Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bryce Wilson, an Albion FFA member, shows a sprayer to students in Emily Stavange’s kindergarten class during today’s FFA Mini Farm Day. The sprayer is owned by Panek Farms.

The event was cancelled last spring due to Covid-19, but is back this year with some changes. The Mini Farm Day in the past was open to all grades in the elementary school. This time it was limited to grades kindergarten through second. FFA members will make a video that will be available to other classrooms and students who are studying remotely.

Natalie Bertsch introduces second graders in Pat Levandowski’s class to a pig from the Neal farm in Albion. The stations were spread out more than in the past.

“A fun fact about pigs is they don’t have sweat glands so they like to roll around in the mud,” Natalie said.

Gina Sidari shows these students Josie, a week-old calf owned by Samantha Basinait, an Albion sophomore and FFA member.

Kyle Van Ameron shows these students a John Deere tractor owned by Panek Farms. Kyle said the tractor weighs 37,000 with 375 horsepower. The thick tires give the tractor traction in a muddy field, Kyle said.

The Van Lieshout farm in Barre also brought a tractor for the day.

Jeffrey Brown talked with these second-grade students in Mark Skurzewski’s class about a rabbit.

Chris Glogowski, Albion’s school resource officer, stops by to greet Oops, a mini horse owned by ninth-grader Meganne Moore.

SHELBY – The Orleans County Planning Board gave its support for a new agricultural processing facility at 4765 South Gravel Rd.

Phil and Dawn Keppler are applying to build the new 9,640 square feet beef slaughter plant would be part of the SK Herefords Premium Beef farm, which is owned by the Kepplers and David Schubel. The new processing facility will only serve the beef animals raised by SK Herefords.

“Slaughtering facilities are few and far between, and they are expensive,” said Jim Bensley, the county’s planning director.

SK Herefords currently sell the beef to many farm markets in Western New York. The new processing facility will include space for a retail outlet for the meat. The processing facility also will have an inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Planning Board recommended the Town of Shelby approve the site plan, issue a permit and also approve a variance because the project is 7 feet short of the 500 feet required in the Shelby code for distance from a neighboring property line. The facility would be 493 feet from the northern property line.

The project also includes 10 parking spaces on the west side of the facility, and a loading/unloading area on the south side. The building would be set back 80 feet from the road.

The project needs a final OK from the Town of Shelby Planning Board.

In other action:

• The Orleans County Planning Board also recommended Shelby approve the site plan for an antique retail sales business at 4237 South Gravel Rd. in General Business District.

Filomena’s Favorites, which has about 25 vendors currently on East Center Street in downtown Medina, is looking to relocate to the former Old Mill Run restaurant.

GAINES – The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday voted in support of two solar energy projects in Gaines.

The Planning Board recommended Gaines officials approve the site plans and give permits for both projects.

Next Era Energy Resources has proposed a 5-megawatt project with 21,580 solar panels at 2378 Gaines Waterport Road in Residential/Agriculture District. The project would be on land owned by Donald and Janelle Uderitz.

The Planning Board noted the location is in a low-density residential and rural area of Route 279, not far from the Gaines Valley Aviation Airport.

The project would utilize 35.4 acres of a 93-acre parcel. Janet Ward, a representative for the company, said the interconnection has been approved by National Grid, and the U.S. Army Corps also has signed off on the project.

There will be a 8-foot-high chain link fence around the solar arrays with emergency access gates every 300 feet. There will also be trees planted as a visual shield from the road.

The solar arrays will be on a single-axis tracker that can slowly rotate in the direction of the sun.

The project also includes storage batteries for up to 3.75 megawatts of power. Those batteries have a self-extinguishing system in case of a fire.

The company is doing a long-term lease with a decommissioning plan to turn the site back to farmland, Ward said.

The other project in Gaines has an access drive on Route 279 but the address is 14325 West Bacon Rd. The 3-megawatt project will be on about 20 acres of land owned by Brian Stendts and Mary Declerck.

This solar project is being developed by AES Solar. It doesn’t include a battery storage system.

There  will be a chain-link fence around the project, with plantings on the east and south sides as a visual buffer from the road and neighbors.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the Tops store in Medina will be sites on Saturday for the 20th Annual National Drug Take Back Day.

