News for the week of
October 17, 2004

In Features:

$34 million project will reconstruct West Ridge Road in Greece
A $34 million highway project to reconstruct State Route 104 (West Ridge Road) in the Town of Greece, Monroe County was announced by New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman. more

Amazing designs challenge maize field wanderers
The days may be getting shorter and the air might be getting cooler but that is no reason to begin the winter hibernation — not when there are corn mazes to be conquered. Cobble Creek Farm and Zarpentine Farm both offer corn mazes to challenge both young and old. more

Audiences get a dollop of Shaw at Taste of Theatre series
The Department of Theatre at SUNY College at Brockport's first "Taste of Theatre" series for the 2004-2005 season entitled "A Close Shavian," will take place on Wednesday, October 20 at 5:15 p.m. at the Tower Fine Arts Center, Holley Street, Brockport. It is free to the general public. more

Brockport Breast Cancer
Support Group members “Camp Out”
Each September, members of the Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group celebrate the golden days of autumn and their personal victories over breast cancer during Camp Good Days and Special Times Women’s Oncology Weekend in September. more

Disaster aid being sought for rain-damaged areas
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton backed an appeal by the New York State Emergency Management Office to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), asking that it provide adequate and comprehensive disaster assistance to all 18 New York counties affected by severe storms, rains and flooding in recent months. more

Gates gets long awaited YMCA
While the dust is flying, and workers scurry about, Chris Mangone, executive director of the new Westside YMCA, just can't wipe the smile off his face. "The west side of Rochester has the best YMCA in the country. I'm confident of that," Mangone said. It is a tough claim to dispute after taking in all of the features of the $8 million, 50,000 square foot facility. more

Holley, Murray collaborate on municipal building
On the November 2 ballot for voters in both the Village of Holley and the Town of Murray will be the option for the entities to collaborate on the construction of a joint municipal building. more

Hilton-Parma Fire District continues to operate while repairing home base
Even though they are under a state of emergency and are faced with more than $100,000 in building repairs more than four weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Frances hit the area, members of the Hilton-Parma Fire District never failed to provide service to the residents. more

Local dentist whitens teeth,
contributes to children's charities
This past spring, as part of the Crown Council's Smiles for Life campaign, Dr. Tod Twichell and his dental team offered teeth whitening services at a significantly reduced price, and donated 100 percent of the proceeds to help children facing serious health and educational problems. more

Seymour Library launches automation upgrade
Seymour Library has upgraded their library automation system. Starting in October, patrons will enjoy new cutting-edge computers throughout the entire library. more

Seymour Library’s Knitting Club creates afghans for those in need
Seymour Library’s new Knitting Club is taking up the cause of Warm Up America! – a national effort based in Gastonia, North Carolina – by creating an afghan for a needy individual, and calling for area knitters to help by each knitting or crocheting one small rectangle. more

Spencerport church gathers donations for Christmas and flood victims
The Spencerport United Methodist Church is participating in Operation Christmas Child and a “flood bucket” donation collection drive. more

Taxes to increase in Sweden
Along with the services that residents in the Town of Sweden have come to expect from their municipality come the expenses to keep those services operational. Sweden officials are anticipating an increase in overall spending for 2005 of $128,651. more

Taxpayers in Ogden to see increase
State mandates, increasing insurance costs and revenue reductions have all contributed to an increase in taxes for residents in the Town of Ogden. A $7.7 million budget for 2005 was presented to taxpayers on October 13. Ogden's budget in 2004 was $7.2 million. more

In Briefly:

Airport road construction closes lower level arrival road
The Greater Rochester International Airport (GRIA) is making improvements to the airport roadways and these improvements will temporarily affect vehicle circulation on the lower level arrivals road. more

B-B hosting Halloween pumpkin fest
The Byron-Bergen Pumpkin Fest is scheduled for Friday, October 29 at the Byron-Bergen Elementary School from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Organized by the Byron-Bergen Community School-wide Cluster and Gillam Grant Community Center, as a fundraiser for the community center and the Byron-Bergen PTA, this year's event is sure to be bigger and better than ever. more

Brockport church gets new name
The former Victory Fellowship Church has been renamed the Cornerstone Community Church. It meets at 203 South Main Street in Brockport. The church made the name change several months ago, but the signs were changed just recently. more

Brockport Kiwanis installs new officers
At the October 6 Annual Brockport Kiwanis Club Installation Dinner at the Brockport Country Club, the Brockport Club installed its new officers for the 2004-2005 year. Joining the club members at the dinner were Joanne Underwood, Genesee Division Lt. Governor for 2004-2005 and her husband, Justin Underwood, past New York State Kiwanis Governor. more

BSO welcomes international conducting team
The Brockport Symphony Orchestra has announced a new international conducting team and a new season. more

Chili assessor recognized
Town of Chili Assessor Linda Leach, IAO, was awarded the Robert Osias Professionalism Award on October 4 by the New York State Assessors' Association at its annual fall conference. more

Clarkson Community Church begins radio program
The Clarkson Community Church broadcast its inaugural radio program, "Grounded in Grace," on radio station WYSL 1040 AM on October 3. The one-hour program, presented by the church's pastor Tony Bartolucci, featured Bible teaching from 1 Peter. more

Flu shot clinics at The Landing cancelled
The flu shot clinics scheduled for October 20 and October 27 at The Landing at Brockport have been cancelled due to the limited supply of the flu vaccine this year. more

