ALBION – The Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds is about to make history as the first fairgrounds in the country to have solar panels installed by a company that was founded to provide solar energy free of charge to non-profits.

Everybody Solar was founded 11 years ago by Youness Scally of California to focus on non-profits because traditionally, nonprofits did not receive government tax breaks for going solar. That is because as a 501c3, they are exempt from paying taxes, said Scally’s sister Myriam Scally, executive director of Everybody Solar.

He was hoping to fight climate change and support at least one nonprofit in going solar, Myriam said. This year, however, she said things may change because Biden in August executed a new order that nonprofits can benefit from the full tax credit on solar projects. She said, though, the process is still uncertain as the Treasury has not yet provided full guidance.

Youness began contacting foundations, corporations and donors soliciting funds to install solar panels on non-profits’ properties at no cost to them. They have since provided free solar power to 14 nonprofits in 12 states, including Glacier National Park, museums and Native American reservations. Their first expansion was at the Science Center in Ithaca, Myriam said.

Photo by Virginia Kropf: Robert Batt, director of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, looks at information online about Everybody Solar, a company which secures funding to install solar panels for non-profits throughout the country. The Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds is working to become the first fairgrounds in the country to have solar panels installed by Everybody Solar.

Robert Batt, director of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, said he has always been interested in solar, he said. He first learned about Everybody Solar in the fall of 2021 at the YMCA’a Camp Cory in Penn Yan. There, according to information from Myriam, 100 percent of the camp’s electrical needs are offset by solar power during the off season, reducing their bill to near zero for six months of the year.

Batt returned and brought the idea of solar panels to his board and they approved the idea.

“We have this big beautiful roof, so why don’t we have solar panels?” Batt wondered.

The Extension will have 77 solar panels installed on the roof of the Knights Building. Installation will begin as soon as fundraising is complete. The total cost of the project is $57,665, with $28,403 already raised. This includes $10,000 pledged by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s board, Batt said.

Batt explained they have two meters at the fairgrounds, one for the exhibit buildings and the other for the Dwight Hill office building. The solar panels will serve the fairgrounds, not only reducing or nearly eliminating their power bill, but providing an environmental impact reduction. The first year of production is estimated to be 29,145 KW hours, or 103 percent of the fair’s usage. This translates to an environmental impact of offsetting 22.7 tons of CO2/year; 527.5 trees; and 47.8 barrels of oil.

Everybody Solar’s goal is to reduce operating costs for nonprofits, making them more sustainable so they can do more charitable work in their communities, and to protect the environment, Myriam said.

“We’re excited about this project,” she said.

The modules are in the process of being shipped and panels will be shipped when funding is completed.

Myriam said they hope to have all the funds by fall and will aim for installation shortly after. Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so by logging on to everybodysolar.org and clicking on Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension on their project page. On that page is an option to “donate here.” Or donations made be made at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension and designated for “solar project.”

Not only does Everybody Solar work to offset 100 percent of the costs to nonprofits through grant-writing, sponsorships, crowd-sourcing and fundraising events, but they work directly with industry experts to research local regulations, contact and evaluate solar installers, establish long-term partnerships with manufacturers and provide technical support to the nonprofits to make sure the installations come to life.

Paradise Energy Solutions of Geneva has been hired to do the work.

Press Release, SUNY Empire State  

ROCHESTER – SUNY Empire State announced the college is a recipient of a grant from the ESL Federal Credit Union in the amount of $121,000.

The grant will provide emergency financial support for students in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties. In addition to direct student support, the grant will underwrite implementation of new software that offers a seamless process for SUNY Empire students to apply for emergency funding and enhance the college’s ability to collect data and report outcomes.

SUNY Empire Coordinator of Health and Wellness, Joshua Boardman, will be the program lead for the grant. Boardman currently administers student emergency funding from the Empire State College Foundation and the Ichigo Foundation, and supported the successful distribution of Covid-19 Educational Emergency Funds raised, in part, by the Office for Advancement at the height of the pandemic.

