Press Release, NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services today reminded New Yorkers that the federal government will issue a nationwide test of its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System on Oct. 4.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct the test, including the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts, at approximately 2:20 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
The purpose of the test is to ensure existing alert systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies, especially at the national level. The EAS portion of the test will be sent to all radios and televisions.
The WEA portion of the nationwide test will be directed to all consumer cell phones via IPAWS and will display in English or Spanish, depending on the phone’s language setting. IPAWS is an internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through several communications networks.
Wireless Emergency Alert
Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. EST, cell towers will broadcast the nationwide IPAWS test for approximately 30 minutes. WEA-compatible wireless phones should be capable of receiving the test message if the phone is switched on and within range of an active cell tower, and the consumer’s wireless provider participates in WEA.
All wireless phones should receive the message only once. WEA alerts will be accompanied with a unique tone and vibration to ensure they are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities.
The English message on consumer’s phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
Phones set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
Emergency Alert System
The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute. The test will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers. The test message will be like the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar:
“This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
Press Release, New York State Association of Counties
New York counties are calling on federal representatives to provide emergency financial aid to local communities nationwide that are managing large influxes of migrants and asylees. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, counties called for the extension of the Federal Impact Aid program to counties and school districts dealing with the recent influx of asylum seekers.
The federal government provides Impact Aid to certain school districts whose ability to provide services is negatively impacted by the actions of the federal government–like the removal of federal government property from property tax rolls. Today’s action by county leaders seeks to expand that program to include the counties, school districts, cities, and other localities that are currently impacted by the large influxes of migrants and asylees across the country.
“As the result of federal inaction on immigration, local governments across New York State and the nation have been left with the impossible task of housing, educating, and providing basic care to hundreds of thousands of migrants who have arrived on our shores seeking a better life,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “Until the Congress resolves this federally created crisis, they must step up and provide fair and sufficient resources to all communities impacted by the federal lack of action to date.”
The large influx of migrants and asylees is a direct result of the federal government’s unwillingness or inability to fix outdated federal immigration laws. The lack of action by federal officials to fix the broken immigration system has simply shifted the burden onto local governments and school districts across the nation.
“Local taxpayers and communities should not be left alone in handling this responsibility,” Acquario said. “Congress must act, and if they can’t or won’t, then they need to expand federal Impact Aid to be available to the local jurisdictions that are bearing the brunt of their inaction.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2023 at 12:43 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Karl Driesel, owner of Orleans Millworks in Kendall, checks a door that he made to replace one on the County Clerks’ Building.
Driesel teamed with the Orleans County Department of Public Works to put in two new doors on one of the entrances of the historic building from 1888. Driesel is doing the two doors today that used to lead up to the Orleans County Legislature. The Legislature has since moved to a new addition at the County Office Building on Route 31. That space on the top floor is now used for the public defender’s office.
Tomorrow, Dreisel expects he will work with the DPW to swap out the doors for the county clerk’s office on the other end of the building facing Main Street.
Karl Driesel and DPW senior building maintenance employees Dan Cooke, left, and Bert Mathes carry one of the new doors to set it in place. The door weighs about 200 pounds.
The door in 112 inches high (just over nine feet) and 29 inches wide. It is 2 1/8 inches thick, which Driesel said is “extremely thick” for a door.
Driesel and the DPW were able to use the old hardware to attach the new doors.
With the old the doors the bottom parts were falling apart and were no longer weather tight, Mathes said.
Driesel makes moldings, panels and components for doors that he usually sends off to other companies to put the final product together.
He welcomed the chance to do the full project for the doors at the Clerks’ Building.
“This is an opportunity that is close to home and it looked like a fun project,” he said.
Driesel made the doors out of quartersawn mahogany. They replace wooden doors that appear to be Douglas fir in the center with oak veneer for the rest. Driesel said they likely weren’t the original doors. He said the new doors should hold up for many decades to come.
