Photo by Tom Rivers: Stephen Oblick uses a snowblower to clear out his driveway this morning on Platt Street in Albion.

Orleans County will get a break from the freezing temperatures and steady snowfall. Today is forecast for a high of 30, with the highs reaching 36 on Thursday and 40 on Friday.

On Saturday, the high will drop to 25 with a chance for snow showers.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said significant lake-effect snow is possible Friday night through Saturday for Genesee, Wyoming and Erie counties.

Orleans County today is reporting 25 more new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,189 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, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Of the new cases, two are residents at the Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center in Albion and two inmates at the Orleans Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Albion.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments are also reporting four of the new positive individuals were on quarantine prior to testing positive.

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

There are also four residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Albion Central School reports an elementary school staff member has tested positive for Covid-19. The staff member was last in school on Jan. 29.

Students and staff members deemed to have been in close contact with the individual have been identified by the district and anyone needing to quarantine has been contacted by the Department of Health, the district stated on its website.

Holley Central School reported on Monday that a Middle/High School staff member tested positive for Covid-19. The last day this person was in the district was Jan. 29.

The Health Department has indicated to us that there will be no quarantining required of any students or staff members due to close contact with this individual at the school.

In Genesee County there are 9 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 3,876 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the 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, 30s, 50s, 60s and 80s.

Genesee is reporting 23 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 20 Genesee County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

ALBION – The Albion Board of Education voted on Monday to join hundreds of other school districts around the country in a class-action lawsuit against  JUUL, which makes and markets vaping products.

Albion won’t have to spend any money on lawyers as part of the lawsuit that is currently pending in the Northern District of California.

Plaintiffs are alleging JUUL Labs, the largest manufacturer of vaping products in the world, fraudulently and intentionally marketed its products to children through social media, online advertising and even television networks for children.

“It’s no risk to the district and only a gain for our students if we do win,” Derek Vallese, the Albion business administrator, told the Board of Education on Monday evening.

Albion and the other school districts could receive part of a monetary award to recoup costs of any vaping-related issues on campus. Some districts are also asking for additional damages to compensate for future expenses, according to a memorandum to the district from the Bond Schoeneck & King lawfirm.

An example of a cost incurred by a district is installing vape detectors in every district bathroom or hiring additional staff to supervise potential vaping areas on campus.

“In addition, we anticipate that school districts will likely need to hire additional counselors to deal with the well-documented social and emotional issues associated with nicotine addiction,” Bond Schoeneck & King said. “Finally, districts may need to incorporate educational programs about the harms of vaping and are seeking monetary damages in the lawsuit to cover the cost of that endeavor.”

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking a court order to stop JUUL from continuing to manufacture, market and sell their “flavor pods” that are particularly attractive to children.

JUUL has marketed its products to make children believe vaping and the products weren’t harmful. But the lawsuits says the e-cigarettes could contain 10 times the amount of nicotine a as traditional cigarette.

The company also targeted children with the products with flavors such as fruit medley, crème brulee and mango.

Albion’s only cost in the lawsuit could be having about 10 hours of staff time to prepare documents and information for the legal team, according to the memorandum from the Bond Schoeneck & King lawfirm.

The Frantz Law Group in California is the lead firm in the lawsuit. The lawfirm normally receives 40 percent of a plaintiff’s recovery, but has agreed to reduce that to 20 percent if the case is resolved in the first year and 25 percent if resolved after a year.

Bond Schoeneck & King will serve as co-counsel the Frantz Law Group and will act as a liaison between Albion and Frantz.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Derek Vallese, the business administrator for Albion Central School, goes over the school district’s $35.5 million budget during a meeting on April 1, 2019. Vallese came to Albion after working as treasurer for Newfane Central School.

ALBION — The school district is losing another administrator. Derek Vallese is leaving Albion next Friday to take a job as assistant superintendent at Victor Central School. Victor’s $78.2 million budget for 2020-21 is more than double the $36.8 million at Albion.

Vallese has worked as Albion as the business administrator for about two years. He came to Albion after being the treasurer at Newfane Central School.

Vallese also was the district clerk at Albion, and needed to oversee last year’s election, which was much more complicated due to Covid-19 restrictions. The state required school districts to hold the elections and budget votes entirely by mail.

Vallese was praised the Board of Education on Monday for his work at Albion. Mickey Edwards, who started as the district superintendent on Monday, said he will begin the process of filling the vacancy.

