By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 March 2021 at 8:23 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The school district has recently welcomed more students back for in-person learning, from 2 to 4 days a week.
HOLLEY – The district started the school year on a hybrid schedule with students able to take two days of in-person classes a week. The students were split into two different groups in each grade level and those groups alternated days of in-person school with everyone going remote on Wednesdays.
That was done to reduce the number of students on buses and in the school buildings, to allow for social distancing and reduce the chances for spreading Covid.
The district early in the school year increased the in-person days to four days for students in prekindergarten, those in self-contained special education classes and the alternative high school, which is held in a wing of the elementary school.
Those groups are all smaller classes of no more than 12 students where the district can meet the social distancing requirement, keeping desks 6 feet apart.
The district has recently pushed to bring back more students for four days of in-person learning. That includes about 100 students with IEPs who have a learning disability and need some additional educational services.
This week the district also allowed students at the WeMoCo in Spencerport to attend in-person classes four days a week. That started on Monday.
Holley wants to bring back more students for four days a week of in-person learning, but the district needs to ensure it can meet the state mandates for social distancing on buses and in classrooms, said Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent.
Or, the state needs to provide some relief to the 6-foot distance for social distancing to allow more students to be in class. Bartalo said students have been wearing masks inside classrooms which should allow them to be closer together than the 6 feet.
‘I want our families to know we’re working on it. We’re looking at our options. We want the kids to come back but we have to do it in a way that abides by the rules.’ – Brian Bartalo, district superintendent
Paul Pettit, the public health director in Orleans County, said the state is expected to make an announcement soon about the 6-foot buffer between desks and what districts must do to allow students to be closer together.
Some districts have set up Plexiglass barriers between desks. Bartalo said that would be a big expense for the district to go with the barriers.
If the state doesn’t allow desks to be closer than 6 feet, Holley still may be able to bring more students for in-person classes. Holley has about 20 percent of its students fully remote who don’t attend in-person classes this year. That gives the district some room to bring students back for in-person classes four days a week.
“At this time, I want everyone to know that we expect some changes soon regarding how to increase our in-person opportunities for students at school,” Bartalo said in a message to school community on Monday. “As we await new guidance on safety protocols, we’re working diligently at the district to consider all options for transportation and classroom limits to have students return more fully. It’s likely, just as we’ve done with other aspects of our phase-in approach, that we start bringing our younger (elementary) students in more at first, then move to the middle/high school.”
Bartalo said the district would like to keep pushing to have more students in-person by April 19, which is the start of the final quarter when students will be gearing up for final exams and state assessments.
The district will be reaching out to parents and guardians to see if they would support four days of in-person instruction. Bartalo also wants to know if the students who are fully remote would stay that way if they had the option for four days.
The district could find out some families would be uncomfortable with more in-person days and would rather stay with two in-person days or be fully remote.
“I want our families to know we’re working on it,” Bartalo said. “We’re looking at our options. We want the kids to come back but we have to do it in a way that abides by the rules.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2021 at 8:17 pm
Orleans County will receive over 1,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine this week, which is significantly more than the county typically gets. Last week Orleans was able to administer 400 doses.
The county is getting 500 doses as part of its regular allotment with 300 to be administered by the Orleans County Health Department, 100 by the Tops pharmacy and 100 at Medina Memorial Hospital.
The county also will have an additional 585 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and will working with its partnering healthcare providers to administer those doses, Paul Pettit, the county’s public health director, advised local officials during a conference call this evening.
“That’s great news,” he said about the 585 doses on top of the weekly allotment.
In addition, the Health Department will be giving 200 shots of the second dose of the vaccine during its vaccine clinic Thursday at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.
Orleans also is expecting to hear confirmation soon from the state that the county will be teaming with Genesee and Wyoming health officials for a tri-county mass vaccination clinic at GCC in Batavia. Pettit said that clinic is in the planning stages.
“We are very hopeful this mass vaccination site will come to fruition and provide a much needed boost to Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties,” he said.
In Orleans, about 10 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. That is down from a 15 percent rate across the state and in the Finger Lakes Region.
