By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Matching funds would help with building projects
Photo by Tom Rivers – This photo shows East Bank Street in downtown Albion, an area the village is targeting for a Main Street revitalization grant though the state.
ALBION – The village is working on an application to the state for a Main Street revitalization grant for the downtown business district.
The village is looking at a bigger target area than its previous Main Street grant in 2013-14 which was limited to a three-block area.
The village is reaching out to building owners on Main Street from the former Cornell Cooperative Extension building (now an outreach center owned by Christ Church) to the Yellow Goose and former Nayman’s just north of the canal.
The village also is eyeing Bank Street near Ingersoll Street to Liberty Street (from Greg’s Barbershop to Arnold’s Auto Parts).
The village has sent letters about the grant to more than 40 building owners and 21 have already sent in preliminary applications, said Ron Vendetti, the village’s code enforcement officer who is managing the grant. Vendetti administered a Main Street grant in Holley about two years ago.
Building owners can seek up to $50,000 in matching funds for each commercial unit and up to $10,000 for each residential unit.
The program supports building renovations including renovation of residential units, projects that are visually prominent on Main Street, projects with historic value or historic properties in danger of disrepair, and projects that reduce blight blight and contribute to the economic recovery of the area, Vendetti said.
Albion has set a 5 p.m. meeting for April 27 at the Village Hall to share more information on the project. The Village Hall is located at 35 East Bank St.
Vendetti said he is excited about a new partnership with PathStone to help building owners with financing the projects. PathStone has created a loan product to fund up to 100 percent of a project for successful applicants in the program. PathStone’s loan would be 75 percent reimbursed when the state funds come in. PathStone will convert the balance of the loan on permanent financing to the building owners.
PathStone says it is willing to provide the short-term gap financing to make projects doable for the building owners.
“This makes the process more reachable,” Vendetti said.
He also is reaching out to NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) to help with energy and conservation projects.
For more information, call Vendetti at the Village office at 589-9176.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Albion Middle School is pictured last month. The school district for the ninth time in the past 10 years won’t be raising taxes in 2016-17.
ALBION – A boost in state aid helped Albion Central School close a budget gap, allowing the district to hold the line on taxes.
The Board of Education approved a $33,890,990 budget on Monday. It increases spending by 1.96 percent or about $650,000.
Albion was able to stave off a tax increase and preserve its existing programs after the state came through with a $728,369 increase in funding for the school district. In the governor’s budget proposal in January, Albion was looking at about $319,000 more in state aid. The final budget boosted the governor’s number by more than $400,000 for Albion.
“We’re grateful for all the state aid we receive,” said Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent for business.
He presented the budget on Monday to the Board of Education. Liddle noted the budget marks the ninth time in the past decade that Albion will either reduce taxes or keep them at the same amount.
The spending plan for 2016-17 keeps all staff, except for a clerical position at the district office, a job that was eliminated by attrition.
The district’s student enrollment is projected to drop 2 percent next school year, down from 1,872 students to 1,834.
The district will have a hearing on the budget on May 10 at 7 p.m. at the LGI in the high school. The budget vote will be May 17 from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school conference room.
The May 17 vote includes one five-year seat on the Board of Education. Petitions from district residents to run for the position are due at the district office by April 18
Other propositions on the May ballot will include:
Authorization to spend up to $460,000 for buses;
Approval to collect $687,211 for Hoag Library. That is up 1 percent from the $680,411 for 2015-16.
Elizabeth Carpenter of Lyndonville took these photos of the Lake Ontario shoreline on Monday evening, when temperatures plummeted below freezing.
“When the clouds finally cleared out this evening, the shoreline was transformed,” she said in an email. “As much as I hate the cold temperatures, the ice formations were beautiful.”
The stretch of cold will continue for several days. The National Weather Service forecasts a high of 31 and a low of 22 for today, followed by a high of 48 and low near 40 on Wednesday. Thursday will reach 43 degrees with a low of 27.
Friday will be colder with a high of 34 and a low of 21, followed by a high of 30 and low of 21 on Saturday, and a high of 37 and low of 28 on Sunday, according to the Weather Service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2016 at 9:40 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Tom Marano, an Orleans County deputy sheriff, checks the scene of a car accident on Oak Orchard Road.
