Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

ORCAHRD PARK – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is putting out the following statement and information regarding assistance to individuals trapped in Afghanistan.

“My office is actively helping individuals trapped in Afghanistan, and we stand ready to aid others in need,” Jacobs said. “We are working diligently to assist NY-27 constituents and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants who are in harm’s way in Afghanistan. If you are a petitioner or a family member of someone trapped or know of someone who is, I urge you to share this contact information and reach out to my office as soon as possible.”

Anyone in need of assistance in NY-27 is urged to call Congressman Jacobs’ Geneseo District Office at 585-519-4002 or the Clarence District Office at 716-634-2324. In addition, they can contact the office by clicking here.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation (S.1465/A.1073) requiring banks to take several actions that prevent overdraft fees. The legislation requires banking institutions that maintain checking accounts to pay checks in the order they are received.

If a bank receives a check for a greater amount of money than the balance in the account, it may decline to pay the check. However, the banking institution must honor any smaller checks that can be paid with the existing account balance.

“The Covid pandemic had a devastating effect on our economy and as a result, many New Yorkers still struggle to pay their bills, and the arbitrary overdraft fees that banks have continued to issue only add insult to injury,” Governor Cuomo said. “This legislation will require banks to take several actions that reduce the opportunities for charging overdraft fees and keep more money in New Yorkers’ pockets. We continue to face the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and this commonsense bill will help many of the state’s residents who need it most.”

Under current law, if a banking institution receives a check for a larger amount of money than the funds in the account, it will not only dishonor that check, but all subsequent checks, even if there are sufficient funds in the account to pay them. This legislation requires banks to honor subsequent checks if they can be paid using funds in the account.

KENDALL – The Kendall community is being asked to take in an active role in helping to select the district’s next superintendent of schools. Residents can participate by filling out a survey that is available now and then attending forums with the finalists in October.

Julie Christensen is retiring Dec. 31 after 14 years of leading the district. Kendall is working with Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES 2 District Superintendent Jo Anne Antonacci in the search process for the next district leader.

A survey has been mailed to district residents and also is available online to assist the search committee. Click here to see the survey.

“It is very important for the Kendall Board of Education to hear from the community,” Antonacci said during Wednesday’s BOE meeting. “Send back your surveys.”

Candidates for the job have until Sept. 17 to submit an application. Antonacci said the position will be advertised locally, regionally and state-wide, and also through the network of 37 BOCES superintendents.

She thinks the small-school atmosphere along Lake Ontario will appeal to candidates. In a brochure describing the district for prospective candidates, Kendall is highlighted for a 100 percent high school graduation rate. The district is featured by “U.S. News and World Report” as among the top seven percent of best schools in the nation.

Kendall also has a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Agriculture and Math (STEAM) program that provides students with first-hand experiences with STEAM-related occupations at local companies. The brochure also notes that many Kendall students take college classes through GCC as well as options for Advanced Placement courses.

The district operates on a $20 million budget and has 84 certified staff and 68 other support staff. The median teacher has 10 ½ years experience and the median teacher salary is $55,844.

The brochure also notes a district enrollment of 775 students, a tax rate of $14.98 per $1,000 of assessed property and a per pupil cost of $25,782.

“Kendall Schools takes great pride in the fact that it is a small school district and can provide students with the individualized attention to help them meet their full potential,” the brochure states.

The brochure also notes all Kendall students from kindergarten to grade 12 have access to 1:1 computer devices and interactive boards have been installed in all classrooms.

“The district is using technology to help students advance their learning and prepare for future careers,” according to the brochure.

Kendall in its next superintendent is looking for an educator “who is a strong advocate for increasing levels of achievement and citizenship for all learners.”

The district wants a superintendent with effective communication skills to engage all stakeholders, classroom and/or building-level experience, a solid background in curriculum development and improving instruction experience with human resources, finance, and facilities management.

The district also states in its brochure for prospective applicants that the ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to equity for all, will support a well-rounded educational program inclusive of the arts and extracurricular activities, will champion district accomplishments and promote growth and innovation. The ideal candidate also will invest in developing strong relationships with the Board of Education and the Kendall community.

