News for the week of
March 28, 2004

In Features:

Bergen's Mayor LeSage responsible for
many projects during his tenure
Bergen's Mayor Thomas LeSage will long be remembered for his community spirit, compassion and love of his village. "Tom didn't go into the job of mayor thinking he was going to make wholesale changes," Roy Hill, long-time friend of LeSage said. "He always had the community at heart -- he loved this place." more

Brockport historic postmark honors the village's 175th year
A Brockport village historic postmark will be presented on Tuesday, April 6 at the Brockport Post Office, 14 South Main Street. As part of this year's 175th anniversary celebration of the village's founding, the image on the postmark will be the "Decker Block" at the corner of Main and Market Streets as it appeared in 1877. It is the building where the "Bittersweet" store and other businesses are now located. more

Brockport, Sweden officials participate in Fast Ferry meeting
More than 100 people gathered in Brockport to participate in a "Fast Ferry Public Information Night" March 18. The highlight of the evening was a special presentation by representatives of the Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS), the operators of the fast ferry. more

DOT begins survey work for 531 extension
New York State Department of Transportation expected to begin preliminary engineering and environmental studies in the towns of Sweden, Clarkson, Ogden and the village of Brockport in Monroe County, to pursue the possible extension of Route 531 to the west. more

DWI victims and their families urged to participate in memorial
Each year at Highland Park in Rochester, MADD Tri-County Chapter plants a "garden' of wooden stakes with MADD red ribbons attached to them. Each stake bears the name of a DWI victim. more

Girl Scouts honored with religious recognition award
Camaria Long and Molly McGrath, both Junior I Girl Scouts in Troop #461 of the Spencerport Service Unit, who attend the Church of the Epiphany in Gates, were recognized for earning the Brownie "God and Me" religious recognition award. Both girls completed the requirements for the "God & Me" award as Brownie III Girl Scouts in June 2003. more

Holley Community Free Library to offer BOCES 2 Literacy Program
The BOCES 2 Center for Workforce Development (CWD) soon will be bringing its Literacy Program to Holley Community Free Library, so adults of all ages, no matter where they live, can improve their reading skills, prepare to earn their General Education Diploma (GED), learn English as a second language, or sharpen their work skills free of charge. more

Monroe County public safety facility
to provide training for fast ferry crew
The U.S. Coast Guard has selected and approved the use of the Monroe County Public Safety Training Facility (PSTF) to train the 100-member Fast Ferry crew. more

Plans for Brockport's visitor center
and Erie Canal museum move forward
The dream of many to see Brockport be home to a visitor's center and museum is moving ever forward. more

Sweden, Ogden to share animal holding facilities
Stray animals from Sweden and Ogden may soon share the same quarters. Following a request from Ogden's animal control officer John Eeckhout, Town of Sweden officials will be looking into an inter-municipality agreement to house Ogden's strays. more

Sweden's new town clerk familiar with municipal processes
When Janet Olivieri was appointed to the position of town clerk for the Town of Sweden in January, the return to familiar surroundings and tasks was like coming home. more

In Briefly:

Book donations can raise funds for nursing scholarships
The Lucretia H. Richter Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund, Inc. (formerly Western New York League for Nursing) is collecting used books to be sold at its Annual Book Fair to be held at Perinton Square Mall, Routes 250 and 31, on April 22, 23 and 24. more

Chili Recreation spring recess programs
All recess programs require pre-registration and payment by April 9. Buses pick-up and drop off at Chili Recreation Department, 3235 Chili Avenue. Children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. more

County Fire Aux meets in Spencerport
Members of the combined auxiliaries of the Monroe County Firemen's Association will hold their April 7 meeting at the Spencerport Firemen's Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. more

CPR Certification course offered
A Heart Saver CPR/AED certification class will be held at the Walker Fire Hall on Saturday, April 3. Participants will receive certification by the American Heart Association in CPR and AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). more

FEMA grant funds available for utilities
FEMA grant money for assistance with utility costs is now available from The American Red Cross in Orleans County and Genesee/Orleans Ministry of Concern. FEMA grant money is also available through Community Action of Orleans County to assist with housing. more

Hamlin hosts farmland protection speaker
The Comprehensive Master Plan committee will feature Robert King from Monroe County Cooperative Extension to speak on farmland protection that will include: purchase development rights, lease development rights, economic development efforts. more

Hamlin Recreation programs
Spring Break Activities, April 12-April 16: Tuesday, April 13 - Candy Bar Bingo 1 to 2 p.m., ages 5 and older. Receive one board per candy bar, four boards max, per person. Friday, April 16 - Hodgepodge Crafts 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., ages 5 and older, $5 per person. Choose up to three from a variety of crafts. more