Data from emergency fund applications submitted during the Fall 2022 term reveals the difficult circumstances students face as they work toward earning their degree. The application asked questions about the number of times applicants have 1) not had enough food in their home, 2) been at risk of losing their housing, 3) been homeless, or 4) not had enough money to cover all of their bills in full. Ninety-seven percent of the 398 students who submitted an application responded affirmatively to at least one of the four questions.

More than 700 SUNY Empire students live in the six-county service area. Based on enrollment and financial need data, the grant will be used to provide emergency financial support to approximately 200 students during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Boardman will also participate in the Grantee Learning Collaborative, a group of colleges and organizations distributing emergency funding provided by ESL, to learn how flexible funding for emergencies can keep recipients afloat in the short term and support their long-term financial health.

ESL is the largest locally led financial services institution in the Greater Rochester area, and with assets of more than $9.1 billion ESL is one of the largest credit unions in New York State. Since the creation of its Community Impact initiative in 2018, ESL has reinvested more than $100 million in grants throughout the community.

For more information about SUNY Empire, visit www.esc.edu.

Press Release, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer

MEDINA – After standing with workers of Baxter International in Orleans County promising to fight to help solve their microchip supply chain issues, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced that the company has now said that his relentless advocacy for months has been successful and that the previous shortages that hindered production have been resolved.

“We cannot thank Senator Schumer and his staff enough for their relentless work on behalf of our Medina employees and patients to help us secure the chips necessary to produce our life-saving devices,” said José (Joe) E. Almeida, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Baxter International. “Hospitals need our infusion pump technology to care for patients in New York and across the country – a need that is even more critical now given the rising flu, RSV and Covid-19 cases.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer was at Baxter International in Medina on Aug. 11, touting federal legislation to boost microchip manufacturing in the United States. He is holding part of a Baxter infusion pump which requires 70 microchips.

Schumer wrote a letter and personally called Texas Instruments, pushing for months alongside Baxter to work with TI on delivering the chips needed to address shortage challenges and ensure bottlenecks did not impact Baxter’s 300-person workforce in Medina or the company’s ability to make essential medical technology like infusion pumps that are used in the treatment of Covid-19.

“Now after months of advocacy, I am proud to say a promise made is now a promise kept and the company has informed me that they received the orders and commitments needed to address the critical microchip supply  chain problems they faced with their pumps,” Schumer said. “Hospitals and patients in New York rely on Baxter’s life-saving products built in Medina and I will always pump up the pressure to protect NY jobs and ensure people can receive the healthcare they need. In tandem with my historic CHIPS and Science Bill, already spurring major investment like Edwards Vacuum in Genesee County, this is just what the doctor ordered to keep up manufacturing in Western New York.”

In August, the senator personally visited Orleans County to launch a two-pronged plan to address the microchip shortage that hindered production at the facility in Medina. Schumer explained that Baxter’s Spectrum IQ infusion system, built in Medina, requires approximately 70 chips per pump, and in previous months they have had to slow down production significantly due to the lack of a sufficient supply of chips.

Schumer said that Baxter’s infusion pumps are classified as in “critical need” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the nation’s pandemic response and so it was crucial their manufacturing supply chain be preserved to continue to produce these critical devices.

Schumer immediately began working with Texas Instruments, one of Baxter’s primary chip suppliers for this site, to help prioritize components for their lifesaving medical devices so that Baxter’s production of these pumps would not be impacted. After months of working closely with Baxter and TI with the senator even personally calling TI’s top brass to discuss the supply chain challenges, Baxter has confirmed that Schumer’s support has been successful and they have the necessary chips in hand to produce their critical infusion pump technology and preserve the company’s 300-person workforce in Medina.

Press Release, Tops Friendly Markets

Mercedes Holloway Wilson

WILLIAMSVILLE – Mercedes Wilson, or as she is known among friends and family, Sadie, is over the moon about her recent sweet success of expanding her relish line into 66 Tops Friendly Markets.

Wilson, a 2000 Medina High School graduate, debuted her products at 39 locations last summer just in time for Father’s Day, a fitting tribute to the man she has to thank in part for her success.

Inspired by her grandma Grace’s “Cha-Cha” recipe, you will often find Wilson cooking side by side with her father, Kelvin Holloway, incorporating her family’s recipe in everything from breakfast staples like eggs to side dishes and others such as, ribs, chicken, on scallops and tacos!