Meet the finalist forums have been scheduled for Oct. 21, 27 and 28. The goal is to have the next superintendent start on Jan. 1, 2022.

Board of Education approves reopening plan for 2021-22 school year

Photos by Tom Rivers: Nathan Loescher, a parent of three children in Kendall school district, urged the Board of Education to make mask wearing optional for students. “I think it should be a personal choice,” Loescher said during the Board of Education meeting at the junior-senior high school cafeteria.

KENDALL – The Board of Education on Wednesday evening approved a reopening plan that school officials say will have the start of the school year looking much like the year ended last June in terms of Covid restrictions and guidelines.

Students will need to continue wearing masks when social distancing isn’t possible in classrooms. They will be required to wear masks in hallways, common areas, on buses and if they are playing indoor sports such as volleyball. When students are playing outdoor sports, wearing a mask will be optional, Julie Christensen, the district superintendent, said in giving an overview of the reopening plan.

This is the main entrance to the Kendall Junior-Senior High School. The school year will begin with students needing to wear masks when they are closer to 3 feet from another person.

Social distancing is now considered 3 feet instead of 6 feet. That distance was reduced late last school year by the state Department of Health.

Kendall was able to offer in-person education for five days a week last school year and was able to space students out in the classroom at the 6-foot social distancing. The district’s student population has shrunk in recent years and the declining numbers have allowed Kendall to space out students for social distancing.

The district will be offering band, chorus and intramurals. Most students will eat lunch in their classrooms, and some will be in the cafeteria.

The district will have masks available for students. Bus drivers and cafeteria workers will be required to wear them.

The district plans to have some rapid Covid tests that it can administer and get almost immediate feedback if someone is positive for Covid.

“As you know things change on a daily basis,” Christensen said in going over the plan.

She said state and federal guidance from health officials has shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Right now the American Academy of Pediatrics, the federal Center for Disease Control and state Education Department are all recommending students, teachers and staff wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Christensen also noted that Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will become governor next week, has said the state may mandate masks for all students.

The Covid cases have been on the rise in Orleans County, the state and country with the spread of the Delta variant. Orleans is currently listed as a “red” zone by the CDC with high community spread of Covid.

“This is all subject to change,” Christensen said about Covid guidelines. “The Delta numbers are quite high.”

Three parents spoke at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting and encouraged the district to make mask wearing be optional for students. The parents who spoke were respectful, unlike some parents in other districts who have shouted and berated school board members over mask-wearing policies.

Nathan Loescher spoke at Kendall’s meeting. He has three children. He said the mask-wearing policies don’t seem to make sense, especially because people don’t have to wear them indoors at diners and restaurants.

“I think it should be a personal choice,” Loescher told the board.

Two other parents spoke and didn’t like that teachers would be required to wear masks. That makes them harder to understand and students can’t see facial expressions and how teachers mouth words.

A father of two young children in the district said the masks and Covid protocols are making young children too preoccupied with germs, to the point where they are afraid to see relatives including their grandparents.

“We’re scaring the crap out of them,” the father said.

During the Board of Education meeting, which was held in the cafeteria of the junior-senior high school, a group of kids ran by to the soccer field. They were in a close group, laughing and bumping into each other. None wore masks.

The Kendall father said it didn’t seem to make sense that there were no masks on those kids but the district would have a policy to wear masks inside when social distancing not possible.

“There is confusion all over the place,” the father said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The staff of the Medina Literacy Zone held an open house today at the education center of the Holy Trinity Church at 211 Eagle St. They also gave out backpacks and back-to-school supplies.

The staff members include, from left: Julie Johnson, case manager and job readiness training instructor; Carolyn Graff, literacy instructor and TASC examiner; Shelly Smith, literacy instructor for TASC; and Melinda Grimble, literacy instructor for TASC.

TASC stands for Test Assessing Secondary Completion Examinations, a program formerly known as the General Education Development Program (GED).

The Medina literacy Zone is program through the Orleans/Niagara BOCES. Today’s program included representatives from some of the zone’s 40 partners in the community. Some of those organizations include Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, the Orleans County Mental Health Department, Orleans County YMCA and United Way.

