quick questions

3 outgoing Albion Village Board members share advice to successors

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2022 at 8:22 am

‘Keep an open mind. Reach out to people. Don’t think you know everything’

File photos by Tom Rivers: Members of the Rebuild Bullard Park Committee, Albion Village Board members and other park supporters celebrated the opening of the amphitheater on June 19, 2021. Pictured from left in front include Jack Burris, Chris Barry, Zack Burgess, Mayor Eileen Banker with scissors, Bernie Baldwin, John Grillo, Stan Farone, Kim Remley and Gary Katsanis. The amphitheater is part of major upgrades at Bullard including a splash pad, new utility building and walking trail.

ALBION – The Village Board will have three new members on April 1 with Mayor Eileen Banker and trustees Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone not coming back for another term.

Banker has been mayor the past four years and a board member for 12 years. Katsanis has six years on the board and Farone, eight years.

Albion Mayor Eileen Banker talks with Gary Katsanis, left, and Stan Farone when the three were endorsed by the Republican Party during a caucus on Jan. 30, 2018.

They leave at a time when the village will see the retirement of Linda Babcock as village clerk/treasurer next month. Katsanis called Babcock “the pulse of the village office.”

The three new board members will join Trustee Chris Barry, who has been on the board two years, and Zack Burgess, who was elected a year ago.

Banker, Katsanis and Farone were interviewed on Feb. 19 in the village office. They highlighted big projects with upgrades to Bullard Park, and the water and sewer plants.

They are pleased with agreements with Elba and Holley, where village personnel run the sewer plants in those villages.

Albion also worked out an arrangement with the Albion school district to have an Albion officer assigned to the district as a school resource officer.

Banker said she doesn’t micro-manage the department heads but pays close attention to their reports. She works as the chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. She said her relationships with other local, state and federal officials has helped Albion secure grant funding for Bullard Park and village infrastructure.

Farone is retired after a 33-year career from Kodak. He has been an active firefighter for 50 years, with Albion and Holley, and also as a volunteer with COVA.

Katsanis is retired as a medical data analyst for Strong and then Blue Cross. He managed a staff that stretched from Buffalo to Utica.

The trio said they try to empower the department heads and heap praise on the village employees. The village has about 50 employees and a $7 million budget that includes the general fund, water and sewer.

Gary Katsanis, a trustee on the Albion Village Board, applies stain on Albion’s new utility building at Bullard Park in this photo from July 23, 2020. Katsanis, Trustee Stan Farone and Mayor Eileen Banker volunteered to put two coats of stain and then polyurethane on the cedar siding and wood on the building, which has bathrooms, storage, equipment and infrastructure for the spray park.

The tax rate the past three budgets includes $17.80 per thousand dollars of assessed property in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and then $17.85 in 2021-22.

The new board starts April 1 and budget needs to be adopted by the end of April. The new board also will need to negotiate a contract with the DPW union.

The mayor is paid $9,723 a year with the trustees’ salary at $6,572. Katsanis tracked his hours and estimated it translates into about $2 an hour during busier months.

Question: What were you advice be for the new members of the Village Board?

Stan Farone: For the new people coming in my advice is if you have any questions, I’m available. I know Eileen and Gary would be available to sit down or give us a call. I did sit down with one of the person’s running for trustee. I’m here to help. I’ll sit down with anybody at any time to keep the village going in the right direction.

Gary Katsanis: My advice to people coming on is if you work as hard as you possibly can you may in fact do an adequate job. Speaking for myself I think I’ve worked hard for the village and I think I did, by and large, an adequate job. All of our positions here are just to pass the baton to the next group of people.

Eileen Banker: My advice is to keep an open mind. Reach out to people. Don’t think you know everything because there is a lot to learn. I’ve been on the board 12 years and I’m still learning. There are new things that you learn because things come up that are not in the book, that you don’t know, that’s not black and white. It’s not written down. There is no guide book to this. There are so many things that could happen that have happened. We’ve always as a board been able to move forward with it.

My husband also says not to look at Facebook. I’ve gotten so aggravated with the stuff on Facebook and taken it to heart. You (Tom Rivers) would put an article on the Orleans Hub, it would be about something positive, and it automatically was bashing and people saying the village is no good.

Stan Farone, right, of Albion is shown on July 12, 2021 in Albion on the Cycling the Erie Canal event, an 8-day journey covering about 400 miles from Buffalo to Albany. Farone did the ride for the fourth time. He said he has made friends with many of the cyclists who come back year after year.

Stan Farone: They also have to know there are going to be times when you get into discussions where you don’t agree with each other. There are times when Eileen and I disagreed over something and it seemed like we were going to cut each other’s heads off. But then we’d walk out that door and I’d go put my sneakers on and we’d go for a walk together.

So once you walk out that door you have to learn to leave everything there.

Eileen Banker: And the mayor does not control the decision making of the board members. You’re individuals. You are individual people who are elected by the village people. You’re not controlled by the mayor. Most of the time I’ll sit up and wait until everybody else votes.

Gary Katsanis: Yeah, the mayor is not supposed to be initiating action.

Mayor Eileen Banker is on a lift and is pictured with a banner of her late father, John Pahura, in June 2020. The banners are 2 ½ feet by 5 feet. Banker coordinated the effort which included 69 banners in 2020 and then 23 more in 2021.

Eileen Banker: I don’t initiate. It’s everybody else voting first. Then if I need to vote, I vote. I usually vote.

Question: Are you concerned about the lack of Village Board experience with the candidates and also with the village clerk retiring?

Stan Farone: I’m very concerned. They do have the qualifications but they don’t have the experience and to me experience is a big thing. I don’t have anything against the two board members who are staying (Chris Barry and Zack Burgess). They are two good people, but they are fairly new. They have only been on two years.

You are going to end up with a new mayor and two new board members, and a new clerk. Like I said there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that they don’t realize.

Like I said in one of my tweets, the trustees are not here to train the mayor. The mayor is here to guide the trustees. I don’t see that happening with a new board coming on.

Eileen Banker: There is also a lot of municipal law you have to be familiar with. There is stuff within the budget. You can’t mix money – the water and sewer funds you can’t mix with the general fund. You have to be really careful because when an auditor comes through and there are things in your books that are not done correctly, the answer “Oh I’m new I didn’t know” doesn’t cut it.

Question: What are some of the things you are proud of during your time on the board?

Stan Farone: There’s a lot we can be proud of for accomplishments. I’m not going to say individually because we work as a board. So the improvements at Bullard Park, the water plant, I’m just proud to be a trustee in the village and seeing it go as far as it has. Being a trustee I’m proud to sit there and make decisions and help the village. We worked on grants, we worked on Bullard Park, basic public relations with employees. It gave me the opportunity to work on some of these other committees like the Scarecrow Committee and just being involved with the village as a whole. I’ve tried to get the people to come downtown and make it better as whole for the village.

Gary Katsanis: We’ve been fiscally responsible and that’s important to me.

Eileen Banker: We did the banners (of veterans) which I’m proud of. But again, fiscally responsible, I think that is important. We’ve tried to hold the line. If we did have to increase taxes it’s because of no fault of our own. It’s because of the increase in retirement of healthcare. You want to have something you can give the employees because you’re down to bare bones in each department so you want the best qualified person. You need to entice them with what we can give them.

There are times we had to raise (the tax rate) by 2, 3, 4, or 5 cents. It’s a minimum increase – would we have still liked to decrease it? Absolutely – but I think we’ve done well. We got, like I said, great department heads and I’m very proud of all of them and all of our employees. We have a lot of new employees and they say this is the best place to work. People have no idea how much they get and how well they are taken care of working for the village.

The banners were probably one of my proudest moments because of what they stand for. It’s the military, it’s my father, it’s father-in-law, it’s my neighbor. I’m very thrilled with the banner program and I hope it continues.

The photos we’ve put in here (village office and main meeting room). I love the photos and I think more should be done. We had a great photographer (Peggy Barringer) who did those for us.

The Village of Albion was able to use a $300,000 state grant to pay most of the cost of a $380,000 new vacuum truck from the Vactor that can be used when there are waterline breaks, plugged sewers and other work on the water and sewer lines. Jay Pahura, Albion’s superintendent of the Department of Public Works, shows the new truck to Mayor Eileen Banker, State Sen. Robert Ortt and one of Ortt’s staff members in this photo from Dec. 11, 2019. Banker said connecting with other local, state and federal officials should be part of the job for mayor, trying to bring in resources for the village. The $300,000 grant came through Ortt’s office.

Question: Stan, I know you do that Cycling the Canal bike ride every year and even rode the bike in the Metro 10 in Albion.

Stan Farone: I do the canal ride every year. I did the Metro 10 and I still do a lot of 5ks. I’m planning on doing a 6-hour walk and run in Buffalo. I put it on Facebook and to try to encourage people to walk around and come out in the village and look around. I had about 6-7 people come down and we talked about the book, I think it’s The Boy from the Four Corners. It was written about downtown Albion. We talked about downtown Albion and we looked up where you can basically see the dates on the buildings. Just to get people downtown where they can see what’s going on makes me feel good.

Candidate forum this evening at Lockstone

There will be a candidate forum today from 6 to 8 p.m. with the seven candidates running for the Village Board in the March 15 election. The Lockstone is hosting the event at 160 North Main St. The event is sponsored by The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub.

The candidates include three people for mayor: Angel Javier Jr., running on the Republican and independent “Better Together Albion Strong” lines; Vickie Elsenheimer on the Democratic and independent “Move Albion Forward” lines; and Kevin Graham on the independent “Albion Pride, Working Together.”

Four people are seeking two trustee positions on the Village Board. Tim McMurray and Dan Conrad are on the Republican line. Sandra Walter and Joyce Riley are under the Democratic line and the independent “Move Albion Forward.”

Geno Allport – ‘Fan of the Year’ – treasures friendships, family bonding in following Bills

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 February 2022 at 8:55 am

Allport family has been passionate season ticket holders since 1974

Photo by Tom Rivers: Geno Allport holds his “Fan of the Year” Buffalo Bills jersey for 2021. He is shown at his home with framed jerseys from many Buffalo Bills legends. Allport and his son Tre are currently in Los Angeles for the Super Bowl festivities.

ALBION – Geno Allport is the Buffalo Bills “Fan of the Year” for 2021 and he and his son, Tre, have been treated to attending the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

Provided photos: Geno Allport is shown on the shoulders of former Bills offensive lineman Reggie McKenzie, who was an all-pro guard for the Bills from 1972 to 1982. McKenzie was in Albion in this photo from about 1980 for a charity basketball game.

Allport, 47, said the award should go to the Bills’ “Family of the Year.” His late father, Gene, bought season tickets in 1974. The Allports have had family tickets since, even expanding to six season tickets this past season for the first time. They sit in Section 135 in Row 12 with a great view of the 40 to 50 yard line.

In 2020, when no fans were allowed for most of the home games, Allport still was there – as a security guard. He said he has only missed two home games in the past four decades.

Allport’s home on East Park Street proudly displays his love of the Bills, from the red and blue porch lights, to many Buffalo Bills jerseys on the wall. There is even a year-round Buffalo Bills Christmas tree with Bills ornaments.

Allport and his wife Jami were married Aug. 24, 2020 – at the Bills stadium in Orchard Park. Moments after their daughter Hensley was born about three years ago, Allport played the Bills “Shout” song. Allport even convinced the doctor to wear a Bills surgical mask during the delivery.

The Allport home is full of Bills memorabilia and keepsakes from some other famous Bills fans, including signed ketchup and mustard bottles from Pinto Ron, a legendary fan who gets doused in ketchup and mustard while tailgating.

Allport said he has made tons of friends through Bills fandom, and connected with numerous players. Jim Kelly remains his all-time favorite, Kelly transformed a losing franchise into a team that went to the Super Bowl four times. Allport is high on current Bills star Josh Allen and the chances for the Bills to win that elusive Super Bowl.

If that happens, “I would bawl like a baby,” Allport said.

He has been youth football coach for more than 20 years in Albion and also helped start the football program in 2021 at the Vertus Charter School in Rochester. Ocie Bennett of Albion is the head coach for the team. Allport has worked at Vertus for nearly six years as a preceptor and alumni coordinator. He serves as a mentor and teacher for 22 students. Last month was presented with the “Golden Apple” teaching award from WROC in Rochester.

Geno Allport holds his daughter Hensley at her first Bills game on Jan. 2, when Bills beat the falcons 29-15. After Hensley was born, Allport played the Bills “Shout” song in the hospital.

Allport arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday with his son, Tre. Kim Pegula, co-owner of the Bills, had a letter waiting for the Fan of the Year.

“Dear Geno, Welcome to Los Angeles and Super Bowl LVI! You’re going to have a great weekend, and we’re thrilled you are representing the Buffalo Bills. It’s fans like you that make Bills Mafia so great. We really appreciate your unwavering support and are looking forward to a great 2022 season. Enjoy the game and Go Bills!”

The following interview with Allport was conducted at his home on Tuesday evening.

Q: Why are you so passionate about the Bills?

A: Born into it. I mean I came home from the hospital (in 1974) with an OJ pin on. My grandparents told me the only time I wouldn’t through a fit when I was away from my mother is on Sundays when I’d go to the game. They would put me in the car and I’d go to sleep. They said the only time I was calm was on Sundays.

Q: Even when you were a kid what did you like about the team so much, especially with all the screaming fans around?

A: I could tell you everything about all the players, even then. I remember being in school as an elementary and middle school kid and being quizzed by the high school kids, and I could rattle off everything about who was who on the Bills, where they went to college, what position they played and their number.

Q: I’m assuming you’ve made a lot of friends through being a Bills fan, especially the people with seats near you?

A: Yes. A couple that were in front of us they moved up to the red seats. We were real good friends with them for years. The red seats are the Van Miller Club, the Pepsi Club, the seats up there. They were getting up in age and wanted to be up there where they could go inside if need be, or sit under the heaters.

The guys behind us have been there for a while. They are attorneys in Orchard Park. We were able to get the two seats next to us. They had belonged to two guys who had been coming for years been then the last two years they weren’t there and the seats became available. So we added those to our account.

It’s a good section. You see a lot of the same people.

Q: Is there a bond you feel with your dad by going to the game?

A: Oh yeah. We always stop by his brick before the game.

This brick honors Allport’s late father, Gene “Lou” Allport. He was nicknamed for Lou Saban, the Bills coach from 1962 to 1965 and 1972 to 1976. Saban twice led the Bills to be AFL champion in 1964 and 1965. Allport bought season tickets beginning in 1974.

Q: That brick, what is the story behind it?

A: At one point in ’99 they started to sell the bricks you can out by the stadium. They used to be over by Gate 3 but they moved them in front of the store when they built the store.

It was November 1999 and we got it for him for his birthday and he actually got out there for a game, which was the Bills versus the Colts – the Rob Johnson game, and he was able to get up there and see the brick, that was in January 2000. He ended up passing away in March of that year.

Allport has a tattoo on his arm about the love for the Bills being in the family’s DNA.

Q: It’s necessarily a memorial then?

A: It has his name on it. It says Gene Allport from Albion, New York.

Q: Why did the team do the bricks?

A: That was when they were trying to raise money to keep them in Buffalo. It was part of the whole big pitch they were doing. They haven’t done it since and they won’t do it again.

Q: So, outside your house you have blue and red lights on the porch. Have you had those a long time?

A: Oh yeah, we do it just for that reason. It’s part of the Christmas decoration but it’s always Bills season here. That’s why we have the tree up. It’s always Bills season. It’s only got Bills stuff on a white tree.

Q: It’s interesting just how excited the community gets when the team is winning.

A: The kids will even say it when we walk into Walmart. They say they’ve never seen this much Bills clothes on people walking around.

Q: I do feel bad for the Fred Jacksons of the world, the team leaders during the playoff drought years that lasted 17 seasons. (Allport has Jackson’s No. 22 jersey in a frame in the dining room with several other Bills greats.) He didn’t get as much love because the team struggled. : You feel like a fan more when the team struggles. It’s a lot easier when they are winning.

A: Yeah, Kyle Williams played for many years too, but at least he did make it to the playoffs.

Q: Do you have a favorite Bills player of all time?

A: I grew up with (Jim) Kelly. During Kelly’s rookie year (in 1986), our family became friends with Van Miller (the broadcaster). He got a football signed for me during Kelly’s rookie year and I’ve had this since ’86. (It’s signed: “Merry X-mas, Geno – Jim Kelly”) I’ve always been a Jim Kelly fan. I was 12 years old when he got here.

I’m a big Josh (Allen) fan. My 3-year-old says that’s her boyfriend. She loves Josh.

Geno Allport is introduced as the Bills “Fan of the Year” on Oct. 31 on the big scoreboard at Highmark Stadium. He is joined by retired Bills players Will Wolford, left, and Reuben Brown.

Q: Was it hard to be a fan during the drought years?

A: Oh yeah. I remember going to the Bills-Colts game in ’84 or ’85 and there were 17,000 fans in the stands. They were 0-11 in ’84 and Dallas came to town in first place and we ended up beating them 14 to 3. So that was fun.

The 2-14 years were tough. Even when they went to the Super Bowl and I was in high school. I still went to school the next day in all my Bills clothes. I’m not going to hide from them. Just like when they just lost to the Chiefs. I went to work in my Bills clothes.

Q: How did you get Fan of the Year? Were you nominated?

A: My son, Tre, sent in a nomination.

Geno and his family keep up a Buffalo Bills-themed Christmas tree up year-round.

Q: Is it about your love of the Bills or more than that?

A: It’s everything. He put in there a few things and I didn’t know anything about it until they came and surprised me at the football practice (in October with the youth football team). He put in there a few things about our family with the Bills. One of the guys from the Bills, my ticket rep, saw my name and pushed for it. I don’t know how the process works or who has a say in it.

Q: Since 1974 as a season ticket holder that’s impressive.

A: Jami and I even got married at the stadium. Just us and the kids went up.

Q: So you have contacts with the Bills. You know these people?

A: I do a lot of work with the Bills through youth football. I’m on the Western New York Amateur Football Alliance. I’ve been working with the people in community relations with the Bills for years.

Q: I think you’ve had the Albion youth teams play at the Bills stadium at halftime?

A: They used to. But since Covid started, actually the year before that, they kind of scaled it back but we’re trying to get that back, or even do the Punt, Pass and Kick or a different version of that because the NFL got rid of it. We went that back because it’s for the kids.

Q: So you’ve been the NOFA (Niagara Orleans Football Association) rep for a long time?

A: This will be coming up on year 22. I’ve been on the NOFA board for 15 years maybe. My son started when he was 6 or 7 years old and I was a coach. Tre is now 27 and he’ll be coming with me to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

Q: What does the schedule include for you as Fan of the Year?

A: We leave Thursday morning because we’re able to attend the NFL honors show that night. We get to do the red carpet. We get to attend the awards show at the YouTube Theater that night.

Friday we have Captain Morgan’s brunch, they are the sponsors of the Fan of the Year program. They put on a brunch for us on Friday. Saturday they gave us tickets for the NFL Experience so we get to do that whole thing. There will be different displays from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I think they even have the Super Bowl trophy, and a bunch of different things for the fans to see and do. It covers all 32 teams so nobody is left out. Sunday we have the game.

Q: Well is this a big deal to you?

A: Oh yeah, definitely. I’ve become friends with the other 31 Fans of the Year. We text. We’re in constant communication. I can’t wait to meet everybody. I’m thrilled. I wish our team was there, but it will be less stress. I’d rather be stressed though. It’s up and downs. It’s a rollercoaster.

Q: Your football passion goes beyond the Bills. Why do you keep doing the youth football?

