Photo by GCEDC: Contractors put in a new waterline along Route 77 in the Town of Alabama.

Press Release, Genesee County Economic Development Center

TOWN OF ALABAMA – The Genesee County Economic Development Center announced this week that with the anticipated completion of a $2 million infrastructure project this summer, water capacity will increase to over 1 million gallons per day at the 1,250-acre Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) site.

“Every infrastructure milestone adds to the tremendous momentum behind STAMP,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde. “Our ability to deliver low-cost, 100% renewable power, and utility infrastructure aligned with project timelines and capacities, is driving even greater interest from site selectors and companies looking to locate in Genesee County.”

Hyde noted that STAMP’s development is advancing with significant infrastructure design, engineering, and construction milestones. The mega site is already designed and permitted for the construction of over 6 million square feet of advanced manufacturing facility space.

The water infrastructure project includes the installation of new high-capacity water lines that will connect with previously extended infrastructure on New York State Route 77 that runs along the STAMP site.

The water line project is supported by New York State, and is aligned with investments by Genesee County and the towns of Alabama and Pembroke to expand infrastructure for economic and community growth.  Morsch Pipeline in Avon serves as the lead contractor on the project.

The STAMP site, just south of Shelby in Orleans County, will soon have its first tenant. In February, Plug Power Inc. announced it plans to begin construction of North America’s largest green hydrogen production facility. Plug Power’s $290 million proposed facility and electric substation investment further expands access to high-capacity, flexible infrastructure on parcels ranging from 30 acres to over 650 acres, Hyde said.

“Partnering with an industry leader like Plug Power is another significant asset available at STAMP to grow the renewable and advanced manufacturing sectors which will transform our regional economy for generations,” Hyde said.

The state and federal governments both announced this week the tax filing deadline would be moved back about a month from April 15 to May 17.

The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced on Wednesday it was extending the filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year.

“This continues to be a tough time for many people, and the IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement. “Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds. Filing electronically with direct deposit is the quickest way to get refunds, and it can help some taxpayers more quickly receive any remaining stimulus payments they may be entitled to.”

Individual taxpayers can also postpone federal income tax payments for the 2020 tax year due on April 15 to May 17, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed, the IRS and Treasury Department said.

This postponement applies to individual taxpayers, including individuals who pay self-employment tax. Penalties, interest and additions to tax will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of May 17. Individual taxpayers will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by May 17.

New York State followed the federal government’s lead and announced on Friday it would also extend the filing deadline until May 17.

“At the Governor’s direction, the Department of Tax and Finance will be extending the New York State income tax deadline to May 17 to align with the federal decision to do the same,” said Robert F. Mujica, Jr., the state’s budget director. “This 30-day extension provides New Yorkers still coping with the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic ample time to file. This will shift approximately $6 billion of revenue from April to May and the State will make any necessary adjustments to cash flow.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Downtown Albion along East Bank Street is shown while the sun sets on Thursday around 7:30 p.m.

There is lots of sunshine in the forecast this week for Orleans County with highs in the 50s and 60s.

Today will be sunny with a high near 57, followed by a sunny Sunday with a high near 59, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

On Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 62, and then a mostly sunny Tuesday with a high near 62.

The Weather Service said there is a chance for showers after noon on Wednesday, when it will be partly sunny with a high near 62. Thursday there is a chance for showers and a high near 61.

With 6 new cases reported today, Orleans now tops 2,500 in past year

Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 42 new Covid-19 cases today, which puts the two counties past 7,000 cases during the pandemic.

The two counties have a combined population of 97,632. With 7,020 confirmed cases, 7.2 percent of the population has tested positive for Covid in the past 12 months. Both counties had their first case of Covid a year ago this week.

Genesee County had had a higher percentage of its population test positive with 7.9 percent or 4,516 residents out of 57,280 people.

In Orleans County, 6.2 percent or 2,504 people out of 40,352 residents have tested positive for Covid.

In Orleans County, there are 6 new positive cases reported today for a total of 2,504 cases during the pandemic.

