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Sidari brothers, both WWII vets, marvel at quarryman grandfather

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Frank and Rocco Sidari look at the gravestones carved by their grandfather Francesco Spada in St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Brown Street.

ALBION – Frank Sidari wanted to show me something in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, the Catholic burial ground on Brown Street. He knows I’m interested in the community’s quarrymen heritage.

I met Frank, 88, and his brother Rocco, 91, there today. They were waiting by a row of gravestones carved out of Medina sandstone. Their grandfather, Francesco Spada, was the stonecutter on the projects.

Spada lived from 1864 to 1933. He came to Albion as a boy, moving here from Alfedena, the hometown for a lot of the local Italians.

His grandsons – the Sidari brothers – both served in World War II and then worked long careers as carpenters. They have lived on East State Street most of their lives. That is the street where many of the Italians settled. They had quarries a short walk from their homes. Some of the quarries were in their back yard.

The gravestones for two of Spada’s children, who died young from the flu.

The Sidaris remember their grandfather carving stone. Today, they looked at the carvings and the artwork on the stones in the cemetery.

“How in the Hell did they do all that fancy work?” Rocco said.

Spada somehow carved holes in the top of the gravestones and then set a cross on the top. Rocco, who was chief steward for 990 carpenters on the hydroelectric power project in Lewiston in the 1950s, is impressed by the talent of the stonecutters from a century ago.

“I don’t know how they did it,” he told me.

Spada etched a spade design on the gravestones. He added images of an anchor, the moon, diamonds and other symbols. The names and words on the stones are written in Italian.

Frank said the Italians were close-knit and a lot of fun while he was growing up.

He also said the flu and other illnesses claimed a lot of people when they were young. Looking at the garvestones today for his teen-age children, you could feel Spada’s grief. He poured his heart into the gravestones for his children.

occo and Frank Sidari are brothers and life-long friends. They posed for a picture in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Albion village goes on record against landfill expansion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The Albion Village Board wants the record to show the current board opposes efforts to reopen a landfill in Albion.

A new landfill would hurt the community in many ways, from heavy truck traffic that would pose safety risks to other motorists and pedestrians to the stigma of having an operating landfill in the community, village officials said.

The recently approved village and town comprehensive plan, a map for the community’s future, opposes an operating landfill in Albion, Mayor Dean Theodorakos said on Wednesday.

Theodorakos is a member of Stop Polluting Orleans County, a citizens group against the landfill.

“I’m very much in favor of preventing further landfilling in the town,” he said.

The Village Board voted to send a letter to the Albion Town Board, urging the town to resist a new landfill. The Village Board may pass a formal resolution in an upcoming meeting, opposing the landfill.

Richard Penfold, a former landfill operator in Erie County, wants to reopen the landfill. Waste Management sought to operate an 80-acre landfill in Albion. It secured a permit from the state on Nov. 20, 2003, but Waste Management never could secure local support or a permit from the Town Board.

Penfold has sought to obtain Waste Management’s permit through an application with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The agency told Penfold in June it wouldn’t transfer Waste Management’s permit. Penfold would have to apply for his own permit to operate at the site.

The Town Board in the mid-1990s passed laws against landfills in the town. Penfold believes the new landfill proposal could be considered an expansion of the existing Orleans Sanitary Landfill, and wouldn’t necessarily be a new landfill. That was how Waste Management’s plan was presented a decade ago.

Penfold would need town and DEC support for the project. All of the current Town Board members, plus the new ones elected last week, all have stated they are against reopening landfills in Albion.

Penfold has promised a host community benefits package for Albion. He also said he would care for the OSL and McKenna landfills at the site between Densmore and Transit roads, which currently aren’t being pumped of leachate.

Albion dentist has tried for months to put up a bigger sign

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Karl Heuer and his son Kyle want a new sign in front of their Albion practice to indicate there are two Heuers working as dentists. They also want the address noted on the sign.

ALBION – Karl Heuer would like a new sign in front of his dental practice that notes his son Kyle has joined the practice.

The Heuers would also like the address – 313 South Main St. – listed on the sign. They have been trying since May to get up a new sign.

They had the sign designed. It’s 4.6 feet by 4.8 feet or about 22 square feet. That’s way too big, according to the zoning restrictions for businesses along South Main Street in the residential-commercial district. That area only allows for a 1 foot name plate sign.

However, the Zoning Board of Appeals has routinely approved variances for bigger signs. The ZBA said it would allow a 16 square foot sign for the Heuers.

The Heuers told the Village Board on Wednesday they want the 22 square foot sign so they can fit everything on it.

