Hotchkiss Building supporters win Round One
By John Zornow

Armed with content experts and 40-50 supporters, concerned citizens lobbied the Wayne County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning, looking to restore and preserve the historic H.G. Hotchkiss Building in Lyons conveyed to the board the reasons and importance of taking advantage of The Peppermint Building as an asset.

Speakers were Larry Ann Evans, Director of the County Historical Society and museum, Duncan Hilchey - Ag Specialist from Cornell, Cynthia Howk - Architectural Research Coordinator for the Landmark Society of Western New York, and Tania Werbizky - New York Preservation League. Evans urged the board to accept the grant that has already been offered in the amount of $900,000 and realize the importance of the peppermint industry, to Lyons and to the world.

Howk used the words 'Location, location, location' to describe the most important asset of the building.

She said, 'In my 32 years of dealing with historic building opportunities, I have seen many ideas come forth, but most lacked any funding. The funding is available, and more will come. This can be a feather in the cap of Wayne County.'

Werbizky and Hilchey mentioned the building's possibilities as a viable successful tourist attraction.

Later in the meeting, when resolution 4-6 was read by Committee Chair David Spickerman of Butler, the board voted unanimously to authorize negotiations with the Board of Directors of the Western Erie Canal Alliance (WECA) to enter into an agreement with Wayne County for long-term occupancy and maintenance of the Hotchkiss Building. Hotchkiss supporters stood and gave a round of applause. Opponents offered no comment.

Peter Evans, Wayne County Historian, along with Dave Sloane, head of county buildings and grounds department, and Williamson Supervisor Jim Hoffman, announced the certificate of acceptance for the Forman Park property inclusion in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Supervisors didn't support a proposal to improve the Wallington-to-Sodus-Point trail. Though the trail is in his town, Sodus Supervisor Steve LeRoy recommended that Wayne County refuse a federal grant of $237,000 that would have required matching funds from Wayne County of $60,000.

'I cannot support this, with economic conditions as they are,' said LeRoy. The board agreed unanimously, but later supported a plan to groom the trail using county workers and equipment.

Other business:

• Approved a resolution to close out the new nursing home project and utilize unspent funds of $438,352 as part of the county's 2008 contribution to the operation of the facility.
• Supported section 1225-c of the V&T NYS Law to prohibit text messaging while driving.
• Authorized SWBR Associates, who recently completed a concept study for relocation of several departments into the former nursing home, permission to complete a schematic design for that project. Randy Sickler of SWBR gave a PowerPoint presentation on the plan to covert the old nursing home to accommodate such departments as the Sheriffs office, board of elections, records, emergency operations ,and possibly Planning Tourism, Veterans services and Stop DWI.
• Authorized preparation of a grant application to the Hoffman Foundation for restoration/preservation of currently held Hoffman Essays.
• Set a date of August 19, at 9:15 a.m. to approve the allocation of Zone Lands for IEC Electronics for a significant project that will add 60 jobs to the operation and retain 237 jobs.

County Board of Supervisor will meet Tuesday, August 19, at 9 a.m. at the court house in Lyons.

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