Press Release, Orleans County Department of Mental Health
ALBION – Effective immediately the 24-hour Care & Crisis Helpline serving Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties is down and non-operational.
In the case of a mental health related crisis or for information on available mental health resources in your community, please contact the numbers below, utilizing the number associated with the county in which you reside or contact 911.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2021 at 4:24 pm
Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 19 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today in the two counties, which brings the total to 6,703 during the pandemic since last March.
In Orleans County there are 4 new positive cases of Covid reported today for a total of 2,421 cases since last March, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.
The new 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.
Orleans is reporting 3 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently no residents from Orleans hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there 15 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,282 positive cases during the pandemic.
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 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. The new cases include 3 inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.
Genesee is reporting 26 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 3 residents form Genesee hospitalized due to Covid.
Pictured form left include Landin Flynn (Orleans Learning Center), teacher Jay Kaplewicz, Abigail Garver (Lyndonville), Austin Furness (Albion), Steven Cerros-Secore (Medina) and Allan Bieber (Albion).
Photo and press release from Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Even though oyster mushrooms usually grow in the woods, Landscaping and Grounds teacher Jay Kaplewicz and his class decided to grow them in their classroom at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.
“We were learning about mycology, which is the study of fungi and its relationship to plants,” Kaplewicz said. “We discussed how they are grown commercially and decided that would be a fun project to do in class.”
The class used kitty litter made out of recycled paper inside a plastic bag with holes punched into them and then added mushroom spawn.
“The students were so excited when they grew,” he said. “They are gourmet mushrooms so we are sharing them with our Culinary Arts program and Food Service program for them to incorporate into their cuisine.”
The process took a little over four weeks.
“It was really cool and was a great way to show students how you can grow something valuable out of waste products,” Kaplewicz said. “It gets them thinking about potential business ideas as well.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: Heather Smith, director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation, volunteered at a food distribution in Medina on June 12.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced an additional $25 million has been directed to New York’s network of food banks and emergency food providers to support the Nourish New York program through July 2021.
Since the Governor launched Nourish NY at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020, 21 million pounds of surplus agricultural products have been purchased from New York farmers and delivered to more than 1.3 million households in need across New York State.
Purchasing and food distribution using this third round of funding – which was first announced during the Governor’s 2021 State of the State Address – are currently underway. Since the launch of Nourish NY, a total of $60 million has been invested in the program.
“New York is on the path to recovery from the pandemic, but there is a continued need to assist families and our farmers across the state who are still struggling,” Governor Cuomo said. “Since its launch last spring, the Nourish New York initiative has had incredible success in connecting our agricultural producers with food banks in every corner of the state to bring fresh local foods to families in need.”
The Nourish New York program provides funds to New York’s food banks and emergency food providers, who then purchase agricultural products from New York farmers and dairy manufacturers and deliver the food to families in need.
Emergency food providers can use Nourish New York funds to:
Set up food-drive through events/giveaways;
Distribute dairy vouchers that can be redeemed in grocery stores for products like cheese, yogurt, milk, sour cream, and butter, throughout the state, and/or;
Purchase products directly from New York dairy/food manufacturers for their feeding programs.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers experienced a drastic supply chain shift, which resulted in the loss of markets and income and in the waste of fresh surplus foods, particularly fluid milk. Simultaneously, the demand for food through emergency food providers escalated across the state. Seeing the opportunity to feed residents and aid farmers, the Governor launched the Nourish New York initiative. This initiative provided $25 million in funding for the first round and $10 million in the second round of the program for the purchase of foods grown, raised, or processed in New York State and has served as an important alternative revenue stream for farmers and dairy processors during the pandemic. More than 4,150 farms have been impacted through the program.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Over the last 10 months, the Nourish New York program has helped feed more than one million families with nutritious dairy, fruits and vegetables, and so much more, and helped make sure our farmers had a market for their products.”
