ALBION – Registered sex offenders will be allowed to attend school events, but they will not serve as official school volunteers or chaperones.

The Board of Education made that decision on Monday following two months of review of district policy.

The district will not ban parents and students’ family members who are registered sex offenders from attending school events that are open to the public.

However, if they are registered as a Level 1, 2, or 3 sex offender, they will not be supervising students or providing care for them.

Volunteers and chaperones also will need to complete applications that will be reviewed by district staff. The applicants need to state whether they are a registered sex offender. Those answers will be verified by the district, which has access to a state sex offender database.

School officials have been debating the issue the past two months. A parent to an Albion elementary student showed up at a field trip in October, meeting the class for a tour of a local farm. The parent was a Level 2 sexual offender.

In January, other parents realized that a sex offender was at the school trip in October. The issue became fodder for a Rochester radio station, and the district was questioned about its policy.

The district can’t outright ban sex offenders from the school grounds when those people are trying to attend a school function involving their own children, said Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent.

“We’ve done everything we can within the law and addressed the parents’ concerns,” said Margy Brown, president of the Board of Education.

Board also urged to prohibit smoking on all town property

ALBION Citing “confusion” in a resolution from a month ago about the state’s new gun control laws, the Albion Town Board weighed in on the issue again on Monday.

This time the board mustered three votes to formally go on the record against the SAFE Act, which has been opposed by most counties in upstate New York.

At last month’s meeting, Town Board members Dan Poprawski and Jake Olles voted against the SAFE Act while Tim Neilans and Matt Passarell abstained from a vote. Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk voted against opposing the SAFE Act.

After the meeting, Stirk realized by casting a negative vote, which he thought was opposing the act, he actually voted in support of the gun control measure.

“I accidently opposed it,” he said, acknowledging the mistake.

He put the issue on the agenda again on Monday, and this time the board secured three votes opposing the SAFE Act with Neilans and Passarell again abstaining.

Passarell said the resolution is symbolic. He noted the Orleans County Legislature already voiced its opposition to the state legislation.

“It really should be done at the county level,” he said about the resolution. Nearly all upstate New York counties, including Orleans, have gone on the record opposing provisions of the SAFE Act and the lack of public input in the legislation.

The legislation has been criticized for being open to interpretation, for requiring seven-magazine rounds when few currently exist in New York, and for requiring documentation of all ammunition sales in the state – “a significant unfunded mandate on business,” according to the resolution.

Another topic from last month’s meeting – the town’s smoking policy – was also debated again on Monday.

Kevin Keenan, program coordinator of Smoke Free NOW, asked the Town Board to reinstate a smoking policy that banned smoking inside town vehicles, and on town property, including the outside grounds and parking lot.

Stirk believes that policy would be impossible to enforce, especially when people come to the Town Hall for court. Many of them often take smoke breaks inside their vehicles.

Keenan said the policy could be tailored to allow for smoking inside private vehicles. Town Highway Superintendent Jed Standish last month said he should be allowed to smoke inside his town-issued highway truck.

But Keenan urged the board to not allow smoking in a publicly owned vehicle. Standish could have passengers or another town employee may someday drive that truck, Kennan said.

Neilans, Passarell and Town Councilman Dan Poprawski voted to support reinstating the full smoking ban last month, but Stirk then tabled the vote for more study of the issue.

He postponed a vote on the matter again on Monday, wanting one more month to consider Keenan’s information.

Keenan noted there is a baseball field behind the town building and an elementary school playground across the street. If town employees were allowed to smoke outside on town property, they may be visible to children, Keenan said.

“It’s a social modeling issue,” Keenan said. “There’s an image you’re trying to project.”

He praised the Village Board for banning smoking about two years ago at all village-owned parks. He urged the Town Board to take a similar no-tolerance policy.

“You’re taking a step backwards,” he said about the current policy, which allows smoking outside on town property. “You’re going in the wrong direction.”

District also plans to cut 5 positions

ALBION – The school district is planning to raise taxes by 1.5 percent in a proposed $33.3 million budget that also would cut five jobs.

The Board of Education on Monday approved the spending plan that will go before district voters on May 21. Voting is from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school’s conference room A.

Albion hasn’t raised taxes since the 2006-07 budget. The proposed tax levy, at $8,446,946, is up $124,484. It remains down compared to the $9,094,194 levy in 2006-07.

The district is budgeting for a $226,080 increase in state aid.  The board intends to continue “right-sizing” the staff, making cuts as the student enrollment drops. The student enrollment has shrunk from 2,750 in 2000 to a projected 1,971 next year. Albion forecasts 1,864 students in five years.

The district, with the five cuts planned for next school year, will have eliminated 21.5 jobs since the 2011-12 school year. Three of the cuts next school year will come from attrition with two layoffs planned.

The budget preserves all school programs, without exceeding a property tax cap of about 2 percent. The state Legislature established that cap on local governments about two years ago.