The county DPW stained the interior side and painted the exterior white.
Karl Driesel and the DPW employees, Dan Cooke and Bert Mathes, attach the new doors. The doors had to be taken off for some slight trimming so they would close perfectly.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2023 at 10:40 am
Holley also urged to look at zoning to allow expanded small engine repair at former Danny’s Equipment
ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board was asked to give an opinion about a special use permit and the site plan to convert the vacant Clover Hill assisted living complex into multi-family apartments in Albion.
But before making a decision, the Planning Board wants to see the handicapped parking spots clearly delineated, and wants to know if a new parking lot will be asphalt and whether the Albion Fire Department and County Emergency Management Office have given their input for a fire lane at the property on 355 South Main St.
Clover Hill closed in March 2022 as an assisted living site. Realtegic LP in Amherst, led by president Ravi Prasher, wants to the turn the site into 18 apartments – four would be studio apartments and 14 would be single-bedroom.
Realtegic would work with Buildmore Corporation to convert the facility into apartments. Bilal Huzair of Carlton is CEO of Buildmore.
The current site has 19 parking spaces with two designated as handicapped parking. Village Planning Board members are considering requiring two more plus another one that would be van-size, said Janet Navarra-Salvatore, an Albion Planning Board member who is also on the County Planning Board.
Realtegic wants to add another parking lot but wants it to be gravel initially to see how the drainage works at the site, she said. The village code requires two off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit so there would need to be at least 36 parking spaces.
The County Planning Board said the village should consider a deadline next spring for deciding whether the gravel lot would be paved.
The county recommended the village try to get clarity on those issues with the developer and then bring the referral back to the County Planning Board.
Planners also wondered if more detailed drawings could be developed about the interior of the property, how the offices and other empty spaces at the former Clover Hill will be utilized and what is the plan for renting out the units if there aren’t enough tenants willing to pay the asking price.
In another referral last Thursday, the County Planning Board also sent it back, this time to the Village of Holley.
Nathan Merle wants to utilize the former Danny’s Equipment at 122 West Albion St. (Route 31) for small engine repair. The village code allows small engine repair of lawn and garden equipment at the site, but doesn’t specify for ATVs, side-by-sides and snowmobiles. Merle has told the village the site is only viable as a small engine repair business if he can do more than lawn and garden equipment.
The county said Holley needs to either expand the definition of what small engine repair is allowed or make the property zoned commercial. The zoning change could be feasible because part of a parking area for Stockham Lumber touches the back of 122 West Albion St., so it wouldn’t be spot zoning. However, that can be time consuming to change the zoning, County Planning Board members said.
Bruce Kirby, a County Planning Board member, said there would be very little change in how the property is being used compared to the repairs done when it was operated for 45 years by Daniel Dill, who retired a few months ago from the business. Merle, in a letter, said there will be less impact on the neighborhood because there won’t be tractor trailer deliveries, and the drop off and pick up of most equipment will be done by appointment.
However, the village needs to make a change in the zoning definition or extend the commercial zone to make the expanded small engine repairs allowable, board members said.
Merle has lived next door to the site for 19 years. He urged the village and county to approve his proposed use of the site.
“We would like to see this property maintained and not fall into disrepair,” he wrote in a letter to the Holley Zoning Board of Appeals. “It also provides me the opportunity to run a business that can draw other people into the village limits to help sustain our community.”
BATAVIA – UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) has promoted Christen Foley to the position of project director of the Western New York Prevention Resource Center.
The Batavia resident will oversee the implementation of training programs and technical assistance to community drug and alcohol prevention coalitions in the eight-county region. Foley, with the support of two community development specialists, is responsible for collaborating with the prevention providers, coalitions and community groups that make up the WNYPRC.
One of six prevention resource centers in New York State, the WNYPRC is based at UConnectCare’s offices on Clinton Street Road in Batavia and is an initiative of the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
Its focus is on engaging community stakeholders in the development of new coalitions and supporting established community coalitions as they work to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Additionally, the center provides technical assistance, training and support to communities and coalition partners.
