POINT BREEZE – The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum will celebrate its second haunting on Oct. 20 and 21.

The project was first suggested last year by board member Anne Martin to raise funds for continued operation of the lighthouse, and it was a big success, according to Lighthouse Museum board president Chris Manaseri.

“Anne has done her homework to investigate more about some of the local shipwrecks on Lake Ontario over the years, and has constructed a short story featuring the widow of a lost crew member on a steamboat that sank near Point Breeze,” Manaseri said.

Martin portrays the lost sailor’s widow in narrating the story to visitors. A few other board members also play roles to make the story come to life, Manaseri said.

“She’s done a very clever job of incorporating actual local history with the lighthouse and the ‘spirit’ of Halloween, spiced with a little humor as well,” he said. “It’s actually one more creative way to interpret local history through the lighthouse, one of the major missions in which we are involved. We wanted to create a safe venue where families with young children could do something together in the community around Halloween.”

Martin said she knew the Lighthouse board was looking for a new fundraiser and she thought it might be a creative way to drum up donations and, of course, more interest in the little neighborhood lighthouse.

“I read Jim Kennard’s book Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario and found it so fascinating,” Martin said. “I found the wreck of the Samuel F. Hodge and the Ontario, both located just off Point Breeze. I have some community theater experience and put it to use creating the story line and acting. I’m also a self-confessed Halloween freak and used to decorate my home in Indiana for Halloween prior to our move here three years ago, so I had a lot of Halloween decorations just sitting in my attic. We have no trick or treating in our isolated neighborhood, so this was a terrific outlet for me on both counts.”

Martin plays the role of the wife of Martin Deeley, the only fatality on the Samuel F. Hodge,  and the commander of the Ontario, where all 120 lives were lost. She also gives a nod to the original lighthouse keeper, John Kelly.

“My character Eileen Deeley, is creative license, but the stories I tell to visitors about the three gentlemen are historically accurate,” Martin said. “And I do work a sighting of the Lake Ontario serpent into the story, which was also creative license.”

The event is free, but donations will be accepted.

Cider and donuts will be offered and the lighthouse will be open from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“This gives the lighthouse one last hurrah for donation opportunities before we close it for the winter,” Manaseri said.

He said they will have a large tent to protect visitors against rain or wind, which can be brisk at Point Breeze. They keep the event to the early hours for young children and families.

Press Release, Yates Town Supervisor Jim Simon

YATES – The Town of Yates cancelled the Oct. 12 Town Board meeting, and apologizes to those who arrived and planned to attend the meeting.

It is rescheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.

The public is advised that the Yates Town Board plans to vote on a resolution to approve the tentative budget for 2024 at the Oct. 18 meeting.  If the resolution passes, then the tentative budget becomes the preliminary budget for 2024 and will be subject to a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, at the Town Hall.

Photo by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A kitchen fire in a mobile home resulted in extensive water and smoke damage to a mobile home owned by Terry Brooks at 14975 Roosevelt Highway.

Brooks said she moved a gas stove and was cleaning around it when she noticed flames. She promptly left and was able to get her dog “Raisin” out of the house. Raisin is a Pembroke Welsch Corgi. Her cat also scampered safely out of the home.

Brooks said she expects she will stay with her son in the short-term.

Andrew Niederhofer, Carlton’s assistant fire chief, said the fire was limited to the kitchen but there is smoke and water damage in the structure.

Firefighters were dispatched to the site at 3:06 p.m. Carlton was joined by Kendall, Albion and Medina firefighters in responding to the call.

BARRE – The Barre Town Board has been working to bring public water to three roads where the wells often run dry, have sulfur water or other harmful micro-organisms.

The town was able to line up resident support and financing for the project. It was slated to be constructed in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic scuttled those plans.

Barre has pushed again this year to revive Water District No. 10. The project includes about 40 dwelling units and covers 23,350 linear feet or about 4 1/2 miles on Angevine, McNamar and Transit roads.

The town sought bids this spring and construction cost has doubled, presenting a big challenge for the Town Board and the property owners in the district.

Some of the landowners who backed the project before say it is now too expensive. Barre officials estimate they need at least 20 to 21 of the property owners to give their approval. Town Board member George McKenna went door to door recently asking those residents if they still back the project. He said he got 15 “yes” answers and 15 against it. He wants to hear from everyone in the district before the town moves forward.