“We just want a nice-looking sign that people can read,” Karl Heuer told the board.

Kevin Allen, an attorney, told the board it should to change the sign restrictions for the residential-commercial district so the ZBA isn’t forever issuing variances, allowing certain sizes for some businesses and smaller ones for others.

Allen, who is representing the Heuers with the sign dispute, noted another dental practice in the same zoning district has a sign more than double what the Heuer’s are seeking. Plus, the All Smiles Dentistry sign is illuminated at night.

All Smiles Dentistry, at the corner of South Main Street and Allen Road, has a much bigger sign than is allowed in the residential-commercial district.

He suggested the Village Board alter the sign restrictions in the zoning district, allowing an upper level limit of perhaps 24 or 26 square feet.

“You should make it more practical and more realistic,” he said.

Other business districts in the village, without residential properties, have a top threshold of 32 square feet, although the ZBA has been giving variances for bigger signs on Route 31 and Main Street, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti told the Village Board.

Vendetti agrees the sign regulations need to be changed, to allow for larger signs.

But with the current code, the ZBA is left to its discretion in how big of a variance it wants to approve. In Heuer’s case, a 16-foot sign was allowed.

The Village Board can’t meddle with the ZBA’s decision. The board, however, can change the restrictions for the signs. That would require a public hearing.

Mayor Dean Theodorakos said he supports an update of the sign requirements.

“We’re working on it,” he told the Heuers.

Marker will note historic home in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A historic marker will be erected on the right of way at 223 South Clinton St., in front of one of Albion’s grandest old homes.

The Village Board agreed to let Gar Trusselle, owner of the house, put up the marker.

Trusselle lives in the William V. N. Barlow House, a brick building that was built in the 1870s and features a mix of architectural styles, including Second Empire, Italianate, and Queen Anne.

Barlow was a prominent architect and builder during Albion’s boom days in the mid to late 1800s. Barlow designed the county courthouse and the mansion on Main Street that later became Swan Library.

Health official says bed bugs ‘a growing concern’ locally

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Albion homes are increasingly becoming infested with bed bugs, a problem that may be difficult to prevent because the bugs are “hitchhikers,” a public health officials told the Albion Village Board.

The Orleans County Health Department has been getting complaints about bed bugs locally since 2011, but the calls have increased this year, public health sanitarian Nancy Kelly told the Village Board on Wednesday.

“It’s a growing concern,” she said.

Bed bugs are considered a private nuisance, instead of a public health nuisance. That means the public health department isn’t very involved in the cases. When a complaint is made, Kelly will typically contact the local code enforcement officers.

Ron Vendetti, the code officer for Albion, said many local landlords have purchased steam cleaners and can take care of the problem at their properties. Other residents may turn to exterminators.

Houses and apartments that are clean can typically be rid of the bugs quickly. Homes with hoarders, with a lot of clutter, may struggle to get rid of the pests, Vendetti said.

Kelly said bed bugs bother people from all backgrounds – rich, poor and middle class. The bugs have been discovered in schools and work places. They easily can “hitch hike” from public places and come home with someone, she said.

The bugs also spread from discarded furniture. Some furniture has been left by the curb because of a bug infestation. The couch or chair often is then picked up by a passing motorist, who brings it – and bed bugs – home.

Mayor Dean Theodorakos said the village will use its newsletter to warn residents about picking up discarded furniture due to the bed bug possibility.

Kelly said Albion could also pass legislation requiring landlords and property owners to take action when there is a complaint about bed bugs. Vendetti didn’t think a new law was a good idea or would accomplish much.

“How do you legislate a bug?” Vendetti asked.

The landlords also shouldn’t be held entirely responsible for the property, Vendetti said. The residents often bring in the bugs, and their lifestyles may make it difficult to rid the places of the pests.

“We also have cockroaches and mice,” Vendetti said. “We have a number of problems that revolve around the condition of properties.”

GCC will honor ‘Heritage Heroes’ in Orleans

Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Winners to be recognized at Civil War Encampment

Press release, GCC

MEDINA – When Genesee Community College hosts the Civil War Encampment at its Medina Campus Center next spring, organizers want to recognize the efforts of dedicated citizens who work hard to preserve the county’s history.

GCC is accepting nominations for “Heritage Heroes Awards.” Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 31, 2014.

“Residents of Orleans County take great pride in their heritage,” said Jim Simon, Associate Dean of GCC’s Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. “We want to recognize the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates for local history.”

