By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – I stopped by Liberty Fresh Farms, an onion packing house on Route 98 in Albion, last evening because my 9-year-old son is part of a Lego league through Orleans County 4-H.
The Panek family, owners of the former Remley Printing building, is letting three Lego teams practice building robots and whatnot in some of the rooms in the building.
The Paneks helped form Liberty Fresh. When I was there last night, the sun was setting and the tall stacks of onion crates were striking. I noticed a statue of a patron saint by a tree. The rainy spring made for a difficult growing year for onion farmers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Employees at Orchard Manor, a nursing home on Bates Road, voted to join the CSEA union on Thursday.
Employees approved the vote “by a comfortable margin,” said Jill Ascencio, spokeswoman for CSEA.
“It wasn’t even close,” she said this morning. “The workers definitely chose what they wanted to do.”
Orchard Manor was owned by Medina Memorial Hospital until it was sold to 600 Bates Road LLC for $4.1 million. The new owner took over Jan. 1 and hired Global Health Care to manage the 160-bed residential healthcare facility.
Chris Penna, an LPN at Orchard Manor, said changes were quickly noticed by the staff, as the new owner and management cut back on staff and basic supplies.
Staff tried to voice their concerns to management about quality of patient care, but Penna said employees didn’t feel their concerns were appreciated or addressed.
Orchard Manor staff started talking about forming a union, which led to seven staff being suspended and at least two terminated, Penna said. She was suspended the day after she spoke with The Journal-Register about the unionizing push.
“It’s a common union-busting tactic,” Ascencio said about employees losing jobs or facing suspensions. “They put on the pressure, they intimidated and they coerced. They tried to get people to back down out of fear.”
Penna said the employees banded together. She noticed that camaraderie when she started at Orchard Manor 19 months ago. She drives about 20 miles from Holley to work in Medina because she enjoys the residents and her co-workers.
“From the first day my feet hit the floor it was like family,” she said. “That why I wanted to work there because Orchard Manor had such a good reputation.”
She is hopeful the union will give the workers a stronger voice to ensure staffing levels and supplies for a high level of patient care.
“We want to make the residents the number one priority,” Penna said.
There are 114 employees eligible to be in the union, but that could change if some job titles are added or removed. Right now, the union will likely be open to CNAs, LPNs, maintenance, transportation, activities and kitchen staff.
They will need to form a negotiating team that will try to meet with management and the owner to discuss an employee contract and quality of care for residents.
Penna said employees have been under a lot of pressure in recent weeks, especially when co-workers were suspended or fired.
“We fought the good fight, that’s for sure,” she said. “We’re a family and we stuck it out. But we know the hard part isn’t over.”
Staff Reports Posted 20 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman
MEDINA – Before tonight’s Medina Mustang football game at home versus Akron, both teams and their fans observed a moment of silence for Damon Janes, a Westfield-Brocton football player who died Monday following a hit in last Friday’s high school football game against Portville. Teams from throughout Section 6 are pausing before each game tonight and Saturday to remember Janes.
Before each game, the following statement will be read: “On behalf of the entire Section 6 of New York State Public High School Athletic Association, we offer our deepest condolences and support to family, friends, classmates of Damon Janes, including school communities of Brocton, Westfield and Portville. Please know you’re in the hearts of the entire Western New York Athletic Community.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Leonel Lopez-Alvarado
ALBION – A village resident, who is wanted for aggravated assault with a firearm in Michigan, was arrested today at his residence, 129 West Academy St., the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.
Leonel Lopez-Alvarado, 30, is in the country illegally without proper documents, the Task Force reported today. He has twice been deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs, in 2009 and again in 2010.
Police searched Lopez-Alvarado’s residence and found a loaded 9mm semi-auto pistol, ammunition, fraudulent alien registration card and social security card.
Lopez-Alvarado was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (non U.S. citizen).
He was arraigned at the Town of Albion Justice Gary Moore and committed to the Orleans County Jail on $5,000 cash bail. Lopez-Alvarado is to return back to Albion court on Sept. 24 at 9 a.m.
Lopez-Alvarado also is being held on a detainer filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is facing numerous federal charges, including illegal re-entry into the United States. He also is facing extradition to the state of Michigan for aggravated assault with a firearm.
Police executed the search warrant in Albion after receiving information that Lopez-Alvarado was wanted for a shooting in another state. The Major Felony Crime Task Force worked the case with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Albion Police Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Young Enterprises employee Shane Swann is on top of the Pratt building at 118 North Main St., coating the roof this afternoon.
