Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jacob Ivison stands outside his business, Homestead Pest Control, at 109 East Bank St., Albion. Homestead is the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s New Business of the Year.

ALBION – Jacob Ivision couldn’t be more thrilled about his recent honor of being named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

“I started my company in January 2024 and to be recognized that early on is very humbling,” Ivison said.

Ivison’s introduction to the world of pest control came while he was working as a delivery driver for an agricultural chemical facility during the Covid pandemic.

“I was delivering products to the owner of a pest control business in Middleport, when we started talking about the nature of his business,” Ivison said. “I’d been spraying our house for bugs with my father since I was a tyke. The guy said I should think about getting into the industry.”

Ivison said he got busier with his delivery job, but three years later when his son was born, a light switch flipped.

“I knew I had to do something that would give him the best life I could,” Ivison said.

He started hitting the books and testing in preparation of opening his own pest control business. He already had a basic license and he added categories to it and got his full license in 2020. During all this time, he said his wife Karen was very supportive of his efforts.

“I could not have done it without her,” he said.

He began doing pest control in homes and commercial facilities to rid them of bugs and rodents.

“There is no shortage of pests,” he said.

When he was ready to open his own business, he discovered his landlord had a vacant store on Bank Street in Albion. It turned out to be the perfect place for Ivison to expand his new business.

 He soon realized he needed an addition to his business, and he hired Matthew Zaffran as office manager.

“Having someone here all the time to answer the phone has resulted in a lot of business for us,” Ivison said. “So many people call another exterminator and get an answering machine, so they call us.”

Ivison said the most challenging job thus far was eliminating an infestation of yellow jackets from a chimney 60 feet in the air on a school roof.

When the gentleman in Middleport who convinced Ivison to pursue the pest control business lost his one employee, he contracted with Ivison to take care of his customers.

“Learning from somebody with 50 years’ experience in the business is more than the knowledge he has shared, it is the confidence he has instilled in me that I can fix my customers’ problems.”

Ivison and his family live in his family’s 1800s homestead on Ivison Road in Byron, where the road named for his ancestors.

Homestead Pest Control can be reached by calling (585) 460-4663 or e-mailing protectyourhomestead@gmail.com.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Dan DeCarlo, shown inside Arnold’s Auto Parts in Albion, has been recognized as the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year.

ALBION – Dan DeCarlo has been involved in the family business ever since his father purchased Arnold’s Auto Parts in 1968, back when Dan was eight years old.

After taking over the business when his father retired 10 years ago, he became a big supporter of the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministry. His business ethics and support of community have earned him the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s honor as Business Person of the Year.

Dan admits he is a low-key guy and doesn’t like to be in the spotlight.

“But it’s nice the Chamber gave me this award,” he said. “I was not expecting it.”

He and his wife Lisa first became supporters of the Royal Body Shop’s Outreach Ministry when the pastor came to town and asked if he could hold Friday night services in their parking lot.

Since then, the DeCarlos have allowed use of their property for various church functions and also agreed to have a refrigerator placed outside their door, which the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministry keeps stocked with food, free to anyone who needs it.

In addition, the DeCarlos have supported the Easter Egg Hunt, Wine Walk and car shows, among other events.

“The community has been good to us and we want to be good to the community in return,” Dan said.

Arnold’s is a full-service auto parts store, and recently started carrying marine parts, Dan said.

They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday.

The store is located at 116 North Liberty St.

This photo is from March 2022 when community fridge was dedicated at Arnold’s Auto Parts. Village trustee at the time Stan Farone, left, participates in the ribbon cutting with Pastor Albert Wilson and his wife Ykeeta, center, Dan DeCarlo from Arnold’s Auto Parts and other volunteers including Kevin Lemcke and Jack Burris of Hands 4 Hope.

Provided photos: Pictured from left include Roger Ettinger, Sue Starkweather Miller, Stephen Hastings, Legion Commander Brad Rouse holding a painting of the Sheret brothers, Rick Ebbs, Tim Archer and David Polisoto. The fundraising campaign has topped $200,000 towards a $225,000 goal to put a new slate roof on the chapel and address other issues.

Press Release, “Save our Chapel”

ALBION – The American Legion family of organizations donated $1,500 to the “Save Our Chapel” campaign at Mt. Albion Cemetery.  The Sons of the American Legion, Auxiliary, Legion Riders and the general membership groups collectively contributed.