New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher said, “This additional funding for Nourish NY is good news for many farmers and low-income people who are still dealing with fallout from the pandemic. The program has coordinated a pathway to move food from farms to food banks in every region of the state, compensating farmers for their products and reducing food waste at the same time. It has proven to be a lifeline for people in need, and we thank Governor Cuomo for continuing the program.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 March 2021 at 12:15 pm
Upscale Overstock at 50 North Main St. offers a selection of clothing from newborn to extra large men’s. Here, owner Lynn Palmer holds a toddler’s party dress.
ALBION – When Lynn Palmer decided to open her own business, one of the first things she did was enroll in the Microenterprise Assistance Program run by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
She graduated from the 10-week class for small business owners in 2019 and opened Upscale Overstock in Medina at the end of the year in 2019.
Palmer was just getting her feet on the ground when the pandemic last March and she was forced to close her doors to the public. She continued to promote the store’s merchandise through a Facebook page and people could pick up the items from the front window.
The store was able to reopen for in-store sales in late May when the state eased some of the Covid restrictions. One of her most popular items early pandemic were masks made by her daughter Samantha.
She shifted to the Albion location at 50 North Main St. on Jan. 18 and Palmer said the prominent spot on Main Street has been good for her business.
The store offers all new merchandise of every kind, including men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, kitchen items and small appliances, professional sports clothing and memorabilia, toys, games, gift items and bed and bath items, including linens.
Upscale Overstock sells general merchandise that was often in the big box stores. When those stores look to change merchandise and switch to a new season, overstock stores like Palmer’s often acquire the items. They are still new, but haven’t been used.
She tends to receive a shipment each week with one or two pallets of overstock items that are all new merchandise.
In addition, Palmer also displays a section of craft items made by her daughter, which include handmade tee shirts, custom-made signs, string art and adult’s and children’s masks.
Palmer plans to feature a fun promotion every month, with March’s being a pot of gold hidden somewhere in the merchandise. The first person to find the item gets 10 percent off their order.
The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Palmer also works at Walmart but she said it is her goal to some day be able to spend all her time in her own business.
Information is available on the Upscale Overstock Facebook page or by calling (585) 283-4132.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2021 at 10:36 am
Covid-19 cases were down significantly in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties, after surging from November through January.
The three counties had nearly 3,000 cases in both December and January. Last month there were 965 cases in the three counties, and that included 79 in the state prisons in Wyoming County.
The cases began a sharp upward trajectory in November with 1,133 cases in the three counties and reached 2,993 in December and 2,814 cases in January.
Genesee averaged 45.8 new cases a day in January. The county had 400 new cases in February or an average of 14.3 per a day. Genesee had 151 active cases on Feb. 1 and that was down to 82 on March 1.
Orleans dropped from an average of 25.4 cases a day in January to 9.0 per day in February. Orleans had 98 active cases on Feb. 1 and reported 36 active cases on march 1.
Wyoming County averaged 19.6 community cases daily in January and that was down to 8.3 per day in February or 11.1 per day if the cases in the prison are included. The number of actives cases dropped from 92 on Feb. 1 to 40 on March 1.
Here is a monthly breakdown of the Covid cases in the three counties:
Orleans County (population: 40,352)
First case reported on March 18.
March – 6 cases (6 cumulative cases)
April – 89 cases (95 cumulative)
May – 126 cases (221 cumulative)
June – 45 cases (266 cumulative)
July – 10 cases (276 cumulative)
August – 12 cases (288 cumulative)
September – 29 cases (317 cumulative)
October – 82 cases (399 cumulative)
November – 224 cases (623 cumulative)
December – 753 cases (1,376 cumulative)
January – 788 cases (2,164 cumulative)
February – 253 cases (2,417 cumulative)
Genesee County (population: 57,280)
First case reported on March 17.
March – 13 cases (13 cumulative cases)
April – 136 cases (149 cumulative)
May – 37 cases (186 cumulative)
June – 40 cases (224 cumulative)
July – 32 cases (256 cumulative)
August – 23 cases (279 cumulative)
September – 30 cases (309 cumulative)
October – 66 cases (375 cumulative)
November – 579 cases (954 cumulative)
December – 1,495 cases (2,449 cumulative)
January – 1,419 cases (3,867 cumulative)
February – 400 cases (4,267 cumulative)
Wyoming County (population: 40,085)
First case reported March 17.
