Home Page | Rotary Club of Jamestown New York

WELCOME TO THE

President's Address - Cheri Krull

First off, Cheri recognized our outgoing Board members: Susan Jones, Denise Jones and Randy Sweeney! Thank you for your service above self!

OUR ROTARY YEAR

Well then. Here we are.

This year has gone by so fast that sometimes it has made my head spin! So much (and yet so little) has happened since our last recap at the Annual Meeting in December…

Here is a short summary of our year together since Past President Katie passed the gavel to me at the end of June 2019:

We started off with a bang with our Annual Golf Tournament in July, which turned out to be our main fundraiser of the year, raising over $7,000. Thanks to Phil Cala and Mike Bird and their excellent committee for starting us off right. These folks always do a spectacular job.

We then spent the summer scouting out locations for our weekly meetings with the Venue Committee, led by Sue Jones, with the help of Katie Geiss, Randy Sweeney, Russ Webb, and Lisa Goodell, and checking out the local Meat Raffle scene with the fundraising committee members. Unfortunately, we were not able to pull that one off, but we did have a successful holiday raffle, thanks to a group effort by Lisa Yaggie, Lindsey Alday, Kathy Burch, Michelle Jones, and Sandy Hatfield.

August was particularly busy for the Youth Exchange folks, saying farewell to Petra and Milko, who returned home to Croatia and Paraguay and best wishes to Sydney Wendell and Patrick Kelly as they headed off for new adventures in the Czech Republic, and Finland. We also welcomed Ana from Brazil and Paul from France, who quickly became part of our Jamestown Noon Rotary family. Thanks to all of the YE committee members for your support this year, especially counselors Hiroko Walters and Chris Anderson, and our perennial hosts – the Yaggies, who have now hosted upwards of 13 students for our club – as well as the Spillaines, the Bowers and the Masons, Kelly Dawson, the Wendells. Thanks also to all of you who indulge me with my reports of all things Youth Exchange. I am so proud and thankful to you all for your continued support of my personal “pet project”.

Camp Committee chair Randy Sweeney helped coordinate our annual program at Onyahsa with the Resource Center, and a few of us even joined them for their opening bonfire, which my granddaughters really enjoyed!

Our Social Committee did a great job this year, beginning with our Corn Roast in September and our Christmas party at St. Luke’s in December. They also made my dream a reality by resurrecting “Farch” with a Prohibition party on a snowy night in February. Thank you to Vicki Mc Graw, Kathy Benson, Lisa Goodell, Deb Kathman, Kathy Burch, and Stacy Hannon for bringing the club together “after hours”.

Colonel Vince Horrigan took over the reins of the Highway Clean-up committee this year and did a fantastic job of inspiring the troops to report for “Operation Trash Be Gone”. Well done to all who took part in that effort. You know “it’s a dirty job, but…”

We had another successful Red Kettle Drive this year. Thanks to Lynne Gruel and her team, who filled the time slots in record time! It is so nice to have our club out in the community supporting this annual event!

Thanks to Vice President Kevin Sixbey and the Vision committee for their work supporting the mission of the club far and near with projects abroad spearheaded by David and Marissa Troxell our “boots on the ground” representatives and local projects in coordination with the City and other local organizations. We can really be proud of the impact that our club has on our community and the world thanks to the dedication of these fine folks.

Steve Sandberg and the Vocation committee had great plans to expand the Mock Interview program this year, that were unfortunately stymied by the shut-downs, but I am really impressed by the number of you who were willing to give up a bit of your day to help to inspire our local students. Thanks too, to Kathy Burch, who helped me with my vision of the Rotary Why. Hopefully, it made you all think of your real reasons for being here each week. Thanks to those who were willing to share their stories. I think we all really enjoyed each and every one.

Diana Meckley has graciously taken over the reigns of the Literacy Committee mid-year and she has great plans. I hope that you will support her once she gets things up and running.

Thanks to Kathy Benson, who finished out the year as the acting chair of the Invocation and Song committee and to all the people who opened our meetings with thoughtfulness and prayer.

Thanks also, to our accompanist Lucy Miller and to Tim Edborg, Phil Cala and Vince Horrigan, our enthusiastic A ’Capella song leaders!

I am happy to report that our club participation in the Rotary Foundation continues to be very high under the leadership of Greg Jones and his lovely assistant Sue, who along with VP Joni have organized our monthly Birthday Table recognition in support of the Foundation. We have not been able to award all our Paul Harris Fellows this year, due to our inability to meet in person, but they will resume once Dr. Jones is “up and running” again!