A driver heading southbound on Route 98, just north of the Village of Albion, left the road at about 8:30 p.m., crossing one residential front yard before banging into a home.
The driver of the vehicle and the occupants of the house were not injured, deputies said on scene. The driver will be ticketed for unsafe speed and could face additional charges, a deputy said.
Debbie Restivo lives in the house with her mother Jessica Matson. The driver also damaged the front lawn of property owned by Michael and Susan Thaine.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Albion firefighter Beau Piskorowski stands outside the back of the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School after a vehicle crashed into the building at about 3 p.m. today.
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – On April 4, 2016 at 3:02 p.m. the Albion Police Department was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident in the driveway of the Albion High School located at 302 East Avenue in the Village of Albion.
Responding Albion Police units were advised that one of the vehicles involved in the accident had left the scene and continued southbound on the school driveway. Moments later additional calls were received indicating that a vehicle had struck the Primary School.
Albion Police units arrived on scene and determined that a vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the school campus driveway, that vehicle then continued southbound and struck the Primary School. The Albion Fire Department and COVA Ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
Albion police officer Karol Hughes takes a photo of the damage at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School. The SUV that hit the school was pulled away by Waters Auto Body & Paint in Albion.
As a result of the vehicle impacting the wall, the vehicle entered into the building approximately 2 feet. Debris from the vehicle and the wall itself then struck several students that were in a classroom that was located on other side of the impacted wall.
Five students received injuries that appear to be minor as a result of being struck by debris. The injured students were taken to area hospitals by ambulance. The other students in the classroom were evaluated by school medical staff.
The preliminary cause of the accident is believed to be attributed to a medical condition involving the driver of the vehicle. The accident remains under investigation. No charges have been filed against the driver at this time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2016 at 4:47 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A driver suffering an apparent medical emergency crashed into the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School at about 3 p.m. today. Five students in a fourth grade classroom suffered minor injuries, including a student with a leg injury who was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital..
All students in teacher Lee Sheehan’s class were checked by school nursing staff as a precaution.
Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni says the driver wasn’t injured in the accident. Nenni didn’t release the driver’s name, but the police chief said the adult male wasn’t using alcohol or drugs prior to the incident.
The driver also hit another car near the speed bumps on the driveway by the high school.
The vehicle hit a fourth grade classroom at the back of the elementary school near the community entrance.
Structural engineers were on the way to determine the extent of damage and how many classrooms may need to be relocated.
The vehicle hit a wall and sent debris flying in Sheehan’s classroom. Some of the bricks hit students, causing minor injuries.
Nenni said an investigation is continuing, including what caused the driver to be so erratic.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Murray Superette operators to pay $164K-plus in restitution
File photo by Tom Rivers – Members of the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and outside agencies raided the Murray Superette on Route 104 on Oct. 27, 2015.
MURRAY Three brothers who operate the Murray Superette pleaded guilty in Orleans County to grand larceny in the fourth degree and could face a maximum of six months in Orleans County Jail.
Alexander, Myron and Olec Salamaca also agreed to pay restitution, which includes a $15,000 judgment to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance and $149,102 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abuses in the food stamp program.
The brothers were arrested on Oct. 27 following a 15-month investigation where the Salamacas and some employees allowed customers to illegally exchange food stamps in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) at 70 percent of their value, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force said then.
The Salamacas would swipe electronic DBT cards and give customers cash back or allow them to buy alcohol, untaxed cigarettes, gas and other items unauthorized by the program, District Attorney Joe Cardone said in court today.
“Did you do it with the intent to steal from the U.S. government?” Judge James Punch asked Olec Salamaca.
“Yes,” Olec Salamaca responded.
Each of the brothers admitted to the grand larceny crimes today in Orleans County Court. None of them have prior criminal records. Cardone agreed to the plea deal after the brothers agreed to restitution. He also considered their community record in running a business on Route 104.
The charge of fourth-degree grand larceny normally carries a maximum of 4 years in state prison. If Judge James Punch sentences the Salamacas to more than 6 months in jail on June 20, the brothers can withdraw their pleas and go to trial.
Punch said the Salamacas may have to surrender licenses for some of their enterprises. The judge kept bail at $20,000, which each Salamaca posted in a lower court.
