MIDDLEPORT – The new Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation kicks off 2021 with a board of directors committed to providing investment and resources for innovative approaches to agriculture education, meeting needs of the Royalton-Hartland School District and the regional agricultural community.
Working cooperatively with the district, the RHAF plans to strengthen relationships with community leaders and businesses, increase leadership and character development opportunities for students, create a speakers bureau, arrange field trips for students and teachers, explore apprenticeship and job shadowing programs, and convene important conversations between the district and the community, said Mike Landers, president of the new foundation.
“The RHAF is separate from the district’s Board of Education,” Landers explained. “We believe we can bring countless opportunities to help the district, educators, administrators, students, parents and community. Our foundation is not responsible for any portion of the district’s budget.”
Joining Landers (Howell Motors) on the board include: Bob Confer (Confer Plastics), Dan Conley (USI Insurance Services), Mike Drum (Drum Oil & Propane), Steve Giroux (Middleport Family Health), Bob Masse (Frontier Airlines), Carisa Masse (JFK Middle School), Jeremy Silsby (Silsby Settlement Farms), Debi Sweeney (Maple View Dairy Farm) and John Sweeney (Maple View Dairy Farm). Non-voting members include Dr. Hank Stopinski, district superintendent, and Matthew Sweeney, Roy-Hart High School agriculture teacher.
A primary goal of the Foundation is to invest in creative educational programs and projects that have a significant positive impact on the lives of the students and families served. Beyond fund development, the RHAF seeks to provide networking opportunities, build relationships with stakeholder groups and the private sector, and offer culturally relevant information and training.
“In this unprecedented time for education, due to the pandemic and a reduction in state contracts, it is heartening that these high-profile community leaders are rallying others to learn about the exciting agriculture initiatives and programs in our schools,” Stopinski said. “Their leadership is gratifying to our school board, teachers and staff. The district looks forward to working with the Foundation to build a strong Agriculture Center of Excellence in the coming years.”
Provided photo from Orleans/Niagara BOCES: Pictured from left include Casey Lefever (Newfane), teacher Matt Anastasi, Robert Morehouse (Medina) and Kim Haas (Lockport).
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Last year, Orleans/Niagara BOCES Building Trades teacher Matt Anastasi was approached by Habitat for Humanity to work with them on building modular homes. Since Mr. Anastasi was already giving his Orleans Career and Technical Education Center students various skills to prepare them for a career in the construction field, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Habitat for Humanity’s mission is such an amazing one as far as transforming families’ lives through affordable home ownership, so it’s a real honor for me and my students to be able to help them with that,” Anastasi said.
With the pandemic curtailing class trips, such as visiting a building site, the opportunity to build the house at the center turned out to be very beneficial especially for this school year.
“The plan is to build a house every school year with the specifications given to us by Habitat for Humanity,” Anastasi said.
The 1,366-square-foot modular home is built from the ground up and the electricity/electronics program gets a lesson in wiring the house as well.
“Thanks to our administration and maintenance team we have a designated space in our classroom to work on it and my students are really able to see what is entailed in building a house and also the inspection process as well,” Anastasi said.
Both the junior and senior classes are working during class time to get the house completed by the spring.
“The seniors are handling the more detailed aspects of the house like the kitchen, bathroom, cabinets and countertops,” Anastasi said. “The juniors are working on the bedrooms, closets and sheds since they are just starting to learn about tools and techniques. It has also become a little competitive with the juniors asking what the seniors completed that day and wanting to top their efforts. I am also fortunate that some of my seniors will stay for the other half of the day to be peer-mentors to the juniors. It is just awesome the dedication I am seeing and the sense of pride.”
Student Kim Hass said she is really enjoying the class, but the process of building the house has made her a little nervous.
“Knowing that someone will be living here and this will be their home makes me want to do my best and make it perfect for them,” she said.
“An inspection company from Pennsylvania has been coming to our classroom to see that we are following code and they are very impressed with the students’ hard work,” Anastasi said. “They have driven 200 miles each time for the four inspections as we move on to the next layer of completion. Their inspector said he was so impressed with the students’ work he said he would buy the house himself. That is very gratifying as a teacher that the students have been able to pass every one of those inspections with flying colors and get that kind of validation. I am really proud of them.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 January 2021 at 9:24 am
Assistant superintendent, Mary Leto, announces she will retire on June 30
ALBION — The Board of Education is suspending the 30-hour community service requirement for seniors who haven’t met the threshold.
Their graduation credits will be adjusted from 23.5 credits to 23. That is still more than the state graduation requirement of 22 credits.
During its monthly meeting on Monday, the board also voted to give seniors who were scheduled to have internships the opportunity to reschedule a different course or be released following the third block. Parent permission will be needed for early dismissals.
In other action at the Board of Education meeting:
• The board was notified that Mary Leto, the assistant superintendent for instruction, will retire, effective June 30, 2021.
Michelle Powley, the high school secretary, also notified the district she will retire on Jan. 31.
“We have some pretty significant retirements coming up which will leave a very big hole in the district,” said Board of Education President Kathy Harling.
Leto has been one of the district’s top administrators for several years. She was at Monday’s BOE meeting.
“It will be very difficult to imagine not having you here Mary because you’ve been such a huge part of the district for so long,” Harling said.
• The board accepted an anonymous $1,000 donation to be used to purchase a sewing machine in the 12:1:1 life skills program. The sewing machine will go to a graduating senior in the 12:1:1 program who shows an interest in sewing as an ongoing life skill. The award recipients will be chosen by the 12:1:1 high school teacher and the high school principal.
