By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The top of the Orleans County Courthouse dome is shining purple this month for Domestic Violence Awareness Appreciation Month.
The County Legislature is urging the community to wear purple on Oct. 15 to show support for the issue.
The county’s domestic violence unit last year responded to 376 referrals, including a murder and attempted murder, county legislators said in issuing a proclamation declaring October to be “Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Orleans County.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council honored artists and contributors of the local cultural scene on Saturday during GO Art!’s annual community arts awards gala at Terry Hill Country Club.
The honorees include, from left: Michael Bonafede of Albion for his role as drummer and help in planning many community events; Kim Buczek (Linda Blanchet Award) for earning doctorate in music arts and performing in Cincinnati area; Jim Hancock of Medina for his volunteer work with many community causes and events; Albion native Lance Anderson, president of the Lake Plains Players – a community theater group; Cassandra Prong (daughter of honoree Bill Hayes – honored for his years of support for GO ART!); Vincent Pastore, a life-long Batavian and accomplished musician; and Leslie DeLooze, accepting on behalf of the Richmond Memorial Library, which offers many arts and cultural programs through the year.
Orleans Hub will have more on the program later today.
ALBION – When South Main Street was made wider along the west side of the Courthouse Square in 1954, an old fire cistern was discovered.
There were several around the village that the Fire Department could tap into before there was a municipal waterworks. In other words, firemen had a supply of water in case a fire broke out in one of the buildings around the Courthouse Square.
The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church shows in the background of our photo. The old cistern was being filled in when this picture was taken.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Kim Remley, chairwoman of Stop Polluting Orleans County, addresses the congregation today at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion. She won the 2014 Pullman Memorial Humanitarian Award.
The church honored Remley for her advocacy efforts the past 20 years with SPOC, a group opposed to additional landfills in Orleans County.
“She is a great choice,” John Andrews, a Pullman church member, said about Remley. “Her dedication to the cause has been unwavering. She has persevered and pushed on. She’ll never quit.”
Remley is pictured with Lousie Wu, wife of church pastor Lee Richards, and Richards after the service today when she was presented with the humanitarian award.
The service this morning had an environmental message, with a focus on being good stewards of the earth.
Remley and SPOC in the late 1990s successfully fought an effort by Waste Management to open a third landfill in Albion. That landfill would have been far bigger the McKenna Landfill and Orleans Sanitary Landfill, sites along the canal between Densmore and Transit roads.
Richard Penfold is trying to pick up the Waste Management application and open a new landfill. Remley and SPOC continue to fight against that effort.
“I really think that it’s the wrong thing for us because of the impact on the environment and the traffic issue,” Remley said about a new landfill.
Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, leads a toast for Remley during a reception this afternoon.
Richards said Remley was recognized for her work with Stop Polluting Orleans County “and for exemplifying the liberal religious values of love, respect, social justice and service to others.”
Today’s service included many members of the First Presbyterian Church in Albion, where Remley has been a long-time member and active leader in the church’s youth programs. Other SPOC and community members also attended the Pullman service and reception today for Remley.
“I admire Kim,” said Grace Denniston, a member of the Carlton United Methodist Church. “I think she is a very courageous person who stands up for what she believes in, even if it’s not popular.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Batavia City School District – Michelle Restivo of Albion is pictured at the Jackson Primary School in Batavia. Last week she was picked as a “Teacher Who Opens Door to Education.”
BATAVIA – Michelle Restivo makes fun a priority in her classroom. But that doesn’t mean she skimps on learning.
Restivo of Albion teaches kindergarten at the Jackson Primary School in Batavia. She acknowledged she and other teachers feel pressure to keep the school day packed with instruction so students can score well on tests through the Common Core.
But that doesn’t mean Restivo will eliminate art, crafts and other projects. She said those activities are needed for students, especially those in the elementary grades.
And she incorporates lessons in those activities, having them draw the ocean and sailboats in a lesson about Christopher Columbus, for example.
“If they’re not having fun and looking forward to it, it won’t be meaningful learning,” Restivo said.
She was recognized last week by a Rochester radio station for winning the “Open the Door to Education” contest. She was interviewed on 100.5 The Drive. She will receive a new door for her home from DeRisio Construction.
Restivo was nominated for the award Kelseylynn Chechak, whose son Jacob was in Restivo’s class last year.
“I could not have dreamt of a better teacher,” Ms. Chechak wrote. “She encouraged the children, celebrated their successes, and made learning fun. Learning about different countries, the kids had passports, their chairs set up like airplane seats, and a paper suitcase to put all their research in. This is just one example of Mrs. Restivo’s amazing teaching methods. Although she is an amazing educator, the kids saw her mostly as a friend. Her love, patience, and friendship was shared with all of the kids.”