There were 55 backpacks available for students. The Medina Area Association of Churches paid for 25 of the backpacks and staff at the Medina Literacy Zone paid for 30. The Orleans/Niagara BOCES paid for the school supplies.

“We know many of the parents are struggling financially due to Covid and we wanted to take some stress off of them,” said Melinda Grimble, a literacy instructor in the program.

This is the classroom for Shelly Smith, a literacy instructor for TASC. She hangs stars from the ceiling with names of recent students who completed the program and passed the TASC.

Her students range in age from 16 to 60. Last year during the Covid pandemic the Medina Literacy Zone distributed 30 laptops so students could do online learning and attend Zoom videoconferencing sessions.

“Our first goal is to build confidence and hope that they can do this,” Smith said. “Then we build their skills.”

The program has a coffee cart and a $500 donation from MAAC keeps that stacked for much of the school year.

For more information on classes at the Medina Literacy Zone, call (585) 798-1420.

Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that up to $500 million in American Rescue Plan emergency rural health care funding will be newly available, Senator Gillibrand is encouraging all eligible New York entities to apply ahead of the deadline.

Applicants may apply for Impact Grants by October 12^th and Recovery Grants on a continual basis until funds are expended. Senator Gillibrand fought hard to pass the American Rescue Plan package, which included this funding to expand access to Covid-19 health care services and nutrition assistance for New York State’s rural health care facilities, tribes, and rural communities.

“The federal government is delivering on its promise to provide direct relief to our nation’s rural communities. I am so pleased to announce that up to $500 million in emergency federal funding will help bring immediate relief to thousands of rural health care systems struggling to recover from the economic impacts of the ongoing pandemic and will help strengthen their long-term sustainability,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I strongly encourage all eligible New York entities to apply before the October 12th deadline.”

Who is eligible to apply for this program?

1. Public bodies
2. Community-based nonprofits
3. Federally-recognized Tribes

What is an eligible rural area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, towns, townships, and federally-recognized Tribal lands with no more than 20,000 residents as determined by the latest U.S. Census data are eligible for this program. Facilities and projects must be located in — and primarily serve — rural areas. Population statistics may be adjusted to exclude long-term prison populations, and the first 1,500 service members living in government quarters on a military installation.

How to apply

Recovery Grants are available to help public bodies, nonprofit organizations and tribes provide immediate Covid-19 relief to support rural hospitals, health care clinics and local communities. Recovery Grant applications will be accepted on a continual basis until funds are expended. These funds may be used to:

• Increase Covid-19 vaccine distribution and telehealth capabilities;
• Purchase medical supplies;
• Replace revenue lost during the pandemic;
• Build and rehabilitate temporary or permanent structures for health care services;
• Support staffing needs for vaccine administration and testing;
• Support facility and operations expenses associated with food banks and food distribution facilities.

Impact Grants are available to help regional partnerships, public bodies, nonprofits, and tribes solve regional rural health care problems and build a stronger, more sustainable rural health care system in response to the pandemic. Impact Grant applications must be submitted to your local USDA Rural Development State Office by 4 p.m. local time on Oct. 12. USDA encourages applicants to plan and implement strategies to:

• Develop health care systems that offer a blend of behavioral care, primary care, and other medical services;
• Support health care as an anchor institution in small communities;
• Expand telehealth, electronic health data sharing, workforce development, transportation, paramedicine, obstetrics, behavioral health, farmworker health care, and cooperative home care.

USDA encourages potential applicants to review the application guide at www.rd.usda.gov/erhc.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Four of the Medina Village Board members are out visiting downtown merchants today to hear how from them how they think the village could better assist the business owners.

This photo shows Mayor Mike Sidari in front crossing Main Street, followed by trustees Jessica Marciano, Marguerite Sherman and Owen Toale.

The merchants on the south end of Main Street were very positive so far, the board members said. They were expecting to hear concerns about parking, but Sidari and the trustees said the merchants on this end of Main Street seem happy with the municipal and private lots for parking.

The board is looking at an overall parking plan for the downtown. Sidari and the board members also said they are optimistic Medina will be awarded a $10 million grant through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which would provide funding for several projects, including with Medina’s waterfront.