I would like to take a minute to recognize a person who has been extremely valuable to the RCJCSF since its inception. Christy Brecht has graciously continued as the Treasurer of the RCJCSF since she ‘retired’ from her previous position as Club Treasurer. While she has not been able to join us in person as much lately due to her increased work responsibilities, she has continued her connection to the club through her various duties of tracking and maintaining our Foundation’s funds. Christy has decided to step down from the position of RCJCSF Treasurer this year. Her replacement will be announced soon, but in the meantime, I would like to offer her our thanks for her many years of quiet service for this particularly important responsibility.

Thank you to Sue Jones, Chris Anderson, and the rest of the Communications Committee for keeping us and the community informed about Club events throughout the year. Your timely “Rotarily Yours” reports have been especially valuable during recent months while we have been apart. I have to say that I haven’t missed having my photo taken every week, but I do know that your work has been recognized throughout the community if the number of times that people mentioned seeing me there are indication!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the Club Service committee, chaired by Norm Merrill. Although they have not been able to greet us and make sure that our room is ready for us every week as they did when we are together, we know that they will be there for us when we return, making sure that everything is in order. Norm has been under the weather during the past few months, and has also not been able to join us online, but I want to send a message of thanks to him and his committee members for all that they have done for us earlier in the year.

I cannot say enough about the Program Committees hard work – especially during these past three months. Becky Robbins and her crew have done a fantastic job of bringing us interesting and engaging speakers every week. I cannot say enough about the ways that they reach out to the community and educate us all about things that matter. I do have to say that I think the highlight of the year was the Jamestown “Tarp Skunks” presentation. It was awesome!

Many thanks to this year’s Board of Directors – President Elect Joni Blackman, Vice President Kevin Sixbey, Treasurer Russ Webb, Secretary Lisa Goodell, Past-President Katie Geise, Denise Jones, Sue Jones, Randy Sweeney, Lisa Yaggie, Chris Anderson and John Healey for your time and wisdom. It has been a pleasure to serve with you. Special thanks to Lisa and Russ for volunteering to check us in and take our money at all our meetings at the Dobuletree. These duties are not part of their “job descriptions” and we are thankful for their service!

Thanks as well to Katie, who gave me a great example to follow (and lots of extremely helpful guidance and notes) and to Joni who entertained my neurotic concerns and occasional complaints with calm and practical advice – I have no doubt that she will be a wonderful President for our club next year!

Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our Membership Committee led by Randy Sweeney and co-chair Tory Irgang. Their commitment to instructing and orienting our new members is a valuable asset to the club. Their focus on the engagement of the membership of our club is so vitally important and I appreciate the time that they take to make our new members feel welcome and informed. I also appreciate their dedicated follow up and attention to attendance and participation. I am extremely proud of the fact that they were so immensely helpful in following up with each and every member during this time of quarantine, making personal phone calls just to check in and see how everyone is doing.

This was no small feat and I cannot tell you how very much I appreciated your efforts.

I can share facts and figures, but I will save that for President Joni’s annual report in December. Suffice to say we have done a whole lot this year! We have gained several new members and lost a few as well. I would like to take a moment of silence now for one, Misti Johnson.

Misti was a wonderful person, great friend to many, and fantastic representative of Rotary. Every time she approached the podium, she left me with something to think about. Her generosity of spirit and her wonderful wit were a blessing to the club and will continue to miss her.

Another loss for our club this year has been the resignation of Lucy Miller as our “Mistress of Music”. The club owes a great debt of gratitude for Lucy for keeping us in tune all these years. I have always enjoyed being part of a “singing club” and hope that the tradition can continue in some way, but I can honestly say that things will never be the same without Lucy’s accompaniment.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize an amazing achievement of one of our members who is actually here with us today via phone. 2020 marks Spud Erickson’s 50th year as a member of Rotary! His contributions to our club have been many and we miss having him with us each week. Although things have been difficult for him lately, he did tell Pat Kinney to let us all to know that although he misses us, ZOOM is just not his thing! Thanks to Spud for all he has done for our club over those 50 years – we appreciate ALL his contributions.

Finally, I am sure that there are some whom I have failed to mention by name, but I would like to thank ALL OF YOU for your support and encouragement this year. It has been my great honor to serve as your President and to get to know so many of you so much better. This year’s theme of “Rotary Connects the World” has been special to me in many ways, but most importantly it has been my connections to all of you that have made my life rich beyond words.

These past four months, in particular have been a great challenge to all of us, but I cannot tell you how very impressed I am of the quick pivot that you all have made to keep Rotary a part of your lives. Your adaptability and good humor during this switch to a new way of being together should not surprise me at all – you are ROTARIANS after all – but it has been heartwarming and comforting to know that our Rotary family is still intact despite the challenges.

