By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2023 at 8:46 am
ALBION – Two proposals in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget could result in a big tax hit for Orleans County.
Hochul has proposed increasing the hourly rate for assigned counsel from $75 to $119 an hour. This would cost the county approximately $200,000 per year, said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.
The increase in rates for lawyers in assigned counsel would cost counties and New York City about $150 million more annually, according to an analysis by the New York State Association of Counties.
A bigger impact on county taxpayers would be a proposal for the state to keep federal funding for the Medicaid program that currently is shared with counties and New York City to pay towards Medicaid.
The executive budget would end the Affordable Care Act enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (eFMAP) federal pass-through to counties and New York City. That would zap $1,059,034 per year in revenue to the county budget, or 5.6 percent of the county’s tax levy.
“This ends twenty years of the state sharing the eFMAP funding with counties,” Welch said. “This would be devastating to our taxpayers. Interested persons should contact the Governor’s Office expressing their opinion on this proposed change in the funding of Medicaid for our residents.”
NYSAC has analyzed the governor’s proposals and said eliminating the ACA eFMAP federal pass-thru will require the 57 counties to spend at least $280 million more annually, and about $1 billion more when New York City is included.
ALBION – Five members of the Albion High School Rotary Interact club spent this morning sorting, bagging and boxing over two tons of Empire apples at the Foodlink warehouse in Rochester.
The apples will be distributed to over 800 families in the western New York region, including Orleans County. Genesee-Orleans Community Action benefits directly from Foodlink products.
Interact students also have helped with Community Action’s food distribution in Albion.
This is the 15th year Interact students have volunteered at Foodlink. Interact Advisor Tim Archer said the volunteer effort is a great way for the students to see the cycle of food distribution to needy families in our region.
Tim Archer, Interact Cub advisor, is shown with students Shania Mathes, Samantha Basinait, Maggie Olles, Mia Olles and Meganne Moore.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced today that he will be holding new outreach office hours within his district during the month of February.
During these outreach office hours, residents will have the opportunity to meet with members of his staff to discuss their concerns regarding state government and local issues.
“I’m eager to use these outreach office hours as an opportunity to get input from constituents on issues they’d like to address and get a better understanding of the issues that face the entirety of my district,” Hawley said.
Provided photo: State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt speaks at the Veterans One Stop Center this morning in Buffalo. He is joined by veterans’ advocates including Niagara County Veterans Services Coordinator Jeff Glatz (far left) and Dan Arnold, Veterans One-Stop Director of Veteran integration and PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Manager.
Press Release, State Sen. Rob Ortt
BUFFALO – Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, along with Veterans’ One-Stop Center Director of Veteran Integration and PFC Joseph P Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Manager Dan Arnold and Niagara County Veteran Services Coordinator Jeff Glatz today called on the State Legislature to double the funding for the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Support Program in the 2024 State Budget, and to make the funding stream for the program permanent.
“We are standing here with our brothers and sisters who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today in this country to call on my colleagues across the aisle to do what is right for our heroes and not only increase funding for the Dwyer program, but to make the funding permanent,” Ortt said. “The Dwyer program provides essential – and at times life-saving – services to veterans in every region of our state. We hear talk all the time in the Legislature about setting priorities. There should be no higher priority than caring for those who put their lives on the line to protect ours, and this budget needs to reflect that reality.”
The Dwyer Program, first introduced by Senate Republicans in 2012, was established to provide peer-to-peer counseling for veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI or difficulty reintegrating into civilian society.
Because there was never a dedicated funding stream made permanent for this vital program, each year the Legislature must include an appropriation to ensure there are funds to keep these critical services running for our veterans who depend on them.
Prior to the release of the Executive Budget earlier this week, Senator Rob Ortt and Senator Jake Ashby penned a letter to the Governor requesting increased, permanent funding for the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support initiative.
While the Senate Republicans called for the funding to be doubled, to $15.4 million, the Executive Budget proposal included only a very insignificant increase in funding, from $7,700,000 to $7,715,000.
“Whether a veteran is just returning from a deployment, separating from service, or has been out for a while but still they have not found their place in their community, they need somewhere or someone where they can feel safe and comfortable,” Arnold said. “Otherwise, they may turn to those bad vices that make them make bad decisions, or they isolate themselves and fall into depression. We do not want that to happen – there has to be somewhere for them to go and people they are comfortable being around. That is why the PFC Joseph P Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program is so important.”
