By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Snyder (pictured) and his father Warren five years ago opened Medina Lumber and Hardware at 305 East Center St. They have gradually grown the business and have plans to expand their home and garden to a neighboring Medina sandstone mill that was built in the 1840s.
The former mill has either been vacant or used for storage the past century. Tom Snyder will use the first floor for home and garden supplies, and may sell sporting equipment in the second floor.
MEDINA – When Somerset Lumber shut down in Medina in February 2009, Tom Snyder and his father Warren feared there would be a void in the community, especially for contractors and do-it-yourselfers.
The Snyders opened Medina Lumber and Hardware on June 5, 2009. They initially focused on lumber but have gradually expanded their selection of hardware items since then, with renovations and added inventory to the hardware store about a year ago.
“We have what I call the ‘Cheers Effect,’” the younder Snyder said. “When you walk in here everybody’s knows your name. We have a positive attitude and we offer great service.”
Snyder works as a contractor in the community. He has learned what customers want from bigger projects to smaller ones. He shares what he has learned with customers from his experiences working with older buildings and more modern ones.
“We enjoy helping people solve their problems,” he said.
The father and son team with four employees in the business. The Snyders seem more potential at the site. They are working on renovating a former mill behind the hardware and lumber store at 305 East Center St. That former mill was built in the 1840s. It has been either vacant or used for storage the past century.
Ken Nice, a mason from Knowlesville, works on a window sill in the former mill from the 1840s. Nice is removing the old wood and will replace it with a sandstone sill.
The Snyders are putting in windows made from repurposed wooden barn beams from the late 1800s. They claimed the wood from a barn that fell down.
They are making other upgrades to the building and expect to start selling home and garden supplies from there later this month.
Tom Snyder is working to upgrade the former mill along the canal. He is standing on the second floor, which he said may be used to selling sporting equipment in the future.
The hardware and lumber store will have an anniversary celebration today from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be free hot dogs and hamburgers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and other prizes. Several experts in shingles, decks and other supplies will also be at the store to take questions from the public.
The new label for Blanc d’ Orleans features artwork by Jackie Fleckenstein.
Press release
Hospice of Orleans
MEDINA – Approaching her 90th birthday, Eloise Oakes asked her family to stop giving her “stuff.” Instead, she suggested contributing to Hospice of Orleans in her honor.
The wine-making family obliged and have continued, even since her death five years ago, by designating one of their white wines, Blanc d’ Orleans, as a beneficiary to Hospice. From every bottle sold, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery donates $1 of the proceeds to what they deem “an exceptional organization.”
LOEW will release its 2013 vintage of Blanc d’ Orleans from 6 to 9 p.m. today at 10609 Ridge Road, Medina. The public is invited.
“Our ‘White of Orleans’ reflects the pride in our heritage, our legacy and our little corner of the world,” said Wendy Oakes Wilson, LOEW president. “Jackie Fleckenstein’s artwork showcases the beauty and character unique in our region.”
The event will include board and staff from Hospice for a “Meet and Greet,” an introduction to J.L. Fleckenstein and her artwork that was chosen for the label, music by Mike and Lisa Zelazny, a free glass of Blanc d’ Orleans paired with First Light Creamery cheeses, and a couple of testimonies from the Oakes family as to “why Hospice means so much to us.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Police have arrested the parents of a 13-year-old boy who accidentally shot his brother, 9, in the arm last night.
John H. Glena, 43, and Kelley S. Glena, 46, of 341 Caroline St. both were 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 dwelling where their children lived, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said.
John Glena
Kelley Glena
Police were dispatched Thursday to 110 Brown Street at 9:57 p.m. A 13-year-old appeared to be playing with the handgun in his second floor bedroom when it discharged, striking his brother lying in a nearby bed, Nenni said.
After the accidental shooting, police say the 9-year-old victim and his brother ran from their house to the next-door neighbor where their mother was located. The children’s father was inside the residence at the time the shooting occurred. Neither parent was aware that the 13-year-old had a handgun, police said.