• The Board of Education approved the following extracurricular athletic appointments:
Caleb Orbaker, modified baseball coach
Keith Akers, modified softball coach
David Skrip, middle school weight room, intramurals
Patrick Uveino, middle school weight room, intramurals
Michael Fahy, high school weight room, intramurals
Ocie Bennett, high school weight room intramurals
• The Board of Education approved the following additional extracurricular appointments:
Shari Berg, high school musical and play assistant director
Kailey Winans, high school musical and play assistant director
Photo courtesy of Albion Central School: Bailey Nesbitt and Adonis Guzman Ramirez were recognized on Monday by the Albion Board of Education.
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – Two students from Albion’s Charles D’Amico High School were honored as part of the Board of Education meeting on Monday.
The virtual meeting featured a pre-recorded video of High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery officially presenting seniors Adonis Guzman Ramirez and Bailey Nesbitt with the Board of Education Character and Leadership Awards for the month of January.
“Anyone who knows Adonis knows that when you pass him in the hallway, you will see a smile on his face,” Ashbery said, presenting him with the BOE Character Award.
“Adonis is always going above and beyond in the classroom to help the other students in the class,” Krenning said when nominating Guzman Ramirez. “He wants everyone in the class to be successful and consistently helps others before himself.”
Krenning also noted that when Guzman Ramirez helped with the FFA Food Drive last month, he didn’t stop until it was finished – “He was the last student working, laughing and enjoying every minute.”
Elizabeth Henn, a foreign language teacher who has worked with Guzman Ramirez for the past four years said, “ I am so proud of Adonis. So many kids in our school look up to you, a true role model for our district and a true example of ‘Value Everyone, Everyday, Everywhere!’”
Nesbitt, also a senior, was been nominated for the Leadership Award by FFA Advisor Betsy Krenning.
“Nesbitt has led the Albion High School FFA, serving as the chapter’s president for the past four years,” Krenning said. “Each year she takes the lead in the Annual FFA Food Drive and this year’s food drive proved to be a monumental success.”
Despite the challenges of Covid-19, having only virtual meetings with the other officers, a new FFA advisor and starting the process three weeks later than previous years, they collected 53,000 pounds of food to donate to Community Action – surpassing their goal and collecting more produce than ever before.
“Bailey continues to model our district’s value of Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow,” Ashbery said. “I have no doubt that Bailey will take her Albion leadership skills out into the world and continue to make a positive impact on those around her.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday announced the latest prioritization for New Yorkers eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Beginning yesterday, eligibility is being expanded to include all outpatient/ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care workers who provide direct in-person patient care, as well as all public health care workers who provide direct in-person care, including those who conduct Covid-19 tests and handle lab specimens.
Beginning this week, eligibility will also be expanded to include home care workers, hospice workers, and nursing home and other congregate setting workers who have yet to receive a vaccine through the federal nursing home vaccination program.
“While we’re trying to control Covid with one hand, we’re trying to defeat it with the other and the vaccine is the weapon that will win this war,” Governor Cuomo said. “Getting this vaccine out is going to be the single greatest operation government has ever had to accomplish and we’re taking bold actions to ensure it is delivered swiftly and equitably for all New Yorkers.”
Continued Expansion of Eligibility
Under the Department of Health’s most recent eligibility guidance, beginning January 4, all Outpatient/Ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care workers of any age who provide direct in-person patient care, or other staff in a position in which they have direct contact with patients will be eligible to receive Covid-19 vaccine.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Individuals who work in private medical practices
Hospital-affiliated medical practices; public health clinics
Specialty medical practices of all types
Dental practices of all types
Dialysis workers
Diagnostic and treatment centers
Occupational therapists
Physical therapists
Speech therapists
Phlebotomists
Behavioral health workers
Student health workers
Additionally, all front-line, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients, including individuals who administer Covid-19 tests, handle Covid-19 lab specimens, and those directly engaged in Covid-19 vaccinations are also eligible to receive the vaccine.
Eligibility also expands this week to include home care workers, those in the consumer directed programs, hospice workers, and staff of nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities and other congregate settings who did not receive the Covid-19 vaccination through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program.
• New Efforts to Expedite Vaccine Delivery and Administration
As part of New York’s effort to further expedite the delivery and administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, a number of efforts are now underway.
New ‘Am I Eligible?’ App
New York State has launched a new ‘Am I Eligible ” app to help New Yorkers determine their eligibility, connect them with administration centers, and schedule appointments. To access the app, as well as find the latest information concerning the vaccine and its administration, click here.
Supplemental Support for Federal Nursing Home Vaccination Program
Currently, 611 facilities in New York have enrolled in the federal government’s Nursing Home Vaccination Program, in which staff and residents receive vaccinations through a partnership with pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.
According to the latest data, 288 facilities – or 47 percent – have completed the first dose for residents. Through state facilitation, 234 more facilities will administer the first dose this week. This will ensure that 85 percent of facilities have administered the first dose to residents by week’s end, with the remaining 15 percent to be completed over the next two weeks.
Planning for Vaccination of General Public
As the state moves closer to the vaccination of the general public, a number of special efforts are now underway to ensure resources are in place to facilitate widespread vaccination, especially in underserved communities.
First, the state will establish a number of pop-up vaccination centers to facilitate public vaccinations, similar to the state-run mobile testing centers which were established in the spring. The state is also identifying public facilities and convention centers to also be used as vaccination centers, and is recruiting retired nurses, doctors and pharmacists to support vaccine administrations.
A main focus of these efforts will also be focused on ensuring vaccine access in underserved communities and health care deserts. The state is already in the process of building Community Vaccination Kits to support these efforts and will work with public housing officials, churches and community centers to identify the most appropriate locations for kit deployments.