People can drop off unused or outdated medications, or sharps at the Public Safety Building parking lot at 13925 Route 31 in Albion from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tops also will have 51 of its store participating in National Drug Take Back Day including the site in Medina at 11200 Maple Ridge Rd.

“Tops is pleased to be able to offer this added convenience to the community not only on April 24th, but year round,” said Matthew Hamed, director of Pharmacy operations for Tops Friendly Markets. “We want to help be a part of the solution. Proper disposal of unused, unwanted and/or expired prescription medications helps not only protect our environment, but more importantly saves lives.”

Tops accepts returned prescription drugs at 51 locations safely and anonymously year round during normal pharmacy hours.

Insurance company nixes popular event at Orleans County 4-H Fair

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jacob Golding of the Doughboys nears the top of the grease on July 26, 2019 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. For about 40 years, the grease pole climbing challenge was a very popular event to conclude busy days at the fair. The Doughboys started to slip on this day and weren’t able to get another team member to the top. They battled for several minutes before toppling in front of a big crowd of several hundred people.

KNOWLESVILLE – One of most popular events at the Orleans County 4-H Fair has been banned by the fair’s insurance company.

The grease pole draws big crowds each night to watch teams try to reach the top of a 20-foot-pole slathered in grease. The teams often slip and struggle, and many don’t complete the challenge. It is a fun spectacle for the crowd, which tends to offer encouragement to the teams.

The Grease Monkeys competed in the grease pole climbing competition three days at the fair in July 2019, getting better each time. The first night on Wednesday they didn’t get to the top. Friday they qualified for the finals. Brian Smith is the base for the team, followed by Colton Chappius, Jacob Golding and Jakob Hering.

There have been sore necks and backs, but no one has ever needed First Aid in the 40 or so years of the competition, said Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, which runs the fair.

He was notified about a month ago the insurance company would no longer allow the grease pole. Niagara County was trying to start the grease pole at its fair and told the insurance provider Orleans has long had the popular competition.

The insurance company rejected Niagara’s request, and also told Orleans it would have to end the event.

“It’s a total bummer,” Batt said.

An insurance company stopped the grease pole in the early ’80s, back when the event was held closer to Route 31 near the Trolley Building. After a few years, the insurance provider gave it another chance. The pole was relocated to the volleyball court with a softer surface on the west side of the fairgrounds.

The event has been a rite of passage for many 4-H’ers who join a team when they turn 18. Batt was among the 4-H’ers who gave it a try.

Batt didn’t know of another fair that had the grease pole. It was a daring event in a fair that doesn’t have a demolition derby and doesn’t allow alcohol.

“I had never seen it at any other places,” Batt said. “It’s something maybe we could try to get back into in a few years.”

The fair is coming up with a new challenge that Batt thinks will be a crowd-pleaser. Teams of two will need to push a giant round hay bale in a circle.

Jeremy Neal, the grease pole chairman, is heading the effort of the new challenge. He is experimenting on the course and size of the hay bales.

“We are testing it to make sure a person can do it,” Batt said. “We want it to be challenging. It won’t be easy.”

The hay bale rolling event will be open to competitors 16 and older. That is 2 years younger than the cutoff for the grease pole.

It will be easier for people to form teams because they won’t need as many members, and they won’t destroy shirts and jeans from the event like with the grease pole. They also won’t have to worry about gobs of grease getting in their hair.

Andrew Jones of Kent enjoys conquering the grease pole with the Troll Diggers on July 27, 2019. The Troll Diggers won the last four grease pole titles. Last year’s event wasn’t held due to the fair being cancelled due to Covid-19. The Troll Diggers in 2019 included team captain Jeff Ebel, Lyssa Jones, Nathaniel Jenks, Alyssa Ebel, Isaiah Jenks, Zach Kimmel and Andrew Jones.

This year’s fair – ‘a lot of unknowns and questions’

Regarding this year’s fair, scheduled for July 26-31, Batt said the fair officials are waiting for guidelines from the state Department of Health.

The fair committee is planning for a range of versions of the fair – from a small scaled down version with livestock shows, 4-H exhibits and drive-through dinners to a nearly full fair with rides and lots of entertainment.

“I’m as hopeful as hopeful can be,” Batt said. “But right now there are a lot of unknowns and questions.”