Village of Albion Code Enforcement responded to the 341 Caroline St. and revoked the Certificate of Occupancy due to several serious code violations. The home was found to have several unsafe code violations and several other factors that jeopardized the health of the children ages 9 and 13, Nenni said.
Both parents were charged with 2 counts of endangering the welfare of child. Appearance tickets were issued for Albion Town Court on July 1.
The 9-year-old was transported by Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was in stable condition this morning, Nenni said.
Update
In an email at 8:41 p.m., Chief Nenni said the boy has been released from the hospital and will require followup care.
The 13-year-old also allegedly stole an additional .22 caliber handgun from the elderly acquaintance and had concealed the firearm in a detached garage at 341 Caroline St. The 13-year-old has been charged with Reckless Endangerment in the 1st Degree (D Felony), Grand Larceny in the 4th Degree (E Felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree (D Felony). He was issued appearance tickets to appear at Orleans County Probation at a later date.
Because he is a juvenile his name hasn’t been released.
HOLLEY – Holley Elementary School students marched from the school to the Holley Depot near the Public Square this morning in the 57th annual Flag Day celebration.
The event included the presentation of citizenship awards and the singing of patriotic songs. About 500 students joined in the event.
HOLLEY – The villages of Holley and Albion approved a full service contract for Albion to operate the Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Holley.
The scope of the agreement signed last week provides a win-win situation for both communities. The Village of Albion receives needed revenue for operations, while Holley will save approximately $30,000 in operating expenses.
The Village of Albion will provide personnel qualified in technical, laboratory, and administrative management duties on a 24/7 basis. This will satisfy New York and federal regulatory requirements regarding wastewater treatment operations and maintenance.
This initiative was the result of conversations and meetings orchestrated by Holley Trustees Brian Sorochty, Donald Penna and David Dill with Chief Operator Rick Albright of Albion’s Pollution Control Facility.
In May 2014, both Village Boards met to discuss the parameters of an agreement between the two villages. This joint venture may eventually lead to additional cost-saving services between the two villages. These financial initiatives are in line with Gov. Cuomo’s savings through cooperative activities and shared services.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Downtown Albion now feels a bit like an art gallery and also a showcase of community pride.
Artists have been painting new street benches, and the first seven were put out today just in time for the Strawberry Festival on Friday and Saturday.
The village is getting 12 new benches as part of a Main Street grant that will help with other street-scape improvements in the downtown. The grant also paid seven artists for their work in creating the murals on the benches.
One of the new benches in downtown Albion is painted as a tribute to Charles Howard, founder of a Santa Claus School in Albion. Peter Loran is the artist.
Retired Albion art teacher Suzanne Wells created this scene of the Erie Canal.
Chris VerSteeg of Kendall created this painting of a tugboat at sunrise.
Arthur Barnes of Medina painted this bench with a cobblestone theme.
Three other benches are in the works and will be painted in themes featuring a piano, apples, and Grace Bedell and Abraham Lincoln. (Bedell is the Albion girl who wrote to Lincoln, urging him to grow a beard.)
I have been chairman of this art project. I’d like to see more of the benches in Albion. It a great way to promote our history and local attractions, while making downtown and Main Street a bigger attraction.
The artists did a wonderful job. These weren’t easy to paint. If anyone is interested in donating to help get more of these done, send me a message at tom@orleanshub.com.
Peter Loran of Kent painted three benches with fishing-related themes. The area is world renown for its salmon and trout fishery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 June 2014 at 12:00 am
State, Fed dollars would pay for nearly entire project
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tearing out the Clarendon Street bridge will require the removal of embankments that reach 11 feet high. Here is the view looking north past Crimson Drive.
ALBION – If the Clarendon Street bridge is taken out and blocked off, village residents and motorists can expect minimal disruption in traffic patterns and wait times, said the engineer who has been working on the project.
Kevin Miller, an engineer with Bergmann Associates, said the current wait time at Clarendon Street for turning onto Route 31 is 11 seconds during peak traffic from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
If the bridge is demolished and blocked off, most of the traffic would shift to McKinistry Street and the wait times would rise to 16 seconds, Miller said. That is well below the threshold of what the state Department of Transportation considers an unacceptable wait time: 50 seconds or longer.
