news

Another young entrepreneur sets up shop in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 12:00 am

New auto body and collision shop opens on 31

Photos by Tom Rivers – Bruce Deyarmin, owner and lead painter for American Auto Body and Collision, opened the business on Sept. 15 at 308 East Center St.

MEDINA – Bruce Deyarmin can give new life and a fresh look to a car that looks smashed and ready for the scrap yard.

Since he was 15 he has been honing his skills as a body and collision specialist. After working for other people, Deyarmin last month opened his own business, American Auto Body and Collision at 308 East Center St.

Deyarmin, 30, took a break from body work for about year and worked as a contractor on houses. He missed the collision repair work.

“It’s like being an artist,” he said about bringing back crushed cars. “You can step back and admire the job you did.”

Deyarmin said most of the local vehicles in auto body and collision shops have had deer hits or been in other accidents. He has photos of cars with smashed-in front ends and other crumpled parts. When he’s done with the car, including giving it new paint and detailing, it looks like new.

Bruce Deyarmin is pictured with a custom built car, a 1995 Ford Probe, that he built himself. Deyarmin takes the vehicle to many local car shows.

Deyarmin is a Medina native and was born at Medina Memorial Hospital. He has watched the business district’s rebirth in recent years and wanted to be a part of it. He is near Ace Hardware, which completed major renovations of the former Jubilee store. Deyarmin cited that example and Tom Snyder’s work on a lumber yard and hardware across the street as examples of people investing in the east end of the village on Route 31.

Several other young adults are also investing in Medina and opening new businesses, Deyarmin noted.

“It feels like the whole town is coming back,” he said.

He needed to renovate 308 East Center St., painting the inside of the complex and adding ventilation and filtration systems, among the building improvements. He made a comfortable office a high priority for customers who may decide to wait while their car is being worked on.

Deyarmin also plans to sell used cars from the location. He has room for up to 15 vehicles. He expects to start selling those in about three weeks.

American Auto Body and Collision is open Monday through Saturday. Call Deyarmin at (585) 318-4084 for more information.

Hitching post added to courthouse lawn

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This hitching post was installed this morning on the courthouse lawn by the county highway department. It’s the third hitching post added along Main Street in Albion in recent months.

Two others were put by a village parking lot next to the Presbyterian Church. A fourth hitching post is planned for near Main Street on East State Street, also by the Presbyterian Church.

The Albion Main Street Alliance raised the money to buy the four posts, which were originally property markers from a century ago. Rings were made for the posts and holes were drilled into the posts so the rings could be secured.

Photo by Tom Rivers

An interpretive panel about hitching posts and carriage steps was also added by the two on the north side of the Presbyterian Church. The panel notes that Albion and Gaines have many of these horse-and-buggy artifacts, which have endured partly because they were made with a superior building material – Medina sandstone. Many residents, especially on the village side streets, have kept their hitching posts and carriage steps, even though they are long obsolete.

The one on the courthouse lawn is near a historical marker erected last year for William McAllister and his wife, pioneer settlers in Albion who built a log cabin where the current County Clerks’ Building stands.

This hitching post was set so the unfinished stone work could be observed, trying to show the contrast with the finished stone, highlighting the skill of the quarrymen.

Total eclipse returned to sky this morning

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A total lunar eclipse returned to the early morning sky today. I was out trying to get photos around 6:20 a.m., but didn’t get anything great. I’ll need an equipment upgrade. But the top photo shows the reddish glow of when the Earth was positioned between the sun and the moon. That full lunar eclpise has been called a “blood moon” because of the reddish hue.

I took the photo at the very top from the parking lot of the Crooked Door Tavern. I also tried it from the Clarendon Street bridge and took the second photo around 6:45. Anyone with better pictures is welcome to send them to news@orleanshub.com.

While trying to get photos of the eclipse I also took ones of this canal boat just east of Main Street in Albion.

This large canal boat seems to be waking up for another day on the historic waterway.

The Sun is making its way up in this photo, looking east from the Clarendon Street bridge along the railroad tracks.

Carlton goes without public water for about 12 hours

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 9:02 pm

CARLTON – About 700 residents in Carlton were without public water today after a pipe burst this morning, forcing a shutdown in the water lines so an emergency repair could be made.

The water should be back on around 9:30 p.m. and Carlton residents are being advised to boil their water the next two days, said David Krull, the town highway and water superintendent.