Hilton church offers Passover-Communion
A Hilton area church is offering a community-wide experience of the ancient Passover celebration, in a Christian context. Parma Christian Fellowship, led by completed Jewish pastor Michael B. Merrill, is hosting the Passover-Communion Meal on Thursday, April 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. more

Movie discussion series set for St. Jude Church
St. Jude the Apostle parish in Gates has discussions scheduled for those who have seen the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ" and who wish to share their opinions and insights with others. more

Radiologist to speak at Wellness Center
Dr. Stamatia V. Destounis, a staff radiologist at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic, will speak on the topic of New and Old Technologies in Diagnostic Radiology/Mammography on Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Family Wellness Center/Lakeside Memorial Hospital at 156 East Avenue, Brockport. The public is welcome and admission is free. more

Springapallooza comes to Brockport
The Monroe County Parks Department, in collaboration with SUNY Brockport's Recreation & Leisure Department Studies and the Sweden-Clarkson Community Center, will be hosting "Springapallooza" on Tuesday, April 13. more

VOA offers free pick-up service for Brockport residents
Volunteers of America offers a free pick-up service every Monday for residents of the 14420 zip code who want to donate used clothing and household items to the charity. more

In Schools:

Am I as big as a bassoon?
Scarborough Trio, an ensemble of Gina Valvano on bassoon, Erin Lesser on flute and Tom Cuffari on piano came to Churchville Chili Senior High School and Churchville Elementary School to perform and teach students about their instruments. more

A musical trip around the U.S.
Holley second-grader Paige Whittier learns to play a drum with the help of musician Glenn McClure. The McClure Artist Guild visited Holley Elementary recently to lead students on a tour of the diverse regions and people of the United States with a variety of songs, stories and instruments. more

April 19 is deadline for Spencerport
school board candidate applications
Spencerport Central School District is seeking candidates for two seats on the Board of Education. Deadline to submit petitions, which must be signed by 61 district residents, is 4 p.m. April 19. Petitions are available from the District Clerk of the Board, Administration Building, 71 Lyell Avenue. School board terms are three years. more

BOCES 2 SkillsUSA Career and
Technical Education students receive awards
SkillsUSA students at BOCES 2's WE-MO-CO Career and Technical Education Center received awards for placing first, second or third place in the statewide skills competition held at SUNY Alfred in March. The students competed in their field of study ranging from baking to welding against career and technical education students across the state. more

Cosgrove OM team places third
Spencerport's Ada Cosgrove Middle School Odyssey of the Mind team placed third in the state tournament held at SUNY Binghamton on Saturday, March 13. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative competition where teams solve long term and short term problems to score points. more

Holley's breakfast program proving worthwhile
More than 700 Holley Elementary School students enjoy breakfast in the school as part of a grant the district received last year. The program, Elementary Principal Brenda Freida said, is a worthwhile one because "the brain learns best when it is full." more

Holley students compete in Regional Spelling Bee
Eight Holley Elementary students recently competed in the PTSA Regional Spelling Bee at Starpoint Elementary School in Pendleton. The students were finalists in the Holley PTSA Spelling Bee held earlier this year. more

SUNY Brockport summer session registration opens April 6
Summer starts in Brockport on April 6. That's when registration begins for the SUNY College at Brockport summer program. more

You look marvelous!
Five-year-old Rose Pajek of Kendall is happy with her new braids done by Brockport High School Junior Gabrielle Boley. Hair braiding was among the many activities available to children who attended the Brockport Teacher Association-sponsored Fun Fair on March 19. more

In Seniors:

Kiwanians donate to Senior Prom
Brockport Kiwanis members met with representatives from the Brockport High School's Varsity Club at their March 24 meeting. President Tory Spencer and secretary Julia Little, along with faculty co-advisors Judy Jones and Mike Myers, discussed the upcoming April 24 Senior Citizens' Prom. more

Seniors celebrate anniversary with dinner theater
Hilton-Parma Senior Citizens, as well as participants and guests, will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Hilton-Parma Senior Citizens Center with a dinner theater on Saturday, May 1 at the Hilton Exempt Club, on South Avenue, Hilton. more

In Sports:

C-C students to compete at USA Hockey Nationals
Churchville-Chili High School student-athletes Lindsay Pegler and Liz Zorn will be competing at the 2004 USA Hockey Girls National Championships at the ESL Sports Centre beginning March 31 and running through April 4. more

HP Recreation organizes whitewater raft trip
Hilton-Parma Recreation offers a whitewater raft trip at Letchworth State Park. This trip is perfect for the first-time rafter and will take place on Saturday, May 8. more

Spencerport Soccer Club unveils new logo
The Spencerport Soccer Club held a Logo Design Contest. Players and immediate family members were invited to share their artistic talents. A total of 16 entries were received and voted upon by the club. Winners were announced at the club's monthly meeting held on March 14. more