The north side of the Clarendon Street bridge gently reaches its peak, but that side will also require leveling and a better turning radius for Childs Street.
The village has reached out to the community for their input about the impacts of shutting down the street by the railroad tracks. Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance sees the blocked off section causing some “confusion and delays” for motorists.
Jason Spencer, COVA director of operations, said the east end of the village already poses problems for COVA. The Brown Street bridge is closed and ambulances can’t use part of Butts Road because of a railroad bridge that has a clearance of about 7 feet.
“I’m just concerned with the delay in going to Rochester,” Spencer said after Wednesday’s Village Board meeting.
Albion police say “there would be no drastic impact on emergency services” and the school district told the village there will be “a slightly longer route for a few buses,” Miller said.
Kevin Miller, an engineer with Bergmann Associates, discusses the Clarendon Street bridge with resident Gloria Davis and concerned community members, including Jason Spencer (right), director of operations for COVA.
During a public meeting on Wednesday, some neighbors wondered how the bridge demolition would affect the neighborhood. Miller said the 40-year-old bridge rests on embankments that peak at 11 feet high. The bridge and embankments will all be removed.
Contractors will make sure Clarendon Street is leveled and allows for the proper turning radius for Crimson Drive and Childs Street. Miller said the blocked off areas should have nice landscaping with grass and possibly trees.
The village, DOT and Genesee Transportation Council wanted to remove the bridge and replace it with a new one. But the costs for the project jumped from about $2.1 million to $2.55 million. The village’s share of the project was due to rise from $106,000 to about $700,000.
Village Board members say the village doesn’t have the money for the increase. It would have to finance it at a cost of $70,000 to $100,000 a year. Village Trustee Eileen Banker said the 2 percent tax cap makes it difficult for that much of an increase. Albion would have to scale back on services or staff to accommodate the payment, Banker said.
If the village chooses to remove the bridge and close off that section of the street, the project would be about $1,338,000. State and federal aid would cover 95 percent of the project, leaving the village with about $70,000 of the total cost or 5 percent.
When the cost jumped for the bridge replacement, the state and federal governments said they wouldn’t boost their share, leaving the village to pay all of the added costs. But a bridge removal is about half the costs of replacing the bridge, and the village can maximize the 95 percent aid share from the state and federal government.
The project has been debated in Village Hall for about 15 years. The village runs the risk of losing all of the state and federal money if the Village Board doesn’t pick a plan soon. The GTC board in Rochester meets June 19 and would like Albion to settle on a project.
Residents have also suggested an at-grade crossing, but that could be years to get approved and Albion might have to take out one or two others in the village to make up for adding one, Miller said.
Miller shows a slide of the existing railroad crossings in the village. If Clarendon Street were made an at-grade crossing, Miller said at least one other crossing, and likely two, would have to be taken out from the village.
The board said by taking out the bridge and blocking off a portion of the street, it still leaves open the option of pursuing at at-grade crossing in the future.
“We either take the $1.4 million (from the state and federal government) and do something with it or we have nothing,” Banker said.
She worries if the village stalls on the project the money could be pulled and directed to another project in the Rochester region, leaving the village to pay the full costs for whatever happens to Clarendon Street bridge.
“We’re like a cat,” she said. “We’re at our ninth life. We’re done.”
The bridge is inspected annually by the state DOT and has many structural deficiencies. Miller said the bridge is “beyond repair.” He said it’s impossible to predict how much longer the bridge will last before it would get shut down for safety reasons by the state.
“It could happen tomorrow, but I don’t think that’s likely,” he said. “But in the next five years there would be a high chance of it.”
The village would like to see the removal go forward. Miller said the project is in the final design stage. He said it could go out to bid in the fall or winter with the construction work next year.
Photo by Sue Cook – Alex Feig, left, and Matthew Fuller hold up one of the posters for their website, OrleansRadio.com.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – While local bands have found new listeners at local venues, there is a new place where their original music is available for anyone to listen to online.
OrleansRadio.com is a new website that streams local music of different styles, providing the county with an opportunity to hear several talented groups.