A: I love helping kids. I love getting kids involved. I think sports are a big part of helping them grow and becoming a good teammate. The hard work, the dedication and the commitment is needed when it’s time to get a job. You’re already working hard, you’re already dedicated. If you’re going to college it’s the same way. It’s getting them to commit to something even if it’s not football. It could be soccer, or indoor track, outdoor track or baseball. It’s just keeping them involved in something. Plus, it keeps them off the streets. It keeps them busy.

Q: As a sport I wonder why you like football so much?

A: I actually played soccer until my junior year and never played football. I played flag football but I was a soccer player. But I always loved football.

My junior and senior years I played varsity. I was 138 pounds, and played kicker, receiver and DB.

Q: Did you play much?

A: No, I had Rayford Callicutt in front of me. Rayford and Lee (Froman) were phenomenal receivers and DBs. Rayford had Ohio State looking at him. He ended up at Bowling Green and then went to Edinboro.

Q: With the youth program in Albion, you’ve been a coach, the equipment manager, and other roles. You must be organized?

A: I’ve done it so long I know what to do. My garage is now the storage shed. I have Tim (McMurray) more involved now. My sister (Jaime Allport) has always been there and she keeps track of the birth certificates, the rosters, the check-ins, and all the stuff no one wants to do DJ Moore, Joe Fuller and Rocco Sidari are stepping up as well. It’s knowing people from Albion, the Lions, from USA Football. It all helps.

Geno Allport, left, is shown with his mother Pam, brother Joe and sister Jaime and their children in this photo from about a decade ago. Allport said supporting the Bills has been a big part of the family his entire life.

Q: A lot of the key players in the youth program don’t have kids anymore that are playing. A lot of times when people’s kids age out the parents don’t continue as coaches.

A: About 10 of us had dinner this past summer with Scott Hallenbeck, he’s the CEO of USA Football. We were talking about our head coaches and how many coaches you got. When he gets to me, I said we have four head coaches and now of them have a kid on their team. He said what do you mean? Three of them don’t have a kid in the program and one has kid on the team above him but he coaches the team under.

He (Hallenbeck) said are you serious. I told him it’s different out here. At the time I think we had nine coaches who didn’t have a kid playing for them. That’s hard to find, but that’s when you know they are there for the right reasons and not playing Daddy Ball, which is the big phrase out there. They are coaching for the love of the game and they love the kids. It’s tough to find but when you do they are guys you want to hold on to.

Q: You could have stayed home and just watched the Bills on TV. But your life really has been enriched by being such a passionate fan.

A: It’s the whole experience. For the 1 o’clock games we leave here at 7 in the morning, make a pit stop at Walmart and get the gas we need. We’re pulling in at the parking lot at 9 and then hanging out. I’ve met a lot of friends.

Medina superintendent reflects on one-year anniversary of schools being shut down

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2021 at 5:59 pm

Mark Kruzynski worries about mental health toll on students

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mark Kruzynski is pictured at his office on Friday. He has switched to wearing contact lenses because his glasses kept fogging up while wearing a mask.

MEDINA – It was one year ago today when superintendents in Orleans County’s five districts announced the schools were closed for in-person learning due to concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s district superintendent, thought Medina would be shut down for two weeks. But the schools wouldn’t reopen to students until early September.

Medina has 1,410 students. Kruzynski has been the superintendent four more than four years. Prior to that he was Medina’s business administrator, the high school principal, and middle school principal. He started at Medina as a social studies teacher.

“None of that prepared me for a pandemic,” he said Friday during an interview at his office.

Question: So, going back to last year on March 13, were you surprised how quickly it escalated?

Answer: It escalated very quickly. Earlier that week we had just started spring sports. Earlier that week the big debate going around among the school superintendents was should we allow fans at our exceptional senior basketball game, which was between the Niagara-Orleans League and the GR League.

We were debating whether or not fans should be allowed. And school musicals were going on and should we be allowing musicals to go that weekend. And that was the feeling early in the week. At that time the guidance at the time was if you just wash your hands everything will be OK. The CDC wasn’t saying wear masks at the time, just good hygiene. It looked like it was in the cities and not here yet, but you were hearing all of these horror stories that it was spreading.

By the middle of the week I started to think something was going to change. By the end of the week, that Friday morning, I remember calling all of the administrators to come into by office and we’re going to talk. We sat at this table here and figured out what we needed to do if schools were shut down. We still thought we had some time, but we knew if things were going to happen it was going to happen quickly and we needed to be prepared.

That day we sent an email out to all the staff to prepare lesson plans for Monday, and be ready to work from home. In hindsight, I wish we had told all of the kids on Friday to make sure you take everything out of your locker because that was a big challenge to get everybody in and get all of their belongings back. We weren’t really expecting it that Monday.

We knew something was coming. I actually was helping with softball practice. I remember going out to practice that Thursday or Friday and we were wondering if we would ever get to a game because it was a really warm week at the time.

That Saturday I remember waking up on the 14^thand there was a positive case confirmed in Rochester. And just like that Monroe County declared a state of emergency. And then all of the schools were shutting down. At the time if you recall it was for two weeks at a time because it was two weeks to flatten the curve.

‘We have seen an incredible rise in mental health. People are social. They are not meant to be sitting at home all day, kids especially. This pandemic has definitely caused anxiety issues. We’re seeing much more of that and depression. We’re seeing kids who normally on the outward appear fine who are really, really struggling with this.’

Q: Was it in late April, when the governor finally said no (in-person) school for the rest of the year?

A: It was late April or May 1. For a while it was in two-week increments. The way this panned out we were learning what was happening at his press conferences. Everybody would watch his press conferences to see what is going to happen today.

But back to that Saturday morning on March 14^th, we had seen that there was a case in Monroe County. In Orleans County, one third of Kendall school district is in Monroe County. So immediately Julie Christensen (Kendall superintendent) has a problem whether she can open school or not.

And we also have a lot of people who work here who live in Monroe County. We figure it’s just a matter of time before it’s coming.

Paul Pettit (public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties) and Lynne Johnson (Orleans County Legislature chairwoman), we all had a conference call that day. Lynne issued the state of emergency, because remember at that time the states of emergency were all issued by county.

Lynne, knowing the situation with the schools, she declared the county as a state of emergency. And then Paul Pettit, with the state of emergency, he gave us the advice that it was still our decision – it was the superintendent’s decision – but he gave us the advice that based on the pandemic I’m not recommending you stay open.

We had all announced by 12 o’clock or 1 that day.

The sign at Medina Central School announced on March 14, 2020 that schools would be closed until further notice.

Q: How long were you thinking this would go on with schools closed?

A: I was thinking a couple weeks. This had started earlier in the year and you had seen all of these stories of China barring people in their homes and having these mass sprayers where they would go around and disinfect everything. There was so much truth and not truth. The internet and social media is never a good source for truth, but there was all sorts of stuff out there that this was just a flu or virus.

But we knew at the time there was the fear that nobody really knew how this spread. So we shut down. That night Niagara County shut down. Before too long Erie County closed. A few days later I think the governor officially shut down schools in New York State. There were still some pretty big cities that were open.

Then it was scrambling. We had to put together a meal delivery plan.

Q: That first week were you totally off or did you have to do the meals right away?

A: We started the meals pretty quickly.

Q: With the remote learning, was there a week or two breather with no education from the school?

A: That first week was just kind of review work. Honestly, in our area we weren’t allowed to do new learning because of the way the rules were set up. If we couldn’t provide the same education for everybody we couldn’t provide new content.

We had the broadband gap. Now this year we are at 100 percent with our one-to-one devices. Last year only 60 percent of the students had school-owned devices.

Q: So people were picking up a lot of paper packets?

A: We were mailing out packets left and right. Dan Doctor (the school’s community liaison) was delivering them to people. It was like copy central here. Teachers would email us work and we would put it on the website, each area every Friday, we would put new work up for kids to do.

Paper packets is not the way to learn.

Q: Has it gone better this year with not having the sudden change thrown at you?

A: Yes. We’re better prepared and we’re pushing out new learning everyday. Last year we were kind of hamstrung in the fact we weren’t technologically available to push out new learning and if you couldn’t push out new learning to everybody, then there would be equity problems.

This year we’ve pared down the curriculum to the point where teachers are selecting what they feel are the most important things to teach. We’re moving forward.

This year we’re in a much better spot because at the elementary, which is open five days a week. If your kid is coming to school from grades K through 6, they are here everyday. Or if the parents selected virtual, we have dedicated virtual teachers who work just with those kids during the day.

Q: For K to 6, do you know what percent is remote only?

A: I’d say about 30 percent. We have a waiting list of people who want to come back full time. We’ve been pretty much able to accommodate.

High school there is a bigger social aspect, not that there isn’t in the elementary. In high school we had a lot of people back but then when they realized they’re on Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday and some of their friends are on the opposite schedule and other friends are on virtual. High school has been tough because we’re on the hybrid model. We have brought some kids back four days a week. We’re trying to accommodate as much as our capacity will allow.

Q: So 7 through 12 is hybrid. How many are remote-only?

A: I’d say about one third. That varies from day to day. Thankfully the quarantines are down.

Q: That must have been a nightmare to deal with that?

A: It was very much a logistical nightmare, especially around the holidays. When we had to shut down the high school it wasn’t because of so many students, it was because so many of our staff members had to quarantine. At one point half of our district cleaning staff and all of the high school staff was in quarantine. We just couldn’t clean the buildings.

That was when we shut down for about a week before Thanksgiving until they all came out of quarantine. Now the rules have relaxed a little bit. When it first started if you were in a room with someone for more than an hour, even if you were wearing a mask and social distancing, everybody in that room would be quarantined.

At the elementary level that would knock out an entire class. At the high school we would have to go through every kid’s schedule to see who they had multiple classes with and where they were on a bus. So we had a lot of quarantines there for a while.

Now they have relaxed that if you are wearing a mask and are six feet apart they won’t quarantine the whole room. They will look at it on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What have been some of the hardest parts about this past year for you as a school superintendent?

A: It’s hard to play for one week down the road when you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Last year there was a lot of “What are we going to do about graduation?”, “What are we going to do about prom?” We as a district decided we were just going to wait because we knew things were going to change. A lot of announced their graduation plans on April 1 or May 1 but we knew the guidance was changing on a daily basis so we held off knowing that things might change. We lucked out there. We were able to host in-person graduation when some schools weren’t able to do that. We also have a huge facility where we can adequately social distance people.

But it’s hard to plan. The nature of this job is you’re always thinking six months ahead. We’ve been planning next year’s budget for the last three months. The stimulus changes a lot of those numbers with where you’re going to go.

With the pandemic it was literally changing from press conference to press conference.

Medina split last year’s graduation into three different ceremonies to stay under a 150-maximum set by the state. The service was moved from the auditorium to Vets Park. Mark Kruzynski said the district expects the entire class will be able to graduate together in the same service this June.

Q: Right now the outdoor size limit is 200, and I tend to think it will be more in June.

A: Honestly we’re planning for a full graduation this year. If it’s 200 on March 1, then by June we’ll be in a better spot. If we have to scale it back, then we’ll scale it back. We’re planning on prom. The high school is working on a prom location. It may be limited in capacity but there are a lot of places that have outdoor tents, pavilions, things like that that you can use.

To me that’s the hardest stuff: you just don’t know what the next day is going to be.

We fully did not expect winter sports to start when they did. All of a sudden on a Friday we get a one-week lead time that says here’s winter sports. Well that puts us in a tough spot.

And OK we can have kids running up and down a basketball court but we can’t have kids standing feet six feet apart singing in a choir. Sometimes it’s just illogical.

I don’t know how you explain to a parent that this activity is allowed and this activity isn’t.

Q: What about the marching band, which is outside?

A: We’re hoping by the spring we can put something together. I mean if you think about it with marching band we could be 12 feet apart. We could be six feet apart. It’s outdoors. Is that safer than wrestling?

So there is so much illogic through this whole thing.

Q: I think that’s where the governor and some of the public health officials have lost some people when things don’t make sense.

A: I will say Paul Pettit (local public health director) has been fantastic for us in this county. He basically worked with all five of us (school superintendents). Every teacher who has wanted a vaccine has gotten one. We’re halfway through. March 25 is our last big day and then two weeks after the 25^thanybody who wanted a vaccine in the district and that’s across the county. That hasn’t happened in every other county.

Q: How many staff work here?

A: We have about 200 full-time and another 100 part-time. So 300 staff members total.

Q: And they will all be vaccinated?

A: I would say about 70 percent of the total of the staff who has requested it has gotten it (with more to be done through March 25). Some we don’t know if they are going on their own. There is no requirement that we ask people.

Q: There is a lot of concern about the isolation for a lot of the students and their mental health.

A: We have seen an incredible rise in mental health. People are social. They are not meant to be sitting at home all day, kids especially.

We’re reaching out to the kids everyday. This pandemic has definitely caused anxiety issues. We’re seeing much more of that and depression.

Q: When you say you see it, is that an observation or do kids somehow get served for those issues?

A: We have kids check in regularly. Then have a check-in. We ask them, “How are you feeling?” “Is this a drawback or a problem?” If any of those come up our counselors reach out to them and try to find out what is going on so we can help. It has definitely, definitely been made more difficult.

One thing we have done this year: Our counselors go into all of the classrooms. Then try to get in at least weekly to check in on everybody because we’re seeing kids who normally on the outward appear fine who are really, really struggling with this. It’s tough – the uncertainty with when is this going to end. We have dealt a lot with that.

‘I’m thinking the first Christmas concert we have together there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house. The first homecoming rally, nobody is going to take that for granted anymore when we have 2,000 people at Vets Park cheering. Once we fully reopen there is going to be a lot said for people really embracing things.’

Q: Is it difficult because we can’t say when it will end. It does seem like there is more optimism now with fighting Covid.

A: There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re getting closer. I fully expect, barring any new variants or if it turns out the vaccine didn’t work or something, I fully expect we’ll be back to in-person five days a week by fall.

Right now the vaccine is only approved for adults. We got trials going on with kids. Even though the kids don’t tend to have severe cases of Covid, they are transmitters. We have to make sure people are safe.

Do I think we’ll be there by the fall, yeah. Would I like it to be tomorrow? Absolutely.

When this first started we thought maybe it would be Easter at the latest that we would be back. Who knew it would be this long.

Q: Are there any positives through this, maybe speeding up technology?

A: Yes. For better or worse, it’s forced everybody to learn the latest technology. We just did a superintendent’s conference day a week ago on technology training based on topics the teachers had said they wanted to learn. It turns out by the time we had scheduled it for the conference day they had forced themselves to learn it and move on to more advanced technologies. So that has been an improvement.

There has been more connections made with some kids normally in in-person school. And that’s been a positive.

The community has been fantastic in supporting the schools. I have four kids so I understand how tough it can be when we announced on a Monday night we have to go virtual on Tuesday. But everybody just adjusts and I know how tough that is for parents to arrange for daycare and figure things out like that. But the community has been fantastic in working with us on that and understanding that sometimes our hands are tied.

Q: Let’s say there are 500 people or more at graduation, it will be quite a moment. One of the benefits of this past year will be not taking that for granted.

A: I’m thinking the first Christmas concert we have together there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house. Sports have kind of been coming back but they haven’t had full fans. The first homecoming rally, nobody is going to take that for granted anymore when we have 2,000 people at Vets Park cheering.

The things you always took for granted before and now you realize you can’t have. Once we fully reopen there is going to be a lot said for people really embracing things.

Q&A: School superintendent ready to start new year after ‘unreal’ 6 months

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jason Smith is pictured in a high school Spanish classroom were desks have been spaced apart to allow for social distancing. Classrooms will be limited to 12 to 15 students in person to start the school, with teachers working with some students remotely as well. The district has had 15 percent of the students opt for remote learning.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2020 at 8:59 am

Jason Smith and Lyndonville district welcome back students today

Classrooms are stocked with hand sanitizer, masks and cleaning products.

LYNDONVILLE – Jason Smith has served as Lyndonville’s superintendent of schools since December 2011. The superintendent and district will begin welcoming back students today for a new school year. Lyndonville is staggering the grade levels this week before all grades come back next week for in-person classroom learning each school day.

Lyndonville is able to offer all students the option for in-person learning each day, rather than a hybrid approach like many districts where students come in to school for classes two or three days a week with the other days remotely at home.

Lyndonville, which has 630 students in grades PreK to 12, can accommodate all students with social distancing guidelines in place. The district has three grade levels at the elementary school, which is being used again after closing after the 2011-12 school year.

This year the district will have PreK and grades 5 and 6 in the elementary school.

The district has many new protocols in place to reopen during the Covid-19 pandemic, including taking students’ temperatures, spreading out desks, having students wear masks when social distancing isn’t possible, and making hand sanitizer available.

Jason Smith was interviewed last week in his office at Lyndonville Central School on Housel Avenue.

The district has signs and decals throughout the hallways, classrooms and campus, urging people to maintain social distancing and wear masks.

Question: This is your 26^thyear in education. (Smith started his career in 1994 as a social studies teacher in Albion.) How radically different is this start of the school year?

Answer: It has been a radical start, going back to March. I was telling the families when I did the reopening meetings, I began tongue in cheek by saying I’m a history teacher by trade. We’re learning this as we go.

I’m basically saying I am committed to learning about this and making changes, but understand I was brought up as a history teacher.

March 13 was the last day we had students here. It was unreal because on March 14^thI started talking with the superintendents in the county and Paul Pettit (the public health director in Orleans County) and we all closed that day. It was a Saturday.

It was almost like when I was at Albion (as a social studies teacher) and we watched the towers come down in New York City (on Sept. 11, 2001). I watched with eighth-graders in the cafeteria hallway. Standing next to me was Joe Martillotta (another social studies teacher).

March 14^thwas another surreal moment. It took about four hours from 1 to 5 to get everything done that I needed to get done. Then my wife and I went out to dinner for the last time for a while. Then I went back to work that night and had a call with my administrators. It was very much like I can’t believe this is happening.

It’s been six months. It’s definitely been out of the ordinary. I’ve had many calls with superintendents in Orleans County and also in the Niagara-Orleans BOCES.

There has been a lot of communication, a lot of problem solving and working to meet the new challenges. There has been a lot of pieces to put together.

The district has two thermal scanners that doing rapid screens as students enter the hallways in the main building. That scanner will identify students who may have temperatures at 100 degrees or more. Those students will then be checked individually with infrared touchless thermometers. If they have a temp of 100 degrees or more, they will have to go home.

Question: Last year there was such abruptness with the schools closing and the switch to remote learning. This year I know Lyndonville is starting with the option of in-person learning all five days of the school week. At least you know what you’re getting into at the start of the school year.

Answer: We do have about 15 percent or about 80 students who have opted to do remote only, even though we are offering full person instruction. We are offering the remote instruction to our families.

But the other piece is if we get switched to remote by force or by choice, we wanted to make sure we had a better plan in place. As we developed our plan for reopening, we wanted to make sure we had plans for full in-person which we’re doing, hybrid or full remote.

If we have to go full remote, we wanted to make sure we have enough devices and that there are expectations for teachers, students and families for what it looks like.

For example, last year from March, April, May and June, we were on pass-fail. There wasn’t traditional grading because of the challenges we had. But this year, anyone who is on remote, whether they chose it or were on it by force, it’s going to be regular grading and feedback with tests.

We’ve upped our game and everybody needs to up their game and understand it’s going to be graded, whether you are here or not. That is one of the lessons we learned.

We learned to do mobile hotspots. We actually started planning on March 12^thin anticipation of what could happen. We had started that inner game plan a couple days before not knowing it would go on for the rest of the year.

Question: Do you have a sense of the percentage of kids that need the mobile hotspots?

Answer: We purchased 40 of them. The ones that we purchased work very well with a Verizon signal.

When Aaron Slack (high school principal) and I drove around the whole district during the graduation parade, oftentimes our phones died because there wasn’t a Verizon signal out on this road or that road.

