Bower, sheriff; Tom Kuryla, director of Department of Social Services; and Earl Schmidt, director of Veterans Service Agency.
Legislator Lynne Johnson, pictured during a County Legislature meeting in January, is the only woman on the seven-member Legislature.
“When we interview department heads, it’s a very intense interview,” said Lynne Johnson, a county legislator. “We go by qualifications and the best candidate for the job. It has nothing to do with female versus male.”
Johnson is the only woman on the County Legislature, which includes seven members. Since the Legislature replaced the former Board of Supervisors nearly 40 years, only two women have been elected to the body: Johnson and Marcia Tuohey.
Johnson said local politics can be difficult.
“Thin-skinned can not be part of your makeup when you run for an elected position,” she said.
She said the local political parties would welcome more women as candidates.
“It’s open for anyone to run,” Johnson said. “I would hope anybody who wants to throw their hat in the ring does. It has nothing to do with your sex or color of your skin.”
Johnson said the county has been fortunate to have many dedicated and qualified department heads.
“For a small county we’ve done extremely well with the department heads we have,” she said. “We’ve had the cream of the crop turn out.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2017 at 9:16 am
ALBION – Senior citizens are encouraged to put a yellow dot sticker on their vehicles. That sticker alerts first responders that there is a yellow sheet in the glove department of the vehicle detailing medical conditions and emergency contact numbers. The yellow sheet also lists medications taken by the driver.
The Yellow Dot Program is a project through the New York State Sheriffs’ Association. The program is intended to help emergency responders provide prompt care if there is an accident.
Sheriff Randy Bower encourages people to sign up for the program. The Sheriff’s Office also worked with several residents to sign up for the program during the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
“This is huge when it comes to an emergency,” Bower told senior citizens on Wednesday at the Albion Academy Apartments. “This helps us help you.”
The yellow dot sticker lets emergency responders know there is information in the glove box about the driver’s medical conditions.
The forms are available at the Sheriff’s Office at the Orleans County Public Safety Building and also through the Office for the Aging.
The program is similar to the Vial of Life program through the OFA, where a list of emergency contact information, medical conditions and medication is kept on a refrigerator.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley discusses the Yellow Dot Program with seniors. He also passed out pamphlets with safety tips for senior citizens.
Hawley will be in Corfu today to discuss the Yellow Dot Program. He will be joined by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department at 12:30 p.m. at the Corfu United Presbyterian Church, 63 Alleghany Rd.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the first proposal of the 2018 State of the State: remove all firearms from those who commit domestic violence crimes.
Given the inextricable link between domestic violence and lethal gun violence, this legislation will require all domestic violence crime convictions, including misdemeanors, to result in the immediate removal of all fire arms and will add measures to keep firearms out of the hands of those who commit domestic violence with the goal of preventing additional tragedies.
“This year will be remembered as the year of reckoning, when both the tragedy of mass shootings and cultural and institutional harassment of women became impossible to ignore,” Governor Cuomo said. “Building on the Women’s Equality Agenda, we are continuing our mission for progressive values and women’s rights with this legislation to target the unquestionable relationship between domestic violence and gun violence.”
Under Governor Cuomo, New York has passed the strongest gun control laws in the nation. However, New York does not have sufficient laws in place that automatically mandate removing all types of firearms from individuals involved in domestic violence—an issue we know is closely tied to gun violence and gun violence deaths. In nine of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in United States history, including Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, the shooter had an existing record of committing violence against women, threatening violence against women, or harassing or disparaging women.
In addition, when an abusive partner is permitted to access firearms, the risk that the other partner will be killed increases fivefold. In 2016, firearms were used in 25 domestic homicides in New York.
This proposal builds on legislation previously advanced by Assemblymember Amy Paulin, Senator Diane Savino and other members of the legislature.
New York law prohibits the possession of firearms for individuals convicted of felony or “serious” offenses. However, this excludes certain misdemeanor offenses involving domestic violence, such as assault and battery crimes or strangulation. To ensure that all domestic violence offenders are held to the same standard, Governor Cuomo will advance legislation to include all domestic violence misdemeanors on the list of prohibited offenses.
Currently, New York State requires surrender of hand guns for either (1) an order of protection issued by a judge or (2) a firearm license suspension/revocation due to a felony or “serious” offense conviction or a mental health disqualification by a health professional. However, this surrender does not always apply to long guns, such as rifles and shotguns. To correct this loophole, Governor Cuomo will be proposing legislation to apply the same surrender procedures to long guns.
Currently, judges issue orders of protection in domestic violence cases after an individual is arrested, but before they are convicted. These orders result in the suspension of firearm licenses.
However, these orders are issued at the judges’ discretion and may not be occur in every domestic violence case. To ensure consistency, the State proposes legislation requiring that all judges mandate the surrender of all firearms – hand guns and long guns – and suspend any firearm license until the case is resolved.