Joe Clark holds on tight as the second guy up for “The Barn Animals,” one of the teams that competed in the grease pole on July 29, 2017. Most of the team members are parents of kids who show animals at the fair, or are long-time 4-H members. The Barn Animals couldn’t quite get to the top of the pole.

Alex Graff, a Medina native, was covered in grease, but had a great time during the grease pole championships on July 27, 2013 to cap off the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Steven Papponetti is trying to climb on Graff’s shoulders. Graff and Papponetti are members of the Rough N Ready team. They weren’t able to reach the top of the pole on Saturday.

Genesee and Orleans today are reporting 27 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the two counties, bringing the total to 7,773 during the pandemic. That includes 2,796 in Orleans and 4,977 in Genesee in the past 13 months.

In Orleans County there are 11 more positive Covid cases and they are in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said in a daily news briefing.

Orleans has 5 more recoveries who have been removed from the isolation list. Of the new cases, 2 were previously on quarantine prior to testing positive.

There are 3 Orleans County residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility, where 50 of the women inmates have now tested positive during the pandemic.

In Genesee County there are 16 new positive Covid cases and they reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.

Genesee is reporting 2 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 7 of the Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Active cases: The number of active cases in the two counties is at 180 today, which is up from 162 seven days ago. The cases in Genesee County have dropped from 86 to 84 in the past week, while they are up in Orleans from 76 to 96.

Vaccinations: To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here. For more information about the vaccine and access for those who are 60 and older who do not have internet access, please contact your respective Office for the Aging (OFA).

For Orleans OFA, please call 585-589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call.

For Genesee OFA, please call 585-813-2457 for Covid-19 vaccine assistance between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call.

The OFA offices can only assist with the clinic links as they are available. The system may experience slowdowns and crashing due to high volume. Please be patient and try again later.

Covid Testing: For free rapid testing, click here. The links will be live when there is a clinic scheduled and there are open appointments. Clinics will be limited and determined week-by-week.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Lance Mark, Barre town attorney, responds to a question during last week’s Town Board meeting, which included a public hearing on a local law for solar energy systems. Town Supervisor Sean Pogue is in back next to Town Clerk Maureen Beach.

BARRE – The Town Board has proposed a local law for solar energy systems that doesn’t require setbacks for contiguous parcels with the solar projects.

Barre is proposing 50-foot setbacks from property lines of adjacent landowners without solar panels.

The southwestern part of the town near the wildlife refuge is being considered for an 1,800-acre solar project that would include part of the neighboring town of Shelby.

Community Energy wants to build a 200-megawatt project, Orleans Solar LLC. The company said it expects to submit a formal application next month to the state’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES). The state agency has the final say in approving the projects, but is expected to see how the projects fit with local zoning laws.

Barre officials say their local law is intended to facilitate solar projects while minimizing impacts on neighboring properties.

Two residents last week urged the town to require bigger setbacks from neighboring property – 250 feet instead of 50 feet. The projects would have to be 250 feet away from a neighboring structure. The solar panels need to be at least 100 feet away from buildings on the same lot.

Mark Lindberg and Charles McAllister said the solar arrays should be farther away from the next-door neighbors.

“It’s an industrial installation,” McAllister said during a public hearing last week at Barre Town Hall.

McAllister and Lindberg said the 50-foot setback would limit the neighbors in hoe the use their property. For example, neighbors of the projects – with only a 50-foot setback – could later decide to build on their property and could have the solar panels closer to a new structure than 250 feet.

Another resident responded the 250-foot setback from neighbors’ property lines would require a bigger footprint for the project, with companies needing to lease more land. The 50-foot setback is also consistent with the zoning guidelines in many other communities.

Lindberg said the solar panels are “ugly” and should be farther from neighbors than 50 feet, and also need to be adequately screened. That doesn’t mean a row of “scrawny trees,” Lindberg told town officials during the public hearing.

The solar companies are spending “millions and millions of dollars” on large-scale solar projects and can afford to have berms, shrubs, trees and fencing, Lindberg said.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue said the review process with the state, including the Department of Environmental Conservation, requires companies to do visual impact studies and do visual screening “to the maximum extent possible.”

The town’s proposed zoning update will be reviewed this evening by the Orleans County Planning Board, which is expected to offer recommendations.