Several contractors are working on the building, which is owned by Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler. They want to have the top floor, a former opera house, reopened as a performance venue.
Andy Young, owner of Young Enterprises in Albion, was up on the roof this afternoon. He is pictured in the photo below.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Governor announces $48M for projects state-wide
Photo by Tom Rivers – An airplane comes in for a landing at Pine Hill Airport on Sept. 8, when the airport in Barre hosted a fly-in breakfast.
ALBANY – Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $48 million in grants for transportation improvements across the state, including $54,000 for Pine Hill Airport, the only airport with a hard-surface runway in Orleans County.
The money for Pine Hill will help construct a new apron and taxiway connector for the west ramp.
Cuomo said the $48 million in state funds will leverage an additional $80 million in federal, state and local funding. The governor said the money will boost transportation infrastructure and support economic development.
“We are making targeted investments that will improve transportation systems across the state, provide the foundation for future economic development, and create jobs,” the governor said. “This funding will modernize aviation facilities, improve the speed of freight and passenger transit, and build cleaner and safer networks of transportation.”
The state approved $7 million for 21 airport infrastructure projects in state, $21 million in transit capital grants, and $20 million for 14 rail projects.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – The Medina Memorial Association of Twigs presents a $20,000 check to the hospital, the Twigs final payment on a $170,000 pledge for hospital lobby and ER renovations. Pictured, from left, include: Donna Poore, past president; Acting Interim Hospital CEO Dolores Horvath; and Carolyn Wisniewski, Twigs president.
MEDINA – The Medina Memorial Association of Twigs made its final $20,000 payment towards a $170,000 pledge to help the hospital remodel its lobby and emergency room.
The Twigs made a $50,000 initial payment and then followed with $20,000 checks annually over six years.
Twigs President Carolyn Wisniewski presented the final check on Sept. 9 to Acting Interim CEO Dolores Horvath, fulfilling the group’s pledge.
Most of the money was raised through the Twig Gift Shop located across from the switchboard at the hospital. The remaining funds were raised by the different Twig groups over the years.
The lobby received new carpeting and chairs in 2011. More work to the lobby as well as upgrades to the ER are expected to start at the end of 2013 or early 2014.
The Twigs have assisted with several projects at the hospital through the years.
“We are proud of our hospital and look forward to doing more projects with them in the future,” said Twigs President Carolyn Wisniewski.
Sept. 28 event will include 80 students at Mount Albion
Courtesy of Albion Central School – Albion student Kendra Morrison recounts a story during last year’s Ghost Walk about Amos Clift and how he solved the issue of some hobos that kept stealing his farm fencing.
Press release
Albion Central School
ALBION – About 80 Albion High School students will portray notable residents of Mount Albion during a Ghost Walk on Sept. 28. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with tours every 15 minutes. The cost is $5 with proceeds going to service-learning projects.
The tours will start near the chapel of the historic cemetery on Route 31, east of the village. The tour includes the older part of the cemetery.
Students will portray the following:
Albert Warner, who embezzled money from the Roswell Burrows estate and the First National Bank.
William Barlow, a famous architect who designed and built some of our most prominentbuildings, including the Orleans County Courthouse.
Jane Lavery, who was 16 yearsold when she died in the 1859 Main Street bridge collapse while watching an aerialist attempt to cross the Erie Canal.
Ben Field, who acquired the franchise rights to make sleeper cars for the railroad. He sold his part of the business to his partner, George Pullman, for $5,000. Pullman became a multi-millionaire.
Loren Stiles, who was influential in starting the first Free Congregational Methodist Church in the world. The Free Methodist denomination started in Albion.
Amanda Bedell, mother of Grace Bedell, who was 11 when she wrote a letter to Abe Lincoln encouraging him to grow whiskers. He took her advice and met Grace during a train stop in Westfield, NY.
Sanford Church, perhaps the most prominent citizen of Albion’s past. He was an attorney, state assemblyman, state comptroller, Lieutenant Governor of NY and served as chief justice to the NYS Court of Appeals.
Emma Swan, who along with her husband, William Gere Swan, turned the Burrows mansion into thefirst public library for the Albion community.
John Proctor, an early settler in Gaines, he was the Paul Revere of the Ridge during the War of 1812.He rode east to warn people the British were advancing to Lewiston.
John Hull White, who was the grand sire of theIndependent Order of the Oddfellows.
William Butts, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Roswell Burrows, a wealthy banker (reportedly the richest man in Albion). He established the First National Bank of Albion and unfortunately trusted Albert Warner, his assistant.
Lewis Tyrell, a Civil War soldier who fought at the Battle of Petersburg with General Grant.