“When my father mentioned it, I had no clue what it was,” Wilson said. “He did his best to describe the flavors to me, and I made it until my father said it reminded him of what my grandmother used to make.”

Since then, Wilson began making it for friends and family, who fell in love with it.

“What you see at Tops on the shelves is the one inspired by my grandmother,” Wilson said. “I hope it makes her proud.”

A foodie at heart, Wilson was always around food since she was little. She recalls being around her grandma, the inspiration for this recipe, who was always cooking as her father was one of 11 children.

“Once breakfast was done, she was already getting ready for the next meal,” Wilson said.

That inspiration led Wilson to start her own line of Sadie’s Relish’s, and she tells a Tops spokeswoman perhaps some other delicious homemade recipes are on the horizon.

During Black History Month, Tops is highlighting Sadie’s Relish created by Medina native Mercedes Wilson.

Wilson attributes her success to simply being kind to people and building relationships.

“The more genuine you are with your relationships and get to know people, the better business you are,” she said. “It comes back to you.”

Wilson is also grateful for new partnerships she is forging with essential and impactful programs like UB’s Cultivator Program and Launch NY, which she joined last summer, that is helping her grow her business.

“I am so excited to be a part of the UB Cultivator program,” she said. “This program was created to help early-stage startup founders in Western New York with mentorship and support. These mentors have rolled up their sleeves and helped me problem solve and become a better founder and thinker when it comes to my business.”

Wilson said the program also provides connections to investors and continued support through co-working space.

“I am so excited about expansion in 2023 Launch NY: Founders Go Big Initiative is an initiative that is designed to enhance the engagement of underrepresented, underserved founders in creating high-growth potential businesses,” she said. “I have mentors in this program that I meet with, and they challenge me to become better. Buffalo is truly amazing!”

As if her plate wasn’t already full running a successful business, she also recently joined AM Buffalo as co-host alongside Emily Lampa in June 2022 and is busy raising her family of four with her husband.

An accomplished singer, author, breast cancer survivor, and founder of a non-profit, there isn’t much that Sadie hasn’t tackled head-on and succeeded at. Last month she was also recognized in a ceremony at Medina High School as a distinguished graduate.

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney      

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, reintroduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, which would work to provide financial assistance to investment companies that finance small manufacturing businesses.

This bicameral legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

The AIM Act works to provide additional capital to Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) to leverage private capital to provide more patient and flexible financing to smaller and mid-sized manufacturers.

“By incentivizing and creating manufacturing jobs not only in Upstate and Western New York but across the country, we can work to rebuild and grow our nation’s economy,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Many Americans rely on the essential goods and services from our smaller manufacturers, and the AIM Act will work to stimulate economic growth and opportunities for these businesses. I am honored to lead this bicameral legislation alongside Senator Rubio. Boosting support for our small manufacturing businesses remains a top priority for House Republicans.”

“The secret to America’s economic success has been our ability to make things and to innovate for the future,” said Senator Rubio. “When we do both, we create stable, well-paying jobs that power a strong country. This bill will help small firms engaged in manufacturing production secure the capital they need without the demand for immediate, outsized returns. The success of these companies is critical to confronting the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and to bringing good jobs back to America.”

Recommends Albion rezone 2 sites on 31A to general commercial

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board is recommending the Town of Murray approve a special use permit and the site plan for a landscaping business in a residential-agriculture district at 3733 Hulberton Rd.

Nicholas Bell and Hannah Beall own and operate Bell Design & Landscape. They plan to run the business from their property using 1.3 acres of a 14.1 acre site for the business.

Their plan includes construction of a 40-by-70-foot barn with the potential of a 40-by-30-foot addition in the future.

There would also be a 20-by-70-foot lean-to off to the south of the newly constructed barn. There would also be two greenhouses at 65 by 32 feet, and a 45-by-20-foot office attached to the north of the barn.

The business currently has three employees. Most of the coming and going from the site would be in the morning and late afternoons.

Planners recommended approval of storage and sale of topsoil, mulch, wood chips and similar products as long as they are stored at least 300 feet from any residential structure and 50 feet from any property line. Any piles of those products should not exceed 25 feet in height.