Vallese said the district’s annual budget work has started and he will be available to help by phone if Albion needs some assistance in the coming months. The budget goes to a public vote in May.

Vallese said he has enjoyed working at Albion.

“Thank you Albion Central School District for accepting me as one of your own,” he said. “It has been a great two years with the district, and I have learned so much. This is an amazing district and an amazing community, and I will miss everyone.”

Albion will also need to fill other positions on the administrative team. Mary Leto, the assistant superintendent for instruction, informed the district last month that she will retire, effective June 30.

The district also has interim elementary school principal this year after Rachel Curtin left the position after seven years to work as principal of the Chautauqua Lake Elementary School in Mayville. That is near her hometown of Ripley.

Maura Pierce came out of retirement to serve as interim principal this school year at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School.

Genesee and Orleans counties are each hosting rapid test clinics for Covid-19 this week. There are spots open.

Genesee County is offering the testing today from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management/Fire Training Center, 7690 State Street Rd. in Batavia. As of 10:30 a.m., there were 122 spots open for the free tests. Click here for more information.

Orleans County will have the testing clinic on Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville. There were 203 spots available at 10:30 a.m. today. Click here for more information.

Those getting tested should fill out the Rapid Covid-19 Test Intake Form. If you are filling out the form, complete it, print it out and bring it with you. Click here for the form.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments expect to stop doing the rapid test clinics to devote more resources to Covid-19 vaccination clinics as the supply of doses increases.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Contractors put in the racking system for a solar project at Beals Road by Route 31 in Ridgeway on Oct. 12, 2019. Borrego Solar Systems also built a solar array on Allis Road. The projects are on 16.5 acres on Beals Road and 29 acres on Allis Road, land owned by Ken Baker, a local livestock farmer.

ALBION – Many of the towns in Orleans County are being eyed for renewable energy projects, especially solar projects.

The smaller-scale solar typically take up 20 to 50 acres. But one project in Barre and Shelby would need 1,300 acres.

Utility-size wind energy projects in Barre and Yates would also consume some farmland for turbines, and perhaps for access roads and other infrastructure for the projects.

The solar projects, however, are more plentiful locally and would take up more land.

Matt Passarell, an Albion town councilman, told Orleans County Planning Board members he doesn’t want the county to lose prime farmland to the projects. Agriculture is the county’s top industry, and Passarell said the community leaders need to work with state and federal officials to make sure agriculture stays a powerful economic driver in the county. Albion is among the towns being considered for solar projects.

Jim Bensley, the county’s director of Planning and Development, said there is concern from planning officials in other rural areas in Western New York that farmland could be lost due to the energy projects.

Orleans County could see more big solar projects which could put some of the prime farmland at risk.

Jim Panek of Panek Farms was on the agenda last Thursday for a solar project in Lyndonville. That 340-kilowatt solar energy system is at Lynwood Drive along the right-of-way for the former Hojack railroad line on land that isn’t good farmland.

Panek also has solar arrays on Eagle Harbor Road in Albion at a former harness racing training track, which also was;t good for crops.

He said he gets three or four letters a week from solar companies looking to do projects. He would only consider them on marginal farmland.

“We aren’t going to take our prime farmland away to do a solar farm,” he told the Planning Board.

The energy companies want land that is close to transmission lines. Farmers have tried to steer companies to land without drainage tile or that isn’t very productive.

If more renewable energy projects are in the future, some of the more fertile soil could be targeted for the projects.

Bruce Kirby, a retired fruit grower on Densmore Road in Gaines, is a member of the County Planning Board. He said his farm twice was approached for solar projects, which didn’t become a reality.

He said the revenue from those projects can provide critical funding to keep farms, especially smaller operations, in business.

He also said the projects don’t change the land forever. The soil could be farmed when the solar panels or turbines are removed.

“It’s not permanent,” Kirby said. “We’re not destroying the ag resource you have in this county. Ask around and see how much people are making in farming. These projects provide secondary money to help farms.”

ALBION – Supportive Care of Orleans County is issuing an invitation to the public to “Wake up and smell the flowers.”

From March 1 to March 13, Supportive Care (Hospice) will conduct its annual spring bouquet sale.

“We need our Orleans County community to rally around this 30-year fundraiser, now more than ever,” said Derek Reiner, Development and Public Relations manager.

Supportive Care is accepting pre-sales orders, starting immediately. They have a goal to sell 2,000 bouquets, Reiner said.

“This is a big fundraising effort for us, thanks to support from community members,” Reiner said. “What better way to brighten someone’s day than with a beautiful bouquet or planter kit that supports a worthy cause at the same time.”