Each kit includes step-by-step instructions for how to set up a site, and critical supplies and equipment such as:
Office Supplies
Workstation Equipment
Communications Equipment
Cleaning Supplies
Lighting Equipment
PPE
Crowd/Traffic Control Equipment
Vials
Syringes
Room Dividers
Privacy Curtains
Ensuring Accountability Within Vaccine Administration Process
The vaccine will only be effective if it is administered quickly and fairly across every corner of the state. To facilitate this, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker issued a letter to vaccine providers in recent days outlining the expectations which have been placed on providers to ensure an expedited administration of the vaccine. This included:
Any provider must use the vaccine inventory currently in hand by the end of week or face a fine up to $100,000;
Moving forward, facilities must use all of its vaccine allotment within seven days of receipt;
Providers who do not comply or are found to be seriously deficient can be subject to more serious sanctions and fines, including being disqualified from future distribution
Additionally, with fraud being a real concern of any operation this size, the Governor is signing an Executive Order stating that if any entity falsifies who or what they are, or if any entity does not follow state guidelines on vaccine eligibility, that provider will be subject to license revocation. The Governor will also be proposing legislation to make these acts criminal moving forward.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 January 2021 at 8:11 pm
2 counties combined pass 4,000 cases in pandemic
There are 267 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Genesee and Orleans counties, in the first update since Thursday from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments. The new cases put the combined total in the two counties past 4,000 to 4,092 since March.
In Orleans County, there are 101 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 1,477 positive cases since March.
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, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Of the new cases, 8 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
Orleans also is reporting 65 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
There are 16 residents from Orleans hospitalized with Covid.
The Health Department also is reporting a resident over age 65 passed away due to Covid.
“We will not report any other details out of respect for the person and their family,” the Health Department reported. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this person during this very difficult time.”
Albion Central School reported an elementary student and elementary school staff member tested positive for Covid-19 over winter break.
“As we were not in session, the Department of Health determined there was no need for contact tracing or the quarantine of additional students and staff members,” the district stated on its website.
In Genesee County, there are 166 new confirmed cases for a total of 2,615 positive cases since 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, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Of the new cases, 3 are residents at the Batavia VA Medical Center, 2 are residents at the LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility and 1 is a resident at the Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Batavia.
Genesee also has had 141 of the previous positive individuals recover and be removed from the isolation list.
Genesee has 11 residents hospitalized with Covid.
Genesee also is reporting that 2 residents from LeRoy Village Green have passed away due to Covid. Both of the individuals were over 65 years old.
Provided photos: Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti signs the oath of office after being sworn in to lead the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.
Press Release, Niagara County Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti
LOCKPORT – A small private ceremony was held at the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office to swear in Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti and his administrative team.
The Sheriff began his four-year term as the 57th Sheriff of Niagara County on Jan. 1. Undersheriff Michael P. Dunn, Chief Deputy Patrick G. Weidel, Chief Deputy Aaron C. Schultz and Chief Jail Administrator Daniel N. Greenwald all took their oath of office alongside the sheriff.
“It was humbling to receive the strong support of our residents,” Sheriff Filicetti said. “I look forward to continuing the great record of public safety here at the Sheriff’s Office, and leading the men and women who serve honorably. I will work hard every day to ensure the residents of Niagara County feel safe and protected. Lastly, it was important to me that my administrative team took their oath along with me. I count on these individuals every day to help me get the job done.”
Pictured from left to right: Chief Jail Administrator Daniel N. Greenwald, Chief Deputy Patrick G. Weidel, Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti, Undersheriff Michael P. Dunn, and Chief Deputy Aaron C. Schultz.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is calling on his colleagues in the Legislature to reject Assembly Bill 416, which would give the Governor or his surrogates the authority to detain individuals determined to be a threat to public health.
Hawley opposes this legislation as he believes it to be unconstitutional and in violation of the right to due process.
“This bill is unconstitutional on its face and disregards all basic concepts of due process that make us free in this country,” said Hawley. “Protecting the health of our neighbors is a noble goal to be certain, but this bill forfeits our constitutional liberty in a way we can never allow.”
“This is yet another piece of legislation from a downstate member of the Majority that blatantly disregards the constitution and causes people to distrust their government,” Hawley said. “People being detained on a whim just isn’t something that should ever happen in our country, and I will do everything I can to stop the passage of this dystopian legislation.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 January 2021 at 11:51 am
Each year since the Orleans Hub started in 2013 we’ve honored a group of Outstanding Citizens who stood out the past year for extraordinary contributions to improve the community.
Orleans County is fortunate to have many citizens who give of their time, talent and money, without seeking any fanfare. This past year, with the Covid-19 pandemic, many residents pushed projects through to completion or stepped up as volunteers in response to difficult circumstances.
Medina woman makes Dog Park a reality
Photo by Tom Rivers: Alaina Zapf is shown with her dogs Batman (left) and Bailey in September at Medina’s new Dog Park on North Gravel Road.
After three years of planning and fundraising, the Medina Dog Park opened this summer at 260 North Gravel Road, next to the former composting plant.
Alaina Zapf, president of the Friends of the Medina Dog Park, led the group in raising $20,000 for the park.
Zapf wanted a place for dogs to socialize and get some exercise near the village. The dog park is a first in Orleans County. People have inquired about it from Rochester to Buffalo. Zapf is thrilled to see the response to the park, where the dogs can roam leash-free.
“So many dogs do not have adequate room to run around,” she said. “Here they can get all that energy out. They are happier and less aggressive.”
The group expects to add a small dog enclosure, more equipment in the dog agility section and a water station.
Zapf, 30, convinced the Village Board to back the project. She organized many fundraisers, including a dunk booth with several community leaders, Dog Park frisbees and other merchandize. Many local residents generously donated to the project as well.