Any repairs to construction equipment for the business also should be done inside a building, planners said.

• In the meeting last Thursday evening, the County Planning Board also recommended the Town of Albion amend its zoning map from residential-agriculture to general commercial for land at 14530 East Lee Rd. owned by Land Pro Equipment, and 14846 East Lee Rd. owned by Henry Haines. The two sites are 3.3 acres.

The Land Pro site is for sale. Frontier Heating & AC Service is looking to acquire it. The spot used to be used as a cabbage storage facility and more recently by BCA Ag technologies. Land Pro is combining its Oakfield and Albion locations with a new site in Batavia.

The property next door owned by Haines has been used for auto repairs.

Elaine Barnett touts mushrooms for nutrient, medicinal powers

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Elaine Barnett, founder of Heartland Organics at Johnson Creek, holds a bag of yellow mushrooms in the colonizing room where she grows a variety of mushrooms. On the left are black pearl mushrooms, with blue oyster mushrooms below. Her business is a favorite at Medina’s Canal Village Market, where she sells her wares every Saturday.

GASPORT – Elaine Barnett, 63, has always been a proponent of healthy living, leading her to a career as a holistic vet technician.

After inheriting her parents William and Helen Fink’s property at 8999 Ridge Rd. in Johnson Creek, she knew just what she wanted to do with it.

Elaine Barnett holds an agar plate where mushroom spores are placed to start growth before being placed in a jar of sterilized oats to continue the process.

The property in Niagara County had greenhouses, and although the buildings needed repair, she decided at the age of 58 to embark on a new career – growing mushrooms.

Barnett had married and raised six children, but after she and her husband separated, she went to work for a vet technician in Colden, where she still works several days a week.

“By growing mushrooms I saw the potential to re-build this property where I grew up,” she said.

She enrolled in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Small Farm program online and learned how to grow mushrooms. She incorporated as a 501c3 because, as she put it, there aren’t enough places available for youth to come and learn.

Families, school children and Master Gardeners are all encouraged to come to Heartland Organics for a tour and learn how mushrooms grow.

It starts with a bag of oats, which are put in a quart jar and water added. A clone is taken from a mushroom and placed on an agar plate. When it starts to grow, it is transferred to the jar of sterilized grain, where it roots, or mycelium form. That, then, is transferred to five-pound bags of oats where colonization begins. The bags are placed in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room, where in two to three months, mushrooms are ready to harvest.

Barnett grows a variety of mushrooms, including Lion’s mane, black pearl, blue oyster, yellow oyster, maitake (known as Hen in the Woods because they grow wild under oak trees), shiitake and chestnut.

Chestnut mushrooms are sold to Harvest Restaurant at Bent’s Opera House in Medina, where chef Lionel Heydel uses them in his menus.

Besides being delicious to eat, mushrooms have wonderful medicinal value, Barnett said. She said they lower cholesterol and can raise or lower blood pressure.

Elaine Barnett looks over mushrooms growing in the colonizing room at Heartland Organics, 8999 Ridge Rd. in Johnson Creek. The room is temperature controlled and humidified.

She said Lion’s mane is known to repair and renew the neurons in the brain and there is some success in giving it to Parkinson’s patients and Alzheimer’s patients.

Barnett makes and sells a powder made from ground Lion’s mane, which can be added to coffee or any food. She sells one-pound bags of coffee with the Lion’s mane in it, and it cannot be detected.

When bags of mushrooms are fully colonized, they are cut from the bag and the mycelium becomes mulch in her organic garden.

Barnett has a small store on her property, where she sells locally made honey, soaps, beeswax mats, jewelry, coffee and, of course, mushrooms. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

She also sells her products every Saturday at the Canal Village Farmer’s Market in Medina and the Lockport market every other week.

Excess mushrooms are dehydrated and made into jerky or powder to use in coffee or recipes.

A mushroom breathes, just like a human, taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, Barnett said. That is why the colonizing room where they grow has to be ventilated to keep the air clean.

Heartland Organics welcomes volunteers to do hands-on work. They can be reached at heartlandorganics@yahoo.com.