So there is a strong need (for mobile hotspots). Our school board is committed to having better high-speed internet. We want to engage in the political process to open up broadband.

We opened up the campus here in the library and later on we placed two hotspots at the White Birch and the Oak Orchard Assembly of God.

So obviously the need is strong. It is definitely a handicap for us.

Jason Smith is shown in the cafeteria at the elementary school, where there will be clear dividers in place at the lunch tables. The school building gave the district the option to shift two grade levels, fifth and sixth, from Housel Avenue to free up more space and reduce the number of people in the main school building.

Question: Are the two hotspots still there at the White Birch and the church?

Answer: They won’t be there right to start. We’re going to monitor it and see how it goes. They didn’t get a lot of use last year. It was a cost for us to have them. We will monitor it. People can still use this campus. They can use the Yates library. The students will have access to Chromebooks, too.

Question: People might wonder what has been the hardest part of being a superintendent during the pandemic?

Answer: Just the changing rules. The changing regulations. The communication from the state and making sure I get that communication out to the staff and the parents.

I think one of the new normals for us is we’ve all had to up our communication game. I’ve used all of our systems. I’ve become much more proficient with it. I’ve got the calls out, the texts out, links, all kinds of stuff and getting the website updated.

Those have been some of the challenges, getting as much information out as much as we can.

Question: You function as the chief communication person?

Answer: I do a lot of it or I have someone else do it but I have my hands on the button all the time. We have our website set up with all the alerts on there. I have a great staff, too, and we have BOCES service that helps us out. But if it’s an immediate need I’ll get it up there.

Certainly we miss our students. While we weren’t open since March, I saw one of our students at the EZ Shop. We just kind of smiled at each other and had a prolonged hello because we just missed seeing each other. You miss the hustle the bustle of students and staff in school. So that’s been hard.

And just the unknown and not knowing, and all the planning.

Mary Kurz, the school nurse, holds one of the infrared touchless thermometers.

Question: The fall sports starting on Sept. 21 is confusing with some sports able to go and others not.

Answer: The practices can start on the 21^st. The frustrating part for all of us has been we’ve been able to have youth sports with contact but now there seems to be conflicting guidance. Our infection rate in our state is lower than other states, yet those states with higher (infection) rates are able to play football. Why can’t we do that or something similar here?

That’s been a frustrating part.

But we are excited to get the athletics back and again do that in a smart manner. The guidance says maybe two spectators per child and we’ll have to decide how we’ll manage that and keep the density down.

Question: Two spectators per kid that will be a hard deal.

Answer: That will be tough. Some of what is being tossed around is do we give each child two passes? We’re also going to try to livestream some of the events. If people can’t come in person they could watch it on YouTube. We’re going to look at a service for that.

The elementary school last year was used for an expanded PreK program after being closed since 2012. This year it will have PreK, fifth and sixth grades.

Question: If you didn’t have the elementary school option, would you have been forced to do the hybrid without in-person each day for everyone?

Answer: It would have been tight. By having classes there we’ve opened up space here so we can have spillover rooms. So it was definitely to our advantage to have that building. We’re even able to feed students over there.

It definitely made the process easier knowing that we had that space over there.

Question: In terms of a silver lining, I have to think the kids will be really happy to see each other and they will value in-person friendships.

Answer: Yes, we saw how quickly it all ended last March.

Another challenge we had going back to June was graduation. It was one big task at a time. In March and April it was getting the meals out and the technology out.

In May and June we started having talks about graduation, which is a huge event.

We kind of took a breath and waited for guidance from the state about reopening the schools. We formed a committee, and had that going on the last two weeks in July. Ultimately I did nine presentations, one to the board, six to parents and two to teachers.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed, trying to keep up with the federal laws and the state laws. You want to balance parent needs, student needs and staff needs.

Question: I’m guessing you haven’t had much of a break personally since March?

Answer: Me, no. I had a vacation I was going to take over Memorial Day weekend but it was cancelled.

I will say this, I try to give myself so downtime because the job can be so demanding. During the shutdown I was looking at emails 24-7 trying to keep up with what parents and staff needed, what students needed. I was in constant contact with the administrators. It wasn’t until July when I took every other Friday off. That’s what I was able to do. The idea of taking a week off, for one, where are you going to go? Every place I wanted to go was quarantined.

So you try to balance it out and keep your Sundays free. The job is challenging enough and you add (Covid) to it, it’s another 25 layers.

Question: What else would you like to say?

Answer: It’s been a good process, we’ve learned and we’ve grown as administrators, as staff, as teachers. We’ve all learned.

There are some things we will keep on doing when this (Covid) is done. For example I used to have to drive to Sanborn once a month for a meeting (with the Niagara-Orleans superintendents). Do I have to do that anymore when we can do the same thing online? It saves money. It saves time. It saves gas to do things here. Why do I have to drive there when every Tuesday I’ve been doing Zoom meetings with the superintendents, although there is value to meeting in person, but maybe we’ll do it once every three months in person.

Return to top

During pandemic, Y offers outdoor programs and reimagines space inside former Medina Armory

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 August 2020 at 11:33 am

Quick Questions with Greg Reed, director of Orleans County YMCA

Photos by Tom Rivers: Greg Reed, executive director of the Orleans County YMCA, looks forward to the building being able to reopen to the public.

MEDINA – Greg Reed, executive director of the Orleans County YMCA for nearly three years, has the building ready for a reopening if the state gives gyms the green light. (The state is expected to issue guidelines today for gyms on what precautions they need to take to reopen.)

The Y’s building has been closed to the public since 8 p.m. on March 16, although the site is running a day camp in a room in the basement where there are games and space for activities.

Reed said the former Medina Armory on Pearl Street has been given an extensive cleaning, and exercise equipment has been spaced out at least 6 feet. Some of the elliptical machines, tread mills, cardio-rowers and exercise bikes have been moved to the gym where there is more space.

The Y has shifted some programs outside, including a spin class three times a week, and other programs for kayaking, cycling, stretching and flexibility, and a boot camp.

The Y has 40 employees when it is fully operational. Reed and Jessica Lino are the only full-timers. Lino is director of membership and operations. “She keeps this place running,” Reed said.

The following interview with Reed was conducted Aug. 7 on the front steps of the Y. This was the day Gov. Cuomo announced whether schools would be allowed to reopen for in-person in the fall. The governor said schools could reopen as long as they submitted safety plans to the state and held three meetings with the community about the plans, as well as a meeting with teachers.

Question: You said 40 employees at the YMCA with two full-time. How many have you been able to keep working during this?

Answer: It’s been different throughout the structure of it, because of the PPP program and how they set it up. By the end of your eight weeks you’re supposed to try to bring all of your workforce back in order to have loan forgiveness and that is obviously what we wanted to pursue.

But then in about week 5 they changed it to where if your business is closed due to Covid you didn’t have to honor that. We were thinking how could we make this last long to really help us and get through closure.

At one point we probably had close to 20 employees back to work, whether that was back in the building or remote work. We worked on curriculum development. I had my youth sports lead instructor be creating curriculum for all of our youth sports program so that way it could be a program that lasts past him.

Some exercise equipment has been moved the gym where there is lots of space to spread out the machines. There is also hand sanitizer on a table.

Question: So you’ve been doing outdoor programs. When did that start?

Answer: So basically when the governor released that we could be doing outdoor, low-risk, recreational sports. So specifically in the guidelines they said kayaking is one of those things. When I saw that I wanted to run our kayaking program. It took a couple weeks after that to get it off the ground.

We just finished a session (for five weeks.) I want to say it was probably in the middle of June when we starting our first session of kayaking. We just started a new session that will go for five weeks.

Question: It’s got to be tough because you want to do things, and I think people want to be doing things out in the community.

Answer: Exactly. What our next pivoting move will be, a lot of it will be determined by what Governor Cuomo says today with what schools can and can’t do. We’re all just kind of waiting for that decision.

Some people in a kayak class get into Glenwood Lake in Ridgeway on Aug. 6. The class runs for 5 weeks and is led by Coby Albone in back.

Question: In terms of not only what you can do here but the childcare programs you run?

Answer: With how we can assist schools. We already run an afterschool and before-school programming so if schools can run then obviously we will still be running those programs. But if they are doing hybrid or virtual then obviously parents will have a lot of childcare needs so how can we fit and fill that void with the school year coming up on us.

Question: I knew you have been running the Eagle Pride daycare in Albion. What else have you been doing for childcare?

Answer: Actually we closed Eagle’s Pride Daycare permanently. That was in light of Covid. I want to say it was at the end of June that we notified parents. It was because of the increased regulations on us. The cost to run a childcare program is already difficult and then to place an additional staff member in there to be working on sanitizing and keeping a safe, clean environment was something that we just can’t keep up with unfortunately.

Question: You would have needed another staff person?

Answer: Probably just to keep up with cleaning, disinfecting and regulations and all those things. I would imagine you probably would have to provide an increase in breaks to go with all the increased things to do it.

And when we polled our families only about half of them needed care. Then our ratios would have been lower but we’re still having to pay staff members to be there. There is definitely a lot of math that goes into running a childcare program, especially daycares.

Greg Reed is pictured in one of the rooms with exercise equipment that has been separated by at least 6 feet.

Question: So what would you be looking to offer schools this year if it’s not childcare?

Answer: It depends on what their needs will be. If it’s going to be afterschool programming, then we would do that.

If it’s something where kids are going to be home a lot more then we might do something similar to what we’re doing now with summer day camp. We could make it like a day camp integrated with learning and tutoring, giving kids the opportunities to do stuff.

I’ve already been talking with Medina schools. With the Education and Recreation Club downstairs, we have 12 computers down there and they are all hooked up directly to Medina Central School’s network. I can’t even get on those computers. You have to be a Medina student or teacher to get onto those computers and they are monitoring them to make sure the kids are using the internet safely. That was my desire when a donor was generous enough to give those to us. I decided I wanted the school district to own those so that way it’s monitored by them.

Question: So you really have to spring into action based on the governor’s announcements.

Answer: Yes. That will be something once that’s decided – I’ve already by talking with Mr. (Dan) Doctor (Medina’s director of community outreach) – even if they are able to do their program, with the high school students being every other day, if there’s any way he or someone else can work with us to maybe have an office hours time where could come in, sign up and use a computer, and then if they have any questions a staff member could be there. That way they would have an offsite place where kids could be. Even if it’s just for four hours a day at least they would have a place where they could go to check in and do work and have internet access.

This young kayaker is among the participants in the class offered by the Y.

Question: Is it strange for you being here at Y when it is so quiet when it was really hopping not long ago?

Answer: It has been sad to look at the graph of membership. Over the years we saw it go up and now it’s back down to lower than before I came.

Question: Financially, how is the local Y doing?

Answer: Membership drives a lot of what we do. Thankfully we’ve had a lot of gracious members keep their membership and be classified as sustainable members. Their membership dues are classified can be a tax deductible donation to the YMCA so we can keep running and Jessica and I can keep doing what we’re doing. The PPP loan has helped us continue as we have all moved on with the full-time staff on the shared work program. All of us are partially furloughed right now. But it’s to help conserve us so that way we can keep going forward. Grants, the United Way of Rochester was really gracious in bringing funds, as well as Dean Bellack from the Orleans County United Way. He’s been trying to get us additional funds to help us out.

I received some Covid relief from the Ralph Wilson youth sports legacy fund. A lot of the grants I had already received I requested if any of the grants could be reallocated to kind of help with general operating costs. A lot of them have been gracious to say a little bit can be moved around. Those grants helped us to do some things but they’ve really helped us to keep trucking forward.

Question: Even though you are largely closed down, there must be a lot of work to prepare to reopen.

Answer: When I’m here it’s very much administrative. It’s trying to keep things moving forward.

Question: With the kayaking program, do they call in and then you process that?

Answer: What we’ve mainly been trying to do, when we post it on Facebook, we’ve pointed people to messaging us on Facebook. That’s probably the easiest way to connect with Jessica or me. Because we have access to that all the time.

She and I are usually the ones signing people up and registering for things. We’re only here a handful of hours each day. To try to catch us is much more difficult than it used to be when we were open from 5 a.m. to 9 at night.

Question: I know the state has been reluctant to reopen the gyms. What does that mean for you and how long can you wait this out?

Answer: We’ll be rolling out some additional services to membership where we could possibly open up the building, just not as gym. We could utilize it for something different. I’m still processing that and what it could look like. It all depends on what schools end up doing.

There are also a lot more families looking at home schooling. We’re seeing if we could offer a Phys. Ed. program if anyone if doing home schooling. At least they would have an outlet. We have the gym and I used to be a Phys. Ed. teacher in Colorado State.

I think all of us have to think outside the box. That’s something we have told our employees. Our jobs are not going to work the same way they did. We might have to flex and do something different than before we did this. It could be an exciting opportunity if we choose to look at it that way.

Greg Reed, director of the Orleans County YMCA, hands a box to Andrew Lafave on June 12 during a food distribution at the Calvary Tabernacle church in Medina. Reed and Y staff have assisted at several of the events.

Question: I’ve noticed you and some of the Y staff have been helpful at the food distribution events. Why are you doing that?

Answer: Again, it goes back to when we had the PPP program. When my boss said we’re bringing people back and we have to find things for them to do, I was like let’s do good then.

I sent a team over to P.Raising Kids (child care center) to get their space ready, and cleaned and sanitized so they could open and offer child care services. Laura Fields works a lot at the Calvary Tabernacle food pantry. For a while we were able to pay her to be over there rather than volunteer her time. She has always requested Tuesdays and Thursdays not to work so she could keep volunteering even though we can’t pay her now to keep doing that.

My goal with this space has always been to fill community needs and we help out wherever we can.

Robert Batt (executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County) has been doing a great job with the food distribution events. Melissa (Blanar, Office for the Aging director) has done a great job coordinating them. Wherever we can lend a helping hand we want to try to. It is benefitting the mission and vision of the Y.

Return to top

Q&A: New Lee-Whedon director says libraries changing to be more dynamic

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2020 at 12:15 pm

Kristine Mostyn says books remain popular, including with teens

Photos by Tom Rivers: Kristine Mostyn is the new director of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina. She was the assistant director for 10 years under Catherine Cooper, who retired last month after 33 years at Lee-Whedon.

MEDINA – The new director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library said the site on West Avenue has changed to offer more electronic materials and online programming. But she said books are still very popular, including among teen-agers.

Kristine Mostyn took over as director last month, following the retirement of Catherine Cooper, who worked at the library for 33 years.

Mostyn, 39, was the assistant director the past 10 years. She sat down for an interview on Friday in the “Teen Space” at the library, a spot with chairs and books for teenagers.

Question: Why stay here? It seems you have built up a resume and could go elsewhere?

Answer: I could and over the years there have been some offers from other libraries, asking me to apply there. But I really love the feel of Medina. It is a great community. It is very involved. All the businesses try to help each other. And the library and the people that work here are wonderful.

Question: Over the past 10 years this place has become more snazzy. How would describe these changes, how one big room has been several spots?

Answer: We made little spaces. We tried to do that because when you come in it is a giant room. It is nice to have that small feel, that it feels comfortable like you are at home.

Question: I’m sure people are wondering of the winter concert series, Finally Fridays, will keep happening?

Answer: I hope it will. We have plans to continue it as long as we are able to.

Question: That is an amazing thing that you get 200 people in here for those concerts on a Friday in February.

Is that unusual here at Lee-Whedon in creating the spaces, embracing artwork and having the concerts? It’s not just books and magazines.

Answer: We want to offer games and anything the people in the community want and need a space for. That is what we want to try to offer.

Question: I know you have a smaller meeting room. Is there local history in there?

Answer: There is. Right now it isn’t open. We call it the quiet room.

Question: What is your annual circulation and how has that been affected with e-Books, etc.

Answer: Our circulation is around 86,000. With electronics going up some of our print collections are going down. People are still borrowing materials, it’s just a different format.

Question: What do you see as the library of the future, or even the next five to ten years, if there will be big changes?

Answer: I don’t think there will be because overall electronic use has actually plateaued. The younger generation prefers books. There are times when they want a device when they are traveling for ease of use, but the teen-agers that are coming in are taking books so I don’t know that the print collection will change a whole lot.

Question: Why do you think that is?

Answer: It may have to do with them being on their devices so much that it’s a break from that.

Question: It looks like you still get a lot of new books. Have you had to shift some dollars away from books to electronics?

Answer: Our book budget has stayed fairly consistent. But how we divide it up between electronics and print changes. I know our Hoopla collection, which is online books and audio, with movies and TV shows on there, that used to be paid by the Nioga Library System. But starting in January, because the price has gone up so much, they can no longer do that. So we’re going to be taking on that cost which will be coming out of book budget.

Lee-Whedon has decals on the floor to encourage social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. This one near the entrance tells people not to proceed if they have flu-like symptoms. The library returned to its regular hours on July 6.

Question: I should ask you about Covid. I see the Plexiglass dividers at the circulation desk. I wonder what other changes you’ve made to be open to the public.

Answer: So we’ve purchased all of the floor stickers for social distancing. We’ve added additional hand sanitizing stations. We’ve provided face masks and face shields to our staff.

Question: Why face shields?

Answer: Some people don’t like having the mask on all day. Having the piece across their forehead is easier for them to tolerate. Also it is clear for people who are hard of hearing. They can at least see your lips to try to hear what you’re saying better.

We of course have to disinfect all the chairs and tables. We have carts in the foyer. We have to leave everything out there for three days before we can bring it in and check it in and put it back on the shelf.

Question: Is the idea that saves you from cleaning it with cleaning products?

Answer: Yes. They’re saying for the paper and plastic with books if you let them sit for 72 hours, anything that is on there should die.

Question: You reopened how recently?

Answer: Curbside started in May, then in beginning of June we started doing by appointment. You could come in for up to half an hour, and browse and leave. The second half hour we would take to sanitize everything.

On July 6, we started to be open for our regular hours and people could come and go.

Question: When I get up from this chair will someone have to come over and sanitize it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Have you seen a significant drop in people coming in so far?

Answer: There is a significant drop. We’ve been talking about it. Some people aren’t aware that we are open. We have it up on social media, on our web site, and I’ve put an ad in the Pennysaver. We just added another sign outside that we are open, and please come on in.

We think some people are still afraid. They are just not sure. We have a lot of parents coming in without kids because they don’t want to take a chance with their kids being exposed to anything. So I think people are afraid.

Question: I think the interloan library program has resumed.

Answer: It has not resumed. They’re just not ready to start that yet. We are getting deliveries, but it’s just our books being returned to us, and we have to isolate those for 72 hours as well.

Kristine Mostyn is pictured with Samantha Covis, the new assistant director. Covis was a desk clerk the past three years. She has a master’s degree in library science from the University of Illinois.

Question: Are you happy to be in this line of work?

Answer: I love it. I order books, I order the DVDs for the collection. I see the numbers for what people are borrowing. I get to talk to people about what they like and try to make sure our collection reflects the community.

Question: It seems like all the libraries in our county have stepped it up with their facilities and programs. They aren’t just passive sites.

Answer: Correct. We aren’t just stagnating. When we closed on March 16, we had no intention of having online programming for summer because we’ve never had to. We’ve always done in-house. While we were closed we instituted all new software that all the staff had to learn while they were home.

Now we’re offering on-line summer reading, which is actually turning out really well.

Suzanne (McAllister, the children’s librarian) and I were both doing videos on Facebook. Parents could in and pick up a kit for their kids, and bring it home and do it with us through a video. They log their reading online on our beanstalk site.

Question: What else is there to say?

Answer: We have hired a new assistant director, Samantha Covis.

