The powerful gusts of wind are knocking down trees and wires in Orleans County.

Trees have been knocked down on South Holley Road and Lake Road in Clarendon, Eagle Harbor Road in Gaines, and Waterport Road and Sawyer Road in Carlton with wires down on Bills Road in Carlton and Eagle Harbor Road in Albion and Gaines.

National Grid reports 150 customers are without power in Orleans, and restoration is expected by 2 p.m.

A high wind warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. That high wind warning includes Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, Genesee, Wyoming and northern Erie counties.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A new historical marker was installed last month on Chamberlain Street in Albion, near Temperance Street.

The marker honors Henry A. Spencer, an Albion native who was the first African-American student at the University of Rochester. The marker is by the childhood home of Spencer on Chamberlain Street.

Spencer was a pall bearer for Frederick Douglass’s funeral, a member of Frederick Douglass Memorial Committee, and secretary for the NYS Assembly.

Photograph of Henry Spencer, courtesy of the University of Rochester

The $1,500 cost for the marker was paid for by the Pomeroy Foundation. The effort was spearheaded by Tim Archer’s seventh-grade service learning class at Albion Middle School.

The Albion Department of Public Works installed the new marker.

Spencer’s father came to Western New York with local Union army officers at the conclusion of the Civil War. The father, Henry Spencer, arrived in Orleans County with Lt. Hiram Sickels of the 17th New York Light Independent Artillery sometime around 1866, and then brought his wife and children to the area, former County Historian Matt Ballard wrote in a column published on Feb. 22, 2020.

One of Spencer’s sons, Henry Austin, worked as an errand boy as a teen-ager and also attended local schools, but only for about three months out of the year. He would then attend a boarding school in Philadelphia and then the Brockport Normal School where he graduated in 1880 as the Gamma Sigma orator, an honor that earned him a full scholarship to the University of Rochester.

After the U of R, he studied law under the Hon. George H. Smith of Rochester. Spencer would then be appointed to a position in Albany in the speaker’s room thanks to a former University of Rochester classmate, Hon. James M. E. O’Grady, according to Ballard’s research.

When S. Fred Nixon assumed the role as speaker of the State Assembly, Spencer was appointed as Nixon’s confidential clerk, a position which he continued to hold through the tenure of the Hon. James Wadsworth, Jr.

“Upon his retirement in 1929, he had served in government for over 30 years and worked for a period of time under Governor Alfred E. Smith and other prominent state officials,” Ballard wrote. “At the time of his death on September 25, 1935 in Rochester, he was one of the area’s more prominent African-American citizens. He was a past grand master of the New York State Colored Masons, an organization which consisted of over 2,000 members across New York.”

Provided photo: Doctors Todd Prier, left, and Joseph Misiti have joined forces to provide surgical services at Medina Memorial Hospital. When Dr. Misiti donated his practice to Orleans Community Health, he also decided to join the new surgeon.

MEDINA – When Dr. Joseph Misiti announced earlier this year he would donate his practice to Orleans Community Health, his office moved into Medina Memorial Hospital, and the search began for an additional surgeon.

In the summer, Dr. Todd Prier was hired and assumed his duties in the hospital, working with Dr. Misiti, who will stay for undetermined time.

Dr. Prier was born in Kansas City, but grew up in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, where his father was working.

Dr. Prier knew he wanted to be a surgeon after watching a surgery show on a public broadcasting station.

“It was the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen,” he said.

Prier entered the University of Guelph to study kinesiology and would earn his doctorate of medicine at the University of the Caribbean on St. Maarten’s. His first internship was at a Yale affiliate in Connecticut, followed by the Henry Ford Hospital for Surgery in Detroit.

His first practice was in Northern Michigan in a town of 1,500 people. The hospital had 50 beds.

For the last 13 years, Dr. Prier has practiced in Binghamton. He was looking for a change, he said, because he wanted to be closer to his parents in Canada, when he applied for the job in Medina.