(Left) A black pearl mushroom is ready to be harvested Heartland Organics in Johnson Creek.  (Right) A maitake mushroom, also known as “Hen of the Woods,” has amazing health benefits, according to Elaine Barnett, who owns Heartland Organics in Johnson Creek.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3 No. 4

ALBION – Albion’s Main Street bridge across the Erie Canal is a significant structure on Route 98, a busy north-south road.

The swing-bridge, photographed above, built in 1871, was replaced in 1913-14 by the lift bridge currently under repair. The Barge Canal Improvement Project 1905-1918, which widened the existing canal to accommodate larger, taller barge traffic, necessitated the replacement of the swing bridge.

Then, as now, the bridge project was a cause of inconvenience to many.  Newspapers followed the project closely, as the following extracts show:

Orleans Republican, Nov. 20, 1912: Work has begun on the temporary bridge* at Main St. It should be made wide enough to carry the traffic properly and to hold up the new fire truck and fire engine. (*A temporary bridge was necessary as the Ingersoll Bridge was not built until later)

Orleans Republican – Dec. 4, 1912: The old swing bridge was finally demolished last Friday. The work of blasting out the concrete wall and the stone pile which supported the bridge is progressing rapidly.

Orleans Republican – Dec. 18, 1912: The Cooper Company* has installed a bright electric light with reflectors to aid in night work on the canal at Main Street. (W.S. Cooper Barge Contacting Company)

This May 1913 photo shows the new lift bridge trusses in place.

The new lift bridge was 132 ft. in length and had a span of 116 ft. It was built between 1912-1914 by the Lackawanna Bridge Company of Buffalo and I.M. Ludington’s Sons Inc. of Rochester, NY.

Democrat and Chronicle – May 16, 1913: ALBION BRIDGE AT LAST LOWERED

After removing about fifteen tons of cement block chips from the two sixty-ton cement counter-balance weights of the new electrically operated lift bridge at Main Street over the Erie Canal here, the bridge was finally lowered this afternoon about 3 o’clock with the two 12 horsepower electric motors installed west of the operator’s tower on the towpath side of the canal.

Orleans Republican – May 28, 1913: BRIDGE IN USE

The new lift bridge over the canal on Main Street was lowered for the first time on Tuesday afternoon of last week and traffic over the “raging Erie” was resumed in a straight line after many months of circling over the temporary structure.

The first vehicle to cross was a delivery auto driven by H.T. Stockton and other conveyances, as well as foot passengers who scrambled to be “one of the first” to walk over the new bridge.

The bridge is several feet higher than the old swing bridge and at present the approach on either side is very steep and abrupt. We hope this will soon be remedied.

As is often the case with technology, there were some glitches at the beginning which caused problems:

Democrat & Chronicle – June 10, 1913: APPOINT TRAFFIC OFFICER – To Watch Canal Bridge at Albion During Rush Hours

A new position has been created at the Main Street Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal by the appointment of Paul Kaneski, of this village, as temporary traffic officer at that time. He will be on duty ten hours each day and evening, working at such times that traffic is heaviest and will prevent fast driving of automobiles and horse drawn vehicles.

Albion’s new lift bridge, July 31, 1913.

Democrat & Chronicle, July 13, 1913: ALBION BRIDGE IS SPUNKY – Goes Up in the Air and Refuses to Come Down for an Hour

Traffic across the Erie Canal in this village was at a standstill for about an hour on Saturday afternoon during the rush hour, when the Main Street electric lift bridge refused to work after being elevated to let a boat pass through.

The bridge has given considerable trouble in being operated and experts who have charge of that work for the state have failed to remedy the defect.

Electrician Paul R. West, of this village, was summoned after the bridge had been set out of service for an hour and discovered that a piece of cement which had been dislodged and had fallen back of a break band causing it to fail to release. He removed the chip, and the bridge was lowered.

Buffalo News, July 28, 1913: BOATS RAM BRIDGE

The new $40,000 lift-bridge which spans the Erie Canal in Albion was damaged Saturday when three heavily laden lumber boats crashed into it. Bridgetender Martin Lucas stated that the bridge would not lift, and the barges were carried downstream by the current.