The board members will be out again next Wednesday to meet with more business owners in the downtown. Pictured from left include Mayor Mike Sidari and trustees Marguerite Sherman, Jessica Marciano and Owen Toale. They are wearing new shirts that they paid for themselves.

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ALBION – Orleans County is calling on the state to pay $1.6 million that Orleans says it is owed in Medicaid reimbursements from April 2016 to April 2020.

The county contends it is due the money, which are federal funds passed down to the state, as part of a provision in the Affordable Care Act with the federal government upping the Medicaid matching share. That has saved the state billions of dollars, the Orleans County Legislature stated in a resolution.

Those savings should then be shared with counties, which pay a local share towards Medicaid, county legislators said.

The state has a methodology where 80 percent of the increased federal funds should go to counties. However, the state has last reconciled with the counties in the state’s 2015-16 fiscal year.

The New York State Association of Counties estimates the state owes $800 million to all of the counties and New York City through withheld Medicaid reimbursements.

“By not providing these federal funds it requires counties and New York City to reserve funds locally to make up for the loss, meaning local taxes have been kept higher than they need to be over multiple years, or local services had to be scaled back or eliminated,” county legislators stated in a resolution.

Legislators called on the state to take immediate steps to release the funds, and to provide timely notice to counties of the coming year’s Medicaid costs. The resolution from the County Legislature was sent to the Governor’s Office and the State Legislature.

‘Every outhouse in Gaines had been tipped over at one point or another.’

Jim Thurber’s store building, c. 1915, Gaines, attracted many pranksters, especially at the chicken coop.

By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 2 No. 32

When skimming through the pages of published history material, one can occasionally come across some shenanigans that might best be described as a prank, but I’m sure to the subject of the prank, it probably seemed more like a real nuisance.

Case in point, in 1979, (William) Clure Appleton (1902-1982) reflected on his days growing up in Gaines at the corner of Routes 104 and 279.  Clure said, “When I was a kid, the boys and girls weren’t much different than they are today, except they didn’t take drugs and they didn’t drink to excess. However, they were full of mischief and I remember distinctly some of the things that happened on Halloween.”

It seems the cooper shop (barrel maker) was a frequent Halloween target. The boys took great sport in taking apart a barrel rack that was located outside of the cooperage, and removed it to be reassembled on the shop roof.  Clure offered, “It was also a common occurrence for the boys to place a buggy or sleigh on top of the schoolhouse roof.”

Outhouses, as essential as they were to everyday life, were another frequent target of pranksters. Clure remarked that he thought “every outhouse in Gaines had been tipped over at one point or another.”  It didn’t seem to matter if someone was in the shanty at the time, or not.

Any gathering of a half-dozen or more boys usually became fodder for a prank. Clure remembered that raids on local henhouses were a frequent occurrence, too.  Jim Thurber’s chicken coop was a perennial favorite amongst the jokesters. Jim ran the store in the Grange building and kept his prize chickens outside under watchful eye. He had won many awards at the Orleans County Fair for his hens and roosters.

On one night in question, Clure and the Schuler boys were enjoying a card game and realized they had become powerfully hungry. The Schuler boys went over to Jim’s chicken house, one boy going inside and one staying outside as “lookout.” The chickens, of course, started to make a ruckus which aroused the ever alert Jim Thurber from his domestic tranquility. The lookout boy saw Jim coming with a lantern and knocked on the chicken house door to alert the chicken burglar, who quickly crawled down underneath the brooder.

Jim entered the coop, held his lantern up to count his chickens, and seeing all his chickens in place, decided it must have been a rat that aroused his fowl, and went back into the house. Once the coast was clear, the Shuler boy reached up and grabbed the prize rooster and proceeded to wring his neck. The nefarious plan then led the boys to a nearby dryhouse where apples and other fruit were dehydrated over a smoldering fire.  The boys then cooked their prized chicken for the enjoyment of the card party. Of course, the next morning, when Jim Thurber discovered the loss of his prize chicken, he offered a few choice words in return, but unfortunately, had no rooster to show at that year’s fair.

Knickerbocker Dry Goods, Gaines, at left above.