“As someone who works with veterans in our community, I’ve seen the impact of the Dwyer Program,” Glatz said. “The opportunity for a returning veteran to connect with someone that has gone through the very same struggles is an invaluable resource. We must preserve and support this resource at all costs – the men and women who serve our country deserve no less.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2023 at 12:29 pm
“Welcome to Orleans County – the lift bridge capital of the Erie Canal!”
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Main Street lift bridge in Albion is elevated in this photo from Aug. 8, 2022, making room for boaters to pass through.
Orleans County has a secret: It has the most lift bridges of any county on the canal system. We have seven out of the 16.
It’s not something you’ll see on a tourism brochure, a welcome sign or on a local municipal website.
Around here, we treat the lift bridges with annoyance. We don’t like to wait a few minutes when a boat passes by and the 200,000-pound plus bridges rise to give the boaters some room.
The lift bridges are a marvel. I’ve seen visitors drop what they are doing and get very excited when they have been in downtown Albion and the bridge seems to let out a groan and start its elevation. It’s a sight that amazes out-of-towners.
The lift bridges were all built in the 1910s with the canal’s widening and expansion. The downtown districts and hamlets were already built up near the bridges. It wasn’t reasonable to knock down the commercial buildings close by to push back the bridge approaches and make gradual inclines for a stationary high bridge like out in the country.
So we got seven vertical lift bridges – in Medina, Knowlesville, Eagle Harbor, two in Albion, Hulberton and Holley.
The 16 lift bridges on the Erie Canal are all on the western side. Besides the seven in Orleans, there are four in Niagara County and five in Monroe.
The four in Niagara include two in Lockport, and one in both Gasport and Middleport. The five in Monroe include two in Brockport, with others in Adams Basin, Spencerport and Fairport.
The Tugboat Syracuse carries engineers and Canal Corp. officials in this photo from Sept. 14, 2016 during an inspection of the canal system in Orleans County today. The tug is approaching the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in Albion.
We have the most of these bridges and that distinction should be proclaimed: “Welcome to Orleans County – the lift bridge capital of the Erie Canal!”
Orleans County will be 200 years old in 2025. That year also marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the original 363-mile long Erie Canal.
Orleans County doesn’t need to wait two years to celebrate the lift bridges. The county should dip into some of its tourism money to put up engaging signs and craft a campaign about these bridges.
The entire community should rally around them as a source of pride.
Next year a massive rehabilitation of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion will be complete. The state Department of Transportation is spending about $15 million to give the bridge a major overhaul. That will ensure the bridge stays functional for decades to come. The state about 15 years ago finished a similar rehab of the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in Albion, costing several million dollars.
The state is showing a commitment to keep these bridges in good shape. There are times when some of them are shut down a few days or weeks for a repair. But the bridges get the job done, year after year – more than a century after they were originally constructed.
Photo by Philip Kamrass, New York Power Authority: Fairport lights up its lift bridge and celebrates the span as an iconic landmark in the community.
The Village of Fairport seems to be the only canal town that takes pride in having a lift bridge. The village in Monroe County proudly displays the lift bridge on signs and in promotional materials about the community.
It lights up the bridge for major events. It had a big celebration in 2014 when the bridge was 100 years old. There were a series of events that summer to celebrate the centennial. Fairport rededicated the bridge in a ceremony on Aug. 15, 2014, and re-enacted the first motorized vehicle riding across the bridge. Fairport had a Model T do it for the ceremony.
The community hosts a bash every year to kick off the canal boating season. You can feel their pride.
Not so much around here when it comes to the canal, the lift bridges and tugboats that seem so obvious to celebrate and build an identity around.
In Iowa, the Bridges of Madison County are deeply valued and part of the community fabric. Those historic covered bridges fill that community’s tourism promotions and were the backdrop of a film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in 1995.
Madison County used to have 19 of the covered bridges, but only six remain today. They are deeply treasured by local residents. The community has a covered bridge festival each year. This year it will be Oct. 14-15. (Click here to see more from the Madison County Chamber & Welcome Center.)
Ashtabula County in Ohio has a line of merchandise highlighting its covered bridges, including these hoodies. (Images from Ashtabula County Bridge Festival.)