Nominees for Heritage Heroes can be any age but posthumous nominations will not be accepted. History professionals and GCC employees are also not eligible for the award, nor are those who serve on the awards selection committees. Nominees must be Orleans County residents. Nominations will not be retained for future consideration.

Derek Maxfield, the Encampment coordinator, pushed to create the award for local Heritage Heroes.

“We’re excited to initiate these awards,” Maxfield said. “When we held the Encampment in Medina last year, it became obvious how this county values its history and embraces its preservation. These efforts often go unnoticed. This is a way to shine a light on those who make many personal sacrifices in order to preserve history for future generations.”

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at the annual Civil War Encampment at GCC in Medina in April 2014.

To nominate someone for the Heritage Heroes Awards, write up a brief statement outlining the person’s contributions, projects, and community affiliations. Include his/her name (anonymous nominations will not be accepted), address, phone number, and email address.

Submit the nomination to:

Genesee Community College
ATTENTION: Heritage Heroes Committee
11470 Maple Ridge Rd.
Medina NY 14103-9675

Nominations may also be emailed to Jim Simon at jsimon@genesee.edu. Please write Heritage Heroes Nomination in the subject line.

A screening committee made up of community members, history professionals, and GCC students will review the nominations and select finalists. From those finalists, a committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Assistant Professor and Encampment Coordinator Derek Maxfield, and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes.

Albion will dedicate new playground equipment in memory of LaLonde

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Steve LaLonde, husband of the late Kathy LaLonde, accepts a plaque from Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos, right, in appreciation of Mrs. LaLonde’s many years of volunteerism with Albion youth programs.

The Village Board announced tonight it will add playground equipment this spring at Pee Wee Park, which is the younger children’s section at Bullard Park. The new equipment will be in memory of LaLonde.

LaLonde was a member of the Albion Recreation Committee. She also spearheaded efforts to develop a long-term master plan for the Bullard Park. LaLonde was 54 when she died on Oct. 6 after fighting cancer.

Albion’s High School baseball team in 1902

Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am

By Bill Lattin, Orleans County Historian

ALBION – These baseball players represent the Albion High School team in 1902.

The mascot in front is Bernard Hunt. Kneeling next to him on the left is Mike Duggan and on the right is Ralph Vick.

First row standing, from left: Walter Radley, Paul Williams – manager, and Willard Gaskel.

Others standing in back from left include: George Beckwith, Fenner Smith, W. Crandall, Francis Blake Sr., Homer Brown and Bill Carr.

County budget would raise taxes 5 percent

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Orleans County officials have put together a $79.8 million budget for 2014, a spending plan that would raise taxes by 5.0 percent and increase the tax rate by 40 cents to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The document isn’t final and could be adjusted before its final adoption, Chairman David Callard said after the Legislature’s meeting today.

The county will have a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the county courthouse.

The county stayed under the state imposed property tax cap in 2012 and 2013, but the proposed budget for 2014 would surpass the 2 percent cap. (The cap makes some exceptions. The county’s cap for next year is actually 3.08 percent.)

The Legislature voted to override the tax cap in a 5-1 vote today. Legislator Don Allport cast the lone no vote.

County officials say the budget will sustain core services. It also includes the first payment of $475,000 on an upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system.

The county’s welfare costs are projected to increase by $558,000 due the state shifting Family Assistance and Safety Net costs to the local and federal governments, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said in a budget message.

There is some good budget news. The county’s share for Medicaid is budgeted to drop $170,292. The county’s pension costs will go down $169,376 – from $4,440,393 to $4,271,017.

The county’s health insurance costs also are projected to drop by $157,340, partly due to employee cost sharing and less expensive health insurance plans. The worker’s compensation costs also are budgeted to drop by $100,376.

The county’s sales tax revenue has helped offset increases in the past, especially during years with gas prices on the rise. Sales tax is running under budget so far this year with gas prices dropping.

The county has budgeted for a modest $25,000 increase in sales tax. Callard said it’s smart to be prudent in forecasting sales tax, which generates about $15 million a year for the county, with a small portion shared with the towns and villages.

Although gas prices are down, resulting in slowing sales tax, if it’s a really cold winter, and residents go through heating oil, the sales tax number could jump, Callard said.

“It’s really difficult to predict because many factors can make a difference,” he said.

The budget also raises the fee for annual garbage collection by $5 to $190 per household.

From fallen tree to firewood

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The fierce wind storm on Nov. 1 took down a tree in front of the DAR House at 249 North Main St. in Albion, a site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I took the top photo of the tree on Nov. 2, the day after the storm. I drove by the DAR House today and noticed the fallen tree was cut up and neatly stacked.