By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Village residents will elect a mayor and two trustees to the Village Board today. The election is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Office, 72 Public Square.
Skip Carpenter, a former Holley mayor and current village trustee, is challenging John Kenney, the incumbent, for a two-year term as mayor. Carpenter is running under the Independent Party and Kenney is on the ballot under the Family Party.
There are also five candidates seeking two trustee positions. The incumbents – David Dill under Citizens Party and Don Penna under Justice Party – face challengers Connie Nenni (Peoples Party), Kevin Lynch (Happy Party) and Shawn O’Mara (Taxpayer Party).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Police have charged a second juvenile with criminal possession of a weapon after an investigation into an accidental shooting last Thursday in the village.
A 13-year-old boy was playing with a stolen gun when he accidentally shot his brother, 9, who was lying down in bed at 341 Caroline St. The boy was treated and released from the hospital with injuries to his arm.
Police quickly recovered two stolen guns from the 13-year-old, who allegedly took them from an elderly neighbor. The boy actually stole three guns, police said, and handed one of the guns off to a teen-age friend.
The second teen-ager was issued an appearance ticket with the Orleans County Probation Department. The case has been turned over to the District Attorney’s Office and could stay in Family Court.
The elderly man hasn’t been charged with any crimes. Nenni said the man was a victim in the case.
Kelley S. Glena, mother of the boy who took the guns, was often in the elderly man’s house with her children. She helped the man with basic household chores, Nenni said.
Her son was looking through the man’s possessions and discovered the guns.
“The man didn’t have the guns out in the open,” Nenni said. “The kid had to go looking for them. He didn’t just give them to him.”
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch will decide if the guns are returned to the man and if his pistol permit will be revoked.
The 13-year-old’s parents – John H. Glena, 46, and Kelley S. Glena, 43 – have both been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The two weren’t arrested because of the firearms incident but because of the condition of the deplorable dwelling where their children lived, Nenni said.
The police chief urged gun owners to keep their weapons in a secure spot.
“If you have weapons, make sure they’re safe and accounted for,” he said.
Press release, Albion High School Alumni Foundation
ALBION – The historic First Presbyterian Church of Albion will open its doors to the community as Albion’s own Steven Olick IV comes home to perform a concert entitled “An Afternoon of Song.”
The concert is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Olick, a senior vocal major at SUNY Fredonia, will perform selections from art song and opera including music from composers Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Ives, Schumann and Smetana.
Partnering with the Albion High School Alumni Foundation, all proceeds from the concert will fund a study abroad to the Italian Scuola at Sant’Angelo, where Olick will participate in an once-in-a-lifetime experience studying opera in Vado, Italy.
“For Steve, this is more than just an honor,” said Gary Simboli, Olick’s high school choral director. “It will be an experience of epic proportions. Studying and performing with opera’s best, making connections for future opportunities and living abroad in this amazing location will make a lasting impact on his life.”
During this intensive month-long program, Olick will receive 45 hours of language training by teachers from the Italian Scuola, two voice lessons a week, two private coaching sessions, two acting lessons a week and two master classes. The program will culminate with Steven performing four concerts. He will study with college professors from around the U.S. as well as baritone from the Met, David Malis.
“I have always been intrigued by traveling abroad and following in the footsteps of my Uncle Steve, my namesake,” Olick said. “Now having received this opportunity not only to travel, but to experience opera in its homeland is a dream come true. I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for the support being shown by my Alma Mater and community.”
Olick is a 2010 Albion High School graduate. While attending Albion he was heavily involved in music department programs. He was the marching band drum major and participated in jazz and concert band. He was a member of the mixed chorus and men’s select groups and participated in the theater department’s musicals.
He was the very first recipient of the Albion High School Alumni Foundation’s Performing Arts Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship assists students who attend college for performing arts.
“The Foundation is pleased to support Steven in this important venture,” said Susan Starkweather Miller, Albion High School Alumni Foundation Vice-President. “He has a unique talent and a promising career ahead of him. It is opportunities like these that can truly make a difference for a lifetime, which is what the Foundation strives to do for Albion Alumni.”
General admission ticket prices are available for purchase at ATB Staffing Services, 534 Main St., Medina (318-4218) and Fisher’s Newsroom, 105 N. Main St., Albion (589-7283). Tickets can also be purchased at the door on June 22.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A crew from State Department of Transportation is out today patching pavement along Route 31 in Albion. The DOT workers are pictured at the intersection of 31 and Old Telegraph Road, across from Bentley Brothers.
The brutally cold winter has left an abundance of potholes on local roadways.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2014 at 12:00 am
East Bank Street will be closed off for concerts
ALBION – The village of Albion will kick off its new “Concerts by the Canal” series this Thursday with two bands performing on a closed off East Bank Street. There is no admission charge.
The Dady Brothers, a well-known group that performs in Western New York and beyond, will sing beginning at 6:30 in the debut concert of the new series. The Dady Brothers play many folk instruments with their music. They have recorded 10 CDs.
Provided photo – The Dady Brothers will be the featured performers on Thursday.
A local band will play first for a half hour. The band called Pedestrians will play at 6 p.m., just before the Dady Brothers. That is the format the village of Albion is striving for in the series, which runs every Thursday until July 24. (July 3 will be off). A newer band will play for a half hour before the featured performer takes the stage.
“We want to give people another reason to come and explore the downtown,” said Sid Beaty, program coordinator for the village.
