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Brunner, EDA make Medina expansion official

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2014 at 12:00 am

Company says it will create up to 35 jobs

Photo by Tom Rivers – Brunner International is planning a 48,000-square-foot addition to its complex at the corner of Route 31 and Bates Road in Medina.

(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub previously reported on this expansion project. Today the Orleans Economic Development Agency issued a press release about the expansion.)

Press release
Orleans Economic Development Agency

MEDINA – The Orleans Economic Development Agency announced today, in conjunction with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, that they are working on a local incentives package and permitting to meet the rapid expansion needs of Brunner International.

The $10 million expansion project will add up to 35 new jobs, retain 363 local positions and include construction of a new 48,000-square foot building at Brunner’s Bates Road site.

The new structure will be connected by a breezeway to one of the company’s existing buildings. Brunner currently produces components for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. Fast-tracking the expanded operations plan is critical for Brunner to begin building and shipping products by early 2015 to meet their contractual obligations.

Brunner qualified for up to $750,000 in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits from the state in return for its proposed investment and additional job creation commitments.

“As a premier employer in Orleans County, Brunner International is a significant contributor to the local economy and it is a reflection on the region that this company has chosen to remain in Medina,” Cuomo said. “Creating jobs and growing the Upstate economy continues to be one of our administration’s top priorities. This investment strengthens the manufacturing industry in Western New York, while also securing hundreds of jobs in the region.”

The Orleans County EDA mounted an aggressive campaign to secure the expansion project for Orleans County, amidst strong interest from economic development agencies in other states. Ultimately, Brunner determined that the project would happen at the Medina facility after evaluating multiple sites out of state that would also accommodate Brunner’s strategic partners.

“We were successful in securing the Brunner International expansion in Medina due to outstanding collaboration with Empire State Development, the New York Power Authority and the Department of Environmental Conservation,” said Jim Whipple, Orleans County EDA chief executive officer.

Brunner enjoys an exceptional reputation globally, which Brunner Vice President Brad MacDonald attributes to “the talent and work ethic of Brunner’s employees and the integrity they bring to the operation.”

Provided photo – Brunner International uses automated technology for some of the manufacturing work in Medina.

He added, “We had more confidence in the strength of the talent base in Western New York, so the expansion of our Medina operations is the right choice for Brunner. Local and state officials additionally reinforced that the full scope of the expansion could be more effectively achieved in Orleans County versus other parts of the country.”

While there are still ongoing permitting matters being worked through, Whipple added, “The Town of Ridgeway and The Army Corp of Engineers have also been invaluable partners with the shared goal of working to move the permitting process forward. They understand the need to move expeditiously and made a strong commitment to accommodate Brunner’s enterprising site development time line.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Kenneth Adams said, “A strong partnership between government and private industry is what led to the expansion of Brunner International in Medina. New York State’s record of successful manufacturing and technical innovation are two reasons why Brunner, as well as many other thriving businesses, are making the decision to expand their footprint in our state.”

“I salute Brunner’s leadership for making the decision to invest, expand, and create jobs at their current facility,” said State Sen. George Maziarz. “This is a great example of how low-cost, locally produced hydropower can spur investment and strengthen our local economy.”

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley stated, “The expansion of the Brunner facility is great news for the Medina community. This means more jobs in the area for families who have been struggling through the recession. This plant has already been a positive for Medina and Orleans County, and now it will be an even greater asset. I look forward to seeing this expansion through to completion.”

“Brunner International is a long-admired corporate citizen,” Ridgeway Town Supervisor Brian Napoli said. “They understand one of our greatest assets is the work ethic of the people in Orleans County and we appreciate their on-going commitment to this region.”

Medina home decorating store offers one-of-a-kind vintage options

Posted 23 March 2014 at 12:00 am

‘This is a departure from the mall culture’ – Lynne Brundage

Photos by Sue Cook – Lynne Brundage stands among the items in her shop. She said it would be impossible to describe all the items for sale in the store since there is a huge amount of variety.

By Sue Cook

MEDINA – A store that opened in August quickly outgrew that space in downtown Medina and expanded to its own store front last month.

ellen j goods was originally set up from August until December inside Rock Paper Salon, but Lynne Brundage knew the business needed to expand. Lynne and her husband JR rented a first-floor space at 433 Main Street in Medina. The store opened there on Feb. 1, the same day as Wine About Winter. ellen j goods celebrated its grand opening March 14-16.

The Brundage couple both buys and restores old, vintage items for the shop. They take items that are generally pre-1970 and repair and often repaint them.

“We have always had a passion for repurposing and redecorating. We love to give new life to something that people would normally discard,” Lynne said. “We select pieces that there’s a comfort in them. They’re not high-end antiques, but more like vintage-modern and remade items.

“We love your grandmother’s furniture,” joked JR.

The store interior was left purposely unfinished to create an urban style that complements the vintage pieces. “It feels right to let those layers of history show through,” Lynne said.

The couple chose to open their business in Medina with all the good reception they received during their initial opening inside Rock Paper.

“This area is having a renaissance,” said Lynne. “We’ve raised families here. I think it’s coming back full circle, too, back to small, hometown, independent, little businesses. We’ve had customers from Buffalo, Lancaster, Brockport, and more. We think this is an example for other communities.”

Lynne still works full time in Compliance and Incidence Management at a local agency. JR is an independent contractor. The couple hopes that their business will lead them into a sort-of retirement where they will be doing what the have always dreamed of in operating their own business.

Lynne stated that her husband has been a huge support in the process of opening her own business. “He’s brilliant,” she said. “He can do anything, and he gets it. He gets my vision. He also settles me down a lot since I have a lot of impulsiveness and creativity. He also makes my coffee every morning.”

ellen j goods is located at 433 Main Street in Medina. The sign out front was approved with its protruding element of a single white chair.