He specializes in endocrine surgery, thyroid (he did up to a 100 surgeries a year in Binghamton), esophageal surgery, GI surgeries, as well as laparoscopic hernia, abdominal, colon surgeries wall reconstruction and general surgery.

With the addition of Dr. Prier and continuation of Dr. Misiti, Medina Memorial Hospital will be able to do more surgeries, Dr. Prier said. Doctors Thomas Russo and Jennifer Griffith with Rochester Regional Health are also affiliated with Medina Memorial Hospital.

Kimberly Gray, chief nursing officer and director of surgical services, said, “The addition of Dr. Prier allows us to return more services to our Medina community. In addition to him working with us full time, we’ve added more hours, putting us in a very good place.”

KENDALL – The Town of Kendall won’t be spending money for ambulance services in 2023, Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata said today.

A proposal from Monroe Ambulance sought $18,000 from Kendall as part of a seven-town consortium for ambulance services in Orleans County. Monroe is seeking $200,000 from the seven towns in a contract in an agreement that would have Monroe stationing two ambulances in the county – one in Albion and one in Holley.

But Cammarata said there are already agreements in place for ambulance services in Kendall for 2023, without costing the town.

The Kendall Fire District has a contract with Monroe Ambulance as the primary ambulance provider. That fire district covers Kendall from the Carlton town line heading east to Norway Road.

The Hamlin Morton Walker Fire District includes the rest of the town from Norway Road to the Hamlin town line, and also includes Hamlin. That district has an agreement with Mercy Flight for ambulance services at no cost, Cammarata said. Mercy Flight recently took over for COVA, which was operating in Hamlin.

“I’m very happy because I don’t have to pay $18,000 and we’re getting coverage,” Cammarata said.

The town supervisor said he spoke with leadership with the two fire districts and they said the town didn’t need to do an agreement on its own with either Monroe or Mercy Flight because there are already existing contracts through the fire districts.

“It was a very easy decision to make once I had all the factual data,” Cammarata said.

Four of the seven towns in the consortium – Albion, Barre, Clarendon and Murray – have approved a contract with Monroe for 2023. Carlton and Gaines officials have scheduled a joint meeting for 6 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the Carlton Town Hall to discuss ambulance services.

Kendall is the last town in Orleans County to lose its volunteer-run ambulance. The Kendall Fire Department announced in October it would cease its ambulance service on Dec. 31 and look to sell its ambulance. That volunteer squad in recent years would respond to about 200 calls a year.

“This was a difficult decision that we did not take lightly. Due to lengthy transport times and lack of staffing, we are unable to offer a service that lives up to the standards we believe that Kendall, and the surrounding communities, deserves,” according to a letter to the community in October from Kendall FD President Bryan Hardenbrook and Fire Chief Dan Schultz.

Beginning on Jan. 1, many 911 calls in Kendall will still have Kendall personnel on scene to start treatment. An ambulance will respond and people will be transported, if needed, to a hospital, Hardenbrook and Schultz said.

Cammarata said the Monroe and Mercy Flight agreements with the fire districts are for 2023, and will be re-evaluated next year.

He said Kendall is in a different situation from the other six towns negotiating the ambulance contract because Kendall has the two fire districts, including one that stretches into another town and county.

“2024 will be a whole new decision-making process and we’ll look to start that early,” Cammarata said. “Next year, it may be that the consortium is the way to go. For now, in 2023, we will have ambulance coverage. This is our best decision for now. The other towns can meet and decide what’s best for them.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: About 20 tractors and trucks were decorated in lights for the third annual Barre Lighted Tractor Parade in December 12, 2020. This group of tractors includes one driven by Kurt Dudley in center. Last year’s parade was cancelled due to high winds.

BARRE – The lighted tractor parade will be back on Dec. 10, heading down Route 98 at 5:30 p.m.

Last year’s 4^th annual tractor parade was cancelled when there were high winds.

This year organizers at the Barre Betterment Committee applied for a second date, Dec. 11, in the permit with the state Department of Transportation. That’s just in case there is bad weather on Dec. 10. Last year the BBC didn’t have a backup date with the permit.

