By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Miguel Jimenez stands outside El Gallo, which he opened last month in downtown Albion.
ALBION – Miguel Jimenez opened El Gallo, a Mexican restaurant, in downtown Albion last month during the Strawberry Festival.
He spent four months with the help of friends and family renovating a downtown building that had been closed for most of the past two decades. He gutted the building, put in a new kitchen, floors and many utilities.
He painted the outside of the building, put on new signs and an awning.
“It was a lot of hard work to get it open,” Jimenez said today at 33 North Main St. “The town has been very supportive. Albion has a very family-friendly environment.”
The building at 33 North Main St. had been vacant for about two decades. Here is how it looked in April before being transformed into a Mexican restaurant.
Jimenez, a Lockport resident, said people are happy to have a restaurant in the downtown. El Gallo is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Jimenez, 25, runs the business with two employees and some help from his family. He was teaching special education in the Buffalo City School District. He was laid off in budget cuts and decided to open his own business.
After scouting several sites, he picked Albion. He noticed there wasn’t a sit-down restaurant in the downtown. He also thought Albion had a good population size to support the business. He expected migrant farmworkers to be the base for the business, but so far other residents have been the main clientele.
Miguel Jimenez prepares a meal in the kitchen at El Gallo. He put in new kitchen equipment and did other extensive renovations at the site.
He also has plans for a food truck and would like to take that to some of the workers at farms, as well as at other community events.
Right now he is focused on getting the business off to a good start. He said El Gallo serves generous helpings of fresh food in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostados, huaraches and sopes. The restaurant offers seven types of meat.
“We’re starting with a smaller staff and menu and we will grow,” Jimenez said. “Eventually I want to expand to other locations but my first vision is to be in the downtown.”
For more on El Gallo, visit https://www.facebook.com/elmexicangallo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The school district continues to sock away money for one of its biggest financial liabilities – health insurance for retired employees.
Teachers and school workers often retire with many unused sick days. Those days can then be used to earn paid health insurance – long after people retire from the district. For every 25 days of unused sick days, employees can earn a year of health insurance coverage.
Albion says that cost is $12.3 million as a potential liability. That is up about $600,000 from a year ago.
The Board of Education wants to commit to having about two-thirds of that liability in the bank. The board on Monday voted to shift $821,000 in unexpended funds to an account for post retirement health costs.
“The $12.3 million is a large number, it’s a significant number,” Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, told the Board of Education on Monday.
Districts since about 2006 have had to list the potential expense as a liability on their books. Some districts have set aside little money for the cost, Liddle said.
Margy Brown, the board president, said Albion is fortunate to have been stashing away funds each year so the district isn’t hit with a huge expense with not enough in reserves.
Albion would like to limit its liability with the post retirement costs in the future through employee contracts. The district wants to cap the post retirement health benefits at a 10-year maximum. Liddle said some districts allow the benefit after 10 years of retirement.
The district also is trying to negotiate a higher employee cost share with health insurance. Right now, employees pay 15 percent towards the costs of their health insurance, the same rate followed by retirees who earn post-retirement health coverage.
The district would like to push that cost share even higher. It’s been an issue in employee contract negotiations. The union representing support staff – aides, building secretaries, physical therapists and registered nurses in the schools – is now two years without a contract.
The CSEA union for custodians and maintenance workers also had its contract expire on June 30.
“Health insurance is always an issue,” Liddle said. “How much does the employee pay?”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Mike Whiting is pictured with his 2014 Subaru WRX, one of the cars that will be displayed today during a car show at Arnold’s from 6 to 9 p.m. at the corner of Liberty and West Bank streets.
ALBION – Most local car show typically showcase automobiles from a different era, Thunderbirds and Mustangs from a generation or two ago.
But this evening more modern vehicles, some with souped up stereos and other electronic features, will be on display outside Arnold’s Auto Parts.
The show is open to imports, sports compacts and mini trucks. For the past five years, Arnold’s has organized a car show at Bullard Park that draws about 200 to 300. That show is typically in September. This year’s event is tentatively planned for Sept. 20.