Ashtabula County in Ohio may be the most enthusiastic community when it comes to loving and embracing their historic bridges.
Ashtabula County has had a covered bridge festival every year going back about 40 years. The community has activities at 19 different covered bridges on an October weekend. Service clubs, businesses, churches and other groups adopt a bridge for the weekend and host events.
Some of the activities include a troll costume contest, Lego covered bridge contest, horse-drawn wagon rides and lemonade stands run by Girl Scouts. Click here to see more about their festival.
The community sells and displays numerous covered bridge merchandise and signage, with different covered bridges featured on shirts, ornaments, blankets, totes and bags, hoodies, cards and other items.
The local lift bridges have paths for pedestrians, including the one on Main Street in Albion. This is an older photo because the bridge has currently been removed for a massive rehabilitation.
You could see an Orleans County Lift Bridge Festival on a weekend, perhaps in late August while there are still boaters using the canal before the end of the summer.
We could have activities at the seven bridges. I could see a 5K race or walk perhaps from the Eagle Harbor to Albion bridge, or from Hulberton to Holley. There could a 10-mile race for more ambitious runners going from Medina to Albion, or Albion to Holley. There could even be a Lift Bridge marathon for 26.2 miles that would go just about from one end of the county to the other.
I think most people would like to see the bridges in action. Every half hour there should be a commitment to have the bridges go up in lower-trafficked areas such as Hulberton, Eagle Harbor and maybe Ingersoll Street in Albion once the Main Street bridge is open. That way people would be guaranteed to see the bridges in action and not have to try to time it to boating traffic.
We could develop some merchandise and signage to give the lift bridges some limelight.
The festival could culminate with fireworks near one of the bridges.
A lift bridge festival would give the service clubs, fire departments, municipalities and residents in the canal communities an opportunity to work together on a fun-filled weekend for the community, while also welcoming visitors to learn about and experience our lift bridge treasures.
Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, spoke during the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the Medina Sandstone Society back in 2013. Lattin said then that Orleans County has so many ornate Medina Sandstone churches, houses, monuments and other structures for such a small community. Yet, the locals don’t pay much notice to what Lattin called “the extraordinary ordinary.” He could say the same about the lift bridges.
Fireworks are reflected in the Erie Canal by the lift bridge in Holley at about 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2018. The 20-minute fireworks show was an explosive conclusion to the June Fest celebration in Holley.
Press Release, Genesee County Economic Development Center
BATAVIA – The board of directors for the Genesee County Economic Development Center approved financial agreements today to support Edwards Vacuum for the first phase of the company’s $209 million semiconductor dry pump manufacturing facility at the Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park.
Edwards Vacuum is part of the Atlas Copco Group. It will build a “factory of the future” at STAMP that will serve the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing sectors and create approximately 343 new high-paying jobs.
The facility is projected to generate more than $13.4 million in future revenues to the Town of Alabama, Genesee County, Oakfield-Alabama School District, and the Alabama Fire Department over 20 years.
Atlas Copco USA Holdings Inc. & Subsidiaries (Edwards Vacuum) has requested sales tax exemptions of approximately $4.34 million and a 20-year property tax abatement of approximately $12.85 million.
The project is estimated to generate $644 million in payroll and projected future municipal revenues, and a $39 benefit to the local economy for every $1 of public investment.
YOUNGSTOWN – The Niagara County Sheriff’s office is reporting a 70-year-old man died in a fire on Wednesday night in the Village of Youngstown.
Firefighters were dispatched to 136 Jackson St. at 8:12 p.m. on Wednesday after being called about smoke in the apartment.
Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Town of Lewiston Police Department responded and confirmed smoke coming from the second floor of the building. The fire was found to have originated from a second floor apartment and had begun to extend to the structure’s attic and roof, the Sheriff’s Office reported this morning.
Firefighters entered the second-floor apartment of Harlan K. Green and he was on the floor and suffering from cardiac arrest. He was transported by ambulance to Mount Saint Mary’s Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
The fire was subsequently extinguished by members of the Youngstown, Ransomville, Lewiston #1 and Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Companies. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Niagara County Fire Investigation Unit.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2023 at 7:49 am
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory until 10 a.m. Saturday for Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Erie counties.