“If we don’t have a clear majority, which we don’t, how do we justify this?” McKenna said during Wednesday’s Town Board meeting.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue agreed the project has become very costly. He worries the construction prices would only go up if Barre delayed on the project and tried again for new bids.

The water district was estimated to cost $1,101,000 before Covid in 2020, but is now estimated at $2,125,000.

The annual debt payments would be $1,086.26 over 38 years for each full dwelling unit, about double the amount before construction costs soared. Each water user can also expect to pay about $400 annual for their water bills, on top of the debt service payment.

Town Board member Kerri Richardson said those annual water expenses are too much for many in the district.

“We don’t want to inflict a financial hardship on our residents for something they can’t afford,” Richardson said.

She said many senior citizens on fixed incomes have expressed their concern about the financial impact of the project, which is a 38-year annual commitment.

Town Board member Dave Waters also said the rising costs are alarming to many of the residents. He said some younger families especially want access to public water, and may not move into that area without it.

Before Barre makes a decision, whether to accept the construction bid for the project or hold off, it wants to hear from all of the landowners in the proposed district. The town officials will try to contact every one of them to get their opinion, and make sure they understand the full financial impact of going forward.

McKenna said he feels for residents with poor water quality or not enough water. Many of them pay more than $500 a year to operate and maintain their well water systems.

The proposed district includes 14,500 linear feet of 8-inch water main on Angevine Road between Oak Orchard Road and East Barre Road; 5,250 feet on McNamar Road between Angevine Road and Transit Road; and 3,600 feet on Transit Road between McNamar Road and Mansfield Road.

If the project is stymied, Barre might be able to serve Transit Road in a joint project with Clarendon, or cut out some of the fire hydrants at $7,700 apiece. The town might also be able to find more grant money for the project, McKenna said.

Bridget O’Toole, the Barre town attorney, urged the board to not scrap the project and do a redesign yet.

She thinks further delaying the work and hoping to trim some costs could prove “to be a penny wise and a pound foolish,” ultimately leading to even more expense.

Town Board considers ethics policy for officials, employees

SHELBY – The Town Board is being encouraged to insert a clause in a code of ethics policy that would forbid members of the local Republican Committee from also serving on the Town Board or other elected positions in the town.

Jim Heminway spoke during a Tuesday public hearing at the Town Hall and said the local GOP committee has a lot of influence in the town government. If there is a vacancy on the board, the committee makes a recommendation to fill the spot that is typically followed by the Republican-dominated board, Heminway said.

The positions, when up for election, are often without opposition.

“In Shelby if you get an appointment you’ll win an election because there is so little competition,” he said during the hearing about the proposed code of ethics.

The committee also yields power when it doesn’t endorse someone, or withholds an endorsement of an incumbent, Heminway said.

Charlene Pratt, whose husband John is on the Town Board and sister Darlene Rich is the town clerk, said she favors no political committee activity for sitting elected officials.

“If you’re on one you shouldn’t be on the other,” Pratt said.

Joe Root spoke during the hearing and said it difficult to find residents willing to serve in the town government, as well as filling the spots on a political committee.

He urged the board not to ban political involvement for people in elected positions or as appointed town employees.

“There are not enough people to fill the positions now,” Root said at the hearing.

The current proposed code of ethics doesn’t include the stipulation that town employees and elected officials can’t serve on political committees.

Shelby has nearly 5,000 residents. Pratt said there are enough people in town to fill elected and appointed positions in the town government, and also have other people on political committees.

Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz said the Town Board will continue to consider the issue. The ethics policy could be voted on during a November Town Board meeting.

The town has an employee handbook that outlines ethical standards, and there is also a model code of ethics for municipalities to consider from the state comptroller’s office. That model policy (click here) doesn’t include a provision for employees or elected officials to not be on a political committee.

Shelby’s proposed policy includes provisions that people can’t use their position with the town for personal gain or to benefit their families or an organization they are affiliated with.

Municipal resources – money, vehicles, equipment, materials supplies and other property – must only be used for lawful municipal purposes and not for personal or private purposes.

There is also a nepotism provision where municipal officials and employees can not participate in any decision to appoint, hire, promote, discipline or discharge a relative for any position within the municipality, and no supervisor shall oversee a relative.

The policy also prohibits municipal officers or employees from seeking political contributions, whether gifts, money or service from a subordinate employee.

Town employees and elected officials also shall not disclose confidential information unless required by law or in the curse of exercising his or her official powers and duties.