Democrat and Chronicle, May 31, 1915: ALBION AUTOS CAUGHT AS BRIDGE IS RAISED

At noon on Saturday, Frank Lund and family of West Gaines, were driving over the Main Street bridge when the bridge started to rise, as Mr. Lund contends, without the customary bell signal having been sounded. As the car left the south end of the bridge, the auto dropped about three feet in front, leaving the rear part suspended on the bridge, breaking the crank casing. The bridge was lowered, and the car moved off.

Also, on Saturday, a woman driving on Main Street was part way on the bridge when it raised and left her machine partly on the ground and partly on the bridge which was lowered, after being raised several feet.

As we observe the dramatic images of the removal of the Main Street Bridge trusses this past week, we can but marvel at the accomplishments of the original bridge building team.

Photo and information courtesy of Medina Mustang Band

MEDINA – Medina is hosting two winter guard groups this season. The varsity guard consists of 14 students, including seven seniors. These varsity members are in grades 9-12. The JV or cadet guard consists of 15 students in grades 5 to 9.

The winter guard season started in November with auditions.

On Saturday, the varsity guard competed for the first time this season at Orchard Park where 17 guards in total performed. Medina is in the Scholastic A class and came in 5th place with a score of 55.56.

Victor earned 1st place with a score of 63.95. Winners in the other classes were Victor JV in Cadets with 45.70; Ventures in Regional A with 58.22; Gates Chili in the A1 class with 54.96;  Gates-Chili Independent in the Independent A class with 65.19; Luminosa in the Senior class with 68.16.

Medina’s next performances are this Saturday, Feb. 4, at Victor and Feb. 18 at Batavia;  March 4 at Lancaster;  March 11 in Medina for a home show; March 25 at Jamestown and April 1 for the Championships at Gates.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Firefighters are working to stop a rekindled chimney fire this afternoon at 14001 Ridge Rd. in Gaines.

Firefighters were dispatched to the historic home from 1825 at about 2:30 a.m. They were called back at about noon today after there was smoke and heat in the insulation and the trusses of the attic.

Albion, Medina and Carlton firefighters are at the scene of the home owned by the Mack family. The site is at the intersection with Route 279 (Gaines-Waterport Road).

There will be a 10 percent increase in Chinook salmon stocking in lake Ontario this year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced along with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The DEC said it will stock 985,180 Chinook salmon this year, up about 90,000 from the 2022 number.

The DEC said is adapts the stocking levels based on alewife biomass and Chinook salmon growth and condition. The alewife biomass increased in 2022 and the weight of age-3 salmon increased to 20.7 pounds in 2022, staying above the lower threshold of 18.4 pounds, the DEC said..

The stocking levels for the Chinook salmon in 2023 include:

• Oak Orchard Creek – 126,330
• Niagara River – 89,930
• Eighteenmile Creek (Olcott) – 126,330
• Genesee River – 126,330
• Oswego River – 126,330
• Salmon River – 300,000
• Sackets Harbor (Black River) – 89,930

The DEC said it will continue to adaptively manage the salmon and trout stocking levels to ensure a predator-prey balance in Lake Ontario while continuing “to provide world-class fishing opportunities for years to come.”

Fishing is Orleans County’s top tourism industry with a $28 million annual impact, according to a DEC study and survey from 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, according to that report.

Provided photos

ALBION – Orleans County Deputy Sheriff Matt Prawel, Albion’s school resource officer, lets sixth grader Anthony Napoli try on a vest during a visit last week to Tim Archer’ s citizenship class in the middle school.

Deputy Prawel was joined by Deputy George Barton and Sgt. Adam Hazel in discussing training, tactics, jurisdiction and cooperation with other agencies. Barton and Hazel are both members of the county’s SWAT team.

The law enforcement officers also discussed the 911 dispatch center, road and marine patrols, weapons and equipment, and Otto, the county’s K9.

Tim Archer, teacher of the citizenship class, is at left. He is joined by Deputy Prawel, Deputy Barton and Sgt. Hazel.

“It was a great couple days for the students to learn from and appreciate our local law enforcement,” Archer said.

Covid-19 wasn’t in the news as much in 2022 as the previous two years with many of the restrictions lifted and the return of community festivals, in-person and indoor graduations and other large events. Life was pretty much back to normal locally.

