Contributed Story Posted 23 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion native performs cabaret show at Studio B
Photos by Michael Karcz
ALBION – Kailey Winans returned to Albion tonight for a cabaret show with her former choir teacher and musical director Gary Simboli.
They performed “Dare to Dream” at Studio B and Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. Kailey started her cabaret life nearly a year ago. The show she performs, “Dare to Dream,” was put together by Winans using songs and stories to tell about her journey through college with all of its ups and downs.
Winans went to Wagner College in Staten Island, and afterward moved to Manhattan. Simboli not only accompanied Winans, but he added some stories and songs from his own college experience.
Kailey debuted her Dare to Dream cabaret at the prestigious Don’t Tell Mama in New York City in August 2012.
POINT BREEZE – The post card view seen here was taken in the 1930s at Point Breeze in the town of Carlton. To the left we notice Robert Taylor’s Boat Livery, Bait – Fishing Tackle and Fish Market Shanty.
To the right is Dad Parmelee’s Shanty for boat rental and bait. In the background is the Oak Orchard Harbor. The Parmelee Business was located where the present boat launch is today just west of the Black North restaurant.
This postcard was sold through the H.P. Hawks Rexall Drug Store in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Brian Bouchard, an engineer with CHA in Syracuse, talks with the Village of Albion Planning Board about the site plan for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion.
The site plan for the new store shows 46 parking spaces and two driveway entrances for the Dunkin’, which would be 2,000 square feet plus a 230-square-foot freezer.
ALBION – Dunkin’ Donuts could have a warehouse knocked down in October and a new restaurant open in Albion in January, an engineer working on the project told the Village Planning Board on Wednesday.
Dunkin’ has submitted a site plan for a 2,000-square-foot store in Albion at 153 South Main St., between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks. 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 would have exits on both Main and Platt streets. The project doesn’t need any sign variances from the village. Dunkin’ is seeking one sign on the building and a monument sign out in front by Main Street. There would be small directional arrows on Platt Street. Dunkin’ has tried to follow the village code to ensure the project moves forward without delays, said Brian Bouchard, assistant project engineer for the CHA firm in Syrcause.
Village officials looked at the plan the past two months and they asked CHA and the developer to try to make the store blend in with a historic district that is only a few blocks away to the north. Bouchard presented a rendering of the building last night that would have a red brick façade that will be accentuated with concrete panels and grout lines. That is a change from the initial building that was proposed to be cement board siding.
Village Planning Board members credited Dunkin’ and CHA for being sensitive to the historic fabric of Main Street.
“It fits, and everything works,” Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti told the Planning Board. “There are no variances. I don’t see any problems.”
The project will go before the Orleans County Planning Board, which next meets Sept. 26. The Village Planning Board can’t give a final vote on the project until the county reviews it. The village may call a special meeting soon after the county meets so Dunkin’ can work to demolish a warehouse, prepare the site and get up the shell of the building before winter.
The warehouse is owned by Charles Breuilly. The building occupies almost the entire property. The Dunkin’ plan would add green space to the site, improving runoff and water quality, Vendetti said.
Dunkin’ is seeking permission from the state Department of Transportation to tie into the state’s storm drain system that runs along Route 98.
Planning Board Chairman Dan Gleason said the project is good news for Albion.
“It’s always good to see new businesses coming around,” he said. “We’re not dead.”
Gleason did voice concerns about Platt Street with the visibility near the Dunkin’ entrance and some of the fast-moving traffic on Platt.
“On that street people just go nuts,” he said.
The Platt entrance will ease some of the traffic congestion on Main Street and also make it easier for delivery trucks, which won’t have to back onto Main after making a delivery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Four new teachers and two principals at Albion Central School were guests today at the Albion Rotary Club. The new staff members are pictured outside the Village Inn. The group includes, front row, from left: Jennifer Lamont, elementary special education teacher; Rachel Curtin, elementary school principal; and Jennifer Ashbery, a former Albion fifth grade teacher who is now the elementary school assistant principal. Back row: Samantha Seaman, kindergarten teacher; Rachel Doberstein, second and third grade special education; and Lisa Kennedy, elementary and sixth grade art teacher.