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has established a Confidential Tip Line. It can be reached by dialing (585) 283-4960.
Anyone with information about criminal activity, including those who wish to remain anonymous, may call this number and provide information to the Sheriff’s Office. This service will enable tipsters to give information without the threat of retaliation. This is especially important with the ever-growing opiate epidemic.
After hearing a short recording, an anonymous message can be left.
All information is considered confidential. Please provide as much detail as possible. It is helpful to know if the information you provide is from your direct knowledge, or is something you’ve heard or may believe to be true.
Keep in mind, that anonymous information may limit our ability to investigate. Because of this, please consider providing contact information when using the tip line.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 December 2017 at 8:14 pm
File photo by Cheryl Wertman: Lt. Todd Draper and Kye, the Medina Police Department’s K-9, are pictured in January 2014 when they met children attended a local basketball game.
MEDINA – The Medina Police Department is trying to get a new vehicle for its K-9 handler and dog.
The current vehicle is from 2008 with 120,000 miles. The department welcomes donations, and will give a stuffed animal of a K-9 dog that resembles Kye for every donation at $20 or more. The stuffed animal shows a dog wearing a police vest.
Kye is a Belgian Malinois that works each day with his partner/handler Sgt. Todd Draper. Kye joined the department in 2012.
The dog’s main duties are tracking, drug detection, building searches and criminal apprehension.
“Hopefully many of you have met Kye during public events, school visits, or demonstrations,” Police Chief Chad Kenward and Lt. Draper wrote in a fund-raising appeal to the community. “He has become a well known member of our Department and is quite popular with citizens of all ages.”
Kenward and Draper said the Police Department has reached out to businesses and community members for donations, and wants to extend the opportunity to everyone to help with the new vehicle. (Kenward and Draper said the stuffed animal of Kye would make a nice Christmas present.)
Any donated funds will be deposited directly into the K-9 fund and only be used for expenses associated with the K-9 program, Kenward said. Cash or check will be accepted, receipts will be given for all donations. Checks can be made out to the “Medina Police Department K-9 Fund.” Donations can be made at the Medina Police Department, 600 Main St., or at the the Village Clerk’s Office, 119 Park Ave., or by speaking to Lt. Todd Draper.
For more information, call the Police Department at (585) 798-5602.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 December 2017 at 11:57 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion swim coaches Jay Kovaleski, left, and Carlos Burroughs will lead the swim team during a “Laps for Life” swimming invitational on Saturday at the Webster Aquatic Center.
ALBION – The Albion swim teams will be part of the seventh annual “Laps for Life” invitational on Saturday. There will be eight schools participating with a goal to raise $2,500 for Make Some Noise, a pediatric cancer research foundation.
Laps for Life has been held at Spencerport but is moving to the Webster Aquatic Center on Saturday.
“It’s kids raising money for other kids,” said Jay Kovaleski, the assistant varsity swim coach at Albion.
Jay and his wife, Kelly, are leaders of Make Some Noise in Western New York.
Their son Nicholas Kovaleski battled leukemia and passed away at age 15 on June 29, 2011. Nicholas excelled at football, swimming and tennis when he was a student at Albion.
His father said there is a family network among swimmers, including from other schools. Laps for Life builds on those strong connections, he said.
The swimmers raise money through T-shirts and concessions sales, as well as sponsorships.
Albion swim team is led by head coach Carlos Burroughs. His daughter, Lauren, is married to Kovaleski’s son, Thomas.
Kovaleski said more research funding and attention needs to go to childhood cancers. About 50 children a week die of cancer in the United States, making it the leading cause of death for children in the country.
Make Some Noise said only 3 percent of cancer research funding goes to kids’ cancer research.
For more information on Make Some Noise, click here.
MEDINA – Students and staff at the Orleans Career and Technical Education really brought it for the 8th annual Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive.
The drive helps local food pantries fill their shelves with kid-friendly food like peanut butter, jelly and marshmallow fluff. It has become a tradition for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES center when math teacher Sarah Gebhard asked the students at the center if they would like to help out. Since then it has become a fall community project.
This year a friendly class competition ended up collecting 475 jars to donate to local pantries – a record for the center. A special shout out goes to Eric Farrell’s junior Welding class and Matt Anastasi’s senior Building Trades class who brought in the highest totals.
“Every year I am amazed at the generosity of these teenagers here at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center,” said school counselor Kara Kirk. “I am very proud of all of them.”
Kenward and Draper said the Police Department has reached out to businesses and community members for donations, and wants to extend the opportunity to everyone to help with the new vehicle. (Kenward and Draper said the stuffed animal of Kye would make a nice Christmas present.)