Zapf often brings her two dogs, Batman and Bailey, to the park. When she lived in North Carolina, she would drive 15 minutes to take the two lab mixes to a dog park. When she moved to Medina, she wanted a place for her dogs to get exercise and socialize with other dogs.
Albion mom coordinates ‘Adopt-A-Senior’ program for 136 students after school year disrupted
Sara Mathes holds a T-shirt – “Senior Skip Day Champions – Class of 2020.” The shirts were distributed on May 17. Mathes coordinated a steady showering of gifts for Albion High School seniors at the end of their senior year after in-person classes and events were cancelled in mid-March.
Sara Mathes felt bad for the Albion High School seniors, including her daughter Chloe, when in-person classes were cancelled in mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There weren’t any spring sports, no prom or senior trip, and no graduation ceremony with the class together in front of 2,000 people in the gym.
Mathes wanted the seniors to feel some love from the community during a time of uncertainty and disconnection. She saw how the Ken-Ton school district adopted seniors, with residents committing to buying a senior in the class a gift. Mathes thought Albion might do the same for the 136 members of the senior class.
But she was nervous there might not be enough people willing to adopt a senior, given the difficult economic times. She floated the idea on a Facebook group for seniors and within an hour and half had 136 people committed to adopting a senior. By the end of the day she had two people or families for every senior.
Provided photo: Mekhi Rivera has a big smile when he received a gift from an adoptive community member.
She created an Excel spreadsheet to match names with seniors after getting a list of each student’s hobbies, favorite snacks and other interests. She passed the list on to the adoptive community members.
Mathes assigned the students randomly to the people in the community. From April through graduation in late June, students received gift baskets and boxes at their homes. They were very appreciative.
Mathes also coordinated getting a yard sign for each senior that was paid for by donations. The students also received T-shrts that said “Senior Skip Day Champions – Class of 2020.” That effort was coordinated by Lynn DiBella, a retired aide in the pre-kindergarten program. Angie Wolfe, a kindergarten teacher, helped with the T-shirt distribution.
Mathes was pleased to see hundreds of community members support the Class of 2020.
“It was definitely worth it,” she said. “It was to make them feel special and to celebrate them in a different way because we couldn’t celebrate them all together in the gym.”
Mathes was so thankful the community stepped forward and showed love for the seniors, including students they didn’t necessarily know.
“The seniors were able to see that Albion comes together and helps each other,” Mathes said.
Mekhi Rivera, one of the Albion seniors, appreciated the gifts from the adoptive community members.
“I am so thankful to be a part of this adopt a senior thing we are doing!” Rivera posted on the Adopt A Senior Facebook page. “Thank you for doing this and ever body else that is doing this. We are all thankful for the time and money you have put into us it means a lot.”
Mathes switched to coordinating another effort in December. Her mother-in-law, Brenda Winters, lived in one of three houses badly damaged by a fire on West State Street. Local residents again were quick to volunteer to help.
“The community has shown such an outpouring,” Mathes said. “It’s been amazing and definitely helped her get through this.”
Developer completes massive transformation of former Holley High School
The transformed former Holley High School has new columns, windows, paint and a major overhaul inside for 41 apartments and the offices for the village.
For years, even decades, the Holley community has longed to see one of its most prominent buildings get an overhaul. The former Holley High School closed in 1975. A business, Liftec Manufacturing, used part of the space but went bankrupt in the mid-1990s. The building was left vacant, and often was the target of vandals for more than 20 years.
Nelson Leenhouts, chairman of Home Leasing and Home Leasing Construction, celebrates the $17 million transformation of the former Holley High School during a ribbon-cutting in November. The construction project took two years, with the building turned into 41 apartments and the Holley village offices.
It pained the Holley community to see its gradual demise – the many broken windows, peeling paint, rotted columns and a fate that seemed destined for the wrecking ball.
Holley village officials reached out to developers over the years, pitching the site for apartments and other uses. But a deal never came together – until 2018.
Home Leasing and Home Leasing Construction in Rochester committed to transforming the building into 41 apartments for seniors and the Holley village offices, with the auditorium space being a meeting room.
Home Leasing would use tax credits for investing in a historic structure to help make the project work financially. The village also committed to being a tenant which helped to seal the deal.
Nelson Leenhouts, leader of the company, has tackled ambitious projects before in buildings that have faced years of neglect. He has 50 years in the construction business. He said he’s never seen a community rally behind a project like they did in Holley.
Local, state and federal officials, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, all were critical to the $17 million project’s success. Leenhouts also praised an enthusiastic community for steady encouragement along the way.
Leenhouts deserves credit for tackling the project in a small village, and seeing the it through to completion when the Covid-19 pandemic slowed construction work.
Besides improving housing options locally, the building provides handicapped accessible office space and a meeting room for the village.
But it also is a major morale boost for the Holley community, and puts a shining success on the eastside on one of the main gateways into Orleans County. It is part of major improvements in Holley, which is also tackling water and sewer upgrades and new sidewalks in parts of the village. The restored school building sends a message that Holley is on the upswing and wouldn’t back down from a major challenge – reviving a school building that had fallen into significant neglect.
The building, shown here in Dec. 11, 2018, just before the construction work started, had steadily fallen into disrepair and was a blight at Holley’s main intersection, routes 31 and 237.
Iroquois Job Corps volunteered at food distributions throughout the county
Julie Horton, left, and Hannah Donley of Iroquois Job Corps in Medina were among the volunteers on Sept. 11 during a food distribution in Albion at the parking lot of the Main Street Thrift Store. Job Corps employees volunteered over several months at distributions in Albion, Clarendon, Holley and Medina. The events would have been a challenge without them.