Tractors should show up near the Van Lieshout farm on East Barre Road by 5:15 p.m. They will then head north on Route 98 to the Barre Town Park. No RSVPs are needed.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Holley Elementary School is pictured recently on North Main Street.

HOLLEY – The school district will present an $18.1 million capital project to the community in a vote on Dec. 13.

Voting will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Holley Middle/High School Foyer, 16848 Lynch Rd. Eligible voters must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen and a legal resident of the district for at least 30 days.

The project will be funded with $14.1 million in state aid and $4 million that is already in a Holley capital reserve fund. School leaders say there won’t be any new taxes on residents with the project.

The proposed project is focused on safety, program improvements and site renovations, according to a newsletter about the project.

“We focused on the following three areas: keeping our schools safe, enhancing and increasing educational opportunities for our students, and ensuring our buildings and grounds, including The Woodlands, are in outstanding condition for many years to come,” District Superintendent Brian Bartalo and Board of Education President Robin Silvis wrote in a letter to the community.

The scope of the project includes:

Safety

• New secure entrances at the Elementary School and Middle/High School
• Security film applied to doors at both schools’ main entrances

Program Improvements

• Music rooms renovated in both schools
• New STEM and instructional spaces created at the ES
• M/HS Auditorium lighting updated

Site Renovations

• New bleachers, scoreboard, lights and parking lot installed at The Woodlands
• Air conditioning established in remaining ES classrooms
• Storage added inside and outside district buildings
• Signage increased on campus
• Track resurfaced in Hawk Stadium
• Hawk Drive and sidewalks upgraded

Holley’s last capital vote was in December 2014. The district leaders expect the new project, if approved by voters, would then need detailed plans to be prepared by Holley’s architects and construction management team. Those plans would be submitted to the state Education Department for review, a process that typically takes several months.

Bartalo and Silvis said the district is pushing to have all the needed approvals and bidding process on schedule for construction to start in the summer of 2024.

“The timing of the planning and construction comes when we can maximize state aid dollars to maintain zero tax impact,” Bartalo and Silvis said in their letter.

For more information on the project, click here.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Christmas decorations are up in the Courthouse Square and downtown area in Albion. This one is in front of the County Clerks Building.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a high wind watch on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The watch includes Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Monroe, Wyoming and northern Erie counties.

The Weather Service said there will be southwest winds from 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 60 mph possible.

“Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines,” the Weather Service said. “Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.”

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45 years old. It is being mixed illegally with drugs like counterfeit painkillers, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, so the lethal dose is much smaller. You cannot see, taste or smell fentanyl, but there is something you can do to protect others.

Getting trained to administer naloxone can help get those that are experiencing an overdose the time they need to get help. Naloxone is an FDA-approved medication that works to reverse an opioid overdose, including a fentanyl overdose. Naloxone works as an opioid antagonist by binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of opioids.

In Genesee County, fentanyl has caused a large number of deaths, and has even been found mixed in with other drugs. Since 2018, there have been 58 fatal opioid overdoses in the county, with 10 additional deaths still pending official causes of death as of November 2022. In 2020, Genesee County experienced 15 fatal opioid overdoses (25.7 per 100,000). With a higher fatal opioid overdose rate than that of New York State in 2020 (21.8 per 100,000), it is especially important for Genesee County residents to know the signs of an overdose so naloxone can be administered.

If someone is having difficulty breathing, is unconscious, choking, or experiencing discoloration of their skin or lips, an overdose may be occurring. Naloxone can be used to reverse both fentanyl and other opioid overdoses, such as heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and methadone. There is no harm in administering naloxone if an overdose is not occurring or opioids are not in the body.

The Naloxone Co-Payment Assistance Program, commonly referred to as N-CAP, can help individuals obtain naloxone. If you have prescription coverage as part of your health insurance plan, N-CAP will cover up to $40 in prescription co-payments. This ensures there are little to no out-of-pocket expenses for those getting naloxone at their local New York State pharmacy, all of which provide naloxone through a standing order that allows you to get this medication without a prescription. To learn more about N-CAP, please visit: www.health.ny.gov/overdose.