Orders are due by Feb. 26. They can be e-mailed to dreiner@scorleans.org or may be placed by calling Reiner at 589-0809. Orders will be available any day of the week between March 1 and March 13. Payment of $10 each is due upon delivery.

“Many of you have supported the bouquet sale for several years and Hospice is truly grateful,” Reiner said. “To those of you new to our fundraising endeavor, welcome to the special community of Hospice friends. By selling our bouquets or planter kits from your business, office or school, you are making a difference in the lives of those facing advanced terminal illness in Orleans County, as well as their families and loved ones.”

Genesee and Orleans top 6,000 confirmed Covid cases during pandemic

Orleans County has three more deaths from Covid, with two people under age 65 and one over 65, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting this evening.

According to state fatality data, Orleans now has 78 deaths from Covid and Genesee is at 107.

One of the deaths reported today was a resident of Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Medina. The individual was under the age of 65, the Health Departments said.

“We will not be reporting any further information to protect the privacy of the individuals and their families,” the Health Departments said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these individuals at this very sad time.”

Orleans County also is reporting 36 new positive cases of Covid-19 today in the first update since Friday afternoon. That puts the total cases in the county at 2,164 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, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Five of the new positive individuals are residents at the Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Medina and one is a resident at the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion. Of the 36 new cases, 7 were on quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also is reporting 56 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county has four residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

Albion Central School reported an elementary staff member tested positive for Covid-19. As the staff member was last in school on Jan. 22, the Department of Health has determined there is no need to quarantine any additional students or staff due to the 48-hour look-back period, the district stated on its website.

In Genesee County, there are 46 new positive cases for a total of 3,867 cases since last March.

Combined Orleans and Genesee now have passed 6,000 cases (6,031) in the two counties. Orleans has 40,352 people, according to the 2019 Census estimate, and Genesee is at 57,280, according to the 2019 Census estimate. The 6,031 cases represent 6.2 percent of the combined population of 97,632.

The new positive cases in Genesee 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, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Genesee is reporting 50 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are 20 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Active Cases: The number of active cases in the two counties declined from 292 on Friday to 249 today. That includes Orleans County dropping below 100, from 127 to 98. Genesee is down from 165 on Friday to 151 today.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A wind turbine is pictured on the Tug Hill Plateau in northern New York. Barre is proposing an ordinance to allow turbines that would be up to 700 feet in height.

BARRE – The Orleans County Planning Board last week voted in support of the Town of Barre proposed changes to its ordinance for wind turbines, including increasing the maximum height from 500 to 700 feet.

That change would accommodate Apex Clean Energy, which is proposing 33 wind turbines that would be a maximum 680 feet high.

If approved and built, the 184.8 megawatt project known as Heritage Wind would connect to the New York State electrical grid via an interconnection substation that would be constructed within the town along the existing National Grid Lockport-to-Mortimer 115 kV power line.

The Planning Board voted on the ordinance, and the specifics of the Heritage Wind project. County planners last Thursday recommended Barre approve the proposed ordinance. There was little discussion about the amendments.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue described the changes as “tightening things up” in the existing code.

“What we’ve requested is more strict than what the state has,” Pogue said during the meeting, which was conducted through Zoom.

Some of the regulations proposed for the turbines include:

• Setback distances: The zoning amendments establish setbacks from property lines to be at least 1.5 times the tip height of a turbine from any public roadways or above-ground power lines, and that is for non-participating land owners or those without leases for a turbine as well as participating land owners.

For non-participating property owners (those without leases for a turbine company), the turbines would have to have setbacks at least twice the turbine height from the property line.

• Noise: The town’s proposed ordinance states noise shall not exceed 45 dBA of equivalent continuous sound for 8 hours at non-participating structures and 40 dBA at night outside at non-participating structures. The standard is 55 dBA at participating structures and 50 dBA at night for turbines at night on leaseholders’ land.

The turbines or Wind Energy Conversion Systems shall not produce human perceptible vibrations inside any non-participating structures that exceed the limits of residential use recommended in American National Standards Institute.

• Height: can not exceed 700 feet as measured from the base of the unit to the tip of unit’s longest blade. The current ordinance caps the turbine height at 500 feet tip height.

• Roads: Companies are encouraged to use existing roadways as much as possible. If that isn’t practical and a access or new roadway is needed, the turbines should be built in a way so they are level with the surrounding environment.