“The WNYPRC encourages the use of the Strategic Prevention Framework, which is a public health, outcome-based prevention approach,” Foley said. “This seven-phase approach helps coalitions assess the community’s needs and address them accordingly. The key is to respond appropriately by utilizing the data that reveals each community’s specific needs.”
Foley was hired by UConnectCare in 2019 to lead the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force. Her efforts helped expand the task force to various segments of the community and resulted in it receiving the 2020 Community Star from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The award is given annual to only one rural entity in New York State.
Shannon Ford, services director of Communications and Development and director of Prevention at UConnectCare, said Foley is “a natural fit” for the project director role.
“Christen was able to refine her community engagement skills with the GOW Opioid Task Force and will now be able to help community coalitions across the region,” Ford said. “Most people don’t understand the science behind substance use disorder prevention and coalition activities. Christen and her team will help community coalitions effectively reduce underage substance use using evidence-based approaches.”
Foley has been attending trainings and workshops since her appointment to the new position in June, including the Foundation in Prevention Ethics Training and the CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute, the latter a four-day conference in Dallas.
“As a result, I will now be certified to host and facilitate the six-hour, in-person Foundations in Prevention Ethics course for our prevention providers, coalitions and community partners,” she said, adding that she also is working towards becoming a certified Substance Abuse Prevention Skill Training Trainer.
She said she plans to host an ethics training next year and will be working on establishing coalitions in Genesee and Orleans counties.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2023 at 9:07 am
MEDINA – A group from Dance Theater in Medina is headed to Universal Studios in Orlando this week.
Brandon Johnson, owner of Dance Theater, said the local dancers will be part of the Universal STARS performing arts program during the Halloween Horror Nights.
The group will be performing in a stage show, as well as taking a workshop class with universal choreographers and dancers.
“The kids will then perform their choreography on stage in one of the sound stages used to shoot movies and music videos!” said an excited Johnson.
In spring 2021, Johnson said he saw that Universal Studios was looking for performance groups to be part of the STARS Program. He sent a performance reel of the Dance Theater students from the 2021 competition season. In August 2022, he received a call letting me know that we were selected to perform in the fall 2023.
The students will take a two-hour Hip Hop choreography class with a Universal choreographer who will be teaching them choreography from a current show at Universal’s famous Halloween Horror Nights celebration, Johnson said.
The class will include a warmup as well as choreography that the studio teaches to their on-set casts, Johnson said. It will take place in a working soundstage at Universal Orlando where the studio shoots movies and music videos.
“This will give the dancers an experience of what it is like to be part of the working dance industry as well as a backstage look and how a working sound stage looks and what it feels like to be part of a film shoot,” Johnson said.
The Dance Theater group will be performing to songs such as Thriller, Halloween and The Wicked Ones.
“The dancers will also get a one-on-one talk with the choreographer and dancers about what it’s like to be working in the dance industry in theme park and what it takes to be part of the industry in that facet or performance,” Johnson said. “This is a great talk for any dancers who may be hoping to continue into the industry after graduation.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2023 at 8:27 pm
Photos courtesy of Tim Archer
ALBION – Albion Middle School art teacher Kamie Feder added “Welcome to Albion” above the canal mural on the Albion Fire Hall this weekend.
Middle school students this week will work on freshening up the 25-year-old mural of a canal boat pulled by mules.
The artwork originally was the Girl Scout Gold Award project for Corinne Toenniessen, who received some help in the design from Terri Wood.
Feder, the art teacher, used a lift to get above the mural to add the welcome message. Students won’t have to get so high up to work on the mural this week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2023 at 5:56 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Everett Swetz, 6, of Kendall tries the steer roping station on Saturday during the Kendall Scarecrow Festival. Two bales had the jerseys of Buffalo Bills players for this activity.
The theme for the festival was the Buffalo Bills.
