By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2018 at 12:08 pm
ALBION – A building by the Erie Canal in Albion would be turned into a wedding venue and events site in a plan by John and Natasha Wasuck of Spencerport.
The building at 160 North Main St. was the longtime site of Burgio Tire and then a carpet store. The Wasucks want to turn the building into “The Lockstone.” In addition to be an events venue, the site would be a candy and ice cream shop.
The Orleans County Planning Board approved the site plan on June 28. It goes to the Village Planning Board on Wednesday for a final approval.
The building is located between the Erie Canal and The Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion’s General Commercial District.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2018 at 10:56 am
ALBION – There are two public hearings Wednesday on the 40-unit housing project proposed by DePaul Properties of Rochester.
DePaul is proposing to demolish three unoccupied houses on Liberty Street, between the railroad tracks and Beaver Street.
DePaul needs variances for the project. It is proposing 50 parking spaces, when the village code requires 80 (two parking spots for each unit). DePaul is seeking a 5-foot rear setback when the village code requires 25 feet. DePaul also wants a fence to be 10 feet high for a sound wall on the south side of the property, instead of the 7 feet required by the village code.
The Albion Zoning Board of Appeals will have a public hearing at 4 p.m. on Wednesday about the variances. The hearing is at the Village Hall, 35 East Bank St.
DePaul anticipates the 50 spaces will be adequate based on the demand at its other apartment buildings. DePaul serves low-income individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities.
With the rear setback, DePaul will plant a row of evergreen trees for additional screening. DePaul also wants the taller sound wall to mitigate noise from the neighboring rail line.
The Village of Albion Planning Board will then have a public hearing at 5 p.m. for the site plan of the 40-unit apartment complex at 150 Liberty St.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2018 at 10:40 am
There are 4,500 Nation Grid customers without power in Orleans County since about 7:30 this morning.
The electricity provider says a pair of transmission lines are out of service. In addition to Orleans, there are about 12,500 Grid customers in Monroe County without power.
The problem is affecting about 17,000 customers from Route 98, north of Albion, to near Spencerport.
National Grid is estimating power will be restored at noon.
The outage comes on a day when temperatures are forecast to reach 90 degrees.
EAST SHELBY – Hundreds of people turned out to experience life in the 1800s’ village of West Jackson Corners during Old Tyme Day, sponsored by East Shelby Community Bible Church on Sunday.
The village includes a working blacksmith shop, a woodworker’s shop, a sewing shop, a penny candy store, a miniature church with a steeple identical to that of the main church.
The congregation created the village that is popular for the annual Old Tyme Day, when the church has pie, hot dogs, candy, hand-spun ice cream and popcorn available for a penny.
Shawna Baldwin of Medina is dressed as Betsy Ross as she strolls the grounds of West Jackson Corners Sunday with her sewing basket. Visitors were able to have conversations with other historical characters, including Ben Franklin, Martha Washington, and John and Abigail Adams.
Darlene Murphy, left, helps Sadie Pask, 4, and Gianna Hyde, 4, make little sheep out of wool carded by Heidi Pask. Other activities include kids’ games, candle making, basket weaving, horse and buggy rides and horseback riding.
Heidi Pask demonstrates carding wool during East Shelby Community Bible Church’s annual Old Tyme Day Sunday.
Levi Olsen, dressed as Baron von Steuben, strolls the grounds of West Jackson Corners during Old Tyme Day on Sunday.
Lewis Tombari of Lyndonville sits in his 1930 Model A at Old Tyme Day Sunday at East Shelby Community Bible Church. Tombari has owned the car for 51 years.
Youth from East Shelby Community Bible Church demonstrate old-fashioned dances in Penders Apple Barn.The day included patriotic concerts.
A working water wheel is one of the old-time features of West Jackson Corners.
Photo from Special Olympics NY: Brett Sobieraski holds a Special Olympics torch at 11 a.m. today when he completed a 50-hour run to benefit the Special Olympics.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2018 at 10:41 pm
Brett Sobieraski of Orleans County set $10,000 fundraising goal for Special Olympics
Brett Sobieraski finally stopped running at 11 a.m. today, completing a 50-hour quest that went 175 miles along the Erie Canal.
Sobieraski, sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, started his 50-hour run on Friday at 9 a.m. in Buffalo. He reached Orleans County that night and crossed the county during the dark of nightfall.
Late this morning he reached the State Police Trooper Barracks in Elbridge, a town in Onondaga County, west of Syracuse.