Mike Whiting, one of the show organizers and an Arnold’s employee, wanted to bring a smaller car show to the downtown. The vehicles will be on display from 6 to 9 p.m.
“It’s another event for during the week that gets people downtown in the local business district,” Whiting said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Habitat for Humanity put new steps on this house on South Main Street in Medina.
MEDINA – An agency that has built 12 houses and done major rehabs on two others in Orleans County is starting a new program that focuses on smaller repairs.
Orleans Habitat for Humanity has launched “A Brush With Kindness” program this week with the construction of a new set of outdoor stairs for a home on South Main Street in the Village of Medina.
“These will be shorter-term projects,” said Barbara Filipak, a board member for Habitat.
The agency started in Orleans in 1992. It could use more volunteers, Filipak said.
The smaller projects, such as repairing windows and steps and painting, can be completed in a few days, making it less onerous for the volunteers.
The agency is still committed to building a new house or doing a major rehab at least once every three years, she said. Habitat typically will select a family first, and then work on building them a home. The family assumes the taxes and insurances, and pays back Habitat an interest-free mortgage.
With the first “Kindness” project on South Main Street, Young Enterprises partnered with Habitat to re-roof the garage and repair fascia on the front porch of the same residence.
The “A Brush With Kindness” program works with financially qualified homeowners in need of minor to moderate exterior repairs to their home or yard. The repairs may then allow the homeowner to meet code, insurance or safety requirements, Filipak said.
Financial responsibilities of the homeowner are reviewed by the Family Selection Committee and approved by the organization’s Board of Directors.
Orleans Habitat may be contacted at 585-798-0953 or by letter at Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Inc., P.O. Box 288, Medina, NY 14103. The agency has an office at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The Village Planning Board will review a proposal for the first winery in downtown Medina.
The proposal for 810 Meadworks is actually a meadery, which uses honey in producing wine.
Larissa and Bryan DeGraw and their friend Morris Babcock are working to establish 810 Meadworks at 113 West Center St., Suite 1. That spot was most recently used for barbershop next to the Shirt Factory Café in the R.H. Newell building.
The Village Planning Board accepted the site plan as complete for the project during its meeting last week. Now the plan will go before the Orleans County Planning Board at 7 p.m. on July 24 and will be back before the Village Planning Board for a public hearing at 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 5.
The board will take residents’ comments on the proposal and could vote that night whether to approve the site plan and a certificate of appropriateness for the project in the downtown historic district.
The Village Board last month voted to update the zoning in the downtown and business districts, making it easier for wineries to open in Medina.
The DeGraws and Babcock want to have 810 Meadworks open in late November, in time for Medina’s holiday events.
“We really appreciate a small town that embraces its history,” Mr. DeGraw told Orleans Hub in May. “And from a business standpoint, Medina is in the center of the Niagara Wine Trail. That is an absolutely great place to be.”
The National Weather Service is again warning that a severe thunderstorm could hit Orleans County and much of Western New York and the Southern Tier.
The Weather Service also issued a storm watch on Monday. Today’s watch is in effect until 8 p.m.
Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon over Ohio and move eastward into Western and Central New York, the Weather Service advised.
“Be prepared for strong winds, heavy rain and small hail,” the Weather Service stated. “There is even a low chance for a tornado.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2014 at 12:00 am
VA should work to buy neighboring site, Schumer says
Provided photo from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s Office – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley is pictured with two veterans during a news conference in Pembroke on Monday when Hawley and elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said they want the site to be named in honor of William Donovan, a Buffalo native who served in World War I.
PEMBROKE – A new cemetery for Western New York veterans in Pembroke should be named after a decorated war hero from Buffalo, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and other elected officials said Monday.
Schumer stopped at the site in Pembroke to launch a campaign to name the new Western New York Veterans’ Cemetery after “Wild Bill” Donovan. He served as a Lt. Colonel in World War I. He founded and led the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA, during World War II. Donovan is the only American to earn all four of the highest military awards in the United States.