Town attorney Lance Mark acknowledged the state through ORES could disregard the town’s local law for setbacks and other regulations for the projects.

“Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of influence with ORES,” Mark said.

But Lindberg said the town should still put in the local law protections for the community, including the neighboring property owners.

“We can say this is what we want, even if they squash us like a bug,” Lindberg said about the state agency.

Some other highlights of the local law:

• The zoning code also sets the maximum height of the solar panels to 12 feet, measured from the base of the solar rack to the top of the rack. However, the town has the authority to increase that height by 8 more feet if viewed as necessary “to accomplish the purposes they are intended to serve.”
• Perimeter fencing also shouldn’t exceed 7 feet in height.
• Solar installations need to be at least 120 feet from any public roads (measured form the center of the road), and 500 feet from all property lot lines from schools or parks.
• Solar company needs to maintain a decommissioning bond throughout the life of the project at 125 percent of the decommissioning cost.
• The company needs to enter into a host community agreement with the town and pay Barre an annual fee to compensate the town “for expenses or impacts on the additional agreements with the applicant as may be necessary to protect the town and its citizens’ interest (E.G., separate road use, or decommissioning agreement).” The host community agreement shall be in addition to any payment in lieu of taxes which may be authorized to be collected by the town.
• Barre also will require the solar energy companies to have an escrow agreement to pay the town’s costs for engineering and environmental review and legal expenses for the projects.

Provided photo: Nicole Tuohey and Case-Nic Cookies, which is owned by her mother Mary Lou Tuohey, sold cookies last month in a fundraiser for the Arc of Genesee Orleans.

Press Release, Arc of Genesee Orleans

MEDINA – Arc of Genesee Orleans extends heartfelt thanks to Nicole Tuohey and the team at Case-Nic Cookies for an impressive $3,200 raised to benefit Arc services during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March.

The proceeds came from Nicole’s “Have a Heart” campaign which included a window raffle and the sale of frosted heart cutout cookies!

Arc’s Director of Development Shelley Falitico was on hand at Case-Nic Cookies recently to accept the donation and thanked Nicole and her mother, Mary Lou, for always keeping Arc of Genesee Orleans and Arc Services close to heart.

“The Tuohey family has been connected to our agency for decades and they’re always ready and willing to help,” Falitico said. “We’re so appreciative!”

Nicole and her family urge people not to label others who may seem different because of disabilities and remember that while people share a lot of differences, they are also alike in many ways.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The stop sign at East Park and Platt streets in Albion was covered in sticky snow on Wednesday morning.

The snow on Wednesday was a record-breaker for Buffalo and Rochester, according to the National Weather Service.

The 3.1 inches at Buffalo broke the record of 1.3 inches set in 1934. In Rochester, the 2.8 inches broke the record of 1.5 inches in 1978.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said Medina recorded 3.6 inches on Wednesday. There was less snow closer to Lake Ontario with 2 inches in Lyndonville and Lakeside.

Today has started cold with temperature sin the high 20s. It is forecast to reach 42 today in Orleans County followed by a sunny Friday with a high of 57, a partly sunny Saturday with a high of 60, and a mostly cloudy Sunday with a high of 51.

Residents urged to send in photos of barns to Department of History

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 1, No. 11

MEDINA – The Allis Farm barns on Bates Road in Medina are described in the 1913 New Century Atlas of Orleans County. Then owned by Jay Allis, the farm included “a general barn, 40×75 feet with ornamental cupola; horse barn 20×30; and sheep shed 30×60.”

Barns photograph well in every season even when set against a glowering sky, as in this view of the general barn. Allis Farm features two massive single stretch 75 ft. beams. The cupola may be ornamental, but it was also functional, as it provided ventilation.

Celebrating Barns

Who can walk into an old barn and not feel a powerful sense of another time, a connection with the previous generations who worked there?

It is difficult to articulate these feelings, but author Thompson Mayes best explains them in his book “Why Old Places Matter,” published in 2018 for the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

“old places affect us very deeply and intuitively,

“old places…..connect us to the struggles of a previous generation,”

“old places….help us recall who we are and where we came from,”

“old places….are imbued with the spirit of those who made them,”

“their building materials and craftsmanship deserve respect as they will never be available again.”