These scarecrows wore clothes with a Buffalo Bills theme.
The winners of the scarecrow contest include the Cub Scouts in first, Kendall Ladies Auxiliary in second, and Logan Cole and Benny D’Agostino in third place.
The festival started in 2010 and has a different theme each year.
The festival gives people a chance to make their own scarecrows, paint pumpkins, ride ponies, get their face painted, leap in a bounce house, and enjoy a hay ride. Mercy Flight also was on site with a helicopter.
This group is ready for the hay ride down Kendall Road (Route 237).
Daniel Jobin leads a horse in offering a pony ride to Nora Bowling, 7, of Kendall.
Jobin is director of Before the Last Call, an equine therapy program for first responders. It is based at Lone Oak Stables in Kendall.
Debbie Ryan and the Kendall Lions Club served hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and drinks.
Even the mums had mini scarecrows as part of the festival.
Karen Liese and the Kendall United Methodist Church had a popular dish: taco soup.
BARRE – The Heritage Wind Community Grant Program is now accepting applications for its fall 2023 grant cycle.
Counting the last grant cycle’s recipients, the grant program has awarded nearly $90,000 to community causes and non-profit organizations working to build healthy communities, increase environmental sustainability, foster economic development, and promote education, since its inception in 2020.
The previous Spring Grant Cycle included the Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern, United Way of Orleans County, and Supportive Care of Orleans.
Local organizations working in the Town of Barre, and the broader Orleans County community are encouraged to apply. Grants are typically awarded in $250 to $4,000 increments, with priority given to proposals that demonstrate meaningful impacts to the greatest number of area residents. We will be accepting applications until Nov. 3.
The four focus areas for the community grant program are:
Building Healthy Communities – Programs that support public health or enhance the quality of life in the community.
Economic Development – Programs that support the economic wellbeing of the community.
Environmental Sustainability – Programs that support environmental revitalization, sustainability, or empower residents to be stewards of the environment.
Promoting Education – Programs that support educational institutions, especially the advancement of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This may include curriculum development, vocational training, or literacy support.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Anna Mathes at anna.mathes@apexcleanenergy.com or (585) 563-5137.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2023 at 2:51 pm
Provided photo
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature last week presented a proclamation recognizing Sheriff’s Week, which was Sept. 17-23.
Pictured from left include Deputy Savannah Tackley, Deputy Dana Goetze, Deputy Cory Martindale, County Legislator Skip Draper, Deputy Adam Hazel and Undersheriff Don Draper.
Sheriff’s Week recognizes the work done by county sheriff offices across New York State.
“The Office of Sheriff has evolved into a modern, professional, full-service law enforcement agency, manned by fully trained police officers, using state-of-the-art technology and applying the latest and most advanced theories and practices in the criminal justice field,” the proclamation states.
The Medina Daily-Journal, August 12, 1929, reported on an earthquake.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 3, No. 32
Tremors were felt all over Western New York early on a Monday morning, August 12, 1929, and even registered on the official seismograph at Georgetown University. The greatest damage was reported from the Attica area where the quake measured 4.9. Walls and chimneys were damaged, the cost of repairs was estimated at $20,000.
This earthquake was attributed to the Clarendon-Linden Fault, a tectonic feature of Western New York, which runs north-south from Lake Ontario, west of Rochester, through Batavia and Attica to the Pennsylvania border. Geologists believe that it extends into Lake Ontario in a partially buried bedrock ridge known as the Scotch Bonnet Rise.
The fault is named for the Town of Clarendon in Orleans County and Linden, a hamlet of the Town of Bethany in Genesee County. Since 1929, numerous smaller earthquakes have been attributed to this system, including a 2.6 earthquake on March 29, 2020, which had an epicenter in Medina.
The first published reference to this fault was written by George H. Chadwick and was published in the 1920 Geological Society of America Bulletin #31. Previously, D.H. Williams, a geologist with the Dominion Natural Gas Company, was the first to recognize the existence of the fault in the East Bethany – East Alexander area of Genesee County.