But there were actually more confirmed Covid cases in both Genesee and Orleans counties in 2022 than in either 2021 or 2020. The number of deaths from Covid was down in 2022 from the previous year in the two counties. However, the two counties reported 71 confirmed Covid-related deaths.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments  continue to urge people to keep up with their Covid vaccinations and take precautions to avoid getting Covid and other respiratory illnesses.

The Orleans Hub asked the local health departments for the data on Covid cases and deaths each year since the Covid pandemic started in March 2020.

These charts provide the confirmed cases in each county, and the deaths attributed to Covid.

In the nearly three years of Covid, there have been 18,775 cases in Genesee (population 58,388) and 206 deaths.

In Orleans (population 40,343), there have been 12,055 confirmed Covid cases and 126 deaths. Those numbers in both counties don’t include January of 2023.

The two counties had their biggest Covid surge of the pandemic to start 2022. Orleans County had 855 confirmed cases in the week of Jan. 5-11, followed by 645 the following week and then 521 from Jan. 19-25, 2022.

The numbers are far less a year later. The county reported 41 cases from Jan. 11 to 17, 2023, and then 72 from Jan. 18-24.

Genesee’s omicron surge about a year ago included 1,848 cases from Jan. 5-11, 2022, followed by 1,014 from Jan. 12-18 and then 847 the following week.

Genesee has significantly fewer cases now. The county reported 73 cases from Jan. 11-17, and then 60 cases from Jan. 18-24.

After the huge increase in cases about a year ago from the omicron variant, the two counties had another increase in cases in April and May, and then a slight uptick in September and around Thanksgiving, said Kaitlin Pettine, director of health promotion and public information officer for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

“Currently, Covid-19 cases continue to fluctuate and we are at medium level of risk per the CDC,” Pettine said. “Seasonal flu and other respiratory illness continue to circulate.”

She said the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments continues to recommend the following precautions to help avoid spreading Covid and other respiratory illnesses:

• Stay home when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you are coughing and sneezing.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Wash and sanitize frequently shared/touched items.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Jack Welch, Orleans County chief administrative officer, assisted at a rapid test clinic in early January 2021 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. He is shown in a driver’s side mirror of a car in line. The volunteers wore personal protective equipment when they ran the rapid test clinics during the winter.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The truss on the west side of the Main Street lift bridge is hoisted this afternoon at about 2:30. The first one was removed with a crane at about 11:45 a.m.

Both trusses have been set on a cradle on the north side of the canal where they will be either rehabilitated or the corroding steel will be taken off and replaced with new high-pressured beams and other steel.

The state Department of Transportation is having a major overhaul of the bridge from 1914. It last received extensive work in the 1980s and has had frequent repairs since then, said Jon Long, engineer in charge for the state DOT.

Editor’s Note: Matt Ballard, a former Orleans County historian, thinks the removal of the bridge today is more likely the first time there hasn’t been a Main Street bridge over the canal since 1859. When the 1914 bridge was built, there also was a temporary bridge in place to allow for some traffic.

Ballard suspects Albion last didn’t have a bridge across Main Street after the bridge collapse on Sept. 28, 1859. That day there were 250 people crowded on the bridge, and five horses. The crowd assembled to watch a tight-rope walker west of the bridge. He took a few steps on the tight rope and then the bridge collapsed, killing 15 people.

Here is how the bridge looked this morning before the trusses were removed. This is looking west from the Ingersoll Street bridge.

Clark Rigging & Rental used a big crane with a 400-ton capacity to lift the trusses, which each weighed an estimated 53,000 pounds.

Here is the scene soon after the second truss was removed this afternoon.

The rebuilt trusses are expected to be put back across the canal in August or September, with additional work on the bridge to follow. The bridge closed to traffic in November for the 18-month rehabilitation project. A similar effort will start in April in Brockport.

The state DOT is paying $28.3 million to contractors for the two projects.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems of Spencerport is general contractor for the project, with BVR Construction Company in Churchville hired as a subcontractor for the structural steel work on the bridge rehabilitation.

Here are some other photos this afternoon during the removal and lifting of the second truss.

The trusses had to be cut free from the lifting frame at each end of the bridge.