Save our Chapel organizers Sue Starkweather Miller and Tim Archer met with members to thank them for supporting the chapel restoration project with their generous donation and to give them a tour of the chapel and view the progress that is being made.

A painting of Sergeant James A. Sheret and his brother, Private Egbert Sheret is on permanent display in the American Legion Sheret Post #35 building.

Sheret Post #35 is the oldest American Legion in Western New York. It was founded in 1919 under the direction of Judge Bernard Ryan in honor of Sergeant James A. Sheret who was killed in action on September 29, 1918 near Ronssoy, France while charging the Hindenburg Line. Sheret was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery and was considered “one of the hundred heroes of WWI” by General Pershing.

His brother, Pvt. Egbert Sheret was also killed that day. Their younger brother Andrew, the company’s bugler, was seriously injured but survived. All three brothers were part of the 27th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces, containing the 108th Infantry Regiment and Company F.  The 108th and Company F were the only men to break the Hindenburg Line that day.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The gravesites for Sergeant James A. Sheret and Private Egbert Sheret are located in Mt. Albion Cemetery.  This photo is from Dec. 14, 2024 during Wreaths Across America.

Photo courtesy of Tim Archer, Albion Interact Club advisor

ALBION – The Albion Interact Club had a special visit from Orleans County Sheriff’s K( Odin and his handler, Deputy Jeff Cole.

They were joined by Deputy Ashleigh Stornelli who is the district’s school resource officer this year.

Odin is a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois that has been with the Sheriff’s Office for about a year. Before that, Cole worked as a handler with K9 Otto for eight years.

“The visit was part of the student club’s ongoing monthly series of presentations by community leaders,” said Tim Archer, the Interact Club advisor. “The Interact Club does numerous community service projects throughout the school year.”

Photos courtesy of Tim Archer

ALBION – A group of Albion Middle School enrichment students recently joined Craig Lane, the Orleans County DPW Commissioner, at the cemetery for the Orleans County Alms House.

Lane is also a member of the Holley Rotary Club which donated a new flag pole for the cemetery. The Alms House was a place for the poor, indigent and infirmed from 1833 to 1960. It is located at 14064 W. County House Rd., behind the Emergency Management buildings.

The cemetery contains the graves of about 250 people, and many of the sites are marked by simple numbers or have no marker at all. The site was reclaimed and restored beginning in 2010 through projects led by Albion Middle School students and the county.

Lane is shown with student Elizabeth Colmenaro, Oliver Beyrle, Elliot Pettit, Colton Moreland and Maelynn Taylor.

The DPW installed the new flag pole which replaced one that was worn, said Tim Archer, who assists with the enrichment program and spearheaded several of the projects at the Alms House Cemetery.

Students look over some of the gravesites at the cemetery which is visible from Route 31A near Keeler Construction.

Archer was working as a service learning teacher at Albion in 2010 when his seventh-grade students became interested in the site. Bill Lattin, the county historian at the time, was speaking in Archer’s class about how there used to be the Alms or “Poor House” on County House Road from 1833 to 1960. The Alms House closed in 1960 when the county nursing home opened on Route 31 in Albion.

The Alms House was torn down and now the site is the Orleans County Emergency Management Office with a fire training tower.

Maelynn Taylor and Elizabeth Colmenaro visit the gravesite for Daniel Walterhouse, a Civil War soldier buried at the cemetery.

Walterhouse lived at the Orleans County Alms House or Poor House for about 15 years until his death in 1910.

The new headstone was unveiled during a ceremony at the cemetery on May 18, 2025. Two Albion eight-graders – Kendall Peruzzini and Mary McCormick – secured the 230-pound Civil War era headstone from the Veterans Affairs office in Washington, DC. The stone was installed by the DPW.

Students go through smoke simulator, spray water from fire hose

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Barre firefighters, Dylan Parker at left and Barry Flansburg at right, assist fourth-graders in spraying water from a fire hose at targets. It was part of a Fire Prevention Week at the school.

Albion, Barre and Carlton firefighters let students see and try some of the equipment used by firefighters today to cap off the week.

During the week firefighters spent about 20 minutes with each classroom from grades PreK to 5, going over fire prevention tips.