A fourth Salamaca brother also has been charged in the food stamp trafficking scheme. Taras R. Salamaca worked as an employee at the store. His case is in Murray Town Court.
Photo courtesy of Gov. Cuomo’s Office – Gov. Andrew Cuomo is joined by state officials in signing a higher minimum wage into law this morning. The wage will rise to $15 in New York City and $12.50 in Upstate over the next five years. He is joined by, from left in back: Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
NEW YORK CITY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation enacting a higher minimum wage plan and a 12-week paid family leave policy.
The legislation was passed as part of the 2016-17 state budget, and Cuomo said it marks a major accomplishment in his efforts to restore economic justice and fairness to working families in New York State.
The Governor signed these two pieces of legislation immediately prior to attending a 1,000-person victory rally, which included workers, advocates, labor leaders, and elected officials. That rally was held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.
“By moving to a $15 statewide minimum wage and enacting the strongest paid family leave policy in the nation, New York is showing the way forward on economic justice,” said Governor Cuomo. “These policies will not only lift up the current generation of low-wage workers and their families, but ensure fairness for future generations and enable them to climb the ladder of opportunity. I am proud to sign these programs into law, because they will ensure a stronger, fairer and brighter future for all New Yorkers.”
$15 Minimum Wage
The state budget includes an historic increase in the minimum wage, ultimately reaching $15 an hour for all workers in all industries across the state.
For workers in New York City employed by large businesses (those with at least 11 employees), the minimum wage would rise to $11 at the end of 2016, then another $2 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2018.
For workers in New York City employed by small businesses (those with 10 employees or fewer), the minimum wage would rise to $10.50 by the end of 2016, then another $1.50 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2019.
For workers in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties, the minimum wage would increase to $10 at the end of 2016, then $1 each year after, reaching $15 on 12/31/2021.
For workers in the rest of the state, the minimum wage would increase to $9.70 at the end of 2016, then another .70 each year after until reaching $12.50 on 12/31/2020 – after which will continue to increase to $15 on an indexed schedule to be set by the Director of the Division of Budget in consultation with the Department of Labor.
Further, the bill provides a safety valve to the increases. Beginning in 2019, the state DOB Director will conduct an annual analysis of the economy in each region and the effect of the minimum wage increases statewide to determine whether a temporary suspension of the scheduled increases is necessary. That analysis is submitted to the Department of Labor by the Division of Budget.
It is estimated that more than 2.3 million people will be affected by the increases in the minimum wage.
Previously, New York began moving toward a $15 minimum wage for fast food employees, public sector workers, and SUNY employees – in total amounting to roughly a quarter of a million workers in New York State.
12-Week Paid Family Leave
The state budget includes the most comprehensive paid family leave program in the nation. When fully phased in, employees will be eligible for 12 weeks of paid family leave when caring for an infant, a family member with a serious health condition or to relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service.
Benefits will be phased in beginning in 2018 at 50 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage, capped to 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, and fully implemented in 2021 at 67 percent of their average weekly wage, capped to 67 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. This program will be funded entirely through a nominal payroll deduction on employees so it costs businesses – both big and small – nothing. Employees are eligible to participate after having worked for their employer for six months.
Statewide paid family leave will particularly benefit low-income workers who often lack benefits or job security, and for whom access to any leave, even unpaid, is often not available or cost prohibitive, Cuomo said.
Paid family leave also has the potential to serve as a great equalizer for women. In many instances, women who leave the workforce to care for a newborn not only forfeit their existing salaries in the short-term, but also suffer diminished future earnings and career trajectories in the long term. Establishing paid family leave marks a pivotal next step in the pursuit of equality and dignity in both the workplace and the home, the governor said.
Unshackle Upstate, an organization representing a coalition of over 80 business and trade organization, said the higher minimum wage and paid family leave makes New York businesses less competitive.
“Rather than taking the opportunity to make New York more business friendly or grow its economy, this budget agreement imposes additional burdens and challenges for employers – especially those in Upstate communities,” said Greg Biryla, Unshackle Upstate executive director.
“This unprecedented minimum wage mandate on employers – in addition to a paid leave program – will ensure that New York’s business climate will remain one of the worst in the nation, even as our tax burden remains among the highest in the nation.
