By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 December 2014 at 12:00 am
6.8% is down from 8.5% a year earlier
New York State’s unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in November, the lowest state-wide rate since September 2008, according to the state Department of Labor.
In Orleans County, the rate was at 6.8 percent in November. That was up from the 6.4 percent in October, but down from the 8.5 percent rate in November 2013.
Orleans has the highest rate among the four GLOW counties. Genesee was at 5.3 percent in November, followed by Livingston at 5.6 percent and Wyoming at 6.1 percent.
Tompkins County has the lowest rate in state at 3.8 percent while Bronx County is the highest at 9.5 percent. The 6.8 percent rate in Orleans was lower than 10 of the state’s 62 counties.
For more information on the unemployment report, visit labor.ny.gov.
MURRAY – In this picture from June 1940 we see the Daily-Vacation Bible School, which was held in Brockville.
It was conducted by Mrs. Carl Bergerson, standing at far left. She was assisted by several Albion pastors. Front row: Jean Jackson, Robert Monacelli, Maralee Juliano, Susan Lauretani, Betty Ann D’Amico, Laura Jane Biaselli and Harold Christopher.
Second row: Nickolas Monacelli, Louis Biaselli, Louise Bower, Florence Nenni, Florence Biaselli and William Buell, Jr.
Third row: Joseph Valentine, Daniel Fiorito, Vincent Biaselli, William Biaselli, Arlene Fiarito, Jack Piedmont, Vernie Nenni and Wilma Vandetta.
Back row: Michael Christopher, E. Clark, Marjorie Moore, Glenn Brown, Vernice Buell and Jane Wolfrom.
SHELBY – An Alden man is in stable condition at a Buffalo hospital after crashing his car this morning in the Town of Shelby.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 a.m. in the 5200 block of South Gravel Road (Route 63), just south of Fletcher Chapel Road. Jonathon R. Hull, 23, was operating a 1998 Volkswagen sedan and travelling north on Route 63, when he lost control of the vehicle.
The car ran off the east side of the roadway and struck a drainage ditch, causing it to become airborne. After grounding, the car rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof.
Hull, sole occupant, was removed from the car by Shelby firefighters and transported to Erie County Medical Center by Medina Fire Department ambulance.
The incident was investigated by Deputy K.J. Colonna, assisted by Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan. While the investigation continues, it does not appear that either alcohol or drugs were contributing factors.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jim Andre has been with the all-volunteer veterans’ van service since it started 16 years ago. He offered to drive veterans to medical appointments. A Korean War veteran, Andre of Kent continues to give his time with the service coordinated by the Orleans Joint Veterans Council.
Andre, right in photo, was one of three volunteers recognized during a luncheon on Tuesday at the Joint Veterans Council. The group also recognized Owen Toale, left, for his fund-raising efforts that helped the Council purchase two lower-mileage vans.
Gloria Kuhn, center, is volunteer coordinator for the program. She goes to the office on Route 31 at the Veterans Service Agency and connects drivers with veterans who need rides to appointments.
There are about 25 volunteers, including drivers and people in the office. The service has five vans. In 2013, they transported 1,040 veterans to medical appointments at no cost to the veterans.
This year, drivers transported 1,627 veterans to appointments (with a week to go), the most since the service started, said Paul Fulcomer, the county’s Veterans Service Agency director.
“We are the only county with a volunteer-run program,” Fulcomer told the group. “It’s veterans helping veterans.”
Kuhn said the service tends to have a shortage of drivers during the winter, when many volunteers head to Florida, Arizona and other out-of-state locations.
“My Christmas wish is more help during the winter,” she told the group.
Fulcomer and Kuhn said many veterans still don’t know about the program. In a marketing effort, she passed out hats to all the volunteers that say “Orleans County Joint Veterans Council.” The hats include a flag.
For more information on the program, call (585) 589-2856.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The asking price for a former mansion that served as a community library for a more than a century: less than $100,000.
The “For Sale” sign is in the front yard of the former Swan Library at 4 North Main St. The 8,118-square-foot building is also listed by the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors.
Snell Realtors of Albion was hired by the Swan Library Association to list the building, which has been idle since June 2012 when the community library moved to the new Hoag Library site.
The Library Association has received an undisclosed offer for the building, which is in a commercial district that is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Library Association is eager to sell the site, which has been costing about $25,000 annually for utilities, insurance and maintenance.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 December 2014 at 12:00 am
Village officials push forward several projects
File photo by Tom Rivers – The former Starlite Dry Cleaners has been vacant on Main Street in Medina since a fire damaged the building a decade ago. Environmental concerns have been a holdup in the site’s redevelopment.
Editorial
MEDINA – One of the things I feared with the dissolution talk and impending vote in Medina is the Village Board would use it as an excuse to stand down and not push forward any projects.
Thankfully, the Village Board isn’t sitting around twiddling its thumbs, waiting for the results of the Jan. 20 vote. Whether the village government is dissolved or not on Jan. 20, important projects need to tackled and the current board is engaged in many issues.
It is in talks with the Genesee County Economic Development Center about providing sewer services to the STAMP site in the Town of Alabama. The village’s sewer plant is vastly underutilized and the STAMP users could be a major revenue windfall for the sewer plant, whether it’s owned by the village in the future or another government entity.
(If dissolution is approved, the village government would continue anyway for two years while some or all of its services could transition to the towns of Shelby or Ridgeway, or non-for-profit local development corporations.)
The talks with the Genesee County economic development officials are important. The STAMP site is about 1 mile south of the Orleans County border.
The 1,250-acre site will accommodate nanotechnology companies including semiconductor 450mm chip fab, flat panel display, solar manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing. The site, in full build-out, is expected to employ 10,000 people with many making $100,000 or more. Another 50,000 jobs will be created in the region to support the companies at STAMP.
The companies at the site will need sewer, and Medina has several millions gallons of excess capacity. Besides working on a deal with GCEDC, the village plans to spend $1.2 million upgrading equipment and adding more capacity for the sewer plant.
Boxwood Cemetery has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.
Medina’s downtown has enjoyed a rebirth in the past decade with many new businesses joining Main Street mainstays. The downtown is drawing notice as a destination for visitors. But there are some empty storefronts, including two problem spots at 331-333 North Main St.
Environmental concerns have prevented redevelopment at the sites, Mayor Andrew Meier said. The village has paid for environmental audits of the sites and is trying secure state funding to help with remediating the properties, which would include a partial takedown of the former Starlite Cleaners, a building that was damaged in a fire a decade ago.
These sites are in the Town of Ridgeway, Orleans County and Medina Central School District, as well as the village. The Village Board deserves credit for committing money and effort on these sites. They’ve largely been acting alone, trying to address two spots that are blemishes on the downtown.
Village Historian Todd Bensleyalso deserves praise for working with the State Parks Department to have Boxwood Cemetery nominated for the state and national registers of historic places. The designation would give the cemetery long overdue lofty status and could bring in resources for projects in the historic burial grounds on Route 63, north of the village.
The 20-acre cemetery is considered a distinctive example of several cemetery movements. It was originally established in the Rural Cemetery manner in 1850. The cemetery grew in size, and later sections were added in the Lawn Park and Memorial Park styles.
Village officials see the cemetery as a great resource in the community, and one worthy of state and national recognition.
Some of the village efforts in recent months should pay dividends for years to come, whether dissolution passes or fails.
MEDINA – In this tin-type photo from the 1890s, we see James H. Gray and E. Searles from Medina. Gray is on the left with ice tongs holding a small cake of natural ice.
These two men may have worked for an ice company and are shown delivering their product, which could have easily been harvested from Oak Orchard Creek in colder weather.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 December 2014 at 12:00 am
United Methodists expect to leave historic site in 2015
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tiffany Crawford lights the candles in the sanctuary for the Christmas Eve service at the Albion First United Methodist Church.
About 100 people attended the Christmas Eve service inside a church built in 1860.
ALBION – It was an emotional service last night for Christmas Eve at the Albion First United Methodist Church. In addition to reflecting on the birth of Jesus Christ, the congregation faced the reality of what it believes will be the group’s final Christmas Eve service in their historic church building.
“This is the first of many lasts we have to endure,” said church member Kim Pritt, who sang with the church choir last night. “Every year we walk out of here on Christmas Eve full of joy and emotion. But tonight it won’t be a pleasant emotion.”
The building needs about $1 million in roof repairs. The congregation doesn’t have the money. It has tried for grants but hasn’t found help for the project.
For more than two years it has rented tall wooden pillars to support the roof. That isn’t a long-term solution and those pillars are costing the church about $15,000 a year.
The congregation expects to leave the site in 2015. The board will meet with denomination leaders on Jan. 12 to discuss if the church will be sold at an auction or put on the market, or if it will be torn down.
Marie Follet leads the Joyful Good Shepherd Ringers during last night’s service.
The bell ringers are perched up high in a loft by the sanctuary.
The church is one of seven church buildings that are part of the Courthouse Square, a district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1914, the United Methodist church reoriented the sanctuary. When that happened, some members didn’t like that lower beams that helped support the roof truss system were more visible. The church removed the lower beams. A century later, the roof is in danger of collapse from a truss system that needs to be totally rebuilt.
The Rev. Jack Laskowski leads the Christmas Eve service last night.
The congregation has tried to make the best of the wooden pillars in the sanctuary, decorating them for the holiday season.
ALBION – In this color postcard published around 60 years ago we see Charles Howard as Santa by his sleigh in the stable at Christmas Park.
The message printed on the obverse side is as follows: “Santa’s bag and sleigh all packed with wonderful presents for good girls and boys as he starts out on his annual trip. Which package is which, only he knows, but try and guess which one is yours at Christmas Park.”
Editor’s Note: Howard started a Santa Claus School in Albion at the corner of Phipps Road and Route 31. Howard started the school after noticing many Santas didn’t have training, and didn’t always interact with children well or meet a standard for dress. He established decorum for Santas and his Santa Claus suits became popular.
The school, now in Midland, Mich., still bears Howard’s name. He ran it until his death in 1966.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 December 2014 at 11:55 pm
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – It may not be a white Christmas, but after a cloudy day, there was a gorgeous sunset before tonight’s high winds barreled through the area.
Fierce winds have knocked down several trees tonight in Orleans County.
Orleans County dispatch reported that trees are down on Marshall Rad in Yates, Brown Road in Gaines, and West Shelby, Fletcher Chapel and Harrison roads in Shelby.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties until 11:30 p.m. with winds expected to top 60 miles per hour.
An Orleans County dispatcher said the damage doesn’t appear serious and National Grid crews are expected on scene soon.