The ethics code also prohibits town employees and officers from soliciting gifts. No gifts shall be accepted with a value exceeding $75 in one year, or if a gift is intended to influence an employee or elected official in exercising their duties.

A gift can include anything of value – money, a service, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, or some other item or promise, according to the policy.

Provided photos

KENT – The Old Crow Motorcycle Club in Orleans County donated $2,500 to the Justice for Children Advocacy Center. The money was presented on Wednesday at the Old Crow clubhouse on Petersmith Road in Kent. The funding is the proceeds of the Old Crow’s annual pig roast.

Pictured from left include Sarah Welker and Theresa Roth from Justice for Children, and Terry Rowley from the Old Crow Motorcycle Club.

Pictured from left include Sarah Welker for Justice for Children, Rhonda Starling and Michael Starling of the Old Crow Motorcycle Club, Theresa Roth of Justice for Children, Robert Mosher, Sam Andrews, Jensa Andrews, Emily Mott, Carl Catracchia, Carl Engert, Tom White, Jessica Ornt, Terry Rowley, Lorraine Simmons and Jackie Mosher of the Old Crow Motorcycle Club.

Justice for Children Advocacy Center which has offices in Albion, Batavia and Warsaw. Justice for Children provides services for children who have been sexually or physically abused, or who have been a witness to violence.

The goal of Justice for Children is to improve the response to child abuse by eliminating multiple interviews and examinations of children, providing quick access to mental health, victim advocacy, and support services for children and families and enhancing multidisciplinary communication and coordination.

Press Release, Orleans County Department of Planning and Development

ALBION – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hoag Library in Albion (Curtis and Kirby community rooms).

FEMA representatives will present and explain preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) for Orleans County. These new FIRMS will succeed the current antiquated versions created for all towns and villages from 1978 through 1981.

This is the primary opportunity for FEMA to explain the needs for the updates to all visitors. A single presentation is not anticipated to last the entire four hours, but rather to engage Orleans County residents on a rolling basis designed for convenient hours of accessibility for the benefit of the public.

FEMA professional, technical staff and those of its partner, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will offer the purpose and benefit of the mapping project, its timeline for adoption, and how map changes will affect the requirements for insurance and building.

The importance of flood insurance, when necessary, and how to obtain a policy will also be identified. Additionally, the staff will be available to answer questions on a one-on-one basis from attendees, and which may relate to questions of whether the preliminary maps will include their property.

Press Release, Orleans Community Health

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health is proud to announce its designation as a “Champion Organization” for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) this month.

NCSAM is a collaborative effort to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and ensure that both businesses and individuals are well-informed and prepared to protect themselves in an increasingly digital world.

In today’s interconnected world, cybersecurity is a paramount concern for organizations and individuals alike. With the proliferation of digital technology, the risk of cyber threats has grown significantly. These threats can have devastating consequences, from data breaches and financial losses to reputational damage and compromised personal information.

Orleans Community Health recognizes the vital role that cybersecurity plays in safeguarding sensitive patient data, maintaining the trust of our community, and ensuring the continuity of healthcare services.

As a Champion Organization for NCSAM, we are committed to promoting awareness and education about cybersecurity best practices, not only within our organization but also within the communities we serve.

“We are honored to be recognized as a Champion Organization for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” said Jeannie Wodo, IT Team Lead/IT Clinical Analyst/HIPAA Security Officer at Orleans Community Health. “We all have an extensive ‘digital’ life now whether we like it or not. Cybersecurity is important to ensure our online safety and the security of our digital footprint.”

Throughout October, Orleans Community Health will be sharing information that promotes cybersecurity awareness through internal training, external education, and social media posts.

Orleans Community Health invites all members of the community to join us in observing National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. By working together and staying informed, we can protect our sensitive information and contribute to a safer digital world.

For more information about Orleans Community Health’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month activities and resources, click here.

Some parts of New York are in peak fall foliage, while in Orleans County the leaves aren’t quite there yet, according to the weekly I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report.

The reports are issued every Wednesday afternoon with the data from volunteer field observers.

“Picturesque peak fall colors continue to emerge across New York State and are expected in parts of the Adirondacks, Catskills, Central New York, Chautauqua-Allegheny and Thousand Islands-Seaway regions this weekend,” according to the report.

Nearby, the volunteer observers report Rochester and Monroe County are at about 45 to 50 percent color change. Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County is at about 70 percent color change, while Genesee County is at about 35 percent color transition in Batavia.

