Happy New Year! ll
from a at of us
December 29, 2019
WESTSIDE NEWS INC. Publishers of Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald
Issue No. 52
www.westsidenewsny.com
DISTRIBUTED TO CLARKSON, HAMLIN AND KENDALL
A look back at 2019 - The Year in Review January
The soccer dome at Doug Miller’s Glacier Ridge Sports Park on West Ridge Road in Parma was torn and leveled by high wind gusts in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Wayne Zyra (center) received the Monika W. Andrews Creative Volunteer Leadership Award in February for his leadership as President of the Sweden Community Recreation Foundation, taking a lead role with the Foundation in securing funds to build the new Park Lodge and new playground in the Sweden Town Park.
In February, Bill Andrews made a permanent gift of framed historic maps from his private collection to Brockport’s Hill School. In September, Andrews received the Association for Public Historians of New York State 2019 “Excellence in Promoting Local History Award” in recognition of his record of publishing Brockport history.
Byron-Bergen elementary students raised over $1,700 towards the training and care of the Genesee County Sheriff Department’s new K-9 officer, Deputy Frankie.
•Byron-Bergen High School received delivery of $25,000 worth of state of the art equipment to support the agriculture, biology, chemistry, and physics programs. The school received an America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Grant for the equipment. •Hilton junior Tah’Jae Hill achieved a career milestone on January 8 when he scored his 1,000th career point. Hill was the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 points. •Long-time Holley wrestling coach, John Grillo, announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season. He was honored at the Hawks senior night on January 15. •The Clarkson Town Board held a special meeting on January 15 following the abrupt resignation of Town Supervisor Jerry Underwood. The board elected Christa Filipowicz to serve the remaining year of the term. She became the first woman to hold the supervisor position in Clarkson. •Two events were held in Brockport on January 17 to honor civil rights leader Fannie Barrier Williams. •Randy Dumas was honored with a Brittany Fellowship Award by the Genesee Region Kiwanis for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Empire State Games, and his volunteer fundraising efforts to assist individuals and families dealing with effects and costs associated with pediatric Lyme disease. •A $5.8 million project that repaved and rehabilitated 7.2 miles of the Lake Ontario State Parkway between Route 19 in Hamlin and Route 237 in Kendall was completed. •The Greater Brockport Chamber of Commerce presented the Alan S. Bader Community Service Award to Cindy Ingraham, the Beautification Award to Carl Grasta of Gardenway Construction, and the Business of the Year Award to Jimmy Zisovski of Jimmy Z’s.
FEBRuary •The Village of Hilton began efforts to develop a new Comprehensive Plan. •For the first time in school history, a team comprised of 15 Brockport High School students qualified for the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament. •The Tri-County Youth Hockey Squirt Travel team earned a Silver Medal in the U-10 Ice Hockey competition at the 2019 Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid on February 3. •2004 New York State champion Donald Williams of Kendall and three-time Section V champ in the early 1980s Trevor Graham of Spencerport were among seven 2019 inductees into the Section V Wrestling Hall of Fame.
•Students at Churchville Elementary School raised $18,332, and Chestnut Ridge Elementary School raised over $23,000, for the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge. •One year removed from winning only two games, Spencerport’s hockey team rebounded in a big way to win their first Division title since the 1998-99 season and reached the Section V final for the first time in program history. •The 2019 Hilton Cadets were the first team in New York state history to have four individual wrestling state champions in one season. Gregor McNeil (99 lb.), Greg Diakomihalis (113 lb.), Ryan Burgos (126 lb.) and Sammy Deprez (195 lb.) all won NYSPHSAA Division 1 state titles in Albany on February 23.
Walt Horylev (left) received the 2019 Hilton Citizen of the Year Award in March.
MARCH
•In celebration of Women’s History Month, a series of articles shared the stories of women who were long-time residents of this area – Helen Lemcke, Mary (Wittman) Rupp, and Jean Martin Brooks. •Zarpentine Farms in Hilton received a grant through the Farmland Protection Program to permanently protect 98 acres of farmland from future development. •The First Presbyterian Church of Holley held a free concert on March 17 in celebration of its 200th year. •The Hilton Winter Drumline placed first at the WGI East Regional Preliminary Competition on March 16 in Toms River, NJ where they outscored 20 drumlines from seven eastern states. The group was also awarded a promotion to the prestigious Percussion Scholastic Open Class. •Cornell sophomore and Hilton native Yianni Diakomihalis claimed his second national title at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships. He was among a group of athletes honored at The White House in November. •The Brockport Golden Eagles womens gymnastics team won the 2019 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association National Championship, their first title since 2012, led by senior Candis Kowalik, who earned the title of NCGA All-Around National Champion. •The Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce presented the Citizen of the Year Award to Jim Barton and Gary Penders, Business Person of the Year Award to Carol Nellis-Ewell, Civic Beautification Award to the Spencerport Volunteer Firemen’s Exempts Association, and Member of the Year Award to Diana Coleman. •Byron-Bergen Central Schools named Kenneth Hay (Class of 1966) and Dennis DeVelder (Class of 2001) to the district’s Alumni Hall of Fame for 2019.
Continued on page 8
Churchville Elementary School completed a 1,000+ can Canstruction project in March with all donated food going to Foodlink. Third-grader Grace Hasselberg (left) led the project.
At the end of the fourth-grade spelling bee at Brockport’s Hill School on March 20, teacher Christopher Albrecht (second from right) was surprised with the announcement that he had been selected for induction into The National Teachers Hall of Fame. The official induction was June 21 in Emporia, Kansas.
Spencerport resident Nathan Paetsch was lending a veteran presence to help the Rochester Amerks down the home stretch of their season.