“With manufacturing and home décor, so much of it is being done away from the U.S.” She says that especially with personal touches, the items display a unique personality and would never be found anywhere else unlike mass-produced modern furniture. “This is a departure from the mall culture.”

Lynne and JR both repurpose items, but despite their styles being similar, they are also very different. JR makes items that are more masculine and simple. Lynne is much more of a free creative. “I’m not afraid to decoupage an entire table,” she said.

JR has always been very impressed with his wife’s fearless style. “Our house always tends to be ahead of the publications. She knows what trends are before or as they are happening.”

The store name is even a play on words. It is a combination of the couple’s first initials. L and J, when said in a quick flow, turns into ellen j. Lynne put the word “goods” on the end and the store name was born. She opted to keep the name lowercase to add uniqueness and felt that it was adorable that way.

The shop space is full of antiques that have been left untouched, while other pieces have been given a modern facelift or have been paired with stylish accessories.

Lynne is currently working with Kelsie Withey and Michael Gaughn who are opening a new marketing company in the Newell building above the Shirt Factory. Lynne will provide interior decorating for the space using pieces from her store.

“We each want to do something different,” said Gaughn. “She has what we’re looking for in both directions.”

Gaughn will be setting his office up in a way that is reminiscent of a late 1920s to 1940s detective noir.

“I want something bohemian and lofty. I want it cozier, like Greenwich Village,” Withey said.

“It’s going to be fun and interesting,” Lynne said of the project, as she showed them pieces that would appropriate for each office space.

Lynne said the store also provides custom work besides just premade items available in the shop. She also plans to hold classes once her space is fully prepared for it. The classes will offer opportunities for people to learn easy things that Lynne insists anyone can do. She would like to start with a basic furniture makeover.

The store is currently open four days a week. The hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon until 4 p.m. To learn more, visit their Facebook page by clicking here.

Hartway meets challenge of modern look in historic district

Posted 20 February 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Chris Busch – Hartway Motors in Medina is getting a new metallic façade panel that will say “Chevrolet” in blue. The dealership, which is located in a historic district, is making the changes as part of a national push by Chevy dealerships.

Press release, Medina Historic and Architectural Review Board

The Hartway building is the state and national registries of historic places. The building also is listed on the National Register for its own merits.

Historic preservation can sometimes be at odds with national corporate branding, said Medina Planning Board Chairman Chris Busch. He also leads the village’s Historic and Architectural Review Board. That board found some wiggle room with the Hartway project.

The building features a post-war architectural style known as Streamline Moderne.Its lack of decoration or ornamentation, flat roof, white walls, glass block, and curved, aerodynamic forms are the chief identifying features of the building, Busch said.

In examining the proposed plan more closely within that context, the Review Board found that none of those features change, are destroyed, or were going to be irreversibly altered, he said.

“You might be tempted to lump this structure with the proposed changes into the pile with all the other newer suburban Chevrolet dealerships,” Busch said. “However, upon closer inspection, you will see that the Hartway structure is indeed different in that it does maintain the essential design characteristics of the original Streamline Moderne.”

The Medina business also is “nowhere near the scale of the typical suburban dealership structures,” Busch said. “It remains a pedestrian scale structure that make it compatible with the surrounding pedestrian scale buildings/neighborhood, with many of its design elements that define its historical importance in tact.”

In summing up its findings, the Review Board found that the architectural style of Streamline Moderne embraced the use of modern materials, and the use of them in the proposed changes was in keeping with not only the style but with the spirit of the style – an intent to celebrate clean, modern, aerodynamic lines through the use of modern materials.

The project received a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Review Board.

Busch said it is a good example of the board working to maintain a credible preservation district while balancing the practical needs of local business.

“The Hartway project is a great project, and we’re very excited to see this compatible upgrade on a business that is key to both Medina’s Main Street and its Historic District,” Busch said.

State should reward communities that have been sharing services

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 February 2014 at 12:00 am

Editorial

Governor’s incentives for municipal cooperation come a little late for Orleans

File photo by Tom Rivers – The village of Albion Department of Public Works paves West State Street on Sept. 11, 2013 with help from the highway departments from Orleans County and the towns of Albion, Barre and Gaines, which all hauled dump trucks full of blacktop.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo frequently says New York has too many layers of government, and those entities – 10,498 in all – are a prime reason for the state’s high property taxes.

“You just have to reduce that bureaucracy,” Cuomo told reporters last month. “You can’t feed that many mouths every morning.”

As part of his state budget proposal he has offered incentives for municipalities to share services and resources, including enticements to consolidate. That sounds like a good thing, some state funds to urge local municipalities to share resources to ease local taxes.

Orleans County governments have been doing a lot of what the governor would like to see, and we’ve been doing it for years. Unfortunately, for Orleans and the local towns and villages, we did it before the governor’s big speech, so we won’t get incentives.

“We’re being punished for being a leader in this area,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer. “We’ve been doing these things pretty much consistently.”

The state, if it’s going to offer money for shared services, should recognize communities that have been doing this for years. We deserve some funds, retroactively.

Here is some of what happens in Orleans County with shared services:

The village of Medina abolished its court system and now the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway run a consolidated court that meets in the Shelby Town Hall. The three entities had six justices about seven years ago and now there are two. The town of Yates also has dropped from two to one judge and has an agreement with the western Orleans towns for their judge to step in when needed.

The village of Albion also abolished its court with those duties shifted to the towns of Albion and Gaines. In Gaines, there is now one justice, Bruce Schmidt, when there used to be two.

The village, town and county highway departments share equipment and manpower for building roads, clearing ditches and other big jobs. That spares the municipalities from each paying for a full arsenal of loaders, excavators and dump trucks.

The county has handled all of the dispatch calls for more than 15 years. Medina used to have dispatchers before shifting the service to the county. In other counties, some towns and villages still have dispatching units when the service could be handled at a county-wide level.