When he finished, Sobieraski had run more than 6 1/2 consecutive marathons in six different counties. He also turned 52 on Saturday.
Sobieraski wantsed to raise $10,000 for Special Olympics, which he called “a phenomenal organization that helps to transform the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.”
He posted this message on Facebook:
“Inclusiveness – that is what the Special Olympics means to me. That everyone who wants to compete in the Games should have the opportunity to do so. People experience their own personal greatness by competing, breaking through barriers and obtaining their goals. That is why I am doing this. Please consider donating so that willing athletes are not left on the sidelines. To those who have already donated, I sincerely thank you.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2018 at 2:10 pm
ALBION – The Village of Albion won’t be removing the Medina sandstone pavers on Beaver Alley, Mayor Eileen Banker said.
Village officials have been discussing how to maintain the alleyway off Main Street. Removing the pavers was mentioned, but Banker said the board wants to keep them.
Plowing the street, with the bumps from the pavers, has damaged DPW plow equipment and weeds require pesticide application.
The board is considering closing the street for the winter, but is checking with Fire Chief Harry Papponetti if that poses a fire safety issue, Banker said.
The DPW might also plow the alley with the sidewalk blower.
The village had the pavers put in 15 years ago after they were dug up during the reconstruction of routes 98 and 31 in the village.
The board in 2003 decided to have the alley resemble a street from the late 1800s.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Beaver Alley, a short one-lane street made of Medina sandstone pavers, is a half block south of the Erie Canal.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2018 at 9:15 am
The sandstone pavers are pictured with a dusting of snow. The street has been hard on the village’s plowing equipment.
ALBION – The Village Board is discussing removing Medina sandstone pavers from Beaver Alley because the stone blocks have been hard on plowing equipment.
The village also has to contend with weeds that sprout up between the blocks. Pesticides are typically sprayed to battle the weeds.
The street was paved until 2003. When the Pike Company in Rochester, a contractor for the state Department of Transportation, tore up routes 31 and 98 in Albion about 15 years ago, there were sandstone pavers under the roads.
Ed Salvatore was the Albion mayor at the time and he negotiated having the Pike Company put 5,500 of the pavers in Beaver Alley.
Salvatore at the time said the pavers, made of Medina sandstone, provided a sharp contrast between the new style of road construction on Main Street with the style from a century earlier. He also wanted to preserve some local sandstone history and add another element to historic downtown.
Before asphalt and concrete, many of the streets were made of cut Medina sandstone blocks. Salvatore wanted Beaver Alley, a short one-lane street, to resemble a street from the late 1800s.
There have been complaints the street is bumpy and hard to drive on. The DPW says the pavers also damage snow plows.
If the sandstone blocks were removed, the village would repave the alley.
The Village Board discussed removing the pavers this past Wednesday and has tabled the issue until its next meeting at 6 p.m. on June 25.
The alley has been a popular spot for senior pictures and other portraits. Rhonda and Mark Parker, former Albion residents, used the street in a scene for their film, “Message in a Bottle.” They are shown shooting a scene in June 2015. Rhonda Parker, front left, and her husband Mark, kneeling with camera, have named their film business, Beaver Alley Studios.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2018 at 8:30 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Cyclists cross the Main Street lift bridge in Albion on Monday when 650 passed through the community on the Cycling the Erie Canal event, which started in Buffalo on Sunday and ends today in Albany.
There is an extreme heat alert for Orleans County on Monday with the heat index at 93 degrees. The high temperature will be 89 with a 64 percent chance of humidity.
Temperatures in the upper 80s to around 90 and high humidity levels may lead to apparent temperatures in the mid to upper 90s Monday
afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
A fairly strong cold front is then forecast to cross the region Monday night and early Tuesday along with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Some of the thunderstorms could produce locally heavy rainfall with possible flooding and gusty winds.
Today is forecast for a high of 87, followed by 89 on Monday, 81 on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 July 2018 at 2:14 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Kaiden Froman is congratulated by teammate Noah Harrison after Froman made a big catch in the outfield to preserve a win for Rotary-Lions over the Vets, 14-13, in today’s U10 championship. Leah Pawlak was pitching and earned the win on the mound. She was ecstatic to see Froman make the catch with the bases loaded. For more on the game, click here.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 14 July 2018 at 9:27 am
Capping off a strong athletic and academic year, three Orleans County Schools – Holley, Kendall and Medina – have earned New York State Public High School Athletic Association School of Distinction Awards for the 2017-18 school year.