The wind chills are expected to be as low as 15 to 20 degrees below zero.
“The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the Weather Service said. “This is a potentially dangerous situation to be outdoors. If you must be outside, be sure to cover all exposed skin. Frostbite can occur in 30 minutes or less with apparent temperatures of 15 below zero or colder.”
Today is forecast for a high of 8 degrees with some snow showers likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Tonight the temperatures are forecast to fall to minus-2 degrees.
The highs on the weekend include 26 on Saturday and 39 on Sunday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2023 at 6:41 pm
‘It’s just magical’ – library director Betty Sue Miller
Photos by Tom Rivers: This painting shows three raccoons working on a concoction while following a recipe in the popular cooking book, Joy of Cooking. It is mounted on the end of shelf with books in the Home and Family section. The cooking raccoons are one of six new paintings at Hoag Library created by Albion native Stacey Kirby Steward.
ALBION – Walk into Hoag Library and there is an eye-catching painting of a fox reading a book, The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. It is mounted on the wall between two book shelves of popular new fiction books. The fox’s eyes look up from the page and make contact with the viewer.
Round the corner and there is another painting near the printer across from the tables of computers. That painting shows a skunk engrossed in Dale Carnegie’s self-improvement book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Stacey Kirby Steward, an Albion native who lives in Spencerport, created six paintings of animals engaged in reading. She thought of the books to pair with the animals, with some suggestions from former children’s librarian Theresa Gaylard.
A grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) funded the project.
Hoag Library executive director Betty Sue Miller, left, and Stacey Kirby Steward hold her painting of a beaver building a dam. The beaver consults “Cathedral” by David Macaulay. In this critically acclaimed book, Macaulay uses pen and ink drawings to show the construction of a great medieval cathedral, the imaginary Cathedral of Chutreaux.
Kirby Steward shows a beaver making an impressive dam with gothic arches. This painting is now mounted over the sink in the children’s library room.
A fox reads The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. This painting is the favorite for Betty Sue Miller, the library director. She likes the fox’s eyes.
Betty Sue Miller, the library director, said the paintings enliven the library, filling spots where you don’t expect to see artwork. They are very pleasant surprises, she said.
“It’s just magical,” Miller said. “Each book fits with the animal.”
Kirby Steward also created a 24-foot-long mural in the main meeting room of swans in flight over a farm field and the Erie Canal, with the Gaines basin Road canal bridge below.
She also design a stained-glass window for the library with a swan. That was a gift from Bill Lattin for when the library opened in July 2012.
Lattin assisted Kirby Steward in installing the paintings today. They were added to walls and book shelves. They are in unusual shapes, especially a 10-inch by 36-inch painting of a bald eagle in a pine tree, reading Frederick Douglass’s autobiography. That painting is next to the biographies near the computer lab.
A skunk seeks self-improvement and reads Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Kirby Steward said she enjoyed thinking of the scenes in the paintings, and how they could be used to add to the library experience at the Hoag.
She received very positive feedback from library users today while she and Lattin mounted them.
She likes that they are located in unexpected places.
“You walk around the corner and you’re surprised,” she said.
There will be a public reception in the near future to celebrate the new paintings. Kirby Steward and Miller also said more could be added in the future showing other animals reading books.
This painting of cardinal rebuilding a nest is at the end of one of the book shelves. It quotes lines from “Surviving” by Maya Angelou.
Where the winds of disappointment
dash my dream house to the ground
and anger, octopus-like wraps its tentacles around my soul
I just stop myself. I stop in my tracks
and look for one thing that can
help me.
A bald eagle reads the autobiography of Frederick Douglass. This painting is 10 inches by 36 inches and is by a shelf in the biography section.
Bill Lattin helped Kirby Steward install the paintings. Lattin said the library features many art pieces. Lattin, a former art teacher at Albion, is pleased to see the library partner with Kirby Steward for one-of-kind art.
Miller said she will submit the project to the American Library Association to highlight for other libraries.
“No other library has this this,” she said. “No other library has someone like Stacey.”
Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments
The Genesee County Health Department will be hosting a free anti-rabies immunization clinic on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Batavia Town Highway Garage (3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia).
“We encourage residents to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure that their animals are immunized against rabies and that the vaccinations are kept up to date,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. “Rabies continues to be a serious public health concern in Genesee and Orleans Counties and is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Please leave wildlife alone and do not feed, touch, or adopt wild animals, stray dogs or cats.”