For many Fridays from April through mid-December, there were hundreds of boxes of food available in the mornings. Those food distributions have been in Albion, Clarendon, Holley and Medina. A long line of cars were start to form around 6 a.m. for distributions that were advertised to begin at 9 o’clock.
Krista Fiegel, an employee at the Iroquois Job Corps, rips the plastic off a pallet of boxes of food during a food distribution on Dec. 11 in Albion. She was one of four Job Corps employees who helped that chilly morning.
It takes at least a dozen volunteers to make the events go smoothly. There were many volunteers at the distributions in April and May, when many non-essential businesses were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the restrictions eased on businesses, the volunteers were harder to come by to carry 30- to 40-pound boxes of food to trunks of cars or to set on the truck beds of pickups. They volunteers needed to be masked up – whether in stifling heat or bitter cold.
Staff from the Iroquois Job Corps proved critical to the food distributions later in the summer, throughout the fall and in December. There were often at least six Job Corps staff at the distributions and they came to ones at Holley and Clarendon – which was on the other side of the county from the Job Corps Center in Shelby. They went to ones in Albion and Medina, too, and they tackled the tasks with zest.
Some events there would be extra produce and it would need to be sorted and put into boxes. It wasn’t pre-boxed like the meat and dairy boxes. The Job Corps personnel worked hard, without complaints and were well organized.
Without them, the organizers say the food distributions would have been difficult to pull off, especially later in the year.
Rick Ebbs is shown in September with a log cabin from 1930. He orchestrated moving the cabin from an Albion backyard to behind the Gaines Basin cobblestone schoolhouse.
When a log cabin from 1930 was settled onto a foundation behind a cobblestone schoolhouse on Oct. 1, Rick Ebbs let out a sigh of relief.
“I was worried it would fall apart,” he said after the cabin made a 4-mile journey on a flatbed trailer.
Ebbs, a local carpenter and historical enthusiast, coordinated moving the log cabin from an Albion backyard to the behind the school, which is owned by the Orleans County Historical Association.
The log cabin was built by Boy Scouts and one of their dads in 1930. Ralph and Patricia Moorhouse agreed to donate the log cabin after being approached by the Historical Association, which wanted to display and preserve the authentic cabin.
Mrs. Moorhouse’s father, Faris Benton, was one of the scouts who built the cabin with help from his father, Fred Benton. The scouts dragged logs from the nearby woods. They built a fireplace on the inside and outside. That fireplace deteriorated over time but will be reset and repaired in its new location.
Rick Ebbs reached out to Keeler Construction, which moved the long cabin on Oct. 1 from Linwood Avenue to the former schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road. Ebbs also was able to line up help from the Town of Gaines Highway Department.
Ebbs had the delicate task of bracing the inside of the cabin, to give it structural support when it was picked up with a fork lift and set on the flatbed. He put plywood sheets inside the cabin with cross-bracing to help keep the cabin together for the trip.
The 10-by-14-foot log cabin had withered in recent years, partly due to woodchucks. They damaged the concrete floor causing it to heave.
The reinforcements from Ebbs worked just fine. The cabin didn’t buckle when it was picked up with fork lifts, or when it headed down the highway, or when it was set down on a concrete pad with a new wooden base for the cabin.
It’s in a more visible site near the Erie Canal next to the historic Gaines Basin No. 2 cobblestone school, which was built in 1832. It is the oldest documented cobblestone building in the area.
The Historical Association thought the log cabin, which was built by children, was a good fit next to a school.
Ebbs was impressed with how well the scouts built the cabin. Despite some deterioration and rot, the structure has held up remarkably well for nearly a century. Thanks to his efforts, it should stand for a long time to come for the community to enjoy.
Church volunteer served others despite fight with cancer
Angela English carries a sack of cabbages for the food pantry at the Lord’s House on Dec. 12, 2015. This was at Community Action in Albion when the Albion FFA unloaded produce donated from local farms. English took on many roles to help the church serve the community.
Angela English was a bright light in the Albion community, coordinating a Toys for Tots program, keeping a food pantry stocked at the Lord’s House (a church run by her parents), and offering enthusiastic support at her kids’ sporting events, cheering for them and their teammates.
English was 37 when she passed away on Oct. 19. She was diagnosed with cancer on Dec. 27, 2019, and started chemotherapy last January.
Her son Omar is 17 and graduated in 2020. Her daughter Olivia is 12 and in the sixth grade. Angela was in the stands at her son’s soccer games and her daughter’s basketball contests.
Angela served as missionary at the Lord’s House, a church led by her father, Eddie English, and mother, Rose. Mr. English is the church pastor. His daughter was a praise leader, pastor’s aide, sound system technician, lyrical dancer and the Toys for Tots coordinator.
The church has run the Toys for Tots since 2008, serving about 40 families. In some years, they partner with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, which delivers the toys to the church.
Eddie and Rose English have been leading the Lord’s House since it started 15 years ago in downtown Albion. They renovated a former United Methodist church in Waterport, after acquiring the site at an auction in 2011. The building had been vacant for 20 years.
Angela English has been a big part of the journey and the Lord’s House mission to reach out to the community.
Members of The Lord’s House in Waterport sold sweet potato pie and many other baked goods at the Albion Save-A-Lot in this photo on Sept. 29, 2018. Pictured from left include Angela English, Brenda Winters, First Lady Rose English and Nadine Johnson.
K of C leader gives veterans a fitting tribute on Courthouse Square
Greg Dugan, the grand knight for the Knights of Columbus in Albion, speaks to a crowd of about 50 at a dedication ceremony on Nov. 11 for a new memorial for veterans.