A hole in the main 16-inch transmission line emerged around 9:30 this morning in a spot between Brown’s Berry Patch and the Route 18 bridge. The transmission line is owned by the Village of Albion, which provides water for the town customers.

Village of Albion and Town of Carlton crews worked about 12 hours to fix the problem. Krull said the transmission line is a concrete pipe with a steel liner. Some of the concrete had chipped away, and a hole burst in the steel liner.

The town and village had to shut off water so it could weld a patch on the transmission line. Krull said crews were back filling the spot around 9 tonight and he expected the water to be back on soon after that.

The boil water advisory was issued by the Orleans County Health Department and Krull said it will likely be in effect until about 9 p.m. on Thursday.

First-graders ride fire truck to Lyndonville school

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Colin Cousins, Emily Dill won fire prevention contest

Photos by Tom Rivers

As the fire truck turned off Main Street and headed down Housel Avenue to Lyndonville Central School this morning, firefighters sounded the horn.

Ashton Lang meets first-graders in Mary Ann Kelly’s class.

LYNDONVILLE – Two first graders, Colin Cousins and Emily Dill, have big smiles after riding a Lyndonville fire truck to school this morning with firefighters Ashton Lang, left, and Larry Lonigan.

Colin and Emily are the winners of a fire prevention contest for the first grade. For the first time ever, the Lyndonville Fire Department gave children a ride to school.

“We thought it was an opportunity to get the kids excited,” said firefighter Ashton Lang.

First-graders are studying fire safety. They were encouraged to design a fire escape plan with their parents and practice the plan. Students who completed the assignment were eligible for the ride on the fire truck. The firefighters drew two names to determine who would ride the fire truck.

Lang and Lonigan pulled up at each student’s house this morning and drove them to the school.

Colin and Emily wore red firefighter helmets made of plastic. They hooked their back packs on the truck where firefighters put their gear.

“He’s very excited,” said Kelly Cousins, Colin’s mother. “He called all of his grandparents and aunts and uncles.”

Two classes of first-graders waited with a sense of awe by the sidewalk in front of the school. The fire truck pulled up and two first-graders hopped out.

All of the first-graders will be at the fire hall around noon to tour the fire trucks, see a hose line, hear the pagers go off and learn more about fire prevention.

The Fire Department wanted to give the kids a ride on the truck after hearing about that incentive provided by the North Greece Fire District. Pete Sidari of Albion is the fire safety officer for North Greece. He helped Lyndonville develop the protocol for this morning’s ride, which needed permission from the Village Board.

Lang said the department will talk about expanding the effort next year, perhaps giving more kids rides from other grade levels.

“They were both super excited when we rolled up,” he said.

Meet the Homecoming Court (and most spirited car) at Albion

Contributed Story Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided photos
ALBION – Albion capped off Homecoming Week by crowning royalty on Friday during a pep rally. The following were picked as the most spirited members of their class, from left: Garrett Derisley, lord; Natalie DiCureia, lady (freshmen); Kirsten Wroblewski, duchess; Sam Slick, duke (sophomores); Caitlin Malonowski, princess; Nate Trembley, prince (juniors); and Justice Nauden, queen; and Drake Arnold, King (seniors).

The senior class decorated this car and captured the title as most spirited class. About 60 seniors painted the car Thursday night at the home of Aaron Burnside, the class president. The car is a Ford Taurus donated by Frank Strasburger, owner of Frank’s Auto in Albion.

Hillside Cemetery named preservation priority

Staff Reports Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Historic burial grounds picked for ‘Five to Revive’

Photo by Richard Margolis/Landmark Society – Hillside Cemetery includes a chapel built in 1894 that is in need of repairs.

ROCHESTER – A historic cemetery in the Town of Clarendon has been identified as one of five preservation priorities for the Greater Rochester region.

The Landmark Society of Western New York today announced Hillside Cemetery and four other sites were included in the 2014 “Five to Revive” – a list of historic sites it has determined to be in need of targeted revitalization. The announcement was made at the Landmark Society headquarters on Fitzhugh Street in Rochester. The list includes:

Auditorium Theater, Rochester
Designated Buildings of Historic Value, Rochester
Erie Canal Warehouse, Village of Brockport
Hillside Cemetery and Chapel, Town of Clarendon
Former Trinity Episcopal Church, Town of Seneca Falls

“The preservation efforts of The Landmark Society of Western New York continue to be focused on community revitalization,” said Wayne Goodman, executive director. “This is the second year we are announcing a Five to Revive list to call attention to key properties in Western New York that are in need of investment. We can’t stress enough that these are significant historic properties whose rehabilitations can become catalytic projects for the neighborhoods and communities that surround them.