“‘Wild Bill’ Donovan is a true Western New York hero, and I cannot think of any better way to commemorate his life, and honor our region’s veterans, than by naming the new Western New York Veterans Cemetery after ‘Wild Bill,'” Schumer said. “Western New York’s veterans, and their families, deserve to have a national cemetery that is close to home, bucolic, and imbued with significance. This beautiful site, named after ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan, and less than an hour away from both Buffalo and Rochester, would be just that. I am urging the VA to make this a reality as quickly as possible.”
The push to honor Donovan has bipartisan support. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said he supports the effort. He also said the spot in Genesee County for the cemetery is a good choice.
“A veteran’s cemetery right here in Pembroke is great for Western New York’s military families,” Hawley said. “This location will benefit military families as they pay their respects for a loved one. I encourage veterans and others to write in support of the Donovan name or other suggestions. As plans for the cemetery advance, I’ll continue working with local, state, and federal officials to make it a reality.”
Schumer also is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the cemetery beyond 132 acres. He wants the VA to buy 60 more neighboring acres.
The VA is now doing its due diligence on the site, taking geological samples to confirm the land is suitable for cemetery use. When the VA initially conducted its search for a site, it was seeking a 200-acre site, Schumer said.
When this could not be found, it sought sites of 100 acres or more. Purchasing this adjoining 60-acre site from the Haeger family would increase the size of the cemetery by 50 percent and bring it close to the 200 acres the VA originally sought, Schumer said.
Schumer noted that the first full phase of construction, currently planned for the 132-acre site, will include the development of cemetery roads, an entrance, administration and public information center, committal shelters and a maintenance facility.
This infrastructure will support approximately the first 10 years of burial capacity for casket gravesites, cremation sites and columbarium niches. Schumer said the sooner the new 60-acre property can be purchased, the easier it will be to incorporate the area into the construction and design plans.
“We have an opportunity to immediately make this cemetery site 50 percent larger, and we should not hesitate to take it,” he said. “The VA should finalize its evaluation of the adjoining property and purchase it right away, before circumstances change. We have hundreds of thousands of people who may choose to be buried here, and we should take advantage of every chance we get to expand the site so it can better accommodate the Western New York’s veteran population.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2014 at 12:00 am
22-year-old was killed Sunday in accident with pea combine
Photo/13 WHAM – Carmelo Rivera
HOLLEY – The 22-year-old Holley man who died Sunday after an accident with a pea combine in Bergen was a highly respected member of the Holley football program, a former all star who volunteered as a coach for Holley’s youth football teams.
Carmelo Rivera’s loss is hitting hard for many of his classmates and community members. They gathered on the Holley football field for a vigil on Sunday night, with teammates driving from New York City and Pennsylvania and across New York to share their grief.
“We lost the type of young man we need in today’s society,” said Rivera’s coach Chad DeRock. “He was selfless and charismatic.”
Rivera was a captain on Holley football teams that advanced into the playoffs, teams that turned 0-8 seasons into 8-win powerhouses. Rivera played on the offensive line and was a linebacker.
He worked hard in the weight room, lead the linemen in drills and won the respect of his teammates and opponents, DeRock said. Rivera was named a Genesee Region All Star.
“He was a very good player who paved his way with hard work and sweat,” DeRock said.
“Carmelo was the type of kid where you have more than his athletic ability. He was a kid of character. He was a man of virtue.” – Chad DeRock, football coach
Rivera was studying exercise science at Brockport State College. He juggled three jobs to help pay for college. He still found time to come back as a volunteer coach in the youth football program.
“I’ve always preached to the kids to come back and give back,” said John Grillo, who leads Holley’s wrestling program and pushed for the district to add football.
Not many recent graduates take up that charge and return to the sidelines, helping a new generation of players. But Rivera would help the varsity and youth football teams.
“He had the respect of the players because of his determination and his motivation to excel as a player,” Grillo said. “He had a hard work ethic and a motivation for self improvement.”
DeRock is now a coach and teacher at Letchworth. He was teaching global studies at Holley when he mentioned to Rivera he should give football a shot. Rivera was a sophomore then and had limited experience with the game.
He hit the weight room, studied football and connected with his teammates. He emerged as one of the best players on a team that was one of the best in the Genesee Region.
“Carmelo was the type of kid where you have more than his athletic ability,” DeRock said. “He was a kid of character. He was a man of virtue.”