I have one last thing to offer as I say goodbye to my year. As President of the club, I am given the honor of recognizing someone who I feel has been particularly helpful during my year of service. As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that our club achieved early on this year was the relocation of our weekly meetings to a new venue. The committee did a fantastic job of finding a new place to meet and working out all the details to make our weekly meetings at the Doubletree a reality. One person in particular had to figure out a way for us to take care of the weekly detail of payment to the venue. This person was instrumental in setting up the system for the credit card payments and transfer of funds each week. He did this fairly seamlessly without question or complaint (well, not many 😊) and also made it so that we can now pay our dues and make contributions online as well.

For his extra efforts this year, I would like to recognize our Treasurer, Russ Webb as the 2019-2020 Rotarian of the Year.

We did things a little differently this year, and I gave Russ his plaque earlier this week by having him stop by my house to “pick up” some paperwork. Thank you to Russ for your work as our Treasurer and for being such an integral part of our club. Congratulations!

There are many things that I had hoped to achieve this year that unfortunately did not come to pass because of the shut-down, but I have to say that I don’t feel discouraged, because I know that we will do great things together again very soon, and I can’t wait to help President Joni and the club continue our mission into the next Rotary year.

Randall Perry - Project Manager - Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance

Stacey Hannon introduced Randall Perry, Senior Project Manager for CLWMA Inc. Randall works on a variety of lake and watershed projects with the Alliance members. He joined the Alliance in 2016. Prior to that he was employed at Fredonia University and also worked as a geological consultant. Randall also is a retired member of the US Armed Services. He knows all about service above self.

The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance evolved from the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission in late 2014. The organization was established for the benefit of all lake and watershed stakeholders.

The Mission of the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance – Working in collaboration with lake and watershed-related organizations, municipalities, and other stakeholders, the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance will promote and facilitate implementation of recommendations from the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan and the Chautauqua Macrophyte Management Strategy by prioritizing projects, securing funding and allocating resources.

The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance has worked on a variety of projects (56+) that have totaled approximately $6.33 million. Some projects include the Lucille Ball Memorial Park and the Mayville/Chautauqua stormwater study.

The Alliance consists of Board of Nine Directors, staff, committees, members and other key stakeholders and funders. Our very own Vince Horrigan, Col (R) is the Interim Executive Director, with Randall Perry as Project Manager and Taylor West as Communications Coordinator.

Alliance members include but is not limited to, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Villages of Bemus Point, Celoron, Lakewood and Mayville, Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Roger Tory Peterson Insitute, etc. For a full list, visit the alliance web site at http://www.chautauquaalliance.org/.

Randall gave an overview of the challenges facing Chautauqua Lake. They include nuisance macrophyte (plant) growth and harmful algal blooms. Both are major issues facing the watershed. These two challenges are caused by excess sediment and nutrient loading from the watershed and a buildup of phosphorous over time, which fuels macrophyte and algal bloom growth over time.

The Alliance is working diligently to address these issues by:

Balanced approach that focuses on unity of effort and partnerships in the lake and the watershed
Long-term and short-term planning
Maintenance, protection and enhancement of the watershed
Stakeholder collaboration for diversity of lake uses.

The Alliance also has worked or is working on a variety of projects, including:

Streambank stabilization and restoration
Stormwater management studies
Green infrastructure retrofits
Roadside swale improvements
Education and outreach
Land conservation and source water protection
Waterfront access and amenities
Wastewater management
Data collection and monitoring

The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance also has committee structures as well to help it fulfill its mission. Some committees include:

Lake Management – coordinate and collaborate about lake management issues.
Watershed Management – recommend watershed projects for grant submission.
Scientific Review and Advisory – provided recommendations to the Alliance board regarding Alliance projects.

Going forward, The Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Alliance will continue to use a balanced approach for lake and watershed management by utilizing current guidance documents; focus on unity of effort and facilitating partnerships for improved and responsive lake management; and collect/gather lake and watershed data to better understand and the manage the lake and watershed.

To see all of the wonderful and important projects the Alliance is spearheading, please visit their web site at http://www.chautauquaalliance.org/.

Liz and Jeremy Gruber - Peterson's Candies

Stacey Hannon introduced Jeremy and Liz Gruber, who are personal friends. Liz graduated from JHS in 1998. She loves to learn and holds degrees in history, teaching, and a Masters in Library Science from JCC, Fredonia State and UB. In addition to owning Peterson’s Candies she is Head of Libraries at Fredonia Central School and mother to son, Jonah. Jeremy is also a local guy who graduated from Panama and has a degree in accounting from the University of Dayton. In 2007 Jeremy returned to Jamestown and the two met and they were married in 2011.