ALBION – For the past five years, Albion would typically hire one or two teachers a year, who were hired to fill spots created by retirements.
The district could have hired more, because there were more retirements, but cuts in state aid and a shrinking enrollment resulted in net reductions in staff most years.
The district is continuing to reduce positions, but this school year will see more than one or two new faces among the teaching staff. The district has hired four new teachers, and also two new principals in the elementary school.
Rachel Curtin is replacing Jim Wood as elementary school principal. Wood is assuming many of the duties filled by Kim Houserman, who retired in June as Albion’s coordinator of secondary school programs. Wood will be responsible for many of the teacher evaluations, which require two to four observations plus a written report. The district has 180 teachers.
With Wood’s shift in a new administrative position, the principal’s job was open. Albion hired Curtin, who was a principal at Silver Creek. Prior to that she was a music teacher.
Jennifer Ashbery, a long-time fifth grade teacher at Albion, is the new assistant principal of the elementary school. Ashbery has completed her administrative certification and worked the previous two summers in an administrative internship through BOCES.
She fills a position that became vacant when Bridgitte Griffin left to work in administration at the Rush-Henrietta school district.
The new staff members joined the Albion Rotary Club for lunch today at the Village Inn.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kyle Heuer is pictured with his father Karl today at a dental practice Karl helped start 38 years ago.
ALBION – In his junior year of college at Notre Dame University, Kyle Heuer knew what he wanted in a dream job.
His fellow accounting majors were relishing careers in Chicago, New York City and other major metros in the country.
But Heuer wanted to come back to Albion and work as a dentist alongside his father, Karl.
The dream came true last month when Kyle started as a dentist in his hometown. He and his father work out of 313 South Main St. Karl has been a dentist in Albion for 38 years. His son joined him in the practice on July 22.
“I definitely wanted to be here,” Kyle said today. “I wanted to be with my family and friends. I still have a lot of close buddies who live in Albion.”
Kyle earned an accounting degree from Notre Dame, and then attended the University at Buffalo Dentistry School. His father is a graduate of both schools. Kyle completed a residency at the VA Medical Center in Buffalo. There he learned the art of pulling teeth, performing root canals and other oral surgery. And this for a kid who fainted at the sight of blood in biology class.
Kyle’s skill at oral surgery has allowed the Heuer dental practice to do more extractions and surgeries. Patients sometimes had to have those procedures done in Lockport, Batavia or Rochester.
“Now we’re doing them all here,” Karl said. “People don’t have to drive out of town anymore.”
Kyle enjoys the science behind dentistry and he said there is an element of art in reshaping a tooth that has a filling. He likes to see patients leave pain-free and often smiling.
It has taken some getting used to, working on the teeth of his former teachers and parents of friends. But Kyle said he is grateful to be home, working in a small town where there is a sense of connectedness.
When his father moved to Albion 38 years ago, Karl said the community was declared an underserved area because there were so few dentists. Karl and his friend A.J. Monacelli worked together at a site on Hazard Parkway. They were there for four years until moving to the site on South Main Street. Monacelli would later start his own practice at the corner on Main Street and Allen Road.
Heuer said the community’s dental health is “drastically better” these days. When he started, he was pulling decayed teeth on people in their 20s. He believes the public is much better educated about dental health, and they brush their teeth and floss, helping to ward off decay. He also credits the vast expansion of public water lines for improving dental health because of the access to fluoridated water.
One other contributor: Sesame Street. Children’s shows often feature kids going to dentists and that has helped children to feel more comfortable sitting in the big dental chairs and having their teeth checked, Heuer said.
Karl has witnessed another major change in his career: dental insurance. Many of his patients used to work at Kodak, Rochester Products and Harrison Radiator, major companies with generous dental insurance coverage.
There are less high-paying jobs for his patients these days, and many companies don’t offer dental insurance, or the insurance only pays a portion of the costs.
Karl and Kyle say there is a shift in dentistry, with more clinics opening where dentists are employees and often the owner of the business is not on site and isn’t known to the public. The clinics often operate multiple sites, given them buying power advantages for equipment and supplies.