Students make their way through a smoke simulator inside a fire safety training trailer was outside the school today. That trailer, owned by the Orleans County’s Emergency Management Office, has a fog machine to simulate smoky rooms.

Students were urged to “Stay Low and Go.”

Outside the trailer also was designated meeting area and a phone to call 911.

Brianna Caldwell, an Albion firefighter, simulates being a dispatcher and takes a 911 call.

Ryan Woolston, a Carlton firefighter, shows students a rescue boat. Woolston also let students see some of the equipment on the boat including a dry suit that firefighters use for water rescues.

Fred Piano of Albion shows students the fire safety trailer. Piano and about 20 firefighters volunteered throughout the school day, showing students the different fire apparatus and prevention exercises.

Barry Flansburg of Barre helps Emma Cary while she directs the hose at targets.

Provided photos: The Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern has started a food and personal care pantry at Albion Central School in the middle and high schools. This photo from February includes, from left, Rose Friedl, youth coordinator for GOMOC; Jami Allport, executive director for GOMOC; and Brittany Barleben, middle and high school social worker.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jami Allport is director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, which will be recognized with the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Award Oct. 23 at White Birch Golf Course.

ALBION – The organization known for years as “The Agency of Last Resort” will be honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce with the Community Service Award.

The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern and other honorees will be recognized at the 27th annual awards ceremony on Oct. 23 at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.

Jami Allport, director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, said the organization is very excited about receiving that honor.

GOMOC began in 1955 as the Migrant Ministry, when Medina teacher Arden McAllister and Sister Marian Adrian started it to support migrant farmworkers in Orleans County. Sister Marian would eventually serve as director from 1991 until her retirement in 2006.

The agency focused on meeting the basic needs of migrant families who were vital to the local economy, but often lacked access to stable housing, transportation and essential services.

Over time, the GOMOC mission was expanded to serve all individuals and families in crisis in Orleans and Genesee counties. Today, according to Allport, GOMOC operates a wide range of critical community programs which address immediate needs, while helping families work toward stability.

This includes a furniture program coordinated by Staci Palmer with truck drivers James Shoeberlein Jr. and Kyle Woolston; Emergency Assistance Program, overseen by the office staff as a whole; Homeless Outreach Program, overseen by Steven Trembley; Youth and Family Empowerment Program, led by Rosie Friedl; the Mary Grace Room, overseen by high school intern Abby Kincaid; and Rental Assistance Program, run by Office Manager Carol Whalin.

Through these efforts, COMOC continues to be a lifeline for residents who have nowhere else to turn, Allport said. The organization operates on the belief that every individual deserves respect, dignity and access to resources, regardless of their circumstances.

For many years, the agency had officers on Main Street, until being offered space in the First Presbyterian Church, where they moved in March 2024.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce,” Allport said. “This recognition reflects not just the work of our staff, but the incredible support of our entire community. Together, we make a difference in the lives of people who need it most.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion village trustee Tim McMurray and Jami Allport, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, on Jan. 25, 2024 walk along the railroad tracks in Albion between Main Street and West Academy Street. They were among several agency and government leaders out that day trying the measure the homeless population in the community. Allport offered gift cards to Tops, as well as snacks, blankets and gloves. GOMOC for the past year has made backpacks with supplies available to the local unhoused population. The backpacks were purchased with a grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Carrie O’Neill, a member of the Orleans County Youth Board, waits for a kid to select a board game after visiting many of the booths and trying the games and activities.

Free board games were offered when kids completed their passport by trying the different activities at Family Game Night.

This was the 11^th annual event and the third time it was hosted by Dubby’s Tailgate in Albion. Dubby’s served up two slices of pizza for each person.

Many of the county government departments and agencies in the community had booths with activities and prizes. The event was organized by the Orleans County Youth Bureau and County Legislature.

The mascots from McDonald’s, Grimace and Hamburglar, greeted kids inside Dubby’s. There were 472 people registered, and the total attendance was likely even closer to 500. That is the most in the 11 years of Family Game Night.

Grimace and Hamburglar meet Charli Wulf, 5, of Holley. Orly the Ox, the county’s bicentennial mascot, also greeted local kids at the event.