The 115-foot-long truss is lifted over the control tower and wires stretched across the canal.

The lifting of the trusses drew many onlookers throughout the morning and afternoon.

Ken Pettine and Junior LaMartina of Albion missed the first truss in the morning but they camped out in the village parking lot by the canal for about an hour to watch the second truss be removed.

“It’s amazing to see what they do,” Pettine said. “These guys were unbelievable. They know exactly what they are doing.”

Press Release, WNY chapter of Alzheimer’s Association

BUFFALO – Yesterday’s tragedy involving a woman with Alzheimer’s disease who died after leaving her home in Middleport has prompted the Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to offer information to help prevent wandering by people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.

“We want to offer our sincere and deepest sympathies to the family of Diane Harvey, and as people who work every day with those living with dementia and their caregivers, we share in their heartache,” says Andrea Koch, director of education for the WNY Chapter.

It is estimated that 60% of people with dementia will wander and become lost at some point, due to losing their ability to recognize familiar places and faces. If not found within 24 hours, up to half of wandering individuals will suffer serious injury or death. The WNY Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offers several safety measures to help curb wandering.

“We have allocated funds from our New York State Department of Health grants to offer free enrollment in Medic Alert + Wandering Support, which provides medical ID bracelets for people living with dementia,” Koch said.

To enroll through the Alzheimer’s Association, a family submits medical information, emergency contact info, and a recent photo to Medic Alert, so that in the event a person wanders, a) they have ID on them even if they’re not carrying a wallet or purse and b) Medic Alert can act as an information hub, sending out all pertinent information to all local first responders.

“The hope is that this will speed up the process of locating the person and ensure that first responders have all pertinent medical info in case there is a medical emergency when the person is found,” Koch said. “We also offer a companion bracelet for caregivers, so, for example, if a caregiver is injured while running a quick errand, first responders will know there is someone living with dementia they need to go check on.”

The WNY Chapter also can offer free door alarms for families so they will know if someone opens a door unexpectedly.

“Unfortunately, these aren’t foolproof systems, but these tools do offer added layers of protection,” Koch said. “The heartbreaking truth is that wandering can happen unexpectedly and with little warning. In our unforgiving WNY winters, families and first responders may need every tool at their disposal to avoid a tragedy like the one we saw yesterday. Our chapter has taken these added steps to provide resources locally in the hope we can prevent this whenever possible.”

The Alzheimer’s Association also offers the following tips to help families prevent their loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia from wandering:

• Identify the time of day the person is most likely to wander. Plan things to do during this time including exercise as it may help reduce anxiety, agitation and restlessness.
• Create a daily plan. Involve the person in daily activities, such as folding laundry or preparing dinner.
• Reassure the person if he or she feels lost, abandoned or disoriented.
• Consider using a GPS device. If the person is still safely driving, this can help if they get lost.
• Remove access to car keys. If the person is no longer driving, they may forget that they no longer drive.
• Avoid busy places. Shopping malls and other busy areas can be confusing and cause disorientation.
• Assess the person’s response to new surroundings. Do not leave someone with dementia unsupervised if new surroundings may cause confusion, disorientation or agitation.

If a family member does wander and get lost, begin your search immediately. Start by searching the immediate vicinity, including “less-traveled” areas in your home. Outside the home, search the yard and nearby surroundings. Most people who wander are found within a half mile of their homes or starting location.

If, after 15 minutes, the person is not located, call 911 to file a missing person’s report. New York State law enforcement can issue a Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert, to alert the public that an individual who is at least 18 years old and has a cognitive disorder, mental disability or brain disorder has gone goes missing. This program allows for the rapid dissemination of information that can result in an individual’s safe return.

“It breaks our hearts when we hear families say, ‘We wish we knew about the Alzheimer’s Association sooner,’” Koch said. “If there is anyone in Western New York struggling with caring for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, please know that around-the-clock support and abundant free resources are just a phone call away.”

The WNY Chapter can provide families with a free Safety Services brochure with more information. To receive one, call 716.626.0600 ext. 313 or email ctorgalski@alz.org.

To learn more about ways to prevent wandering or how to take action when wandering occurs, visit alz.org or call 800-272-3900.