Restivo and her husband Jonathan have two children in the Albion school district: Shelby and Ben.
Chris Sevor, left, and Monica Clark created these scarecrows today. They had the giggles trying to stuff them into the car.
Photos by Peggy Barringer
MEDINA – The Orleans County YMCA hosted a Scarecrow Festival today at the Armory building on Pearl Street. The event is sponsored by the Medina Lions Club.
Phyllis Misso of Albion and her granddaughter Cathleen Mastrodicasa of Lockport work together on a scarecrow. The Clothing Depot donated the clothes and sheets for the scarecrows.
Freckles the Clown entertained the crowd, and also did face painting.
Wyatt and parents Sara and Andrew Szatkowski came out for the festival.
Ed Grabowski, a member of the Medina Lions Cub, is a scarecrow surgeon at the operating room table.
Arie and her mother Trudy Decker pose with a scarecrow.
Scarecrow heads were painted by the Medina School Art Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – About two dozen hay bales caught on fire this morning on Park Avenue, along the Oak Orchard River, in the Town of Carlton.
The Carlton Volunteer Fire Company was the scene at about 9:30 a.m.
Jim Tabor is pictured on top of the Carlton pumper, using a master stream to direct more intense water at the hay bales, attempting to break them apart.
Barre and Albion firefighters, as well as the Carlton Highway Department also responded to the incident, and helped tear apart the hay bales so they wouldn’t keep smoldering throughout the day.
The fire was smoky, and could be seen from several miles away.
Photo by Tom Rivers – An 8-foot-high Peace Pole will be erected by the First Presbyterian Church of Albion.
ALBION – An 8-foot-high Peace Pole will soon be erected by the First Presbyterian Church of Albion. The pole will display the phrase, “May Peace Prevail On Earth,” in eight languages with one in English.
The church is welcoming the community to submit ideas for other languages to share that message on the pole.
People are welcome to drop off short forms with their pick for a language and why it should be included. The church wants to include languages that have historical connections to the community, perhaps the native tongues of different immigrant groups.
A committee that includes a historian will review the submitted recommendations and make the final selections.
The Peace Pole will be erected in the grassy area north of the Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary. The four-sided pole is made of wood and is 8 feet tall and 3 ½ feet per side. The pole will be surrounded by a small garden.
The Peace Pole is a project of the TGIF Tween-Teen Community Outreach Program of the church, CCIA, and the Life Program at Albion Middle and High Schools. The pole is being paid for with a grant from the Genesee Valley Presbytery.
Forms to nominate a language can be obtained and dropped off at the Hoag Library, Bindings Bookstore, Uptown Browsery and Downtown Browsery, or a form can be mailed to TGIF, First Presbyterian Church, 29 E. State Street, Albion, NY 14411.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – There are a lot of vehicles in Carlton with license plates from Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states outside New York.
Many of those visitors are in town trying to catch some of the Chinook salmon on their annual spawning run up the Oak Orchard River and other Lake Ontario tributaries.
There was a crowd of anglers at the Waterport Dam this morning. The parking lot was full by the dam with many of the fishermen having to park along the road.
Shawn Dominikowski, 22, of Horseheads has a salmon on the line. He and his friend Brandon Barnic, 22, left Horseheads at 2 this morning and arrived at about 5 a.m. to claim a spot along the river.
Shawn Dominikowski, left, and Brandon Barnic look over the fish that Dominikowski caught this morning in the Oak Orchard River. It was the first time Dominikowski caught a salmon.
After some safety concerns last fall and earlier this spring, Brookfield Power Company posted some of its property with restricted access. Anglers are banned from standing in the water near the power plant.
They can stand in some sections of the water as long as they are wearing a personal flotation device.
These two fishermen both travelled from Central Pennsylvania to fish at the Oak Orchard. They arrived on Thursday and are staying until Sunday. D.R. Bubb is at left with his friend Tom Rager. They have both been catching their limit of three salmon each day.
They’ve been to Orleans County to fish each the past five years. They like the thrill of reeling in a 30-pound salmon.
“They’re very strong fish,” Rager said. “It’s so much fun hooking into one of them.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – Paul Glor of Rochester is way ahead of a field of about 75 runners this morning at the Brown’s Berry Patch 5K. Glor finished the race in 15:50. He has won the race the last five years and six times overall.
Participants are pictured at the beginning of the race, an annual event at Brown’s since 1996. The race has raised $32,000 for Hospice of Orleans, not counting today’s total.