Staff from the Probation Department offered a chance to play a cup stacking game and to win prizes. In back from left for probation include secretary Amy Albone, probation assistant Michelle Coots, and probation director Sarah Osborne. They gave away pumpkins donated by Coots’s grandson, 11-year-old Nathan Gray of Nathan’s Produce.

Kat Holland from the Personnel Department did a plate spinning demonstration as part of the Personnel Department’s booth. Katie Harvey, the personnel director, is at left.

Cara Wachob, a home base visitor and Early Head Start advocate, led the booth for Community Action and invited kids and their parents to play different games.

Donations have dropped significantly in recent years

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Kristina Ettinger, left, community services manager at Community Action, hands a Red Kettle to Jami Allport, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. The two agencies will oversee the Red Kettle Drive in Orleans County this holiday season.

ALBION – Two agencies that serve Orleans and Genesee counties are combining their efforts to re-invent the annual Red Kettle drive in Orleans County through the Salvation Army.

The Red Kettle Campaign is a long-standing tradition which not only provides essential resources, such as food, clothing and emergency assistance, but also brings the community together in the spirit of giving, according to Jami Allport, executive director of Ministry of Concern.

This holiday season, the three organizations will work together to raise funds that directly support individuals and families in need throughout Orleans County.

Jami Allport, executive director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, shows the stickers which will be affixed to anything supplied to the needy which was paid for with donations from Red Kettles.

“We have seen a drop in the amount of money being raised since COVID,” said Ann Vail, Service Extension Director of the USA Eastern Territory for the Salvation Army.

“We are excited to collaborate on this critical campaign that supports our community,” said Ryan Lasal, director of Community and Family Program Innovation/Chief Innovation Officer at Community Action of Orleans and Genesee.

“This year we are going to try something new,” said Jami Allport.

Ettinger is Community Services Manager with Community Action of Orleans.

“With our agencies and new ideas, we’re hoping to get donations up where they used to be,” Allport said.

In 2015, Red Kettle donations totaled $26,110, but dropped to $12,320 in 2023 and $6,720 last year.

Only three locations allow bell ringers in Orleans County – Walmart and Tops in Albion and Medina. This year, table top kettles will be utilized, Allport said. They will be placed in multiple strategic locations throughout Orleans County.

“We will be saturating Orleans County with Red Kettles as much as possible,” Allport said.

The Red Kettle Campaign will be a collaborative effort this year between Community Action and Ministry of Concern, Allport said.

“We are going reach out to schools, businesses and other agencies to compete with each other and make it fun,” Allport said. “We want to get youth and schools involved, including Scouts, sports teams and FFA clubs. We will urge schools to compete and make it fun by dressing in costumes or maybe singing as they man a kettle. COVID took a lot from everybody and we want to rebuild as much as we can.”

Allport and Ettinger stressed that all money donated in Orleans County stays in Orleans County. Monies are split between the two agencies to help their clients in need.

Volunteers are needed to man the kettles and can sign up online at Signupgenius.com and search for director@ministryofconcern.org or by calling Allport at (585) 589-9210.

Bell ringers can start at Tops on Nov. 6 until Dec. 24, or at Walmart on Nov. 15 to Dec. 24.

Anything purchased for someone needy will have a Red Kettle sticker affixed to it to let the recipient know the money came from donations to the Red Kettle Campaign.

Andrew London brings bright and welcoming business to his hometown

Photos by Tom Rivers: Andrew London opened Wish and Wonder Tattoo in Albion about two weeks ago at 115 East Bank St. London has worked as a tattoo artist the past 11 years.

ALBION – A new tattoo business in Albion features a hometown tattoo artist who wants to help the downtown business district grow.

Andrew London, 33, has worked as a tattoo artist for 11 years. He started at High Voltage Tattoo in Batavia and worked the past seven years at Canalside Tattoo in Medina.

London has a devoted clientele and he wanted to work in his hometown of Albion.

“I wanted to bring something to Albion that would brighten up the downtown,” said London, whose father Dean is a former Albion mayor and police chief.

About two weeks ago Andrew opened Wish and Wonder Tattoo at 115 East Bank St. He is joined by his wife, Katie, who is an apprentice tattoo artist. Megan “Marge” Furness also runs a body piercing business at Wish and Wonder. Furness has worked as a piercer the past four years.

Wish and Wonder Tattoo includes, from left: Megan “Marge” Furness as a body piercer, Andrew London, the owner and a tattoo artist; and Katie London, an apprentice tattoo artist.