The positive cases reside 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, 40s and 50s.

One of the new positive individuals was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

Orleans is reporting 7 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County there are 36 new positive cases reported today for a total of 4,516 cases in the past year.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). Two of the cases are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s.

Genesee is reporting 9 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee currently has one resident hospitalized with Covid.

Active Cases: The number of active case sin the two counties increased in the past seven days, from 93 on March 12 to 124 today. In Orleans County, the active cases went up from 37 to 41. In Genesee, the cases increased from 56 to 83.

Vaccine Finder: The Finger Lakes Vaccine Hub just launched a Finger Lakes Vaccine Finder to help those seeking vaccination. Click here for more information.

District tries to be ready if state follows CDC and allows desks to be spaced closer

MEDINA – The school district is surveying families to see their intentions if Medina is able to bring back more students for in-person learning.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today updated its guidance for school districts with the spacing of desks in the Covid-19 pandemic. The CDC reduced the minimum distance for desks to be apart from 6 to 3 feet, as long as students are wearing masks.

Before local districts can move desks closer, which would allow for more students in classrooms, the NYS Department of Health would be to accept that guidance from the CDC.

Medina Central School is trying to be ready for the anticipated change and wants to give more students the option of more in-person days of school.

Medina is asking families if they would send their students to school for more in-person days or if they would go remote all school days.

“Our hope is that by being proactive with this survey, we will be able to implement any changes to the NYSDOH school regulations as quickly as possible,” district officials stated on the survey.

Click here to see the survey.

Albion, Medina and Holley on list, with priority given to most economically disadvantaged districts

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today the state will soon be launching “ConnectED NY” which will provide free internet access to 50,000 students.

The state is making the program eligible to students in 210 of the most economically disadvantaged districts in the state. That includes Albion (95^th most economically disadvantaged with 63.0 percent of its students considered economically disadvantaged), Medina (131^st with 59.8 percent economically disadvantaged) and Holley (141^st with 59.5 percent economically disadvantaged.)

The state will give priority to students by districts in descending order, with the most economically disadvantaged given the highest priority.

The program is being funded by Schmidt Futures and the Ford Foundation and the program will be managed by Digital Promise, a non-profit which is dedicated to closing the digital learning gap. It will fund the internet access through June 2022.

“Internet access is an essential utility in the 21st century — a new reality that has only been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic — and we have a responsibility to ensure our students have the access they need to continue learning during this public health crisis,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. “We cannot build back better if we do not foster proper development and a promising future for our children, and this program will help students whose families have limited means to get connected so they can get the education they deserve.”

School districts will work with Digital Promise, AT&T, and other internet service providers to identify eligible students who either do not have at-home internet access or do not have access to sufficient broadband speeds to participate in remote learning.

Hotspots and data plans will be purchased directly by the ConnectED NY fund from AT&T, so there is no financial obligation for students and their families. In circumstances where fixed internet is required, the program will work with districts and fixed internet service providers to ensure there is no cost to students and their families.

An informational webinar will take place on Monday, March 22, from 2 to 3 p.m. School districts can find more information about applying by clicking here or by contacting Digital Promise at connectedny@digitalpromise.org.

The New York State Education Department’s Fall 2020 survey of educational institutions suggests that as many as 166,000 students remain without internet access at home. With $10 million in initial funds, ConnectED NY will provide data-enabled hotspots to approximately 50,000 students.

Eric Schmidt, Co-Founder of Schmidt Futures and chairman of the Reimagine New York Commission, said, “To reimagine education and create real opportunity, every student needs access to the internet. The ConnectED NY fund will provide hotspots and data plans for students that need them most. This is a step forward in rebuilding a New York that works for all students, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation and co-chairman of the Reimagine New York Commission’s Connectivity Working Group, said, “We believe access to the internet is a fundamental human right. The Ford Foundation is proud to support ConnectED NY to help rebuild a better New York, where everyone, especially our most vulnerable children, can connect to the internet to learn and reach their fullest potential.”

