oakfield-alabama

Press Release:

Residents of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District are being reminded to vote on Tuesday, May 16, at the Oakfield-Alabama High School from noon to 8 p.m. 

Posters about the Haxton Memorial Library vote featuring local residents and library patrons can be seen in the library and at various locations throughout the area. The signs and posters are a reminder for residents that their votes will determine the future of the Haxton Memorial Library.

A presentation by the Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees with details about the proposition was held at the Oakfield Government and Community Center on March 28 at 7 p.m. Details from this meeting can be viewed at www.HaxtonLibrary.org/vote and can also be picked up at the library. An informational flier with details about the budget vote was mailed to Oakfield-Alabama School District residents in mid-March.

The Board of Trustees also hosted two small group sessions at the library for residents on April 13 and 15. At these meetings, Carol D’Alba, president, and other Trustees from the noard of the Haxton Memorial Library, shared information about the May 16 vote that proposes to transition the library to a school district public library. The library’s service area would expand to serve the residents of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.

The library would remain housed in the same building with the same staff. The school district would have no direct control of the library but would collect funds for the library. This transition to a school district public library would stabilize the funding needed to operate the library and provide elected representation to the taxpayers as library trustees will be elected rather than appointed. 

According to D’Alba, “We hope that residents remember to vote on May 16. At our meetings and online, we have explained that library usage remains strong while our funding has decreased. With this vote, the proposed level of community-based funding would amount to 57 cents per $1000 of assessed values on properties in the Oakfield-Alabama School District. Without this transition, the future of the library is uncertain. We have been encouraged by the positive comments we have received from the community who believe that the library is important to all of us.” 

The slide presentation, along with additional information about the upcoming library vote, are available online at the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org/vote. Residents with questions can also contact D’Alba by calling the library at (585) 948-9900.

Photo: Submitted by Patt Fagan

After the scheduled opponent for Elba/Oakfield-Alabama on Saturday for a golf match failed to show up with enough players, the team played a round anyway.

It turned out to be a momentous day for EOA's Jake Walczak, who aced Hole 7, a 177-yard Par 3, for his first career hole-in-one.

It's the first hole-in-one for the team since 2016. 

Coach Mike Cintorino said, "Walczak felt as though he hit a great shot when it came off the face of his 7-iron. As it landed and went toward the hole, the excitement level in the group raised. The crescendo was hit when they all saw the ball disappear next to the flag. When the foursome of Walczak, Brayden Smith, Aiden Warner, and Eli Loysen walked up to the pin, their excitement was validated as Walczak reached down to pull his Titleist Pro-V1 out of the cup. This was Walczak’s first ever hole-in-one and quite a moment for the senior golfer who has been on the team since 7th grade."

The match against Keshequa will be rescheduled.

Photo by Kristin Smith.

Colton Yasses threw five innings of one-hit ball as Oakfield-Alabama beat Elba on Saturday 13-0.

Brayden Smith went 3-3 with four RBIs, scoring three runs. Aiden Warner was 2-3 with two runs scored. David Schnaufer was 1-2 with a walk and five RBIs. Austin Pangrazio was 2-3 with a run scored.

The Hornets are 8-1.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Submitted match information and photo.

The Elba/OA Lancers defeated the Attica Blue Devils 187-194 on Tuesday at Batavia Country Club.

The Lancers Jake Walczak (photo) was medalist with a round of 41, while teammate Brayden Smith fired a 43.

Attica’s Evan Piechowiak led the Blue Devils with a 42. The Lancers improve to 3-1, while the Blue Devils are now 4-1. 

Brayden Smith tossed a five-inning no-hitter and was 3-3 at the plate with three RBIs and four runs scored as part of a dominating win by Oakfield-Alabama over Holley on Friday.

The Hornets banged out 19 hits and won 28-0 to move to 7-0 on the season while Holley falls to 0-4.

Aiden Warner was 2-3 with four RBIs and five runs scored. David Schufer was 2-3 with three RBIs. Colton Yasses, 2-4, three runs scored, and Brenden Wescott 2-4.

Thirteen players collected hits for O-A.

Smith K'd 13.  Only one hitter reached base on an error.

Submitted photo.