As bad as this agreement will be for Upstate businesses and taxpayers, the original minimum wage proposal would have been much worse.
“We commend those lawmakers, especially members of the Senate Republican Conference and Upstate Assembly members, who fought for small businesses, farmers and taxpayers in the face of intense pressure from powerful special interests. We also acknowledge their efforts to include much-needed tax relief as part of this agreement.
“Our leaders in Albany should spend the rest of this legislative session working to enact positive measures that will put Upstate New York on a path to long-term prosperity.”
BATAVIA – Is your company in need of an intern? Genesee Community College is offering the perfect opportunity to explore the possibilities of augmenting your staff while providing a student with hands-on experience.
GCC is hosting its first-ever Internship Fair dedicated to those wanting to gain and share experience in business, human services, criminal justice, and health and physical education. The event is schedule Thursday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the college’s William Stuart Forum, and is designed to introduce employers and businesses to GCC students who are seeking meaningful internships.
Local and regional businesses, companies and organizations are invited to have a table at the Internship Fair and field questions and answers about their work world, while accepting resumes and distributing material related to their internship opportunities. At this time, students will be looking for internships in the following areas:
Business and Commerce
Human Services
Criminal Justice
Health and Physical Education
“Internships and co-op experiences provide a win-win-win for employers or nonprofit organizations, students who are nearing graduation, and also for the college and faculty overall,” said Jamie Edwards, Career Center specialist. “As an institution of higher learning, we are continuously seeking productive partnerships between academia and our local community and offering experiential learning is often among the student’s most rewarding opportunity.”
The internship fair is free and open to the general public, however, most employers will have a preference for GCC students who are enrolled in a GCC internship course. Employers interested in attending the fair should contact the Career Services office at 585-345-6888 to register for the event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2016 at 12:00 am
James Tuk says voters spoke on March 15 when he lost mayoral election
LYNDONVILLE – James Tuk, the deputy mayor in Lyndonville, resigned on Friday, not long after the March 15 election for mayor when he lost, 92 to 19, to John Belson, the former Yates town supervisor.
Tuk said the defeat was a message from voters that they weren’t pleased with his job performance. Tuk had been leading the village government since Halloween, when Steve McAvoy resigned due to the demands of his full-time job.
“I made quite a few adversaries over time and they wanted a different person as mayor,” Tuk said. “Somebody didn’t like the way I did things. I’ve made peace with all of this.”
Tuk was a member of the Village Board for five years. He said the village has projects in the pipeline, including efforts to make the Lyndonville Dam more accessible to the public and to improve the mechanicals at the scenic site.
The village also wants to redesign Veterans Park next to the Dam. The park with some improvements could help bring more people downtown, Tuk said.
“These are in the infancy stage,” Tuk said. “The challenge is to find the money to pay for it.”
Tuk said serving on the board was “very interesting and very constructive.” He only missed two meetings in 5 years. He missed those two because in December 2013 he suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left side.
“I returned to meetings in February 2014 because I was elected to do so and the challenge of the position aided my recovery,” Tuk said. “I am not yet 100 percent but continue to work towards being that.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – An SUV that crashed into the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School this afternoon not only left a gaping hole in a fourth grade classroom, but damaged the back wall of the school, leaving several cracks.
The school district announced that it is closing the school on Tuesdays for grades prekindergarten through 5 so the building can be fully inspected and prepared for use again.
The district has also cancelled all evening activities today and Tuesday.
“Thank you to all our students, staff, and emergency folks for your work today!” the district said in a message to the community at 5:58 p.m.
Albion Central School Superintendent Michael Bonnewell takes pictures of an SUV that hit the elementary school at about 3 p.m. this afternoon. He is standing next to Albion firefighter Jim Peruzzini.
The accident caused several cracks in the wall in the back of the elementary school near the community entrance.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Weather Service issues storm warning, says 4 to 8 inches could fall in Orleans, Niagara
This daffodil in Albion was weighed down with snow on Saturday. More snow is headed to Orleans County.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm winter, in effect from late this afternoon until 2 p.m. Monday for Orleans and Niagara counties.
The Weather Service is warning of heavy snow, perhaps 4 to 8 inches, including 4 to 7 inches tonight.