Individuals who use any type of illicit substance or misuse prescribed opioids are at risk of experiencing an overdose. Now more than ever, it is important to have naloxone nearby. Encourage your loved ones to be trained, carry naloxone, and tell their friends where they keep it in case they overdose. Reversing an overdose can be done in four steps: call 911, administer naloxone by inserting into the nostril and pressing the plunger, give CPR if trained, and stay until help arrives.

To learn more about fentanyl and naloxone, visit:

• HEALing Communities Study Website: www.HealTogetherNY.org/Genesee
• GOW Opioid Taskforce Website: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org/
• GO Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/GOHealthNY

Photo by Tom Rivers: The county will replace its fuel farm on West Academy Street in Albion, a $1.5 million project to be paid out of the county’s building & reserve fund.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday unanimously passed a $93,702,812 budget for 2023 that doesn’t increase taxes.

Spending is up by about $15 million – from $78,691,774 in 2022. A big increase in capital projects is the primary reason for the budget growth.

The county has a long list of capital projects totaling $13,618,267, which is up from the $5,066,125 in the 2022 budget.

“This is a  record-breaking investment for us in capital projects,” said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer and budget officer.

He outlined the budget during a public hearing on Wednesday in the legislative chambers of the County Office Building. The Legislature then voted 7-0 to adopt that plan.

The tax levy, what the county collects in property taxes, remains at $18,657,000. The tax rate, however, will drop 22 cents from $10.09 to $9.87 per $1,000 of assessed property.

Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman, said the budget “is a smart, fiscally responsible plan that funds our DPW, public safety and makes key investments in public health and wellness, economic and workforce development, and in restoring and rebuilding our critical community infrastructure that contributes to our quality of life.”

The county has collected big increases above budget in sales tax in recent years. Next year will be the first time the county’s budget for sales tax at $18,853,000 exceeds the tax levy. That number is up $1 million from the budget in 2022 for sales tax.

Sales tax on online purchases has been the biggest driver in the increase, Welch said.

The $13.6 million in capital projects is believed to be the most in county history, Welch said, and is up from the $5,066,125 in 2022.

Some of the capital projects for 2023 include:

• $1.5 million for replacement of the county’s fuel farm
• $1,390,000 for a solar farm and energy efficiency project (by the Emergency Management Office on West Countyhouse Road)
• $2,096,100 to replace the Angling Road bridge
• $1,040,00 to replace the bridge on Route 237
• $999,616 for the Lakeshore Road bridge project
• $776,000 for Taylor Hill Road culvert replacement
• $1,890,000 for highway reconstruction
• $740,000 for an addition to the DPW
• $792,615 for CAD and RMS software in the Sheriff’s Office
• $200,000 for jail repairs
• $90,000, Clerk and Courthouse parking lot
• $25,000, Courthouse dome lighting project

“The proposed 2023 budget is encouraging as it keeps property taxes flat while also investing in critical infrastructure throughout the county,” Johnson said during the budget hearing. “As we move beyond direct pandemic response, we are shifting our focus to investments for our long-term future.”

The budget also includes nearly $17 million towards nine state-mandated program. The “9 for 90” accounts for about 90 percent of the county’s tax levy.

Those programs and the county cost include:

• Medicaid, $7,385,441
• Pension, $2,944,844
• Public Assistance/Safety Net, $1,915,672
• Child Welfare/Protection, $1,805,697
• Special Education, $947,038
• Probation, $711,056
• Indigent Defense, $512,889
• Mental Health – Law Expense 730.30, $401,500
• Early Intervention, $253,621
• Total of “9 for 90” – $16,877,758

The budget gives some agencies an increase and while others stay at the same level of funding.