Brodie Hyde and Colton Yasses combined to strike out 12 Trojans over six innings to help lead Oakfield-Alabama to a 13-3 win over Alexander (1-2) on Thursday.

The Hornets are now 6-0 to open the season.

David Schnaufer drove in three runs for O-A, going 2-4.  He had O-A's only multi-hit game. Brayden Smith was 1-3 with three RBIs. Hyde collected a hit and two walks, scoring all three times he reached base.  Aiden Warner also scored three runs, and Brenden Wescott scored twice.

Anthony Auricchio was 1-3 for Alexander, driving in two runs.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more game photos, click here.

Submitted story and photos.

The Elba/OA Lancers got off to a strong start with a 192-286 win over the visiting Pembroke Dragons at Batavia Country Club on Thursday.

Elba/OA senior Jake Walczak earned medalist honors with a round of 40, while  Elba/OA freshman Eli Loysen (46) and Jada Fite (48) both had strong rounds as well.

The Dragons were led by Cody Captain with a round of 56.

The Lancers are now 1-0 on the season, while the Dragons fall to 0-2.

Photo: Elba/OA Senior Jake Walczak teeing off 10 at Batavia CC

Oakfield-Alabama remains undefeated in baseball after beating Akron on Saturday, 10-7.

The 4-0 Hornets were led by Kyle Porter and Aiden Warner, who each went 3-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs apiece.

Colton Yasses was 2-4 with a run scored. Davi Schnaufer was 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI.  Shaun Alexander was 2-3 with a run scored and two RBI.

Brodie Hyde picked up the win, taking over in the first inning after Yasses faced only one batter, giving up a hit.  Hyde went six innings, giving up 10 hits and seven runs. Porter pitched an inning and struck out two while not letting a man reach base.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Oakfield-Alabama improved to 3-0 to start the baseball season with a 10-1 win over Pembroke (2-2) on Friday.

David Schnaufer collected three hits for the Hornets and drove in three runs. Kyle Porter had two hits and an RBI.

Colton Yasses got the win going 5 2/3 an inning, giving up three hits, three walks, and striking out nine. Schnaufer finished the game, pitching 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball.

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Sheriff's Deputies and Oakfield-Alabama teachers faced off in a charity fundraiser game in the high school gym on Thursday night.

The event was held to help raise money to support the family of Andy Merkel, who died unexpectedly on March 21 at age 38.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Oakfield-Alabama held a fundraiser for cancer research at Roswell Cancer Institute in Buffalo with its Bald for Bucks event in the high gym on Friday.

Top photo: Colton Ketchum, talking with Zach Watts from My Cut Barbershop in Batavia, was the first batter up to get his impressive curly red locks shaved off, which he said he did so he and a friend could participate together. 

The My Cut crew focusing on Colton includes Ray Williams, Connor Hyde-Hamilton, and Victor Thomas (in back).

This is the first time Oakfield-Alabama hosted the event since 2018.

Besides the crew from My Cut, barbers from Canzoneri’s and stylists from Jagged Edges participated in the event.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Gavin Snyder raised the most money, $1,050, among all the students who participated.

Jackson Burndett

D.J. Anthony, from Buffalo, kept the crowded lively during the event.

Alaina Williams gets sparkle strands in her hair from a stylist with Jagged Edges.

The Basom resident passed away unexpectedly on March 21 at age 38. He had three children.  He was a baseball coach, dog trainer, volunteer firefighter and emergency dispatcher.

The Oakfield-Alabama Little League is holding a prize raffle with a grand prize of a lifetime NYS Hunting and Fishing license or $500 cash.  Other prizes include an autographed Thurman Thomas Football, free pizza, cornhole boards and membership in the Oakfield Rod and Gun Club.  Tickets are $20 with the drawing to be held May 27 at the Alabama Hotel. To contact the league, click here. There are tickets available at Elba Central School, the Alabama Hotel, from board members, and the board meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at The Goose.

A charity basketball game, with all proceeds benefiting the Merkel family, is set for April 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakfield-Alabama High School.  The game will be played between the O-A faculty and deputy sheriffs. Tickets are $2 for students and $3 for adults.

A GoFundMe campaign has reached its target goal of $30,000 and is still accepting donations.

To read Andrew Merkel's obituary, click here.