With northeast winds at 20 to 30 miles per hour, visibility could be as low as a quarter mile at times.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 3 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Four participants in this year’s 4-H Clothing Revue qualified for District Clothing Revue. They are, from left: Lauren Becht, Peggy-Jo Gabalski, Emma Mathes and Naomi Haberger. Each is wearing her entry for the Revue.
KNOWLESVILLE – Two dozen Orleans County 4-Hers gathered at the Trolley Building on the 4-H Fairgrounds for the 2016 4-H Clothing Revue. This year’s theme was “It Draws You In,” which is also the 2016 Orleans County 4-H Fair theme.
The event “gives youth an opportunity to model their textile projects while gaining confidence and poise while sharing their projects with an audience,” said 4-H educator Robert Batt.
Morning activities on Saturday included judging – which is based on construction quality as well as fit – and workshops. 4-H’ers were able to practice runway modeling, grooming and make-up, and also prepared entries for a “Paper Doll” clothing revue.
The Clothing Revue portion of the event took place Saturday evening. Participants modeled their creations on the runway for family and friends.
Four participants were selected for District Clothing Review which will be held later this year. Those participants are Lauren Becht, Emma Mathes, Naomi Haberger and Peggy-Jo Gabalski.
The mesmerizing 2016 “It Draws You In” theme for the Orleans County 4-H Clothing Revue.
Emma Mathes of the Adventurers 4-H Club on the runway in her royal blue brocade party dress. She challenged herself to complete the dress in five hours and was able to do so.
Lillian Mathes of the Adventurers 4-H Club made a sundress in a retro-bicycle print fabric. Lillian noted that the heart-shaped cut-out on the back of her dress was one of the hardest sewing jobs she has had to complete.
Earlier in the day, Makenzie McGrath got tips on runway modeling from fellow 4-Her Lauren Becht during the runway modeling workshop. Makenzie is wearing a skirt she made with a butterfly pattern fabric. She made the skirt for her first 4-H Public Presentation which was on the life cycle of the butterfly.
Cloverbud Jackson McGrath models a hat he made with a Star Wars theme fabric. He needed his hat for the Saturday evening 2016 4-H Clothing Review as the spring weather turned snowy and cold.
4-Her Baylee Strapp of the Hindsburg Hilltop and Towpath Club practices modeling her apron Saturday morning during workshops before the evening Clothing Revue. Baylee said she enjoyed making her apron and couldn’t wait to get her license to drive – the sewing machine. Workshop leader Pauline Lanning reads Baylee’s commentary from the lectern in the background.
Cindy Eibl leads a workshop in make-up and grooming for 4-H Clothing Revue participants Saturday morning in the Trolley Building at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
Participants in this year’s Orleans County 4-H Clothing Revue pose for photos following the Saturday evening show held in the Trolley Building.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 2 April 2016 at 12:00 am
Volume 2, Issue 14
MEDINA – On May 23, 1898, the A. L. Swett Electric Light & Power Company was incorporated by Albert Swett with a capital stock of $50,000.
Swett, a prominent and respected entrepreneur in Medina, was quick to notice the local need for electricity. That need would be satisfied through a power plant constructed along the Oak Orchard Creek in the vicinity of the falls. Purchasing a parcel of land where an old mill had previously burned, Swett cleared the debris and constructed a plant to take advantage of the water power.
That plant was quickly overtaxed by the high demand for electricity and a steam plant was constructed to supplement the output of the first plant. Swett was an intelligent businessman with the foresight to purchase as much land along the creek as possible. Over the course of twenty years, he amassed a large holding of property to the north of Medina that would be used to expand his electric company.
Swett increased his capital stock to $300,000 and in 1903 started construction on a storage dam to increase the company’s electricity output. The 60-foot high dam spanned the width of the Oak Orchard Creek, and along with a 1,600 foot dike built of earth and concrete, provided for the development of a reservoir. Now known as Glenwood Lake, the nearly 50-foot deep and over one-mile long inland lake provided over 150 acres of surface water.