Jim Thurber wasn’t the only merchant that fell victim to frequent pranks. Another local shopkeeper, Harm Knickerbocker ran a store on the northeast corner in Gaines, next to the Grange Hall.  The store was a brick building and the Knickerbockers lived up over the store. Harm didn’t run much of a store, though.

Reports are common that a typical day’s trade in the store was a meager ten or fifteen cents. Most of his stock in trade was several years old at best.  Well the local boys had a bad habit of taking advantage of Mr. Knickerbocker’s good nature and would enter the store and request a penny’s worth of product from the far end of the building. During his travels, the kids would “help him” get rid of some his stale candy or tobacco by “helping” themselves.

Clure Appleton noted that later in life, he came to his senses and had regrets for his actions, but hindsight is always 20/20. As far as smoking the aforementioned tobacco was concerned, Clure’s father told him that if he was ever going to smoke, it was not going to be behind the barn, and if he did, his father would tan his hide. Any smoking Clure did had to be out in the open, under his father’s watchful eye, which he later reported, started him on a smoking habit that lasted 65 years.

And for intoxicating beverages, Clure said he learned another valuable lesson at an early age. He asked his Sunday school teacher if it was a “sin to drink too much.” She agreed that it was. But, also offered, “Clure, it’s a sin to eat too much, work too much, or play too much.”  But her last admonition struck a note with Clure said he remembered it his whole life.  “Everything that is carried to excess is a sin.”

Back in the 19th and late 20th century, every small community had a general store, and the Hamlet of Childs was no exception. The local store of course met the mercantile needs of the local citizens, but also, it served as a center of community engagement and social center. Many a story or yarn had been sewed while sitting around the wood stove in the old country store, and Gaines was no exception.

Locals can tell you about a certain local by the name of Hodie Howes whom the others liked to pick on when he came into the store. Hodie was quoted as saying, “I’m just as smart as any of you, if I could only think of it.” One fall evening Hodie came into the store and sat down in a chair near the stove. The usual bantering began. After a while, Hodie took a huge firecracker out of his pocket. One of the men said, “Where’d you get that firecracker?” Hodie said, “Oh, I found it in a drawer the other day. I think it’s left over from 1876. It probably won’t even work.”

With that disclaimer he got up and went to the stove and opened the door.  Another man warned, “Hodie, I wouldn’t throw that in there if I were you.” Hodie said with bravado, “I don’t think it will blow up,” and with that threw it into the stove. Everyone in the store let out a collective gasp and ran towards the door. Hodie went back to his chair and let out a big belly laugh. You see, Hodie had sawn a broomstick down to size and made it look like a firecracker with a string for a fuse. Hodie enjoyed his prank and remarked, “He who laughs last, laughs best.”

The Cobblestone Church was a more recent setting for a prank, harkening back to October 1985. Those who were pranked were a newlywed couple, Jim and Cheryl Watson.  The bridal couple had scheduled their wedding in the Museum’s Cobblestone Church. On the morning of the happy event, a flatbed truck rolled up in front of the church with a new Buick LaSabre loaded on it.  There was also a lighted sign on the truck that stated, “Whipper bites the dust today at 4:00.”

Shortly before the wedding, Jim, known as Whipper by his companions, bought his fiancé, Cheryl, the Buick and surprised her by exchanging it with her old clunker in her parking spot at work.  Of course, she really loved her new car. On the night of the wedding rehearsal, Jim’s buddies absconded with the car, much to Cheryl’s dismay. Jim assured her it was just a prank and it would be okay. The next morning, Jim and his brother were driving west on Ridge Road when Jim spotted an Orleans Trucking flatbed coming his way with a car on it. He hollered, “Hey, that’s Cheryl’s car!” His brother offered words of comfort, “It’s okay, Roger loaded it.” That made Jim even more nervous because Roger had a reputation for being accident prone.

The former Apple Grove Inn, Medina, c. 1970

At any rate Jim and Cheryl got their car back from the pranksters in time for their honeymoon. However, as they left the reception which was held at the Apple Grove in Medina in haste, they neglected to make a thorough check of the car. It wasn’t until later that they discovered they had no luggage at all thanks to Jim’s buddies and their pranks.