Greg Dugan, an Albion barber since 1991, has cut hair on thousands of heads over the years. Many of his most loyal customers have been veterans.
Once they are in the barber chair, Dugan said many veterans open up and share about their experiences, including in combat.
He mentioned the late Albion Town Justice Bill Larimer, who was a POW in World War II. He has cut the hair for other World War II veterans and people who served in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Members of the Honor Guard were present on Nov. 11 for a dedication service for a new veterans’ memorial at Courthouse Square. The Knights of Columbus, Albion Council #1330, took the lead in the project.
“I’ve had contact with so many veterans, young and old, since 1991,” Dugan said before a dedication ceremony on Nov. 11 for a new veterans’ memorial on the Courthouse Square.
Dugan and the Knights of Columbus led the project, which took a little longer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is a new flagpole, granite benches and a headstone for the monument. The headstone includes the inscription: “Dedicated to our courageous brothers and sisters of this community who served our country in times of peace and war. We thank them for their service. And especially to those who gave their lives in that service. May God grant them eternal rest.”
The stone includes the insignias of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Army National Guard and Merchant Marine.
The new flag pole includes a flag that recognizes the different branches of the military.
The memorial includes two granite benches. One bench has an inscription, “To Commemorate.” The other has the words, “To Heal.”
Dugan and the Knights of Columbus pushed the project to completion and put a fitting tribute for veterans in one of the community’s highest profile locations.
Dugan has been an active leader for the K of C in recent years, leading the group in many parades around the county and organizing a “Blue Mass” at Holy Family Parish in Albion to honor and pray for law enforcement officers, corrections officers, coroners, firefighters and medics.
Dugan said he has deep appreciation for first responders after they saved his life when he was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 6, 2012. In that accident Dugan broke both knees, both wrists, separated his pelvis, fractured his left hip, and lacerated his left leg.
That accident has turned him into a very strong advocate for first responders and veterans in the community.
“Thank you for taking the time to remember our veterans,” Dugan told the crowd during the dedication on Nov. 11. “They never gave up on us and we can’t give up on them.”
Retired museum director adds another asset to historic Childs hamlet
Bill Lattin welcomes visitors to the Vagg House on Nov. 7 following the Cobblestone Museum’s annual meeting. Lattin led the transformation of the Vagg House, at the corner of routes 98 and 104, into a home decorated in the 1920s and ’30s. The event on Nov. 7 was the first public event at the Vagg House since it was redone and added to the museum’s campus.
Bill Lattin has been a caretaker and storyteller of Orleans County history for the past 50 years. He is officially retired as Orleans County historian and Cobblestone Museum director. He served in those roles for 35 years. (He retired from the museum in 2010 and from the county on Dec. 31, 2014.)
But he remains an active force in preserving important local sites and documenting history. In 2020, he helped relocate a log cabin built by Boy Scouts in 1930. It went from an Albion backyard to behind a cobblestone school built in 1832 on Gaines Basin Road. Lattin has been a key worker on saving that school in recent years. He has handyman skills and deep connections to rally the community to a cause. That school and the log cabin are recent examples. But that mission started long ago. He was a key leader of the Save the Tower committee that raised $30,000 in the mid-1970s for the Civil War Memorial at Mount Albion Cemetery. Lattin has given new life to many local structures.
Bill Lattin shows Doreen and Gary Wilson a 1930s food mixer and a green enamel hot plate on Nov. 7 during the first public tour of the Vagg House. There is also a Kalamazoo kitchen range that was made in 1935. The Vaggs used it for heat as well as cooking. Museum Trustee Maarit Vaga is at right. Visitors will notice a big difference between the 1920s-era Vagg house and the cobblestone Ward house, furnished in the style of the 1880s.
He doesn’t seem to be slowing down. At the Cobblestone Museum this past summer, Lattin and his grandson Freeman painted several of the buildings on the Route 98 campus.
The museum acquired the Vagg House at the corner of routes 98 and 104, the main intersection in Gaines and the Childs hamlet. The site was most recently owned by Lattin’s partner, the late René Schasel.
Lattin led the efforts to curate the former home of blacksmith Joe Vagg and his wife Nellie, who was active in the temperance movement. The house includes many of Schasel’s antiques, with many of those items given to the museum in Schasel’s memory through his estate, which Lattin is co-executor.
Lattin also was able to find additional antiques to decorate the house in a 1920s, ’30s theme, with many of the early electrical appliances.
(Lattin even built an outhouse for the site to help it match the others on the museum’s grounds.)
The Vagg House is a new “jewel” in the Cobblestone Museum’s crown, said Doug Farley, the museum’s current director. The house can be used for small gatherings of less than 30 people, such as meetings, rehearsal parties or teas, and other museum events.
Lattin continues to be a mentor and strong supporter of Farley and other historians in the community.
Medina couple pushes modern public art murals to enliven alleyway
Chris Piontkowski of Cheektowaga paints a floral-themed mural on a cinder block building on Proctor Place, a one-lane street that starts near Rudy’s Diner. He is shown on Nov. 28. This is one of four large-scale murals added to Medina last year.
Tim Hungerford and Teresa Misiti, a married couple in Medina, are pleased to see so much investment in the Medina community in recent years, especially in the downtown business district.
Tim Hungerford and Teresa Misiti met with the Village Planning Board on Aug. 4 to discuss regulations for public art.
The two are among those investors, doing a major renovation of their loft apartment in the downtown and at the restaurant they own, Mile 303.
Hungerford and Misiti believed there was a missing piece in the community: dramatic modern art. They also felt there were some rough spots in the downtown, mainly back walls off Main Street.
They are part of the Form Foundation, a non-profit looking to bring public art to Medina. They coordinated having four large-scale murals off Proctor Place, a one-lane street a block from Main Street. Hungerford and Misiti met with village officials and found a way to accommodate public art in a historic district.