The construction of a second powerhouse, Station No. 2, allowed for increased electricity output from the same water source providing energy through the original power station at the falls. Swett estimated the cost of the second power station at just over $297,000 and it was believed that much of the electricity that was to be generated from that station was sold to area businessmen and residents prior to its completion. Such an extensive endeavor would cost nearly $8 million today.
The A. L. Swett Electric Light & Power Company adopted the motto, “to serve the public promptly, efficiently and at reasonable rates,” a slogan that drove the business to expand once again in 1917. At that time, Swett would begin construction on a dam at Waterport that would create another inland waterway he named Lake Alice.
A far more complex project, nearly 50 parcels of land were purchased, houses and structures moved, and roads rerouted to accommodate the higher water level. A new bridge was constructed at a cost of $70,000 and the bridge at Kenyonville was raised seven feet to adjust to the creek depth.
This image from 1903 shows the construction of the dike at Glenwood Lake; the photograph is simply marked “the Swett Power Project, Medina.” At the top of the hill a machine feeds crushed stone down a chute constructed on the embankment.
Albert Swett was actively engaged in supervising the project and suffered a broken thigh after falling from scaffolding at the worksite. He was bedridden for over a month due to the injuries.
Ambitious in his endeavors, Swett controlled the majority of water power in the vicinity of Medina. He constructed the dams at Medina and Waterport to reduce the strains forced upon the Oak Orchard Creek and area streams caused by the power plants.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 April 2016 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Members of the World Life Institute raise the American flag this afternoon outside The Colonnade, the former Medina Masonic Temple at 229 West Center St.
The Colonnade is the world-wide headquarters for World Life Institute, which runs humanitarian and educational programs in several countries.
World Life has been active in Orleans County for more than two decades. It built a school on Stillwater Road in Carlton about 20 years ago. That site is used for ESL classes, a pottery program for farmworkers, and other educational efforts, including Project Life, where children from war-torn countries spend summers with local host families and learn English, and take art and other classes.
Sisters Tamara, left, and Salma Huzair of Waterport sing the national anthem during a dedication program this afternoon. Their father, Bilal Huzair, is the current World Life president. Idris Salih, back right, was among about 50 people to attend the opening celebration.
World Life members stand at attention after raising the American flag. Chad Scott, left, and Ameen Ghani, right, both served in the military with Scott enlisted from 1999 to 2003 while Ghani served from 1964 to 1967.
Chris Wilson, center, is World Life’s communication director and international director of the Project Life program. The program is in its 20th year and has hosted about 135 children from war-torn Bosnia, Afghanistan and Chechnya. Some children also came one summer from Sri Lanka following a devastating tsunami. All of the children have lost at least one parent to war or tragedy.
World Life wants to push its humanitarian mission, Wilson said, and the new center in Medina will give it a headquarters for educational, humanitarian and cultural work.
The building was used by the Mormon church before the Masons acquired the site about a dozen years ago. Declining membership in the Masonic Lodge convinced the organization’s leaders to sell the building.
World Life added the new sign on Friday, just in time for today’s celebration.
“This is a very special building with a very special history,” Chris Wilson said. “We will continue the tradition of working to improve the human condition.”
Wilson addresses the group gathered for today’s dedication program. World Life wants to use the site for academic programs, and lectures open to the community.
The organization is developing the World Life College with classes in languages, religious studies, emergency preparedness and other subjects. World Life also wants to help high school students with college preparation and entrance exams.
Dr. Asaf Durakovic, director of World Life Institute, helped start the organization about 20 years ago. World Life has grown to an international scope. Durakovic shared a blessing for the headquarters today. He is next to Al Kropf, a member of the Medina Masonic Lodge.
Virginia Kropf, a long-time reporter for The Daily News in Batavia, shares remarks today during the opening ceremonies for The Colonnade. Kropf said Medina has a rich history, and World Life Institute is part of a new chapter. She also shared about becoming an airplane pilot at age 56.
“This building is being put to good use,” Kropf told the group. “We look forward to seeing what you’re going to do with it in Medina.”
Chris Wilson is in back at right, next to Amir Hassan Joosub, who is opening a new World Life site in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Julianne Hazen discusses plans for the World Life College. She is an educator who focuses on contemporary Sufism in America, Britain, and the Balkans. She said World Life will work to bring more educational opportunities to the Medina community, including civic and ESL classes and other programs.