London has a bright atmosphere at Wish and Wonder. He picked a name for the business that he said “feels magical.”

He wanted a well lighted space for the tattoo artists and for the body piercer.

“It’s not dark and scary,” he said. “It’s light and airy.”

London said he has done tens of thousands of tattoos so far in his career.

Tattoos have become far more accepted in the past 10 to 20 years. Many people proudly post them on social media, and receive very positive feedback which encourages their friends to want them.

London said most people keep coming back after getting a tattoo. He does many memorial tattoos, and ones with birth stones and birth flowers that people want to represent their children.

“Tattoos are memories,” he said at Wish and Wonder this morning. “People get one, they like it and then they want more.”

He strives to make people feel comfortable during the process of getting a tattoo.

“They all have a fun time when they are in here,” he said. “That must be why they call it ink therapy.”

Andrew London recently created these tattoos of Frankenstein, Zelda and the American flag.

London and his wife Katie pushed to open Wish and Wonder once their youngest child entered kindergarten last month. That has freed them up to put more focus on their own business.

Katie also is an apprentice tattoo artist. She is starting with smaller tattoos and will be working her way up to larger artwork.

Her husband wanted to be an art teacher when he graduated from high school. He found being a tattoo artist fills his artistic passions. He also likes to connect with his customers, and bring them joy with tattoos that are often very meaningful and personal expressions.

London is a sponsored artist through Empire Inks, which provides inks for gray washes – black and gray tattoos.

Megan “Marge” Furness is a body piercer with a business, Piercings by Marge. She worked as a phlebotomist, collecting blood samples from patients, before getting into body piercing.

She did an apprenticeship at Canalside Tattoo to learn the craft. She does piercings for the ear, nose, eyebrow, lip, tongue and other body parts.

She uses a sterile, hollow needle instead of a piercing gun which she said reduces swelling and is easier for her clients. Furness said she talks through the process, especially with children.

“The best part is giving people a very good piercing experience,” she said.

For more information on Wish and Wonder, call (585) 283-4173 or check their Facebook page.

About 65 attend event which was fundraiser to restore chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Matt Ballard, former Orleans County historian, led a tour on Saturday at Albion’s downtown and Courthouse Square, highlighting “Murder and Mayhem” in the community’s past.

The event was attended by about 65 people who paid $20 each for a fundraiser to restore the chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery.

Ballard is shown speaking from the steps of the County Clerks’ Building. He highlighted two famous murder trials in Albion.

George Wilson was convicted by a jury of killing his wife Alice Wilson by strangulation. George was executed in 1888 in a stockade near where the current county jail is located. That execution on June 22, 1888 was the last one in Orleans County.

Wilson was allegedly having an affair with a girl under age 18. He and his wife had five children.

Wilson protested his innocence. His neighbor provided damning testimony against Wilson. That neighbor was found guilty of committing a murder in Rochester. Ballard said some people have speculated that Wilson didn’t kill his wife. Instead, it was the neighbor.

In another high-profile case, William Lake was convicted of killing Emma Hunt who spurned his advances. She was brutally murdered on Oct. 18, 1894. Lake would be the seventh person put to death at Auburn prison by the electric chair.

There would be 55 people put to death by electric chair at Auburn prison from 1890 to 1916.

Susan Starkweather Miller, Village of Albion historian, welcomed the group for the tour which started at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.  She is shown in front of the pulpit and church organ. Starkweather Miller has been leading the effort to restore the chapel and roof at Mount Albion Cemetery. She said the group has raised $200,000 towards at $225,000 goal.

Ballard, speaking from the lawn in front of the courthouse, shared about William Stafford, the district attorney during the Wilson murder trial. Stafford would later run for Orleans County judge and was defeated. He blamed the Baptist congregation, where he attended, for not giving him enough support.

When the Catholics were looking to build a church, Stafford sold them the property on West Park Street, with a stipulation the church building had to be so close to the street it would block the view of the Baptist Church.

Ballard stands in front of the Main Street lift bridge and tells about one of the worst tragedies in Albion’s history. On Sept. 28, 1559, there were 250 people on the bridge to watch a wirewalker over the canal. The bridge also had five horses with loaded wagons.

The bridge would tumble into the water, and 15 people would die, including several children.