A school district can earn School of Distinction status by having 100% of its varsity teams qualify for and receive the Scholar-Athlete team award during their respective sports seasons. A team must have a composite average of at least 90 in over to earn a Scholar-Athlete Award.
Medina, which was one of only five Section VI teams to receive the award, had all 21 of its varsity teams earn the Scholar-Athlete Awards.
Holley had all 16 of its varsity teams and Kendall all 13 of its teams. They are two of only three Section V schools to receive the honor.
The purpose of the School of Distinction and School of Excellence Awards are to unite varsity coaches in challenging their teams to achieve a statewide honor.
This year, 30 schools earned the School of Distinction Award and 111 schools earned the School of Excellence Award. An additional 11 schools received the School of Distinction Award and 51 more received the School of Excellence Award compared to 2016-17 school year. This year’s figures represent the highest number of NYSPHSAA member schools being recognized for their academic achievements.
“The increase in the number of schools receiving both awards shows what fantastic student-athletes we have here in New York State,” said Robert Zayas NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “This is evidence that schools, administration, coaches and student-athletes focus on excellence in the classroom as well as the playing fields.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 July 2018 at 8:49 am
Photo courtesy of Kyle Lonnen: Kyle Lonnen has water, Gatorade and ice available for Brett Sobieraski at about 1 in the morning near Canal Road in Murray, after Sobieraski had run about 70 miles since Friday morning.
An Orleans County resident on a 50-hour run along the Erie Canal Towpath has made it through about 25 miles in Orleans County and was near Route 390 in Rochester by 8 this morning.
Brett Sobieraski
Brett Sobieraski, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, is running 50 hours straight to raise money for the Special Olympics. He expects to make it near Syrcause on Sunday after the 50 hours on his feet.
Sobieraski started the run Friday morning in Buffalo by a memorial for Craig Lehner, a Buffalo police officer and K9 handler who died in a training exercise on Oct. 13.
Sobieraski reached Medina about 9 p.m. Friday and was joined for a mile by Medina firefighter Matt Jackson. Sobieraski, a Kent resident, was in Albion about midnight.
“Albion PD Shut down the intersections so I could cross and supplied water! Thanks Chief!!” he posted on his Facebook page, where he gives updates on his location and thanks people for joining him on the journey.
Shannon Brett, investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, met Sobieraski at 2 a.m. at the bridge on Route 237 and ran 3 miles with him to the boat launch as he crossed into Monroe County.
“He was going strong and had already run over 70 miles!” Brett said.
In Brockport, Sobieraski ran with Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter and radio personality Bob Lonsberry.
Sobieraski wants to raise funds an awareness for Special Olympics, which he called “a phenomenal organization that helps to transform the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.”
He posted this message on Facebook:
“Inclusiveness – that is what the Special Olympics means to me. That everyone who wants to compete in the Games should have the opportunity to do so. People experience their own personal greatness by competing, breaking through barriers and obtaining their goals. That is why I am doing this. Please consider donating so that willing athletes are not left on the sidelines. To those who have already donated, I sincerely thank you.”
Sobieraski is no stranger to endurance tests. He has completed the 135-mile Badlands ultramarathon through Death Valley and has swum 32 miles across Lake Ontario.
For more information or to donate to the cause, click here.
Provided photo: Gravesite of Levi Beardsley at Kent Cemetery.
By Al Capurso, President of the Orleans County Historical Association
“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 28
GAINES – Creeks, steams, brooks and springs were very important to our pioneer settlers. They provided a source of drinking water for humans and livestock alike, as well as a means to wash clothing and for cooking.
Traveling the historic Ridge Road in Gaines you will encounter a very unique circumstance, that to my knowledge, does not exist anywhere else in the area. There are three creeks or brooks running south to north adjacent to each other, all three named after the pioneer families that settled on their banks. Moving from West to East, just past the Eagle Harbor Road we come to Beardsley Creek; named after the Levi Beardsley family who settled in Carlton in 1827. Born in Connecticut in 1777, Mr. Beardsley died on his homestead in 1867, aged 90 years.
Next is Proctor Brook, winding its way through the Cobblestone Museum Complex at the intersection of Rts. 98 and 104 named after John Proctor who came from Massachusetts originally in 1810, finally settling near the brook in what is now Childs with his wife Polly Cummings in 1812. Perhaps there is no one more prominent in the development of Childs and the Ridge Road’s famed cobblestone buildings than Mr. Proctor. Born in 1787, he suffered the tragic loss of three wives and several children to sickness but he himself lived to the age of 81.