This is the second year a Holley site was picked for the list. Last year’s debut “Five to Revive” included the old Holley High School.

The Five to Revive initiative is chaired by Tom Castelein, Vice-President of Preservation on The Landmark Society Board.

“Our inaugural 2013 list of properties are moving closer to the goal of contributing to economic revitalization in their communities,” Castelein said.

The effort continues to enhance the organization’s ongoing efforts to support revitalization in WNY.

“Preservation is revitalization,” Goodman said. “Preservation creates local jobs, stimulates investment, increases tax revenues and builds sustainable communities. When residents, communities and those in local and state governments work together the possibilities are limitless.”

Here is what the Landmark Society said about Hillside Cemetery:

Hillside Cemetery and Chapel
NYS Route 237 and South Holley Road
Town of Clarendon, Orleans County

Located just outside the village of Holley, Hillside Cemetery is an active town cemetery established in 1866 and developed between 1866 and 1938. Encompassing approximately 30 acres, the cemetery is a significant example of two periods of cemetery design. Built in 1894, the elegant Gothic Revival Chapel is prominently located near the entrance to the cemetery on the west side of South Holley Road and is a primary feature of the cemetery. The Chapel has been vacant and largely unused since the 1960s. Both the designed landscape of the Cemetery and the Chapel suffer from deferred maintenance and lack of funds.

Why Selected:
The Hillside Cemetery and Chapel are important examples of historic landscape architecture and building architecture in Orleans County. They are highly visible resources at the southern gateway into the village of Holley. With such historic and architectural significance, the Hillside Cemetery and Chapel could, with proper funding and maintenance, serve as attractive assets in the Clarendon and Holley communities.

For more information on the Landmark Society, click here.

Orleans will host session on regional dredging plan

Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Press release, Orleans County Planning Department

KNOWLESVILLE – The Lake Ontario counties of Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, the town of Greece and the city of Oswego are jointly undertaking an update and expansion of the Lake Ontario Regional Harbor Dredging Management Plan completed in 2000.

Two Public Meetings will be held, in Orleans and Wayne counties, to review findings and receive public feedback.

The meeting in Orleans County will be 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the Orleans County Cooperative Extension Education Center, 12690 State Rt. 31 (4-H Fairgrounds).

The Wayne County public meeting will be held in November on a date to be announced.

This is the second and final round of public meetings before completion of the Dredging Plan. The Project Advisory Committee and its consultant will present economic impacts of business activity generated at 20 federal and non-federal harbors on Lake Ontario, review their existing conditions and need for dredging, and outline the organizational structure and long-term financing alternatives for plan implementation. A Question & Answer Session will follow.

Safe navigation through our recreational harbor channels provides access to public property, fishing resources and many other water dependent recreational opportunities. These channels also provide safe harbors for regional and international tourists.

Unfortunately, federal funding for maintenance dredging of shallow draft recreational channels has been severely limited, leaving some channels with restricted access. This Regional Plan will serve as a blueprint for efficient and sustainable maintenance of the harbors that are the lifeblood of our coastal communities and businesses.

This project is funded in part by an Environmental Protection Fund grant from the New York State Department of State.

Pink Pumpkins will raise money for Cancer Society

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion FFA is partnering with a local farm, Panek’s Pumpkin Pile, to sell pink pumpkins for the first time. The FFA planted the pumpkins last spring at the district’s land lab. The pumpkins are for sale at $8 each with $5 going to the American Cancer Society.

Kerry Panek, owner of the Pumpkin Pile, is pictured with FFA President Sara Millspaugh, center, and FFA member Logan London at Panek’s, 13420 West County House Rd.

Panek’s will be selling the pink pumpkins. The FFA also will have them for sale on Wednesday and Thursday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at ag shop by the high school.

Proceeds from the sale will be presented to the Cancer Society during the Oct. 26 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms.

The FFA grew the pumpkins with a specialty seed. They are also selling giant pumpkins 80 pounds and heavier, apple cider and mums.

Clarendon eyes more markers for historical sites

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Clarendon’s first cemetery is located off Route 31A on Hibbard Road and includes the sign, “Christian Graveyard.” The town’s founder, Eldredge Farwell, is buried there.