The towns of Albion and Gaines no longer have their own assessors on the town payroll. The two towns contract with the county for the service.

Orleans County manages the solid waste contract for all 10 towns and four villages. That gives us buying power and helps get us a better deal for pickup with garbage and recyclables. It also means fewer taxpayer dollars go to people managing multiple contracts in the county.

Orleans County and Genesee County share the same health department director, Paul Pettit. They are the only two counties in the state doing this.

Orleans contracts with Genesee to run the youth bureau for Orleans. Genesee also is paid by Orleans to maintain the county’s tax maps. Nesbitt said all of these agreements with Genesee save Orleans money compared to the county cost for doing he service by itself. The agreements also provide some revenue for Genesee.

In an internal restructuring, Orleans combined its buildings and grounds department with the highway department.

The governor would like to see neighboring municipalities share back office functions, procurement and other services. If municipalities agree to abide by the governor’s 2 percent property tax cap, homeowners would get a 2 percent tax rebate in the first year. In the second year, homeowners would only qualify for the credit if the municipality also submits a plan to consolidate or share services with their neighbors.

The governor’s proposal has been criticized by some county leaders around the state. They insist Cuomo and the State Legislature could best reduce local property taxes by reining in the costs with some state mandated programs, such as Medicaid, rather than casting blame on the local governments.

The state should take a look at each county and the shared services that already exist. These villages, towns and counties are saving the state money with pared down workforces. That’s less state pension and other salary and benefit costs for taxpayers.

State officials should develop a rubric or formula for those savings and give some of that money back to the local communities that have been leading by example.

Legislature could ease property taxes if it attracts more sales tax

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 January 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Local government leaders should improve public access to the Medina Waterfalls. This site would draw outsiders to the community who would buy gas and eat in town, activities that would generate sales tax for the local government.

Editorial

Orleans County officials have done a marvelous job reducing the cost of government in recent years, cutting about 40 positions, combining some departments, making some leadership positions part-time and even pushing to sell off assets.

If you believe less government should be the goal, then our County Legislature deserves to be commended.

But I wouldn’t confuse less government with less taxes. Our property taxes still have gone up with the downsizing of the county government. This year they will go up 5 percent.

Orleans County ranks high on a national list with the highest property taxes as a percent of home values. We led the country a few years back and still are near the top.

The county, local towns and villages have two ways to cover the costs of government services, outside of the state and federal aid. The government collects property taxes and it also can use the local share of the sales tax to pay for services. (In Orleans, the local shares tax share is about $15 million a year with the county keeping 92 percent.)

The county has put a lot of energy into reducing the costs of government, but it hasn’t done much to drive up our sales tax. More sales tax would take pressure off the property taxes.

The sales tax barely budged in 2012, compared to 2011. In 2013, our numbers lagged from 2012. If the sales tax had been robust, the property taxes wouldn’t have gone up by 5 percent.

The Legislature will meet this afternoon at 4:30 for an organizational meeting. I would expect there will be a speech about running the county government “like a business” with more pressure to reduce staff.

I would encourage the seven-member Legislature to make growing the sales tax a top priority, rather than more downsizing. A growing sales tax also represents a growing business community. It means businesses are selling more products.

If I were at the controls, here are some things I would do to grow our sales tax:

Make the Cobblestone Museum director full-time

The six-building Cobblestone Society Museum in Childs is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with such designation from the federal government.

Work with the Cobblestone Society Museum to hire a full-time director. This would be my first action step to boost our sales tax. The museum has been without a director for months and it wants to add a part-time director. That’s what the museum can afford.

The county should work with the museum to get a full-time presence at the museum, which has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Interior as a National Historic Landmark, the only site in the county with this designation and one of the few in all of WNY with such status.

The county currently doesn’t include the museum in its budget. It gave them $1,000 at the end of the year from contingency funds.

The county should do more to promote our historical resources, especially a museum that is a one-of-kind site that draws people from the region, and could draw more with a dedicated full-time leader.

Genesee County, our rural neighbor to the south, provides the Holland Land Office Museum with $37,282 a year, and that site doesn’t provide nearly the variety and sense of wonder like we have with the Cobblestone Museum.

The county’s share of a full-time director would be about $20,000. The county would get that money back easily with added sales tax.

This director would not only help manage the six-building complex at the museum, but I would task that person with helping to develop a Cobblestone Trail along Route 104 that would include Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties.

Improve access to the Medina Waterfalls

The Medina Waterfalls has the shock and awe that would attract people.

I would immediately call a meeting with the state Canal Corporation and the power company and work to have public access to the Medina Waterfalls.

I discovered this site for the first time in November. It may be the most awesome real estate in Orleans County. But it is very difficult and dangerous to access. It’s just west of the Horan Road Bridge by the Erie Canal.

You have to descend from a concrete ledge on the canal towpath and then work your way through the woods to get there.

The county and local government could negotiate easements and public access improvements, such as a ladder and railings. There are well-worn paths by the waterfalls now that proves some daredevils go there. More people would come to see this, and they would spend money in Medina.

Create a Sandstone Trail

Mount Albion Cemetery on Route 31 in Albion is one of many wondrous sandstone sites along Route 31 in Orleans County.

There are trails in other parts of the state that link similar attractions, everything from wine, beer, cheese and historical sites. New York State likes trails and helps pay for the roadside signs and marketing.

The newly expanded Niagara Wine Trail now stretches into Orleans County, giving us a trail that should bring folks to our wineries. Some day we may be known as a wine county. That’s years away.

We’ve been the Medina sandstone capitol of the world for more than 150 years. We have a world-renown brand and we’ve done little to get the word out.

The county should help to create a Sandstone Trail along Route 31 that would link the canal communities and highlight our great architecture, the many buildings made from our local stone. This trail could begin at the Medina City Hall, which is the home to the new Sandstone Hall of Fame.