Reducing that distance seen as key to bringing more students back for in-person learning, but needs state approval

Photo by Tom Rivers: This Holley classroom in the elementary school shows thin plastic barriers on the desks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. The federal government today said desks could be spaced 3 feet apart, instead of 6 feet during the Covid pandemic. The new guidance from the CDC also says those barriers are no longer recommended.

The federal government today issued a much-anticipated update on guidance for schools with the distance between desks, physical barriers and other factors in the spread of Covid within schools.

Local schools opened this school year with desks at least 6 feet apart. That spacing reduced the number of kids allowed in classrooms and forced three of the five districts in Orleans County to do hybrid learning, alternating days for students to be in some classes.

Kendall and Lyndonville, the two smallest districts in the county, were able to space students out enough to be able to have students for in-person classes five days a week.

Holley was able to bring back students in grades K-2 this week for the first time without the hybrid schedule. Albion and Medina also want to bring students back for more in-person learning.

The change is desk spacing from a minimum of 6 feet to 3 feet will only districts to have more students in classrooms. Those students need to wear masks at all times, and teachers should try to stay 6 feet away from students, according to the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Before a local district can act on the updated guidance from the CDC, the NYS Department of Health needs to accept that guidance. Then it’s up to each school district whether to accept the 3-foot minimum for spacing, said Paul Pettit, public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties.

He spoke with news reporters today before the CDC announcement. He said he would support the decision from the CDC. The local health department doesn’t have a say in the guidance for desk spacing.

“We don’t have the authority to approve,” he said. “It’s between the schools and the state. The schools need to follow the state guidelines. We support the change if it happens from the CDC.”

The CDC also updated guidance to no longer recommend plastic shields or other barriers between desks because there isn’t evidence showing those barriers are effective.

The CDC said the 6-foot distance should be maintained in common areas, such as school lobbies and in places where students can’t wear masks, such as when they are eating in the cafeteria. The 6-foot buffer should also remain in places with lots of talking, cheering or singing, where students could expel droplets containing the coronavirus. That includes chorus practice, assemblies and sports events.

“CDC is committed to leading with science and updating our guidance as new evidence emerges,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said in a news release. “Safe in-person instruction gives our kids access to critical social and mental health services that prepare them for the future, in addition to the education they need to succeed. These updated recommendations provide the evidence-based roadmap to help schools reopen safely, and remain open, for in-person instruction.”

Teachers union says ‘abrupt changes can undermine public trust and clarity’

The New York State United Teachers issued the following statement on the CDC social distancing guidance:

“Any educator will tell you the best way for students to learn is to be in person in the classroom. In a number of schools around New York, that has been done safely and successfully since September. For places that have older buildings, spacing limitations or other circumstances that make Covid-19 mitigation strategies challenging, decisions on how to bring students back to the classroom must be driven by science, not politics,” said NYSUT President Andy Pallotta.

“Abrupt changes can undermine public trust and clarity, and we would like to review in greater detail the science behind the CDC’s latest social distancing guidance. Yet it is clear social distancing is only one element of a nuanced and multifaced approach to Covid-19 mitigation in schools. Universal mask wearing, cleaning, proper ventilation, contact tracing, Covid-19 testing and getting the vaccine to everyone who wants one are all still important safety measures for schools. If anything, these other factors — especially the need for robust Covid-19 testing in schools — become more important as social distancing guidance changes.

“When it comes to changing local reopening plans, districts must continue to work with educators and parents to maintain confidence in the safety of their buildings. Those decisions must be based on the circumstances within each school and must carefully consider all aspects of a responsible Covid-19 mitigation strategy. As public health officials have rightly cautioned, in the face of new variants and a race to make vaccinations widely available, this is not the time to let down our guard.”

School Boards Association: New guidance will allow more students to be in school and not on remote learning

Robert Schneider, executive director of the NYS School Boards Association, issued this statement:

“Today’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control, as well a similar announcement earlier this week by the World Health Organization, that 3 feet of separation between students in classrooms is sufficient to ensure their safety, rather than the previous guidance of 6 feet, offers greater flexibility for school districts to accommodate parents who want to see their children back in school.

