Photos courtesy of Hoag Library: Four candidates will be on the ballot on Monday for trustees for Hoag Library. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.

ALBION – Voters in the Hoag Library service area will cast ballots on Monday for candidates for the library’s trustees.

There are four candidates with three positions up for election. The terms are for four years.

Three incumbents – Linda Weller, Mary Witkop and Rachel Hicks – are seeking re-election. Jessica George also is running for trustee.

The election is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library, with the library’s annual meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

Voters must be 18 and older and live in the Hoag Library service area, the same area as the Albion school district.

Mary Covell has been a trustee the last four years, acting as vice president for all four. She also has been chair for the Personnel committee and the Planning committee. She has worked as an accountant the past 19 years.

“My family and I utilize the Hoag Library regularly,” she said in a candidate statement on the Hoag website. “Our experiences with the services provided by the library have been wonderful. In addition to the base level library hard copy book borrowing, the inclusion of Senior Citizen informational courses, Hoopla online services, and the community’s use of the library meeting rooms have been exceptional!”

Jessica George is a lifelong Orleans County resident and a library user since she was young, using the library for research long before the age of Google.

“I attend the library every week with my daughter (who calls the library her ‘favorite place in the whole world’) as a volunteer with the Friends of the Library bookstore every Monday night,” George said.

George has 10 years of experience on a board with the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, including seven years as the board chair. She is a licensed therapist who specializes in working with trauma and providing care and support to victims of crime.

“The library holds a central place in our lives, which has influenced my decision to run for a board position,” George said. “As someone that has utilized library services consistently, I feel it is time for me to give back to the library through assisting as a board member and helping the library to be a central community resource for other individuals and families in the coming years.”

Rachel Hicks, a current trustee, has used the library for many years, including while studying for her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Economics, I utilized the library, and then when she had a son and would bring him to the children’s library area.

“My family actively participate, as well as deeply appreciate, the efforts behind so many of the fun events that take place at the Hoag Library for children and families,” Hicks said.

She has worked at Albion Agencies Insurance for the last 12 years in insurance sales, agency management and accounting.

Hicks also has been active with the Albion Merchants Association, Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, and Albion Joint Fire District.

“I feel the library provides services and opportunities a lot of local community members haven’t even realized yet,” she said. “The weekly programs for different learning opportunities, provides a wealth of learning opportunity from ages of young to old.”

Linda Weller has been a trustee for the library since 2019, including the past five years as board president.

“During this time, I have been committed to supporting the library’s mission and ensuring it remains a vital resource for our community,” she said.

She also is the board president for the Albion Board of Education and recently joined the board of Community Action.

“I believe strongly in building a stronger, more connected community, and I am passionate about the role our library plays in that effort,” Weller said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery, shown last week, will be getting a new Vermont slate roof, as well as other repairs to the building that was constructed in 1875 from Medina Sandstone.

ALBION – The slate has arrived in Albion and work should soon begin on replacing the roof at the Mount Albion chapel.

The building is a focal point of the historic cemetery for people who enter through the main arch off Route 31. The new roof is among several improvements for the structure that was built in 1875.

Local mason Neal Muscarella has already completed some repointing of mortar on the building. A drop ceiling also has been removed that revealed a vaulted ceiling had been covered up.

The new roof will be a comparable Vermont slate. The Albion Village Board in September accepted a bid for $83,985 to remove the existing roof and replace all the Vermont slate. The roofer should be on site this spring to work on the project.

There will be other substantial work to follow including interior replastering of the north wall; electrical upgrades (wiring, outlets, internal and external lighting); heating unit for seasonal use; repair of plaster and vaulted ceiling; removal of old floor, repair subfloor and put in a new floor; and refurbish exterior doors and window trim.

A committee led by Village Historian Sue Starkweather Miller has raised $225,000 for the chapel restoration. That met the initial goal but there are some additional expenses with the vaulted ceiling.

Tax deductible donations for the project can be sent to the Orleans County Historical Association, 3286 Gaines Basin Rd., Albion NY 14411. For more information, click here.

Once the project is complete, Starkweather Miller said the site will again be able to be used by the public for events.

May 16 event at pioneer cemetery in Hulberton will include unveiling of roadside historic markers

Photo from Albion Central School: Albion eighth-graders Sutton Sanders, left, and Luci Borello are shown late last year with two of the new roadside historic markers that will soon be unveiled, showing local ties to the Revolutionary War.

Photos and information from Albion Central School

HULBERTON – Albion Middle School students will share findings from their Revolutionary War research project and unveil two new roadside markers on Saturday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m. at Pierce-Smith Pioneer Cemetery.

That pioneer cemetery is located at 3960 Hulberton Rd, Holley, NY 14470.

The ceremony is student-organized and they invite the community to join them in celebration of the 250th anniversary of our country and honor those who have served. Both Revolutionary War and Civil War re-enactors will be present.

This service learning project was accomplished in partnership with Orleans County.

Two of the students, Luci Borello and Sutton Sanders, partnered with Orleans County historian Catherine Cooper to spearhead a Revolutionary War soldier research project. With guidance from their teacher, Tim Archer, they worked to obtain cemetery roadside markers, gravestone flag markers and replace a damaged headstone.

In completing these tasks, students were able to expand their knowledge of local history, meet local dignitaries, and familiarize themselves with interconnectivity of county and state-run organizations.

NYS roadside markers indicate areas of historical significance in the county. To be granted these markers, valued at $2,050 each, the students had to submit an application to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, a nonprofit committed to preserving community history. The application process is lengthy, requiring detailed primary source documentation and proofs. This did not intimidate Luci and Sutton.

They began their research in the summer, which entailed collecting data of all Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Orleans County using state, federal, military and census data. Their research was not confined to the library, it also relied heavily on field work.

There were four roadside markers granted; one indicating that Revolutionary War veterans and other notable citizens are buried there, and three indicating a Revolutionary War soldier is buried there. Two of them have a special insignia on them indicating partnership with the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

The project didn’t stop there. While conducting field research, the students discovered a damaged headstone that belonged to Lott Swift, a Revolutionary War soldier who is buried at the East Barre Cemetery. With support from the Town of Barre, students were able to apply for a new stone through the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C.

While researching, students discovered 14 graves in the county of soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War that were not currently marked. Students presented their findings to the Orleans Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), who then generously provided a donation of 14 new bronze flag markers, one for each soldier’s grave.

In total, they discovered about 65 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Orleans County. Many headstones are gone or indecipherable, so the findings are approximate. The results will be shared with the county, DAR, SAR, local historians and Hoag Library for their records.