“Look for foliage at midpoint of change in Orleans County, according to spotters reporting from Albion who predict 50% transition with muted to bright red and purple leaves,” the report states.

There are still lots of green leaves at the Holley Waterfalls in this photo from Tuesday.

ALBION – A Holley man was sentenced to two years in state prison today after being unsuccessful in a drug diversion program which could have reduced the charge to a misdemeanor and kept him from going to prison.

Shane Dipilato, 26, was sentenced today by County Court Judge Sanford Church for third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and driving while ability impaired.

Dipilato was charged on June 16, 2022, after running into a tree at Hillside Cemetery in Holley.

Dipilato admitted to drinking alcohol while using fentanyl before driving that day. He also said he had fentanyl that he gave to friends, which is considered “selling” in a criminal definition.

Judge Church accepted Dipilato into a diversion program with treatment but Dipilato was unable to meet the rules of the program.

In other cases in County Court this morning:

• Jonathan Dejesus, 42, of Dunkirk is a former corrections officer at the Albion Correctional Facility. He was arraigned on charges of third-degree rape and official misconduct for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a female inmate at the prison in August 2022.

He was released on his own recognizance and doesn’t have to post bail.

• Alexander Blount, 34, of Medina was sentenced to five years of probation for reckless endangerment in the first degree. He started a fire inside an apartment on Telegraph Road in Ridgeway that put people in danger who lived in other apartments in the building.

Blount doesn’t have a prior criminal record. He could have faced 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison as the maximum for the charge.

• Ean Hofmeister, 22, of Ridgeway was assessed as a level 2 sex offender. In November 2019 he was sentenced to state prison for attempted rape in the first degree, plus 15 years of post-release supervision. He had sex with a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant. The victim would have a miscarriage.

Hofmeister is currently an inmate at the Marcy Correctional Facility and could be released Oct. 23.

MEDINA – United Way of Orleans County welcomed supporters to their annual campaign kickoff breakfast this morning at Harvest Restaurant at the bent’s Opera House in Medina.

Highlight of the morning was announcement of the 2023-24 fundraising goal of $200,000.

Also featured was breakfast provided by Harvest Restaurant, a short video explaining United Way and what it does for Orleans County and a welcome by fundraising chair Mollie Radzinski.

Radzinski thanked the supporters who attended and shared the many ways people can donate and how those donations last year helped 17 agencies in the county.

Donations can be made through payroll deductions in the workplace; sending a check to United Way of Orleans County, P.O. Box 188, Medina; or logging on to United Way’s website for other options to give through Text to Give, Venmo or scan to pay with Cash App. Donors are reminded all money stays in Orleans County, unless designated elsewhere.

Nyla Gaylord, left, director of United Way of Orleans County, presents a certificate of appreciation to Susan Oschmann of Albion for being the spark which led to development of new basketball courts at Bullard Park in Albion.

Nyla Gaylord, newly named director of United Way, extended her welcome and how United Way has stepped up its game in many areas in Orleans County.

Gaylord wrote the initial grant which funded a grant writer for five years, free of charge to any non-profit in Orleans County. She shared how that has taken United Way in a whole new direction.

Relationships have been developed with local organizations, resulting in programs to benefit many sectors of the community. In addition to the grant writer, other grants secured by United Way have created funds for the Digital Literacy program, Caregivers’ Initiative with the YMCA and a nutrition program with Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Community Action.

United Way is also partnering  with Orleans County in Connect Orleans to provide internet service at an affordable price.

Participating in a new housing initiative to look at homelessness, Gaylord said a relationship was formed with Oak Orchard Community Health to create a warming center.

In a final presentation, Gaylord recognized Susan Oschmann with a certificate of appreciation for her work in setting the wheels in motion to create new basketball courts in Albion’s Bullard Park.

Oschmann had moved to Albion with Chad Beach, an Albion native, and tried to take her grandchildren to a park near their home, only to find the gates locked. That led to conversations with the village and then contact with a former school mate at Kendal High School, basketball star Roosevelt Bouie.

Bouie used to play in Albion’s courts and Oschmann told him he had to do “something” to improve the options in Albion.

The result was raising $95,000 through grants and donations which resulted in new basketball courts, scheduled to open by the end of the month.

The Bullard Park project resulted in United Way’s relationship with the new group formed, the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Committee, on which Gaylord sits.