The projects have created another attraction in Medina without altering the historic structures. The murals are painted on cinder block walls. Hungerford and Misiti pushed to get the murals done during the pandemic, wanting to bring some positive energy during a difficult year.
They plan to replace the murals every two years and hope to add more locations.
Chuck Tingley shows a traveler with a message, “Fake It Til You Make It!” with this mural on the back of 410 Main St., which faces Proctor Place, a one-way street a block from Main Street.
Julian Montague, an artist from Buffalo, painted two walls of a building at the corner of Pearl Street and West Avenue. The walls are 14 feet high and 80 feet long. Montague paints geometric patterns with eyes and mouths to give the mural some added personality. “It’s playful and a little weird,” he said.
The “Canalligator” mural was the first of four in Medina in 2020. Artist Tim Meyers painted the “Canalligator” that stretches more than 50 feet on a cinder block building on Proctor Place.
The Orleans Hub usually has an awards program for the honorees. It is unlikely a ceremony with all the attendees and their family and friends will be allowed soon due to Covid-19 restrictions and concerns. We’ll work out a way to present them with their awards.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) released the following statement after being sworn into the 117th Congress on Sunday.
“Serving Western New York has been the honor of a lifetime. I am looking forward to a productive new term and working to tackle pressing regional and national priorities. My focus will be on rebuilding Western New York’s economy, supporting small businesses and farmers, and investing in new infrastructure – including rural broadband.
“I also know there is much work left to be done as we defeat COVID-19, especially securing vital aid for our local governments,” Jacobs said. “I want to thank Western New York and the great people of NY-27 for putting their trust in me. I pledge to put you and the United States Constitution first, and continue to uphold my commitment to serve with honor and integrity.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 January 2021 at 8:29 am
Provided photo: Adam Kirby holds the trophy for winning the 2019 corn yield contest in New York. He won the 2020 yield contest in the conventional irrigated category in NY.
ALBION – Adam Kirby again is on top of the corn yield contest in New York. Kirby won the contest in 2019 with a 277.0 bushel yield in the strip till, non-irrigated category.
He won another category in 2020 with a 271.8 bushel yield in the conventional irrigated category. Kirby used a Pioneer seed, P1197AM, for the winning entry.
He also was second in the strip, min, mulch, ridge-till non-irrigated category with a 273.6 yield. That was just behind Andrew Mcllroy of Pavilion at 273.8 bushels. Kirby used a Pioneer seed, P0720AM, for this entry.
Other New York winners in other categories include: conventional non-irrigated, Henry Everman of Danville at 299.8 bushels; no-till non-irrigated, Craig Phelps of Groveland at 239.2 bushels; strip, min, mulch, ridge-till irrigated, Tom Jeffres of Wyoming at 286.7 bushels.
The National Corn Growers Association announced the results of the contest last month.
Don Stall of Charlotte, Mich., produced the highest yield in the contest with a yield of 476.9 bushels per acre. That was in the conventional irrigated category.
The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 56th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members.
“This contest brings farmers together to create, innovate and explore ways to optimize the nation’s largest and arguably most important crop,” said Debbie Borg, chair of NCGA’s Member and Consumer Engagement Action Team. “At both the state and national levels, contest winners find new ways to excel while using a variety of techniques. Ultimately, the invention and improvement by farmers and input providers enable U.S. farmers to continue to meet the future demand for critical food, feed, fuel and fiber.”
Winners receive national recognition in publications such as the NCYC Corn Yield Guide, as well as trips or other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies.
Winners are traditionally honored in March during Commodity Classic. With the convention moving to a virtual format in 2021, NCGA is working with sponsors to find an alternative means to recognize the accomplishments of yield contest winners.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 January 2021 at 6:44 pm
Positive rates rise in Finger Lakes Region, state-wide
New York State has passed some grim milestones this past week with 1 million cases of Covid-19 since March 1 and more than 30,000 deaths.
After 11,368 new confirmed cases were reported to the state on Saturday, the statewide count is now at 1,017,153 who have tested positive for the virus in New York.
On Saturday, there were also 138 deaths due to Covid, bringing the number of confirmed deaths in the state from Covid to 30,476 in the pandemic.
The percent of Covid tests that are positive continues to rise. The state was at 7.78 percent positive on Saturday, which was up from 7.55 percent on Friday and 7.20 percent on Thursday.
The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans, topped 10 percent positivity on Friday and Saturday.
The state reported Orleans had 19 new positive on Saturday out of 212 tests, for a positive rate of 9.0 percent. The positivity rate in Orleans the past seven days is 9.3 percent, which is actually the second lowest of the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Region.
The other counties and their positive rates the past week include: Genesee is at 12.3 percent, Livingston at 10.7 percent, Monroe at 10.1 percent, Ontario at 10.5 percent, Seneca at 10.4 percent. Wayne at 9.8 percent, Wyoming at 14.2 percent, and Yates at 8.9 percent.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 January 2021 at 3:13 pm
Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bills – Medina Coach Eric Valley holds a football honoring his earning the Buffalo Bills Coach of the Year Award for Section VI.
Medina High varsity football coach Eric Valley has earned the Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports Coach of the year Award for Section VI.
The award was announced at halftime of this afternoon’s Miami vs. Buffalo game.
The honor earns Medina a $1,400 grant as well as a $2,000 credit from ADPRO Sports for the Mustangs football program.
“That is greatly appreciated,” said Valley during an interview on the half-time program on the Bills website. “Obviously asmall community like ours we can use every penny we get to make it a great experience for these kids as part of our program.”
