LYNDONVILLE – Orleans Community Health has announced the annual For Women Only will take place this year on Oct. 3 at White Birch Golf Course.

The event will again kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, while providing an evening with keynote speakers, cancer survivors sharing inspirational stories, honoring loved ones, socializing and participating in various raffles.

“While there is a traditional focus on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to recognize those who have battled any form of the disease,” said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach at Orleans Community Health. “There are plenty of individuals to honor, as well. In addition to basket raffles and other returning highlights, we’re continuing with last year’s opportunity to have loved ones included in a slide show that honors those we’ve lost, current fighters and survivors.”

Anyone wishing to honor their loved one – with or without a picture – should submit their name, photograph and information on whether or not the individual is still surviving, or date of death to Robinson at srobinson@medinamemorial.org.

For Women Only has been an annual event for many years, except during a hiatus from the Covid pandemic, Robinson said.

The event has often been a sellout, and women are encouraged to get their tickets as soon as possible by calling Lori Condo at (585) 798-8422 or online at FWO 2024 (auctria.com). Sponsorships are also available for purchase.

“We’ve all known someone who has had their lives affected by cancer,” Robinson said. “FWO allows us to bring these individuals together for an evening of strength through numbers. Everyone in the room has a story to tell, and we’re lucky enough to hear many of them.”

Tickets are $30. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in participating in the event or donating a basket should contact Robinson at srobinson@medinamemorial.org or Lori Condo at lcondo@medinamemorial.org.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 26th annual business awards.

Nominations are due by Sept. 9 and can be emailed to director@orleanschamber.com or mailed to OCCC, PO Box 501, Medina NY, 14103.

The categories include:

Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year. (Last year’s winner: Art Hill Excavating in Medina.)

Lifetime Achievement – This award is presented to an individual with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements. (Mark Tillman received the award in 2023.)

Phoenix Award – This award is presented to an organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility. (Robert Smith, owner of the Webber Hotel in Lyndonville, won the award last year.)

New Business of the Year – This award is presented to a business or organization that has opened in the past year. (Chris and McKenna Delorme of The Grove 1848 Bistro and Bar in Kendall won last year.)

Community Service Award – This award is presented to a business, organization or individual that has provided meaningful contributions to the community in either professional or non-professional spheres. (Mary Lou Tuohey, owner of Case-Nic Cookies in Medina received the honor in 2023.)

Agricultural Business of the Year – This award is presented to an agricultural business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year. (Orleans Poverty Hill Farms, a dairy farm in Albion owned by the Neal family, won the award in 2023.)

Small Business of the Year – This award is presented to a small business that has experienced significant achievements/success throughout the year. (Sourced Market & Eatery in Millville won last year.)

Hidden Gem –This award is presented to a business that has made a positive contribution to tourism in Orleans County. (The Downtown Browsery in Albion and Medina won the honor in 2023.)

For more information check the Chamber website or Facebook page.

Jennifer Hill-Young, president and owner of Art Hill Excavating, accepts the award last year for “Business of the Year.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Vance VanSkiver, a motor equipment operator with the Village of Albion Department of Public Works, paints the gazebo by the Erie Canal in Albion on Friday.

The structure was gray but is now a red-brown color to fit in better with the other buildings close by, as well as the benches along the canal.

The DPW also will soon replace the shingles on the gazebo. It’s part of an upgrade of the park that will include a bench and lamppost from old steel from the Main Street lift bridge. A monument to the 15 victims of the Sept. 28, 1859 bridge collapse also will be installed in the park.

The site was never officially designated as a park until the Village Board on Aug. 14 formally named it the “Erie Canal Park.” It will be dedicated during a noon ceremony on Sept. 28. That will include the unveiling of the park improvements.

Jay Pahura, the DPW superintendent, paints the interior of the gazebo on Friday.

Grounds could be sold by Diocese; Volunteers hope festival will continue for many more years

Photos by Tom Rivers

HULBERTON – Joe Morlino was among many volunteers cooking food at St. Rocco’s Italian Festival on Sunday in Hulberton. The event has been a big fundraiser for the St. Mark’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Parish.

Morlino has been volunteering at the festival for 20 years. He is cooking French fries, ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

The festival included a bocce tournament, arts and craft vendors, food, a beer tent, and other activities.

Sunday was the 49^th St. Rocco’s Italian Festival.

The property has been listed to be sold by the Buffalo Diocese, but church members have advocated that the property be kept by the local church and continued to be used for the Italian Festival, which volunteers say is a community event, bringing many former Holley residents back for a homecoming.