Liz spoke first, about how she met the last owners of Peterson’s Candies, Chris and Steve Frankson, through the Prendergast Library where Liz was a librarian. She felt an immediate connection. They were so community minded and so hard working. Plus, Steve was a toy collector as is Liz.

A couple of years ago Chris approached Liz when she was director of the library in Busti, saying that they were selling their business, and would Liz and Jeremy be interested? At that time they declined, since they had their hands full with their family and jobs.

A year or so passed, and Liz saw Chris, who mentioned that the store was still for sale. This time, Jeremy and Liz really considered it, and prayed about it and decided to make a bid. Jeremy quit his job. So, Liz became a Mom, a librarian and a part-time candy store owner and Jeremy became a full time candy store owner. They have owned the business happily for a year and a half since December 2018.

Jeremy took up the story here. He remembers that in May of 2018, they drove by the store, with its candy canes out front, and he commented that, if he were to own a business, the Corn Crib would be the kind of business he would want to run. So they began to study the finances of it, and in October they put in the bid, and the sale closed in December 2018.

History

The Corn Crib opened in 1931 at the corner of 3^rd and Pine in Jamestown. They sold mainly nuts and popcorn.

Emil Peterson started working there when he was 19. When he returned from WWII, Emil purchased it from the original owner. He wanted to make candy and so added candy when he became the owner. Liz and Jeremy showed some wonderful photos from the Jamestown location. Many people who went to Jamestown High School remember going to get candy and popcorn.

Liz talked about some of the products: the number one seller for Father’s Day is the Beetle candies (like a turtle, but that name is copyrighted). It is caramel, locally roasted pecans and milk or dark chocolate. Another favorite is Reception Wafers, one of the oldest and most trusted recipes.

Emil grew the business by adding candy and building a second location in the 1950’s in Busti, which was originally called the “summer cottage”. Early ads show that there were specials only at the Busti store, to encourage people to make the trip. He put the candy canes outside the store which have become its trademark.

The candy canes are all made in the shop. It is part of the Heritage collection. The rollers used in the process are wooden, and are probably 100 years old.

In the late 60’s the building in Jamestown was falling in disrepair. It was torn down as a part of urban renewal about the same time as Brooklyn Square. Between 1972-1973 the business was moved to Busti. Many of the trappings of the original store were incorporated in Busti, including the sign and the pendants.

Winston Frankson purchased the business in 1976 when Emil Peterson retired. He was Master Candy Maker for Betty Dixon Candies, but wanted to become an owner. When he retired in 1990, he sold the business to his son, Steve Frankson and his wife Chris.

When Liz and Jeremy bought the business, Chris agreed to teach them about using the molds and Winston also mentored them, because Steve passed away. Winston continues to do so today.

Winston built an addition to the building with a cooling room and cooling tunnel, speeding the production process. So, they still molded by hand, but the cooling was faster.

Chocolate has to be tempered. It is heated, then cooled, then heated again so there are no white specks and the chocolate has the shiny glean. Chris and Steve bought a pump for the mold, further speeding the process.

There is a story about the closing date in December. The day the business closed is Liz’s grandfather’s birthday. He was a toy collector of trains just as Steve was and had a real sweet tooth. So it was fitting that the closing should be on his birthday.

Liz and Jeremy hope to make their mark on the business by retaining the tradition of handmade candy, but modernizing sales and marketing where they can. There is room for growth electronically. They have a very active FaceBook page. Last year the web page was updated, providing on-line purchases. So they were able to provide chocolate over Easter by shipping it. This has been so important during the shutdown.

FLASH Until June 17, you can order Father's Day candy through their website for pick up on June 19 or 20!

Now that they are feeling confident in their production, they are also looking to expand candy sales at other shops, such as stocking it in flower shops.

Q: What percent of sales is chocolate? They estimate about 80%. It’s important to realize that 95% of the products are made locally.

Q: Why do Germans and Swiss have such a toehold in the milk chocolate market? Their chocolate has more cream, so it does taste different. American milk chocolate recipes are a little more bitter. It is intentionally mixed to have a “bite”. German and Swiss chocolate companies are now owned by large conglomerates and can afford advertising and marketing.

We are all looking forward to the day when we can stop by, peruse the assortment, try a sample and buy a bunch!

Linnea Carlson - Jamestown Farmer’s Market

Stacey Hannon introduced Linnea Carlson, our speaker for today. Linnea is the director of the Jamestown Public Market since 2018. Linnea is from Frewsburg and received her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Fredonia and her master’s degree from Fordham University in Social Work. She reestablished the Dunkirk Salvation Army and food pantry and volunteered in Dunkirk before moving to Jamestown to work for the Downtown Farmer’s Market.