Vaccinations are free for dogs, cats, and ferrets, but voluntary donations are accepted. Animals must be at least 3 months old. Each animal must be leashed or crated and accompanied by an adult who can control the animal. Limit 4 pets per car maximum.
To save time, please click here to fill out your registration form in advance. Be sure to print out two copies for each pet to be vaccinated and bring them with you to the clinic.
The next anti-rabies immunization clinics are as follows:
Genesee County Clinics at the Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 East Main Street, Batavia, NY)
Thursday, May 18, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 10, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 12, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Orleans County Clinics at the Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 State Route 31, Albion, NY)
Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, June 7, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
For more information on Health Department services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call 589-3278 for Orleans County or 585-344-2580 ext. 5555 for Genesee County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2023 at 3:07 pm
Orleans County Youth Board also wants to honor adults who work and volunteer in service to young people
The Orleans County Youth Board wants to honor local youths for their community service and adults for their work on behalf of children in Orleans County.
The Youth Board each year recognizes about 20 youths for their outstanding community service or if they have taken on an extraordinary role in their family. The nominees should be between 14 and 21. Nominations are due by March 31.
In addition to the youth awards, at least two adults will be honored for their service to young people.
The Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award recognizes a youth-serving professional whose work surpasses normal expectations. The award is open to all youth-serving professionals including administrators, caseworkers, counselors, school personnel, juvenile justice workers and others who work with youth and families.
Four people received the Helen R. Brinsmaid Adult Youth Worker Award in 2022: Heather Jackson, a juvenile probation officer; Annette Finch, who is recently retired as director of community services for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee; and Mike and Cheryl Wertman for their work covering youth sports for the Orleans Hub and the former Journal-Register.
The Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award is given to an adult who provides service as a volunteer to Orleans County youth. The Youth Bureau is looking for nominees who are role models for youths, and give of themselves to better the life of children. This might include working directly with young people through youth groups or organizations or by advocating for youth services.
Last year the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award was presented to Jaime Allport, a volunteer in the Albion Youth Sports Athletic Program. Allport is at the field on games days, from sunrise to sundown. She keeps track of all the rosters, keeps the stats during the games, and will work the concession stands.
Forms can be downloaded at the Orleans County web site. Click here for more information.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 February 2023 at 1:35 pm
Provided photo: OCALS recently held a tutor appreciation luncheon as part of their goal to increase tutors and students. From left are Kathy Punch, community engagement coordinator; and tutors Dennis Seekins, Ann McElwee, Barbara LaBella and Vickie Hutchison.
Orleans County Adult Learning Services, more commonly known as OCALS, is on a mission to grow its organization back to pre-Covid numbers.
OCALS was founded in 2006 by Don and Rose Ruck, then residents of Clarendon, who saw the need for a literacy organization in Orleans County, after Literacy Orleans dissolved and they heard complaints about the need for literacy services in Orleans County.
For the first few years, the organization grew under the sole leadership of volunteers. In recent years, they expanded their services to include not only adults in the community, but school children who were struggling with their reading.
Prior to the pandemic, they had 42 tutors who served 85 people in the county. But when Covid hit in March 2020, the operation basically came to a standstill.
At their annual dinner meeting last September, new president Pam Schuner was introduced, along with Kathy Punch, who was hired as community engagement coordinator. Punch is traveling throughout the county to meet people and make them aware of the need for tutors and students.
Today, they operate with two part-time employees and the rest all volunteers. Along with funding from United Way of Orleans County, they are working to create fundraisers on their own, said Don Colquhoun, vice president and treasurer of the organization.
Their main goal now is to recruit more volunteer tutors and secure more students and adults to serve. To that end, on Jan. 30 OCALS held its first tutor appreciation luncheon. Several individuals recognized were new community engagement coordinator Kathy Punch and tutors Dennis Seekins, Ann McElwee, Barbara LaBella and Vickie Hutchison.
OCALS is gradually getting back to normal. There are now 15 tutors and last year they served 70 people, including community members and school children. This year they are working with students who have trouble reading in Medina and Albion school districts, and plan to be in Lyndonville this month.
They have also been invited to come into Kendall and Holley as soon as they get more tutors. They not only help students in the school, but will do private tutoring outside of school, as well.