Emma Root, who recounts a story of a certain gentleman named Pat Flynntrying to settle his bill with a clerk at the village store.
The tour includes choral and instrumental musical selections. To reserve a spot on the tour, call Sue Starkweather Miller at the school, 589-2087.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Patricia Crowley, project director of Orleans United through GCASA, has worked with the agency since 2000 to reduce substance abuse locally. She is pictured outside GCASA’s office in Albion, the former Knights of Columbus hall.
ALBION – She has led a coalition of law enforcement agencies, faith-based groups, health-care providers, parents, youths and businesses, about 100 people working together to reduce tobacco and substance abuse in the community.
“We all help and do our part,” said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United, a program run through GCASA, the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
Crowley said the group’s efforts over the past five years have resulted in reduced rates of teen smoking and drug use and experimentation.
Crowley is also a member of the Medina Village Board, and is active with the Medina Area Association of Churches and the First Presbyterian Church in Medina.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored her with a “Community Service Award” for 2013.
“I just love it,” Crowley said about her many roles. “Orleans is a great place to live. No matter where I live, I’ll always be involved in my community.”
Crowley grew up in Hornell. She began her career working with at-risk youth in Elmira. For 10 years she worked with kids in foster care and a group home. She then worked three years with at-risk youth in Orange County near Poughkeepsie.
In 1990, she her husband Tim moved to Medina when Mr. Crowley, a counselor with the state Department of Corrections, was hired to work at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion. Mr. Crowley is a Medina native. He now works at the Albion Correctional Facility, the women’s prison.
It didn’t take his wife long to get to know the community. She worked for the Arc of Orleans and the Head Start before taking a job with GCASA in 2000 as a prevention educator. She went into local schools, sharing an anti-drug and alcohol message, and meeting one-on-one with students who may have been fighting an addiction.
In 2004, she helped start the drug-free coalition. Four years later, the federal government approved a $125,000 annual drug-free communities grant for Orleans. The funding was for five years.
The coalition planned family-friendly activities, including roller skating at the YMCA, miniature golf and other events, including prescription drug take-back days, where the unused prescription medicine could be left at the Holley Police Department, Orleans County Public Safety Building and Medina Fire Department.
The grant also funded a survey of sixth through twelfth-graders in four local school districts about their drug, alcohol and tobacco use. The survey is done every two years.
“You need the data,” Crowley said. “The grant allows us to look at the data and assess where we are.”
The coalition just learned last week the federal government did not renew another five-year grant to fund the prevention effort in Orleans County. Crowley said the coalition will continue, and will find another way to promote its mission.
“We have people that will support us, we’ll just have to do it with less money,” she said.
MEDINA – The view in this post card shows thousands of barrels of apples stacked up along the Erie Canal dock in Medina.
The card was published by the Bickle Brothers, circa 1908. This was before the canal was enlarged here in 1911-13. Note the canal boat which is already loaded with apple barrels.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2013 at 12:00 am
‘This is a lot better than looking at a book.’
Photos by Tom Rivers – These Albion High School students – Aaron Burnside, Gary Moore and Dillon Black – were out in a corn field with other members of Adam Krenning’s agricultural science class on Tuesday.
ALBION – Adam Krenning used to show YouTube videos of corn planters spreading seeds in a field and combines coming through in the fall and harvesting the crop.
Krenning’s agricultural science students could read about the biology of plants from a textbook, learning about how photosynthesis from plant leaves helps grow corn and other crops.
This year, his students aren’t confined to an indoor classroom. The district last spring opened a 5-acre “Land Lab” near Clarendon Road.
A local farmer Adam Kirby planted the crop last May. Albion ag students filled the planter with seeds. One of the students, Aaron Burnside, sat in the planter with Kirby.
Four months later the plants are about 10 feet tall. Students have been out in the field, measuring the plants’ heighth, the distance between rows (29 inches) and distance between plants in each row (6 inches).
“This is a lot better than looking at a book,” said Dillon Black, a senior.
Gary Moore, an Albion 11th grader, holds an ear of corn in the school district’s 5-acre land lab, which is producing its first crop this year for the school’s agriculture program.
Students were surprised by how big and strong the corn plants grew in four months, and all that to produce one ear of corn, although different varieties could have two or three ears.
When they studied the corn plants on Tuesday, Krenning sent them about 25 plants deep into the corn field. Krenning said the edge of a corn field can give a false indication about a field’s health. The edge often has small or stilted plants because animals can feed on them or the soil is splashed with road salt.