Outside the Presbyterian Church, Ballard spoke about the murder of Pierpont Dyer on Christmas eve in 1859.

The wirewalker in the bridge collapse had his rope strung across the canal from the second floor of the Mansion House south towards the second floor of Dyer’s building about three months earlier.

Mr. Dyer owned a grocery store. On Christmas eve in 1859, someone entered the store and smashed Dyer in the head, killing him. One man went to trial and wasn’t convicted. The murder remains an unsolved mystery.

The Citizens National Bank used to be the First National Bank of Albion. Ballard told how Albert Warner stole about $40,000 from the bank and then fled to Canada. Warner took leadership of the bank after the previous president died from a lethal dose of arsenic.

Warner was well respected in Albion. Not only did he lead the bank, but he was the Board of Education president and leader of the fire department. But poison, betrayal and greed did in his reputation, and left many in Albion facing financial ruin.

Warner was rumored to have returned to Albion briefly, when he dressed as a woman to attend his father’s funeral at Mount Albion in 1887.

Ballard also spoke in front of the former Swan Library, which was the hoe of Roswell Burrows. Burrows amassed a fortune value at over $6 million when he died in 1879.

He established the First National Bank in Albion, a bank where the coffers were embezzled by Warner.

Ballard speaks on Main Street in front of the Five Star Bank. He highlighted a catastrophic fire on Jan. 13, 1882 that wiped out the corner. The fire started in a building for a milliner that was located behind Five Star, where its parking lot is located.

The fire of 1882 badly damaged the business district. When the fire was finally put out, Ballard said a cat emerged from the rubble.

Ballard shared other stories during the nearly two-hour presentation.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Gia Baker, 9, of Albion decorates a pumpkin on East Bank Street in Albion this morning as one of the activities at Albion’s Fall Fest.

The Albion Merchants Association organized the event which continues until 3 p.m.

Andy and Rebecca Scroger brought their kids, Lizzy and James, to the festival to make a scarecrow.

These cousins are decorating pumpkins. From left include Malani Baker, 5; Gavin Baker, 4; and Mia Wilston, 10.

The pumpkins were decorating with stickers and markers.

DeClerck’s Goldens in Albion brought several creatures for the public to see including “Caeser,” a Goffin’s cockatoo. Cary DeClerk was happy to share some of his animals and pets at the festival.

He also had a tortoise, golden retrievers, a wallaby, a sugar glider and others.

Cary DeClerk lets people see a sugar glider.

This wallaby attended the festival with DeClerck’s Goldens. Cary DeClerk also has kangaroos but they’re a little too big for the festival.

The Real News Duo performs at the end of East Bank Street. The Road Less Travelled also will be performing from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

KTJ Saddle Up Pony Rides has a pony and horses at Waterman Park.

There are other fall festivals in Orleans County today.

The Lakeside State Park Fall Fest is from noon to 9:30 p.m. with food trucks, face painting, balloon art, Seneca Mobile Zoo, crafts and other activities. The musicians include Jim Aina from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Who Dats from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Triple Play Band from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Kendall also has its scarecrow festival today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme: “Spooky, Scary and a Little Creepy” There will be music by Rebel’s Posse, a chainsaw carving demo by Jeff of Critters 3D, a chicken barbecue, hay rides and other activities.

Initiative focused on hygiene insecurity among disadvantaged youth in Orleans County

Provided photos: (Left) This laundry unit was purchased courtesy of Health Foundation for Western and Central New York project budget. (Right) This photo shows personal care and laundry supplies for participating students.

Press Release, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee

ALBION – Team Nate is part of Cohort 11 of the Health Leadership Fellows program. As part of the program, each team must define and execute a health enhancing project.

Team Nate and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee are proud to announce the launch of the Fresh Start Center, a groundbreaking initiative designed to address hygiene insecurity among disadvantaged youth in Orleans County.

Located within the Main Street Corner Thrifts, Gifts, and More at 131 South Main St., the Fresh Start Center provides discreet, dignified access to laundry facilities, hygiene products, and life skills support for students in need.

The center is a direct response to alarming local data showing that up to 39% of students in Orleans County live in poverty, with many homes lacking basic plumbing. Teachers have reported that hygiene-related stigma contributes to chronic absenteeism and social isolation, particularly among high school students.