Devote more staff to tourism

The county has four retirees continuing to serve as part-time department heads. One of them is the tourism director, who also juggles the duties of planning director and Marine Park manager. That’s a lot to ask of anybody, especially someone in a part-time role.

A full-time tourism director, without the other added duties, may be able to better package the different resources in the county. We push the fishing industry, but there may be other markets for heritage tourism, stained-glass, pipe organs, and wildlife (look at the phenomenon with the Snowy Owls and the folks lined up on the side roads with binoculars.)

We may be able to get more out of the fishing as well. Our fishing industry has a $12 million annual economic impact in the county. In Oswego County, it has a $100 million impact.

Bring back the original canal bed in Holley

The City of Buffalo has come back from the brink and it is using its canal legacy as part of the renewal. Several projects are under way at the waterfront, and restoration of the original canal slip at the western terminus of the canal has been part of the comeback and rebirth of the city.

An original canal bed remains in Holley near the waterfalls, but it’s hard to get at. The county should team with the village to clean up that site and showcase some history. It would bring people into town, who would spend money, boosting our sales tax – and ease pressure on our property taxes.

Brunner is weighing $15M expansion, 43 new jobs in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 December 2013 at 12:00 am

NY approves low-cost power for company to grow in Orleans

(Editor’s note: This article has been updated from an earlier version.)

MEDINA – A Medina company will receive 2.4 megawatts of low-cost electricity as part of a $15 million expansion project that will add 43 jobs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

The New York Power Authority approved the low-cost hydropower allocation for Brunner International. The company is considering a 45,000-square-foot addition to expand the production of machined axle forgings that are sold to large, heavy-duty truck and trailer suppliers.

Brunner hasn’t committed to project yet and is weighing locations in other states for the expansion, said Jim Whipple, chief executive officer for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The power allocation makes Medina a more enticing site for the project, he said.

“This is not a done deal but it certainly helps,” Whipple said about the power allocation. “Brunner is weighing all the issues.”

Brunner, located at the corner of Bates Road and Route 31, has been a longtime hydropower customer for NYPA.

The state also approved a $750,000 incentive package under Empire State Development’s Excelsior Jobs Program and additional tax incentives are expected from the Orleans County Economic Development Agency if the company commits to the expansion in Medina.

Brunner completed a 41,250-square-foot expansion about five years ago that added 50 jobs in Medina.

Brunner is one of three growing companies in Western New York approved for the cheap electricity, according to the governor’s annoucement today. The hydropower is available to companies within 30 miles of the power plant in Lewiston. Medina is at the far end of the eligible territory.

Ford Motor Company will receive 1 megawatt in support of its plans to invest $150 million in its 63-year-old Hamburg stamping facility, located just outside Buffalo. Ford will upgrade equipment and add 10 new assembly lines.

The company will commit to creating 350 new positions at its facility above its current employment of 640 as a result of the expansion, with startup of the new equipment and assembly lines by the end of 2014, according to the governor’s announcement.
Gracious Living USA will receive 3.7 megawatts to renovate and refurbish four abandoned buildings on 50 acres of property in Buffalo to open an injection molding manufacturing facility and warehouse. The Canadian company wants to establish a greater presence in the U.S. for its resin-based furniture and other plastic products. The new facilities will lead to the creation of 250 jobs.

“Today’s low-cost hydropower allocations are a major win for Western New York, helping to create more than 600 new jobs, while reducing business costs to support the manufacturing industry,” Cuomo said. “As we grow the manufacturing sector in Western New York, the state will continue to leverage these kinds of investments to strengthen the local economy.”

State Sen. George Maziarz praised the power allocations for the companies.

“Ford Motor Company employs many Western New Yorkers and this award will expand that number exponentially,” Maziarz said. “I am also pleased that Brunner International in Medina will benefit from the excellent programs NYPA provides businesses, as it will continue to grow Orleans County’s largest private-sector employer.”

Maziarz says he’s happy Holley and Brockport projects were funded

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 December 2013 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – Holley’s Canal Park will be upgraded with help through a state grant.

State Sen. George Maziarz is pleased to see two projects in the eastern end of his Senate district were funded in the Regional Economic Development Council Awards announced on Wednesday.

The state approved $65,776 to the Village of Holley for the Holley Canal Park Improvement Project, which includes improvements to the existing gazebo, pavilions, and stone paths. New elements of the park will include new tree planting, installation of grills and picnic tables, fire pits, and the purchase of new equipment to maintain the park.

“The Holley award will result in lasting improvements to the Canal Park for all to enjoy,” said Maziarz, R-Newfane. “This park will be more user-friendly and accommodating to boaters, bicyclists, and the community at large.”

The Village of Brockport in Monroe County was approved for a $200,000 Main Street Revitalization Project. These funds will assist the owners of mixed-use buildings to complete commercial and residential renovation projects, and perform streetscape enhancements in the village’s downtown business district.

“The awards announced today will help launch key community development projects in our canal villages,” Maziarz said. “These awards go to show that projects in rural areas can have just as much merit as those in suburban and urban regions. The funded projects will help transform the quality of life for local residents.”

Orleans Hub will have more stories on the grants and how Orleans County is faring on a per capita basis to other nearby counties. We would like to see more on these funds go to projects in Orleans County.

Canadian recycling firm will create 30 new jobs in Albion

Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release, Orleans County EDA

ALBION – BoMET Holding Inc. – headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada – is making its first expansion into the U.S. marketplace with a site in Albion.

The international non-ferrous scrap metal recycling corporation – with holdings in Canada and China – will diversify its business model into electronics recycling at a 60,000-square-foot facility on McKinistry Street.

BoMET purchased a warehouse for $176,000 from the Orleans Economic Development Agency. The company plans to add 30 jobs at 152 McKinistry St. The Albion operation will be known as BoMET Recovery LLC.