Brockport State College issued a statement about the “great sadness” in the college community over Rivera’s death.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Carmelo’s family and friends,” according to the statement. “Our counselors are available at the Hazen Hall Counseling Center (395-2207) for those who would like to talk to someone during this difficult time.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Dance Studio owner has embraced arts and music
Photos by Tom Rivers – Amy Sidari has given her dance studio a dual purpose as the cabaret with live entertainment and desserts.
ALBION – Life-long Albion resident Amy Sidari opened her own dance studio in 1997 at the corner of West Bank and Liberty streets. She and her dance instructors work with hundreds of children (and some adults) each year.
Sidari, 46, expanded the scope of Gotta Dance last July, opening the Cabaret at Studio B. More than 20 different acts have been in Studio B in the past 12 months and Sidari will debut a variety show this Saturday. (The site at 28 West Bank St. has professional sound and lighting.)
Sidari will be one of the performers, along with high school music teacher Gary Simboli and Gloria Lear, one of Sidari’s dance instructors. Marcy Downey will join the variety show in the beginning and other community members will perform with the group in later dates.
Marcy Downey, left, and Amy Sidari pose in front of the curtains at the Cabaret at Studio B in this photo from a year ago, when Downey was the debut act in the Cabaret. They will be part of a new variety show starting this Saturday at the Cabaret.
The Cabaret Variety Show will be a throwback to the variety shows of the Dean Martin and Lucille Ball era. Sidari wants to bring humor and showcase local performers in the new show.
She talked with Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers on Thursday about the latest venture and career with Gotta Dance.
Q: I remember when you started here. It was the former DA’s office.
A: We just had the one room. There wasn’t even a waiting room. Blessings to my dad (Ace Caldwell) for all of his craftsmanship. I tell him I’m the creator and you’re the builder so let’s do it, and we do it.
Q: Why is this fun for you, working with all of these kids and some adults?
A: I think it is what God wants me to do. I just think my gift is loving people. I love them through any way that I can and music seems to be the easiest way to love people.
Q: It seems like there are a lot of dance options with several studios. I wonder why it’s so popular because when I was a kid I don’t think we had any dance places.
A: It was a different time when we were kids. I think it’s because we have good teachers. No matter where you are dancing kids are being more inspired to take on the performing arts.
I think our school programs with the dynamic music and drama inspires the children as well. When they come to me they already understand music. There is sense that this is a passion for them. I think it’s a credit to all of the studios. Everybody is doing a good job.
Some of the Gotta Dance students perfomed on Main Street during the Strawberry Festival Parade on June 14.
Q: What is the benefit for a kid to do this?
A: There are a lot of benefits. When they’re in that awkward age, their puberty time, it doesn’t appear when you’re a dancer. There is a sense of grace, centering, elegance that comes through.
I would say that mathematically, the right side of the brain, it’s been proven it’s a little more engaged. There is memorization, patterns, muscle memory. There is a fluency and things become more natural to put yourself and your mind into the sequence.
These kids are sharp. When they’re coming in they’re not just doing dance. They have other clubs and other activities. They might come in and go through four different dances flawlessly. Their minds are working.
You know what if they’re here with me they’re safe. They’re not doing things that aren’t good for their body or good for them. The environment is only a positive, acceptable environment. They learn a lot of respect for each other and how to work through relationships here that maybe are uncomfortable because we all have to work together.
Q: I know you have the dance studio, but you also started the Nicholas Kovaleski Hometown Christmas.
A: That’s been four years. That was really God.
Q: You’ve added more besides the dance studio. You added the Hometown Christmas and then the Cabaret last year. The Cabaret seems to be working, don’t you think so?
A: There is a need. When I see people walk through my door for the first time, and the puzzled look on their face, and then they walk through this door. You watch their face and there is a sense, ‘Wow, this is Albion?’ You watch them leave and they have tears in their eyes because they are so happy they came. It’s a good, good feeling.
Q: You took a leap trying the Cabaret?
A: I wanted something more in my life. It was very peaceful once I decided to do it.