March – 8 cases (8 cases cumulative)
April – 60 cases (68 cumulative)
May – 12 cases (80 cumulative)
June – 9 cases (89 cumulative)
July – 18 cases (107 cumulative)
August – 12 cases (120 cumulative)
September – 12 cases (132 cumulative)
October – 69 cases (201 cumulative)
November – 330 cases (531 cumulative)
December – 745 cases (1,276 cumulative)
January – 607 cases (1,883 cumulative)
February – 233 community cases (2,116 cumulative community). Wyoming also has had 486 cases in the prisons during the pandemic, including 79 in February.
Source: Orleans Hub research, local health departments, Census Bureau 2019 estimates for population
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke
ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke is announcing the upcoming civil service exams for both deputy sheriff and police officer for the villages of Albion, Holley and Medina.
Candidates must be legal residents of Orleans County for at least one month immediately preceding the date of the written test.
The last filing date for the exam is March 24 with the physical fitness (agility) test on April 24 followed by the written exam on May 15.
Applications, qualifications and additional information may be obtained through this link (click here) or contact Kate Harvey, the Orleans County director of personnel and self insurance, at (585) 589-3184.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2021 at 9:02 am
Michael Dobell
MEDINA – The new leader of Orleans Economic Development Agency has more than a decade of experience working for major hotels in Buffalo, Rochester and Minneapolis.
Michael Dobell, 36, of Lyndonville said he brings a customer service focus to the job as executive director for the EDA. He started the position last week and succeeds Jim Whipple, who has retired but is staying on in a part-time advisory role through the end of April. Whipple led the EDA for 15 years.
Dobell, 36, was director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Buffalo the past five years. Prior to that he worked for the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson Rochester Riverside. In that career, it wasn’t just the hotel he was promoting to clients: it was the overall experience in the community.
Dobell sees a similar message in his role with the EDA. Businesses will be looking at the “total experience” in Orleans County.
“How can we best showcase the entire community?” he said. “We’re in this together. It’s really a team effort.”
Dobell said it will take the efforts of local and state officials, as well as citizens in the county, to make the community an enticing place to live and work.
He sees lots of assets for the EDA to promote to businesses, especially the 300-acre Medina Business Park, which is one of the largest certified shovel ready sites in the state. Whipple in the EDA worked more than a decade to create the park with infrastructure.
“What Jim and his team have done the past 15 years is an amazing job,” Dobell said the EDA conference room at 121 North Main St., Albion. “He laid the groundwork to take Orleans County to the next level.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: The 300-acre Medina Business Park is one of the largest certified shovel-ready sites in the state. It has all the infrastructure in place.
Dobell lives in Lyndonville with his wife, Clancy. She is the daughter of Lynne Johnson, the Orleans County Legislature chairwoman. Dobell was drawn to the Lyndonville community because it is similar in size to where he grew up on a dairy farm in Andover, Allegany County. Dobell was active in the 4-H program as a kid. He earned a bachelor’s degree in financial planning from Alfred University.
“In a small town there is the camaraderie of the community and the business owners,” he said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to be part of the up and coming Orleans County development.”
Paul Hendel, the Orleans EDA board chairman, said Dobell is a “forward-thinking” leader who will make serving the local businesses and prospective companies a priority.
“He is a great fit for this organization and the entire county,” Hendel said. “He has the knowledge, skills and personality, and he has a proven track record in sales.”
Dobell is one of the three full-time staff for the EDA. Hendel agrees with Dobell’s philosophy that economic development will take the work of many in the community.
“As an organization we cannot exist in a bubble,” Hendel said. “We need support from towns, village and county and our state legislators.”
The EDA is in a good position with several sites that should be attractive to companies around the county. Hendel praised Whipple for bringing municipal partners together for EDA projects.