Aaron Burnside, a junior, was impressed with the plants. He said it’s been a good growing season with lots of rain and sunshine.
“This is the first time the classes can get hands-on with the plants,” he said.
The ag sciences classes and FFA chapter have developed a corn maze that will be open to Albion elementary school students. They will each paint a pumpkin on Oct. 16-17 as part of a fall outdoor event with apple cider and donuts. Each elementary classroom is making a scare crow for that event.
The district opened the 5-acre Land Lab last year. Local farmer Adam Kirby in May brought a planter to the site to plant corn.
Later this fall students will be able to watch the corn be harvested. They also will likely be able to see it at the ethanol plant in Medina, where the corn is ground up and turned into fuel.
The district’s agricultural program also is working with Panek Farms in Albion. The farm planted corn on 63 acres of land owned by Albion Central School. Panek is tracking the farm’s expenses for the crop. It will share that data plus the revenue numbers for the crop later with students. The net profits from the crop will be donated back to the district for the ag program.
Krenning said those funds plus the knowledge shared by Panek Farms will make for a program full of enrichment for students.
Recent rainy days kept his class inside, instead of out in the corn field. He could sense their enthusiasm on Tuesday, when they went into the cornfield, inspecting and measuring the plants.
“You can explain all you want on the board or with YouTube videos, but this is where the educational aspect really happens,” Krenning said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Conrad family opened Ho-Jack’s Bar and Grill last Nov. 1 at 1750 Oak Orchard Rd., Carlton. Pictured, from left: Francesca Papalia, Tony Conrad, Danielle Conrad, Jo Jo Allport (age 4), Matthew Lilly and Dan Conrad.
CARLTON – Three years ago, Dan Conrad was downsized after 26 years of work at Kodak. After being laid off, Conrad earned a degree in business and looked for an opportunity that would involve his family while also keeping him in Orleans County. Conrad saw potential for a restaurant that had an unstable history. The former Carlton Grill had been opened several times, only to shut down not long after.
Conrad was warned by friends that the site didn’t have a good track record. But he thought he could assemble a team to make it work.
Last Nov. 1 the Conrad family opened Ho-Jack’s Bar and Grill at 1750 Oak Orchard Rd. The venture has gone so well that Ho-Jack’s is expanding its parking lot.
Conrad’s son Tony is the head chef. He is looking to add sub sandwiches and bakery to the location, perhaps by next year.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s rewarding,” Dan Conrad said. “People walk out and say the food is great.” The Chamber of Commerce named Ho-Jack’s the 2013 “Business of the Year.” The Conrads have 15 employees. The business has brought stability to the site, and created a destination on Route 98 between Point Breeze and Albion. Conrad, a Rochester native, enjoys local history. He wanted the restaurant to play up the community’s railroad heritage. The interior has several railroad images, as well as photos of cobblestone structures, fishermen and other local scenes. Ho-Jack’s buys many of its ingredients – fruits and vegetables – from local farms. Tony, 25, graduated from the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and worked at several local restaurants. He and the kitchen staff prepare mainstays, such as seafood, barbecue, hamburgers and fresh cut French fries. Tony favors his pork delmonico – pork smothered with bourbon glazed peaches. He adds other touches, “hamburgers with a gourmet spin,” his father said.
Dan’s wife Brenda works at Ho-Jack’s, making the desserts. Their daughter Danielle is a bartender. Tony’s wife Crystal is the assistant manager. Other family members also work at the site.
“It’s been a total team effort,” Conrad said. “We have a lot of good help here.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The former Jubilee in Medina has been gutted and turned into a hardware and lumber business at 342 East Center St. Ace Hardware opened the site in April 2013 following more than a year of renovations.
MEDINA – It sat empty for nearly a decade, a drag on the community, especially with the downtown enjoying a rebirth a few blocks away.
The former Jubilee store not only was vacant for several years, but a previous owner stopped paying taxes on the property. Orleans County became the owner.
While other developers couldn’t see a future for the building, Roger Andrews saw possibilities at the site. Andrews, 42, bought the former Hahn Hardware on West Avenue in Medina on April 11, 2011.
He wanted more space so he could offer more lumber and other choices for customers. Medina Mayor Andrew Meier was at the closing for the Hahn site. Meier, an attorney, listened to Andrews’ share a goal for more retail space.
Meier suggested Andrews take a look at the former Jubilee store on East Center Street. That building had been empty since 2006, closing soon after Walmart opened a Supercenter in Albion.
Andrews went to see the former Jubilee and immediately saw possibilities in the vacant and run-down property. He acquired the site from the county by paying $100,000 in back taxes.