Two new board members who recently joined the organization are Jennifer Bansbach and Julie Keller.
Anyone interested in becoming a tutor or who needs tutoring may contact OCALS through Colquhoun by calling (585) 331-1570.
BATAVIA – GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare is beginning to build momentum for the inaugural hands-on career exploration event as organizers announced Platinum Level sponsors at the $5,000 level, including Livingston County Area Chamber Education to Employment, Wyoming County Community Health Services, and United Memorial Medical Center.
It is anticipated that approximately 550 GLOW region students will attend Genesee Community College on March 24. They will learn about exciting career opportunities in the healthcare sector by meeting representatives and professionals from various healthcare organizations.
“We greatly appreciate the support of our sponsors to date as they are integral in making these types of events successful,” said Angela Grouse, Co-Chair, GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare. “We hope that the commitment of these sponsors will encourage other healthcare organizations to consider participating and supporting an event that can help them address their workforce needs.”
“Business and educational organizations and economic development agencies from across the region are once again collaborating to provide an incredible opportunity for GLOW region students to learn about good-paying careers right in their own backyard,” said Karyn Winters, Co-Chair, GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare.
Sponsorships for the March 24 event are available at the Platinum ($5,000), Gold ($2,500), Silver ($1,000), and Bronze ($500) levels.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2023 at 8:16 am
New Comfort Inn hotel in Medina, Airbnbs, hotel at Bent’s fuel increase
Photo by Tom Rivers: The new Comfort Inn & Suites in Medina opened on March 18, 2022. This photo shows Medina Sandstone Society members in the lobby and front desk area on March 16 for a tour before the opening.
ALBION – Orleans County exceeded $100,000 in bed tax revenues in 2022 for the first time.
There is a 4 percent occupancy tax on hotel rooms and other lodging. That tax added up to $111,013 in 2022.
That topped the previous record high of $79,102 in 2021. The third most was collected in 2020: $58,438.
The county’s occupancy tax has been trending up, increasing annually in recent years. Besides the past three years the totals include $58,424 in 2019, $51,002 in 2018, and $45,374 in 2017, according to data from the county treasurer’s office.
The county is seeing more short-term vacation rentals such as Airbnbs. A 58-room Comfort Inn & Suites opened on March 18 last year in Medina, giving the county its first branded hotel. Bent’s Opera House also opened 10 hotel rooms in 2021.
Kim DeFrank, the county treasurer, said those new lodging options are the biggest reason for the boost in bed tax.
The county sets aside the bed tax to fund tourism department and initiatives to bring in visitors. The increase in funds allowed the county to hire a sportsfishing coordinator in December 2022, filling a position that had been vacant for nearly five years. Ron Bierstine will promote the county’s top tourism draw of sportsfishing. He will be attending more of fishing shows, including in Pennsylvania and Ohio where the county draws many of its fishing visitors, said Dawn Borchet, the county’s tourism director.
The county also has stepped up its digital advertising on Facebook to promote events in Orleans to attract more visitors to the area, Borchet said.
“The campaigns that we have done on Facebook have increased our traffic on our website and additional requests for brochures on Orleans County to be sent to visitors considering our area,” she said.
The county tourism in 2021 also added a billboard along the Thruway in Batavia, promoting the fishing opportunities in Orleans with salmon and trout. That billboard was paid for over two years with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Borchet said the billboard gets noticed
“Just this past weekend our office, was at a show in Edison, NJ and we had people come up to the booth, letting us know they noticed the billboard on the NYS Thruway,” she said.
Sportsfishing has a total economic impact of $28 million in Orleans County, according to the NY State DEC Anglers Survey for 2017. Out-of-state anglers account for 70 percent of the fishing economic output in Orleans County, $19,620,488 of the $27,989,393. County residents who fish accounted for $1,767,334 in economic activity while other New York state residents outside Orleans represented another $6,601,571.
The tourism department promotes local festivities, museums and other attractions. Click here to see the county’s tourism website.
BATAVIA – GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare is beginning to build momentum for the inaugural hands-on career exploration event as organizers announced Platinum Level sponsors at the $5,000 level, including Livingston County Area Chamber Education to Employment, Wyoming County Community Health Services, and United Memorial Medical Center.