Seamus Kenney, a 1993 Albion graduate, returned home for the Christmas holiday and also put on a concert in December at the Cabaret. Kenney, a professional musician, lives in Durham, North Carolina. For a decade he traveled and performed with the band SNMNMNM.
Q: Can you talk about the new variety show?
A: Gary (Simboli) will open with an original jingle that he did lyrics and orchestration for. Gloria (Lear) is kind of like the Ed McMahon on the Tonight Show to me. She is there to help my transitions run smoothly. Gloria is really funny. The three of us with Gary included have a really good chemistry. We’ll do a little comedy, the three of us, with what’s going on in real life.
We have skits involving the community. I’ve got a hilarious skit that Gary can hardly play the music through because he gets too hysterical. That’s with Jill Albertson, Mary Dunham, Sandra Monacelli McNall, Danny Monacelli, June Schuck and David Sidari.
Later on in the evening Jim Babcock comes out, but you won’t recognize him. He closes my show.
We have a special guest appearance with Marcy Downey, and it’s something that’s on her bucket list. She’s always wanted to do a dance with me, and I’ve always wanted to sing with her. We’re doing a little trade-off and it’s pretty funny.
We’ll have comedy skits with Kyle and Gina (Sidari’s children). I told Mr. Simboli don’t be shy this time and hide behind the piano when you sing your solo. It’s center stage, spotlight on Gary and I want to hear something deep from your soul.
The Reverend Mother kept a crowd in stitches last August at the Cabaret at Studio B. Phyl Contestable is the comedian. She passed out buttons that said, “JESUS LOVES YOU, but I’m his favorite.”
There will be audience participation. If you’re in the audience you don’t know what your job may be. You may be on that stage helping me do something pretty funny. It will be good and I’ll try to feel them out ahead of time so I don’t traumatize them.
We’re going to go back to old-fashioned live commercials and Brown’s Berry Patch is my first business. We’re going to interview each business that presents with us and to see what’s new in their business.
We have a ventriloquist act, a special visitor or a character from the Laugh-In Show. We’ll share some family secrets and take questions from the audience.
A: All in 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Q: It will be a brisk pace, but with enough time to laugh until you can’t control yourself. I want my audience, my community actively engaged in it. I want them to send me videos of their talents. I want to pull in people with different acts and varieties.
My future plan is I would like this to go all year. I feel more than anything it’s time to have a joy in laughter.
(Reservations are required and may be obtained by calling Ticket Team 585-354-2320.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch arraigned several people in court today and also set bail for the defendants, who face a range of alleged charges, including rape, burglary and various drug crimes. They all pleaded not guilty.
The following were arraigned:
Christopher Bucci, 34, of Galloway Road in Batavia was arraigned on second-degree rape, sexual abuse in the third degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
Bucci allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old girl on Dec. 28, 2013. The judge issued an order of protection for the alleged victim and set bail at $2,500.
Three people were arraigned for second-degree burglary, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The following are accused of breaking into a house with four children on East State Street on May 19: Dexter Turner, 22, of Caroline Street in Albion; Stormy Osby, 18, of Park Avenue in Medina; and Brandie Sumeriski, 19, of East Bank Street, Albion.
They allegedly also caused property damage and attacked one of the residents, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Punch set bail at $10,000 for each of the three. A fourth person is suspected in the break-in but hasn’t been charged yet.
Debra Unell, 52, of Orient Street in Medina was arraigned for three counts each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. The judge set bail at $20,000.
Unell was charged after she allegedly sold cocaine on three occasions between Oct. 3, 2013 and Dec. 11, 2013.
Curtis Stipp, 22, of Countyline Road in Middleport was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. He allegedly had oxycodone and intended to sell it on Nov. 22, 2013, the DA’s Office said.
The judge set bail at $20,000 for Stipp, who may be considered for Drug Court.
Katherine Taylor, 24, of Main Street in Waterport was arraigned on two counts each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. She allegedly sold cocaine on three occasions between Jan. 28 and Feb. 3.
The judge increased her bail from $5,000 set in town court to $25,000 based on multiple sales and a prior charge of escape.
“I don’t think that’s adequate bail,” Punch said about the $5,000.
