File photo by Tom Rivers – The Albion Middle School is pictured during a snowstorm on March 29, 2014. The Middle School would have windows from the 1930s and 1950s replaced, as well as other upgrades, in a proposed capital project.

ALBION – The Albion Board of Education on Monday approved a $33.2 million budget that reduces taxes and also a $14.3 million capital project. Both will be presented to the public on May 19 during a vote from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school conference room.

The district’s proposed $33,240,940 budget reduces spending by $310,111 or 0.92 percent. The tax levy would drop by 1 percent to $8,355,939.

“It’s certainly a budget that should make everyone’s day on this board,” said Margy Brown, Board of Education president.

The district will see payments to the retirement system drop by $398,000 in 2015-16. The district also expects to save about $145,000 with staff retirements. The district will maintain staffing and all of its programs in the new budget, but retirees will be replaced by less experienced staff with smaller paychecks.

The district also budgeted a $133,000 decrease in tuition through the Orleans-Niagara BOCES and $72,000 less in debt service payments.

Rising salaries for district staff is the biggest increase in the budget at an additional $478,000.

Albion is projecting a state aid increase of $123,889. The numbers put out by the state show a $783,466 increase, but Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent of business, said those numbers routinely overstate Albion’s aid by about $400,000. Plus, grant monies for Albion should be subtracted.

The state aid increase, combined with many of the reductions in the budget, is resulting in the tax decrease, district leaders said.

Albion has been holding taxes steady or dropping them for much of the past decade. In 2008-09, the tax levy was $8,727,589. Next budget it will be $8,355,939.

The budget vote on May 19 also includes a proposition for a $14,370,548 project for building reconstruction, energy and safety improvements. State funds will cover 91 percent of the project.

The district has its 9 percent share, $1,286,000, already in a local reserve fund.

The project will address many maintenance issues throughout the district campus.

The project would replace half of the roofs, upgrade parking lots, improve drainage on athletic fields, resurface the track, and add some exterior lighting and utilize more LED lights.

The District Office, currently housed in what was intended to be a temporary metal building in the 1964, would be demolished and those offices would shift to existing space at the middle school.

The capital project would also include stronger doors at school entrances and card access controls.

The fire alarm would be replaced with a new system at the elementary school, which would also see a relocated flag pole to the front of the building, HVAC upgrades, additional exterior lighting, and a new playground on west side.

The elementary school would also receive a shading system on the south side to reduce solar heat gain in the warmer months.

The capital project also will replace some single-pane windows in the middle school with more energy-efficient windows, upgrade the sound booth, improve the boiler and heating system, add exterior lights to northeast side of the school, widen the sidewalk by bus loading zone and replace decaying steel hand railing with aluminum ones.

At the high school, the 1,200 high school lockers that are less than 9 inches wide would be replaced with 800 lockers that are a foot wide. The bigger lockers would allow students to better store their thick backpacks and winter coats.

The high school library would also be repurposed with new technology to meet the needs of the 21st Century.

The capital would also include work on the bus garage, adding an emergency generator, and new doors and lighting.

The budget vote on May 19 also includes propositions to spend $460,000 for buses and $680,411 to be collected for Hoag Library.

There will be a hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. on May 12 in the High School LGI.

Elk’s Club transformed into Santa exhibition hall

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Tom Cortemeglia and his wife Janiece are pictured inside the Albion Elk’s Club on West State Street today.

They are owners of Santas Claus’et, and they sell lots of T-shirts with Santa themes and other merchandise.

Today is the start of the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference, which runs until Sunday. About 250 Santas will be in town for the event.

Cortemeglia made the trip from Nashville, Tenn. He has attended the Charles W. Howard Santa School four times. It is now in Michigan. Howard, an Albion native, ran the school locally from 1937 until his death in 1966.

Some of the Santas are wearing patches that show Charlie Howard in one of his classic Santa poses.

“The Charles Howard School is the best,” Cortemeglia said. “You develop a camraderie with people.”

Howard developed standards for Santa’s dress and how he should interract with children. Those principles continue to be taught today.

“If it hadn’t been for Charlie Howard, a lot of us wouldn’t be doing a good job as Santa,” Cortemeglia said.

The Elk’s Club on West State Street has been turned into an exhibition hall for Santa Claus merchandise and Santa clothing, including hats, boots, bells and other useful items for the Jolly Ole’ Elf.

About 250 Santas will be in town the next few days. Many of them will be at a meet and greet 7 p.m. today at Fair Haven Treasures, 14386 Ridge Rd. The public is welcome to come and meet the Santas this evening and also meet many of the Santas at the exhibition hall at the Elk’s.

They will be at the Elk’s Club on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

They will have their ceremonies and program on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Albion Middle School Auditorium.

