When you think of local suburban
housing, and you think of Penfield, you probably imagine row upon row of
subdivisions, one house not much different from the next, with a couple of
barns tossed in here and there the farther out you drive. Just ask me, I live
there. Post-1960s suburban housing design lacked a lot in imagination.
But
hidden in Penfield’s rolling hills are somehow, very curiously, the two
remaining “sod” houses in MonroeCounty.
Yes… sod, adobe, mud. Call it what you want, it’s not proud. In fact, between
1834 and 1836, when these earthen masterpieces were created, they were premium
housing — over all the other log cabins in the neighborhood.
Not
to knock log cabins, my grandma lives in one. But the fact that both these
buildings were built a couple decades before the Civil War and still remain
standing may be reason for you to drive east up Atlantic
Avenue for a gawking session.
The
first mud house is on Qualtro
Road, but if you weren’t aware the building was
formed of earth you’d have no reason to stare. The house was long ago covered
over with wood clapboard and is now painted white. The current owners, the DeGennaros, knew they were in for an adventure before
purchasing it but have only been around six months and there’s been nothing too
exciting to report so far.
Mary
DeGennaro says that a couple of the rooms have been
restored to original historic paint colors and other interior changes are
planned. The only place you can see the clay-mud mix is in the basement. Also
of note is the fact that the house is located less than a half-mile up the road
from the marquis de Denonville’s army campsite during
its 1687 massacre of the Seneca at Ganondagan.
The
other mud house is on Whalen Road
and retains its rustic antique exterior. Its current owners keep the house
largely shielded from traffic and from the summer sun. It’s an elegant
building, and even among the McMansions of the
suburbs it really doesn’t stand out.
FYI:
Somewhere along the line electric, heating, and plumbing have been added to
both houses, so there’s no need for an outhouse.
— Dave Cross
Best ever
They’re always feeding you hype. Promoters for all
kinds of music festivals will swear “this is the best year ever.” But
in the case of the mayor’s 11th annual Rochester MusicFest, it is. You
gotta hand it to Mayor Johnson: He’s stuck with this fest from the beginning,
when it needed a push. Now it’s simply cruising on the momentum of its quality.
This
year’s line-up is diverse, with plenty of cool acts mixed in with the hot
contempo talent.
Featured
this year are Nina Sky, Jagged Edge, 112, Ciara, John Legend, and Boys II Men
on Saturday, July 16. Sunday, July 17’s line-up includes Fatty Koo, Raheem
DeVaughn, Common, Faith Evans, and Brian McKnight.
Each
day will kick off with local bands yet to be determined, in a
battle-of-the-bands sponsored by WDKX.
Weekend
passes are $49 (adults), $17(children 7-12). Single-day passes are $32 per day
(adults) and $10 per day (children 7-12). Tickets, which went on sale this
week, are available from Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com, or by
phone, 232-1900.
— Frank De Blase
The cops question
One of the recent efforts to assess how Rochester’s police and community get along is
gaining momentum.
Last week a
crowd of community residents filled City Hall’s Council Chambers to hear Peter Bibby, the Center for Dispute Settlement’s director of
police community relations, and New York City’s
first public advocate, Mark Green, at a forum organized by City Councilmember
Adam McFadden.
Bibby, who oversees the CDS program that handles complaints
about police behavior, had plenty to say about his organization, the third
oldest in the nation. Since it uses only state-certified mediators and
generally receives high marks for user-satisfaction, it’s considered a model
program in other cities around the nation.
“The
Rochester program is as effective or more effective than most,” he said.
But that
didn’t satisfy everyone in the room, as Bibby
acknowledged.
“One of the
weaknesses of the process is that we don’t use it enough,” he said. “From what
I hear in the community, it’s not being used nearly enough.”
That seemed
to be borne out by a handful of questioners who told Bibby
of their own experiences being harassed or disrespected by police. To nearly
every grievance posed, Bibby asked if the questioner
had filed a complaint. Most had not.
“You not
only have a right to file a complaint, you have a responsibility,” he told the
crowd.
City
Councilman Adam McFadden, who’s been a force behind the meetings, which began
in May 2004, said he’s encouraged by the sustained interest the forums have
generated.
“I think
it’s going pretty good,” he says. The mailing list from people who’ve signed up
to receive updates has climbed to nearly 400, he says.
