Owner of new Mayfair Marine wants to be a catalyst for Albion
Site along Erie Canal has options for small businesses on East Bank Street
Photos by Tom Rivers: Local officials joined the owner of the Mayfair Marien for a ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday in Albion. From left include Jami Allport, Albion village trustee; Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman; Andrew Dugan, district director for State Sen. Rob Ortt; County Legislator Skip Draper; Matt Holland, small business development director for the Orleans Economic Development Agency; Mayfair Marine owner John Fitzak, who is also a county legislator; Dawn Borchert, Orleans County tourism director; Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Kevin Sheehan, Albion village trustee; Jackie Tarricone, executive assistant for Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Michael Dobell, chief executive officer of the Orleans EDA; and Tim McMurray, Albion mayor.
ALBION – There is now a place along the Erie Canal for boaters to get fuel in Orleans County. John Fitzak has opened Mayfair Marine along East Bank Street.
Fitzak for 23 years ran a bottle redemption business at 255 East Bank St. He closed the Albion Redemption Center on March 1 to focus the site on the fuel sales and also as a small business incubator.
He expects to rent out space at the site to several small businesses, and is working with the village to see if people would be allowed to stay overnight in RVs and also in tents.
“I’m just trying to be a catalyst for the village,” Fitzak said on Friday, when he held a ribbon-cutting for the Mayfair.
Fitzak is an Orleans County legislator. He is retired as a state corrections officer. Fitzak worked at Orleans, Attica, Sing Sing, Groveland and Willard correctional facilities.
John Fitzak built five sections of docks totaling 80 feet along the Erie Canal in Albion. The Ingersoll Street lift bridge is behind him. He sees a lot of opportunity in the Erie Canal for the community.
He built the 80 feet of docks at the Mayfair. There are five 16-foot-sections at different heights to accommodate different size boats. The two new 1,000-gallon fuel tanks were certified last November. He will have 100-foot-long hoses from the gas pumps that extend to the boats at the docks.
This will be the only spot offering marine-grade fuel on the Erie Canal between Macedon and Amherst. Fitzak said about 400 to 500 boats pass by the location each canal season. He expects at least 10 percent will stop for fuel at the Mayfair.
He named the business in honor of the Mayfair Restaurant, which was operated by his mother’s father in Rochester in the 1950s and ’60s. That restaurant was at the corner of Lexington and Mount Read Boulevard.
The new canal season opens on May 15. Fitzak is working with small businesses to open soon after the start of the canal season.
He said Big Dog BBQ from Kendall will be selling hot dogs and food from the site. Fitzak also will have vending machines with items at room temperature, in a cooler and a freezer.
Another business with offer marine services. There will be an ATM, a vendor selling Albion merchandise, and other possible merchants.
Several local officials toured the site on Friday. John Fitzak said there is plenty of room to offer other services, including RV parking.
Fitzak said he has reviewed a comprehensive plan for the canal, with leaders from the canal Corp. stating they would like to see fuel sales offered every 20 to 40 miles along the waterway. Fitzak said Mayfair Marine fills a big void for fuel.
He suspects many boaters haven’t ventured to Albion out of fear they could run out of gas. The Mayfair could result in more boaters making the trip to Albion and Orleans County.
He is hopeful they will tie up at his docks and check out the Albion community. He is short walk from the Albion downtown.
“this is another opportunity to see what Albion has to offer,” Fitzak said.
Dawn Borchert, the Orleans County tourism director, praised Fitzak for seeing a need and meeting it along the canal with the fuel sales.
The Mayfair owner has about 600 feet of frontage for the business. He would like to allow RV parking, and a boat launch for kayaks and canoes. He is working with the village officials to determine if those uses are allowed for the property, which is zoned general commercial and is currently mostly undeveloped.