Return to top

Q&A: ‘I have never seen anything like it,’ Orchard nursing home administrator says about Covid-19

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2020 at 7:58 pm

Martin MacKenzie leads facility that has quarantined residents, trying to slow the spread of virus

Photos by Tom Rivers: Martin MacKenzie, administrator of the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina, praised the staff at the nursing home in Medina for their dedication to the residents at the site.

MEDINA – Martin MacKenzie has worked the past four years as the administrator of the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina, a nursing home with 160 beds on Bates Road. The nursing home, formerly known as Orchard Manor, is owned by Personal Healthcare LLC.

“Personal has moved Heaven and Earth to keep us supplied with PPE,” MacKenzie said.

He previously worked as an administrator of the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, and also and nursing homes in Rochester, Williamsville and Warsaw.

MacKenzie started his career as a CNA and then a registered nurse before going into administration 10 years ago. He has been wearing nursing scrubs to work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The following interview was conducted outside the nursing home last Wednesday, May 20. At that point, Orchard had three confirmed cases of Covid-19. After all the residents and staff were tested for Covid-19, the number of confirmed cases is now 31 with six deaths from the coronavirus.

MacKenzie said the staff, including the housekeeping department, has worked hard to tried to contain the virus.

Question: Before getting into administration, how long we you working as a nurse?

Answer: I’ve been a registered nurse since ’94. I was a CNA prior to that.

Martin MacKenzie said Orchard will be transparent with residents, their families and the community about Covid-19 cases at the nursing home.

Question: Is that an unusual trajectory to become a nursing home administrator, starting as a CNA?

Answer: I couldn’t even tell you. There are a few nursing home administrators who did start out as nurses. There are some who are social workers who are finishing up their master’s degrees and then take the state test for administrator.

Nursing has always been my passion.

Question: Is this your normal work attire, or is it just in the past two months?

Answer: No, this is a suit job, but when Covid came the staff was scared. Being a nurse, I’ve always tried to be hands-on with the patients.

Two things happened. For one, as a nurse, I understand infection control pretty well. So your clothing gets dirty. If I’m wearing a suit, with all the dry cleaners shut down, it just wasn’t feasible.

I told the staff and I meant this: I knew we were going to have some Covid patients, even before the directive came out that you had to. In my mind that’s what you do. That’s why we’re here.

So we set the building up where we quarantined one of our units. Anything beyond that point we considered contaminated.

A crew was set up with infection control. We were fortunate we had enough PPE. Orleans County Emergency Management helped us a lot. Our parent company really moved Heaven and Earth to keep us supplied.

Why I am wearing scrubs is I started going over there when we admitted our first Covid patient. Everybody was really scared. I insisted I would be the first one into the room. And since then the staff hasn’t dropped the ball.

Question: The first cases, they didn’t contract it here? You accepted them in?

Answer: We started off taking patients who were from the community. They were recovering from Covid in the hospital. They came in her for rehab services and everything. They were still quarantined on the floor for 14 days.

Question: You had to accept them or you had the option not to?

Answer: There is a lot of hype about that. My personal feeling is I know we would accept them anyways. I believe that is what a nursing home is, it serves the community. The directive came out and there was a lot of hype about this directive. The directive is not new. I’ve been around a long time. When HIV-AIDS came out, you couldn’t discriminate against that. Any disease you can’t discriminate from. That directive has always been there. You are going to take sick people.

Now this virus is a nightmare. Obviously it turned the world upside down. Should they have made nursing homes take them that weren’t ready for them? I’ll let somebody else judge that.

Question: With 160 beds, were you close to capacity when you started to quarantine people with Covid?

Answer: Some of the safety measures were put into place and we shuffled even before the first Western New York case showed up. The outside is where they are going to get this virus, right.

So we took one wing and emptied it out pretty much and moved all of the patients around and emptied out 12 beds. That is where any new admits come in this place and they are there for 14 days until we know they are not sick and then we move them out.

For the rest of the facility the danger I saw was dialysis patients and patients who went out to the doctors. So we moved those patients over to this side too to a separate wing, but on the same unit. Because I wanted to keep as little traffic as possible coming into the long-term side.

Question: So if they go to appointment when they come back they are in the two-week quarantine?

Answer: Yes, even if they go to the hospital for whatever reason.

The flag is lowered Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina out of respect for victims of Covid-19.

Question: How many beds is that total in the wing?

Answer: 40 beds. The rest of the building is 120 beds.

Question: That staff with the 40 beds can only stay on that side?

Answer: Exactly. We set it up pretty good. The staff all come in one door here. They all punch in. They get a mask everyday.

For the staff that works this unit, they don’t come off the unit. Dietary sends the food over. The staff exits out the one door. Once they go into that unit, nobody comes back out (to the long-term care side).

Question: I would think people would be nervous about working in that unit with the Covid patients or people in quarantine.

Answer: They are.

Question: Is that why you put on the scrubs and went in first?

Answer: You can’t sit behind a closed door and give orders to these folks. They are young moms. They are a brave crew. They led me as much as I led them. We didn’t mandate anybody. It was volunteers.

The therapy department – we have quite a therapy department – we also separated that. The main gym and the therapy department is in the center of the building. So we had four or five therapists who volunteered and therapy assistants and we turned the dining room over here into a mini therapy gym. We moved some equipment over there. We’re not using the dinign rooms right now, obviously.

Question: When you accepted Covid patients that didn’t show up publicly in the reports from the local health department? They weren’t considered your cases?

Answer: No. We accepted patients from the hospital who were recovering. We self quarantined them and did all of the steps.

We didn’t have anything we did not expect until a couple days ago when a patient on the long-term side tested positive.

Question: Is there much of a chance that could be a false positive test?

Answer: I personally I believe it could be. You know this whole Covid thing came on so quick. These tests are manufactured rapidly. Labs are overwhelmed. Could they be false, yes, but you still need to react to them.

Martin MacKenzie is pictured with Mary Luckman, the director of nursing who has overseen testing the staff.

Question: If you get a positive in the long-term care side, they would be shifted over to the Covid wing?

Answer: Yes. Anybody who spikes a fever, who is symptomatic we send them over to that side.

Question: And now you have to do the twice a week testing?

Answer: Yes, until they are cleared. We just started this. Some of the new mandations from Albany came out.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (May 12 and May 13) we swabbed every resident in the building. Most of the results (a week later) are still pending.

Question: Is that 150-160 residents?

Answer: The census is 142 today. So every resident was swabbed. Staff testing, we’re starting today (May 20) and that mandate is twice a week. So we’ll do it today and I think the director of nursing wants to do it every Monday and Thrusday.

Question: Do you administer it yourself or does somebody come in?

Answer: It can be done both ways. I’ve heard of faciltiies where the state has showed up and helped them. We’re prepared ourselves. Our director of nursing, Mary Luckman, she is educated and took an online course and she and some of the supervisors are ready to start swabbing.

Question: So you get all the samples and they send them out to a lab?

Answer: Yeah.

Question: People do say Covid is just the flu. Can you talk about how you view it as a nursing home administrator?

Answer: Nursing homes took the most frail with comorbidities. They are very challenging. Flu season is always a nightmare in a nursing home. And actually some of the steps we set up here are from many, many years ago when I was in a nursing home as a nurse and we had a bad flu outbreak. One of the things we did here we separated dietary completely. I learned that from the flu outbreak and that was I think back in 2000.

Question: Were the nursing homes somewhat prepared because of past experiences with the flu?

Answer: I think we were, but this virus is different from anything we’ve ever seen. Orchard has been fortunate but I’m not a fool. I know we will start getting some more positive cases because it’s everywhere. We have two very attentive docs on top of it, and the staff has been absolutely incredible. So I’m very, very fortunate.

Comparing it to the flu, no, this thing is very, very aggressive. We communicate every day with other nursing homes and some of the homes that have had it really bad, it literally spreads like wildlife down a hall.

We have the PPE and the staff is very well trained and shows up. I love the staff. And another thing, Orchard is very fortunate to have one hell of a housekeeping staff. They are literally keeping us alive. I wish I could show you the building, Tom. It’s never been so clean.

‘To the family member who has a mom in here, the CNAs are the most important person. If anybody deserves credit it is the frontline staff, the aides, the nurses, the housekeepers that show up everyday.’

Question: When there is an outbreak in a nursing home, I think people assume it may not have been clean or the owners were cheap. But you are seeing top-rated 5-star facilities with outbreaks.

Answer: I can tell you wholeheartedly there isn’t one nursing facility in the whole country that invited this bear into its walls. Most of the staff in nursing homes are young. They are young moms with young families. They come in every day scared. Some of the things we shuffled around here, some of the staff change their clothing before they go home.

Question: I’ve tried to imagine how hard it would be at a nursing home where there are many deaths, and how hard it would be on the staff, especially the 20-year-olds. It would seem like you’re being sent to war. It must be traumatic.

Answer: Very much so. That’s a good word. It is not only here because you’re on your toes when you go to a local grocery store. But also the residents. These poor folks haven’t seen their families, shy of a window visit, in two months. Now for the last six weeks, with the masks, they haven’t even seen the staff smile at them. I’ve never seen anything like this. I go back to when AIDS first came out, and when MRSA first came out. I have never seen anything like it. And I know a lot of my staff have complimented me. But I will tell you honestly if it wasn’t for the staff here I would have cracked about a month ago.

The CNAs are always underrated. The administrator of the nursing home, I’m the most important. Well, that’s a façade. To the family member who has a mom in here, the CNAs are the most important person. If anybody deserves credit it is the frontline staff, the aides, the nurses, the housekeepers that show up everyday.

‘The residents of the facility have been so strong through this. They tell the crew everyday that it is going to be OK. We’re going to get through this.’

Question: How did you get drawn to this field? Why are you passionate about it?

Answer: It was strange. I grew in Niagara Falls in the ’70s. All I was going to do was work in a factory. I’m a big guy. But then all the factories closed. I’m actually a high school drop out.

When I was about 25, I realized the world was moving on. So I go to sign up for college. I was never the sharpest tack in the box. So I’m going to take an EKG course with heart monitors. But I had to get a GED first. So anyways I get into college and I do well, which kind of shocked everybody who knows me. They gave me a scholarship for a year free in nursing. They needed male nurses. It was in the very early ’90s, late ’80s. So I got into that and I did well.

The thing that kept me was personality, not that I have a good one or a bad one. I enjoy meeting and talking to the people that have worked under me.

Question: Was there something about nursing homes that appealed to you, rather than a hospital scene?

Answer: I worked in Erie County for a few years at ECMC. I worked at Erie County Home actually but we moonlighted at ECMC too. There was excitement at the hospital, but I think a lot is lost with the elderly. They have so much wisdom. The residents of the facility have been so strong through this. They tell the crew everyday that it is going to be OK. We’re going to get through this. They are very interesting to talk to.

When I graduated as an RN there was a girl I went to school with who worked at Oddfellows in Lockport. She said to come work here but I told her I didn’t want to work at a nursing home.

I started working there and never left long-term care. I like getting to know the people I work with.

Return to top

Q&A with Chris Bourke: Sheriff candidate says he has helped transform department since the early days of his career

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2019 at 5:47 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers: Chris Bourke, undersheriff of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, waves during the Albion Strawberry Festival parade on June 8. He is joined by Chief Deputy Michael Mele, who will serve as undersheriff if Bourke is elected as sheriff.

Chris Bourke, a Carlton resident, has been the undersheriff for the past three-plus years. He has worked with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office for 35 years, starting his career as a correction officer and then was a deputy sheriff before working 18 years as a lieutenant. He was supervisor of the Marine Patrol, and also was a K9 officer for 20 years.

Bourke, 57, says he has built up numerous contacts in law enforcement among other agencies in the region that help the county, often bringing in a helicopter or bloodhound for a search or other resources for assistance.

Bourke is married to Suzanne. His daughter Maria, 24, is disabled and attends a day program through the Arc of Genesee Orleans.

Bourke is in Tuesday’s Republican primary for sheriff against Brett Sobieraski. Bourke also has secured the Conservative and Independence party lines.

Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers interviewed Bourke on June 14 at Hoag Library.

Question: How did you get interested in law enforcement and why have you stuck with it?

Bourke: It’s always been a passion of mine. I was always fascinated by police officers. I wasn’t one of those kids who got into a lot of trouble. I always thought, “Why would you do that because that is wrong.” I wasn’t a perfect kid, nobody is.

I was fascinated by law enforcement. I actually started out in the construction world and I was working under an electrician as an electrician’s helper, and eventually I was going to be an electrician. I loved the building and the construction world, and I still do. But I still had this burning desire to work in law enforcement.

So I was hired in 1984 by Dave Green (sheriff at the time) as a part-time corrections officer in the Orleans County Jail for $5.30 an hour. I thought well I’ll get my foot in the door, and I just loved it, and eventually became a full-time corrections officer and for a short period of time attained the rank of corporal. Then there was the opportunity to move to the criminal division as a deputy sheriff, so on Jan. 1, 1986, I was appointed a deputy sheriff. That was like a lifetime dream for me came true.

So then I had the privilege of attending Niagara County Community College at Niagara’s Law Enforcement Academy for four months and for me it was a dream come true.

So I’ve loved the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and I always have, and I still do. I always fight for the deputy sheriff that I think sometimes gets the short end of the deal. In the old days they weren’t considered as good as police officers. They were called political policemen and all these things. So eventually Civil Service came into the Sheriff’s Offices across New York State. You had to pass the test to be a deputy sheriff.

Provided photo: Chris Bourke, shown with K9 Cim, was a K9 officer for 20 years with the Sheriff’s Office.

Question: So how did that work back then?

Bourke: It wasn’t a Civil Service position and you were hired by the sheriff. The requirements were the same. The Bureau of Municipal Police would set the standards for the academy. So a deputy sheriff still had to be a certified police officer.

So you didn’t get away with it just because you were a friend of somebody and got the job. You still had to meet the requirements that every other police officer in New York State had to meet. You had to pass the Police Academy, and it was difficult. It’s a tough thing to get through the academy and anybody who has done that I have respect for.

Question: When you started as a deputy were you on nights? Is that generally how it starts?

Bourke: What is unique to the Sheriff’s Office at that time is there really weren’t any public safety dispatchers. There were only a couple. Deputy sheriffs would dispatch and work the road.

I spent a lot of time in what is now called the 911 center, pre-911.

Question: Wasn’t it in the jail back then? (Now at Public Safety Building)

Bourke: It was located in the jail in a narrow long room in the back. The civil office was up front. Everything was contained in the jail building. So those earlier days you’re obviously not going to be on days. I was in the evenings and did 7 ½ years of afternoons, which was a great learning experience because in the beginning I would be dispatching, some days riding with another person, and the other days until I completed the academy it was what you call field training in today’s world.

So I thought the time I spent in that dispatch center was excellent training as well. You got to learn the other side of it. When deputies were being phased out of there, that was around the time that 911 was just started to be phased in.

We used to have a bank of phones with a whole bunch of different phone numbers. Every fire company had their own phone number, and it was more less mechanical buttons that you had to do the fire tones and be timed to do the next tones. Now, it’s push one button and then the Zetron will cycle through the tones.

It was different back then but it was a great experience for me because it allowed me to learn another phase, another division of the Sheriff’s Office.

Question: When you think about, the Sheriff’s Office has come a long way since then. I remember when the office was in the little house across from the jail.

Bourke: It was so tiny. (The Sheriff’s Office moved to the Public Safety Building, a former furniture store, about 20 years ago.)

Question: It seemed very substandard before the move to the Public Safety Building. I remember when Dick Metz was the undersheriff and people had to walk through his office to use the bathroom.

Bourke: Yes. And we had a manual typewriter in the dispatch. You’ll hear a police officer or deputy say, “Punch me a card.” They still use that old terminology but today of course it’s done with a computer. But in those days you physically punched a 3-by-5 card with a time stamp machine. You put it in the manual typewriter and you assigned it a number, and you typed the complaint on a 3-by-5 card.

Now we’re clicking on a computer and creating a digital card or complaint number with everything time stamped. It’s so different than when we started.

Question: Is that the dispatchers doing that?

Bourke: Yes.

Chris Bourke greets residents on Thursday during the Kendall Fireman’s Carnival Parade.

Question: I wonder about having the laptops in the patrol cars and how that is better?

Bourke: The deputies in the car or a police officer in this county can actually create their own complaint card from the car so it can happen either way right now with our CAD system (Computer Aided Dispatch).

It’s a nice system, it’s a mapping system. On top of that everything is time stamped and digitally saved. It’s a quicker and better system than a 3-by-5 card with a manual typewriter.

Question: Are deputies and police officers out in the field more often with the new system, rather than inside typing the reports?

Bourke: Yes, there are still things you need to come into the office to do. But every car has a computer with several systems running on the computer. So it’s basically the deputy has his office right in the car. There’s also a printer in the car. There’s a digital reader for licenses and registrations. So there’s no more hand-writing tickets or hand-writing accident reports.

Actually, SJS the police report is all done on the computer now. The only thing that is still hand written is the domestic incident reports. I would assume that will be changing soon to a digital format. It is a completely different world from when I started.

I have respect for what we have now, but I have appreciation for how we did our work back then as well. You had to come in at the end of your shift and go on to a manual typewriter out back and type your reports. It was a big deal when we had an electric typewriter at one point in time. It was like whoa, we’re really moving forward here.

Question: People might wonder where the technology is going. The body cams are becoming more common. I don’t think the Sheriff’s Office has gone to that yet, while many other local agencies have.

Bourke: We have not gone to that at this point in time. Cost is one of the issues. They are expensive. And it’s not just the body camera. It’s the storage of the data, complete policy has to be put in place. How is that data transferred to the office? How long do you save it? What do you release if somebody requests information?

So I think we’ll probably be there at some point in time.

I do reject the notion that unless it’s on video the police officer is not telling the truth. I think we’ve kind of gone in that direction. I think most of the time, probably 99 percent of the time, it will show the police officer acted properly and did the right thing. But some folks think it’s not on video so the police officer is lying. I reject that argument.

Our cars, as far as technology, I would put our patrol cars up against anybody, anywhere. The features that we have on those Chevy Tahoes and the technology in those cars is second to none.

Those G-Tack mobile data terminals – Las Vegas just bought 600 of them – they are cutting edge in mobile technology.

‘We make it work. Our people – the staff in the jail, the dispatch, the deputies on the road, and the office staff – they are unbelievable. They make it work. They should get all the credit.’

Question: Is that all in the last few years?

Bourke: We’ve had mobile data terminals for many years. But these G-Tacks are the latest and greatest. They have the swipe for the license right in the computer. You’re able to hit buttons and log onto the scene instantly.

Like I said, connectivity is a constant issue we have to maintain, connecting through a virtual private network. We have all of these cars out there and they have to connect to our system. We are in constant communication with computer services over an issue with this car or that car. Sometimes things happen with connectivity and we have an issue from time to time.

Our cars are equipped with AR-15 Bushmaster rifles. That is a change from many years ago when you had a shotgun in the trunk or maybe mounted up front. In today’s policing, police can be outgunned by some of these crazy weapons that are out there very easily.

The standard now is to have an automatic weapon available to the officers. It used to be that was kind of a SWAT team weapon, but they’re standard in all of our cars. We were able to obtain some grant money.

The theory and the plan for that is as we know every day or every week we see some incident across the country and those incidents are over with in a very short period of time, so are responding deputy sheriffs and police officers in this county are going to be the first defense in one of those kinds of incidents. We want our people to be as prepared as they can be. We want them to go to threat and take the threat out if we have a shooter in a school or business. With just a handgun you may be outgunned immediately. So most police officers these days have a rifle in the car. Some of our cars have a rifle and a shotgun.

This is big step up from where we were years ago and it’s an important step. For the safety and security of the folks we need to be able to address these threats immediately.

