Betty Sue Miller retires; Elizabeth Haibach starts as executive director

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Betty Sue Miller, center, chats with Elzabeth Haibach, left, and Gretchen Schweigert on Saturday at Hoag Library where there was a reception to honor Miller for her 11 years as executive director.

Haibach has worked at Hoag since 2018, starting as a reference librarian. She has been the assistant director since 2022.

Schweigert works for the Nioga Library System as an outreach and advocacy consultant.

Miller joined Hoag as interim director in February 2015. She was retired as a library director at Holley Central School.

Miller said the experience at Holley made her love working with teen-agers, especially, and prepared her for her time at Hoag, where she worked hard to make the library a welcoming space for everyone in the community, including people who are unhoused.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had,” Miller said on Saturday.

Miller helped build a staff where seven of the employees have master’s degrees, and all bring passions that have helped the library expand programs and outreach.

Miller was well known for asking visitors to the library, even people working on road construction in front of the library, if they had a library card. She said the card gives users access to not only Hoag’s collections of books and magazines, but a massive online trove of e-books and other materials.

Miller is staying on in a part-time role to see through some special projects, including a book drop by the curb so people don’t need to leave their vehicles. The Hoag board also wants to replace the dividing curtains from the three meeting rooms with curtain that are more sturdy and soundproof.

Elizabeth Haibach, center, is greeted by Roz Sarkweather, right, and Mary Whitkop and her son George. Whitkop is vice president of the board of trustees.

Haibach said she is very grateful for the opportunity to lead a library in her hometown. She said she will continue to look ways for Hoag to serve the community, outside of the traditional roles for a public library.

She helped bring in lawyers from Neighborhood Legal Services for monthly office hours and staff from the Homeless Alliance to assist local people without a residence. Haibach also welcomed a mobile mammography service to Albion that parks in the Hoag parking lot.

Haibach said her father, retired Albion teacher Tim Archer, has been a strong role model for service, as has her mother Patty Archer’s family with Haibach’s grandparents, Dr. Ronald Harling and the late Suzanne Harling.

“I have a deep connection to the community,” Haibach said. “I’m motivated to help be a servant to the community. I want to increase our community partnerships.”

She praised Miller for setting a strong example of leadership and for building a well established team of employees at Hoag.

“Betty Sue has a big personality and she is always out and talking to people,” Haibach said. “She has built a really good team here.”

Haibach also encourages people to check out the library. Today’s library is much different from the former Swan Library in Albion, which operated out of a cramped mansion.

Hoag has study areas, Internet access, three meeting rooms, and the library rents out fishing gear and even binoculars for people who want to go birding.

“Public libraries are ever-changing,” she said.

Haibach starts today as executive director and leads a staff of four full-time employees and seven part-timers.

This photo shows a printout of a Dollar General rendering of a proposed store on East Avenue in Albion, across from the high school.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Demolition has begun to clear the way for a new Dollar General store in Albion. A contractor is knocking down the current building, which previously was used for auto sales and a warehouse.

Dollar General will be building a new 10,640-square-foot retail store across from the high school, a project that received final approval from the Village of Albion Planning Board on March 12.

Many nearby residents and other community members expressed concerns about having the store in a congested area near the school where there are many kids walking to and from school.

But the Village of Albion Planning Board said they anticipate the store will have a small impact on traffic and pedestrians.

The site at 327 East Ave. is in the general business district. The store fits with the zoning.

This photo shows a printout of a Dollar General rendering of a proposed store on East Avenue in Albion, across from the high school.

The Broadway Group, developer for Dollar General, has removed three underground tanks and will do other site remediation to meet Department of Environmental Conservation standards.

The Orleans County Planning Board on Feb. 26 recommended Albion approve the site plan for the project, saying the store is consistent with a general commercial district and isn’t expected to have any significant negative impacts to the nearby residents or school.

The site is in a school zone with the speed limit at 20 miles per hour during school hours, and there is an ice cream business next to the site.

Delivery trucks will come outside of peak hours to the Dollar General and will be limited to exiting from the east only. That was a stipulation by the state Department of Transportation.

John “Mercury” Morgan urges crowd to embrace Gospel message

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – John “Mercury” Morgan jumps with a bike over two Albion police patrol vehicles and a SWAT vehicle, and then goes through a wall of fire in a stunt at Bullard Park on Saturday.

It was part of Family Fun Day at Bullard, where several churches shared the Gospel message, and gave away back-to-school supplies, food and put on activities. There were more than 500 people watching the stunt.

Morgan, 61, of Rochester makes it through the wall of fire and lands on the ramp.

He has been a stuntman on bikes since he was 15. He was inspired by Evel Knievel, the famous daredevil.

Morgan shared about moving from Lake Placid to Rochester when he was 7. He struggle din Rochester, getting into trouble often and selling marijuana. He was in a “scared straight” program at the Attica prison when he was 14.

Morgan said he became a Christian at 15. He runs Leap of Faith Evangelism, doing stunts and sharing the Gospel message.

He urged people to have courage to follow Jesus, and take a leap of faith.

John “Mercury” Morgan leads a group in prayer after the bike stunt. At least 500 people watched the event at Bullard.

The team with Mercury pours gasoline on cardboard that will be raised in frame. Mercury would then plunge through the wall of fire.

Albion firefighters doused the flames.

Theresa Ottaviano shared this photo of Morgan breaking through the wall of fire and landing on the ramp.

Jovannie Canales, lead pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship, helped lead Family Fun Day which had about 100 volunteers from many local churches in the community. They gave away back-to-school backpacks with supplies, hot dogs and water. There was also live music, bounce houses and face painting. The churches also gave away four bicycles, a TV and a laptop.

More than 1,000 people attended the Family Fun Day.

Pastor Canales said there were 232 decisions for Christ and 14 were baptized. In addition, 18 agencies and ministries participated, along with 85 volunteers who helped make the day possible.

“This event would not have been possible without God and the incredible support of the 15 churches, local businesses, and community partners who contributed and supported the event in various ways,” Pastor Canales said. “We are very grateful for everyone who came together to make Family Fun Day such a meaningful day for our community.”

A baptismal tank was set up by the amphitheater. There were many agencies and churches at Family Fun Day. When this photo was taken, most of the crowd had moved from the tents to see a stuntman.

Jeff LaFountain of Newfane did caricatures, including this one of Hollea Mackie and her children, baby Jordyn and son Ashyr, 10.