“We recognize the constant obligationto balance the programmatic needs of our students with the ability of our taxpayers to pay for the programs that we offer,” said Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent.

The budget increases overall spending by 0.6 percent or $202,799 to $33,349,049.

When residents vote May 21, they will also be asked to approve a school bus reserve proposition that would create a reserve for buses not to exceed $4,821,000. The district would like to take $440,000 from the reserve to go towards new buses. The state pays 94 percent of the bus costs.

Residents will also vote on whether $654,000 can be collected to support operations at Hoag Library.

There also will be a Board of Education election. Residents have until April 22 to submit petitions to the district office to run for the volunteer position.

ALBION – Two years as the leader of the town government in Albion is enough for Dennis Stirk. The former town justice isn’t planning to run for another two-year term as town supervisor.

“I’m 62 and I want to enjoy life,” Stirk said Monday after the Town Board meeting.

He wants to free up his schedule so he can go camping more often and spend his winters in Florida.

Stirk was elected in November 2011. He beat the incumbent, Judith Koehler, who at that point stopped campaigning. Koehler had moved to cut the pay for Highway Superintendent Jed Standish and Town Clerk Sarah Basinait. When the two won Republican primaries and were then cross-endorsed by Democrats, Koehler asked voters not to support her in the election.

Stirk and two Town Board members, Dan Poprawski and Jake Olles, have backed Standish and Basinait, giving them raises. Two holdovers from the previous board, Tim Neilans and Matt Passarell, are often at odds with the Stirk-led board.

Passarell is seeking the Republican endorsement for town supervisor. The Republican Committee is interviewing candidates today. Olles also is interested in the job.

Passarell said the town needs a strong leader. An Iraq War veteran and VFW commander, Passarell works as quality supervisor for Baxter in Medina. Olles works as a correctional officer.

Dawn Allen, the Albion GOP committee chairwoman, said the group expects to endorse candidates on April 16.

Stirk said the town has moved along several projects since he took office. He noted the construction of Water District No. 9 as a significant accomplishment.

Stirk retired in August 2010 after 22 years as an Albion judge. He also worked 31 years as a gas fitter with New York State Electric and Gas.

Olson will stay on as volunteer interim director

ALBION – The executive director of the Albion Main Street Alliance resigned from the paid position because the organization faces too much funding uncertainty.

Katelin Olson submitted her letter of resignation on April 1. She agreed to stay on in an unpaid role and complete administration of a $477,000 Main Street grant approved by the state in December 2011. That grant gave AMSA and the town of Albion two years to implement building improvements and $50,000 worth of street-scape enhancements.

Olson wrote the grant that was awarded state funding, and provided leadership to teams of volunteers with several community projects. Maarit Vaga, the AMSA board president, said the organization welcomes volunteers to keep working towards a mission of a more vibrant community.

She said Olson deserves “profound thanks for her hard work, perseverance, dedication and outstanding achievements.”

Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos commended Olson for making an impact on the village and the historic downtown.

“They did a lot of good things,” Theodorakos said on Sunday. “The Main Street grant is a huge and tangible accomplishment and they can point to it as a success.”

Theodorakos served on AMSA’s board in the first two years after the group started in 2009. He supports National Trust’s “four-point” approach for revitalizing Main Street – organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring.

“I’m all for that model,” Theodorakos said. “But how can we make it work?”

He wants to see AMSA continue, and draw in more merchants, building owners and other community volunteers.

AMSA has several initiatives in the works for 2013, including the completion of the building and street-scape projects. The organization will be highlighted at two national conferences – in San Francsico and New Orleans – this month for its partnership with Albion Central School.

Olson is in a doctoral program Cornell University. Many of her fellow students, learning about historic preservation and community development, will be in Albion April 18-21 working on local projects.

The organization started four years ago and received $30,000 in municipal funding each of the first three years with $10,000 each coming from the village, town and the local development corporation of the Orleans Economic Development Agency. The EDA pledged $10,000 for the first three years as part of Albion’s application to become a Main Street community that would adopt principles by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The EDA stated from the start it planned to make a three-year commitment to the program. The Town Board last year in a 3-2 vote eliminated its funding to AMSA, with some town officials saying the organization was too focused on the downtown and not the overall community.

The Village Board continued its $10,000 commitment for a fourth year, but hasn’t included money for AMSA in the 2013-14 budget. The board is looking at all expenses in a tight budget, Theodorakos said. The board also wasn’t sure about AMSA’s direction for the coming year.

Vaga said AMSA is at a “crossroads,” but she sees momentum with several downtown projects. She urged more community members to join AMSA to help advance projects, including waterfront development, more downtown work and other community events that bring visitors to Albion.

“The possibility of a vibrant and thriving Albion still lies before us but that promise can only be achieved through cooperation, committed support and shared vision,” Vaga said.

Editor’s note: Tom Rivers is the Design chairman for AMSA.