Yes, you’re going to be getting your SWAT team together. But those folks might be coming in from home. The immediate threat is there and we have to be able to deal with it.

Some of the Bourke supporters are shown during Kendall’s parade on Thursday.

Question: What is the total employees with all the departments in the Sheriff’s Office? Isn’t it about 110?

Bourke: Yes. We’re short deputy sheriffs right now. We’ve had some retirements and other issues where people separated from the department and some of that was in litigation. So the county doesn’t fill spots that are held by another individual so there’s actually a delay sometimes in filling spots. My mission is to get us back up to full staff, which is around 24.

Question: Does the 24 include the Kendall and Lyndonville school resource officers?

Bourke: Yes. It includes investigators and the three assigned to the courthouse. So when you take three investigators out of that and three from the courthouse who are assigned, then two at Kendall and Lyndonville schools, you’re left with, in my opinion, relatively small numbers to do the 24-hour patrol duties of the Sheriff’s Office.

Question: Why do we have deputies at the courthouse and not lower-salaried security officers?

Bourke: That is governed by the Unified Court System. If you are going to provide the security services to the court system, they tell you how many and how you’re going to do it.

Mike Mele, the chief deputy, on a daily basis is actually filling the fourth deputy over there many days of the week, but the court system many times will change that on us at the last minute, and tell us I’m sorry that case was cancelled and we only need three today. Now we have a person in on overtime to fill your spot. They dictate that.

Many other counties have switched over to unified court officers. Erie County and some of the other counties started this transition, but when they got to a certain point, they stopped. We have not changed over. We still have deputy sheriffs doing that work. The Office of Court Administration pays the cost. They pay the wages of the deputies at the courthouse.

And as a negotiated agreement with Kendall and Lyndonville, the schools pay the wages of the deputy plus a little overtime for special events and a vehicle.

So that does reduce our number of actual deputy sheriffs. Now any of these deputies could sign up for an overtime shift, because we are running extra shifts.

Question: I thought with the resource officers the county would create two new positions and not take from the current deputies?

Bourke: They did create two positions, but we’re still short.

Question: They were deputies who then shifted to the resource officers.

Chris Bourke speaks during a press conference on May 4, 2018 after a mother and son in Kendall died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bourke: And their (old) spots haven’t been filled. There will eventually be two additionals. We were short to begin with and we took two and put them there (at the schools). We’re still catching up.

Hiring a deputy isn’t a short process. Sometimes we can pick up a lateral transfer from another department. That still requires 14 weeks of field training.

But if you do not pick up a trained officer, then you’re talking about four months of the police academy if they make it through, then 14 weeks of field training. If they make it through the field training OK then you have an officer you can use.

We have some potential lateral transfers that we’re looking at now, but you also have to do a background investigation to make sure you’re not getting somebody else’s problem.

Question: I wonder why you would want to be sheriff being of retirement age when there are a lot of headaches with the job?

Bourke: I love the Sheriff’s Office. I like to get a challenge and say give me something so I can fix it and make it work. I think I’m creative and you have to be in Orleans County. For example our training budget is so small in the grand scheme of things. And I’m not blaming the County Legislature. Everybody goes to the budget hearings wanting their share of the pie and the sheriff does, too.

How many people in this county say, “Yes, I’d love to pay more taxes.” Probably not too many. So you have to be creative with what you have. I think I’m good at that. We find ways to get the funding to get the training. We do it in-service so you’re not bringing people in on overtime. But I like those problems to try to solve and make it work.

We just negotiated a very good agreement with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. Our SWAT team vans basically rusted into the ground. They were secured by the Task Force many years ago as seizure vehicles. They basically rotted away and had to be towed away. So really our SWAT team doesn’t have a good vehicle to move our team.

I have great relationships with all of the surrounding counties and the agencies in the county. I was in a discussion with the sheriff at Niagara County one day at a lunch and he said they were getting a new SWAT van. I said, “What about the old one?” He said, “Do you want it?” They bought a new $170,000 van to transport their people. We bought their old one for $6,500. It’s in excellent condition even though it has some years on it.

We’re in the process of upfitting that right now. Those are the kinds of things I feel I can do for the county and the people, by making connections and making things work because you don’t have the resources, the money and the people to roll 10 cars up at a violent scene.

We’re going to roll 2, 3 and hopefully a couple state troopers and we’re going to handle the situation.

If you see on the news on the TV in some of the big cities, you’ll see 10 or a dozen patrol cars there. We don’t have that luxury. I’ve learned it, I lived it to be creative and make it work here, and we make it work. My goal is always to make it work for the people at the lowest cost we can. Because I, like everybody else, aren’t interested in paying a lot in more taxes. I wish we could have a blank check. You’d have everything you want. You’d have all the people you want. But we make it work. But our people – the staff in the jail, the dispatch, the deputies on the road, and the office staff – they are unbelievable. They make it work. They should get all the credit.

Question: With the Task Force, is that something you would push for to have under your control?

Bourke: I’m not pushing for anything with the Task Force. Sheriff Bower has pushed for that. He has asked a lot of questions, and in the course of asking those questions he has got into an adversarial relationship with the DA and the Task Force.

Mike Mele and myself have continued to work with the Task Force and talk with those guys and tried to make a working relationship. I think the Legislature would confirm that. By constantly asking these questions it’s become a difficult relationship. I think they would tell you, the DA and the guys on the Task Force, that I have tried to work with them to the best of my ability.

Sixty other counties in the state do it (the Task Force) a different way than we do. But I understand how we got to where we are today. Under the Hess administration it was changed over to the DA’s Office for various reasons. The county has funded the Task Force. They funded it again in ’19.

So as long as the county is going to fund the Drug Task Force under the DA’s Office, I’m not going to be in a position to say you’re wrong, and you’re wrong. If they want to run that Drug Task Force through the DA’s Office, number one I don’t have the power to change it. Number two, I don’t have the power to take money away from them nor could I fire them and nor would I fire them. This notion that I would fire people as soon as I got in is ridiculous. It a ridiculous statement. I couldn’t do it if I wanted to and I don’t want to.

So my position would be to get us in the room more often, work together more often, and then if at a different date the DA comes in and decides he doesn’t want to run the Task Force then we may at some point go back to a multi-agency task force like we had years ago with a person assigned from all the various police departments.

Right now it’s funded, it’s there and that’s the way it’s going to be.

Question: You also hear that the county doesn’t train with the other agencies and the Sheriff’s Office isn’t cooperative with the other agencies. Is that true?

Bourke: Some people with their own self-serving agendas make statements like that. We just had our CIT training, the crisis intervention training for mental health, in Medina Fire Department. It was a multi-agency training.

We train every month with at least one training with our SWAT team, which is a multi-agency SWAT team with Albion, Medina, Holley and the Sheriff’s Office. Even including Department of Environmental Conservation officers.

Question: Is Rollie Nenni, the Albion and Holley police chief, the leader of the SWAT team?

Bourke: That is another unique setup. There is a committee that oversees, I guess that’s the word, and they get to elect a commander. At this time Rollie Nenni is the commander. Rollie Nenni lives and breathes SWAT and SWAT training. He is an excellent trainer, he is very knowledgeable. I have no intentions of changing that. Rollie and I speak several times a week usually on various issues. But we do train together. I’m of the opinion we can always do more training together.

We recently had the New York State Sheriff’s Association Institute do a civil process training. In my time here I have never been officially trained in civil process. I’ve had a lot of hand-me-down information and learned a lot over the years.

I invited Medina and Albion to come, not that they serve civil process, but a lot of it had to do with eviction and eviction process. It’s things that they deal with as police officers on a daily basis. Even though we do all the service and handling of that stuff, other police officers do as well. So I always invite them.

I think they would tell you that I would be in favor of any training we could do together. Do we do enough now? I don’t think it is ever enough.

‘I also feel with my experience and my connections that I’ve made over the years, I can pick up the phone and call any surrounding agency from federal, state, and county and local and have whatever we need to get the job done. We work together constantly with the state police. I can pick up the phone and tell one of the commanders I need a bloodhound, I need a helicopter, commercial vehicle enforcement, and it’s there.’

Question: I know from going to many of the accidents and fires over the years that you are often there at the scene. Even from your days as the K9 officer you’ve had a high profile with the Sheriff’s Office and seem drawn to the action.

Bourke: I do love the action. My wife isn’t exactly thrilled with this but I listen to that radio all day, every day. I listen to it up until I go to bed. I have it in my vehicle, even if I’m in my private vehicle I have the portable (radio) because I feel a sense of responsibility to listen and to make sure we get it right, the best we can.

I was out the other night on a search for an individual on Hulberton Road til midnight, from 7 to midnight. We’re small enough from the top person to the newest deputy there isn’t that many spaces. I don’t consider myself above anything. If I need to go walk through a swamp to help, that’s what I’ll do.

So I feel that sense of responsibility that I need to respond to things that are serious. The other reason is we can use the help with the man hours. Mike Mele and myself we respond to most things that are of any serious nature, and we do the best that we can.

I also feel with my experience and my connections that I’ve made over the years, I can pick up the phone and call any surrounding agency from federal, state, and county and local and have whatever we need to get the job done. We work together constantly with the state police.

I can pick up the phone and tell one of the commanders I need a bloodhound, I need a helicopter, commercial vehicle enforcement, and it’s there.

I have through Niagara County’s sheriff and undersheriff, they have said don’t just keep calling me when you need the helicopter, just call the helicopter pilot directly yourself. Usually there is a chain that has to be approved. So now I call Ron Steen, he is their pilot and I’ve known him for 25 years. I call him directly and I say, “Hey, we have a search and we need a helicopter, can you come up and fly?” He says, “yup, we’ll be up in five minutes.”

You build those relationships up over the years and it benefits the people of Orleans County. Are we going to have a helicopter? I don’t think so but I can have one here within a few minutes.

Question: I think of the missing Barre earlier this year. There were a lot of agencies out here.

Bourke: Absolutely. We had the divers from the State Police. We had a helicopter from the State Police. We had Niagara County’s helicopter. We had the State Police drone unit. We had Niagara County’s drone unit. We had the State Police’s bloodhound. We had the forest rangers who are experts at search and rescue.

It’s about pulling all of those people together. I think I’m good at that. We can’t have every resource in Orleans County. We just don’t have the money but we can know how to get them and that’s what I feel I am good at, pulling people together.

Return to top

Q&A with Brett Sobieraski: Sheriff candidate says he can take the Sheriff’s Office to a higher level

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2019 at 5:28 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers: Brett Sobieraski waves to the crowd while walking in the Kendall Carnival Parade on Thursday.

Brett Sobieraski, a Kent resident, is running in the Republican Primary on Tuesday for sheriff against Chris Bourke, the current undersheriff.

Sobieraski, 52, is a sergeant in the Rochester Police Department. He started his career in Lockport and worked there for four years. He grew up in Lockport, where his late father John was a detective. His uncle also worked for the Lockport PD and Sobieraski’s cousin is a police officer for Lockport.

Sobieraski’s son Zachary, a Kendall graduate, is a Rochester police officer and his other son Gabriel works for the Postal Service in Henrietta.

Sobieraski joined the RPD about 26 years ago. He supervises the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and is a team leader on the SWAT Team. Sobieraski also is an instructor at the Monroe County Law Enforcement Academy.

He has lived in Kent the past 27 years.

The following interview with Sobieraski was conducted by Orleans Hub edtor Tom Rivers on June 4 at Hoag Library in Albion.

Question: Why do you like being a police officer?

Sobieraski: My big influence was my father who was a police officer. I always looked up to him. He would take me around to the police department when I was younger and visit the guys. I think that’s when it really got in my blood. I never remember not wanting to be anything other than a police officer my entire life.

At certain times maybe I wanted to go into the FBI or be a homicide detective, but I always wanted to be a police officer for many different reasons. One of them, with my mom and dad, I’ve always had a very strong moral compass. Even when I was younger if I saw people cheating at school or sports, it always upset me because it wasn’t right.

When I became a police officer, it was the greatest job ever. Part of it is the action and the excitement of it. I would never say it’s not. The job I have now, executing search warrants, whether regular narcotics or on the SWAT team, it’s an exciting job. You can see a difference with these drug investigations where people get their neighborhoods back, even if it’s just for a day or two. They get some peace in their neighborhood when we take out these drug houses.

I’m a year away from maximum retirement, not age, but I’ll have 32 years in the system. Initially that was my plan to work until 2020 and then figure out the next part of my life. I still feel like I have so much horsepower to give. I still love to go to work. Ninety percent of the time I go to work and I can’t believe they pay me what they do.

Question: So why not stay in that role, seeing that you like it so much and I know you’re well regarded?

Sobieraski: This was not in my plans, but then I would run into folks at the law enforcement academy from folks that work out here, and not just from inside the Sheriff’s Department but the adjoining village police departments, and the state police. They would relay to me the issues that are out here mostly stem from leadership or the lack thereof, and the way they have been doing business out here forever.

Photo courtesy of Tom Smith: Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary presents an award on May 7 to Brett Sobieraski. He received the Rochester Rotary Club’s Henry H. Jensen Memorial Award, the highest community award presented to a Rochester police officer.

I would get phone calls from people inside the organization. I would get phone calls from citizens. Most of it dealt with, “This is Orleans County and this is the way we’ve always done it.”

I’ve talked with police officers who have come out here and worked at other jurisdictions. They get here and they ask, “Where are the General Orders?” The General Orders in any department govern how you do business in the day in and day out, whether it’s property or vehicle stops, or arrest procedures or juvenile procedures. They come up to this office and they ask where the General Orders are and they say, “We don’t have them. We don’t know where they are at.”

You just learn from other folks, which is malfeasance at the best. Just the philosophy that there’s not much expectations from the leadership out here. I’ve said it’s not a deputy problem, it’s a leadership problem.

The policemen out here want to do the right thing. The folks who work in the jail, the dispatchers want to do the right thing, but when there is no expectation of doing the right thing or being great, then you just kind of do what you want to do.

What I want to do is stop the A Team and B Team out here and make it one team.

Question: With the current leadership, I think some people would say they see successes, from getting deputies in the schools at Kendall and Lyndonville, grants for canal patrols, animal shelter improvements, and other projects. Do you think that’s the perception in the community, that there is a leadership problem?

Sobieraski: I don’t know if it’s the perception. If you don’t use the system you may not know how broke it is. Part of it is a law enforcement agency, with true law enforcement. If you look at the Pennysaver with their monthly stats, where are the law enforcement stats? Where are the number of DWIs?

Their STOP-DWI funding dropped by 29 percent from 2018 to 2019. Where are the stats? When you don’t have the stats, you don’t put them out. We have the most unsafe roads in the entire state because of serious physical injury accidents and fatal accidents and everyone wants to point to the deer. In 2017, not one deer collision caused a fatality or a serious accident. Because there is no traffic enforcement. That is leadership at the top. That’s why we have unsafe roads.

When you talk to your village chiefs, ask how often there is communication between them and the Sheriff’s Office administration. Those bridges have all been burned, partly because of that consolidation study which started very apolitical, and then because of power-mongering and empire build, it turned very political out of the Sheriff’s Office.

What you have is fragmented law enforcement across the board out here.

‘I’ve been a leader for 22 years. I made the mistakes and I learned from them. The worst thing you can bring into a place is an ego because it immediately is going to turn everyone off and then no one wants to work with that person.’

If you really dove down deep into what the Sheriff’s Office is now, with the injection of all the politics in this last campaign cycle, where again the undersheriff, a road sergeant, a road investigator, all of sudden get put on committees, and committees where they don’t even live in the jurisdiction, just to secure a nomination for the incumbent sheriff. The proposed undersheriff is now the vice chairman (for the Orleans County Republican Party). All of this gets ejected into there and it causes that place to be dysfunctional.

You had a true politician enter in as the sheriff and then with that came all the politics that followed. As opposed to having a real law enforcement leader with a law enforcement leadership background.

Question: With the Task Force, you do hear rumblings that it should be under the Sheriff’s Office, rather than being run out of the District Attorney’s Office. Would you push to have the Task Force be run through the Sheriff’s Office?

Sobieraski: It was initially under the Sheriff’s Department, and then sometimes in the early 2000s, it basically went defunct. There were issues with the municipalities. That was when Albion, Medina and Holley all gave a person.

The Sheriff’s Office had big control of it. And then it just went under. As to why, there are many different reasons. And then when it went under, Joe Cardone, the DA, resurrected it, and put it under his office. If he didn’t do that it wouldn’t exist out here. When you think about it, not having a Drug Task Force in the middle of the largest public health crisis we’ll see with the opiate epidemic, it would be disastrous.

He ended up rebuilding it. It’s definitely a bone of contention. Folks don’t feel it should be in the District Attorney’s office. But when it really comes down to it the funding is approved by the County Legislature. They ultimately decide where it lies and right now it lies in the District Attorney’s Office.

So what I tell people is the current sheriff has been trying to wrestle control of that over the last 3 ½ years and has been unable to do so. What that has resulted in is politics in front of people’s lives, which I’ll never do.

Provided photo: Brett Sobieraski runs the final stretch of a 50-hour journey on July 15, 2018, carrying a torch for the Special Olympics. He started in Buffalo on July 11 and would run more than 6 1/2 consecutive marathons in six different counties. He finished the challenge at the State Police Trooper Barracks in Elbridge, a town in Onondaga County, west of Syracuse. He has completing several endurance challenges to raise money for the Special Olympics, veterans and police officers.

So the current administration, they don’t work with the Drug Task Force. They don’t have a person assigned to the Drug Task Force. There is no flow of information.

I want to work with them. In the end if the Legislature sees my style of leadership – and I’ve run a Drug Task Force for almost 20 years – and then want to have some hybrid and go back to some kind of council overseeing it, and if they want to put it in the Sheriff’s Office, that’s fine. But what I’m never going to do is try to wrestle that away, because let’s face it the incumbent sheriff has tried for 3 ½ years and he couldn’t do it, and he’s as political as they get.

My plan is to be apolitical. I want to work with the Legislature. But in the middle of an opioid epidemic, I’m not going to play politics and not work with those folks. It’s almost criminal to not work with them with the amount of fatal and non-fatal overdoses we’re having in this county.

Question: People wonder who you would make your undersheriff. Can you talk about that?

Sobieraski: Absolutely, I get questions about who it is. My whole plan is once I win I want to interview internal candidates first. The reason I can’t interview internal candidates now is it would risk, minimally, their careers and jobs, should I not win.

If I go in and start interviewing people what would happen if someone jumped in on my ticket and I lost? They would be blackballed forever.

I’m going to wait until I win. I’m going to interview internal candidates and I’m going to interview external candidates. I’m going to pick the person, the guy or gal whose beliefs most line up with mine and who is brave enough to tell me when I’m wrong.

The only thing I will guarantee is it will be a person from Orleans County. There is a rumor out there that I’m going to bring a city guy in as the undersheriff. That is completely false.

Question: Has being on the campaign trail made you want to be sheriff even more?

Sobieraski: It has. I don’t like the politics part of it. I’ve seen a very dysfunctional side, I’ve seen a very nasty side so far, with innuendos, lies and stuff not based in facts put on social media against me.

But what I’ve done is meet so many great people. You kind of go in, thinking you know what folks want and what their needs are and what are their expectations.

Then you talk to folks and you’re like oh my gosh that’s not it. That’s what’s really been informative, meeting all of these people. I’ve been to over a hundred different events, taking to folks. I like me less talking and me more listening to what they expect from their Sheriff’s Office and how they want their community to be.

They all talk about safety. They all talk about sense of community and how this county is so great. That’s why I stay here when I could have moved to six other counties.

When someone is ill or in need, this community rallies like no other community I’ve seen, and it’s great. But I think with most people what we talk about is guarding what we have now. It’s the broken window theory, so we don’t become like other maybe urban areas that end up with decay. It could happen out here. And to think it couldn’t we’re not facing reality.