The origin of the Jamestown Public Market dates back to the early 1900s when it occupied the entire corner on Main and Harrison in Brooklyn Square (this author remembers walking with her Grandmother down the huge Glasgow Hill where Jamestown General Hospital was to help carry her packages back to the family home to the top of the hill on William Street). The selection of fruits, vegetables, candy and meats from all ethnic backgrounds was tremendous and mystifying for a young child!

The new market is held on Cherry Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets every Saturday from 10 til 2 from June to October. It is funded due to the largesse of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Thrift Shop.
Several new procedures will be followed to keep the community safe such as masks, face coverings, social distancing, and customers will need to assist in bagging their purchases.

Last year there were 232 food stamp transactions, $2600 in Double Up Food Bucks transactions, 266+ SPROUTS Children’s’ sales, with 6 seasonal vendors (8 this year), totaling 15 vendors, 12 community composters and over $10,000 in total SNAP, DUFB, Credit and SPROUTS sales.

Each week last year there were community events, that will or will not be taking place due to Covid-19 restrictions. These included outdoor Yoga exercises, 1K Fun Run, and the finger painting and music making led by the Chautauqua County Children’s Coalition.

This year the Jamestown Public Market is listed to receive funds donated during the Give Big CHQ campaign.

All vendors are local, and they produce honey, meat, baked goods, bath and beauty items and accessories. For every $1.00 spent at the market, $2.29 is returned to our community.

The Jamestown Public Market also runs the Jamestown Mobile Market which helps to address the “FOOD DESERT” which included almost all the City of Jamestown from Moon Brook Country Club to Camp Street. Most people in Jamestown live more than one mile from a store and many of those are Senior citizens and those with no vehicle.

On Wednesday of this week the Mobile Market will be at Silver Tree Apts. On Crane St. at 10am, then at 11:30am they will visit Silver Tree on North Main St. and at 1pm they will visit the Chautauqua Center. Anyone is welcome to purchase, not just residents or customers of those locations.

They have an older vehicle that is not very dependable, so times may vary. They load up the truck with fresh produce and set up a pop-up tent at the place they are visiting. They sell produce that amounts to about $1/serving. Some of the produce people have never seen before such as kale, orange tomatoes, and apples that are not red.

Sometimes, when there is time, Cornell Cooperative Extension will engage with community members and present demonstrations on cooking and preserving.

Currently they are participating in the Great Seedling Giveway consisting of herbs and vegetable seedlings located outside of St. Luke’s former Rectory.

All are welcome to purchase from the Market or donate to the Market and its programs by sending a check to St. Luke’s earmarked for the market or donate to Give Big CHQ for the Jamestown Public Market.

Like the Jamestown Public Market on Facebook here!

Paul Maigne and Ana Tufaile - Rotary Exchange

Paul Maigne, our French Exchange student, is from southwest France Nouvelle Aquitaine, Department Lot-et-Garonne. A beautiful rural, farm and field area where they grow wine. The nearby city has 7,000 inhabitants. The town has a beautiful Farmer’s Market and a flower market; they have wonderful fireworks on Bastille Day and every May there are bullfights of sort – rather a ballet of toreadors with the bulls, but the bulls are not harmed. The area is known for ARGENT, which is a slow cooked prune in water until all the water is gone.

Paul’s favorite activities are rugby, soccer, judo, and badminton and he loves to go to McDonald’s with his friends. He also has passion for Formula 1 race cars, wakeboarding and skateboarding.

A cultural difference is that in France while the drinking age is 18, children can drink before then and often do drink wine at special occasions and dinners.

One of Paul’s favorite meals is cassoulet which consists of beans, bacon and sausage. Another famous dish is foie gras consisting of goose or duck liver, which is delicious. Paul also mentioned the importance of bread in their lives, which is served at every meal.

Paul’s family consists of a brother age 23, who was a Rotary exchange student to Sweden and is now studying politics in Paris and another brother, age 20 who is studying engineering in Toulouse. His mother Marianne is a secretary and father, Bertrand, is a chiropractor and a Rotarian.

There are 800 students in Paul’s school who attend class from 8am to 5pm. There are several vacations each year of about two weeks each time. There are no extracurricular clubs or sports team at the school. The students cannot choose their classes.

Paul will be flying home on June 12 and expressed great thanks for the time he has spent here in the Jamestown area and for the hospitality of his host families – the Spillane’s, the Bauer’s and the Mason’s and for attending Maple Grove High School.

Our second presentation was from Ana Tufaile our exchange student from Brazil, South America, where they speak Portuguese. Named after the brazilwood tree originally found in the country, the area was colonized by many different people due to the Portuguese who brought African slaves to the area. Italians and Japanese helped to colonize the country as well. The religions in the country reflect its diversity with Christians, Islam, Afro-Brazilians, Jewish, etc. The country gained its independence September 7, 1822.