CLARENDON – The town last month erected a historical marker for Hillside Cemetery, a sign that notes the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Leaders of the Clarendon Historical Society are working to get more markers up, so the community and visitors can better understand and appreciate some of the town’s notable historic sites.

The markers cost about $1,200 each. The William Pomeroy Foundation paid the cost for the Hillside marker, but only after extensive research for the site.

Some of those details can be difficult to track down and pinpoint from the 1800s, making it a challenge to satisfy the Pomeroy Foundation, said Erin Anheier, a member of the Historical Society. The group may need to consider raising the funds and doing a marker each year.

“The Pomeroy Foundation wants documentation and some of these events are so old it’s hard to get documentation,” she said.

A historical marker could note the Old Stone Store, at the corner of routes 31A and 237, is built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anheier would like to see the community put its next historical marker by the Old Stone Store, a building the Historical Society saved from demolition about three years ago. The Historical Society teamed with the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Town of Clarendon to find a buyer and developer for the building from 1836.

Joe and Sue Fertitta are renovating the site, which was named to the National Register of Historical Places. It’s one of the oldest Medina Sandstone structures in the county.

The building was used as a general store, and also at different points housed the post office and town court functions.

George Copeland was one of the operators of the store. He lived on Church Street near Route 237. The Historical Society would live to see a historical marker by his former home, a white Greek Revival house.

The society also believes two cemeteries are deserving of markers. A cemetery on Hibbard Road, just off Route 31A, was the first in Clarendon. It bears the grave of Eldredge Farwell, the town founder.

Eldredge Farwell is buried in the cemetery on Hibbard Road. He died in 1843. Farwell discovered Clarendon in 1810 while looking for his brother Isaac’s lost horse. He traced Isaac’s footprints along the border of Sandy Creek and was impressed with the town waterfalls.

Farwell saw the waterfalls as a potential source of power for business. He moved his family to Clarendon in 1811 and built saw and grist mills. The town was originally named Farwell’s Mills but was renamed to Clarendon. Farwell was from Clarendon, Vermont.
The cemetery on Hibbard Road has a sign that says, “Christian Graveyard.”

The Historical Society would also like to put a marker by Cook Cemetery on Munger Road. That cemetery is the final resting place for Lemuel Cook.

When he died in 1866, he was 106. He is believed to be the last living Revolutionary War veteran.

Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon town historian, unveils a historical marker on Sept. 21 for Hillside Cemetery, which last year was named to National Register of Historic Places.

Some crops wait for harvest

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A field of corn is close to harvest at a spot where the towns of Albion, Barre, Shelby and Ridgeway all nearly touch. The barn is on West Countyhouse Road in Albion, close to Townline Road that separates Barre and Shelby.

The weather will be fall-like the next few days with a high forecast at 68 degrees on Tuesday, followed by 58 on both Wednesday and Thursday and a high of 57 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Judge sends 3 to prison despite pleas for leniency

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch sentenced three people to state prison today, including two teenagers, despite pleas for leniency for all three.

The judge acknowledged he gets some criticism for the prison sentences he often gives people with drug offenses. He makes no apologies and said he will continue to punish people for selling drugs, a “poison” in the community.

Punch sentenced Jesse Boldt, 38, of Medina to 1 ½ years in state prison, the maximum the judge said he could do because of state sentencing requirements.

Boldt pleaded guilty to criminal possession of controlled substance in the fifth degree.

He admitted he possessed LSD with the intent to sell on Dec. 30, 2013. He has a criminal history in the states of Alabama, Texas and Pennsylvania, District Attorney Joe Cardone said.

Boldt has difficulty walking and has metal rods in his legs after a car accident. His attorney Dominic Saraceno asked that Boldt avoid jail because of his health problems and also because of his upbringing, which included his mother giving him marijuana at age 5 because he was hyperactive.

“I realize I broke the law and messed up,” Boldt said in court today. “I’m sorry.”

Boldt was sentenced after the judge put two teenagers in state prison for crimes Punch said were fueled by drugs.

The judge it was “painful” he could only give Boldt the maximum of 1 ½ in state prison.

“You’re a habitual drug dealer,” Punch said. “It’s people like you that start these chain reactions of misery I have to deal with every day for a few bucks in your pocket.”