Merkel was laid to rest on Monday. 

The top photo below is from the Sheriff's Office. The other photos are reader-submitted.

The full budget model presented to the Oakfield-Alabama Board of Education this week includes an expected zero percent tax levy increase for the 2023-24 budget year. 

O-A Business Administrator Christine Griffin submitted the zero-percent number on March 1, which is in compliance with the state's tax levy cap on growth.

“And your average has been .89% over the life of the tax cap legislation,” Griffin explained. “I think you’ve done your due diligence as board members to present fiscally responsible, tax-friendly budgets to your community.” 

Griffin also reported that the state legislative budget is due April 1, when the district will see final numbers on state aid. There has been word that both the New York Senate and Assembly are proposing additional funding to support universal school breakfast and lunch. 

Total expenditures are expected to be $24,094,600.

The projected levy, including adjustments, such as Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs), is $5,947,473.

After the legislative funding is released, the O-A BOE will hear a final budget report at their April meeting, adopt a 2023-24 budget, and approve the property tax report card. There will be a May 9 budget hearing, and then the board will vote on the budget at the May BOE meeting. 

Telecommunications rooms in the Oakfield-Alabama School District received the worst grade among technology systems sections, according to the recent Technology Conditions Survey conducted for the district. The O-A Board of Education heard the TCS presentation at this month’s regular board meeting.

Overall, the survey prepared by consultants with Archi-Technology, graded O-A technology a 3.2 out of 4, a score that is “pretty good, all things considered,” according to said Mark Cazer, Project Manager at Archi-Technology.

The top grades in the survey went to student devices, teacher technology, and security systems. 

“Generally, most of the problems in all of the districts we have seen is going to be in those telecommunication rooms,” Cazer said.

The comprehensive survey looks at everything technology related, including network connectivity, security systems, communication systems, instructional technology, computing devices, and software subscriptions. The telecommunications rooms are graded as part of the survey of technology infrastructure - cables, pathways, and spaces. 

Cazer reported that most of the telecommunications rooms in the district need either to be relocated or upgraded to meet industry standards for size and accessibility, water threats, security, equipment grounding, and cable management. “TR fixes can be expensive,” Cazer said, citing one estimate of $500,000 for one of the TR fix recommendations. “Typically, you build it into a capital improvement plan.” 

Cazer then explained the final part of the report, which is a 10-year “road map” that shows how the technology upgrades and maintenance can be prioritized and funded over in the coming decade.

Press Release:

Nominations will be accepted March 1 – May 15 for this year’s induction class of the Oakfield-Alabama Alumni Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding OACS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen field after high school through significant contributions to their career, community or through personal achievements; to provide an incentive for current and future students.

If you know a person who meets the following criteria, please consider nominating him/her for this prestigious honor:

1. Nominees must be graduates of OACS or one of its predecessors or have been active in school classes and activities during their senior year. (Nominees who left school while in good standing to perform military service are also eligible. Deceased alumni are not eligible for induction until the fifth anniversary of the year of their death.)
2. Nominees must have graduated prior to 2008.

3. Selection is based on achievement after leaving OACS which includes a worthy record in more than one, and exemplary achievement in at least one of the following categories:

• Job-related achievements
• Professional honors and awards, professional affiliations, publications
• Civic or community involvement
• Personal achievements/accomplishments
• Positive impact on the communities in the Oakfield-Alabama school district
• Other appropriate qualifications which the committee believes merit consideration

Anyone may submit a nomination for any person meeting the criteria stated above. Nominations must be made during the nomination period only (March 1 – May 15, 2023) by using the Online Nomination Form or the PDF Nomination Form (see link below). Electronically submitted nominations are strongly preferred over mailed-in, hardcopy nominations.

Access the Online Nomination Form here.

The Golden Gophers took a step closer to a state tournament berth in Girls Basketball with a 43-22 win over Oakfield-Alabama on Tuesday.

Pavilion's Karlee Zinkievich scored 18 points.  Lauren Kingsley scored 12, and Makayla Washburn scored eight.

For the Hornets, Ava Groff scored six points, and Caitlin Ryan scored six.

With a 19-2 record, Pavilion moves on to the Class C Far West Regional Champoinship, where they'll face Randolph (19-4) at Buffalo State on Saturday at 3 p.m.