Bishop Michel W. Fisher said the Diocese will announce its final recommendations this week or early next week on what churches and properties will be closed and sold in the Diocese.

Kevin Lynch, a former Holley mayor, eyes where to toss the ball in the bocce tournament. Lynch and three of his high school friends – Charlie Smith, Bernie Ruggeri and Paul Gifaldi – have been playing as a team for about 30 years. They were 1-1 in the early going of the tournament on Sunday.

The bocce tournament had 10 teams on Sunday, up from eight last year. Another tournament was held on Sunday at the courts at Hickory Ridge Golf Course. The goal is to be the closest to the small ball. The first team to 16 wins, and the team has to win by at least 2 points.

Dan Mawn prepares waffles to be deep fried and then covered in confectionary sugar. He has been volunteering at St. Rocco’s since 2009, when Holley ended its firemen’s carnival.

I hadn’t noticed the plaques on the festival grounds until Sunday. This monument sign is concealed in bushes.

One side facing the road declares: “In gratitude to the J. Walter Koessler Family (Greater Buffalo Press) for the gift of this land and building.”

The other side is in memory of the Rev. James D. Walker, who served St. Mary’s, St. Rocco’s and St. Mark’s.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Steven Long, a firefighter in the Medina Fire Department, collects money this morning during a boot drive to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Western New York, which grants wishes to children battling critical illnesses.

Firefighters were at three intersections – Route 63 and Maple Ridge Road, Route 104 and South Lyndonville Road, and Main Street and Center Street – and collected $6,500 for Make-A-Wish.

Medina firefighters were at the Main and Center Street intersection, while Shelby and East Shelby firefighters were at Route 63 and Maple Ridge Road. Ridgeway and Lyndonville firefighters collected funds at Route 104 and South Lyndonville Road.

The boot drive was planned for Saturday but was pushed back a day to the rainy morning yesterday.

Traffic was a little slower today than on a Saturday, but firefighters said many people were generous, giving 10- and 20-dollar bills.

Caleb Fisher, 11, is the son of Medina firefighter Adam Fisher. Caleb is on East Center Street leading up to the Main Street intersection.

From left include Medina firefighters Adam Fisher and Dylan Schrader and Fisher’s son Caleb.

The west battalion firefighters have teamed on the boot drive in recent years. Firefighters said at least two children in the community have benefitted from Make-A-Wish recently.

Captain Mike Young of the Medina FD collects money in the boot drive today on Main Street.

Contractors rebuilt roads, tackled other projects

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The main campus road at Medina Central School was closed off to traffic on Aug. 2 in front of Clifford H. Wise Intermediate School. The road was rebuilt and repaved this summer.

It’s part of a $34.3 million project that was approved by school district voters on Feb. 14, 2023. State aid is covering $29.9 million.

The project includes $17.3 million at Junior-Senior High School, $9.8 million at Clifford H. Wise Intermediate, $6.2 million at Oak Orchard Primary School, and $1.1 million at the bus garage.

Work will continue on the project, including next summer.

Here is the repaved road in front of the district office on Saturday morning.

The road is freshly paved here in front of the junior/senior high school.

“We’ve had a real busy summer in terms of construction,” said Dr. Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

He listed the main projects at the district this summer:

• The main roads were completely rebuilt, and the parking lots at the Junior-Senior High School were milled and repaved.
• A new dehumidification system is in the process of being installed in the pool, which will be ready for swim season. Next summer, the pool itself will be completely rebuilt.
• Foundation work for our new band, tech and ag rooms has been ongoing all summer, and construction will continue throughout the year.
• New bathrooms are being added to the second floor of the junior/senior high school and near the cafeteria at Oak Orchard. Those will be completed by November.
• Work on the new library at Oak Orchard started this summer and will also be completed by November. (Once the library is completed, the old library at Oak will be converted to district offices. Once those new offices are finished, the current district offices will be converted to classrooms.)

“Next summer, all of the entrances and main offices will be reconstructed with enhanced security for all entrances,” Kruzynski said.

The parking lot by the Junior-Senior High School has construction equipment and materials on Saturday.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Historical Association today served 305 chicken barbcue dinners from the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road.

Pi tured from left include Jean Shervin, Chris Capurso and Coleen Cliff. Capurso’s late husband Al was instrumental in the rehabilitation of the former schoolhouse.

A kiosk was installed across the road from the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse, a cobblestone building that served students from 1832 to 1944. The schoolhouse now serves as a museum, meeting place and headquarters for the Orleans County Historical Association. It is the oldest documented cobblestone building in the region.