The EDA worked with the company on a tax incentive plan.

“The OEDA offered 152 McKinstry to BoMET at a very competitive price, along with a property tax abatement package and a loan package for the facility’s manufacturing equipment,” said Jim Whipple, Orleans EDA chief executive officer. “The addition of BoMET Recovery in Albion is another example of how we welcome new industry, cut through the red tape and get projects up and running in Orleans County. We have an active local incentive program and excellent relationships with our economic partners at the state level.”

BoMET Recovery will be the main electronics-recycling center for BoMET Holding Inc.

“BoMET’s business model fits perfectly into our industrial setting and we are certainly not new to Canadian businesses,” Whipple said. “Orleans County is already home to four Canadian manufacturers. BoMET will be the fifth and we have another Canadian firm preparing to locate here.”

BoMET CEO Zhan Bo Zhang said the company wanted to diversify into the United States. Albion was attractive because of its close proximity to Cambridge. The company looked at other states and regions of New York.

“It was my dealings with the OEDA that cemented my decision to locate in Orleans County,” he said. “From start to finish, their knowledge, expertise and guidance gave me the confidence that BoMET Recovery would be successful there. Orleans is manufacturing friendly, known for its workforce and how welcoming they are to new business. We are excited about this new operation and, I believe, this is only the start of great relations between us.”

Orleans County is working on other manufacturing and light industrial projects. The EDA recently submitted an application to Empire State Development Corp. for a new shovel-ready site to be named Sandstone Industrial Properties.

The first planned site is the 150-acre Keppler property in the southeast section of Medina. When completed, the EDA’s Sandstone Industrial Properties will be the largest shovel-ready site in Western and Central New York.

The second EDA shovel-ready site will be the nearby Medina Business Park.

Orleans Hub first reported about the BoMET project on April 12. (Click here to see that article.)

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins issued this statement with the news about BoMET this afternoon:

“The announcement of a new electronics recycling operation in Albion is another positive sign for job creation and business development in Orleans County,” Collins said. “The OEDA continues to successfully work with its partners in government to recruit new businesses into existing facilities.I look forward to welcoming BoMET Recovery to Orleans County.”

In Gaines, a grand old building comes back to life

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 October 2013 at 12:00 am

Ray and Linda Burke turn site into “Fairhaven Treasures”

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The former Swiercznski homestead at the corner of routes 98 and 104 is planned to open on Nov. 29, the Friday after Thanksgiving. The site will be an art gallery and high-end craft co-op.

Ray Burke and his wife have spent about a year renovating and remodeling the 3,040-square-foot house, which was built in 1834.

“This old house was just sitting here,” said Burke. “We’ve tried to bring it up to some level of use and beauty.”

Burke is retired from DuPont in Rochester. The former machine shop foreman said several community members have helped work on the building and brainstorm uses for the site. He praised Gaines Town Supervisor Carol Culhane, in particular, for providing a vision for the site and also a lot of manual labor.

Culhane said the house will be a nice complement to the Cobblestone Society Museum, the Village Inn and other businesses on the Ridge.

“This is the historical crossroads of this community,” Culhane said. “It deserves to be showcased.”

The house has six fireplaces, including a heating pot and Dutch oven in the kitchen. Burke welcomes any historical photos and clues about the site’s past.

He has worked on the property almost every day since last Christmas.

“The more I work on it, the more I like it,” he said.

Bent’s in Medina makes regional council’s funding list

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 October 2013 at 12:00 am

Site is lone Orleans project recommended for state dollars

Photos by Tom Rivers – The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council recommended state funding for the Bent’s Opera House, a building in Medina that is mostly vacant but is eyed for offices, a restaurant and performance venue.

MEDINA – A nine-county council has reviewed projects throughout the Finger Lakes region, which includes Orleans County, and recommended the state help pay for a new roof for the Bent’s Opera House in Medina. That is the lone project from Orleans to make the list.

The Orleans Renaissance Group wants the Main Street building, built during the Civil War, to have offices on the first floor, possibly a restaurant on the second floor, and a performance hall on the third level. The ORG applied for $500,000. The council didn’t specify a dollar amount when it recommended funding for the project.

Albion sought state funding to upgrade Bullard Park, while the county applied for state dollars for the Orleans County Marine Park. Other communities also sought funding for infrastructure projects. None of those were recommended for funding by the regional council.

The state is pressing communities to come up with projects that would create jobs. Just because the regional council didn’t recommend funding doesn’t mean the other local projects will be denied. And, just because Bent’s is on the list doesn’t mean the state will approve the funding. That announcement should come in December.

The Orleans Renaissance Group wants to restore the Bent’s Opera House, which includes a performance hall.

This is the state’s third year since it established 10 regional councils for municipalities and counties to first submit economic development projects. Orleans County, per capita, has not fared well in the new system. It has received the least state funding the first two years, $716,000, of the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.

On a per capita basis – the amount per resident – Orleans has been awarded $16.70 per person ($716,000 divided by 42,883 residents). I did a story about this last December when I was at The Daily News in Batavia, comparing how each county fared since the councils were created.

Genesee County actually ranked the worst of the nine counties in per capita funding through the council over the first two years: $15.27. Genesee has 60,079 residents and has been awarded $917,330 in state funds for economic development and community projects.

Genesee, however, could be a big winner this round.

The council has listed the STAMP project in the town of Alabama as a priority. Genesee is working to create a shovel-ready Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park. The 1,250-acre site would be used for nano-scale manufacturing.

Orleans County folks should be rooting for this project to come to fruition. If it happens, it would attract hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new high-paying jobs. Some of these new people may snatch up all of the grand old homes in our villages that could use an infusion of dollars.