The Orleans Economic Development will receive $200,000 in 2023, up from $190,000; Soil & Water Conservation will get $95,000, up from $92,500; and the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council will receive $4,000, up from $3,000.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension remains at $240,000 and the four public libraries continue at $10,000. Mercy Flight stays at $5,000 and the Sportsman’s Federation remains at $1,000.

The county workforce includes 345 full-time employees and 96 part-timers. There are also 163 seasonal workers with 150 in the Board of Elections.

Press Release, U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney  

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) this week was elected unanimously as New York’s regional representative to the Republican Policy Committee.

Claudia Tenney

“I’m honored to have been chosen by my colleagues in New York to represent them on the Republican Policy Committee,” Tenney said. “I look forward to working alongside them and other members of this important committee as we provide a robust platform for debate and offer commonsense, conservative solutions to the many problems facing our nation today.”

The Committee was created in 1949 as a forum for debate and to develop legislative proposals that promote commonsense conservative solutions. It also produces informational background materials for use by the House Republican Conference.

“Congresswoman Tenney will be a valuable member of the Republican Policy Committee in the 118th Congress,” said House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer (AL-6). “She is results-focused, and her foreign affairs knowledge will be an asset to the team as we work to develop sound policy ideas. As the elected representative of the New York region, I know she will continue advocating for matters important to her constituents.”

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

ALBION – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I- Batavia) today spoke about a recently filed lawsuit against The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Albion, by Attorney General Letitia James.

The Villages has been accused of financial fraud that has caused significant harm and neglect to its residents. This lawsuit has brought to attention companies that take advantage of the state’s Medicaid program.

“This alleged behavior by people who are responsible for the protection of our elderly must not be tolerated in our state,” Hawley said. “Our older generations have had to deal with tremendous pressure for the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This issue places unnecessary stress on our citizens who deserve our utmost respect and continued protection. I have always been an advocate for hospice care and will continue to support their mission. As a former Genesee County Legislator, I was proud to sponsor legislation to initiate hospice care in the county in memory of my mother.”

“My office will certainly keep a watchful eye on nursing homes in our district to ensure the safety of New York’s elderly population. Our office will continue our steadfast support of residents, families & employees of nursing home concerns, as we did during the pandemic.”

Provided photos

ALBION – A $1,300 grant from the Lions Club allowed the Leos student clubs in Albion and Lyndonville to purchase $1,300 of food to be shared with Hands 4 Hope, Orleans Koinonia Kitchen in Albion and the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries. The Leos, Lions Club members and leaders from the three ministries went shopping on Tuesday at the Save A Lot in Albion to purchase the food.

Pictured from left include Hannah Marker with Lyndonville Leos; Alyssa Prime with Lyndonville Leos; Brianna Smith with Lyndonville Leos; behind them is Gina Marker, Lyndonville Leos advisor; Mike and Faith Smith with Orleans Koinonia Kitchen; Jake Stinson, Albion Leos advisor; Amber Stinson of Albion; Kevin Lemcke with Hands 4 Hope; Jack Burris with Hands 4 Hope; Dan Conrad, regional chair of the Leos; Isla Deboard with Albion Leos; Liam Matthews with Albion Leos; Freedom Matthews with Albion Leos; Alexis Stinson of Albion; Jeff Holler with Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries; and Dora Leader with Albion Save A Lot.

Alyssa Prime, center, pushes the shopping cart while joined by Gina Marker, Leos Club advisor in Lyndonville, and Mike Smith, one of the leaders of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen.

The Koinonia Kitchen serves meals to the community every Thursday at Harvest Christian Fellowship at 560 East Ave.

Liam Matthews of Albion joins Jack Burris of Hands 4 Hope at the checkout line after they filled carts with spaghetti sauce and peanut butter. Hands 4 Hope goes to different locations in the county each Saturday offering food, clothing and prayers.

Jeff Holler, right of the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries, is joined by Brianna Smith of Lyndonville and Isla DeBoard of Albion. The Royal Body Shop runs a food ministry in Albion, including a community refrigerator outside Arnold’s Auto Parts at 116 North Liberty St.