The building was in rough shape before volunteers saved it from ruin. Beginning in 2015, Capurso led a team that put on a new roof, replaced windows and cleaned out junk and debris from the site. They put in new electric, a new subfloor, restored the trim and repaired the facade. They added a historic marker and flag pole. A log cabin from 1930 also has been relocated from an Albion backyard to behind the schoolhouse.

Frank Berger, right, and Rick Ebbs are part of the crew serving up the meals.

Proceeds from the dinner go to OCHA programming, including lectures and cemetery tours. The tours ended last Sunday for this year. OCHA led tours at West Ridgeway Cemetery, the “Poorhouse Cemetery” in Albion, St. Mary’s in Medina and Mount Albion.

The group has two lectures left this year. Those upcoming presentations at the schoolhouse include 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 by Delia Robinson, “FDR Slept Here” and 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 by Jim Friday on Medina Sandstone.

MEDINA – A boot drive to benefit Make-A-Wish has been pushed back from today to Sunday due to the rainy weather this morning.

Firefighters from five companies and departments in western Orleans County will team on Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon in an annual boot drive to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Western New York, which grants wishes to children battling critical illnesses.

Firefighters from Shelby, East Shelby, Medina, Ridgeway and Lyndonville will be near the intersections at Route 63 and Maple Ridge Road, Route 104 and South Lyndonville Road, and Main Street and Center Street.

The firefighters have raised about $8,000 in the recent boot drives for Make-A-Wish.

Village also expects to try again for Restore NY funding

File photo by Tom Rivers: Downtown Albion is pictured last winter. The Main Street lift bridge has been closed for nearly two years, reducing traffic for some of the Main Street businesses.

ALBION – The Village of Albion submitted applications last year for the $4.5 million Forward NY program and for up to $10 million in a Restore NY grant.

Albion was denied in both applications in what grant writer Jay Grasso said are very competitive programs among municipalities looking to help their downtown business districts, and tackle other housing and tourism initiatives.

Grasso, owner of G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing, was encouraged by the strength of Albion’s applications and he wants to try again for the state funding. He said municipalities that receive those larger grants often miss the cut the first time.

The Village Board has scheduled a tentative 6 p.m. public meeting on Sept. 12 at the Village Hall to hear from building owners and residents about the programs.

“There was good feedback to the applications,” Grasso said during Wednesday’s Village Board meeting. “I think the village is primed for it.”

Grasso said the state wants to see bigger “transformational” projects that can be a catalyst for other investment in the community. The projects don’t have to be in the downtown.

The applications last year included a trail that extended from the downtown to Mount Albion Cemetery where the village sought funding to replace the roof on the chapel.

Albion’s Restore NY grant application last year totaled $11 million in projects. That list has Grasso convinced Albion should pursue the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, rather than the $4.5 million Forward NY grant.

Once he hears from business owners, non-profit organizations and village officials about potential projects, Grasso said he expects to submit a letter of intent in October to apply for either the Forward NY or larger DRI. He also said he will go after the Restore NY grant.

The Restore NY program could bring up to $10 million to revitalize distressed commercial and residential sites, providing 90 percent of the costs. The program funds reconstruction, structural repairs, repair and replacement of mechanical systems, energy efficiency upgrades, and demolition.

Forward NY or the DRI provides matching funds for building owners to create residential space or upgrade facades and make other improvements. The village could receive 100 percent funding towards public-benefit projects, such as upgraded parking lots.

Potential projects for building owners could include:

• new construction (residential, mixed use, hotel, etc.)
• renovation of existing buildings
• facade improvements
• renovation of new retail, office, co-working, commercial, industrial, recreational or cultural use

ALABAMA – A section of Route 63 near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge will remain closed to traffic until Sept. 13, the state Department of Transportation said.

The road was closed to motorists on July 1 and was anticipated to reopen on Sept. 1. But that has been pushed back about two weeks for a federal culvert replacement project.

Motorists are encouraged to follow the posted detour that utilizes State Route 77, Gasport Road and Route 31. Local traffic will be able to access Route 63 up to the immediate work zone. The refuge remains open.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – With the 2024-25 school year quickly approaching, the Albion Central School District continues to be deeply concerned regarding the Village of Albion’s decision to eliminate its crossing guard.

The village budget was passed on Thursday, April 25, and the district was notified of the change in early June, not by Village of Albion trustees, but by the Albion Police Department. According to Mickey Edwards, Superintendent of ACS, it was Lt. Brandon Annable, the position’s previous supervisor, who called to notify the district of the change.