These new people, with their high-paying jobs, would pump dollars into our businesses. We get the benefits of the STAMP without outlaying any local dollars to make it happen. Thank you, Genesee County, for working on this and investing millions of your own money. If you need water for this site, I think the folks in Medina would be willing to talk.

The regional council also wants to help make the Genesee Agri-Business Park “shovel ready.” That 211-acre site is in Batavia and already is home to two yogurt plants. That project has provided jobs to some Orleans folks while increasing demand for milk from our dairy farms.

Some local officials, including Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard, believe the new approach for doling out state dollars hurts the small, rural communities.

The money tends to go to mega-projects that tend to be few and far between in a rural area. The smaller communities also don’t have millions of dollars to plow into infrastructure, land acquisition, engineering studies, etc. (Genesee can pull it off because they get so much more sales tax than Orleans due to the Thruway and all of the Big Box stores.)

In Orleans, we don’t have grant writers on staff and enough other people to help put together projects, and move them along, while also working to line up local dollars.

We could use a community development director in Orleans County to help put together projects that excite the regional council. We need to spend a little to bring in more state resources to move the community forward.

CRFS called ‘home-grown’ success story

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jodi Gaines faces the gauntlet of cameras after a press conference today, when she announced the company would be actively recruiting to fill 150 more positions in Albion.

ALBION – When Washington Mutual took over the former Dime Bank in 2002, the Seattle-based company phased out the claims department.

Jodi Gaines worked in that department. Gaines started as a claims clerk in 1989 for the former Anchor Savings Bank in Albion. She stayed in that department as ownership of the facility changed to Dime Bank and the North American Mortgage Company and then to Washington Mutual.

She was offered a different job to stay with WaMu, but Gaines opted to start her own company in claims, helping banks and investors to recover money with foreclosed properties.

She started the new venture from her kitchen table in Albion. That was December 2002. She had two employees.

In May 2003, Gaines moved the claims work to the former Lipton’s office in Albion, a building that had been taken over by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. The Orleans EDA offered Gaines and her staff space, office furniture and equipment, while the company got started.

Gaines recalled those roots and help from the EDA today when she announced Claims Recovery Financial Services would add 150 more workers and move its operations to the former JPMorgan Chase site in Albion, where the site is projected to have about 750 CRFS employees in March.

“This organization prides itself on results and quality each and every day,” Gaines said during today’s press conference about the expansion in Albion. “The work ethic of the CRFS managers and employees is why we are now poised for such tremendous growth.”

Jodi Gaines is pictured with Orleans Economic Development Agency officials Gabrielle Barone, left, and Jim Whipple.

The news from CRFS comes to a community in need of employment opportunities. The August unemployment report showed Orleans County, with an 8.4 percent unemployment rate, had one of the highest rates in upstate New York.

“From humble beginnings in Orleans County, using a collection of not-so-gently used office furniture, cramped office space and an untriedbusiness model, Jodi Gaines and an outstanding, small group of predominately women, redefined the American dream,” said David Callard, the Orleans County Legislature chairman.

Vinny Esposito, Finger Lakes regional director for Empire State Development, praised Gaines for her vision in building the company, and for her commitment to Orleans County.

“It is really a great American success story,” Esposito said. “It’s a home-grown company that has grown into a highly successful company.”

Only 10 years ago, Gaines had fewer than 10 workers. She quickly outgrew the Lipton’s office space and moved her staff to the former Navarra’s Family Restaurant in Albion.

The company continued its rapid growth and made a name for itself in the claims industry by working with banks and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, recovering past-due interest, unpaid principal, unpaid taxes and unpaid insurance on houses.

CRFS moved up to East Avenue next to the Chase site about five years ago with 75 employees. The site had more than 300 workers about a year ago and Gaines needed to find more space.

Roger Hungerford, owner of the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina, renovated one of the Pickle Factory buildings, allowing CRFS to bring 230 employees to Medina while Gaines kept more than 300 in Albion.

‘We started in Orleans County. We’re staying in Orleans County and the best is yet to come.’
– CRFS leader Jodi Gaines

But the company kept growing, as more clients sought out CRFS for claims. When Chase announced in June it was leaving, eliminating 413 Albion jobs by September, the vacant facility presented an opportunity for CRFS to have its Orleans County workforce in one location with plenty of room to grow. Gaines said there is space for 1,200 employees in the 60,000-square-foot building.

Hungerford is in the process of acquiring the building from Chase. Hungerford, the former owner of the Sigma International company in Medina, has proven himself as a developer with the Olde Pickle Factory. He also has shown his dedication to the community.

“Everyone should be happy that Roger Hungerford has the building,” said Jim Whipple, the Orleans EDA chief executive officer. “It’s no longer in the hands of the banks.”

The banking industry has been particularly volatile the past 25 years, with the former Chase site often changing hands.

“Every five years we were dealing with somebody new,” Whipple said.

With each new owner, high-powered members of Congress intervened to keep the site in Albion. First it was former Congressman John LaFalce, a member of the House Banking Committee. He was critical in getting Dime Bank to come and expand in Albion.

After LaFalce retired, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer provided the arm-twisting to get Washington Mutual and then Chase to stay in Albion.

Now, with local people owning the building and running the business, the site won’t be vulnerable to a sudden shutdown or relocation.

Gaines said she sees the company continuing its rapid growth, to the point the Chase site may be too small. That’s why she intends to keep the neighboring site, where CRFS currently has more than 300 workers, as an option for the future.

“CRFS is primed to do more for Orleans County than ever before,” Gaines said. “We started in Orleans County. We’re staying in Orleans County and the best is yet to come.”

$250K grant will help Holley businesses with building projects

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2013 at 12:00 am

State funding includes $15K for streetscape

Photo by Tom Rivers – The fountain at Holley’s Public Square, originally erected in 1914, could be upgraded with some of $15,000 targeted for streetscape improvements in Holley.