“You’ll probably see less and less family dental businesses down the road,” Karl said.
His wife has worked with her husband for years. She is the receptionist. There are four other employees in addition to the Heuers.
Karl six years ago was diagnosed with colon cancer, a disease that kept him out of work for nine months. He praised Sandra Chang, a former dentist at the site, for keeping the practice going during his illness.
Karl said he has no plans to retire anytime soon. Right now the father and son are enjoying work together, and sharing lunch breaks.
“I can’t picture working anywhere else,” Kyle said.
BERGEN – Officials from four Orleans County school districts met with a high-ranking leader in the state Education Department on Tuesday. The meeting at Byron-Bergen Central School was arranged by State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia).
State Deputy Secretary for Education De’Shawn Wright met with more than 20 local school superintendents and Board of Education members, including leaders from Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville school districts.
The gathering provided local education leaders with an opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions on the challenges facing schools and teachers in Western New York, as well as what the state must do to improve local education.
“The fact that the governor sent such a high-ranking education official to our community shows that our calls for fair aid allocation and greater control of our schools are being heard,” Hawley said. “Issues such as Common Core, mandate relief, special education programs, and eliminating the Triborough Amendment, Gap Elimination Adjustment and frivolous lawsuits were examined.”
“The local education leaders in attendance did a terrific job of illustrating to Deputy Secretary Wright the need for equitable school aid regardless of geographic location or socio-economic status,” Hawley said. “The meeting helped make the point to the highest levels of the State Education Department that children in low-wealth school districts deserve the same opportunities as kids in wealthier areas. I thank Deputy Secretary Wright for taking the time to travel to our community as well as all of the local education leaders who did such a tremendous job showing how much Western New York cares for its students.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The consulting firm that is working with Medina to prepare a dissolution plan for the village shouldn’t expect much assistance from the town of Ridgeway.
“We’re really not interested,” said Brian Napoli, the Ridgeway town supervisor. “We’ve never been consulted. They formed a committee and we were never asked or consulted.”
The village received a $50,000 state grant to work on a dissolution plan, a document that is required by law before the village can hold a public referendum on whether or not to dissolve the village government.
The plan would identify how village government functions could best be assumed by the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby, or perhaps through new special taxing districts or water and sewer authorities.
The Center for Governmental Research is working with Medina on the plan. CGR staff sent letters to Ridgeway and Shelby, requesting documents on budgets and town staffing and equipment resources. CGR would also like to interview staff and officials from the two towns to discuss how they could absorb some of the functions currently provided by the village.
Shelby said it is willing to meet with CGR, but Napoli turned down the organization’s initial request.
“This is a village project so why do we need to use town money and resources for it?” Napoli said. “We were never consulted, but now that they’re doing it, they expect us to jump in and solve it.”
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said both towns knew for months that Medina applied for the dissolution grant. Napoli and Shelby Town Supervisor Skip Draper also have been part of a shared services discussion for the past couple years among the three municipalities.
Napoli said CGR can submit specific requests for information, and the town will comply, much as it has to with the Freedom of Information Act. But he doesn’t want open-ended requests that would send town employees on a time-consuming “fishing expedition.”
Meier said he wants the town feedback on the plan so the best options can be presented to voters and municipal leaders.
“There are a range of options,” he said. “It’s not one-size-fits-all.”
If the village puts a dissolution to a vote and its supported by village residents, Napoli said Ridgeway and Shelby don’t necessarily have to follow the plan. They can determine their own course of action for assuming village functions. Napoli thinks special taxing districts would be created for police, fire protection and village debt.
Medina’s sewer plant is in Ridgeway. Napoli doesn’t expect the town would just take over the plant in a village dissolution. He said a water and sewer authority could be created to own and manage those assets.
“If you dissolve the village, the only thing that goes away is the signs,” Napoli said. “The village debts have to stay with the village. A lot of the stuff provided by the village would stay with special taxing districts.”
Meier said a committee will complete a dissolution plan with CGR’s assistance. He wants to give residents a chance to remove one layer of local government, which he believes will reduce taxes for village residents, making the community more attractive for residents and businesses.