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Oakfield-Alabama school board members were advised to break the next phase of capital improvement projects into two propositions on Tuesday at the regular Board of Education meeting.

The Capital Project Planning Committee has been meeting regularly for nearly a year to bring recommendations to the board. 

SEI Design Group and Municipal Solutions representatives presented the plans and costs to renovate high school and middle school areas, including Tech/Ag, science rooms, athletic field support spaces, STEAM and F.A.C.S./Health classrooms, the stadium, and parking lots. Richard Little of SEI said these “test fit” designs are preliminary and that full designs would include collaboration with teachers and other users of the specific areas. 

In addition, many updates in the “Priority #1” Building Condition Survey (BCS) list will be completed as part of the proposed inside improvement projects. Little reported that they estimate an additional $3.8 million would complete BCS projects needed at this time. These include items like HVAC work, carpeting, pool work, and bleacher replacement. 

The committee, which also included parents, teachers and school staff, recommended separating the projects into two propositions. Proposition 1 would contain what is called inside construction, and as Maggie Augugliaro of Municipal Solutions explained, are within a higher “aided amount” from the state of New York. Proposition 1 includes renovations or updates to Tech, Ag and Art, F.A.C.S. and STEAM, MS/HS classrooms, MS/HS Science, MS/HS Pool, Concessions, Lockers, and Toilets, and BCS Priority #1. 

Proposition 2 is the renovation and relocation of the stadium area, new lighting, track replacement and an expansion of the parking. “What this does allow for is a nice proximity of the stadium to the building, and also it opens up some space…for the ag program, for future expansion. That was one of the goals, working through this Prop 2 scope here, that we were trying to achieve,” Little said. 

The outside sites and “incidental” or “soft” costs included in Proposition 2 are not aided at the same rate by the state, said Augugliaro, which is why the committee developed the two-proposition idea. However, the BOE will decide if that is how they want to proceed. 

The $15 million cost of Proposition 1 would mostly be covered by state aid, with a Capital Reserve contribution of approximately $1.8 million, which would completely cover the remainder, Augugliaro told the board. No tax increase would be needed. 

However, after aid and what was left in the Capital Reserve, Proposition 2 would still require about $5.7 million in funds. Augugliaro estimated the tax impact at $380,000 per year for 15 years. 

The BOE will discuss and vote on whether to approve the scope and schedule of the proposal as the next step in the process. If approved, and environmental impact studies were complete, the proposal would then go to public discussion and vote. 

Little made a point of thanking the many members of the Capital Project Planning Committee for their months of work, study and discussion. “Again, to thank the committee,” he said. “They are representatives of the board requesting a committee to come together and talk about our needs. (This is) what they thought would be a good project…that would meet our needs, be fiscally reasonable, and that’s what we’re presenting here today.”

Oakfield-Alabama came from behind on Tuesday to win their Section V Class C1 semifinal matchup against Bloomfield, 59-56.

Alea Groff scored 18 points. Caitlin Ryan scored 13. Piper Hyde scored nine. Emma Wray scored eight.  Brooke Reding scored seven.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Oakfield-Alabama fell just short in a double OT game of a chance to face rival Pembroke for the Class C2 sectional title with a 64-59 loss to York on Monday.

York came into the semifinal game with a 19-2 record compared to O-A's 18-3.

After falling beyond by double digits, the Hornets fought back and force the game into overtime and make York work hard to pull ahead in the second OT period.

Scoring for the Hornets:

• Kyle Porter, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• Noah Currier, 16 points, 4 rebounds
• Brayden Smith, 8 points, 8 rebounds
• Colton Yasses, 7 points, 7 rebounds
• Aiden Warner, 6 points, 6 rebounds

"I was proud of the overall effort from this group tonight in a tough semifinal game," said Coach Ryan Stehlar. "Being down by double digits with a few minutes to go, I know many people thought we were out of it.  The boys, as they have done all year long, made a push to give themselves a chance.  When a game goes into overtime, you are hoping the ball bounces your way a few times.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen for us.  Much like most of the year, I know this team was counted out.  I'm proud of the season they had.  They made our program, school, community, and myself extremely proud.  That is all I can ask for."