In 1975, Arthur Van Tyne prepared a detailed report on the Clarendon-Linden Structure of Western New York. He noted that three main faults ran north-south and that two subsidiary faults parallel the central major fault, the Clarendon- Linden fault. This report was responsible for the 1975 decision to discontinue proposals to locate nuclear power plants along the Lake Ontario shoreline in Niagara and Orleans counties.
Articles about earthquakes invariably end with a paragraph speculating on the possibility or probability of future occurrences. Geologists generally “hedge their bets” with ominously portentous statements indicating that seismic risk in this area is “not negligible.” Geologist Walter Mitronovas explained it thus:
“Compared to the states of Alaska and California, New York State has a considerably lower earthquake hazard. This does not necessarily imply the absence of larger destructive earthquakes: it implies only that earthquakes of all sizes will be less frequent”
(From information compiled in 1982 by former Town of Clarendon Historian, Alan J. Isselhard.)
Some drivers could have license suspended if they didn’t submit results of vision exams
Press Release, Orleans and Niagara county clerks
Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski and Orleans County Clerk Nadine P. Hanlon today announced that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has begun sending out driver’s license suspension notices to the 95,000 motorists who renewed their license between 3/1/2020 and 8/31/2021 by self-certifying their vision but have failed to submit the results.
“During the pandemic, New York allowed drivers with expiring licenses to renew them online without the eye exam as DMV offices were shut down,” said Jastrzemski. “However, there was still a requirement that these drivers would have to submit a vision test to DMV at a later date. We are now at the point that those who have failed to do so are facing imminent license suspension.”
The two county clerks said the fastest and easiest way to comply is to visit a local DMV office where a person can have their vision checked free of charge and DMV employees will handle submitting the results to the state.
Alternatively, a person may be tested by an approved provider and the provider will submit the results to the DMV. If you pass a test from a provider not approved by the DMV, the provider must complete a vision test report and you must submit it.
Submissions to DMV can be made electronically or by mail. All the information, instructions, list of approved providers and submission link/mailing address can be found by clicking here.
“The state DMV will begin suspending driver’s licenses on December 1, so time is quickly running out on those who have not yet complied,” said Hanlon. “Whether you visit a DMV office or choose a different path to get your vision checked, the important thing is not to delay and get it done.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2023 at 11:43 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A boater stopped in Albion last week at dusk. The Erie Canal’s navigation season continues until Oct. 11 with the locks and lift bridges operational from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year’s season, the 199th consecutive for the canal, started on May 19. Next year will be the 200th navigational season. The original 363-mile-long canal was completed in 1825. The bicentennial of the canal’s completed construction will be 2025.
CARLTON – Due to the interest from our Carlton residents, the informational meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow evening has been moved to the Carlton Fire Company Recreation Hall, 1853 Oak Orchard Rd.
Orleans County with officials from the Town of Carlton and Modern Disposal Services will be holding an informational meeting on Tuesday.
We are fortunate to having a countywide solid waste program for all of our residents. We are challenged providing this service on private roads with commercial vehicles that weigh 33 tons and require a turning radius of 31 feet. For everyone’s safety, these vehicles should not be traveling more than fifty feet in reverse.
Together we will be exploring how we may provide a safe and efficient collection of our solid waste and recycling material. Over the past five years, these private lanes have narrowed in their right-of-way for a variety of reasons.
Our goal is to provide a safe, efficient and economical service for our approximately 15,000 customers. Many of us are aware of the challenges we have been having and it is time to come together and explore solutions to improve our service.
In the near future, we will also be having an informational meeting for the residents of the Town of Yates.
Tremors were felt all over Western New York early on a Monday morning, August 12, 1929, and even registered on the official seismograph at Georgetown University. The greatest damage was reported from the Attica area where the quake measured 4.9. Walls and chimneys were damaged, the cost of repairs was estimated at $20,000.