Jack Richardson, 81, of Albion nears the finish line with his grandson, Chad Hardy, a senior at Roberts Wesleyan College. Richardson, a retired pastor, runs many local 5-kilometer races. His daughter Martha Hardy, Chad’s mother, also ran the race this morning.
Paul Glor was the men’s overall winner. He is pictured with Dana Phillips of Lyndonville, the women’s overall winner.
Klatt is shared superintedent for Barker, Roy-Hart
Dr. Roger Klatt
Dr. Roger Klatt, a 1978 Albion High graduate and former Albion teacher and coach, was presented with the Educational Leader of the Year Award by Niagara University College of Education on Thursday.
Klatt, who taught and coached at Albion for 15 years, is now the superintendent of both the Barker and Royalton-Hartland School Districts.
He was presented the award for his work as a school leader for the Barker and Roy-Hart Districts.
In presenting the award, Niagara College of Education officials noted that prior to becoming one of the first “shared superintendents,” Klatt spent 17 years in a variety of administrative roles at Barker Central including middle school principal, director of instructional services, assistant superintendent and superintendent. Prior to that his 17 years of teaching experienced were highlighted by being selected as Albion Central’s Educator of the Year in 1995.
“Many of his family, friends and past/present colleagues were in attendance last night sharing in the occasion,” said Barker Athletic Director and former Albion teacher and coach Dave Carson. “I know Roger is proud of his Albion roots and all three of the districts that he has served and it was clear last night that the folks from Albion, Barker and Roy-Hart are proud of him.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A state grant will pay for advanced soil testing at 25 farms in Orleans County, a project intended to help farmers boost yields and better utilize fertilizer and resources for soil health.
Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District received a $20,674 grant from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. It will contract with BCA Ag Technologies to do the samples and take them to Cornell for testing.
Dennis Kirby, the Soil and Water district manager, would like to do the soil sampling in the spring. He welcomes interested farmers to call Soil and Water at 585-589-5959 to inquire about participating in the project.
Kirby would like to have a cross-section of farms of different sizes and crop types across the county.
The samples will provide a baseline for soil health. The goal is to improve soil health so farmers can maximize their yields while maintaining optimum soil health and reducing the impact of farming practices on the environment.
The soil tests will an expansion of the typical soil tests done at farms, Kirby said. The Cornell Soil Health test emphasizes the integration of biological and physical measurements along with the chemical measurements done in the existing test.
Soil and Water will look at water holding capacity, organic matter content and soil microbial activity. The report card on the soil will point to the best soil management practices.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2014 at 12:00 am
DiLaura helped keep Sandstone industry alive
Provided photos – Pasquale DiLaura, right, and his son Ellis DiLaura discuss stone specifications. Ellis went on to succeed his father as owner of the O’Brien Quarry and DiLaura Construction.
This photo, taken about a half century ago shows the completed Manitou Road bridge over the Lake Ontario State Parkway. The DiLaura Stone Co. did the Medina Sandstone work on the bridges and culverts on the Lake Ontario State Parkway in the 1950s and 1960s, perhaps the last major public works project with local Medina Sandstone.
BROCKPORT – A new exhibit opens in Brockport today by the great-granddaughter of a man who kept the Medina Sandstone industry alive in Orleans County from the 1920s through the 1960s.
The sandstone business was a powerhouse in 1900, employing about 2,000 people. But by 1920, it was struggling against cheap competition – cement.
In the 1920s and ’30s, Pasquale DiLaura was urged to leave the Albion area and join many of his quarrymen friends who left the area to the work in the auto factories in Detroit and Michigan.
DiLaura decided to stay put. He bought a quarry on Howard Road in the Town of Clarendon. The quarry was cheap. Its previous owner, the Orleans County Quarry Company, hadn’t paid the taxes.
Workers are pictured at the O’Brien Quarry on Howard Road in the Town of Clarendon. Pasquale DiLaura purchased the O’Brien quarry in 1939 after the previous owner, the Orleans County Quarry Company, owed back taxes. Although his quarry company was named DiLaura Stone Co., he never changed the name of the quarry. This photo is one of about two dozen featured in an exhibit opening today at A Different Path Gallery on 27 Market St.
Sadie Malone, left, and Gerry DiGirolamo dress stone at the quarry.
While many of the quarries shut down, DiLaura kept promoting the product and gave it about 40 more years of life.
He wrote letters to U.S. senators and the Works Progress Administration in Washington, D.C., urging them to pick a project with Medina Sandstone for the public benefit. DiLaura led the crews that built the Hamlin Beach State Park. He taught the young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps how to cut stone. Many of those structures endure about 80 years after they were built.