The country of Brazil has several different areas. The North is where the indigenous folks live and there are wonderful foods and dance customs. It is the largest are including the Amazon River Basin and the Amazon Rainforest.

The Northeast is the vacation area which is very warm. It is the 3rd largest area and has the largest coast. The temperatures are high all year round and with little rainfall it is the place where most people vacation.

The Midwest area is known for its animal diversity. It has no access to the coast, but it has many waterfalls and the beautiful biome known as Amazonia.

The Southeast area is the second smallest but the most populous with Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro included. It is also the most developed area.

Finally, the Southern area has only one city, beautiful waterfalls, well-defined seasons and a little bit of snow.

Popular foods in the country include bread and cheese, brigadieros (Brazilian fudge balls) and feijoada – a Brazilian black bean stew or tapas like dishes of beans and meats, usually served on Sunday when folks and families gather.

The favorite national drink is the Cachaca.

Carnival is a festival celebrated countrywide for one entire week.

Ana’s family consists of her mother and father, sisters, brothers, cousins and her grandparents. Her grandfather emigrated and brought with him many religious and familial customs.

Ana’s area – Sao Jose do Rio Preto is growing rapidly because of the growth and sale of coffee, rice and beans.

Ana has lived with Cheri Krull, Kelly Dawson, Lisa Yaggie and the Wendel’s and is grateful for their hospitality. She will be staying in our area until early August when she will return home.

During her time here she has learned that she doesn’t like snow; she’s capable of much more than when she arrived; she has discovered much about herself; she is stronger; she is more independent; and she has learned to ski. For all of this she is grateful.

Neil Robinson - Holland Land Company History

Becky Robbins introduce our speaker today, Neil Robinson. He spoke to us about the history of the Holland Land Company in the early days of Chautauqua County.

Neil grew up in Lakewood and is a graduate of Southwestern Central High School. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in history and from Cleveland Marshall College of Law as an attorney.

Practicing in the Robinson Law Office, Neil is Town Attorney for the Towns of Ellery and Harmony. He is the former Town Attorney for Busti (under the Robbins administration). He was the first assistant district attorney for Chautauqua County for 19 years. He is special counsel to the Lime Lake Sewer District, former counsel for the Findley Lake Sewer District and former chair of the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District.

In addition, Neil served as an adjunct professor at SUNY Fredonia for six years.

He was a founding member and past President of the Bemus Point Historical Society. His wife Judie is a former Mayor of Bemus Point. Neil and Judie lived for many years in the Bemus/Ellery area but moved to Jamestown several years ago and had an influence on Dale and Becky Robbins moving to Jamestown.

The couple attends Holy Apostles Parish in Jamestown. They are the parents of Scott (a local banker), Lindsay (an attorney in Cleveland) and Matthew, a surveyor here in our area.

Neil Robinson was introduced by Becky Robbins, who shared that Neil was a member of Becky’s and Dale’s wedding party.

When the Puritans came to this country, they had a charter from King James to go as far west as one could imagine. In 1664, the charter of New Amsterdam went as far west as who knows?

After the revolution when colonies became states, both New York and Massachusetts claimed ownership of the land – the Hartford Compromise settled the claim. New York would own the land and Massachusetts would receive the money from the sale. Massachusetts sold all the land west of the Genesee River to Phelps and Gorham who then sold it to Robert Morris (the richest man in the country at that time) for $3 million. No title could be given until a survey was completed which depended on the Indians agreeing – which they did not. The Seneca Nation claimed they owned the land. The syndicate told Morris to settle the claim with the Seneca tribe. The Treaty at Big Tree was finally agreed to with the Indians receiving extraordinarily little compensation ($100,000) in comparison to what they lost (3.3 million acres) to the Holland Land Company. The first land sale was in 1801 and then the company moved the office to Batavia when Genesee Country was founded in 1802.

The Holland Land Company was really the first form of government in western New York.

The Holland Land Company hired Joseph Ellicott as Chief Surveyor. He was very accomplished after surveying all the company’s land in northwestern Pennsylvania. His objective was to lay out the 3.3 million acres of land, arrange boundaries for the Indian Reservations and subdivide all the towns into counties measuring six miles square. The towns were further divided in 64 lots (8 miles by 8 miles). Ellicott developed the standard one-foot ruler and required complete field notebooks describing the land, waters, mill seats, valleys, mines, minerals, etc. His final report included types of trees, potential sites of towns and suitability of soil for raising crops. The report also identified different types of wildlife including snakes, bears, wolves, elk, foxes, deer, minks, otters and other animals.

