Photo by Tom Rivers – Tearing out the Clarendon Street bridge over the railroad tracks will require the removal of embankments that reach 11 feet high. This file photo is the view looking north past Crimson Drive.

ALBION – The Village Board accepted a $442,639 bid from Keeler Construction in Barre to tear out a village-owned bridge, a project that could start in March and be complete in the summer.

Keeler’s bid was about $300,000 less than the next closest proposal. There were six bidders on the project with the highest bid at $1,130,089.

“That’s amazing,” said Village Trustee Eileen Banker.

Keeler is a home-town contractor, and the low bid reflects the company wanted to work on a project in the local community, said Dale Brooks, Albion DPW superintendent.

Kevin Miller, project manager and an engineer from Bergmann Associates in Buffalo, reviewed the bids and recommended Albion accept Keeler’s proposal. Miller had projected the project would cost about $700,000.

The village is paying 5 percent of the overall project costs, while the state pays 15 percent and the federal government 80 percent.

Besides removing the 50-year-old bridge, the highway embankments will be lowered and the street will be blocked off at a 90-degree angle at Crimson Drive. On the north side, it will also be blocked off with a turnaround spot near Childs Street.

The Village Board may pursue at at-grade crossing for the site in the future.

ALBION – Tickets are still available for a Friday concert that will honor the memory of Wayne Burlison, an elementary music teacher who died on March 26 from colon cancer. Burlison was 36.

His wife Lisa and the Albion Alumni Foundation are working to establish a fund for a memorial scholarship in Burlison’s name. The group has set a $10,000 fund-raising goal with a plan to offer a $500 scholarship each year.

Burlison worked as an elementary band teacher at Albion. He was active in the community, playing in several music groups. His teaching colleagues at Albion will perform in the 7 p.m. concert on Friday at the Middle School Auditorium.

Some of the ensembles and groups that Wayne was involved in throughout the years will also perform. Scheduled to perform that evening are The Mark Time Marchers, The Hit Men, the praise band at the Albion Free Methodist Church, The AHS Jazz Ensemble (Wayne was the assistant director), and an ensemble from the AHS Marching Band (Wayne was the assistant director).

Tickets are $5 and will go directly to the scholarship fund. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call 589-2050 ext. 2405 for more information. Tickets are also available at Bloom’s Flower Shop and Fischer’s Newsroom or at the door the day of the concert.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Michael Bonafede, chairman of the Strawberry Festival Committee, addresses the Albion Rotary Club last week about this year’s festival on June 12-13. The Rotary Club helps plan and run the event.

ALBION – Albion’s biggest community bash, the Strawberry Festival, is several months away, but many volunteers are busy working on the two-day celebration.

The Strawberry Festival Committee welcomes help and money for the 29th annual festival on June 12-13. The event draws several thousand people to Albion for the two days. This year’s festival will have a fishing-related theme – “Hook, Line and Strawberry!” – to celebrate the Chinook salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout that are one of the county’s top attractions.

There will be a contest among Albion students to design artwork for the poster for the festival, a poster that will include a fishing theme. The festival committee wants to incorporate fishing themed events for festival. Michael Bonafede, committee chairman, said the organizers welcome ideas on how to best embrace fishing for the Strawberry Festival.

The committee welcomes help and money to put on the event. The Village of Albion provides many in-kind services for the festival. The festival committee will reach out to the towns of Albion and Gaines to help support the event, Bonafede said.

“This is part economic development, it’s tourism, it’s bringing people in here and showcasing the area,” Bonafede told the Albion Rotary Club.

The Rotary Club is sponsor of the festival and provides much of the manpower in planning the event, which costs about $16,000 for entertainment, bands for the parade, prizes, equipment and other expenses including portable potties, postage, dumpsters and advertising.

A member of the Rochester Scottish Pipes and Drums plays the bagpipes during the 28th annual Strawberry Festival Parade last June. The parade accounts for $5,000 or about a third of festival’s overall costs.

Members of the Rotary Club and other community members are heading up different parts of the festival. The following are in charge of different aspects of the festival: Karen Sawicz, advertising; Brad London, food vendors; Don Bishop, logistics; Website, Lake Country Pennysaver; Tammy Yaskulski, major sponsors/fundraising; Brad Shelp, parade; Bill Pileggi and Karen Appleman, entertainment; Joe DiBella from Don Davis Chevrolet Buick GMC, car show and cruise in; June Persia, craft vendors; Marsha Rivers, Family Fun Faire; and Michael Bonafede, overall chairman.

The committee is looking for someone to manage the Turtle Race.

Bonafede wants to see the event continue for years to come. Costs have climbed in recent years to put on the festival.

“Looking to the future we’ll need to get more revenue in,” he said.

For more information, contact Bonafede at 585-749-1413, by email at bonaler@yahoo.com or click here to go to the festival website.

Focus is on splash pad, new playground

(Editor’s note: This story was changed from the original version to reflect that the Town of Albion won’t be giving $1,500 towards the grant as was originally reported. That town did give $8,000 towards Bullard, but that money wasn’t specified for the grant.)

ALBION – The Village Board intends to seek a grant for up to $400,000 for improvements at Bullard Park with the top goals a new spray park and playground equipment.

The village may also look to establish a recreational trail around the park and perhaps other improvements, depending on the cost.

Albion twice sought state funding for up to $600,000, but was denied in 2012 and 2013. A pared down application could sway state officials this time, Kim Remley, a member of the Rebuild Bullard Committee, told the Village Board tonight.

“The belief of the committee is there is no way this could happen without a grant,” Remley told village officials.

Rebuild Bullard met with grantwriter Jean O’Connell of Clarence. She said there are several pots of money that could be used for funding the park upgrades (which would also likely include a local match.)

The Village Board agreed to hire O’Connell for $6,000 to prepare grant applications. A music fest organized by the Lions Club last summer raised $2,000 towards a grantwriter. The Elks Club also is committing $1,000 to the grantwriter. The village will pay the other $3,000.

There will be some additional engineering costs to update the estimates for the spray park, playground and other improvements. The village would like a changing area/bathroom and concession stand near the spray park.

Albion had sought regrading and building up its ball fields with past grant applications. That likely won’t be part of the new grant application. The village plans to use fill from the Clarendon Street bridge to improve the field on the north side of the playground.

The bridge will be removed this spring and early summer, and the dirt for the approaches will be removed. That material will be used at Bullard, said Dale Brooks, DPW superintendent.

John Grillo, Albion’s recreation director, said the committee is enthusiastic about the project and other energy in the community, including the Metro 10 race on Aug. 22, a 10-mile running race that will finish at Bullard. There could be 3,000 runners in the debut event which is being organized by the Albion Running Club. Some of the proceeds from the race are planned for Bullard improvements.

“Albion is starting to pop,” Grillo said at the Village Board meeting. “The future looks bright.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – The century-old lift bridge on Main Street will have its weight limit reduced today from 22 to 19 tons.

ALBION – The Main Street Lift Bridge will soon be getting repairs, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced today.

The state Department of Transportation is reducing the maximum weight limit today from 22 to 19 tons so repairs can soon get underway, Hawley said.

The DOT may need to close the bridge for some of the construction. Notifications will be sent to the media if the bridge is shut down for repairs, he said.

“I am proud to announce that infrastructure improvements are taking place right here in Albion,” Hawley said. “Work is scheduled to begin very soon on the lift bridge and I have been told that we could see a completed project as early as March. Projects such as these are crucial for the transportation of heavy materials that go through Albion. These repairs will not only improve the safety of the bridge but allow heavier loads to cross once repairs are complete, which in turn cuts down on travel time and reduces costs for local businesses.”