Jennifer Wells-Dickerson was looking over family photographs, and showed them to a friend in an arts guild in Brockport. That friend helped Wells-Dickson enlarge and display photographs of her great-grandfather and his employees working in the quarry and on major local projects, including Hamlin Beach and the Parkway.
There is an opening reception for the exhibit today from 7 to 9 p.m. at A Different Path Gallery on 27 Market St.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jennifer Wells-Dickerson and her mother Suzanne Wells are pictured in the gallery displaying photos of quarry workers in the 1950s and 1960s, with a few photos from before that era.
Wells-Dickerson, 34, works as a professional jewelry maker. She lives just across the Orleans County line in Hamlin. She first researched the local quarry industry as a high school student for a class project.
She has become more interested and appreciative of the quarry workers and her family’s role in the business because she sees the stonework almost every day at the Parkway and Hamlin Beach.
“I appreciate hand-made things and the craftsmanship,” she said. ‘It’s the opposite of what we have today.”
Her great-grandfather kept detailed records with his ledgers and calculations for how much stone would be needed for projects. Jennifer’s mother, Suzanne, remembers Pasquale always having a ruler in his pocket or hand.
Masons from the DiLaura Stone Co. check their work on the walkway on one of the bridges of the Lake Ontario State Parkway. Pasquale DiLaura is at center with the ruler.
This crew takes a break in 1962 while working in the quarry. Pictured include Roosevelt Fields (leaning on truck at left), Pasquale DiLaura (center), Sadie Malone, Gerry DiGirolamo, (?) Passarell, Margaret Ann DiLaura, and Ellis DiLaura (in cab).
Suzanne, a retired Albion art teacher, has looked over Pasquale’s records and developed deep respect for his drive to keep the industry alive in the county – and keep local men employed.
He was a Medina Sandstone ambassador and persuasive salesmen, securing the contracts and work at Hamlin Beach and the Parkway. The family also has his rough drafts of letters he sent to Cleveland and other cities, suggesting Medina Sandstone for public works projects.
The Brockport exhibit includes one of his drawings of the Manitou Bridge stone work, a list of names of his employees and a letter from the Albion branch of the Journeymen Stone Cutters Association of North America.
The union sent a letter on May 27, 1938 to Harry L. Hopkins, director of the W.P.A. in Washington, D.C. The letter says that Pasquale DiLaura had operated a quarry for 20 years, including during the Great Depression, keeping “a large number” of the stone cutters on the payroll even without an outlet for the material.
The Stone Cutters said, in its letter to the WPA, that DiLaura “has proven himself a real friend of the working men of this community.”
DiLaura would pass the business to his son Ellis, Suzanne’s father.
Wells-Dickerson hopes the exhibit in Brockport will shine a light on the quarry workers.
“A lot of people drive down there and they don’t know who’s behind it,” she said.
She also hopes to have the exhibit at other locations, including libraries and galleries in Orleans County.
Photo by Jennifer Wells-Dickerson – The DiLaura Construction Company did the stone work on the culverts and bridges along the Lake Ontario State Parkway.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Agency wants to send gifts to soldiers for holidays
Provided photo – Jared Ostrander, 7, (left) and his brother Jorden, 10, help sort and pack holiday boxes to be sent to American troops overseas.
ALBION – Kristen Ostrander said she loves the Christmas holiday season, the family memories that are made and the celebrations.
Many local families will miss those close interactions this season because a member of their family is serving with the military overseas.
“We take that for granted,” Ostrander said about the family time over the holidays. “But many soldiers won’t be able to be home.”
Ostrander wants to send soldiers packages with various goodies as a reminder that their community cares about them. She is heading a “Treats for Troops” effort. Ostrander would like to fill at least 50 boxes that are about shoebox size and send them to troops.
The community is welcome to donate items – personal care products, packaged food, magazines, games and other activity items. Ostrander also is raising money to mail the boxes at $15 each.
Community Action led the effort for filling the boxes about a year ago. A donor paid the postage last year. That funding isn’t available this year.
Donations for the packages can be dropped off at Community Action on East State Street in Albion and at its center in Holley, at GCASA in Albion and also at the Kendall Elementary School.
Kendall fifth- and sixth-graders are collecting supplies for the packages and also writing letters to the soldiers.
The deadline for donating is Nov. 1. Ostrander said volunteers will then fill all the packages and have them mailed by Nov. 19 so they can be delivered in time for Christmas.
For more information, contact Andrea Skowneski, case manager at Community Action, at 585-589-5605 ext. 105 or by email at askowneski@caoginc.org.