For 13 months he worked at transforming the 26,000-square-foot building. The store was gutted, with walls taken out to accommodate an Ace Hardware. Andrews opened the Ace on April 22 to praise from the community. He held the grand-opening celebration on May 18-19.
“It’s really cleaned up that end of the business district,” Meier said in May.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored Andrews with the “Phoenix Award,” given each year for a major renovation in the county.
Roger Andrews, owner of the Ace Hardware in Medina, talks with customer Gloria Short in May at the former Jubilee site, which was renovated in a 13-month project.
The former Jubilee is a large building at the gateway to the downtown business district, coming on Route 31 from Albion.
Andrews said the former Jubilee site has tripled the space for hardware supplies. The other side of the building includes room for lumber. Andrews said the site has 36,000 different products and he will add more if there is a demand for them.
“With this style and layout it is so much easier for the customers,” Andrews said while giving a tour of the building this spring. “It’s bigger and brighter. You have aisles you can walk up and down.”
He changed the façade of the former Jubilee to make it look like a store from the early 1900s. He said the building provides a nice transition to the historic district.
“It would have been a shame to let this building sit,” he said. “This is the right project for this spot.”
Andrews also owns an Ace Hardware in Derby, south of Hamburg. He has 26 years in the business, starting as a teen-ager.
The former Hahn site didn’t sit empty for long. Kim Lockwood moved her women-only gym from Main Street to the site across from the library on Sept. 5, more than doubling her space.
Andrews said he enjoys reclamation projects and is interested in working on more buildings in the future.
He was praised during the Chamber awards banquet.
“The changes in that building are amazing,” said Cindy Robinson, the Chamber president. “He took what was becoming an eyesore and turned it into an asset.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Cindy Ames, director of the Niagara Region PTA, met with about 25 Lyndonville community members on Monday, urging the community to relaunch its PTA after it was dormant last year.
LYNDONVILLE – School officials have a four-year plan for the district that raises the academic performance for students, including setting a goal that all students graduate on time.
Lyndonville already boasts a high graduation rate – 96 percent graduated with their four-year cohort in 2013. But the district wants every member of each class of roughly 50 students to complete high school in four years.
A four-year strategic plan also would significantly raise student performance on state standardized tests for grades 3 to 8, with the district determined to have about two thirds of its students master the material.
Lyndonville only had 28 percent achieve that for English and 19 percent for math with the 2013 state tests, where only about 31 percent attained mastery levels state-wide. Lyndonville wants 65 percent of its students at that level by 2016.
At the high school level, Lyndonville wants to increase the percentage of students who graduate with an advanced Regents diploma from 28 percent in 2013 to 40 percent in 2016. A committee of school teachers, administrators and parents also established a higher threshold for the number of graduates who attain at least a 75 in English and 80 in math – key indicators of success in college – from 30 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2016.
“We want college-ready graduates,” said High School Principal Aaron Slack. He said the district is setting “ambitious targets.”
Lyndonville’s new strategic plan calls for every high school student to graduate on time.
The plan will be presented to the Board of Education on Oct. 14. District Superintendent Jason Smith said the BOE will be asked to back the “road map” for the district.
Smith also is supporting an effort to revive the PTA in the district. The Parent-Teacher Association was dormant last year. Smith said the PTA and involved parents are critical for students and the district to boost their classroom achievement.
“When you have a PTA, you have a built-in partner,” Smith said.
Lyndonville started a PTA in 1984. The group was once very active, said Cindy Ames, director of the Niagara-Region PTA.
The Newfane resident touted the benefits of a PTA as the country’s “premier advocacy group” for parents in education. Lyndonville can restart its PTA by forming nominating and bylaws committees, groups that only need three members.
The PTA can help raise money for school trips and other initiatives at the school. It can also be a voice for parents at the local, state and national level.
Ames said the PTA, which has 5,000 members in the Niagara region, has expressed its concern about the new state tests. The group has reached out to state legislators, including Sen. George Maziarz, to develop a “smarter way” of testing the students.
The PTA will have a regional training Oct. 17 in Kendall. The other four districts in Orleans County – Albion, Holley Kendall and Medina – currently have active PTAs, Ames said.
She urged Lyndonville to reactivate its PTA. Interested community members should contact the district office at 765-2251 if they are interested in the PTA.
ALBION – This photo post card, published in the second decade of the 20th century, shows the original administration building at the Western House of Refuge in Albion.
It was built in 1892 and demolished in the 1930s with the expansion of the New York State Training School, now the Albion Correctional Facility, which is the state’s largest prison for women inmates.