Ellicott’s son became the surveyor for large tracts of wilderness. Every deed for property west of the Genesee begins with reference to the Holland Land Company. For the next 20 years, Ellicott was the resident in charge of land sales. Several subagents were appointed in various areas. In the southern tier it was William Seward (future Secretary of State under Lincoln.)

It took two years for 150 men to complete the survey – by chains and links 66 ft. long. It turned out to be a fully accurate survey. Ellicott got it done and the HLC hired him as their agent for $11,000, to survey the City of Buffalo, and the Black Creek area. He brought in government, built roads and infrastructure There had been only one road in Chautauqua Co. – the Portage Road, built by the French. People were not interested in buying as there was no way to get products in or out. The area was very dense wilderness. Who did they sell the land to? New England settlers took advantage to buy under land contracts for $1 down and so much per year.
Ellicott wanted landowners to have votes to pressure Albany to set up government to build more infrastructure.

Batavia, Buffalo and Mayville were locations for 3 more offices. The recorded deeds were held in Batavia.

Chautauqua County’s first settlers were William Bemus in 1806 who came from Saratoga with his brother-in-law James Prendergast. Bemus landed at what is now the ferry landing in Bemus and built a sawmill on the lake and a huge home on the Westman Road.

William Peacock laid out Mayville and disgruntled settlers set fire to all records. Little did they know that the Holland Land Company had duplicates.

We could have gone on for hours listening to this wonderful history of western New York. If you want more information, check out www.nyheritage.org. Don’t miss a minute of it – it was enthralling.

Thank You Neil Robinson.

Artone - Michael Calimeri & Antonietta Donisi

JUSTIN HANFT INTRODUCED OUR SPEAKERS MICHAEL CALIMERI/PRESIDENT & OWNER OF ARTONE MANUFACTURING AND ANTONIETTA DONISI/HOSPITALITY SALES ASSISTANT.

Michael Calimeri / President & Owner: Michael oversees all aspects of the company and is directly involved in sales.

After a couple of years at a local community college, Mike started his career on the factory floor when the company was much smaller and is familiar with all aspects of the business. He appreciates being involved in the everyday workings of the company and makes sure that he not only monitors the operations but is also a productive contributor. Mike pays attention to all the customers and all their jobs and helps ensure that projects flow through in a timely and efficient manner.

With such strong experience and industry knowledge he is an important contributor to sales and customer development. Mike looks forward to attending trade shows, sales visits, and forming new relationships. Where necessary Mike will attend meeting with potential new customers in order to answer questions and convey Artone’s philosophy that quality and timeliness drive our business.

Mike is proud of the fact that Artone employ's nearly 100 people. He gets great pleasure from knowing that they not only enjoy coming to work, but are able to support their families by so doing. In his own words, “I make every effort to get it right each day because our people care and do a great job. They deserve to work for a company that gets it right”.

Outside of Artone, Mike enjoys cooking, boating, snowmobiling and various home projects.

Antonietta Donisi / Hospitality Sales Assistant: Antonietta is Artone’s Sales Assistant. She assists both the Corporate Sales Team as well as the expanding team of Independent Sales Representatives located across the country. While her responsibilities are vast, her primary focus is building Artone’s relationship with current and future customers.

Antonietta recently moved back to the Jamestown area from New York City where she graduated (December 2016) from the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York City with a Bachelor of Fashion Business Management and an Associate of Fashion Merchandising Management. She previously worked for Global Brands Group as the Product Development Assistant where she managed the development of a seasonal product for big name brands such as Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein. Since her return to Jamestown, she has used her sales and business skills from her studies to optimize sales in Artone’s sales department. While she is only (2) years into the Hospitality market of business, she continues to learn and develop while mastering her sales skill along the way. In her spare time, she loves to travel, indulge in fine wines, and work on various individual projects of home improvement and clothing design.

Mike reintroduced himself to the Club. He was a member in 1998 and found he had to leave the Club due to travel demands on his schedule.

Artone purchased their 250,000 sq. ft. present headquarters from Bush Industries and are utilizing 190,000 sq. ft. for floor space and some of the remainder for office space.

The company manufactures "case goods" such as headboards, night stands, etc. for hotels primarily. They design and produce the case goods along with mill work such as closets and vanities and then they install all of the finished products. Many of their customers prefer that ARTONE DOES IT ALL. The company work with low and high pressure laminates/formicas or veneers. They incorporate solid wood, quartz, lighting and electrical components into the customer's designs. They have great relationships with the design community and utilize all materials and finally take full responsibility from the design to the finished room.