“This project is about more than clean clothes—it’s about restoring dignity, improving mental health, and helping students stay in school,” said Renee Hungerford, Executive Director/CEO of Community Action. “We’re proud to offer a safe, supportive space where teens can take care of their basic needs without shame or judgment.”

(Left) Cassie Healy is the Fresh Start program manager. (Right) This artwork was completed by SUNY Brockport students.

The Center is embedded in Community Action’s thrift store, a familiar and accessible location. The initial pilot will focus on needs within the Albion High School.

Key features of the Fresh Start Center include:

• A private laundry area with a ventless washer-dryer unit.
• Free laundry supplies, and personal hygiene products.
• Life skills training and referrals to wraparound services such as housing, counseling, and employment support
• Plans for future expansion include shower facilities, pending funding.

Members of the Team Nate Fresh Start project team include:

• Larissa Bachman, MSW – Chief Operating Officer, Pinnacle Community Services
• Brandi Haynes – Chief Programming Officer, Community Action of WNY
• Renee Hungerford. MHI – CEO/CIO, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
• Karen Kinter – CEO, Oak Orchard Health
• Michael C. Osborne – VP of Strategic Growth and Portfolio Development, Catholic Health
• Sarahmona Przybyla, PhD, MPH – Assistant Dean, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions

Senior Health leaders selected to participate in Cohort 11 of the Health Leadership Fellows program of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York.  From left to right they are: Renee Hungerford, MHI – CEO/CIO, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee; Karen Kinter – CEO, Oak Orchard Health; Larissa Bachman, MSW – Chief Operating Officer, Pinnacle Community Services; Sarahmona Przybyla, PhD, MPH – Assistant Dean, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions; Tanya Staples – Principal Consultant at Perrin Associates – Team Coach; Brandi Haynes – Chief Programming Officer, Community Action of WNY; and Michael C. Osborne – VP of Strategic Growth and Portfolio Development, Catholic Health.

The project was made possible with funding from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York and the dedication of volunteers. The team is grateful to the foundation for the funding and opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students.

We are also grateful to Mark Hungerford, and Dan and Cassie Healy for spending their weekends installing the necessary plumbing, electrical wiring, and setting up the space. A number of SUNY Brockport students volunteered their time to paint beautiful artwork in the center.

A special thanks also goes out to doctors Nancy Ciavarri and Thomas Verme for donated resources for future sustainability of the program after conclusion of the project. The team would also like to thank Suburban Electric and Albion Ace Hardware for affordable pricing of materials and the Albion High School for our valued partnership.

Community Action will continue to seek donations of hygiene and laundry items from the broader community to sustain the program.

For more information or to support the Fresh Start Center, please contact Community Action of Orleans and Genesee at info@caoginc.org.

Village Board cuts proposed increase to towns by 5 percent

Photos by Jim Scibetta, owner of Helpee Selfee Laundromat, said the increases will have to be passed on to his customers, who he said are already struggling to pay their bills. He is shown addressing village trustees, from left: Joyce Riley, William Gabalski, Greg Bennett and Tim McMurray.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board approved increases in the water rates and administrative costs, changes that will bring in much needed revenue for upgrades to the water treatment plant and distribution system.

Water rates will go up 25 percent for customers in the village and the prisons beginning on Jan. 1, and then will increase another 20 percent beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

“This was not done thoughtlessly,” said Village Trustee Joyce Riley during a public hearing on higher rates. “It’s after years of neglecting our water plant. If this board doesn’t make (the changes), it only gets worse down the road.”

Greg Bennett, the deputy mayor, said the increased rates and fees are needed “for the village to maintain ourself.”

The Village Board was going to charge the towns the same percentage increase, but backed off to a 20 percent increase next year, and then a 15 percent increase. Some of the towns pushed back on the proposed increase, saying it would force them to look closely at possibly switching to the Monroe County Water Authority as a water supplier.

The village bills for about 110 million gallons of water each quarter with approximately 33 million gallons within the village, 63 million for the towns and 15 million used by the two state prisons.

RATE HIKES FOR VILLAGE CUSTOMERS – Residents and businesses inside the village currently pay a $3.90 rate per 1,000 gallons of water. That will go to $4.88 beginning Jan. 1, and then $5.85 beginning in 2027.