McFadden,
like others involved in the community policing conversation, will be
participating in “The Dialogue Continues,” a one-day conference sponsored by
CDS on May 12. Registration for the event costs $30, and the deadline is
Friday, April 29. Call 546-5110 x107 or email jtatar@cdsadr.org to register.
— KrestiaDeGeorge
Told ya
We’ve been tellin’ you all along:
Despite the glut of cover bands, Rochester’s
still a hip music town.
A recent
issue of Rolling Stone sported a
story and photo of Mastodon, a heavy
prog-metal outfit from Atlanta with drummer BrannDailor and bassist Bill
Kelleher hailing from Rochester. The band is also featured on the cover of the
May issue of heavy-music bible decibel.
Mastodon will play the main stage at Ozzfest at Six
Flags Darien Lake July 21.
The latest
issue of The Wire has reviews of Figure’sWhen the Alphabet Hides in Your Mouth CD and the Carbon Records’ new 10 Year Series release.
And The Squires of the Subterrain’sStrawberries on Sunday is being
featured on CD Baby’s front page.
Maybe it’s
not just City that believes in this
town.
— Frank De Blase
Party lines
The House of Representatives approved the controversial energy bill last week, 249 to 183. And
predictably, Rochester-area representatives voted along party lines, with
Democrat Louise Slaughter opposing it and Republicans Randy Kuhl,
James Walsh, and Tom Reynolds supporting it.
The bill
includes, among other things, big tax breaks and other aid for energy
companies, and it permits drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Democrats and some moderate Republicans also charge that it does little to
promote energy conservation. The bill is expected to face a fight in the
Senate.
Two members
of the Rochester Republican delegation have been showing some independence,
however. Earlier this month, Kuhl and Walsh broke
from their party and their president on the issue of Medicaid funding. They were among 44 representatives who wrote
House Budget Committee Chair Jim Nussle, objecting to the Medicaid cuts
included in the House budget resolution. The cuts, they said, “will negatively
impact people who depend on the program and the providers who deliver health
care to them while not putting us on the path to comprehensive reform and
improvement that the program needs.”
— Mary Anna Towler
COMIDA watch
Here’s April’s list of businesses receiving public
assistance from the County of Monroe
Industrial Development Agency for creating new jobs:
Bersin Properties, LLC, Fayetteville,
to buy and redevelop Irondequoit Mall; 1,900 jobs to
be created.
Linden Oaks
North, LLC, 400 Linden Oaks, to build out 2,315 square feet at 10 Hagen Drive
for Rochester Oral Surgery;1 job.
ITT
Industries Space Systems, LLC, 1447 St. Paul Street,
to update and expand its facility at 2696 Manitou Road;
31 jobs.
Monroe
Community College Association, 1000 E. Henrietta Road, to build and outfit a
student apartment building on the Monroe Community College Brighton campus; 8
jobs.
Manning
& Napier Advisors, Inc. 1100 Chase Square in downtown Rochester, to buy
computer and other equipment for a move to 290 Woodcliff Drive, Fairport; 4
jobs.
B&L
Wholesale Supply, Inc., 70 Hartford Street,
to buy forklifts and replace the vehicle fleet; 4 jobs.
Nadeau
Management, Inc., 45 Saginaw Drive,
to renovate and buy equipment to open a DirectBuy at 45
Saginaw Drive in Henrietta; 30 jobs.
Premier
Sign Systems, LLC, 40 Ajax Road,
to buy a new crane truck; 1 job.
Paradigm
Environmental Services, Inc., 179 Lake Avenue,
to buy new analytical testing equipment; 2 jobs.
Special
Care Systems, LLC 2112 Empire Boulevard, Webster, to buy office equipment and
two delivery vehicles; 1 job.
CMI
Communications, 200 Mile Crossing Boulevard,
to buy new equipment; 3 jobs.
Legends,
LLC, 1200 Lee Road, to renovate and outfit a former Kodak facility and move in
its trading card operation there; 11 jobs.
Metro
Justice activists have complained that COMIDA’s
process of handing out these benefits skews competition between local retailers
and wholesalers rather than attracting large industrial employers from outside
Greater Rochester.
— KrestiaDeGeorge
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2005.