We have to work hard. If we work hard in law enforcement and we all become unified, which is my goal, then we could definitely maintain and make our county safer than it ever has.

So meeting folks is the greatest part. I love talking to folks and meeting them, and hearing their concerns.

Question: What are some of the concerns people share with you?

Sobieraski: One of them is animal control. We all know pets are like family, especially out here. I feel like everyone has a dog. That is one that came up that wasn’t on my radar. I started talking to folks and they said they would call about a stray dog and no one would come out until the morning. They said to either tie it up, bring it into your house or let it go. This kept coming up.

I heard someone say there was a dangerous dog outside by their house and their kid couldn’t go to school in the morning because they (animal control) weren’t going to come until business hours.

This has to change. The way I see it is if you find a stray, and it’s a friendly stray that shows up outside your door, then you call a deputy. If I can put a bad guy in the back of a car I bet I can put a friendly dog inside a car and take it to a shelter so it can be reunited.

If it’s a dangerous dog, who wants a dangerous dog roaming around? So we’re going to call our animal control people. That is one that really broadsided me.

It was a result of the consolidation study. It was all consolidated under the Sheriff’s Office. Back when it was under the villages, they had their own people. It was 24-7, you called them and they came.

You would think animal control isn’t on the radar, well it is if it’s your dog.

Some of Sobieraski’s supporters joined him in the Kendall parade on Thursday.

Question: So you’re saying the deputies could pick up a dog in some cases. If it’s a friendly dog they could just bring it to the shelter?

Sobieraski: They don’t because they’ve never done it before. You can’t be above that. You can’t be above helping a dog.

You have to look at things in a different lens and I think that is the biggest problem out here is the lens looking over the Sheriff’s Department is probably been the same for many, many years with very little outside influence. That department has become stale. It is not a 2019 department.

I don’t want to turn it into RPD. But what I want to do is take all the good things that I’ve learned there and all the leadership that I’ve acquired there between there, and the police academy and the SWAT team and bring it out here.

One of the examples that I talk about is I’m not going to go in there and turn everything upside down. You can’t make meaningful change by coming in like a whirlwind or a tornado. It’s going to be small, incremental changes. I’m going to keep the stuff that works.

We’re going to expand upon or do better programming. An example I talk about is awards. There is a process in the Sheriff’s Department to demote people, to fire people, to suspend people, to reprimand people. But they don’t have a policy for great behavior. That is unheard of. You can’t have one without the other. And in order to implement that first of all you have to care.

The second thing you have to do is know, to have some kind of knowledge of one. So out here, no awards. That’s going to be one of my first things because it’s low-hanging fruit, it’s easy to do.

Let’s craft a policy on different types of awards you could get, for everyone, whether you’re a road deputy, in corrections, you’re in dispatch, animal control, civilian. You make this criteria and then people, usually supervisors, but your peers can put you in. And then I’m not going to decide because I may be biased.

So you make a committee up and take someone out of corrections, someone from road patrol, take a civilian staff, take a dispatcher. Make a committee and they review the nominations.

I want to add that anything I propose in this county will not raises taxes or cost more money.

So for $2 I’m going to get these award bars like they do in the military. You see people in the military with all their bars on their chest. Those are awards and they can proudly wear it.

You have to recognize great behavior. It’s your duty as a leader to recognize it. Not to have it again is because it’s been looked at under the same lens and some of it is initiative based. It’s going to take a little bit of work to do it and you have to care to do it.

Question: And it might be fun.

Sobieraski: On my gosh, we just had it (at the RPD) and my son (Zachary), I’m so proud, he got a life-saving award. A young man got shot and Zachary had to put direct pressure on it because he couldn’t get a tourniquet on it because it was too high in the groin.

The young man got to the hospital, and modern medicine is awesome because he had almost no blood left in him, but they saved him. What a proud moment to see your son, your family member, up on the stage getting an award.

You give out these awards as they come and then once a year, you call Medina, Albion, the State Police and say we need you to cover for four hours because we’re all going to get together as a family and have an awards ceremony, and bring your families.

Question: It might be good to have the Orleans County law enforcement banquet and invite all the agencies, including Albion, Holley, Medina, State Police and the DEC.

Brett Sobieraski

Sobieraski: How great would that be where we could recognize great behavior because it is going on out there and unfortunately it is going unrecognized.

Just the unity in local law enforcement out here, to include all of those entities and to meet once a month. I call it the law enforcement council. We’d around a table and talk about the issues that face us all because the issues are the same in Medina, Albion, Holley, Carlton, Barre, it’s all the same and we’ll get on the same page. We’ll understand them and attack them together.

The important part is we’ll train together and have a unified response. What that will do, besides better public safety, is save money.

When you think about it, the Sheriff’s Department right now no longer trains with the other agencies. So when they train, they need trainers. When you go to range and shoot, you need trainers. You end up taking your trainers off the road and that creates overtime because you have to backfill those spots.

What about if you all start training together and the Sheriff’s Department gives a person, and Medina gives a person, Albion gives a person and no one takes a big hit.

So it’s almost like consolidation. Nobody empties out their rank and file for a training day. Everyone gives a little and no one hurts a lot, and we all come together. That’s how you breed cohesiveness among the other agencies is sweat and toil together, shoulder to shoulder so when it really happens you’re shoulder to shoulder and respond in the same way.

Question: It seems like with the current sheriff some of the other law enforcement leaders haven’t really accepted him since day one?

Sobieraski: When you become a new boss there are certain learning curves. Part of being a new boss is you tend to be egotistical at times, you tend to think you’re rank is maybe too important. You can come in way too hard and way too high that you’re in charge of everyone else. That was part of it.

He would recruit officers from other villages. What you don’t do is fish in your pond. So some chiefs took exception to that. “Why are you recruiting my officers? I worked hard to get these folks here.” So go recruit somewhere else. So that was part of it and I think it was a lack of willingness to work together and to check ego at the door and realize that you are peers with the other chiefs. You’re not better than them just because you command 110 people and they command 15. You’re no more of a person, you’re no more of a leader than they are. I think that is really where the divide came over leadership style.

I got that all out of my system. I’ve been a leader for 22 years. I made the mistakes and I learned from them. The worst thing you can bring into a place is an ego because it immediately is going to turn everyone off and then no one wants to work with that person.

‘You have to look at things in a different lens and I think that is the biggest problem out here is the lens looking over the Sheriff’s Department is probably been the same for many, many years with very little outside influence. That department has become stale. It is not a 2019 department.’

Question: I know you’re involved in many community efforts, with the Special Olympics and the Luther Doyle recovery group. Do you have anticipate being involved in community causes here outside of the Sheriff’s Office?

Sobieraski: I will have a bully pulpit to advocate for causes that I find near and dear to my heart that the community will – for recovery, for GCASA, for Orleans – Recovery Hope Begins Here, for United Way.

RPD, we give a lot of money to the United Way because of the way they structure their campaigns towards law enforcement. I want to bring that here to our United Way. We’re going to raise a lot of money for United Way which goes to great causes. The money stays in Orleans.

I see it as a big bully pulpit to make meaningful social changes also. I’ve been doing it now for the last eight years. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to get behind the causes that are important in this community and I’m going to stay behind them. The benefit will not just be awareness it will be fundraising.

When we talk about awareness with this opiate epidemic, the more you talk about it, the more stigma gets erased and the less it becomes us versus them, or they deserve what they get, especially with opioids and the way people get addicted.

You got to have meaningful dialogue and I love going to Hope Recovery Begins and you hear the stories and the success stories of folks who are in active recovery and that it can happen. To think we are going to arrest our way out of this is ridiculous.

To just think you’re going to throw people in jail at $70 to $80 a day that we’re paying, and look at the associated crime. The people breaking in your houses and cars are drug addicts fueling their addiction.

Getting behind that cause would be priority number one, getting behind GCASA. I have an 18-year background in recovery (on the board of Luther Doyle). That is a huge part of pushing back this opioid epidemic.

I’m excited. There’s a lot I could do out here.

Question: Anything else you want to say?

Sobieraski: I’ve lived over half of my life here, for 27 years. I’m 52 years old. I understand the culture of Orleans County. I love the culture of Orleans County. That’s why I stay here. I have a vested interest in making Orleans County remain as safe as it can or safer than it’s ever been.

I’m sure over half the citizens of Orleans County drive somewhere else to go to work. It doesn’t make them any less citizens when they drove to Kodak or when they drove to Delco, and then came back here.

To say I don’t understand the culture out here, or I don’t understand rural or suburban police work is ridiculous, it really is.

Return to top

Hospital CEO says affiliation among keys for Medina Memorial

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mark Cye, the interim chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health, is pictured by Medina Memorial Hospital, which is part of the Orleans Community Health.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2018 at 1:44 pm

MEDINA – Mark Cye, the interim president and CEO of Orleans Community Health, said healthcare organizations are struggling with reimbursements that don’t cover the cost of care. It’s particularly difficult for small, rural hospitals that serve populations with a high percentage on Medicaid. The Medicaid rates are “awful,” Cye said.

He started as the hospital leader on Jan. 1 and also has been Orleans Community Health’s chief financial officer the past three years. He has worked the past 20 years in the healthcare field.

The following interview was conducted recently by Tom Rivers as Cye’s office at the hospital on Ohio Street.

Question: I wonder how you got interested in the healthcare field?

Answer: When I think about it, it was maybe by mistake. I actually started off in dietary at the Lockport hospital and I worked there for five years. At that point I was going for my accounting degree and a position opened up in patient accountings so I transitioned up there to see what that was like. As I was going through there I got my bachelor’s degree in accounting.

The day I was actually going to resign, because I had accepted another job as an accountant, I had to have my appendix removed that morning. When I went into work that morning at the hospital, the controller asked me about taking the accounting position at the hospital.

I took that and it was healthcare, healthcare, healthcare all the time. I was three years in that job at Lockport hospital. Then what happened is the controller had transitioned out to the Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired. He called me and asked me to follow him. He was there three years and then he asked me to follow him to BryLin Hospital (on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo). I was there for three years.

I actually worked here as the controller from 2006 to 2008 and then went back to BryLin for seven years, and came back here. I’ve been in healthcare for about 20 years.

Question: Has the number-crunching got more stressful?

Answer: Oh yeah. With healthcare, the days of having dollars there are gone. Now it’s being more creative with how we’re doing things. In healthcare there is always downsizing to really get it to providing the same care but more efficiently. The days of Medicare and the states giving money have gone by the wayside. That’s the more stressful part.

Question: It seems like there is only so much you can cut.

Answer: That’s why in these days if you don’t affiliate with someone, those places don’t make it. With an affiliation you get synergies of service. Maybe you could have a CEO run this hospital and manage that hospital. With the upper level management you have cost reduction and it’s spread out.

Question: Is Medina affiliated with anyone right now?

Answer: Not yet. We’re in the process. It’s pretty close. We’re under a confidentiality agreement until it’s written. We were affiliated at one point with Catholic Health, which to us didn’t provide us a lot of subsistence, so we ended that about six to nine months ago.

Question: They seemed to be at events.

Mark Cye is pictured with a wall that recognizes some of the hospital’s bigger donors.

Answer: Yes, they would present but what we need from an affiliate is as a small, rural hospital we don’t have the ability to attract doctors here and bring other services. Without that, those services go elsewhere, they go 25 miles to the east or 25 miles to the west at another healthcare facility.

We need to attract those doctors here. That was what they were supposed to do but it didn’t pan out.

A good example is in our state it took us 18 months to attract a primary care doc at Albion. Other hospitals have 10 of them sitting there. That’s your main piece in an affiliate. That’s what we’re looking for in an affiliate is how can we keep people in this community getting service in this community.

We don’t want your elders having to drive a half hour to get a procedure when it can be offered here.

Question: It seems like a crisis for rural healthcare.

Answer: Yes. Knock on wood, luckily of all critical access hospitals, New York State is the only one that hasn’t had one close yet, but there have been up to 100 critical access hospitals that have closed in the last couple of years. That’s where the collaboration with other larger affiliates will come into play.

Question: It seems the other nearby hospitals have been aggressive in Orleans County of late. The Batavia hospital just added a family doctor in Medina.

Answer: With most critical access hospitals, they are up on their own. In Watertown, there is no one around for an hour. For us, we’re in a special area where we have big systems sitting on both sides of us. That’s why at some point we have to get stronger with one of them to make it work.

Question: I think you can say that with the local hospital and many local institutions the local people tend to be critical. That must be tough for the Medina hospital because there is some criticism.

Answer: It’s a battle. For us we always try to promote the positives. But you get that one negative comment out there and it blows a lot of the good you’re doing. We could be opening up a new ED today but someone could say the care stunk when I went there, and that’s what people focus on. Which is sad because at the end of the day, and this is what I try to stress to everyone here, is we’re all marketable as employees. Could I go somewhere else? Probably. Could the nurses go somewhere else? Probably. But at the end of the day that would affect the 20,000 people in this community who need the service. It could be your family member who needs that ambulance, who is having a heart attack or stroke and isn’t going to make it if they have to go 25 miles this way or that way.

Question: Is the care really as bad as some people make it out to be?

Answer: Some people come to the ED because they need a medication, they want their drug. We’re going to turn you away.

Some people come here and they don’t want to wait 10 minutes. To them 10 minutes is terrible, but to a normal person they would go there all day long.

Question: Isn’t there a standard of response? I tend to think a smaller hospital would be much faster than a bigger one. You could probably sit there for many hours in Rochester.

Answer: Right. What you always push in these type of settings is a quick turnaround. That is how you keep and attract patients to your area. Here the goal is hour and half from the time you get through the door until you get out.

There are reports that come through about quality, where patients do the questionnaire where they are asked, “Would you recommend the hospital or would you not?” You get some people who will rate your quality a 2, but then two questions later they give you a 9 for, “Would you recommend this place?” So that is of course what the data feeds into and it gets published that you’re a one-star facility, yet 90 percent of the time they would recommend you. You look at some of the metrics and does it even make sense?

They come in and we’re changing your meds, we’re changing your food pattern on you, and to them it’s terrible.

For us it even makes it worse because we’re a low volume. If we have four discharges that month and this is one of them, we look bad. A lot of things end of skewed for the smaller hospitals.

Question: Why did you want to come back to Medina? It seems like it would be easier in the city at a bigger facility.

Answer: Healthcare is healthcare. It’s one of things where I went back to BryLin, they were in bankruptcy when I was there. With my previous boss we went back to BryLin to fix it, to get it out of bankruptcy. They got out of bankruptcy. Then this opened up. I decided to come back here because there was a whole new leadership team. I knew they were struggling.

I want to make a place work. I can’t fix it on my own, obviously, but here there is a challenge.

I like a challenge. I’ve never been the type who just liked to sit in the office and say, “Here’s your financial statement.” I want to broaden and learn.

Anne Outwein, a volunteer with the Twig organization, greets people at the hospital lobby, which is being upgraded.

Question: You’ve been the CFO here for how long?

Answer: Two years. I can in as controller on March 2015, and officially CFO in January 2016.

Question: Are you doing the two jobs, the CFO and the CEO?

Answer: Yes. Again as you look at the hospital and the ways its volumes are changing, our volumes are down dramatically. We’re trying to ramp that up and fix it.

What does a 25-bed or a 10-bed hospital really need to run? If you don’t change with those times, what’s going to happen?

Question: When you say they’re down dramatically, is that compared to five or 10 years ago?

Answer: Two years ago. Is part of it a change from going to an acute hospital to a critical access hospital? People may think we’re a critical access hospital so we can’t handle certain things. That’s one of those things that you don’t fix overnight. We have to rebuild it up. As a critical access hospital we have a 96-hour rule. We are required to have the patient in and out within 96 hours to keep our critical access designation, which is a four-day window.

That doesn’t mean every patient has to be four days. You have some for seven days and some for three days, as long as you average for the year. Some of the doctors didn’t understand that and if a patient was going to be five or six days, they would transfer they out.

We are looking at everything. Does it make sense to keep running as we’re running or do we change some things?

Question: With the focus on preventive care and shorter stays is there less money coming in?

Answer: The good thing for a critical access hospital, from a Medicare standpoint – and that typically goes with your elder population and we have an elder population here – the Medicare dollars are reimbursed at the cost.

You come in for pneumonia and it costs you $5,000 to take care of the patient, we’re going to reimburse you $5,000 instead of say $3,000. But we also have a high Medicaid population, and Medicaid reimburses awful. They haven’t increased their ER rate in five years.

Medicaid is what hurts us. Our clinic is probably 40 to 50 percent Medicaid/managed Medicaid, and the reimbursements are just awful.

Question: Is there a chance things could get worse for reimbursements?

Answer: I don’t think Medicaid could get any worse. The problem with Medicaid is it’s stagnant. If my costs go up 3 percent, they don’t put a 3 percent increase in for inflation. It’s always, “Here’s a half percent, here’s a half percent” and that’s what weighs down a lot of the organizations. It’s not going up to meet your costs, and that’s what’s putting a strain on a lot of us.

Question: And that’s despite New York spending $70 billion on Medicaid. You wonder where it all goes?

Answer: There’s a lot going to the other ancillary type things when we should be putting more into healthcare.

Question: How worried should the community be about the hospital?

Answer: As long as we can work with the union, work with doctors out there, and bring a closer-knit affiliate, that will be the shot in the arm that is needed here. I think we’re very close to getting that.

As those affiliations get closer, the state looks favorably on a struggling facility like us and is able to say we’ll give you an extra million dollars this year and next year, as you work through the affiliation, I know in two years you’re not going to ask for 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 million dollars.

When we go with an affiliation, now I can go to the state with a huge backer with me who can say, “We’re willing to work with them and they need some assistance to get from where they’ve been to where they need to be.”

Return to top

Leader of ethanol plant says facility has been an asset to local farmers, community

Photos by Tom Rivers: Tim Winters is president and chief executive officer of Western New York Energy in Medina.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2017 at 11:17 am

MEDINA – Tim Winters, 48, is chief executive officer of Western New York Energy, a company that celebrated its 10^th anniversary of production last week.

Winters joined the in September 2007, soon before it opened and began turning corn into ethanol. WNY Energy initially planned to use 20 million bushels of corn annually to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol.

The output proved a conservative number because the company is on pace to produce 62 million gallons this year. All of the ethanol is blended and used in the Rochester and Buffalo markets.

The facility also produces high-protein distiller’s grains for livestock and the CO2 is captured and used for food and soda industries. The company pays more than $1 million in taxes locally each year.

John Sawyer and his son Mike were influential in getting the plant built. John was the company’s first CEO and president. He died from leukemia at age 72 on Oct. 13, 2013. Mike followed his father as the company’s CEO and president. Mike died while hiking in the Adirondacks at age 43 due a medical condition on Aug. 18, 2016.

Tim Winters said the two Sawyers were critical in getting the plant built and in its success. Winters was interviewed on Friday at his office at WNY Energy, which is located at the corner of Bates Road and Maple Ridge Road.

A banner at the entrance of the plant notes that WNY Energy has produced more than 500 million gallons of ethanol in the past decade.

Question: What did you do at the start your career?

Answer: I was in the family business for several years and then had a couple different jobs. Then I moved out West for six years and worked for a large grain company in Oklahoma.

Question: Was that where you were right before Western New York Energy?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What did they do to lure you back home?

Answer: I was actually here getting remarried and was nosing around the company. The company I was with was talking with companies about building ethanol plants and grain elevators in Oklahoma. While I was back here I wondered what this new plant was all about. I ended up meeting Mike (Sawyer) and emailing Mike. He asked me what is it I do and I told him I was a controller. He said he was looking for a controller. It just kind of happened very quickly from there.