Well, as we’ve all been told, “Turn-about is fair play.”  I think we all get to chuckle when a prank goes awry and ends up a prank on the pranksters. Such was the case in a story told by Gary Ehrenrich to LeRoy Neeper.  The Town of Ridgeway was a great place for young boys to grow up. The area around Oak Orchard was home to a number of obedient, respectful, but adventurous preteen boys. Halloween presented the perfect time to be a bit mischievous.

Clayton Fletcher, around 12 years old, Don Pritchard, Charlie Rorick and Ralph Axtel were great pals. They agreed that their prank would not be pulled on their own families, and settled on their neighbor, Mr. Gazes. The plan involved tipping over the Gazes’ outhouse, after all, neighbor kids had pulled this prank a few years before without much repercussion. The boys planned each movement and swore an oath of secrecy. Mr. Gazes got wind of the plan and decided to out-prank the pranksters.

Before nightfall on Halloween, Mr. Gazes moved his outhouse ahead about four feet, leaving a gaping cesspool exposed. Halloween was a dark night. The boys were full of excitement. They ran quickly in the dark, and in their haste fell full bore into the pit. The lads were a stinking mess and they knew the worst part would be that they were sure to be caught trying to sneak back into their homes later that night. The boys all agreed that the punishment they received from their parents was certainly worse than anything Mr. Gazes could have doled out.

Even most adults enjoy getting into the act for Halloween as seen here in this photo from 1943. This particular party was hosted by Jack and Gerry Larwood and Al and Ruth Mason, and involved a hobo theme. It was held at the Larwood Farm Implement Agency at Five Corners. Infamous Santa School creator, Charles Howard, even played a part in this elaborate Halloween party. Howard was secured to decorate the room for the “hobo” theme.

The amazing planning and execution for this party even involved laying down railroad track along West Bacon Road to add to the mystique. A railroad handcar was used on the track to transport guests into the party. The party ran for two nights with much merriment enjoyed. Bill Lattin tells the story of one prank that came out of this party, too. His father, Cary Lattin, had a devilish wit, and pulling a prank on another unsuspecting “hobo” was just too much fun to pass up. Cary’s costume for the evening involved a “putty” nose, which at the right moment, he slipped off and inserted into Agnes Wilson’s drink.  When her libation neared the bottom of the glass she reacted with horror at her discovery. Bill reported that Agnes was still talking about the prank 40 years later.

Those enjoying this 1943 party include: (Front row L-R) Standing – Cary Lattin, Seated – John Larwood, Avis Latin, Robert Brown, Katherine Church, Fred Miller, Bill Phillips and (Seated on Floor) Ward Wilson.  (Second row) Jean Jackson, Geraldine Larwood, Doris Phillips, Dorothy Miller, Agnes Wilson, Angie Brown, and Grace Phillips.  (Third row) Albert Mason, Ruth Mason, Marcus Phillips, Dr. John Jackson and Sanford B. Church, Esq,

Our last Halloween prank involves the Fletcher clan that lived in a big house on Ridge Road in the Town of Ridgeway, about a half mile east of Oak Orchard River. Beatrice and Harry Fletcher had four children: Clayton, Shirley (Mrs. Brent Manker), Florence (Mrs. Garry Ehrenrich) and Mary (Mrs. Don Hall). Halloween was an exciting time for the kids. The boys liked to play pranks, the girls liked to dress up, and they all liked the Halloween treats.

Mrs. Fletcher insisted that all of her children had to stay together. They could join with other neighborhood children, but had to stay together.  The older kids did NOT want to take the younger kids, but that was the rule. They especially did not want to take their youngest sister, Mary, fearing she would tattle on them if they pulled a prank. Knowing that there was no other way, the older siblings took Mary along with them.

Later that night, the older kids decided it was time to pull a prank, so they decided to tie Mary to a mailbox while they went off and performed the dirty deed. Luckily, nothing nefarious happened to Mary during her captivity, but like Joseph of old who was thrown into a pit by his brothers, Mary remembered the ordeal and retold the tale for years whenever Halloween pranks became the topic of conversation.

MURRAY – Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio wants to make it an annual observance in Murray, to have the American flag lowered for 10 days beginning on Aug. 14 in recognition of 10 men from the Fancher community who were killed in World War II.