Valley, along with Albion varsity football coach Adam Krenning and Wilson varsity football coach Bill Atlas, were among the Coach of the Week honorees this fall all of whom were eligible to for the Coach of the Year honor.
A Medina High graduate who played college football at SUNY Cortland, Valley has been on the Mustangs coaching staff for 25 years serving as head coach for the past 12 years.
When he earned the weekly honor the Bills press release cited Valley’s strong involvement in the community as well as his efforts to bring Unified sports including basketball and bowing to the Medina athletic program.
Courtesy of Department of History: This diary offered a daily record of weather in Medina in 1883.
Illuminating Orleans, V1, No. 4 By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
At the beginning of a new year, it is not unusual for people to resolve to keep diaries or lists. Our subject this week is an example of such, from the collection at the Medina Historical Society Museum. It is a sturdy tan note-book, with a plain cover. The first page contains the following inscription which describes its purpose:
“A Weather Record kept at Medina, Orleans County, NY, from Jan. 1st 1883 to “
The columns of the pages of this ledger type note-book were labeled to indicate the Year, Date Temperature, Time, Wind and Weather. The temperature for each day was neatly recorded at three times every day: Sunrise, 1 p.m. and Sunset.
The prevailing wind direction was noted, as well as the general weather condition, whether Cloudy, Clear, Rain, Snow, Sleet, or Fog. There are occasional notations in tiny handwriting: “a very windy day and night” or “3 or 4 inches of snow in night”
The destructive windstorm of 1885 is noted: “1885, Jan. 26, A terrible windy night, 50 chimneys reported blown down in the village”
There are notations about fires:
“1883, Feb. 10, about 5 am, fire broke out in the pail factory of Johnson & Wigley on East Center St., the fire went into the adjoining building known as the Union Mills, owned and occupied by S. C. Hoag, both buildings nearly all burnt up, with contents.”
“1883, Nov. 1, Fire alarm at 9:45 pm, fire discovered in Mrs. Alford’s barn, in the alley between Park Ave. and Center St., burnt down, with J.C. Davis barn adjoining & Pat Horan & A.M. Barry barns on the north side. The next adjoining shed was Newell’s, which to stop the fire he ordered pulled down & the fire was stopped, thus preventing a spread of the fire, as a strong SW wind was blowing, a terrible fire would have been the result”
These descriptions highlight the destruction that could ensue from a single fire, at a time when many buildings and most barns were of wooden construction.
And how do the summer temperatures compare with ours?
In 2020, we had one 93-degree day in May, one 90-degree day in June, and in July eight consecutive days of 90 degrees or higher, as well as the hottest day in 63 years at 98 degrees.
In the summer of 1883, there was one 90-degree day, 15 days with a temperature between 80 and 84, and 3 days with a temperature between 85 and 89.
In the summer of 1885, there was no 90-degree or higher day, 21 days with a temperature between 80 and 84 and 2 days with a temperature between 85 and 89.
We are so accustomed to having detailed weather information right at hand, on our phones. Local newspapers in the 1880’s were weekly and did not include weather forecasts. But, by 1882, Pool’s Signal Service Barometer, “the Best in the World” was advertised regularly. It could be ordered “on receipt of $1, or 6 for $4” from J.A. Pool’s Oswego Thermometer Works, Oswego, NY.
The weather records in this notebook run from Jan. 1883 to August 21, 1886, the last full entry on the next to last page. We can deduce that this record keeper was methodical and precise. But what of the person’s identity?
The answer is provided at the end of the very last page of this notebook. The notation reads:
“Levan W. Merritt died at 1:15 a.m., August 23, 1886. Funeral services at 3 p.m. Aug. 26th, 1886. Burial about 4:30 p.m. under a perfectly cloudless sky.”
Born in Connecticut in 1806, Mr. Merritt came to Medina in 1833. He operated a flouring mill. In 1841, when he built his sturdy red brick home at 406 West Ave., the location was considered to be “out in the country”. He helped design the layout of Boxwood Cemetery, was a founding member of the first fire company and is credited with planting the first shade trees on the Village streets. He would, no doubt, have appreciated that “perfectly cloudless sky”.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 January 2021 at 9:02 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Marshall Road canal bridge in Medina reopened last week after extensive repairs. This was the last of the seven bridges to be reopen as part of a $10.7 million overhaul of canal bridges in Orleans County.
Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport was the contractor on the projects. Besides painting most the bridges from green to black, the work on the seven bridges included installing high-strength galvanized steel to replace steel floor systems, low chords, gusset plates and truss elements. Bridge railing and guide rail on the bridge approaches also were improved.
Crane-Hogan Structural Systems started the work two years ago on the seven bridges, beginning with Bennetts Corners Road in Holley.
The seven single-lane truss bridges were constructed between 1909 and 1914. The locations of the bridges that were rehabilitated include:
Bennetts Corners Road, between Route 31 and Gulf Road, in the Town of Murray.
Telegraph Road, between Route 237 and Groth Road, in the Town of Murray.
Transit Road, between Route 31 and West Brockville Road, in the Town of Murray.
Densmore Road, north of Route 31, in the Town of Albion.
Gaines Basin Road, between Albion Eagle Harbor Road and West Bacon Road, in the Town of Gaines
Bates Road, between Telegraph Road and Portage Road, in the Village of Medina.
Marshall Road, between Route 31 and School Road, in the Town of Ridgeway.
A truck passes over the Marshall Road canal bridge on Saturday, heading north.
At the beginning of a new year, it is not unusual for people to resolve to keep diaries or lists. Our subject this week is an example of such, from the collection at the Medina Historical Society Museum. It is a sturdy tan note-book, with a plain cover. The first page contains the following inscription which describes its purpose:
