By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Lynn-Ette and Sons has been busy the past month transforming the former Harbor Pointe Country Club from a golf course into farmland.
I drove by on Route 98 today and was stunned by the transformation. Many trees have been taken down in the past month at the site.
Lynn-Ette bought the golf course earlier this month from the Cardone family, which owned it for 33 years. A drop in golf play and a rise in corn prices in recent years prompted a change in use for the site.
The golf course opened 50 years ago on Route 98 in Carlton. The course opened in 1964 as the Oak Orchard Country Club.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
File photos by Tom Rivers – Al Capurso has been working for about a year to have the federal government name a creek in honor of Elizabeth Gilbert, a pioneer settler who moved to Ridge Road in Gaines in 1807. In this October file photo, Capurso is pictured on a walkway above the creek next to Gaines Carlton Community Church.
GAINES – For about a year Al Capurso has been working to line up support and evidence that an unnamed stream in Gaines and Carlton should bear the name “Gilbert Creek.” Those efforts could pay off soon with a formal decision of support from the U.S. government.
The Orleans County Legislature was the latest to back the effort of naming a creek for a pioneer settler along Ridge Road. The Legislature voted last week to support the naming. The Gaines and Carlton town boards also support “Gilbert Creek.”
The decision lies with the Board on Geographic Names through the U.S. Department of Interior. The group meets next month and Capurso believes he has compiled all the data to sway the board.
If the board approves the name for the local creek, Capurso plans to have a dedication ceremony at noon on May 24. A reception will follow inside the church fellowship hall.
He was driving along Brown Road last year with his son Kenny when they saw the stream and wondered about its source and if it had a name. They discovered the creek begins from feeder sources south of Route 104 near Brown Road. It then marries Procter Brook in Carlton, and then flows into the Oak Orchard River.
Capurso said it meets three standards for naming a creek: The feature is currently unnamed; The stream has an independent and distinct source of flow; and it is historically significant.
About 200 years ago the stream must have caught the eye of Elizabeth Gilbert and her husband, identified in historical records only as “Mr. Gilbert.” They arrived with their two children and a niece in 1807. They picked a spot next to a stream near where the Gaines Carlton Community Church now stands on Route 104, close to the intersection with Brown Road.
A historical marker by the church notes the efforts of Mrs. Gilbert as a pioneer settler.
Early settlers liked to build log cabins close to a source of water. The Gilberts chose the north side of Ridge Road, building their home where there was a rise in the land. The cabin is long gone, but a historical marker notes the pioneering efforts from Mrs. Gilbert. Her husband died in 1808, leaving her to raise the children, and tame the nearby wilderness.
“My passion is certainly pioneer history,” Capurso said today. His family paid to have a historical marker placed on the Courthouse Square last year for a pioneer settler in Albion.
Capurso is preparing a wooden sign for “Gilbert Creek” that would match the one for “Proctor Brook” by the Cobblestone Society Museum. He wants to complement the museum, which is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in the county with that designation.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Art Buongiorne, 87, impresses with work ethic
Photo by Tom Rivers – Art Buongiorne of Albion works as a security officer and also does some administrative work for CRFS. He is pictured with Jodi Gaines, the CRFS chief executive officer.
ALBION – He is a friendly face at the entrance for Claims Recovery Financial Services at its East Avenue complex, the former Chase site.
Art Buongiorne is also an inspiration to the staff of 600 workers, a testament to a hard work ethic and a good heart.
Buongiorne works weekends as a security officer for CRFS. He also works during the week at the business, doing administrative work such as printing copies, sorting, collating and other tasks.
Buongiorne is 87. He said he’s been blessed with good health. He credits that to vitamin supplements, exercise and his Christian faith, as well as cutting back on sugar and carbs.
“It’s staying healthy and doing it God’s way,” said Buongiorne, who puts in 40-plus hours each week at CRFS.
He is a Holley native and a World War II veteran. He and Mary, his wife of 65 years, raised six children.
Buongiorne, a former carpenter, was working in security for a Rochester bank until he was 83. He was laid off. He wanted to keep working and was hired about two years ago by G4S, a company contracted for security by CRFS.
Buongiorne works Fridays and Saturdays for that company. He impressed the CRFS staff with his dedication and outgoing personality.
Jodi Gaines, the company CEO, found duties for Buongiorne so he could increase his pay.
“I’m really blessed by it,” he said. “They’ve created a job for me.”
Buongiorne has written three books, and is trying to get them published. In one of his writings, “Faith Builders,” he writes about the power of God. He credits his Christian faith for helping him break away from alcoholism when he was a young man.
Buongiorne also writes about Italians who settled in the Holley area and became very successful as entrepreneurs and public servants. Buongiorne includes Jodi Gaines, the former Jodi Penna, in that book he has titled, “The Italians and Why They Came.”
“Art has been a great addition,” Gaines said. “He is hard-working and dedicated.”
ALBION – Don’t be fooled by this image. It is a trick photograph of the same man.
George Ball is pointing a revolver at himself on the other side of the table.
This “shot” was taken in the late 1890s at the studio of Pollo R. Stillman, a photographer in Albion.
Noted the painted backdrop often seen in old time group photos. Stillman gets an A-plus for this clever manipulation of two images into one in his darkroom.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION A Medina man was sentenced to three years in state prison today for taking guns and defacing them. His girlfriend received two years in state prison for selling a stolen gun.
Christopher Hollenbeck, 27, admitted in Orleans County Court on Jan. 13 that he broke into a house on Mill Road in Ridgeway on June 13. He pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted burglary and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Hollenbeck helped police locate the guns and has been cooperative with law enforcement, said his attorney Shirley Gorman. He faced a maximum of seven years in state prison.
The crimes were serious and warranted a sentence in state prison, Judge James Punch told Hollenbeck today.
The stolen guns could have ended up in the hands of a “murderer or a low-life,” the judge said.
Hollenbeck said he regretted his actions and he is thankful no one was hurt.
Punch said Hollenbeck invaded the privacy of the victims and took their hard-earned property. The judge issued an order of protection for the victims.
“This is a serious big-time crime,” Punch said.
Hollenbeck told the judge he used a credit card to break into the Mill Road home. His girlfriend, Rebecca Bischoff, 26, of Medina drove him to the site and allegedly helped him sell the defaced guns. She pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to third-degree criminal sale of a firearm.
She was sentenced to two years in state prison today. She faced a maximum of 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison.
Bischoff apologized to the court and the community for her “irresponsible actions.”
Her attorney Nathan Pace said she has battled a heroin addiction and has been receiving help through the jail and the Genesee-Orleans Council of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. He asked for a local jail sentence that would include weekends.
Punch said the crime “was too serious for probation.” He said Bischoff was well aware of her role in the crimes.
“This is a very serious criminal act,” he said.
Hollenbeck and Bischoff were each ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Gatlen Ernst is no stranger to the business
Photos by Tom Rivers – Gatlen Ernst and his fiancée Danielle Daniels are pictured on a dock in front of Ernst’s Lake Breeze marina. Ernst closed on the property last Thursday, acquiring the business from Doug and Janice Bennett.
POINT BREEZE – The Lake Breeze Marina has a new owner, and he is well-known to customers and the Point Breeze community.
Gatlen Ernst, 30, closed on the sale last Thursday, acquiring the business from Doug and Janice Bennett. Ernst worked for them for 10 years.
“He’s been a good employee and he had the desire,” Mr. Bennett said. “Everybody likes Gatlen and everybody knows him. It should be a smooth takeover for him.”
The marina has 44 dock slips, nine storage barns for boats, and a main service building with gas, diesel, propane and boating supplies, parts and accessories.
“This has been a dream of mine since I started working here,” Ernst said at the marina today. “I love being outside and working with the customers.”
When he was hired 10 years ago, Ernst mowed the lawns and did other odd jobs at the marina. Ernst was 20 at the time, working during the summer while he was a college student. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nazareth College with a concentration in entrepreneurship and marketing.
He praised the Bennetts for investing in the business and steadily upgrading it. They added six storage buildings and expanded the main service building and shop.
“We improved it, and Gatlen was part of it,” Bennett said.
Gatlen Ernst is keeping the two mechanics at the marina and also added a new mechanic. The group includes, from left: Gary Simmons, Ernst, Doug Farewell and Ben Diltz.
Ernst is renaming the business to Ernst’s Lake Breeze Marina. He is keeping two full-time mechanics, Doug Farewell and Gary Simmons, and also has added another mechanic. Ben Diltz of Kent joins the marina after graduating from the Marine Mechanics Institute in Florida.
Ernst has another new face at the business: his fiancée Danielle Daniels. She knows about the commitment to make a small business succeed. Her father, Mike Pilon, co-owned Dale’s Supermarket in Albion for many years.
Ernst is the sole owner of the marina business. He purchased the real estate in a partnership with Rod Farrow, a Lake Breeze customer. Farrow is an apple farmer who lives on the other side of the Oak Orchard River.
Ernst will be handling the day-to-day operations. He sees a lot of potential in Point Breeze, which was named the “Ultimate Fishing Town” last year by the World Fishing Network.
“I’m optimistic that there’s room for growth,” he said. “The river is beautiful. It’s great for fishing.”
Ernst and his crew are ready to start the boating season. It generally runs from April 1 to Oct. 31.
“We’ll be launching boats this week,” he said. “People are anxious.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Four of the Pinewood Derby cars zoom down the track on Saturday as 25 Scouts in Pack 164 competed in their annual Pinewood Derby at St. Joseph’s Lyceum.
The cars near the finish line and several Scouts are into the action, including James Michael Beach (left in back), Jacob Foote (back center in blue Scout uniform), Declan McCue and Jonathan Judd (right). Judd was the overall winner. Parents include Brian McCue (left), Jason Foote (in red) and Jeff Baron.
Eric Brown, right, and his son Harrison were starters at the derby. Harrison’s brother Jeffrey was one of the competitors and made it to the finals.
Several parents were stationed near the finish line to help determine the winners.
Scouts who took home trophies and awards include, front row, from left: Aaron Flanagan, best in den for Tigers; Xavier Penafiel, best in den for Wolves; Austin Narbugh, best in den for Bears. Back row: Donavan Braley, second overall winner; Jacob Foote, third place overall; Jonathan Judd, first place overall, Cubmatser Mike Beach (in back); Jeffrey Brown, most original car; and Sawyer Braley, best in den for Webelos.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Today was a great day for building snowmen. There were quite a few in front yards in Orleans County.
The snow-bombing Saturday night, followed by temperatures above freezing today, made it ideal to create the icy creatures.
Orleans Hub readers shared photos of their snowmen. The snowman on top was made in Albion by Kurt and Cathy Schmitt, Adam Burlison, his cousins Ryan and Grant, Lindsey Mann and Katie Mann.
Cathy Schmitt also sent in this photo of the group’s snow bunny. They ran out of eyes.
Carrie Kozody in Medina shared this picture of a snowman made by her husband Brian and their daughters. Kozody said the snowman didn’t hold up well as the temperatures went up later in the afternoon. “Winter takes a final bow,” she said, with hope that spring weather will soon arrive.
It will on Monday when temperatures hit a high of 50, followed by a high of 62 on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Kyle VanAmeron made this snowman of a rocker in Albion. The badminton racket is a guitar and Kyle gave the snowman some funky hair.
The Bentley family in Albion created a snowwoman and a snowman. Janie Bentley sent in this photo of “SnowElle Bentley,” siblings Elle Bentley and Owen Bentley, and “SnowMcOwen.”
A Medina family made a lineup of snowmen on Mill Road. Theresa Gobeli sent in this picture. She made the snowmen with her mother, three cousins and two aunts. Seven kids under age 12 also joined in the fun.
The Rivers family in Albion also made a snowman. He fell over around 4 p.m. and needed some reinforcing. Tom Rivers took the photo.
Photos by Sue Cook – Head driver Gregory Canham loads a cooler with hot meals into the back of a van. He will drive to each house on the route and drop off a meal while briefly checking a senior’s well-being.
Editor’s note: This story was updated from an earlier version to state there is a suggested donation for the meals and the total served last year was 47,000.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
ALBION – For over 30 years, Orleans County senior citizens have been able to count on at least one hot meal per every weekday through the Meals on Wheels program.
The program saw a big change in 2009 when the Office for the Aging contracted with the Arc of Orleans County, the largest non-profit organization in the county, to run the program. It had been run by the First Presbyterian Church of Albion.
In five years the numbers of meals prepared at the site has increased from about 30,000 to 47,000 this past year. County officials say there is more need for the program. The change in location to the former Albion grammar school also offers more parking and easier accessibility, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer.
Many of the disabled individuals who are a part of The Arc use Meals on Wheels. The Arc saw running Meals on Wheels as a perfect fit for the agency.
Some seniors will go on the program only briefly such as during a recovery period after a surgery, or they may be on the program permanently if they are disabled and do not have someone to help care for them. In many instances, the seniors only need the assistance during weekdays until a family member is available on weekends.
“We’re trying to get away from people thinking that it’s for people that are poor, because it’s really not,” said Nutrition Program Coordinator Vicki Havholm. “If you have surgery and you family is working during the day, we can help them during the day, to have that meal. We want to keep our seniors in their homes longer.”
That is one of the major goals of the program. Some families would consider putting a senior into assisted living communities or nursing homes as their health declines, but with the help of the Meals on Wheels program, seniors may be able to remain in their own homes because of the check-ins that drivers do when delivering meals.
Head driver Gregory Canham goes over his route for the day with Nutrition Program Coordinator Vicki Havholm.
Seniors or their families can call to ask for a senior to be added to the program to receive hot meals. A caseworker from the Office for the Aging will come to the person’s home and assess if there is a need for assistance. To qualify, a senior must be age 60 or older, must be homebound, receive insufficient support from family or friends and be unable to prepare food for themselves.
Havholm says that on average 102 seniors a week need the Meals on Wheels service. In the year 2013, Meals on Wheels fed 213 seniors with many only requiring help temporarily. The Nutrifair program served 284 at meal sites. Between the two programs, 47,000 meals were served in 2013.
Residents are suggested to give a contribution of $3 for hot meals, $2 for a cold meal prepacked for the senior to eat in the evening, and $3 for weekend meals which are delivered frozen during the weekday deliveries to be reheated in a microwave later.
Debbie Monnier of Albion is a volunteer driver with her husband Rob.
“It is a very worthwhile program,” she said. “I haven’t exactly done lot of volunteer work, but The Arc helped with our handicapped son when he was alive and we just wanted to give back. It’s run very well.”
Cooks will arrive very early in the morning and prepare all the food that will be used in the Meals on Wheels and Nutrifair programs. The programs share the same menu of what is served each day. The menu is determined by a registered dietician and comes as a low-sodium or diabetic option. The food is then packed into insulated coolers and kept warm to make sure they are served at a safe temperature.
Food is purchased in bulk to provide for both Meals on Wheels and Nutrifair. Food is stored in freezers and pantries until it is needed.
The program is currently seeking more volunteer drivers. They are especially short of help right now while a couple of their regular drivers are out of the area until the weather is warm. Drivers are responsible for a scheduled route of roughly 10 to 15 seniors, which usually takes between 1 and 3 hours.
The driver will arrive at the home, provide the senior with the meal, and also check to make sure the senior is safe and does not need any help. If the senior needs assistance, the driver will contact someone for help, such as the Office for the Aging or emergency services.
Anyone interested in becoming a driver can contact the Meals on Wheels in Albion. They will be asked to fill out an application with three references. They must also have their own vehicle, a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and are required to be at least 18 years old. The drivers must be able to deliver during morning hours, which can make it difficult to find volunteers because many people work during that time.
“It’s very hard to get these volunteers,” said Havholm. She speculates that many of the older generations that normally would volunteer are likely still employed instead of retiring. “Some of them are working still into their 60s and 70s.”
Denise Withey, Community Relations Specialist at Arc, wants people to be aware that they don’t need to worry about the cost of gas because there is reimbursement. “We do pay a stipend for gas. It’s based on mileage. So only the time is volunteer.”
Havholm said volunteers are welcome, even if it’s seasonal or one day a month. She said that for anyone who is under the required minimum volunteer age for drivers, they can inquire about helping out with the program’s fundraising events. She also welcomes monetary donations to The Arc for the Meals on Wheels program.
To volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, call Havholm at (585) 589-5424 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on any weekday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Sandy Creek flows under the East State Street bridge in Albion.
ALBION – About half of the 67 county-owned bridges are rated as structurally deficient and need work, according to an engineering report.
“It doesn’t mean they are unsafe,” said John Papponetti, an engineer with Labella Associates in Rochester and project manager for the bridge study in Orleans County.
Only one county-owned bridge, the short span over Marsh Creek at “The Bridges” in Point Breeze, is closed. But Papponetti said more bridges could face a shutdown if they aren’t rehabbed soon. Six bridges are rated as functionally obsolete and don’t meet current standards.
The county has 16 bridges that rate at a 6 or higher, which is considered in “great” shape, Papponetti said. Another 18 rate a 5, which is in good condition. But 28 are rated as a 4, which Papponetti said is poor condition. There are five bridges considered less than a 4, which is “deficient.”
“Those ones need serious work,” Papponetti said.
The county has submitted a plan to replace the decks on three bridges and perform preventive maintenance on 17 others. The $3.5 million in projects has been submitted to the Genesee Transportation Council, which will determine how to allocate $251 million in federal funding for nine counties in the Genesee-Finger Lakes region.
Papponetti, a former Albion resident, said about $380 million in requests has been made in the Transportation Improvement Program.
“We’re not guaranteed that any or all of these will get funding,” he said.