HOLLEY Contractors will soon be at work at several Public Square sites in Holley, making improvements on buildings from more than a century ago.

The village last December was awarded a $250,000 Main Street grant from the state, which provides matching money for building projects in the downtown.

Dan and Monica Seeler are doing the most extensive project, turning the former Tagg’s Tavern into a steak and seafood restaurant.

Other building owners are tackling projects. Jonathan’s Pastry Shop and Café will have a new façade. Lisa’s Dance Boutique is replacing second-floor windows and repointing some of the roof. VP Supply is working on a vestibule for its Geddes Street building. Nancy Penna may also renovate apartments on Thomas Street.

The projects will give the downtown area a big facelift, and may encourage other building owners to invest and improve their sites, said David Dill, Holley’s deputy mayor.

“It’s going to make that end of the Square look really nice,” he said.

Holley also has $15,000 from the grant for streetscape improvements. Village officials are considering using that money to refurbish the fountain, built in 1914, and add new benches. Dill said the village is open to ideas for spending that money.

Holley also also has been awarded a $30,000 state grant for records retention. The grant will fund scanning many of Holley’s paper documents into digital files. That includes board minutes, payroll records, and birth and death records. The paperwork goes back many decades.

Landmark Society approves grant for Pratt Opera House

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – A $2,000 grant will help pay for pre-construction engineering documents and drawings for the Pratt Opera House, located in the upper floor of the Main Street building at right.

Press release
Landmark Society of WNY

ALBION – A grant from The Landmark Society of Western New York will help to advance the revitalization of the Pratt Building, historic home to the former Pratt Opera House on Main Street in Albion. The $2,000 grant will assist in funding pre-construction engineering documents/drawings on the building.

“This planning grant will enable us to further the restoration of the 1882 Pratt Opera Theater, once the largest stage between Rochester and Buffalo,” said Judy Koehler who owns the building with her husband Michael Bonafede. “It is an important part of our community’s unique architectural and cultural heritage and an important part of improving the quality of life in our community. Partnerships with organizations such as the Landmark Society make it possible to preserve our past to benefit our community’s future. We are very grateful.”

Preservation Grant Fund awards are earmarked for preliminary design and planning studies to help make positive improvements to at-risk buildings.

“Grants are for projects that epitomize the mission of The Landmark Society to sustain and enhance the cultural and economic vitality of Western New York by bringing new life to historic buildings and resources and ensuring they are present and contributing for generations to come,” said Wayne Goodman, executive director of The Landmark Society.

Initial funding for the Preservation Grant Fund was made possible by a generous bequest from Elizabeth “Libby” Stewart. She was a longtime Landmark Society staff member who was dedicated to the revitalization of neighborhoods and historic structures. Generous donations to The Landmark Society’s 75th Anniversary fund-raising campaign provide ongoing funding.

Other grants awarded by The Landmark Society of Western New York include:

A $1,000 grantto Providence Housing Development Corporation to assist in funding conceptual architectural drawings for the rehabilitation of the Pulaski Library at 1151 Hudson Avenue in Rochester.

A $2,000 grant to assist in funding a Condition Report on the Church of God and Saints of Christ at 19 Harrison St. in Rochester.

A $2,000 grant to assist in funding a Condition Report on the roof and tower at the Genesee Baptist Church, 149 Brooks Avenue in Rochester.

Leg chairman takes neighborhood revitalization into his own hands

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2013 at 12:00 am

David Callard is buying houses and fixing them up

Photos by Tom Rivers – Nelda Callard paints the trim above the side door of a house she and her husband David Callard are working to restore on Temperance Street in Albion.

David and Nelda Callard have worked more than a year fixing up this house on Temperance Street. The house dates back to the 1840s. It was badly rundown.

Jill Bower of Holley, co-owner of Erie Way Tree Farm, on Friday plants a pink dogwood in the front yard on house acquired by David Callard.

ALBION – David Callard is in the home stretch of an ambitious project, reclaiming a house left to die on Temperance Street in the village.

Callard, the Orleans County Legislature chairman, bought the distressed property in August 2012, paying $12,000 for the house and the back taxes. The building seemed destined to be torn down. It took several truckloads to remove a lot of the junk inside. Two layers of shingles were taken off and new siding was put on.

The crumbling foundation was put back together with fresh mortar. Callard removed old carpet and linoleum and discovered red oak floors underneath. Callard put in a new gas heating system and had the house insulated.

“This is a way for me to give back,” he said Friday at the house. His wife Nelda was outside painting the trim above the side door. “We’re bringing a house back and having an impact on a neighborhood.”

The 900-square-foot house was built in the 1840s, and wasn’t perfectly square. That has made it a little tricky to put on new siding and make other improvements. Callard said the entire project has been a learning experience. But he is more determined to take on more of them.

He has since acquired other houses that need work, and now owns eight properties altogether.

Callard, a retired banking executive, enjoys working with his hands, and seeing the turnaround with the houses. He also noticed other home owners near the house in Albion have tackled projects.

“There are four or five others that have done landscaping and other improvements,” he said. “It’s fun to watch if anything else perks along the street.”

The house is a short walk from the Legislature chambers at the corner of East Park and Main streets. Callard said he still has some finishing touches with the property. He may rent, sell or do a lease-to-own with the property.

He doesn’t expect the project will be a money-maker, but he believes it will be a lift for a neighborhood.

Callard has met many Albion residents and other people who buy beat-up houses through the project in Albion. They share frustrations about many abandoned houses, sites that were foreclosed by banks. Many of those bank-owned properties don’t have a clear owner, and the houses just sit with no maintenance, dragging down neighborhoods, Callard said.

The county has joined an effort across the state calling on state legislators and the governor to pass a law requiring ownership of houses to be clearly stated and for those owners to keep up the sites.