He would like Ridgeway to be an active participant in developing the plan.
“It’s in the best interests of their constituents that they (town officials) remain in contact throughout this process,” Meier said. “We’ve asked for their participation repeatedly.”
Medina officials expect the plan will take six to nine months to prepare. Dissolution should go to a public vote next year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Images courtesy of the Orleans Renaissance Group – Medina is planning to install nine interpretive panels that will provide a guide into the village’s history. One panel, the start of the nine-panel tour, provides a welcome message and introduction about the community.
Another panel features Grover Cleveland and his wife, the former Frances Folsom, a Medina native. Cleveland married Folsom while he was U.S. president.
MEDINA – The village’s history – its sandstone, Erie Canal and railroad prowess, and its many notable characters and community leaders – will be told on a series on nine interpretive panels that will be sprinkled throughout the downtown next spring.
The Orleans Renaissance Group is spearheading the project and is seeking $400 in donations to help pay for each steel sign.
“We’ve seen tourists walking around downtown, snapping photos and gazing at their surroundings,” said ORG Vice Chairman Chris Busch, who is coordinating the interpretive panel project. “We have one opportunity to make a lasting impression, an impression that will bring them back to visit again and again.”
Busch has designed nine panels that are numbered to encourage people to walk throughout the entire district. The panels include the following topics: Welcome to Medina, Historic Main Street, Robert H. Newell & Co. custom shirt manufacturers, Bent’s Opera House, Erie Canal, Grover Cleveland, Medina Sandstone, Immigrant Heritage, and the Railroad in Medina.
Busch said the signs define Medina business and historic districts “as a place that matters.”
The Orleans Renaissance Group is seeking donations to help pay for the signs, which will cost about $400 each for the metal bases.
The signs also create “the perception of importance – that this place is worth visiting historically, culturally, architecturally and economically.”
He expects the project will generate community pride and boost awareness for Medina’s historic, architectural and cultural resources. Businesses will benefit from visitors who stay in the community longer, Busch said.
The signs will need to be approved by the Village Planning Board, which also functions as Medina’s “Historic Review Board.”
Several sign sponsors have already stepped forward to support the project, but Busch and the ORG are seeking more financial support for the initiative. To help pay for a panel, send donations to “Interpretive Sign Initiative” c/o Orleans Renaissance Group, Inc., PO Box 543, Medina, NY 14103 or online at www.eggstreet.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Congregation expects to stay for several more months while weighing its future
Photos by Tom Rivers – The United Methodist Church in Albion will be abandoned by its congregation and turned over to the conference in the coming months, making the future uncertain for the historic church at the corner of Platt and East State streets.
The church has been using five wooden beams to help support the roof since last December.
ALBION – For several years it has weighed on the minds, wallets and emotions of members of the United Methodist Church in Albion – a roof that was structurally unsound and might take $1 million or more to fix.
Tonight the church congregation voted overwhelmingly to be relieved of a historic building at 19 North Platt St. The building was deemed far too big and costly for a congregation with about 30 active families.
“The way the vote went people want to move forward and this is the only way forward,” said Reid Cole, chairman of the church trustees.
The United Methodists had a special meeting tonight, and members were asked to vote on whether they should abandon the building. There were 47 ballots cast, and 36 supported leaving the site and looking for a different place to worship.
“We are charting a new path,” said Terry Wilbert, administrative council chairman for the church.
The United Methodist Church is part of the Courthouse Square, a district with 35 buildings that are named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Wilbert believes the church is the most beautiful of the eight churches that are part of the Courthouse Square, a district with 35 buildings that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The brick building is loaded with ornate stained glass windows and woodwork. It was built about 150 years ago.
In 1914, the 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.
Architects have estimated it could cost $1 million or more to rebuild the roof system. The church last December put in five wooden beams to help support the roof. They have applied for grants to help pay for the costs, and was awarded a $50,000 grant. But that left a big gap to get the project done.
“It’s tough to grow under this burden,” Cole said.
The building will likely be transferred to the Upper New York Annual Conference, which has its main office in Syracuse. Church leaders will meet with the conference within the next month to determine the next steps.