“Jim did a great job putting Orleans County on the map,” Hendel said. “Jim was a superstar for the agency, in my opinion. With Michael, I see a person with lot of same skill sets as Jim and a vision to take organization to the next level.”
Hendel said the economic development business is also about relationships, and building trust with business leaders. Orleans in recent years has welcomed several companies from Southern Ontario, Canada.
That Canadian province has been a “great partner” in bringing jobs to Orleans County, Hendel said.
Hendel expects to see more economic development as more progress is made getting Covid-19 under control.
“We are primed to just explode with the assets in our county and the infrastructure,” Hendel said.
Assemblyman says Cuomo should step down after sexual harassment accusations, nursing home deaths
Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley
Steve Hawley
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) over the weekend spoke with WHAM 13 Rochester and Rochester TV 8 to discuss recent allegations made against the governor by two of his former aides who state he had sexually harassed them in private.
Speaking with these media outlets, Hawley called on the governor to resign immediately in the aftermath of both these sexual harassment allegations and also following reports that his administration actively covered up the amount of fatalities in New York nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the interviews, Hawley emphasized that amid an ongoing pandemic, budget negotiation process, a federal investigation into his cover-up of nursing home fatality data, and now an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, New Yorkers need a governor that can fully devote their time and focus on addressing the needs of everyday New Yorkers in what are unprecedented and challenging times.
“It needs to happen yesterday,” said Assemblyman Hawley in an interview with WHAM 13. “Any time there’s an allegation, it needs to be taken seriously, and we need to move forward with that.”
“[Cuomo] owes it to the people of the state of New York— his constituents, my constituents,” said Hawley, as he spoke with News 8 Rochester. “We have an awful lot going on in the state, in this nation. And the appropriate thing for him to do at this point is resign.”
Hawley also issued this statement after today’s legislative session in the Assembly was cancelled:
“Today’s cancellation of session is extremely disappointing, especially as we are now grappling with multiple crises in our government. We are facing a pandemic, a debt crisis, budget negotiations, and also need to address the accusations made against the governor by two of his former aides, not to forget about his cover-up of deaths that took place in our nursing homes.
“The people need us more than ever, and I am saddened, though not surprised, that the Majority has decided to take a day off today and cover for the governor as he faces investigations by the Attorney General and Department of Justice, rather than address our state’s critical needs.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2021 at 4:22 pm
Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 38 more cases of Covid-19 today in the first update since Friday. That puts the combined total to 6,684 for the two counties since March 2020.
In Orleans County there are 8 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,417 positive cases since last March.
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, 30s, 40s, 60s and 80s.
Of the new cases, 3 were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.
Orleans is reporting 25 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There are now 36 active Covid cases in the county.
There is currently one Orleans County resident hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there 30 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,267 positive 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 43 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There are now 82 positive Covid cases in the county.
Of the new cases, 6 are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia. There are 9 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.
The G-O Health Departments said three positive residents of The New York State Veterans’ Home at Batavia were retracted because they were determined to be duplicates.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2021 at 3:00 pm
Testing is open to Orleans residents, too
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said there are appointments available for people who want a rapid Covid-19 test on Tuesday.
The Health Departments are running a clinic from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management/Fire Training Center at 7690 State Street Rd., Batavia.
There are no residency requirements for the testing clinic, the Health Departments said.
People getting a test need to go online to register and to get an intake form. Click here for more information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2021 at 1:46 pm
Legislators also highlight Probation Department, Arc of Genesee Orleans
Robert Batt and Melissa Blanar have both been recognized as alumni of the year by Leadership Orleans.
The Orleans County Legislature last week recognized two leaders with special recognition awards, and also highlighted the Probation Department.
The Legislature also issued a proclamation declaring March as “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.”
Robert Batt and Melissa Blanar were recently announced as the Leadership Orleans alumni of the year.
Blanar is director of the Office for the Aging and Batt is executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. Blanar completed the year-long Leadership Orleans program in 2019 and Batt was in the inaugural class in 2018.
The two have stepped up leading their agencies or organizations in the past year, with added responsibilities due to Covid-19 and the restrictions from the state due to the pandemic.