Dale Nowak prepares a display of clothing inside the Elk’s Club. Nowak and his wife, Sherri Heath, sell custom designed clothes for Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves. The couple is from Mountrose, Mich.

There are many Christmas-themed patches and other merchandise for sale.

Santa can stock up on new boots and belts from this vendor.

This vendor is selling new bells and other Santa merchandise.

Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Members of Santa’s Drill Team perform a routine at Fair Haven Treasures this evening in Gaines. The Drill Team did beard inspections, ate cookies and sampled milk.

The Drill Team turned serious in honoring the American flag, in singing “God Bless America” and thanking God for the privilege of being Santa.

One of the Santas visiting Albion for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference has his camera phone out and takes photos of the Drill Team.

Bob Elkin is president and a charter member of the Palm Tree Santa’s Drill Team from Tampa, Fla.

These Santas are happy to shake hands and chat during a “meet and greet” at Fair Haven Treasures.

George Long (left), a Santa from near Orlando, Fla., is happy to meet with Joe Slifer, a Santa from Raleigh, N.C. They are pictured outside Fair Haven Treasures. Long is wearing his Santa workshop apron.

Long and Slifer are in town for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference, which runs until Sunday.

Many of the Santas will be back at Fair Haven on Friday at 2 p.m. for the dedication of an International Peace Garden.

Joe Slifer, right, also is happy to pose with this Santa who made the trip from Norway.

These Santas watch the Drill Team this evening. Many of the visiting Santas will be at the Elk’s Club on West State Street on Friday and Saturday during the morning and afternoon.

The Albion Middle School Auditorium will be used for the convention’s evening programs on Friday and Saturday.

Photos by Thom Jennings – Local residents and officials are pictured at the intersection on Main and State streets on Monday, during a walkability audit in the village.

By Thom Jennings, Orleans Hub correspondent

ALBION – A group of Albion government and community leaders put their best foot forward on Monday as they took part in a walkability audit funded by the Genesee Transportation Council.

The group of about 20 people included elected representatives from Orleans County Legislature, the town and village of Albion and the town of Gaines, as well as village employees and representatives from the Albion Merchants Association, Albion Central School, RTS Orleans, Orleans County Health Department and The Albion Running Club.

“This community has a tremendous amount of natural assets,” noted Justin Booth during a presentation to the group. Booth led the audit and has conducted similar ones throughout the region, and was visiting Albion for the first time.

“It is amazing how intact your historic district is, that is something you should be proud of,” Booth said. “Many communities have wedged in fast food places in between buildings.”

The purpose of the audit was to begin the process of finding ways to make the target communities not just walker friendly, but to examine accessibility for bicyclists as well. Booth noted that an increasing segment of the population is becoming health conscious, and thus they are looking for communities that are easy to travel around in using non-motorized forms of transportation.

The crosswalk on Route 31 by King Street could use signage.

During his presentation to the group, Booth spoke about the economic benefits to a community that is safe and accessible for walkers and bicyclists, and showed some strategies that other communities have used to slow down traffic and create safe passage for pedestrians.

The session was not confined to the Village Hall as the entire group visited various locations in Albion, the first was near the intersection of King Street and West Avenue.

While the group convened at the intersection, Booth noted that there were good sidewalks along that stretch of West Ave and a good-sized shoulder for bicyclists. The one area of concern was the lack of signage alerting motorists that there is a crosswalk.

The second area audited was the intersection of Main and Park streets. Booth noted that the intersection is the gateway to the historic district and would be a prime spot for a small island in the center. The island would force motorists to slow down and create a safer environment for walkers and bicyclists.

The group then walked down Main Street, spending a short time at the corner of Main and State, before they moved to their final location, the corner of Linwood and Main Street.

The group on the walkability audit is pictured at the corner of Main and West Park streets. A consultant suggested a small island at the interesection to slow down traffic and increase pedestrian safety.

It was at the corner of Linwood and Main where the discussion turned to a lack of sidewalks on many of the side streets in the village, including Linwood Avenue.

Village Trustee Stanley Farone noted that the village is in the midst of a tough budget process and has limited resources, but urged citizens to attend meetings and voice their concerns.

“Our meetings are open to the public,” Farone said. “We welcome input from the citizens.”

Booth remarked that some communities have created specially designated sidewalk districts or even shared installation costs with homeowners. This can only be achieved with the full support of the homeowners impacted.

In the meantime, it is important to engage the community in a dialogue about creating a community that is pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

The audit concluded with an exercise where small groups were tasked with creating a walkable community. They approached the task without considering the costs.

Village Trustee Stan Farone looks over a map of village streets with village residents, including Lisa Stratton (left) and Debbie Grimm.