Question: What does a controller do?

Answer: A lot of everything. In a normal capacity it’s just accounting functions. But for us here at this company it’s a lot of dealing with some of the marketing, operational and working with the plant, helping to analyze data. I also do a fair amount of the IT. I have some grain experience so I was involved in that.

We’re a large company but it is small enough where I had the title of controller, but it was always whatever needed to be done.

A truck with grain from H & E Farms in Albion is unloaded last Friday at the ethanol plant.

Question: When you guys started I think you were taking in 20 million bushels to make 50 million gallons of ethanol. I thought the output ended up being more.

Answer: It was 50 million as the original name plate, that’s what the plant was designed for. We started running pretty much over that within months when we started.

Question: Was that because it was a conservative number?

Answer: They design these to be able to run a little bit harder. We were able to gain efficiencies and learn more about the plant to get more gallons out. It’s been pretty much a continuous trajectory up since then. Currently today we are running about 62 million gallons with a potential to run even higher.

Question: With 20 million bushels?

Answer: Yes. Twenty million is what we’ll grind this year. It will probably be 21 million next year. When we started we were probably grinding 17 to 18 million.

Question: That’s significant because I know one of the criticisms I’ve heard about ethanol is the amount of energy to produce it. You’ve made gains getting more out of the corn. It looks like you’re about 3 gallons for every bushel of corn.

Answer: A lot in the industry when it was started was about 2.7 to 2.75. Our average over the years I would say has been 2.9-plus. Every year you try to close in on that magic 3 number.

Question: Has it happened for you?

Answer: Not yet, but with the technology each year we’re getting a little bit closer.

Question: I wonder what could clinch it for you to hit the 3 level?

Answer: It doesn’t sound like a lot to go from 2.9 to a 3, but that’s actually a lot. For every hundredth that you get it’s a big step. It takes quite a bit to gain those little bits. When you think about it, take that .01 and multiply it by 20 million bushels. That’s a lot of gallons.

Question: (During the interview several trucks stop at the weigh station outside by Winters’ office) Is this a normal occurrence for you, having all of these trucks here?

Answer: Generally on average we take 75 a day.

Question: And that is throughout the year?

Answer: Yes. We have times in the year where there are more. It could be a hundred or more. We have unloaded as many as 200 corn trucks in a day in the past. Sometimes, it’s 40-50 a day. It really depends on how much is bought and the time of the year.

Question: In terms of the impact for the local farmers, they used to have to drive much farther, to Dunkirk perhaps to the Purina plant.

Answer: Or Arcade or Batavia.

Tim Winters keeps an eye on market prices at his office.

Question: When you’re driving farther, it can gobble up your day just with the added time.

Answer: Yes. An hour-and-a-half to 2-hour drive is not uncommon at all each way.

Question: With the local growers, including some in Medina, it must be awesome having you here so close by. And you can see all of the new grain bins that have been put up in the last 10 years, including the new one by Western New York Energy. (The WNY Energy bin can hold 800,000 bushels and was built about two years ago.) What was the reason for the new grain bin you added?

Answer: One of the big reasons we decided to do it was because as we continue to produce more, we needed to have more days of run time available. What if you got into a winter storm in the middle of January? With only a million bushels of storage, that was only around 15 to 17 days for us. That was kind of uncomfortable. So a larger capacity gives us that insurance if we have bad weather and at the same time gives us more options throughout the year. We can buy more during harvest than we could before.

Question: I think 50 people work here.

Answer: It’s 51 today. That includes Shelby Transportation.

Question: With that, you guys go get the corn? How does that work?

Answer: Yes. We get the corn and we also haul out some of the distiller’s. We do some other hauling as well.

Question: When you consider the distiller’s and the CO2, is there any waste here?

Answer: No. When we’re done there is nothing left of the corn kernel. We use every piece of it. We talked earlier about the gripe about using more energy than you’re making, but in reality in the most recent analysis it’s at least 2 to 1, sometimes 2 ½ to 1. For every energy unit we’re using, we’re creating that much more than what a gas refinery or oil refinery would be. They’re energy deficits.

The point I’m making is gaining all of those efficiencies and using all of your byproducts, you don’t have anything to burn off or waste to dispose of.

Question: I think there were more criticisms of the ethanol industry 15-20 years ago, but you don’t hear that much these days. Do you think ethanol has proven itself?

Answer: One of the great things about being in this industry is we are young, we are really just in the first 10 to 15 years of taking off. With the technology every day there is something new coming out. It’s really exciting to see what is could be coming down the pike.

Distiller’s grains are a byproduct of the ethanol process and are used to feed livestock including many cows in Western New York.

Question: I know some plants have doubled in size after they opened. Is that something that might happen here?

Answer: It’s something that we have considered, but it’s quite an investment. When you look at building capacity on that large of a scale, the cost per gallon is quite a bit higher than when we originally built the plant. It’s something you have to take a much harder look at because your payback is going to be much longer. We’ve chosen to take a more phased in approach. We built a new fermenter, we built some cooling capacity. We’ll continue to look at some of those projects maybe just building up in phases, rather than in one big lump sum. Not to say that could never happen, but right now the phased in approach is the best investment strategy for Western New York Energy.

Question: What kind of ripple effect do you think this plant has had on the farming community?

Answer: From what I remember, growing up in the family feed and grain business, yes it has had an impact. This area has always grown a lot of grain. Anybody who has lived here more than 20-30 years remembers that. There used to be a lot of government storage. There used to be a lot of excess storage and prices that the farmers received were very poor. I remember years that corn was maybe $1.50, $1.25 a bushel. Over the years that got tough for a family farm to stay in operation.

After we started – within months of after we started – farm families that I’ve known for all of my life, it wasn’t uncommon for some of them to come up to me in the grocery store and say, “Tim, we are so glad you and the plant are here because we were getting ready to sell the farm.”

Just look at the farms that have built bins, that have trucks. They are doing better to be able to make investments in new technologies and equipment. But farming is still farming. There are good years and there are bad years, but hopefully overall the averages are better than what it was.

Question: Not only are you here and the corn price is up, but the yields are also up. It seems like a good time to be a local corn grower.

Answer: Right now, if I put my farmer hat on, the price is not great. The Chicago Board of Trade today is trading around $3.50 (per bushel). That’s not great but it could be a lot worse.

There are farms out in the Midwest that are getting below $3 cash price.

Question: I thought you paid a little more than going rate?

Answer: There are a lot of factors that go into it. The term you’re looking for is basis. That’s the price, plus or minus whatever the Board is trading at. That really depends on the season and a lot of other market conditions. Sometimes it’s over. We have been under at times. But generally we’ve been paying over.

Question: Don’t you test the corn and based on the quality that affects the price?

Answer: Yes, there are several different quality factors that we evaluate for. For instance, if it is too high in moisture there is a small discount and a dockage that goes along with it. If there is too much foreign material, beeswings or weed seeds – things like that that aren’t corn – there are discounts for that. It’s all about quality, just like anything else.

Question: If it’s wetter than you want do you then have to dry it?

Answer: We don’t have a dryer. All we have are fans. We can take slightly wetter than we’re used to. But we can’t take 18 percent or even 17 percent (moisture). What ends up happening is if you take that wetter grain and put it in the middle somewhere, concrete or the bin, it will eventually rot. To store it for any amount of time it has to be 15.5 percent or below, preferably.

John Sawyer, right, and his son Mike Sawyer were the driving force in establishing Western New York Energy and the construction of the $90 million ethanol plant.

Question: The only sad part about this is that John and Mike Sawyer aren’t here today.

Answer: I agree.

Question: But they certainly brought an asset into the community. I like that the shareholders are local people. The plant has helped to bring some money into the community. If the farmers make money they often put it back in the community, including helping to fund the Extension Education Center and the new library in Albion.

Answer: Correct. That is one of things that drew me here. I didn’t know John or Mike before I came here. I checked them out and I’m sure they checked me out. I heard nothing but good.

When you heard John talk about where did this come from, it all came from his desire to help out farmers. This is what developed. It does allow us to provide not only 50 good-paying jobs for employees, but it allows us to do good things for the community – the Parade of Lights for example. As a Medina native, I’m very proud to do that. As you know, you’ve been in the area long enough, we’ve had a lot of things taken away over the years. It’s nice to bring something back for a change.

Return to top

Sanford Church says he is ready to serve community as next county judge

Photos by Tom Rivers: Sanford A. Church is running for Orleans County Judge. He is pictured last week at his law office on East Bank Street in downtown Albion.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 October 2017 at 1:55 pm

‘I’ve learned to keep an open mind, listen to everything, and then figure it out and figure out what the just response is.’

ALBION – Sanford A. Church, 59, is the Republican candidate in the Nov. 7 election for Orleans County judge.

Church grew up in Albion and played on the Albion football and basketball teams, and was one of the top tennis players on Albion’s undefeated tennis teams. He earned a law degree at Duke University, where he met his wife, Diane, who is also an attorney.

They have two grown children. Ben, 26, is a graduate of the Northwestern Medical School in internal medicine, and is doing his residency in California. Molly, 24, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and is studying to be a mental health counselor in Boston at Tufts University.

Church returned to Albion after getting a law degree, and worked with his late father, Ted Church, at an office on East Bank Street.

This picture of Sanford E. Church hangs in the law offices of Church and Church in Albion.

The Church family goes back generations in Albion, including Sanford E. Church, the first lawyer in the family who was an elected district attorney and went on to serve as lieutenant governor, state comptroller, and the chief judge of the NYS Court of Appeals. A historical marker stands by his former home on Ingersoll Street, which is now the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home.

Sanford A. Church seeks to succeed the retiring James Punch as county judge. Church has the backing of Punch and most of the attorneys in the county for the elected position. Church faces Tonia Ettinger on Nov. 7.

Church has been a long-time Little League coach for the Rotary-Lions team, and has been involved with the Rotary and Lions clubs, as well as serving on the Albion Board of Education.

He has been the public defender for about 20 years, representing low-income people facing felony charges. Church, a former member of the Albion Board of Education, has practiced law in all of the courts a county judge will preside.

Church was interviewed at his Albion office last week by Tom Rivers, the Orleans Hub editor.

Question: After graduating from Duke, why did you come back to Albion?

Answer: When were at Duke we were around a lot of lawyers who wanted to be at big firms. I watched it and didn’t want to do that, and decided to come back to my family practice where we’ve been lawyers forever.

Question: You were mid-20s then?

Answer: It would have been ’84, so roughly 26.

Question: How did you get involved as an assistant DA?

Answer: The way it worked first is I came back and started practicing with my dad. Curtis Lyman was the DA at the time. He asked if I would be one of his assistant district attorneys. I did that in ’85 for just a few months because then – this is a long story – there are attorneys who work for judges and the one who was working for (former) Judge Miles got a job as a support judge. So then Judge Miles, who had seen me do things in court, asked me to be his law clerk, which is the lawyer that works for the judge and does research, and writes decisions. I did that until ’89 and then I worked part-time in the same type of job for the Family Court judge in Batavia, and kept the practice here. And then I did assistant DA and assistant public defender, depending on what was going on and who wanted me to do what. Then I moved to public defender.

Question: I think you’ve been the public defender for as long as I’ve been here. (Tom Rivers started working as a reporter in Orleans County in July 1996.)

Answer: It’s got to be over 20 years.

Question: Why have you stayed in that job so long? What do you like about it?

Answer: The public defender’s job is part time. It allows me to do other things and still be a lawyer. I like coaching, too. It enables me to do all the different types of courts that I do. It is helping to represent people.

Sanford Church speaks during last Thursday’s Orleans County Republican Rally.

Question: What do you do as public defender? Aren’t you the administrator of the office as well as an attorney handling cases?

Answer: The way it is set up there is the public defender’s office and I am the boss so to speak of the public’s defender’s office. There are three assistant public defender attorneys who work under me or for me, however you want to say it. And so then with the criminal cases if we have a conflict of interest with the case we have to get an attorney who is not affiliated with the public defender’s office, in other words, not me or the three other attorneys. Right now the system is set up so Jeff Martin (an attorney in Holley) assigns the assigned counsel, who are private practitioners who take cases.

Question: Who are the three assistants?

Answer: Nathan Pace, Dominic Saraceno and Patricia Pope. She doesn’t do county court. She does the other courts.

The only courts the public defender’s office does in Orleans County is criminal. But I do Family Court, Surrogate’s and others as well.

Question: What is the Surrogate’s Court?

Answer: It takes care of peoples’ estates who have passed.

Question: What would the judge do?

Answer: In the beginning, it can be if a will is valid. Someone in the family may think there was undue influence on somebody signing the will, something like that. There are legal formalities that have to be filed and a surrogate can end up ruling whether the will is to be accepted or not. Sometimes it’s a battle. After it is accepted the executor has to then collect everything and dole it out so it is consistent with the will. If there is a disagreement within the family or whoever about how that should be done, then the judge has to figure that out, too.

Question: It seems there is a persona for a judge, in terms of having control of the court room. That doesn’t show up in credentials or the resume.

Answer: I can just say it’s not a plug-in position. I’ve been around law and lawyers all my life. It’s not a plug-in, anybody-can-do-it correctly for the community position. It takes the experience, knowledge and respect to do what needs to be done. You can’t just step in there and know criminal law, for example.

Question: Isn’t the judge also an administrator of the court?

Answer: Yes, with an amount of staff. I administer the PD’s office and I have some staff, too.

Question: And you have to keep the cases moving. Aren’t there time frames for the judge to keep cases moving?

Answer: For everything but Supreme Court there are what they call “standards and goals” for the courts. At least in Family and Criminal Court they try to have the cases done in six months. Now with jury trials in the criminal cases that can be hard to do, but that is what they strive to do.

Question: The public defender is a different path to getting to judge. It seems like in the smaller counties it is often the district attorney who makes the leap to judge. You have a little bit of a different resume than Judge Punch, who was DA before being judge.

Answer: I agree that it is different. The Family Court work, as an attorney for a child, I do all of that, too.

Criminal law is a lot of what is done in Orleans County, whether you are the public defender or the DA you get immersed in particular cases. The challenge is, and I’ve felt I have the ability to do it pretty well, is you figure out what the issues are in the cases, then you research it and figure out how to apply it to the case. Whether it’s the DA’s side or the public defender’s side or the defense side, it really helps to develop the knowledge base, so when you’re the judge you don’t have to start from scratch with making different decisions.

Question: Whether you’re the DA or public defender you’re playing by the same rules?

Answer: It’s the same body of law. I’m appointed, and the DA is elected. In general I’ve never run for one of these offices before. The DAs have and the public is a little more aware of them than a public defender or defense attorney.

Question: How long is the appointment for public defender?

Answer: It’s for two years. We go with the Legislature. They will meet in January and organize for two years.

I think I work well with the Legislature. I’ve been appointed a bunch of times. I work on the budget and keep that in line.

Question: People probably want to know why you want to run for judge?

Answer: I’ve been around it a long time and the judge matters. It’s an important spot. The local attorneys certainly support me. They respect me and know I can do it. I’m willing to do it and do what the county deserves. I’m used to the county and the law.

Sandy Church warms up a pitcher for the Rotary-Lions team during a game in July versus Carlton. Church has been a Little League coach for about 15 years.

Question: Why have you continued in the Albion Little League, long after your son aged out?

Answer: Number one, baseball was the thing when I was growing up. I like baseball. When I was a kid I had all of the baseball cards. I like working with the kids and getting to know some of them. Even when I was a basketball coach, you want to help the kids.

I’ve been able to back off as the head coach in Little League, but I still like working with the kids.

Question: Why have you and Diane stayed here in Albion?

Answer: I prefer the rural community. I don’t know everybody, but I know lots of people. I just like it better than the cities.

My two kids did fine coming from here. You can get involved in a whole bunch of extracurricular activities and you get the schooling. You can get there from here if a kid wants to do that.

Question: What else do you want to say?

Answer: One of the things that makes me qualified as anybody – if not more qualified than anybody around here – is that I learned how to suspend judgement after working for all of the judges over the years. I’ve learned to keep an open mind, listen to everything, and then figure it out and figure out what the just response is. I think I’ve been able to do that. The people that know the area and know me, who aren’t making snap judgements on me from one experience, they respect my ability to do that.

Return to top

Advocate sees first-hand the challenges facing many needy families

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jacki Mowers-Sciarabba works as a client advocate for the Geneses-Orleans Ministry of Concern. She received a Community Service Award last month from the Chamber of Commerce.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2017 at 1:52 pm

Jacki Mowers-Sciarabba was honored by the Chamber of Commerce for her work at the Ministry of Concern

ALBION – Jacki Mowers-Sciarabba spends her workdays helping people avoid shut-off notices and obtain needed housing and health insurance. The job is stressful and takes a lot of problem-solving.

“She listens to people on a deep level,” said Nyla Gaylord, executive director for the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. “She shows extraordinary kindness, concern and creativity in helping people through a crisis.”

Mowers-Sciarabba is a full-time client advocate at the Ministry of Concern. She also is program coordinator for Just Friends E-3 youth mentoring program. That program stresses energy, encouragement and empowerment.

The program has monthly activities and could use more adults, Mowers-Sciarabba said. There are 59 kids in the program in Orleans County.

The Ministry of Concern serves about 2,000 people in the county, helping with personal care items, prescription co-pays, emergency shelter and some utility bills.

The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce last month presented Mowers-Sciarabba with a community service award for her work with local families.

Mowers-Sciarabba has worked four years at the Ministry of Concern. The Kendall native was pharm tech at the Holley Pharmacy when she decided to earn her college degree in human services.

She helps people with budgeting with the long-term goal for more people to become self sufficient.

During an interview last month at the Ministry of Concern’s office at 121 North Main St., Albion, Mowers-Sciarabba said the job has been an eye-opener, showing “devastation” in the community.

Question: You said you didn’t realize the devastation in the county. What do you mean by that?

Answer: I didn’t realize the lack of employment opportunities and how many are in need of food stamps and public assistance, basic help with personal care items – diapers, things of that nature. It is something I had never thought of before until I was in this position and I see it every day.

After I was here after a while I saw people who were here frequently for the same thing so limits had to be made and budgeting had to be discussed. That’s why I get into helping them develop a budget so they didn’t need the services of the agencies. I didn’t realize how many people were in need of so many things.

Question: People might think there is Section 8 and welfare that cover all of the needs?

Answer: There is, but there is a waiting period for everything. If you go in and apply for Medicaid, you have a 45-day wait. Where are they going to get their prescriptions in the meantime? The people on necessary prescriptions they can’t be without it. They will end up in jail or an institution. We help them get through that. We help them get through the time period until they can get what they need. The time period is a killer for so many.

With the insurance change there were so many people who all of sudden didn’t have insurance when they went to their pharmacy – their pharmacy no longer took that insurance. So then there is the whole process of finding a pharmacy that does so people can get their medication. We help them apply for a different insurance. It’s a process. It’s a time-consuming process. For people who aren’t familiar with the system and how to do it, it’s very confusing. A lot of elderly people have no idea how to do it. It’s my job to walk them through, get them on the right track, and hook them up with the navigator.

Question: Was that a big learning curve for you?

Answer: It was. I had never dealt with insurance because I had always had insurance through my employer. I really never had to apply for it. I just signed up for it. It was a big learning curve for me. The health navigator through Fidelis has been great. She walked me through it. I hook people up with them. Neighborhood Legal Services had a health navigator and they did their appointments in our office for their Albion clientele.

Jacki Mowers-Sciarabba tries to help residents through the bureaucracy to getting health insurance, public assistance, needed furniture and medications.

Question: How many caseloads do you have?

