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One of area’s most beautiful spots is off the beaten path

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Oak Orchard Creek plunges 40 feet near canal in Medina

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – I’ve heard it and seen it from a distance. But I had never been close to the Medina Waterfalls – until this afternoon.

We ran a Vintage Orleans photo earlier today from 1905 of the Aqueduct in Medina. The Aqueduct gives the Oak Orchard Creek a path to run under the Erie Canal in Medina. Not long after, the creek plunges in a waterfalls.

I wanted to see it, but it wasn’t easy. There’s no signage (that I could see) directing pedestrians to see this attraction. I was stumped on how to get there. But long-time Medina resident Denise Adams was out walking her dog along the towpath, on the north side near the Horan Road bridge. She knew the drop-off point where people went to go see the falls.

We headed west, past the creek. It’s a long drop off from the concrete path to get down to the trails leading to the waterfalls. Some people made a mound of dirt at one spot so the drop wouldn’t be so far. It’s still probably 8 to 10 feet below.

Adams told me she sees high schoolers head down to the waterfalls. I decided to make the descent, although I wondered how I’d get back up.

Trails take you to the creek but it’s slippery. You could easily fall and slide right the creek. I kept my wits and footing and worked my way towards the waterfalls, passing sandstone walls and sandstone chunks along the path.

One slip and you could end up in the creek.

I’ve had the waterfalls on a to-do list for a few months. I waited until the fall when the leaves wouldn’t block the view and would add some color.

This waterfall is powerful. It’s not a babbling brook, trickling down a hill. It’s far more ferocious than the waterfalls in Holley, Clarendon or Waterport.

The waterfalls roars with the Horan Road bridge in the background.

I grabbed several photos and headed back. I reached the spot where I descended, but I didn’t think I could jump, grab the concrete ledge and hoist myself up. Some of the teens made a wobbly stack of stone to try to get up, but that seemed too unsteady.

I kept walking west, looking for a way to get back up. I had to dodge cesspools, rotted trees, branches and other obstacles, all while trying to avoid a slip off the cliff.

Be prepared for an adventure if you want to see the Medina Waterfalls. I’d recommend some stairs be installed to make it safer for people to climb off and then back up the towpath.

I finally found a spot maybe 100 yards down. Adams was relieved to see me. She said she went home and her husband made her come back in case I ended up in the creek.

It really wasn’t too risky, but I’m surprised something this nice has to be so difficult to go see. Medina could have an attraction with the waterfalls if it was clearly marked along the canal, and if there were sturdy steps so people could go down and then come back up on the towpath.

I’m not sure who owns this property. The owner may not want people to go exploring. But people clearly are. So why not make it a little easier?

There should be some railings near the paths by the creek. One slip and someone could end up in the water.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church looms in the distance in this photo of the Oak Orchard Creek in Medina. The waterfalls (not pictured) are close, a little to the east.

This part of the Erie Canal was a particularly difficult challenge for the engineers and workers nearly 200 years ago. They built the aqueduct over the creek, and the canal followed the contours of the Oak Orchard Gorge. That’s why there is the wide area in Medina at the canal basin.

I don’t know the whole story, but after today I’m quite fascinated by this spot. I just wish I didn’t have to be a daredevil to experience it.

Advance Auto Parts opens in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Doug Burdick, right, is the store manager of the new Advance Auto Parts that opened today at routes 98 and 31 intersection. Burdick is pictured with Ray Emerson, a retired chief deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. Emerson is one of 10 employees working for Advance in Albion.

ALBION – A new auto parts store opened in Albion today at a prominent spot in the community.

Advance Auto Parts say the location at the routes 98 and 31 intersection is “perfect.” The site in a former Rite Aid is also bigger than most Advance stores and the extra room allows the store to be well stocked, said Doug Burdick, manager of the site.

The deep inventory means people shouldn’t have to wait for a part, whether they are buying it themselves or an auto repair shop that needs a part for a repair, Burdick said.

The store remodeled the former Rite Aid at the northeast corner of routes 98 and 31. The inflatable truck out front is part of the celebration on opening day.

Burdick has more than 20 years in the auto parts business. He was working as the assistant manager of Advance’s store in Lockport.

Advance has 10 employees working at Albion. Burdick said more than 60 people filled out applications for jobs at the store.

While the 10 employees stocked the store in the previous eight days, Burdick said five or six people stopped by daily, inquiring about a job.

When the company sought a building permit for the changes on the building it told the village it expected to spend $140,000 on interior changes and improvements at the former Rite Aid.

Advance has nearby sites in Brockport, Batavia and Lockport.

The Albion store will be open everyday. For more information, call the store at 589-2101.

Advance enters an Albion market that already had three auto parts stores with Arnold’s, Napa and Auto Zone.

DOT makes repairs to lift bridge in Knowlesville

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – The lift bridge in Knowlesville was closed beginning on Wednesday this week so workers could make some repairs. It looked like a crew was working on the deck of the bridge this afternoon.

The bridge was on a 6-ton weight restriction and was limited to one lane. Those restrictions will remain when the bridge reopens in about 10 days, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Erie Canal Aqueduct in Medina

Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

MEDINA – The post card shown here was mailed on Nov. 27, 1905. It depicts the Oak Orchard Creek flowing under the old Erie Canal Aqueduct in Medina.

This is looking north down the creek where just on the other side of the aqueduct it tumbles over the Medina Falls. Note the depth of the canal over the arch.

Albion home is a step back in time

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jean Smith stands in front of the Hardie-Blake House, where she has lived since 1957 on West State Street in Albion.