The groups targeted areas that were in need of sidewalks and bike paths, and when they were done some people noted that these were things that have been discussed for the last 10 years, but the resources are simply not available.

“Many communities face the same challenges that you are,” noted Booth, “but the fact that so many of you came out for this audit says something positive about your community.”

The next steps include creating a community vision, and creating long-term and short-term goals.

Albion was one of 10 communities selected by the Genesee Transportation Council for walkability audits. Medina also was picked for the audit, which is scheduled for later this month.

Wendel Engineers will compile a final report with a list of recommendations and possible strategies to all of the communities later this year.

Photos courtesy of Peggy Barringer – These Santas hold Chloe Mosele, Peggy Barringer’s granddaughter, during a Charlie Howard celebration on September 25, 2010.

ALBION – It will feel like a homecoming and a pilgrimage for 250-plus Santas this week when they converge in Albion for a Santa Claus Conference.

Albion is hosting the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference this week with Santas from across the country – and some from outside the U.S. – in town from Thursday through Sunday. The many activities at the conference are free and open to the public.

“It’s a camaraderie and a chance to exchange ideas,” said Phil Wenz, coordinator of the event. He has worked the past 30 years as a year-round Santa at the Santa’s Village theme park in Dundee, Ill.

Wenz pushed for a “Charlie Howard Day” celebration in Albion on Sept. 25, 2010. He wanted the Santas to celebrate the hometown of Charlie Howard, who is held in high regard in the Santa community.

Howard started a Santa School in 1937, developing standards for dress and interacting with children. Howard ran the school on Phipps Road until his death in 1966.

The school has since been moved to Midland, Mich., but it still bears the name of Charlie Howard.

Wenz and the Santas try to have Santa Claus conferences every two years. Wenz wanted the multi-day event, which will draw more Santas than the special event in 2010, to come to Howard’s hometown.

These Santas gather in 2010 for a photo outside the First United Methodist Church in Albion. Charlie Howard attended the church.

Wenz would like to work with the Albion community to celebrate the Charlie Howard and Santa Claus heritage. That could be more Santa-themed events, signage about Howard and Santa, and perhaps a bronze statue for Howard dressed as Santa.

“We want to make Albion a destination for Santa Clauses,” he said.

Celebrating that Santa heritage could make Albion a tourist draw, especially when coupled with the community’s historic attractions, the Erie Canal and other resources, Wenz said.

This Santa-themed vehicle was in Albion on September 25, 2010. Albion can expect to see about 250 Santas around town in the next few days.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Michelle Restivo addresses the Board of Education on Monday, thanking the board for allowing students who refuse state tests to be allowed to read in the classroom. She said other districts have allowed children not taking the tests to go to a separate room. Albion has declined to do that.

ALBION – School officials were thanked during Monday’s Board of Education meeting for not making students “sit and stare” if they refuse to take state exams in grades 3 through 8. Those tests start today.

Albion is allowing students who refuse the tests to remain in the classroom and read quietly at their desks. The reading material won’t be books or magazines brought in by students. It will reading material supplied by the school.

“We thank you for recently allowing our children to read silently during the test period,” said Michelle Restivo, mother of two students in the district.

Many other districts are allowing students who refuse the test to go to a separate room. Restivo said the School Administrators Association of NYS encourages students refusing the tests to not remain in the same room with their classmates who are taking the test.

“It is SAANYS position that such a procedure might be distracting to test takers and some may regard such a requirement to be uncomfortable for the students opting out,” Restivo said.

Albion school leaders have decided to keep the students in the same room.

Restivo spoke on behalf of a group of parents concerned about the state tests. Many of those parents and their children are refusing the tests.

Restivo said the district has already been notified the students won’t be taking them, and those students shouldn’t be presented testing materials. To present them testing materials, and insist they sign their test booklets after parents already stated their intention to refuse the tests, is wrong and could be considered abusive by the Dignity for All Students Act, she said.

“Students who have been protected by their parents’ right to refuse tests have done absolutely nothing wrong,” she said. “Presenting these tests to students and asking them to refuse, after you have received express wishes from parents, is harassment, intimidation, bullying and abuse as defined by DASA.”

The district received some refusal letters from parents after testing labels were printed. District Superintedent Michael Bonnewell said there are about 10 to 12 students who came after the deadline who will need to sign their names. The other students refusing the tests, who notified the district before the deadline, won’t have to sign their names on the test booklets, Bonnewell said.

He said teachers or other school personnel cannot, by state law, write on those exam booklets. The students need to do that.

“Our intent is to honor the desire to refuse the test,” he said. “Our intent isn’t to make parents’ or students’ lives difficult.”

Restivo said that standardized testing is necessary, but state’s approach disempowers parents, school administrators and districts.