There is a monument for those men in Fancher on the curve at Route 31. The monument is a four-sided clock and includes in plaque in memory of John Christopher, Joseph Christopher, Cosmo Coccitti, John Kettle, Jr., Leonard Licursi, Martin Licursi, Richard Merritt, Camille Nenni, Floyd Valentine and Richard Vendetta.

Sidonio on Monday proposed the flags be lowered at the monument and the Murray town buildings for 10 days every Aug. 14. The Town Board was in favor of declaring Aug. 14 “Fancher Monument Memorial Day.” However, two of the board members believed only the governor and U.S. president have the authority to order the flag to be lowered.

The Town Board on Monday decided to instead have a World War II flag be displayed on Aug. 14 and then for the following 10 days each year.

The flag pole at the monument also will include a POW-MIA flag because the bodies of three of the soldiers were never recovered. Those men include Joseph F. Christopher, Cosmo P. Coccitti and Floyd M. Valentine.

Sidonio, however, reached out to the Association of Towns of New York State and was advised today by general counsel, Lori Mithen-Demasi, that a town can fly a flag “at less than full-staff to commemorate the death of town residents that occurred during a time of war.”

Sidonio said he will seek to amend the resolution passed on Monday to allow Murray to lower the American flag every Aug. 14 for 10 days.

In other action during Monday’s Town Board meeting:

• Louise Passarell told the board she is resigning due a difficult working relationship with Sidonio. Passarell has worked for Murray the past 13 years. She was the town assessor, secretary to the Highway Department and a water billing clerk.

“This has become a very hostile place to work,” she told the board before walking out of the meeting. “I choose not to work here anymore.”

Her resignation was accepted by the five board members – Sidonio, Randy Bower, Michael Mele, Paul Hendel and Lloyd Christ.

Sidonio, who has been town supervisor since Jan. 1, 2020, acknowledged that Passarell has been vocal in backing his opponents in local elections. He said he has a good working relationship with nearly all local community leaders.

Passarell has faulted Sidonio in the past for undermining the morale of highway workers with frequent criticism, especially about water leaks, and for failing to credit the workers when they find and fix the leaks.

• The board appointed Elaine Berg to fill a vacancy on the Planning Board with the term ending Dec. 31, 2021.

• Ron Vendetti, former code enforcement officer, asked the board if there has been any progress on updating a law on renewable energy projects. The board last month approved a 12-month moratorium on solar and wind energy applications in the town.

Vendetti offered to assist in writing an updated law. Sidonio said town officials will be working on the law. Vendetti said the law could be updated without taking 12 months.

• Councilman Hendel recommended the town use some of its American Rescue Plan funds to put in new video conferencing equipment for the town’s main meeting room. That could allow some board members to attend meetings virtually and vote when they are out of town.

The other board members liked the idea of upgrading the videoconferencing capabilities at the Town Hall and want to see cost estimates for the equipment, which should also include a stronger WiFi signal.

ALBION – Motorcyclists and all vehicles are encouraged to be a part of 100-mile trek on Saturday to raise money for a scholarship in memory of Jason Johnston, an Albion native who was died in Afghanistan on Dec. 26, 2009.

Johnston was killed by a roadside bomb in Arghandab. Johnston was a specialist and paratrooper in the Army. He was on his second tour in Afghanistan. He completed a 13-month-deployment in 2008 and left again for the war-torn country in October 2009

Participants in the ride should be at the Albion Elks Lodge at 10 a.m. on Saturday to register. The cost is $20 for drivers and $10 for passengers.

The Albion Elks Riders expect to leave the lodge by 11 a.m. for a ride that includes stops at the Alabama Hotel, Duffy’s in Mumford, the Brockport Elks Lodge and then concluding at the Albion Elks Lodge on West State Street.

Motorcyclists need to be back at the Albion Elks by 5 p.m. There will then be food and live music from Bandera, a local country music group. There is a $5 cover charge to attend the concert, with no additional charge to the motorcyclists.

“We believe very strongly in not letting go of Jason’s memory,” said Michael Jenks, sergeant at arms for the Albion Elks Riders.