“It’s a ripple of misery in our community. Thank God we’re trying to do something about it.” – Judge James Punch

The two teens were each sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for their role in multiple burglaries. The two broke into houses and stole others’ belongings to fuel their drug use, Punch said during sentencing.

The judge gave them youthful offender status, meaning their record would be sealed and they shouldn’t be publicly identified by the press.

Their attorneys asked the two avoid jail or prison and be sentenced to Probation. But the judge said the multiple burglaries violated homeowners’ sense of security.

“This was not a youthful discretion,” the judge said. “This was not painting your name on the water tower. This is a drug-fueled crime.”

The two teens were ordered to pay restitution to the victims at about $3,300 total. Both teens were joined in the courtroom by their families and several community members submitted letters to the court, saying the boys had good character.

The judge said the pull of drugs causes a “disconnect,” leading some people astray and to a life of crime. He said the teens were victims of the drug activity in the community.

“It’s a ripple of misery in our community,” the judge said. “Thank God we’re trying to do something about it.”

Orleans Hub smashes records in September

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

New highs for visitors and pageviews

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fire engulfs a truck outside Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot in Albion on Sept. 24. The truck’s owner, Timothy Martin, escaped without being injured. Albion firefighters were quickly on scene to put out the fire, one of several breaking news stories reported last month on Orleans Hub.

Orleans Hub saw a significant jump in traffic in September, a month with high-profile crimes, breaking news and tragedy.

While many Hub readers thank us for lots of positive news on the site, crime and tragedy seem to be the most viewed stories at the site.

We averaged 5,600 unique visitors daily in September, which broke the previous high of 4,757 in June by 17.7 percent. Our pageviews for the month totaled 519,161, which was up by 64,639 or 14.2 percent from the record in August. The September average was 17,305 pageviews each day.

Orleans Hub went live about 18 months ago April 2, 2013. We didn’t hit 5,000 unique visitors for a day until Oct. 17, 2013. That was the day of the huge fire in Albion at Orleans Pallet. The 5,898 visitors to the site that day was a record high for the Hub about a year ago. Now it’s close to the daily average.

The most viewed story last month was an article on Sept. 24 about a standoff in Ridgeway that closed a section of Route 104 for about six hours (Section of 104 closed in Ridgeway after suspect barricades self inside). A man wanted in the incident, Gerardo Quiros, turned himself in to state police two days later on Sept. 26.

The Hub’s local sports articles and photos also saw a big jump in traffic, up 33.4 percent from a May high of 19,530 to 26,062 in September.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Mike and Cheryl Wertman are drawing a following for their coverage of local sports. In this photo, Medina’s Brett Pecoraro picks up yardage in a 60-8 victory over Newfane on Sept. 6.

Mustangs perform at Orchard Park

Contributed Story Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided Photo

ORCHARD PARK – The Orchard Park High School hosted the Cavalcade of Bands on Saturday, where nine bands performed. Medina was the only SS1 participant and scored 81.85.

There are two more shows before – Oct. 11 at Victor and Oct. 18 at Webster – before the championships on Oct. 26 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse starting at 8 a.m. The SS1 Class will start at 6:46 p.m. with Medina performing at 7:12 p.m.

Local musicians take a stand against bullying

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Sing ‘We Are The World’ in video they hope goes viral

Mike Whiting of Albion sings a segment of “We Are The World,” in a version that targets bullying.

Many of the stars in the local music scene have joined their voices to the classic song, “We Are The World.” Except this time instead of raising awareness for hunger in Africa, the local singers are trying to raise awareness about the dangers of bullying.

The video (click here) was produced by John Wragg of Middleport. He finished the 12-minute video over the weekend, in time for World Anti-Bullying Day today. October is also Anti-Bullying Month.

Wragg said he was bullied as a child. He was so distraught he slashed himself in the right wrist when he was 14. The scar remains 46 years after that incident.

Wragg, in the video, challenges viewers to take a stand against bullying. He wants the video to go viral and challenges people to take a video of themselves with an anti-bullying challenge for three other people.

The video opens with the Rodemeyer family from near Buffalo. Tracy and Tim’s son Jamey was 14 when he committed suicide on Sept. 18, 2011, after years of relentless bullying for being gay.

Mrs. Rodemeyer said the family, including Jamey’s sister Alyssa, spreads the message that bullying is destructive.

“We want them to know the dangers that are out there,” Mrs. Rodemeyer says in the beginning of the video. “Bullying not only affects the victim but it also affects the family, friends, teachers and other loved ones.”