Blanar and Batt also have been critical to food distributions which started last April and are currently being held most Fridays at a site in the county.
“You have gone far and beyond your professional leadership roles in serving the aging of our county during the Covid-19 pandemic through your extreme efforts in organizing multiple food distributions and other pandemic realities,” The Legislature said in the Special Recognition Award for Blanar. “This will forever be widespread, long lasting and extremely appreciated. The Orleans County Legislature does hereby commend you for your passion and dedication to our Orleans County residents.
Batt was praised his “extreme efforts in organizing multiple food distributions and other pandemic realities. This will forever be widespread, long lasting and extremely appreciated. The Orleans County Legislature does hereby commend you for your passion and dedication to our Orleans County residents.”
• Probation Department: The Legislature also presented a Special Recognition Award to Orleans County Probation Department, congratulating the department on being recognized from NYS Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. The state praised the county Probation Department for developing a “Best Practice” procedure for the return of Violation Of Probation: Declaration of Delinquency Petitions from the courts.
Probation also was recognized by the state for creating and using a “Probationer Handbook” which is a document developed to assist adult offenders placed under probation supervision with all aspects of their sentence.
“The Orleans County Legislature wishes to share our appreciation for your passion and dedication to the duties of your department and does hereby commend you and your team in the services you provide Orleans County and beyond,” the award states.
• Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: The Legislature also issued a proclamation declaring March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The Legislature said developmental disabilities affect more than 7 million Americans and their families.
“People with developmental disabilities can be vital and vibrant members of our communities, improving the quality of life for all of us,” the proclamation states.
There are about 600 ARC chapters in the country, including the Arc of Genesee Orleans.
“The Orleans County Legislature proudly recognizes the achievements of Arc of Genesee Orleans and supports this organization’s mission of being a partner for people with disabilities, and a gateway to opportunities for each person to experience their desired potential,” the proclamation states.
Department pursues fairness and equity in the marketplace
Press Release, The Genesee-Orleans County Department of Weights & Measures
Provided photos: Ronald P. Mannella serves as Weights & Measures director in Genesee and Orleans counties.
The Genesee-Orleans County Department of Weights & Measures is responsible for testing all commercial devices used to weigh and measures various commodities.
These inspections are done annually at over 220 businesses which include grocery stores, delis, bakeries, produce stands, laundromats, farms, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, stone quarries, gas stations and non-commercial locations as requested.
The department is also responsible for testing the quality of fuel sold within the counties, a task that is 100% reimbursed by NYS (132 fuel samples were taken in 2020). We celebrate this marketplace protection annually on March 1st, the start of National Weights & Measure Week.
Prior to 2020, Genesee and Orleans County operated separate W&M departments. This changed last January when Ronald P. Mannella was appointed Director for both – a move with estimated annual savings of over $54,000.
2020 resulted in 1,138 total devices tested between the two counties, including a 4.11% increase in Genesee County devices compared to 2019.
“In our first year functioning as a shared department, we were able to serve both communities better than ever before,” Mannella said. “We pumped over 13,000 gallons of fuel and used over 5 million pounds for testing.”
Tested and approved
These seals indicate a device was tested and approved for use by a Weights & Measures inspector. New for 2021, our seals will incorporate two public health messages acting as reminders for residents and visitors to the area.
“Our new seals for this year will address drunk driving and hand washing in an attempt to better the health outcomes of our residents,” Mannella said. “I believe we are the first in the state, potentially the nation, to use health and safety messaging on inspection seals – which have gone relatively unchanged for decades. It’s a great opportunity and use of the space allotted to us.”
Protection at the pump
With support from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Genesee-Orleans and the surrounding counties are cracking down on credit card skimmers and those responsible. W&M inspectors perform random
sweeps of fuel stations looking for these fraudulent devices. Arrests have been made and we want it known that New York will not tolerate these criminal acts.
If you have suspicious credit card activity, call your bank immediately.
For more information about Weights & Measures (click here) or call Genesee County at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555 or Orleans County at 585-589-3278.