The new CDC guidance, if adopted by New York State, would essentially double the number of students that could learn together in a single classroom and reduce their reliance on remote learning.

The problem is, the state Department of Health guidance still calls for 6 feet, in the absence of physical barriers in the classroom. As a result, school districts are getting mixed messages from our county, state and national health officials, causing confusion among school districts and educators over what they need to do to open safely. Without clear action from the state, this confusion will continue and there will still be a patchwork of different distancing requirements from county to county.

NYSSBA urges Gov. Cuomo and the state Health Department to consider adopting the 3-foot guideline in New York, or explain why they believe scientific evidence does not support such a change.

We have full confidence in our schools, which have proven they can keep children and staff safe in accordance with science.”

HOLLEY – The school district is dismissing middle/high school early today after a gas leak in the middle-high school.

Those students were evacuated to the elementary school. All staff and students are safe, the district posted on its website.

“The MS/HS students will be dismissed early from the ES, where the buses will pick them up for the departure home,” the district said. “If you plan to pick a MS/HS student up, please pick them up at District Office. Thank you.”

Farmers contribute $400K annually for research to boost profitability, battle pests

Press Release, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets

Photo by Tom Rivers – This photo from October 2015 shows apples at an Albion orchard. Orleans County is one of the leading apple-growing counties in the state, behind only Wayne and Ulster counties. New York State is the country’s second-leading apple producer, behind only Washington State.

ALBANY – The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced that the state’s apple industry has voted in support of continuing the Apple Research and Development program.

New York apple growers are asked to approve of the program through a referendum vote every six years. The program is administered by Ag & Markets.

“The Apple Research and Development program has been important to funding much-needed research in pest management, potential disease, and other areas that make an impact on our farmers’ crops,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. “We thank our growers for participating in the referendum vote and look forward to continuing to support the program moving forward.”

The Apple Research and Development program was first established in 1990 by New York’s apple industry to fund research activities. In recent years, the program has been collecting nearly $400,000 in grower assessments annually, which are used to fund research critical to increasing the profitability of New York’s apple growers.

Research is conducted in the areas of pest management, bacterial infection, proper storage, product research, and overall best practices for growing and harvesting apples. The ARDP Advisory Board makes recommendations on the projects and establishes priorities based on the regions they represent.

For additional information on all current Marketing Order programs, including the ARDP, click here.

Library announces extended hours, including on Saturday

Press Release, Hoag Library

ALBION – The Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association has two open positions on the Board of Trustees.

Interested candidates should submit a petition, available at the library circulation desk, signed by at least 20 adults residing in the library service area by 7 p.m. on April 5. Elections will be held May 3 from noon to 7 p.m. with results announced at the Annual Meeting immediately following. All library service area residents are eligible to vote and attend the Annual Meeting.

Also, effective Saturday, March 27, Hoag Library will no longer limit visits to 15 minutes and updated building hours will be as follows:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday:10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The building is open for browsing, copy/fax/print/scan, and computer lab use (please note that the computer lab closes 15 minutes before the building).

Exciting plans are underway for this year’s 2021 Summer Reading Program ‘Tails and Tales.’ Stay tuned to our website and social media outlets for updates.

Orleans/Niagara BOCES allocated $277K

Photo by Tom Rivers: Genesee Community College’s main campus in Batavia is shown in this photo. GCC also operates campus centers in Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

The newly passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes $2.6 billion for colleges, universities and students in New York, including $9,165,000 for Genesee Community College.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer released a breakdown of the aid today, which also includes $277,000 for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

The public and non-profit schools will use half of their award on emergency financial aid grants to students to help them with college costs and basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare, Schumer said.

The other half of the funds will allow institutions to provide additional student support activities, and to cover a variety of institutional costs, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll. Proprietary schools must use their awards exclusively to provide financial aid grants to students.