Anyone with questions or wishing further information about United Way and its work in Orleans County can visit their website at www.OrleansUnitedWay.org, by e-mail at director@OrleansUnitedWay.org or by calling (585) 283-4424. United Way’s office is located in the Dwight “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

SHELBY – The Town Board voted to have an outside legal firm investigate allegations of harassment in the town hall.

The board on Tuesday evening responded to allegations of women being harassed in the town hall. John Pratt, a town councilman, wrote a letter to the editor posted in the Orleans Hub on Oct. 7, making the allegations.

“I have also been deeply disturbed by instances of women being verbally harassed, degraded, and disrespected by officials, both in the office and in public settings,” Pratt said. “To make matters worse, the outside consultants, funded by our own tax dollars, have at times remained silent during such offenses, or even worse has assisted in their cover-up.”

Pratt also claimed the town government suffers from a lack of professionalism, and many decisions are made behind closed doors.

The town will seek out a law firm to do the investigation and interview town employees about the work atmosphere. The cost to town will be negotiated when the Town Board talks with law firms about the investigation.

Town attorney Kathy Bennett advised the board not to discuss the matter in detail publicly due to potential litigation.

Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz said he takes the allegations seriously and any harassment of women won’t be tolerated.

SHELBY – The Town Board, in a 4-1 vote this evening, decided it wants to join an Orleans County lawsuit that seeks to stop construction of a sewer main along Route 63 from the STAMP manufacturing site in Alabama to the Oak Orchard Creek in Shelby.

Orleans County on Sept. 11 filed suit in State Supreme Court to stop a sewer line from coming into the Town of Shelby and depositing up to 6 million gallons of what Orleans says is “contaminated” water into the Oak Orchard Creek.

The county alleges that the Genesee County Economic Development Center formed a “sham corporation” in STAMP Sewer Works to make the 9.5-mile-long sewer main happen.

Orleans officials worry the sewer discharge could impair the water quality of the creek, cause flooding and hurt economic development opportunities at the Medina Business Park.

Scott Wengewicz, Shelby town supervisor, said he agrees with the concerns voiced by the county in opposing STAMP.

Shelby will spell out it reasons for objecting to the project when it files a notice to intervene with State Supreme Court Justice Sanford Church. The judge has set a court date for Oct. 23 at the County Courthouse in Albion for the initial hearing in the Orleans lawsuit. He also has issued the preliminary injunction to not allow any sewer main construction in Orleans County until the arguments are presented in court.

Kathy Bennett, the Shelby attorney, said the town has “a right to have at seat at the table” in court and any other discussions about the project.

“We are clearly an interested party,” she said after this evening’s Town Board meeting.

Ed Zelazny, a town councilman, cast the lone vote against seeking to join the lawsuit. Zelazny said the Town Board previously voted in support of the STAMP Sewer Works. That was in a 5-0 vote on Oct. 13, 2020 when Shelby provided its consent to the forming of STAMP Sewer Works.

Zelazny said the Town Board should have demanded money to ease town taxes as part of the vote and the board members then should have stated their concerns about the impact to the Oak Orchard.

Zelazny said he doesn’t want to see the town commit to spending taxpayer dollars on another lawsuit.

Bennett, the town attorney, said the vote from Town Board about three years ago was only for the formation of STAMP Sewer Works and didn’t give Shelby’s blessing to discharging wastewater from STAMP into the Oak Orchard.

STAMP would send up to 6 million gallons a day at full capacity. The first two tenants at STAMP – Plug Power and Edwards Vacuum – would have a daily discharge of 50,000 gallons of treated wastewater, GCEDC said.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that flags on State buildings will be flown at half-staff indefinitely starting on Wednesday, October 11 in remembrance of the lives lost as a result of the recent terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.

“New York stands in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community,” Governor Hochul said. “I am proud to serve as Governor of the state that is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel and I am committed to doing everything in my power to make sure that this community is supported and protected today and every day.”

In the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Israel, Governor Hochul directed the New York State Police to increase patrols and outreach and reiterated calls for social media companies to strengthen platform moderation in order to prevent the proliferation of hateful content. On Saturday, Governor Hochul also directed New York State landmarks to be illuminated blue and white in solidarity with the State of Israel.

Governor Hochul has also spoken with a broad range of Jewish community leaders and elected officials to offer support during this critical time and is working with the U.S. Department of State to ensure New Yorkers currently traveling in Israel can return home safely.