“The banks are letting unoccupied houses sit vacant for years,” Callard said. “The banks need to assume some responsibility for the maintenance. This has become a state and national issue.”

Turn UM Church into ‘Sacred Sites’ discovery center

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 August 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

The First United Methodist Church in Albion has a important role in the religious fervor that swept the “burned-over district” in the 1800s.

ALBION – It was called the “burned-over district,” the swath of western and central New York that was fertile ground for religious fervor in the 1800s.

Churches sprang up, including new denominations, and church leaders pushed to make believers out of the new settlers who were drawn to the area once the Erie Canal was under construction beginning in 1817. Church leaders especially targeted the canal workers, who were viewed as the underclass in need of spiritual direction.

One of the most famous evangelists, Charles Finney, referred to the area in his 1876 autobiography as the “burned-over district,” saying then the area had been heavily evangelized. There was no “fuel” (unconverted population) left over to “burn” (convert).

Joseph Smith started the Mormon Church in Palmyra. Spiritualism started and found a home at Lily Dale in Chautauqua County. (I grew up in Lily Dale.) Other religious movements emerged in the “burned-over district.”

Albion plays an important historical role in the push to evangelize and also to shape social issues. One church denomination, the Free Methodists, opened their first church in Albion, across the street from the Methodist Episcopal Church (now the United Methodist Church). The new church was strongly in support of freeing slaves, not charging pew fees and welcoming women into leadership roles in the church.

Loren Stiles preached those messages and he was expelled in 1859 from the Methodist Episcopal Church in Albion. Stiles and a new congregation built the Free Methodist Church across the street. That church launched a denomination that has grown to more than 1,000 churches, with most of the church membership outside the United States. About 53 percent of Free Methodists live in Africa.

The first Free Methodist church in the world opened across the street from the United Methodists after Loren Stiles was expelled. He formed the new church in 1859. There are now more than 1,000 Free Methodist churches in the world.

The original church remains in Albion, where about 200 people attend church on Sundays. (I go to that church.)

I felt sick for a few days last week after the United Methodists announced they planned to abandon their historic building, and turn it over to the denominational conference. The church needs about a $1 million repair to the roof and its support system. The congregation of about 30 families doesn’t have that kind of money.

I fear the church will be stripped of all the stained-glass windows, the pipe organ and ornate woodwork. And the building could be knocked down. That would be a blow to the congregation – and to Albion, Orleans County and New York State, which has a rich history.

I think the eight churches in the Courthouse Square are one of Albion’s great assets, buildings that are like walking into a time capsule from the 19th Century.

Albion is the only place I know of on earth that has eight historic church buildings, all representing different stories, so close together, with a courthouse from 1858 as the center.

The buildings are loaded with ecclesiastical art, including windows from the famed Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company in New York City. The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church has a breath-taking window of Jesus that almost looks three-dimensional.

The “Christ the Consoler” window in the Pullman church is a tremendous work of art by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.

I’ve been in all of the churches. They’re all different, showing an array of architectural styles. Most of the buildings have giant stained-glass windows that bear the names of prominent families from ore than a century ago, names like the Swan family that started Albion’s first public library. (You can find that window in the Baptist Church.)

The dedication at the bottom of a window dedicated to William Gere Swan in the Baptist Church.

So, about the United Methodist Church building. Let’s turn it into a “Sacred Sites” Discovery Center that would talk about the religious and social movements that swept upstate in the 1800s, with some of those movements gaining strength and going world-wide.

The Sacred Sites center could provide an introduction to the different denominations and religious movements. It wouldn’t be a place to proselytize, but for people to learn the origins of the faith traditions of the different denominations.

The center could educate on church architecture and art, highlighting the works of some of the masters, such as Tiffany. Albion is truly a showcase of some awesome ecclesiastical artistry.

The United Methodist building could become a significant attraction, especially when combined with the seven other churches in the Courthouse Square. With the building’s new purpose, telling the stories of the social and religious movements that were so important to the state, it only makes sense to me that New York should help pay the bulk of repairing the roof and its support system.

It would be far easier for the state to help with this project than putting the entire financial burden on the 30 families that go to the church. (If this becomes a Sacred Sites Discovery Center, I think the sanctuary should continue to be used for church services, with the United Methodists welcome to use the building on Sunday mornings. The church could also use the site for other outreach ministries, especially with meals from the fellowship hall.)

The United Methodist Church has a failing structural support system for the roof over the sanctuary. The church is using five wooden beams to offer some structural support. A proper fix could top $1 million.

New York has a rich history and many museums tell stories of abolitionists, the women’s suffrage movement, pioneer settlers and even the best professional athletes.

New museums and “discovery centers” are added all the time, with a grape and wine center in Westfield among the most recent additions. A Finger Lakes Museum is planned for Yates County. More projects are on the drawing board, including a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo loves the state’s history, and he has put state resources behind heritage tourism, wanting New Yorkers and visitors to know about the many inventors, social justice leaders and battlefields in the state’s history.

We have sites that talk about Jell-O in Le Roy and toys in Rochester. When I lived in North Chili, there was a dollhouse museum a couple blocks away.

The state should work with Albion to create a Sacred Sites destination. We can work around the separation of church versus state by focusing on the social and cultural history behind the religious movements, and the art of the stained glass and pipe organs.

I would encourage the village, county and our local state representatives to give this idea consideration – soon, before the United Methodist Church is picked of its assets.

If we created the Sacred Sites center, we’d need an army of volunteers to help run the place, including some paid staff. We’d need local dollars to help convince the state the community supports this.

We may need to form an Albion Historical Alliance or something like that and start getting aggressive about preserving and promoting these assets. Besides the churches, we have an abundance of riches with cobblestone homes, spectacular Medina Sandstone structures, and so much more.

The Presbyterian Church is one of eight churches in Albion that are named to the National Register of Historic Places.