The village, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the Albion Rotary Club are all sponsoring the series. The bands will play on Thursday evenings when many downtown stores have extended hours until 7 p.m.
The bands will perform on a mobile stage created by Eagle Scout Allen Sanford. He is a member of Route 98, which is the featured band on June 26.
The series coincides with extended hours by many businesses in the downtown on Thursdays until 7 p.m. The village also wants to have a farmers’ market on Thursdays on East Bank Street from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Farmers are urged to call the village at 589-9176 to inquire about being a vendor.
The lineup for the concert series includes:
June 19: The Pedestrians open followed by featured performers, The Dady Brothers
June 26: Whiskey Rebellion opening followed by Route 98
July 10: Sophisticats
July 17: The Who Dats
July 24: Dirty White Boys
The Albion Merchants Association also is planning a wine-tasting – “Sip and Stroll Through History” – from 3 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 9. Presale tickets are available at Bindings Bookstore, Hazy Jade Gift Shop and Xpress Fitness and Tanning.
HOLLEY – Teachers from Holley today will be ducking from flying tins of whipped cream and wiping their brows in a pie-throwing contest, all to help raise money for Camp Good Days and Special Times.
The event is being organized by Holley 8th graders and will feature 15 teachers and administrators who are willing to take a little ‘pie in the eye’ for a good cause. Students will be able to take their turn at throwing a pie for a dollar a try between 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. This event is one of many fun, outdoor activities that are scheduled to take place today as part of the school’s annual, end-of-the-year Academic Field Day celebration.
Hundreds of dollars in donations for the contest have already been collected for the cause and Camp Good Days representatives have been invited to attend.
Last month, the Camp’s Branchport location on Keuka Lake was damaged by heavy flooding and costly repairs threatened to delay its season opening. Around that time, students in Holley English teacher Suzanne Lepkowski’s class (as well as other eighth graders) were reading a book called The Acorn People by Ron Jones. The book tells a story about a camp counselor who becomes inspired by the people at his camp who are facing unimaginable physical hardships.
“The book resonated with students in a meaningful way,” said Lepkowski. “So, when students heard about the flooding at Camp Good Days and Special Times, they wanted to do something to help and teachers were quick to support the effort.”
HOLLEY – Students filled tins with whipped cream and paid $1 for the chance to throw the pies at teachers this afternoon.
Fifteen teachers administrators agreed to be targets in the pie-throwing contest that raised for Camp Good Days and Special Times. The Camp’s Branchport location on Keuka Lake was damaged by heavy flooding and costly repairs threatened to delay its season opening.
Holley 8th graders organized the pie-throwing as part of the school’s annual, end-of-the-year Academic Field Day celebration. Here they line up and get ready to throw the pies.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Wayne Litchfield
ALBION – Wayne Litchfield checked out the new painted benches in downtown Albion and had his photo taken of the one painted like Santa Claus, a tribute to Charles Howard who started a school for Santas in Albion.
When he was a kid, Litchfield knew Howard. Litchfield said his grandmother worked in the kitchen at Howard’s Christmas Park at the corner of Phipps Road and Route 31.
Litchfield said the Santa bench created by Peter Loran of Kent is his favorite of the seven in the downtown. If other readers want to take pictures of themselves with their favorite bench, send them to tom@orleanshub.com and we’ll have you either on the Orleans Hub or our Facebook page. Three more benches are nearly done and should be out soon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Brunner International is planning a 48,000-square-foot addition to its complex at the corner of Route 31 and Bates Road in Medina.
MEDINA – Brunner International will save more than $500,000 in local taxes, plus another $1 million in financing costs through deals approved Friday by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The company is investing $13.5 million in an expansion in Medina that will add 35 new jobs. Brunner also will keep 363 existing jobs in the community as part of a 48,000-square-foot expansion at the corner of Bates Road and Route 31.
The EDA board agreed to back a tax-exempt bond for the company’s project. That will save Brunner an estimated $1,066,000 in financing costs for the $13.5 million loan.
The EDA isn’t financially liable for the loan, said Jim Whipple, the EDA executive director.
The agency can use the tax-exempt bonds as an incentive for companies doing industrial expansions, he said.
The EDA approved a tax savings plan known as a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) on Friday. The 15-year agreement will save Brunner $426,012 in property taxes to the town of Ridgeway, Orleans County and Medina Central School. The project is just outside the village of Medina.
The PILOT applies to the entire Brunner property, not just the addition. The entire complex, which is about 300,000 square feet, has an estimated assessment of $1,761,000. Brunner will pay 25 percent of the tax burden for the property in the first year with an additional 5 percent added each of the following years until it is paying the full tax burden in year 16.
The PILOT also commits the company to paying $639,018 in taxes over the 15 years.
The company expects to spend $1.9 million for building and equipment improvements. The Orleans EDA waived $76,000 in sales tax plus $53,252 in the mortgage recording tax for the expansion. That saves the company an additional $129,252.
The EDA will collect a $38,000 fee for its role in the project. That fee was determined by multiplying 2 percent by the $1.9 million in building improvements.
When the fee is subtracted from the sales and mortgage tax savings, the EDA estimated the Brunner will see $91,252 in first-year savings. That doesn’t include the savings through the PILOT and bond financing spread over many years.
Brunner produces components for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. It is working to have the new addition up and operational by the end of the year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The canal boat, “Cayuga,” tied up in Albion today between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges on the Erie Canal. (Ingersoll Street is in the background.)
As the summer boating season gets close, there should soon be more boats on the historic waterway.