As they were notified in June, and Albion school district had already passed its budget that May, the District and its Board of Education were shocked.

“No one wants to see any of our students injured while crossing the road,” said ACS Board of Education President Wayne Wadhams.

“The safety of our students has to come first,” ACS Board of Education Vice President Linda Weller said. “All students get bussed, except those closest to the school and those are village students who need a crossing guard.”

As soon as they were made aware the village had not included a crossing guard in its annual budget, Edwards said the district looked into hiring for the position directly.

“We have always prioritized the safety and security of our students,” Edwards stated. “Putting students at risk is never an option.”

“I understand that money is tight but I don’t think that our children’s safety is a place to cut funding,” BOE member Kurt Schmitt said. “These are village children that are walking home and we need to keep them safe. If the school was legally allowed to hire the crossing guard, we would.”

It was during this time Bond, Schoeneck & King, the District’s law firm, advised that, due to section 208-A of the NYS General Municipal Law (click here), the school district is not legally allowed to directly employ the primary crossing guard.

Bond, Schoeneck & King also advised the district that the only time in which it is allowed to enter an agreement with a village or police department, with the purpose of directly hiring a crossing guard, is to increase the number of school crossing guards already employed by the respective village or police department.

Consequently, for this to be possible, the village or police department would already need to have a crossing guard on their payroll.

For at least the last decade, the Village of Albion has employed the crossing guard that has been supervised by Albion PD. In the absence of an employed guard, Albion Police Chief David Mogle has said that his officers will help to provide coverage.

“We are going to do the best we can,” Chief Mogle said. “We will do what we have to do to protect the kids.”

The Albion PD has two officers on duty at a time, meeting the department’s minimum staffing requirement, to help ensure the officers’ safety when attending calls. According to Chief Mogle, while the department tends to be busier in the afternoon there is still the potential for the officer filling in as the crossing guard to be called away, no matter the time of day.

“We hope that the school and the village are able to hash it out and find a dedicated guard to fill the position,” Chief Mogle said.

This is not the first time the Albion BOE has discussed this issue, according to Weller.

“The first time was in 2017 when the village first tried to get rid of the crossing guard and the district tried to work with the village to find a solution,” Weller explained. “As a Board, we thought this matter had been solved as it has been a village budgeted item since before I was on the board. This isn’t a new law, why they (the village trustees) chose to cut it out of the budget this year, only the village can answer that.”

“This is the second time, since I’ve been on the school board, that this issue has come up,” Wadhams added. “We need to find a long-lasting solution to prevent this from becoming an annual problem.”

ACS’s School Resource Officer Deputy Matthew Prawel agreed and emphasized that drop-off and pick-up times are an especially important part of his day.

“It should come as no surprise that our students’ most vulnerable moments are when they are outside our buildings during arrival and dismissal times,” Prawel said. “My presence is most needed when students are getting on and off buses to ensure the safety of our students as they enter and leave our buildings.”

His job isn’t over once students have boarded or unloaded from the buses, he is also in charge of ensuring transportation on and off campus runs smoothly.

“My focus is on making sure our students, staff and visitors are all safe while they are at Albion Central Schools,” Prawel said. “I strap on the yellow traffic vest twice a day for both our Middle School and High School dismissal times. For me to cover the crosswalk, in addition to the district’s driveways, would not be possible and leave people at risk.”

Morning arrival isn’t any easier, according to the District’s SRO.

“Drop-off time is especially difficult as the avenue is used heavily for people commuting to work at that time,” Prawel said.

“Whether the school was on the avenue or not, that would be a high-risk area for someone crossing Route 31 in the mornings.”

The school district and Prawel emphasize the importance of the work and dedication of the Albion Police Department and its ongoing assistance in keeping our school and village community safe.

“We are incredibly grateful to Chief Mogle and the rest of the Albion Police Department, for continuing to be great partners in prioritizing the safety of our students, staff, and greater Albion community,” Edwards said.

“I couldn’t do it without their support,” Prawel agreed. “The Albion Police Department is integral in ensuring our school and village community remain safe.”

Photo by Ginny Kropf: An addition to this year’s Resource Fair at Medina Memorial Hospital will be a “Lumps and Bumps Clinic” with surgeon Dr. Devon Huff, shown here comparing notes with Jorgie Lang, office coordinator in the surgery clinic.

MEDINA – This year’s Resource Fair sponsored by Orleans Community Health on Sept. 12 will have several new features. The event will run from 4 to 7 p.m.