Morgan-Manning to host George Eastman Collection curator
Kathleen Connor, curator of the George Eastman Collection at the George Eastman House, will give a presentation at the Morgan-Manning House in Brockport on George Eastman and his contributions to the community on Wednesday, October 27 at 7 p.m. She will include slides of the George Eastman House and collection. more

Ogden officials dedicate highway facility
On Monday, October 4, the new Ogden Highway Facility
was dedicated. more

Police warn of phone scam
Ogden Police received a report from a senior citizen regarding solicitation of funds in order to claim a large cash prize. more

Snowmobile safety certification courses
The New York State Park Police will be holding a snowmobile safety certification course for youth in November at the Brockport Elks Club, 4400 Sweden Walker Road, Brockport from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is co-sponsored by the Salmon Creek Snowmobile Club. more

State park patrol officer civil service exam set
A civil service entrance exam for Park Patrol Officers will be held Saturday, December 4. The deadline for applications is Monday, November 1. more

Vendors sought for holiday bazaar
The Churchville Elementary School Parent's Association is seeking vendors for its annual Holiday Bazaar Saturday, December 4. The group is seeking crafts and other items that appeal to families. Demonstrators of home products lines are also invited to participate. more

Volunteers needed
Computer Mentor is needed to help teach basic computer skills to seniors at Hilton-Parma Senior Center. Volunteer would work two times a week for one to two hours. more

In Schools:

Bishop Kearney opens theatre classes
Starting October 12 Bishop Kearney will open a classroom to students in grades seven to 12 from any local school. The class, called Kurtain Call, will be an intense exploration into the art of musical theatre. more

Brockport hosts free parent education programs
The Brockport Central School District and PTSA present the Continuing University for Parents Fall 2004 Program "Whose House is This Anyway?" Sessions will be presented by Jim Feely, CSW, CASAC. more

Brockport jazz group to perform at NYSBA
The Brockport High School Blue Notes will perform on Thursday, October 21 at the opening of the 2004 New York State School Board Association annual convention at the Buffalo Convention Center. more

Blessing of the Animals
St. John's the Evangelist Elementary School in Spencerport held their annual Blessing of the Animals Ceremony. Each year school and parish families bring their pets to St. John's School for the Blessing of the Animals Day. more

Evening hours continue at BHS Library
The Brockport High School library is open Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. for students to work on research projects, use computers, access the Internet, form study groups or find a quiet place to do homework. more

Fire safety rings true
Holley students Jade Underwood, a second-grader in Marge Burgio's class, and Joshua Marszalkowski, a kindergartener in Jim Hasting's class, take a look at their reflections in a bright silver bell on the front of a Holley fire truck. more

GCC looks to construct new student union
Genesee Community College's Board of Trustees recently received preliminary sketches of the new student union. more

Hilton Music Boosters sponsor Halloween Party
The Halloween Carnival Party sponsored by the Hilton Music Boosters features pumpkin bowling, witch broom limbo and more. The party and carnival is for children through sixth grade and is scheduled for Friday, October 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hilton Village Elementary School, 100 School Lane. more

Hilton School District receives grant to boost fitness
The Hilton School District has received a $176,274 Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant from the U. S. Dept. of Education to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles for students K through 12. Hilton was one of 230 schools in the nation to receive the PEP grant. more

You've been pinked
Don't be alarmed if you wake up to a yard full of pink flamingos. It's the work of the Holley Soccer Cheerleaders. The flamingos are part of a fundraiser entitled "You've Been Pinked by the Holley Cheerleaders!" more

Taylor teacher nominated for presidential award
LeeAnn Cervini, a math teacher at Taylor Elementary School in Spencerport, and her first graders last year were featured in a classroom lesson video she submitted to the New York State Department of Education as an entry for the national Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. more

In Seniors:

Chili Senior Center programs
Foot Care - offered the third Thursday of each month. Half-hour appointments are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Call the office at 889-6185 to schedule an appointment. Participants should bring their own basin and towel. The cost is $15. The next appointments are on Thursday, October 21. more

Hamlin seniors get-away
The Hamlin Senior Citizens went on a three day, two night trip to Lake George. While they were there they participated in dinner theatre entertainment, enjoyed a scenic Lake George cruise and spent time in the village of Lake George. more

In Sports:

Black Belt earned
Kyoshi Mark A. Caparco of Caparco Martial Arts has promoted Kelsey Egan of Chili to first degree Black Belt in karate. more

Shooting hoops
Hilton Parma Recreation and Hilton Boys' Basketball are teaming up to introduce basketball to first, second and third graders. The Listen and Learn program and the Jr. All-Star program play on Saturday mornings and are coordinated by Varsity Coach Troy Prince, and his staff of team assistants and scholastic players. more

Spencerport Junior Rangers Wrestling Club expands offerings
Wrestling classes for beginner to experienced will be offered this year by the Spencerport Junior Rangers Wrestling Club. The classes will be for youth in second to sixth grade. more

S&S Fitness owner wins championship match
Scott Haug, owner of S & S Fitness Gym & Martial Arts Center in Hamlin, competed in the second annual Southern Tier Ultimate Test in Binghamton on September 25. He defeated his opponent by scoring an IPPON (full point) 60 seconds into the fight. more