Answer: It depends on the season. It depends on the day. In-office traffic is much less during rainstorms because many people walk or they have to wait for a bus, so I get a lot of phone calls on those days. It varies per situation. Right now is a busy time because the Village of Albion is giving out water disconnections. If you get your water disconnected, you’re condemned from your house. So our choice is do we help with the water bill that is due, or do we help with emergency housing that ends up costing a lot more and is a temporary fix?

You can’t have a displaced family. You can’t put them in Dollinger’s because it’s not economical. Usually it’s cheaper to help them pay the water bill by kicking in a hundred dollars. We try to find a way to come up with the difference.

Question: It seems like this would be a tough job?

Answer: It is a tough job. First of all you see families in a point of a panic due to a utility being turned off and not having the money to pay whatever the situation may be. I consider it my role to put them at ease. That’s what I do. I try to be calm because there’s always a way to figure it out. So that’s a good feeling when we do.

Emotionally it is difficult to see situations. Every day is different. There are no two days the same. You never know who’s going to come in with what situation and what they’re going to need and who can help them.

Question: It’s good that people see this agency as a place to help. I know the Ministry of Concern is considered “The agency of last resort.”

Answer: We are. They go through all the hoops before they come to me. Or in certain circumstances the monies they need are so much that I have to refer them out and they have to come back with a denial for us to consider. There are only so many funds for so many people.

Question: Do you sometimes function as a connector to other agencies?

Answer: I never send someone out without having someone else for them to go to for the assistance that they need. We don’t help with rent or security deposits and that is an issue. Nobody in this county helps with security deposits. Community Action and DSS do first month’s rent, but there is limited funding.

Question: So people could need $500 or more for a security deposit?

Answer: Absolutely. The typical one is generally between $500 and $700, and then there is the matter of finding apartments. The landlords are often booked.

It is very difficult. They have to go through the application process. There is nothing quick when it comes to housing. So therefore how many nights can we pay for someone to stay at Dollinger’s? We used to have a rule for one night and you have to have a place to go by 11 o’clock the next morning. So if they needed one night’s lodging before they could move into their apartment, that was fine. But that is so often not the case. If the people are being evicted on a Thursday, they won’t get into DSS until Monday. What do they do for the weekend with their kids? What are they supposed to do?

I’m not one to encourage people to sleep in their cars. It’s not the heating season so DSS won’t help them with emergency housing. It has to be 40 degrees or lower for them to help with emergency housing. That displaces a lot of families.

I’m grateful that Dollinger’s is in this town. That’s all that I have to say. It’s a good place for people to stay while they get their paperwork together and make calls. If they were just out walking on the street with their kids as an emotional wreck, they wouldn’t accomplish any of that and it would just prolong what they need to do.

Question: You are doing a community service in this job.

Answer: It’s work that needs to be done. Because we’re a non-for-profit, we don’t have the regulations that so many other agencies have to do. Although we take that information for our funding proposals. If somebody makes over the poverty level and they are in need of a coach, I still take their request.

If someone makes over the poverty level and they need help with their insulin, I’m not going to turn them away.

Question: You must see some success stories with people who have a dramatic turnaround.

Answer: I do. I’ve seen success stories with Just Friends, too. Children who were in the program when it started are now mothers who are bringing their children back. This one mother in particular just loves the program and wants her children to be here. That makes me happy.

Return to top

Mariachi De Oro brings Mexican food, culture to community

Photos by Tom Rivers: Some of the Rosario family members who work at Mariachi De Oro Mexican Grill include, front row, from left: Leonel, Dolores, Isabel and Gladys. Back row: Sergio, Kevin and Donato.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 September 2017 at 9:24 am

Chamber names popular restaurant ‘Business of the Year’

MEDINA – Six years ago the Rosario family opened Mariachi De Oro Mexican Grill on Maple Ridge Road, following nearly a year of renovations.

Six brothers – Francisco, Sergio, Martin, Pablo, Donato and Leonel – plus their sister Elba transformed the site. They rebuilt and expanded the kitchen and gave the dining area and grounds a new look. The restaurant showcases their Mexican culture.

The family members had all worked for years at local farms. They wanted to try their own business. Mariachi has been a stunning success, Orleans County Chamber of Commerce officials said in naming Mariachi its “Business of the Year.” The Rosarios and other Chamber award winners will be celebrated Friday during an awards banquet at the White Birth in Lyndonville.

The business has grown since it opened on Sept. 9, 2011, putting on an addition for a bar and bathrooms, an outdoor patio, and continued additions to the menu. Mariachi is waiting for its outdoor liquor license to cater to customers on the patio. Mariachi hired artists for Mexican-themed murals inside the restaurant, and has a mariachi band perform monthly.

Mariachi De Oro Mexican Grill is located at 11417 Maple Ridge Rd.

The restaurant draws many out-of-county visitors to Medina for the authentic Mexican cuisine. Mariachi has been featured in very positive reviews from The Buffalo News and Buffalo Spree.

“Everything is fresh, that is our secret,” said Leonel Rosario, co-owner of the restaurant and the head cook and manager.

Mariachi has Mexican staples – burritos, tacos, fajitas – and much more, from seafood, to steak and pork dinners. They make their own fresh tortillas. Many of the spices used in the kitchen are imported from Mexico. Leonel uses many of his family’s recipes from the state of Oaxaca.

“When people ask me about Mariachi, I tell them we are a Mexican restaurant, but we are more than a Mexican restaurant,” said Leonel, 35, the youngest of the brothers.

Some of the family continues to work in local agriculture. The family also runs Monte Alban, a Mexican grocery and clothing store that opened about a decade ago on Route 31 in Medina. There is also a taco stand behind Monte Alban’s.

Leonel is a steady presence at mariachi. He is often joined by his wife Dolores and their children, Leonel Jr., 16; and Galilea, 15.

He was interviewed on Tuesday after the lunch rush.

Question: Are you surprised by the Chamber award?

Answer: Yes. When I found out I was really happy and excited. In the first year that we opened and I was back there cooking, sometimes we didn’t have any customers for a couple hours. You feel like, ‘What’s the point being back there?’ And then you keep pushing more, and doing more things and you start seeing more customers. You get better at things. When you see these kind of achievements happen, it makes you feel really proud and thankful. It gives you more energy to do things that you’ve already been thinking about.

For me it was like a payoff for 80-hour weeks. I’m used to being inside the kitchen.

Leonel Rosario is pictured at Mariachi De Oro with the main dining room behind him.

Question: Eighty hours a week for six years?

Answer: Yes. You get time off here and there. But like any other business owner you can never leave your place.

Question: You and your family are really quite a success story. I am impressed with the Rosarios. You guys seem to get along well, too.

Answer: For us it hasn’t been uphill all of the time. We have always run businesses together. We have respect for the older siblings. That’s a main reason why we’re able to work so well together. And also because we lived together as brothers and sisters with no parents.

There is plenty of Mariachi merchandise available at the restaurant.

Question: You mentioned you were working on an outdoor liquor license. How much more can you do here?

Answer: I want to have Mariachi del Oro be a place where you can have a real authentic Mexican meal plus have an awesome experience with what’s happening. I want us to have more than food. I want to bring my culture and our traditions into the place and share it with everybody.

We’re bringing in a mariachi band and let people come in and learn about other cultures. The mariachi band comes every month. I want to do more music. I want to do more events just so people can have fun.

Question: I noticed you do many public events, with dancing and food, despite a busy schedule.

Answer: That was always one of things that helped me to get out of my self zone and achieve more because I studied my dancing and the sharing of the Oaxaca and Mexican culture. Anytime they ask, I always go for it. It’s one of the things I also enjoy a lot. Dancing will always be one of my biggest hobbies.

Leonel and Dolores Rosario perform a Mexican folk dance in March 2016 at the “The Colonnade.” That site is the former Masonic Temple now used a cultural center by the World Life Institute.

Question: It’s pretty high energy dancing. You got to be in good shape to do that.

Answer: Yes. Before I could dance like it was nothing, but now that I’m 35, I’m started to feel it a little more. Me and my wife we have always loved dancing.

Question: Why has Medina worked for you, especially at this site?

Answer: I think Medina is the type of community where everybody is starting to think and bring so many more ideas that it is helping the town to bring people in from miles away. They are doing a lot of events, which I think is really nice for all of the business owners in the community. The MBA (Medina Business Association) comes up with all of these ideas.

With us, we wanted to join them and share with them what we can offer to help bring people into Medina.

Kevin Rosario cooks a big pot of pork on Tuesday for the dinner crowd at Mariachi’s. His cousin Sergio is in back working as the grill cook.

Question: It seems like this location by creek has also worked out well for you?

Answer: Yes. We found this place. We saw it and we liked it. We went for it. I think it’s a beautiful spot. We get people from the city.

Question: The name Mariachi De Oro, what does that mean?

Answer: The Golden Mariachi. That’s what it means. When we were thinking about what to name it, some us love mariachi music. I love mariachi music. We wanted to always bring a mariachi band to play. So that’s why it’s Mariachi De Oro.

The bar stools have saddles to sit on at Mariachi Del Oro.

Return to top

Chamber Lifetime Achievement Award: Bruce Landis

Photo by Tom Rivers: Bruce Landis is pictured in July at the Orleans County 4-H Fair with a display of his portraits, commercial photographs and other work.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2017 at 8:22 am

‘I just love creating memories for people.’

Bruce Landis is being honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce on Friday with its “Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Landis, 61, has worked locally as a photographer since 1974. As a kid growing up near Lyndonville between Waterport and Kenyonville, he worked on a small dairy farm owned by Don and Linda Hobbs. They later sold him the site at 13382 Ridge Rd., the base of his photography business since 1978.

When Landis was thinking about a career as a teen-ager, his former pastor at the Kenyonville United Methodist Church urged him to follow a passion. For Landis, that was taking pictures, even back then.

He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and started his photography business, Photos by Bruce, at age 17 in 1974.

Question: Why have you stayed with this for 43 years?

Answer: I love photography. The adrenaline rush of people able to take someone who says, ‘I hate having my picture taken’ and to be able to get something that they absolutely love in end is really great. I love that. It’s very rewarding. One of the most rewarding things I do is when I photograph a special needs person. It’s a challenge because you never know exactly what the parents expect. When you get something that you love and they love, and it brings tears to their eyes, you don’t have to pay me for that. That’s all the payment I need.

Question: I know you do a lot of Little League teams, dance studios, weddings, groups and portraits.

Answer: One of our specialties is large group photos. It’s a lot of work to do that. If I take an assistant or an intern with me, they are always surprised that the photography part for a class reunion is maybe four or five minutes, where the setup, if you have to build some type of risers, might be 45 minutes or an hour.

Question: In looking at many historic photos, it seems people put a high value on nice portraits over a hundred years ago, whether a man in his shop or even the sports teams from decades ago. Back then, they wanted a professional to take the photos.

It seems to me being a professional photographer today is harder with all of the people with Smart Phones taking pictures, and they seem happy with photos that are ‘OK.’

Bruce Landis gets a group of Albion honor grads ready for a picture in May 2016 during a convocation at Hickory Ridge Country Club.

Answer: Yes, that’s true. And the selfie has degraded the level of acceptance of what people will think is good. They’ll take a selfie and a duck flips and think, ‘Wow, this is great. I love it.’ So someone comes along with a Smart Phone or picks up a camera at BJ’s and thinks now I’m a professional photographer. Or they may take something that’s a little bit better than a selfie, and not see beyond that.

A lot of times people will look at two different photos and not know why one is better than the other. But they will look at one and say, ‘This one is so much nicer and I don’t know why.’ It’s like with retouching. If you can tell a photo has been retouched, you’ve overdone it. You want it to look natural. I want a natural, real look to photos, rather than the plastic, and overdone.

Question: Not only are people OK with selfies, but they don’t seem to print out pictures very much. What I’ve noticed in the news business, even for obituaries, many people do not have a good picture of a relative. I think about the old days, over 100 years ago, it seems like families insisted on having a good picture of their uncle or whichever family member.

Answer: The printed picture is invaluable. The Professional Photographers Association of America right now has a program where we are trying to promote people to actually print their photos. I talk to people everyday where they have photos on their cell phone and they show me. I say, ‘Do have those backed up someplace? Are they any place other than your phone?’ Because when you walk out of here , you could drop your phone in a mud puddle or step on it or break it or something.

People say they are on the cloud, but the cloud is hackable, or you could lose a connection. It’s better than just having them on your phone. But get them on your computer or back them up to a CD. Or make real photographs.

My wife’s cousin passed away last week and his wife has like 15 family albums. When the grandkids come over, they love to flip through those albums and talk about the pictures that are in there. The kids aren’t going to know where to look on a computer. ‘What did you file them under? Do you know the year the picture was taken?’

Question: Did the Chamber give you a sense with why you are getting the Lifetime Achievement Award?

Answer: No. I thought I was kind of flying under the radar.

Bruce Landis took this senior portrait of 2015 Albion graduate Aaron Burnside. It won first place in an international competition by the Professional Photographers of America.

Question: Well 40 years is a long time of capturing important moments.

Answer: You hear in schools about the number of times people will change jobs. Well for me it was working on a dairy farm as a youth, as a teen-ager in school. When I was going to RIT, I worked at a fish market in Greece, NY, and then I became a photographer. So that’s three climbs in 40 years. I think I’m on the low end of the average.

Question: It seems like photographers tend to come and go, especially if you try to have your own location or building for the business. I think one change for the professional photographers might be, I don’t want to call them hobby photographers because they’re better than that, but people who do it as a side business. It seems like that might undercut you for the portraits and weddings. It seems likes there are a lot of those photographers working at it as a part-time business.

Answer: There are. It is easy to get into. Weddings seem to be an introductory way to get into the business for a photographer. Well, some couples don’t feel like they have money, but they have a friend who has a nice camera, so they decide to have him take their wedding pictures.

And that’s something where if you take a portrait of somebody and they don’t like it, you can take it again. But if the bride is walking down the aisle and she looking down or something’s not right with that, you can’t do it again.

People need to understand the importance or if they have an idea that this is the most important time of my life, then I want it documented properly.

The other thing, you can’t walk into a wedding, or any job, without backup equipment. I always have two of everything. It’s mechanical.

Landis is shown in a lift last July trying to get a nice photo of the grease pole competition.

Question: Has it got easier with digital because you don’t have to change the film at a wedding?

Answer: Yes.

Question: I know when I took wedding pictures, I had to be thinking ahead and time it so I had enough film for when the father was walking the bride down the aisle. I had two cameras going, actually.

Answer: We used to photograph the high school graduations.

Question: That would be tough with film with hundreds of kids.

Answer: At the time I’m working with a camera that had 15 exposures on it. I had the inserts of the camera lined up on the floor next to me. I just grabbed the next one, put it in, and winded it in between the announcement of one student to the announcement of the next person’s name. I had a real good relationship with the person that was doing the announcing. They would watch me and they would nod, or I would nod and say I’m all set. Father Csizmar was real good with that, too, back in the days of film. He would pause a little bit while I was changing film while I photograph First Communion kids.

Question: I’m impressed in observing you that you still have enthusiasm in taking pictures. You’re not just going through the motions.

Answer: You know when my wife (Sue) retired, people asked me if I was going to retire, too. I said, ‘If I retire, I’d want to take pictures so why should I retire?’ I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing because I really do enjoy it.

We do some underwater photography, part of it is portraits, but the major portion of that is commercial photography.

That sparked an interest because I am a professional scuba diver also.

Question: Yes, I was going to ask about that.

Answer: I started in 1974. There was a scuba diving course over at GCC in Batavia. I was originally certified there. You can’t dive alone. There was no one to dive with so I kind of let it slide until my daughter got into college and my son into the Navy. They were both learning to scuba dive.

(Bruce retook course with his daughter, Liz, in 1990s.) I’ve since taken all kinds of courses. I’m certified to dive under ice in the wintertime, and as a rescue diver after taken a search and rescue course. Something I never want to use, but I’m also certified with First Aid, and oxygen administration. You never want to use any of that, but if I had to, I have the certification.

Provided photo: Bruce Landis is also a professional scuba diver.

We also do a lot of aerial photography. I was talking to a realtor the other day, and there’s a property I’ve done an aerial photo for the owner. They had a photo taken by a drone. Most drones are like really wide camera angles. With the background it looks like you can see the curvature of the earth. The buildings are all leaning to the side. It’s not the right angle. I called and said I would be happy to let you use this photo because that (one taken by drone) is not a good representation of the property. The realtor is going to get her own drone. I told her I would help her with the settings so you don’t get the distortions.

Question: Is there a favorite part of being a photographer?

Answer: There is nothing like taking someone who is shy, their chin is against their chest and you just barely get them to look at you through their eyes, and you get them to overcompensate, you do something up by the ceiling so its gets their face up to the camera, then you come down quick and their eyes come back down and you have a split second to get the photo before their chin goes back to their chest again.

Question: That is a good gift for their family, to have that picture forever. It seems like you’re willing to get on lifts, and ladders and you-name-its. It isn’t just a matter of pointing the camera at someone.

Answer: This is true. I remember years ago when they were bringing fish to Lake Ontario. I remember looking at that and thinking the best angle really would be out in the water. There wasn’t a boat available so I ran to my car and changed into my not-so-good clothes. I walked out into the water with my expensive film camera. I love the photo because you see the fish coming out of the pipe into the lake. You see the people and the observers and the workers. You see the truck, and the American flag in the back. That was the picture.

You try to visualize. Every picture I take I see it in my head before I take it. I say that’s how it ought to be, now I need to do the chemical part to get it there.

Question: There is definitely an artform to being a good photographer?

Answer: One of the most important things is to have a knowledge and be comfortable with the technical aspects of it so you’re not thinking about, ‘Do I need to put this light here, do I need to change this setting?’ That stuff all becomes automatic. It’s like breathing. You know what you need to do and you do it automatically.

Question: Why do you go to the Orleans County Fair every year, for the entire week?

Answer: I see people there I don’t see, except at the fair. I see some of my classmates. It doesn’t matter how much advertising I do, unless people see the actual photographs, they might realize this is different than their selfie. They might see I do aerial photos. They will see there are photos underwater and they may ask where I took that. So it gives people a chance to see my wares.

We also have 60 to 80 photos over at the nursing home. They’ve been up there for years and years since they did the addition (completed in 2007). I asked them, ‘What are you going to put on the walls?’ and they said they didn’t know, that it was a real expensive process to get artwork.

I told them every year at the County Fair we have about 40 feet of wall space that is 8 feet tall that we fill with photographs. In the studio I can hang up about eight of them in my reception area. I have an archives full of photos. We put them up at the Nursing Home and they have been there for many years.

I was thinking of taking them down or changing them up, but a lady came up to me that is the last few days of her mother’s life, all that she could talk abut was that family portrait outside of where her room was and how she really felt like those people were part of her family and life. It just really touched me that images can have a profound effect on someone, especially in the last part of their life.

Question: Why have you stayed in Orleans County, Bruce?

Answer: I love it here. It’s where I grew up. It’s where I know people. I’ve worked for other photographers. Different photographers will call up and say, ‘Hey we need some help, can you photograph this wedding on whatever date?’ So I’ll go into the city.

People tend to be, do I dare say more honest, more appreciative of what you do here. In the city it’s more cutthroat. I can get probably double the price if I go into the city, but it’s not about the money. Our tagline is, ‘Creating for you memories that last a lifetime.’ And that’s what I do and what I want to do. I don’t want to get into cutthroat in downtown Rochester or Buffalo.

Question: It seems like a lot of weeknights and weekends.

Answer: I didn’t do too bad with the kids while they were growing up with their sporting events and so on. But Saturdays you could be out 10 to 12 to 14 hours for a wedding and then Sunday it’s hard to stay awake in church. Then you’re kind of dead to the world on Sunday when the kids want to do something.

There are a lot of 6- and 7-day weeks, but then again I like what I do. I just love creating memories for people.

Return to top