The Albion Elks give out a $1,000 scholarship in Johnston’s name to a graduating senior pursuing a helping profession.

MURRAY – The Town Board wants to hear from residents whether the town should allow marijuana to be sold from a legal dispensary, where people could purchase adult-use cannabis products.

The board set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the Town Hall on Route 31 (3840 Fancher Rd.).

The state is giving municipalities until Dec. 31 to decide whether they will opt out of allowing marijuana dispensaries. The municipalities also need to decide by the end of the year if they will opt out of allowing onsite consumption at businesses such as a smoking lounge.

The state has approved a 13-percent excise tax on marijuana with a breakdown that includes 9 cents for each taxable sale to the state, 3 cents to the municipality that has the dispensary, and 1 cent to the county. Municipalities that opt out wouldn’t be eligible for the 3-cent share of the 13-percent sales tax.

Towns and villages can’t overstep the state and ban recreational use of marijuana. But the towns and villages can prohibit dispensaries and smoking lounges.

If the municipal board for a village or town decides to opt out, residents could still push a permissive referendum, with the matter going on the ballot.

Municipalities could also decide to opt out, and later decide to “opt in” and allow the dispensaries and lounges.

Provided photo from FMC

MIDDLEPORT – FMC’s Agricultural Sciences Plant employees in Middleport, working with Local 1180 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and plant management, recently collected and donated more than 200 jars of peanut butter and jellies to the Middleport Royalton Hartland Community Food Pantry.

Dennis McAvoy (left), Food Pantry co-chairman, accepts the donated items from FMC employees and Local 1180 members (from left to right) Austin Jones and Gary Dallmann, and Brent Sensenich, FMC plant manager.

The Food Pantry on S. Vernon St., Middleport, next to St. Stephen’s Church, is open to area residents every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Medina Railroad Museum looks to upgrade interiors, including making one a dining car

Provided photo: Rick Henn is president of the board of directors for the Medina Railroad Museum.

MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum has taken a big step forward toward advancing their goals far into the future with the purchase of the five coaches they previously leased from Western New York Railway Historical Society of Buffalo.

The purchase will result in long-reaching savings to the Museum, which has leased the coaches for special excursions for nearly 20 years, according to Museum board president Rick Henn.

The coaches were stored in the Steel Plant in Lackawanna and spent four years in Canada before bring brought to Medina Railroad Museum, where they are kept secure on the siding near the Pickle Factory.

In recent years, Henn said the WNYHRRS has talked periodically about moving the cars to Jamestown, and he knew that could mean doom for the MRRM.

“These coaches are our greatest revenue source, allowing us to keep our doors open throughout the year,” Henn said. “We depend on these cars and it became evident we had to go shopping for our own coaches or buy these.”

Last fall Henn approached WNYRRHS about buying the coaches. He said regulations now require state rail cars to meet Amtrak standards, which costs a minimum of $100,000 per car, meaning WNYRRHS’s ability to use the coaches was compromised. That is not so on the Falls Railroad, which is the line on which the Medina Railroad Museum operates excursions from Lockport to Brockport.

After several months of negotiations, a deal was struck to purchase the five coaches, one spare and a large inventory of parts for $350,000. The Medina Railroad Museum took ownership on July 31.

That didn’t happen without a lot of wheeling and dealing on the part of Museum board members and Museum director Janien Klotzbach, who approached friends, family and railroad buffs asking for loans or donations. That accomplished, now the search is on for grants and donations to repay the loans.

It is the Museum’s goal to upgrade the interiors of the five coaches and eventually add air conditioning. Henn’s dream is to gut the sixth car and turn it into another first-class dining car.

“This will get us closer to our dream of running dinner trains,” Henn said.

The Museum is ready to release its fall schedule of train rides, which will include autumn train rides in October, Santa trains in December and the return of Polar Express in November and December.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to help with the purchase of the coaches may send a check to Medina Railroad Museum, 530 West Ave., Medina. Donations may be made in honor or in memory of a loved one.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Lynn Heintz, a conductor for the museum, checks on passengers before a ride with Thomas the Train Engine in May 2018. The Railroad Museum now owns the coaches carrying the passengers.