Life-long friends Alex Feig, 28, and Matthew Fuller, 27, worked together to create the website because there isn’t a big central music scene in the county like there is in Rochester or Buffalo. Feig, a delivery person for Avanti’s Pizza, is self-trained in recording and music. Feig conceptualized the idea of a place for local bands to be featured online. Fuller, a self-trained web designer, offered to create and test the website.
“We’re looking at the community and taking every single possible opportunity and blowing it up to the most potential within the community, as far as the artists, as far as the businesses, as far as the events. Those are the three things that we’re focused on,” said Feig.
Fuller added, “It’s a tool for everyone’s benefit. There hasn’t been something where people can relate to it or interact with in area. Everything’s always been separate, like so-and-so has this event and so-and-so has that event. It’s just chance to bring everyone together.”
Fuller created the site with a mobile-first approach, which means that it works on all phones and tablet devices, as well as on desktop computers. Fuller says they will be working on creating a mobile app to expand the number of listeners even further.
The website streams genres from hip-hop to country to pop and more. There are 24 artists currently featured on the site including Dave Viterna and New Rage, Jonesie and the Cruisers, Experimental Sandwich and The Lisa Zelazny Band.
Feig commented, “We’re trying to stay very local, very original. We kind of want to keep our own homegrown thing going here. Even if a band is not current, but they have a good recording that’s original, we’ll put it up there. We have stuff that’s 30 or 40 years old.”
All of the music is pre-screened for content and quality to provide a good listening experience. Anyone can submit original music for consideration and can also talk to Feig about recording if the band doesn’t have audio to provide. Currently, there is about four hours of music on the site, but more bands are being added.
“I’m kind of filtering through this stuff. There’s different criteria that I look for. The number one thing is we’re trying to make it is family-friendly.”
Feig says that regardless of genre, such as heavy metal, if the song is clean of inappropriate content and a good recording, it will be deemed usable for the site. He says it’s also an option if there is a swear word in it, the band may give permission for it to be edited out to make the music meet the site’s standard.
Besides music, the site also features local advertising. The ads are displayed on the site and are accompanied by 30-second audio commercials interspersed between songs. Feig records the commercials himself, but also employs his girlfriend Licia Decker to provide a female voice where it seems more appropriate for the advertiser and their product. He also offers businesses jingle-writing services.
Advertisers can also place coupon deals on the site, which Feig hopes will be a draw for listeners to come to the site to see what’s new.
There is also an events calendar. Event submissions for local events can help people who enjoy certain bands to find them performing live in the area, or find new local hangouts that feature live music.
The duo has heard lots of positive feedback and useful suggestions from users of the site. People from as far as Buffalo have told Feig that they’re listening.
“I feel like it’s something that Medina needs,” said Feig. “There’s great music around here. There’s tons of talent and it just needs to be given an opportunity to be noticed.”
Feig and Fuller are hoping that as the site gains in popularity, they will be able to branch out. They want to schedule talk shows and event promotionals, as well as possible news segments. They are currently planning a live broadcast from the O.C. Summer Jam on Aug. 2. They are hoping to play music, talk to bands and even get man-on-the-street interviews with attendees.
The website (www.orleansradio.com) has forms for submitting events and music, but other inquiries can be made to contact@orleansradio.com. Feig is hoping to hear from more bands and advertisers to grow the site further and give new material to listeners.
HOLLEY – The Holley community will continue a 57-year tradition on Friday morning when students, Scouts, firefighters and other community members parade from the Holley Elementary School to the Holley Depot next to Save-A-Lot.The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at the elementary school. Students, the Military Support Group, Scouts, Student Council members, Good Citizenship award winners and Holley fire trucks will then head to the Holley Depot for a community ceremony.
In the mid-1890s mourners assembled at a cemetery by an open grave. A woman dressed all in black stands at the head of the grave.
On Friday, June 13 from 12 to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. a display of funeral-related photos and artifacts will be shown at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home in Albion.
Many of these items are from the personal collection of County Historian Bill lattin, including the above photo.
A replica of Lincoln’s coffin made by Batesville Casket Co. will also be on loan from that business and will be displayed at Merrill-Grinnell’s.