“As New York’s colleges, universities, and students face over a year of unprecedented hurdles, they do so at a steep cost that it is our responsibility to address and overcome,” Schumer said in a news release. “In prioritizing the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff, New York’s higher education institutions have ripped massive holes in their budgets and are now facing down financial devastation – and we simply can’t let that happen.

Some of the funding allocations include:

• GCC, $9,165,000
• Geneseo SUNY, $11,955,000
• Monroe2-Orleans BOCES, $344,000
• Brockport SUNY, $21,778,000
• Monroe Community College, $34,921,000
• Roberts Wesleyan College, $3,830,000
• Orleans/Niagara BOCES, $277,000
• Niagara County Community College, $12,359,000

This funding announced today is in addition to the $2.4 billion Schumer secured for New York’s institutions of higher education in the past Covid relief bills. In total, Schumer has secured over $5 billion for New York’s colleges and universities in the past year.

“As Majority Leader, I was proud to make funding for New York’s higher education institutions and students a top priority, and the American Rescue Plan will deliver this much needed $2.6 billion in assistance to help our world-class institutions through the crisis, get students safely back to classes, and get campuses across the state back to ‘normal’,” he said.

Orleans and Genesee counties today are reporting 26 new Covid-19 cases in the two counties, bringing the total to 6,978 in the two counties since a year ago.

In Orleans County there are 11 new positive cases for a total of 2,498 confirmed cases since last March.

The positive cases reported today reside 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, 70s and 80s.

Orleans is also reporting that 1 more person has recovered from Covid and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County there are 15 new positive cases of Covid reported today for a total of 4,480 cases since last March.

The new positive cases 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, 50s and 60s.

Genesee is reporting 11 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee currently has 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Rapid Testing: Pre-registration is required for rapid testing clinics. The next testing clinic, which is open to Orleans and Genesee counties, will be from 2 to 3 p.m. on March 23 at the Genesee County Emergency Management Office/Fire Training Center at 7690 State Street Rd., Batavia.

Use the Rapid Covid-19 Test Intake Form for Genesee County Covid-19 Rapid Test Clinics. You will need one form per person being tested. If you are filling out the form, please complete it, print it out and bring it with you. Click here for the form.

To register for the clinic please go the follow this link.

The clinics will be determined on a week-to-week basis as our focus will be on vaccine moving forward. Please note if you have recently tested positive, please do not come and get tested again at these clinics. These clinics are to identify new cases, not to determine if you are now negative. It is important to understand that you may still test positive for several weeks after initially testing positive.

ALBION – The Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District has been awarded two state grants for more than $600,000 for conservation projects on farms that will reduce sediment and runoff into local waterways.

The funding is part of $15 million announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to support agricultural water quality conservation projects across the state, benefiting 147 farms. The funding is being provided through the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control program, which supports projects that address water quality challenges in priority watersheds and protect the environment.

“Through the installations of these projects we are improving the water quality in Orleans County and in Lake Ontario,” said Katie Sommerfeldt, Soil & Water district manager in Orleans County. “Lake Ontario is used not only for recreation purposes, but is our drinking water source. This is just another reason why we need to protect this valuable resource.”

The first grant in Orleans County is for $282,934 for implementing 4,710 total acres of cover crops over three years on six different farms, Sommerfeldt said.

“By installing these cover crops we are reducing sediment and nutrient runoff from bare fields into nearby waterways,” she said.

The second grant is for $324,951 for implementing five Agrichemical Handling Facilities on five separate farms, including three farms in Barre, one in Ridgeway and one based in Hamlin. The Hamlin farm also operates land in Orleans County.

These facilities give the farms a safe place to store and mix pesticides, Sommerfeldt said. These buildings are designed to contain 125% of the volume of the farm’s largest sprayer.

If there is a spill while filling the sprayer, the floor will contain it. The farm would then be able to recover all spilled materials and reuse them for their intended purpose, Sommerfeldt said. “All of these facilities are located 100 feet from any watercourse or well,” she said. “By installing these facilities we are eliminating outdoor mixing sites that are located close to water bodies, thus eliminating any further water quality concerns from agrichemical spills.”