The wind turbine company is responsible for damages to public roads during the installation or maintenance of the turbines. The company shall post a public improvement bond prior to the issuance of a building permit. The amount shall be determined by the Town Board.

• Shadow flicker: The Wind Energy Conversion System shall be designed so the shadow flicker from each turbine will not fall on a specific area of a roadway or residential structure for more than 25 hours a year. If a turbines exceeds the 25 hours, it “shall be shut down until the offending condition is remedied,” the ordinance states.

• Construction hours: The construction hours will be limited to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays except in cases of cement pours or component deliveries. Maintenance of the facilities shall be limited to the same time frames, except in cases of emergency.

• Decommissioning: at the end of the useful life or where otherwise necessary an individual turbine may need to be decommissioned or the entire project decommissioned. The applicant or its successors are responsible for decommissioning and all costs associated with it, including removing turbines, blades, nacelles, towers, transformers, above-ground collection cables and poles, permanent meteorological towers and collection substation.

Foundation and collection lines buried less than a depth of 36 inches in non-agricultural lands and less than 48 inches in agricultural lands also must be removed.

The applicant will post and maintain financial assurance in the amount of the net decommissioning costs, on a per turbine basis, to be determined by a qualified, independent engineer, at the applicant’s expense. The net decommissioning cost shall be updated a year after facility operation and then every fifth year thereafter.

• Restoration: The applicant and its successors that may own and operate the project are responsible for restoration and all costs associated with restoring the project site, including agricultural lands and public roads.

The town acknowledges that the state could pre-empt this local law though Article 10 of the NYS Public Service Law and the new 94-C of the NYS Executive Law. The state has a Siting Board to review and approve larger-scale renewable energy projects that exceed 25 megawatts. State officials have said they will try to stay within local laws as much as practical.

Sheryl Watts would like to expand program to all nursing homes, assisted care sites in county

Sponsors are sought for “balloon buddies” for each of the 140 residents at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina. The balloons will include a poem.

MEDINA – A certified balloon artist wants to bring some joy to residents of nursing homes and assisted-care sites in Orleans County.

Sheryl Watts, owner of Air Raising Events, has joined a nationwide effort in the Adopt-A-Grandparent Balloon Buddy Campaign.

She is first focusing on making a balloon buddy for all 140 residents at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina. Watts is halfway there. She doesn’t want to do the program unless every resident gets a balloon, which is a smiley-faced character with a heart. She will add a poem that the recipients are not forgotten and are loved.

“We want to adopt everyone so no one feels left out,” she said. “Once they are all adopted, I make the balloon buddies and deliver them at one time.”

The balloon buddy campaign is a national effort by balloon artists, seeking to bring some extra joy to senior living facilities, which have suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, including extended separation from loved ones.

Watts is seeking sponsors for $15 for a balloon buddy for each resident. If she has sponsors for all 140 residents at Orchard, she will then do the program at another site in Orleans County.

Watts has been working as a balloon artist for the past 20 years, working at children’s parties, graduation events, weddings and other celebrations.

Balloon artists throughout the country are joining the effort to bring balloon buddies to the senior citizens.

“We like the idea of bringing hope and happiness to the seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities,” she said. “Many of them are suffering from depression and loneliness.”

For more on the program, including how to become a sponsor, click here.

Sheryl Watts made this strawberry costume during the June 2019 Strawberry Festival Parade. She has been making balloon creations the past 20 years.

Planning Board also supports 6-month moratorium in Gaines on battery storage systems

LYNDONVILLE – The Orleans County Planning Board has recommended the Village of Lyndonville approve the site plan for a 340-kilowatt solar energy system for Panek Farms at Lynwood Drive.

The project would be ground-mounted in an Agricultural-Residential District in the northeast corner of the village. The panels would be installed along the right-of-way for the former Hojack railroad line on land that isn’t good farmland, Jim Panek, one of the farm owners, told the Planning Board on Thursday.

The land currently isn’t being farmed. The spot is out of sight for most residents and will include a fence, Panek said.

The system would include 960 ground-mounted solar modules.

This is the second solar project on Panek land. The farm also has one on Eagle Harbor Road in Albion at a former harness racing training track. That land also wasn’t good for growing crops.

The two projects will generate enough electricity for the farm’s use, Panek said.

In other referrals, the Planning Board:

• Recommended the Town of Barre approve the site plan and a special use permit for Joshua Watkins to operate a diesel/gas powered vehicle repair shop at 4227 Oak Orchard Rd., about 2,000 feet south of the Route 31A and Route 98 intersection.