Topping the list of new features will be a Lumps and Bumps Clinic with surgeon, Dr. Devon Huff.

Huff will see people with lesions, warts or skin tags and offer to remove them if appropriate.

“It is often very difficult to get an appointment to see a dermatologist and get evaluated,” Huff said. “If a pathologist can tell us what it is, we can remove it with minimal scarring.”

Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach, said features such as the Lumps and Bumps Clinic are reasons why more people will come.

Huff joined Orleans Community Health at the beginning of the year, where he spends one/half day in the clinic and one day a week in surgery. His full-time affiliation is with Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.

Huff said working in a small hospital has its advantages, as long as you stick to what a small town hospital can do.

“It’s nice not to be stressed out and the people here are so nice,” he said.

He said it is important to build back the prominence of a hospital in a small town, so people will know what it has to offer.

Robinson praised Huff, calling him a “dedicated yet modest general surgeon with a great deal of experience in wound care.”

Huff came to Buffalo from the sun-soaked Ventura County in California in 2003 for medical school, Robinson said. He married a fellow med school alumna, who is now a pediatric emergency room doctor at Oishei Children’s Hospital. They have two daughters, aged 5 and 9.

Beyond the operating room Huff’s diverse array of hobbies includes real estate development, where he has had success beathing new life into older homes though renovation projects, Robinson said.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Huff finds joy in outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing and mountain biking. He loves to travel, especially to national parks, where he enjoys expanding his love of photography.

“Dr. Huff’s dedication to patient care, coupled with his diverse interests, promises a unique and enriching contribution to the healthcare community,” Robinson said.

In addition to the Lumps and Bumps Clinic, the Resource Fair will offer tours of the hospital at 4, 5 and 6 p.m.; a chance to meet with representatives from several countywide organizations; Stop-the-Bleed training from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and a chance to talk with hospital personnel regarding patient portal, billing, health insurance and more. All are free.

There will also be an opportunity to register for testing in radiology and/or for a hospital blood draw at $10 per test.

It is also noted a second Stop the Bleed training is scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 18 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.  The training teaches participants how to recognize life-threatening bleeding, apply direct pressure, use tourniquets and pack wounds.

Press Release, International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board  

Recent Lake Ontario forecasts indicate that under average water supply conditions, water levels are expected to remain near average through November 2024 and well within the expected range for this time of year.

“Water supply conditions have resulted in one of the longest periods of sustained near long-term average water levels on Lake Ontario,” said General Quander, United States Co-Chair of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.

Lake Ontario, which has been within (+9 cm/- 15 cm and +3.5 in/- 5.9 in) of the seasonal long-term average since the start of calendar year 2024, is anticipated to continue its gradual seasonal decline through the fall months. The risk of high-water levels remains low for the six-month forecast period.

In consideration of the current and projected conditions, the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board plans to use its minor deviation authority to deviate from Regulation Plan 2014 through October 18, 2024.

This minor deviation is expected to provide more predictable water levels on Lake St. Lawrence and the upper St. Lawrence River for recreational navigation, while having minimal impacts on other interests throughout the system. The Board also plans to use its minor deviation authority to conduct a temporary flow reduction in early September to facilitate in-water inspections of Hydro-Quebec facilities.

Regulation Plan 2014 is the set of rules that govern Lake Ontario outflows, which influence water levels across the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system. A rule within Plan 2014 known as the “September Rule” prescribes flow increases through the Moses-Saunders Dam if the water level of Lake Ontario measures above 74.8 m (245.4 ft.) at the beginning of September.

This photo from Aug. 9 shows the sunset from the shore in Barker.

Increased Lake Ontario outflows cause water levels of Lake St. Lawrence, immediately upstream of the Moses-Saunders Dam, to decrease. This reduction in Lake St. Lawrence water levels could negatively impact the recreational boating community in the final weeks of the season.

Therefore, the Board will use its authority to deviate from Plan 2014 and adjust flows through October 18, 2024, to target a minimum weekly mean water level of Lake St. Lawrence of 73.1 m (239.8 ft).  The Board cautions that levels may drop below this minimum target for periods during the week if strong easterly winds occur. As required by the Directive, the Board plans to fully offset the impacts of the deviation by increasing flows starting on October 19, 2024.

“As water levels throughout the system continue their gradual seasonal decline, the Board encourages recreational boaters to monitor the water level forecasts to determine the optimal time to remove their vessels and equipment for the season”, said Dr. Wayne Jenkinson, Alternate Canadian Co-Chair of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.