The current rate generates $520,048 from customers within the village. That will go to a projected $650,061 next year and then $780,073 in 2027.

ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGE – The board also is raising the quarterly administrative charge by 55 percent the first year for customers within the village, and then another 40 percent in 2027. That will increase the administrative or base charge from the current $33.60 for most village customers to $52.08 beginning Jan. 1, and then $72.91 the following year.

Just the change in the administrative fee will raise nearly $200,000 more in the water fund the first year. The village’s water fund  currently receives $359,221 through the base charges. That is projected to go to $556,793 in 2026 and then $779,510 in 2027.

RATE HIKE FOR TOWNS – The towns that buy water directly from the village currently pay a $3.57 rate. There is no administrative charge from the village. The towns add their own administrative charge.

The rate will go to $4.28 next year and then $4.93 in 2027. The towns currently pay the village $894,284 for water, and that is projected to increase to $1,073,141 in 2026 and then $1,234,111 in 2027.

The water tank is shown along Route 31 near the Albion and Orleans correctional facilities. The Village Board last week approved raising the water rates for the two prisons by 25 percent next year, and then another 20 percent in 2027. The water rate for the prisons will go from the current $4.65 per 1,000 gallons to $5.81 and then $6.98.

PRISON RATE – The two state prisons are currently billed at a rate of $4.65 per 1,000 gallons. That will go to $5.81 in 2026 and then $6.98 in 2027.

The prisons currently pay $278,045 for water. That is projected to increase to $347,556 in 2026, and then $417,067 in 2027.

TOTAL REVENUE – The current water fund is on pace to bring in $2,195,250 this year. However, the expenses are at $2,639,864. That will require the village to take $444,614 from the fund balance that is set aside in the water fund. That fund balance is currently at about $700,000.

In 2026, the total revenue goes to $2,635,831, with expenses at $3,021,857. With increased rates and fees next year, plus the start of paying debt for recent water system improvements, the village will still need to use $386,025 in fund balance in 2026.

Beginning in 2027, the rates and fees are projected to cover the total expenses with the water fund, with the revenue $47,749 over expenses. The total revenue is projected at $3,220,699 with expenses at $3,172,950.

The Village Board doesn’t expect a big rate hike will be needed after 2027.

During a public hearing last Wednesday, Jim Scibetta, owner of the Helpee Selfee Laundromat, said the higher water costs come at a time when he’s facing increases in electricity and natural gas.

“You’re proposing this kind of water increase to me is legalized robbery,” he told the board. “I’m disgusted and I will probably sell my laundromat because of you people.”

Village Board members said Albion’s water bills still will be less costly than many other communities in the region.

The average village water customer of about 15,000 gallons per quarter will see their water bills go from $92.10 per quarter in 2025 to $125.21 in 2026 and then $160.66 in 2027.

SEWER BILL – The water bill for village customers also includes the sewer bill. The board last week voted to increase the base charge for sewer customers in the village, while keeping the rate the same at $4.25 per 1,000 gallons.

The base charge will increase from $26 per quarter for most customers to $33.60 per quarter. The higher base rate will raise another $81,086 for the sewer fund, increasing administrative revenue from $273,847 in 2025 to a projected $354,933 in 2026.

That increase in revenue will allow the village to build reserves for the sewer fund, board members said.

File photo by Tom Rivers: “Swoop” gets the ball spinning for a young fan when the Harlem Wizards visited Albion in October 2019. Swoop joined the Wizards in 2007. Prior to that, he was a showman with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – The Harlem Wizards are coming to Albion’s Charles D’Amico High School gymnasium on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.

The Albion Basketball Boosters invites the community out for a fun-filled, interactive evening of tricks, hoops and alley-oops. The Wizards were in Albion most recently in October 2019.

Albion teachers will face off on the court against the world-famous Wizards where there will be plenty of laughs, music, dancing and dunks. Partial proceeds will benefit the Albion Basketball Booster Club which supports the Albion basketball teams.

“We are so thrilled to bring this event back to our community,” said Jeff Radder, Albion boys JV basketball coach and Basketball Boosters member. “We hope our community will consider bringing their friends and families out to experience the incredible show the Wizards put on. It is always a night to remember and our basketball teams truly appreciate the support.”

Tickets can be purchased on the Albion website. More information about the Harlem Wizards can be found on their website.