Last, but not least, is Gilbert Creek. This stream originates south of Rte. 104, intersects Brown Road as it meanders north and crosses The Ridge where the Gaines Carlton Community Church now stands. It was on this site that Elizabeth Gilbert and her husband (his name not known) settled around 1807, becoming the first settlers of record to occupy land on the Ridge Road between Monroe and Niagara County. Elizabeth suffered the loss of her husband around 1808 of an apparent epileptic seizure. She and her niece, Amy Scott and two children under the age of 10 continued on for another 3-4 years before moving to Canandaigua presumably due to the threatening War of 1812.
On Saturday, July 28th at 2 p.m. all are welcome to attend the unveiling of the Beardsley Creek Sign created by Jim Bonafini, Cobblestone Society Board President. Dignitaries will speak and refreshments will be served. The site is on Ridge Road, just west of Gaines Corners (Gaines Basin Road) at the cobblestone home of Robert Bruning (Anderson Cobblestone).
Photos by Tom Rivers: Owen Foos, in green shirt, is a summer parks supervisor for the Albion recreation program. He was part of a basketball game today at Bullard Park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2018 at 4:35 pm
After some reprieve from sweltering heat, near 90-degree temperatures were back in Orleans County today. It was up to 89 degrees at 4:30 this afternoon.
Saturday is forecast for a high of 86 and includes a cance for thunderstorms and strong to severe damaging winds in the afternoon.
Hot and humid conditions will return to the region late this weekend and into Monday. Though heat indices may remain just below 95 degrees on Sunday, they have a better chance to exceed 95 on Monday away from the lakeshore, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Sunday is forecast for a high of 89 followed by a high of 91 on Monday.
Ahead of a cold front, showers and thunderstorms late Monday night and Tuesday have the potential to bring heavy downpours of rain and
gusty winds, the Weather Service said.
Tuesday is forecast for a high of 82 followed by a high of 78 on Wednesday.
Preston Flugel, one of the summer parks supervisors, plays dodgeball at Bullard. The dry conditions have turned the grass yellow.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2018 at 4:22 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Peyton’s Express gives kids a ride through Bullard Park today on a miniature train. The ride was available as part of the children’s carnival at Bullard.
Today was the popular day for the Albion summer recreation program with carnival, which included a bounce house, numerous games, events, and activities.
Oliver Beach, 11, of Albion plays the milk can toss.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans EDA will be installing another Medina Business Park sign. This one pictured is off Bates Road on the newly named Marcia Tuohey Way. A new two-sided sign will be installed by Pride Pak on Maple Ridge Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2018 at 2:09 pm
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved $42,000 for the Orleans Economic Development Agency to purchase a sign for the Medina Business Park on Maple Ridge Road and also to demolish and remove an abandoned house and garage on Sanderson Road.
The Legislature on June 27 unanimously approved the $42,000, which is in addition to the $180,000 the county is giving the EDA this year.
The EDA board this morning voted to accept the $42,000 in funding with up to $19,207 for an internally lighted sign by Pride Pak on Maple Ridge Road. The Medina Business Park sign will be two-sided and will lighted through solar power.
Takeform Architectural Graphics will make the sign for $,7,759. The sign will be 9 feet high by 6 feet wide. Other costs include installation, $3,550; concrete footer, $3,350; $2,548, solar electrical system; $1,500 for landscaping, and $500 for hydroseeding.
Those costs could be reduced if local municipal crews do some of the work, said Jim Whipple, the EDA chief executive officer.
The EDA also is having a house and garage removed from 11610 Sanderson Rd., which is part of a new 125-acre business park being developed by the EDA. The total costs are $26,895 for the demolition and removal.
The Environmental Construction Group of Albion will be paid $12,690 for asbestos abatement.
ARG Disposal in Albion will be paid up to $9,000 for dumpsters. Can Am Environmental Group will conduct asbestos monitoring for $635 a day or $1,905 for three days. Other costs identified include building removal at $1,000 (done by Orleans County Highway Department), fill for basement at $1,000 (done by county), and $1,300 for contingency.
The EDA is promoting the land available for development at Sanderson Road and the Medina Business Park, about 300 acres total, as the largest NYS-certified “Shovel-Ready” business park in Western New York and the Finger Lakes.