“Standardized tests that are teacher created and scored would provide much more insight into our children’s progress as learners,” she said. “Assessments should guide future instruction in order to provide the best education for our children, and we have little faith that these tests do that.”

Bonnewell said he shares many of the concerns raised by Restivo, parents and staff about the testing, but the district has to follow the state education rules.

“It remains the law of the land and we have to work to change that law to make it appropriate,” he said.

Restivo said the parents aren’t asking the district to not follow education laws. By refusing the tests, Restivo said parents and their children are exercising their democratic rights to stand up for their principles, believing it will lead to a greater good.

“It is our opinion that teachers and students are not failing, like the state has led us to believe,” Restivo said. “Rather the state has failed us by over-testing our children, and misusing the results. We refuse the NYS Common Core assessments in grades 3-8. We support Albion Central School District – its administrators, teachers and students. Most importantly, we support our children and we ask that you will, too.”

One student, Freshman Class Vice President Riley Seielstad, also addressed the board and the parents in the crowd and urged students to take the tests. She worries the “opt out” movement could result in less funding for school districts, perhaps hurting music and sports programs.

State aid isn’t supposed to be affected if students refuse the tests.

Seielstad urged students to take the exams, which are 90 minutes a day over six days.

“I think 90 minutes is worth the effort for music and sports,” she said.

District named elementary school in honor of school leader

Ron Sodoma is pictured last May when he attended the Albion Honors Convocation Dinner.

ALBION – Ron Sodoma, a retired Albion Central School superintendent who fostered character education and service learning programs, while pushing for campus upgrades and solid financial footing for the district, has died.

Mr. Sodoma was fighting cancer and was in hospice care. He was living in Green Castle, Pa., with his wife Karen, a retired Albion teacher. They raised their daughters, Amanda and Becky, in Albion.

Sodoma had a 35-year career at Albion. He started as an elementary school teacher, became principal of the Waterport school, then assistant superintendent and the last 18 ½ years as superintendent.

He retired in December 2002. About two years later there was a ceremony, naming the elementary school in his honor. He said then the district’s success and its commitment to every child is a team effort.

“His heart was here,” said Michael Bonafede, the former Board of Education president who served closely with Sodoma and his successor, Dr. Ada Grabowski. “He believed in the community, the children and a well-rounded education.”

Sodoma may have moved away, but he contributed to community causes, including the capital campaigns for the new Hoag Library and Hospice residence in Albion.

He and his wife were back last May to attend the Honors Convocation for graduating Albion seniors.

While Sodoma was superintendent, the district implemented a character education program, service learning initiatives and also an alternative high school program at the Orleans County Nursing Home – efforts that won the district national awards and remain a part of the school today.

“He was instrumental in developing the culture at the district,” Bonafede said. “He had a pure heart, with good intentions and children were first.”

Sodoma was skilled with planning and the district’s financials. For many years Albion had one of the lowest per pupil costs in the state. The district maintained that low rate while preserving reserve funds and tackling needed campus renovations and improvements.

The district’s sound fiscal shape, the care of its campus and its committed staff attracted Michael Bonnewell to the job about five years ago when Grabowski retired, following Sodoma.

“From my point of view when I was applying this was an attractive place to be,” Bonnewell said. “The finances were incredibly well managed and that goes back a long ways.”

Sodoma’s legacy lives on at the school with the many teachers, administrators and staff he hired that continue to serve the district, Bonnewell said.

Richard Pucher also served as a local superintendent for 18 ½ years. He led the Lyndonville district and retired just before Sodoma. The two were often on the phone each week.

“He was willing to help his fellow superintendents,” Pucher said.

Sodoma could have gone to bigger districts and more lucrative salaries, but he was committed to Albion for the long haul, Pucher said.

“He was always interested in impacting his district, helping educators and bettering young people,” Pucher said.

He saw Sodoma as a skilled planner, looking years into the future and making the needed incremental changes to reach the goal.

Jason Smith, the current Lyndonville superintendent, was a high school social studies teacher when Sodoma encouraged him to pursue administration, first as dean of students and then as a vice principal in Albion. Smith would work as a principal in Elba before being hired as Lyndonville superintendent.

He remembers his first day at Lyndonville. There were flowers from Sodoma, with a card, “Call me if you need anything.”

Many teachers hired by Sodoma would go on to be superintendents, a legacy that includes Jeff Evoy in Medina, Roger Klatt in Barker and Roy-Hart, and Mickey Edwards in Wyoming. In addition, Carol D’Agostino is Kendall’s high school principal and Matt Calderon, a former Albion vice principal, is Pembroke’s district superintendent.

“His superintendent’s tree is quite large,” Smith said. “He encouraged a lot of people.”