If the county’s TIP request is approved, the decks would be replaced on the Lakeshore Road bridge in Yates over Marsh Creek, the Marshall Road bridge in Ridgeway over Johnson Creek and the Dunlap Road bridge in Shelby over Oak Orchard Creek.
Papponetti said preventive maintenance – milling and paving, sealing, cleaning and other repairs – could get another 15 to 20 years out of some bridges.
The worsening condition of the county bridges mirrors a problem throughout the state, said Jerry Gray, the county highway superintendent. There hasn’t been enough federal and state funding to keep up with all repair needs, he said.
“We should be concerned about our bridges,” Gray said. “We have a lot that are borderline. We’re at the tip of the iceberg.”
Papponetti presented the bridge report to the County Legislature on March 27. A five- to seven-year plan would target other replacements and repairs for up to $12 million in construction work. If the GTC approves the projects, the federal government would pay 80 percent of the costs, with the state possibly paying up to 15 percent. The county would pay at least 5 percent of the costs.
The tight federal and state budgets have pushed resources to heavily trafficked bridges, Papponetti said. That hurts a rural county like Orleans. But he and county officials have been telling the GTC that the rural bridges are important, especially for agriculture, the area’s top industry. Shutting down a bridge or posting a weight restriction impairs the ability for farmers to get into their fields and transport their goods, Papponetti said.
Gray said the many of the spans won’t last much longer.
“A lot of them are coming of age,” he said. “We’ve maintained them all we can.”
Any span longer than 20 feet is considered a bridge. The county also has numerous culverts that range in size from 5 to 20 feet. The highway department currently doesn’t have an inventory of all the culverts. Papponetti and LaBella will be working this year to make a list of the culverts, rate their condition and develop a plan for maintaining them.
“This is the beginning of a long-term approach for dealing with highways and bridges,” said David Callard, the Legislature chairman. “We need to stretch our dollars as far as they will go.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Medina cemetery is blanketed with broken branches
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – I was out for a little jog in Medina on Saturday and took a trek around Boxwood Cemetery several hours before the latest snowstorm.
The winter hit the cemetery hard. There are plenty of fallen tree limbs to dodge.
The punishing winter hurt a lot of the trees in the grand cemetery, which is located on North Gravel Road (Route 63).
There are large limbs down all over the cemetery. Village officials have recently revitalized the Boxwood Cemetery Commission to work on sprucing up the cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2014 at 10:45 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
Another snowstorm has hit the region. The snow seemed to come out of nowhere about 6 p.m. and it’s been a steady onslaught since then. The area could get 6 inches of snow by morning.
The top photo shows the Albion Middle School at about 6:15 p.m., when the storm was just starting. The Vietnam War Memorial in front of the school felt the storm’s wrath.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory until 6 a.m. for Orleans and seven other Western and Central NY counties. The wet snow, sleet and freezing rain will make driving dangerous. The Weather Service urged people to “exercise extreme caution” if they are on the roads.
The bottom photo shows one of the lights and the snow-covered ground outside the middle school at about 8:30 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
During the Empty Bowls event on Thursday, these Albion seventh graders – Evan Allen (left), Connor McQuillan (center) and Alex Rustay – dressed up to send a message about local hunger.
Albion seventh-graders have been doing the “Empty Bowls” project for six years. Students research local hunger and visit Food Link in Rochester. They learned that one of of four people have an insecure food supply locally.
They also each create a bowl in art class, learning pottery from teacher Kamie Feder.
The bowls were sold for $5 each on Thursday with the proceeds going to Community Action of Orleans and Genesee. The fund-raiser usually raises about $1,000 for Community Action.
Students made about 170 bowls. Each student wrote a note about hunger that was placed on each bowl.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
A long warehouse that stretched along the railroad tracks from Main to Platt street in Albion has been reduced to piles of debris. The top photos were taken at about 3 this afternoon.
The Environmental Construction Group of Albion worked on the project this week with a lot of physical changes at the site in the past two days.
JFJ Holdings of North Andover, Mass., plans to build a new 2,000-square-foot Dunkin’ Donuts at the site, right next to Tim Hortons. The new store would have 30 seats inside, 46 parking spaces, a 230-square-foot freezer next to the building, and a drive-through lane that could accommodate 10 vehicles.
The property will have exits on both Main and Platt streets.
The photo directly above shows how the property looked last year before the demolition crews arrived.
The two photos directly above show the site this morning at about 9:30 when big sections of the warehouse were still standing. The photos are from Platt Street looking west toward Main.