Artone's top sales are in the boutique, one-of-a kind hotels and casinos. The design is made for that specific place and no other. They bring to life the idea or location and build it once and never again.

Their second sales niche is standing room decor brands such as the Wyndham brand which consists of five or six grades of hotels. The hotel comes to Artone with the design and they turn it into reality.

Calimieri noted the company has one dozen sales representatives throughout the country that provide service and guidance to customers.

Artone began manufacturing component parts for office furniture on Institute Street in 1974. They continued producing desks and filing cabinets through most of the 1980s. Companies then began wanting their own products, built to suit their own specific needs and wants. Artone manufactures and installs almost every case good in the MICROTEL Hotel chain. Then the company began divesting into health care nursing homes, etc. In the 1990s, Artone designed and installed the case goods in DSW shoe stores and is in all 600 stores today. These retail fixtures are co-patented with the shoe company.

For many years, Artone dabbled in different ventures and finally five years ago they focused on one niche. They still service DSW and health care customers, but their focus is on the hotel, entertainment and hospitality industry. New units include special lighting features and high tech plugin facilities for electronics. The designs are more sophisticated, even featuring motion detectors that turn lighting on and off. Obviously business is difficult during the Covid 19 Pandemic because people aren't traveling, but the company is managing to continue to produce though not at previous levels.

Thank you to Mike and Antonietta for a fascinating look at a long-time local business.

Be sure to check out their lovely website at www.artonemfg.com.

Dr. Bert Apthorpe - Superintendent - Jamestown Public Schools

President Cheri introduced Dr. Bret Apthorpe, a member of our Club who is presently on leave of absence due to the heaping number of issues on his plate.

Bret attended Mayville High School and worked on the Sea Lion Project for 10 years. After college he taught Social Studies at Southwestern High School and continued his education eventually earning his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Rochester.

Dr. Apthorpe noted that we are at week eight of the governor's charge to deal with the Covid 19 virus in the public schools. The Governor's mandate while the physical schools are closed included:
1) continue to educate students;
2) feed the students;
3) provide childcare.

All of the High School students have been provided with laptops and Junior High Students have been provided with iPads for distance learning. So while the school buildings are closed, education continues.
Apthorpe noted than none of the teachers were taught how to teach from home and are under great pressure and stress managing the students in their classrooms while many have children of their own who need help with their new learning tasks. He gives great credit to the staff of Jamestown Public Schools.

Seventy percent of Jamestown's school children live below the poverty level. They may not have had access to internet, their parents maay be employed in essential positions and are not in the home to help their children and other parents are also working their own jobs from home, so they are stressed with demands on their time as well.

Feeding the children has been a monumental task as well. Breakfast and lunch packs amounting to over 200,000 meals are prepared every week day by essential worker staff members that work extremely hard for some of the lowest remuneration in the school system. The food is dropped off at convenient places throughout the city for daily pickup and the schools also provide a weekend package of food for the children.

Childcare is provided for children between 3 and 11 of essential worker parents at no cost. The school has also arranged for care of newborns and the very young with partnership agencies if necessary.

Apthorpe noted how blessed we are in this community to have leaders of non-profit agencies working together for the common good with no competition between them other than to solve problems and tasks at hand.

The Superintendent of Schools noted that there will be no graduation ceremony at Chautauqua Institution this June. He has requested the senior class members to submit their best practices ideas for a ceremony by June 1st, Then they will meet with Apthorpe to decide what form graduation with take - his only caveat is that it be safe and meaningful. Even though the students are disappointed now, over time, he hopes they will remember the uniqueness of this time period.

As to the question of reopening the schools, he noted that Chautauqua County is grouped with Erie County (Buffalo area), who cannot consider opening until there are 14 straight days of downward numbers of Covid patients.

How do you reopen the schools?

According to CDC recommendations - social distancing of 6 feet is a must! How do you do this with a five year old child who loves to touch, explore and hug their teacher? The tasks are monumental, especially in the cafeteria and in our old schools. If you are to participate in sports or music - how are you going to do it?

PPE Personal protective Equipment would call for 6,000 masks for students and staff. Should they be disposable or reusable - how many children would forget to bring them back each day? Drinking fountains would need to be banned; children need to be hydrated. Think of all the water bottles!

Would we be able to stagger start times?

Questions were asked of Apthorpe regarding costs, budgets, state aid and assessments of returning students to determine where they stand. The Superintendent indicated that plans are being made for additional summer programs to augment LEAP which is a literacy program. LEAP offers 600 students, 2 meals each day, 2 hours with teachers each day and physical and intellectual activities. This has been underwritten by United Way, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and various organization such as our own Rotary Club. The School system is looking toward a K through 8th grade math and literacy camp as well.