The church has many large stained glass windows and numerous other historical artifacts.
The congregation will remain in the building for a while, but Wilbert said they will be exploring options for the future, perhaps using an existing church, holding services after one of the congregations. Or the United Methodists could use a non-church building, possibly even the library.
The United Methodists will pay to keep the building maintained and covered by insurance in the near future.
Members were asked if the Albion congregation should consider merging with another nearby UM church, but only four out of 47 people supported that.
“We want to stay together as a congregation. That was obvious,” Wilbert said.
The congregation also wants to take as many “usable assets” as possible from the building to wherever the church settles for a meeting place, Wilbert said.
In the meantime, the church plans to keep up with its ministries, including a beef on weck dinner next Thursday from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
Wilbert said the church wants to do more for the community, including possible ministries for camping, youth groups and senior citizens.
“It was a difficult decision,” he said about the vote tonight. “This was built when everyone went to church and they went to the mainline denominational churches. But now there are a lot of large churches with congregations that can no longer support the buildings.”
ALBION – The image on this color post card shows the Bert Olney Canning Company Plant in Albion from the first decade of the 20th Century. The factory was located off East Avenue along the NYC Railroad.
In our photo we see long conveyors extending into the yard. This was the pea vinery part of the plant. Hence there are heaps of pea vines waiting to be put on the conveyors to go into the plant for processing. The back of the postcard indicates it was mailed July 23, 1909.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Republicans in three towns will go to the polls on Sept. 10 to choose candidates for town offices. The winners of the primaries will be on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election. Voting on Sept. 10 will be from noon to 9 p.m.
Carlton has the most Republican contests. Incumbent Town Clerk Pam Rush is being challenged by Lea Olles. Incumbent Dave Krull, the town highway superintendent, faces a challenge from Paul Snook, Sr. And for the Town Board, Bilal Huzair forced a primary against incumbents Joyce Harris and Jim Shoemaker. Republicans can back two of the three candidates.
In Clarendon, three people are running for two seats on the Town Board. The candidates include incumbent Paul Nicosia, Marc Major and Donna DeFilipps.
Ridgeway also has a primary for highway superintendent with incumbent Mark Goheen facing a challenge from Raymond Wendling.
There is one other primary for members of the Independence Party in the 144th Assembly District, which is mostly in Niagara and Erie counties. The district also includes the town of Shelby.
Independence Party members in the 144th district will elect three delegates to the 8th Judicial District Convention. The delegate candidates include Paul G. Colangelo, David J. Haylett, Scott R. Scheffler, Albert A. Festaiuti, William W. Rooney and Ryan B. Rooney.
Independence Party members in the 144th will also choose three alternate delegates for the convention. Those candidates include Richard L. Woll, John L. Ryan, Sean M. Nowicki, William A. Nemi, Michael E. Tucker and Frederick J. White.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A motorist drove into the light pole on Main Street next to the Presbyterian Church. The incident happened at about 8:30 p.m.
The driver, who hasn’t been identified, was transported by COVA to Medina Memorial Hospital. Albion firefighters were on the scene, cleaning up a lot of broken glass.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – I’ve wanted to get a picture of the ice cream truck for years, but never seemed to have time or a camera on me. I was out for a jog this afternoon with my Smart Phone when I heard the truck’s familiar bells.
Bernie Wheater, owner of Scoop’s Ice Cream, pulled right in front of me on Densmore Street and a family soon descended for a frozen treat.
Wheater bought the business from a Holley resident about six years ago. Wheater covers a big territory west of Route 259. He is often in Orleans County, including about three trips a week to Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – On the way home tonight I couldn’t help but feel a little spellbound by the moon aglow. I didn’t have a big zoom lens on me so I couldn’t get a super-duper photo.
I think the one of the moon between the front columns of the Orleans County Courthouse was the best I could muster.
The picture of the courthouse, built in 1858, next to the early 1970s jail shows perhaps our finest building next to one of the least attractive municipal structures in these parts. The county has made several energy efficient improvements to the jail this summer. I’ll try to a have a story on that project sometime soon.