Watkins plans to work on over-the-road semi-trucks, farm equipment and other large vehicles. A garage is already built for most of the repairs to be done. Some repairs may be done outside in a fenced-in area if the trailers are too big for the garage.

The site will have employee parking and a customer waiting area. It will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site is in Barre’s General Business District.

• Backed the Town of Gaines which wants a six-month moratorium on all battery and energy storage systems for six months.

The moratorium will give the town time to research the new uses of battery and energy storage systems and their potential impacts upon the community.

The town is encouraged to explore the impact of battery and energy storage systems near occupied neighboring structures, the proper emergency response protocols for the systems’ malfunctions such as fires, and the proper disposal of systems at the end of their life cycles.

Photo from Albion Central School: Mickey Edwards is pictured in the district office with a painting of the high school. Edwards starts today as Albion school superintendent.

ALBION – Today is the first day for Mickey Edwards as Albion’s new district superintendent. Edwards, an Albion graduate, rejoins the district after serving as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.

Edwards said he plans to be very busy the next 90 days, getting reconnected to district stakeholders.

“I want to connect with community members and organizations to hear what people are proud of and listen to any concerns,” Edwards said.

While he never really left Albion – all three of his children graduated from the district and he lives in Kent – Edwards emphasized the importance of communication, not just with the school, but with the community at large.

“I want Albion to know I am available to them,” Edwards said. “I want to be out and involved and part of the team.”

After graduating from Albion, Edwards spent four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career as an art teacher at Albion. He then served as dean of students in the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, assistant principal at Carl I. Bergerson Middle School, and a principal at Charles D’Amico High School.

“This is where it all started,” Edwards said. “I have so many great memories of my childhood and of Albion, which is one of the reasons I am so excited and wanted to come home.”

After working at Albion, he was the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction at Orleans-Niagara BOCES before gaining six years of experience as a superintendent. In 2014 he was appointed as the superintendent at Wyoming Central School District. He was there two years before being hired in 2016 as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.

“My hope is to bring my experiences, skills and network of contacts to the district and help build upon our mission of Achievement, Character and Success for Life,” Edwards said. “I look forward to being a part of the team and serving our community together.”

Press Release, Five Star Bank

Five Star Bank, a subsidiary of Financial Institutions, is now accepting Paycheck Protection Program loan applications to meet the needs of small businesses and communities across Western and Central New York.

“The health of small business is central to the economic health of our communities,” said Martin K. Birmingham, President and CEO of Five Star Bank. “Our associates are pleased to be able to assist small businesses to take advantage of critical funding available to sustain their operations and preserve jobs. Following the first round of applications and funding, we have further streamlined our processes so that we can provide the most efficient and effective support to businesses interested in applying.”

To apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan through Five Star Bank, applicants will need an active Five Star Bank business checking account, which can be opened online.

To apply for a loan or open a new business checking account, visit: five-starbank.com/five-star-cares#Business_Relief or call (888) 312-1066.

The PPP loan program has been extended to Wednesday, March 31, 2021. PPP Loans are available to small businesses, independent contractors, self-employed individuals, and sole proprietors.

In 2020, Five Star Bank was able to assist more than 1,700 small businesses in obtaining $270 million of PPP loans, helping to preserve an estimated 18,000 jobs.

New Guidelines to Expand Loan Eligibility

• Eligibility is expanded for first-time borrowers to continue to help small businesses on the road to recovery.
• Businesses with no more than 500 employees
• Housing co-ops with less than 300 employees
• Certain trade associations and chambers of commerce, nonprofits, states, or state instrumentalities that engage in destination or tourism marketing or providing live events (destination marketing organizations)
• Seasonal employers
• Borrowers with an existing PPP loan may also be eligible for a Second Draw PPP loan.

Expansion of Forgivable Expenses

• In addition to payroll, rent, mortgage interest, and utilities, PPP funds may also be used on additional forgivable expenses, including:
• Business software, Cloud computing services, or payroll processing
• Costs related to property damage, vandalism, or looting due to public disturbances in 2020
• Payments to suppliers that are essential to the business’ operations
• Operating or capital expenses to comply with public health directives, including the installation of ventilation systems or physical barriers and the purchase of personal protective equipment

About Five Star Bank and Financial Institutions, Inc.

Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses through a network of more than 45 offices throughout Western and Central New York State. Additional Five Star Bank information is available at www.five-starbank.com and on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.