Barns represent our agricultural heritage. They remind us of our connection to the land, our elemental dependence on agriculture for survival. Simple, stoic, unassuming, unpretentious, none alike, each with its own story, barns make the past present.

But they are disappearing from our landscape. We invite you to share your barn photographs and stories with us at the Orleans County Dept. of History. As part of our mission to record history, we plan to maintain a visual record of these structures which so enhance our rural skyline. We look forward to your contributions.

Email: Catherine.Cooper@orleanscountyny.gov.

Mail: Historian’s Office, Central Hall, 34 E. Park St., Albion, NY 14411.

Additional barn photos on: www.facebook.com/Orleans-County-Historian.

The Hibbard barn on Murdock Road features a gambrel roof. The original barn was destroyed by fire in 1913.

The current barn was built on the same location in 1915.

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County Republican Party wants to engage a new generation in local government and community affairs.

The Young Republicans will be meeting today at 7 p.m. for the first time in many years. The gathering will start at 7 p.m. at the “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County on Route 31.

The Young Republicans are targeted to people 40 and younger. They don’t need to RSVP. They can just show up for the meeting.

“We need younger people involved in politics in Orleans County,” said Laura Olinger, who is helping to coordinate the push to restart the Young Republicans in the county.

Active cases in Orleans up from 61 to 90 in past seven days

There are 24 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today for Orleans and Genesee counties, bringing the total in the two counties to 7,746 in the past 13 months of the pandemic. That includes 2,785 in Orleans and 4,961 in Genesee, according to a daily update from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

In Orleans County there are 20 new positive cases and those are in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Of the new cases, 2 were previously on quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans is reporting 12 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are 4 Orleans County residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

Medina Central School reported two students in the elementary school tested positive for Covid. The Department of Health has investigated and, in cooperation with the school district, has contacted anyone who needs to be placed in quarantine, Mark Kruzynski, district superintendent, said in a letter on the district website.

In Genesee County there are 4 new positive cases and they are in the Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield). The individuals are in the 20s, 30s and 40s.

Genesee is reporting 6 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 7 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.

A Genesee County resident over age 65 also has passed away from Covid. The person was in the community, and not in a facility. Genesee has now had 122 residents die from Covid. Orleans has had 83 Covid-related deaths.

“We do not provide any further information to protect the privacy of the individuals and their families,” the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said. “Our deepest condolences to the families and friends during this very difficult time.”

Active cases: The number of active cases in the two counties is up from 143 on April 14 to 160 today. In Orleans, the active cases is up from 60 to 91, while Genesee has seen the cases drop from 83 to 69.

Vaccine clinics: The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments encourage people to check the health page (click here) for upcoming vaccination clinics. Those clinics are targeted for Genesee and Orleans residents but open to residents who live, work and/or study in New York State.

Both counties are offering vaccination clinic registration via phone. These numbers are for Covid vaccination registration only. In Genesee, call (585) 815-7168. In Orleans, call (585) 589-3170. For both numbers ask for the vaccine registration help line.

The Section VI Executive Committee today reaffirmed its decision “to support wrestling activities beginning on the previously approved date of May 3 in the Counties of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Niagara and Orleans.”

In a press release, the Executive Committee noted that on April 5, “the Erie County Department of Health confirmed that they have not changed from their original recommendation on January 26 to postpone or cancel wrestling activities. Therefore Section VI member schools located in Erie County will not be able to participate in wrestling activities at this time.”

That decision means that one Niagara-Orleans League school, Akron, which is located in Erie County, will not be able to take part in the upcoming season.  It leaves the N-O with only five wrestling teams – Albion, Medina, Roy-Hart/Barker, Newfane and Wilson.

“The expectations are clear from our school leaders. Our school districts cannot take on the liability associated with splitting off from the ECDOH’s recommendations,” said Section VI President, Brett Banker. “As we have done since the start of this public health crisis, we will continue to rely upon the expertise, knowledge and recommendations from local and state authorities when making decisions impacting the safety of our student-athlete.”

“The Section will continue to communicate and work with the ECDOH. It is through collaboration that, to date, the Section has only cancelled one sport this school year, indoor Track and Field, ” Banker said. “Section VI has proven that we are committed to providing opportunities for our athletes within the guidelines set forth to us by the local Health Departments. We will support the Erie County schools to begin wrestling immediately, if the recommendation from Erie County changes. We look forward to engaging in that dialogue.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Barre town officials don’t think the 150,000-gallon water tank behind the firehall on Route 98 is adequate for the entire town for water pressure and possible expansion of the water system on the western side, linking with Shelby.

BARRE – The Town Board last week approved a $500,000 bond resolution for Water District No. 10. That project, estimated at $1,101,000, includes a $601,000 grant from Rural Development through the federal USDA.

The property owners in the district will pay off the debt on a $500,000 bond over 38 years. The district will be just over 4 miles with 23,350 linear feet of 8-inch water main, valves, hydrants and appurtenances and includes Angevine, McNamara and Transit roads.

The district includes 83 people. The district will connect to existing water mains in Barre at Water District No. 3 near the intersection of Oak Orchard Road and Angevine Road, as well as Water District No. 4 near the intersection of East Barre Road and Angevine Road.

The Town Board expects to send the project out to bid in a few months and hopefully the project will be complete before next winter, said Town Supervisor Sean Pogue.

The water for the new district comes from the Village of Albion, with the district expected to use 5,425 gallons per day. The village bills Barre $2.96 per 1,000 gallons and the town then charged a $5.00 rate with the extra to cover the town’s costs for maintenance, flushing lines and other operational expenses. District users will also be charged an annual fee of $60 to go in a reserve for painting the town’s water tank.

Barre also has a new Water District No. 9 in the Pine Hill area. Pogue said the town could do one more district that would loop dead-end mains and also include property in Sheelar Road and the part of the muck known as “White City.” The town will collect income surveys in that area to see if the district will qualify for federal grants and loans.

Water District No. 11 would be a less expensive project if that district could tie into mains from the Town of Elba. However, Elba is served by the Monroe County Water Authority and Barre would need permission from the Water Authority as an out-of-district user, which may not be approved, Pogue said.

The town could also add waterlines for Burns Road and connect with Oakfield’s system to cover another remaining piece of the town without public water.

The town’s sprawling water system is primarily served by the 150,000-gallon water tower behind the fire hall. Town officials said that tower doesn’t seem adequate for water pressure for all of the districts. Some of the water lines have low pressure.

Pogue said the town may need a bigger water tower behind the fire hall or a second water tank on the western side of the town. If there was a second water tower in the Pine Hill area, that could give Shelby an option to link with the Barre system. Barre owns land on Pine Hill Road at one of the tallest spots in Orleans County.

“It’s still in its infancy right now,” Pogue said about a possible new water tank. “It’s all talk right now.”

If the town pursued that water tank in Pine Hill, Barre should have an engineering report that would cost $30,000 to $35,000. That report would be needed for the town to pursue grants for the project, Pogue said.

“We don’t have that kind of money right now,” he said.

Barre has reached out to Shelby and the Village of Albion about contributing to the engineering report. The tank would serve Shelby if it interconnected with the Barre system, with the water coming from the Village of Albion’s water plant.

Press Release, Tops Friendly Markets

Tops Friendly Market, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, is partnering with Convergent Energy + Power to deliver more renewable energy to upstate New Yorkers in the form of community solar paired with battery storage.

As a result of this partnership, over 75 Tops stores will be powered by the solar farms, which will reduce the stores’ carbon footprint. The solar-plus-storage projects developed by Convergent provide Tops and upstate New Yorkers access to solar energy whether or not the sun is shining and reduce the state’s reliance on power plants during peak demand hours.

“Our ongoing commitment to sustainability is met with enthusiasm and resolve every day, as we work to ensure we leave our communities—and our planet—better for the next generation,” said John Persons, president and chief operating officer, Tops Friendly Markets. “We are excited to be working with Convergent, a values-aligned business with the expertise to deliver solar energy to our stores as efficiently as possible.”

Convergent, founded in 2011, has a decade of expertise developing energy storage-led assets, with approximately half of its portfolio comprised of battery storage paired with solar PV, or solar-plus-storage.

“We are enormously proud of the opportunity to simultaneously reduce emissions and support economic growth right here in our home state,” says Frank Genova, Convergent’s chief operating and financial officer. “As the largest private employer in Western New York, Tops is an ideal, New York-headquartered partner that shares our commitment to corporate, social, and environmental responsibility.”