The carriage step with the inscription “1875” used to be in front of the house but was moved back by a carriage barn before Jean and her husband Ed moved in more than a half century ago.

ALBION – When Jean and Ed Smith moved to a Victorian house on West State Street in 1957, the couple quickly fell in love with the historic features of the property, including a carriage step in the back yard.

The house was originally built in 1830 as a much smaller home. It was expanded in 1875 and turned into a home of Victorian splendor.

It was in the Hardie-Blake family until 1962, when the Smiths bought it from Francis Blake. (For five years prior the Smiths rented the house.)

When they bought the property there was an apartment as part of the house. The Smiths took that out and worked for decades to restore the site. A finishing touch came 12 years ago when the Smiths put a sign on the front of the home, “The Hardie-Blake House.”

When the Smiths bought the house, Mr. Smith told Francis Blake the Smiths would honor the Hardie and Blake families with the house. The Smiths lovingly cared for the home, raising three daughters and welcoming seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren to explore the grand old house. The sign was Mr. Smith’s idea.

“We kept our promise to Francis to name the house after him,” Mrs. Smith told me on Thursday when I stopped by. “Francis grew up here and he loved this house.”

I visited Jean because I heard about the carriage step she had in back. I like old hitching posts and carriage steps. I saw Jean at the polls on Tuesday. She works as an election commissioner. We made a date for Thursday to talk about the house and the carriage step.

The step is next to a carriage house in a herringbone style, which Mrs. Smith said is unusual. When she and her husband moved to the site it still had the buggies in the barn. The previous owner took them out when the Smiths bought the property.

When Ed and Jean moved in in 1957, the carriage step was already moved out back. It originally was next to the street. It bears the inscription “1875.” These old steps are heavy and this one has sunk into the ground a few inches, covering the bottom part of the letters.

Jean said the her children and other kids in the neighborhood often gravitated to the carriage step.

“Little kids loved to play on that in the way that little kids do,” she said. “They like to step up and step down.”

The Smiths put a bird feeder on the top of the stone. The base is still there. The carriage step is next to barn that was once used as a carriage house for buggies and horses.

Smith displays a blue star in her window to signify she has family serving in the military.

Jean and Ed were hoping to get the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But Mr. Smith was killed in an accident, crossing Main Street on the way to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

Mr. Smith loved local history. He led tours of the Catholic Church and served as parish’s unofficial historian.

“We really enjoyed putting this house back together,” Mrs. Smith said.

She lives down the street from where Grace Bedell grew up in Albion She’s the girl who wrote Abraham Lincoln, urging him to grow a beard. He took her advice.

Smith believes many of the old houses in Albion have interesting stories and architectural features. She would like to see a walking guide developed that give people a glimpse into the history of the community.

She has visited other places, communities with less historical assets as Albion. But many of these other towns proclaim their heritage, she said.

“There is so much in this town that we should be proud of and that we could include on a walking tour,” she said. “I think we’re really missing out.”

The carriage step is heavy and has sunk into the ground over the years. When her children were growing up, Smith said they loved to play on the step, going up and down.

Glorious sky provides nice wake up this morning

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The sun rises over the railroad tracks looking east from the Clarendon Street bridge this morning in Albion.

I rushed out to get a few photos after my 9-year-old son came downstairs exclaiming about the colors in the sky at 7 this morning. He instructed me to “go take a picture.”

New path to a grand old site

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – A Crew was out today putting in a new driveway for Fairhaven Treasures, a site at the southeast intersection of routes 98 and 104. The new driveway will be on 98.

The property owners, Ray and Linda Burke, have been transforming the former Swiercznski homestead into an art gallery and high-end craft co-op. The Burkes are hoping to open the site to the public on Nov. 29, a day after Thanksgiving.

DOT will close 2-mile stretch of Parkway for winter

Posted 7 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release, New York State DOT

CARLTON – The New York State Department of Transportation will close a 2-mile portion of the Lake Ontario State Parkway between Lakeside Beach State Park and Route 98 in the town of Carlton for the winter months effective Nov. 12.

The highway will be re-opened upon conclusion of the winter weather next spring. The same section was closed last winter.

Motorists will be directed to use Route 18 as a parallel detour route. Electronic message boards were placed this week to inform motorists of the upcoming closure.

BOCES leader named NY’s top superintendent

Posted 7 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Dr. Clark J. Godshall

Press release, New York State Council of School Superintendents

ALBANY – The leader of the Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Dr. Clark Godshall, has been named the 2014 New York State School Superintendent of the Year.

Godshall was honored by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

“Dr. Godshall is a nationally recognized school leader and an international advocate for students,” said Council President Mary Beth R. Fiore, superintendent of Elmira Heights Central School. “He is an experienced and involved leader on the local, state and national level, always keeping children’s interests at the center of his decision-making while seeking optimum efficiencies for his component school districts.”

She praised Godshall, calling him a recognized expert on educational service agencies, school finance and effective school district governance.

As the NY Superintendent of the Year, Godshall now becomes New York’s candidate for national superintendent of the year, to be awarded at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. in February 2014.

“I am immensely honored and humbled by this award,” Godshall said. “To be named New York Superintendent of the Year is a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work by the local school boards, staff, teachers and support teams across the Orleans/Niagara BOCES service area. The Orleans/Niagara BOCES, our component school districts and the communities we serve strongly support what it takes to make a difference in providing quality public schools. I’m honored to represent all of them and my superintendent colleagues in New York State who have dedicated their lives to this work.”

Dr. Godshall was nominated for the New York Superintendent of the Year by Orleans/Niagara BOCES School Board President Becky Albright.

“Dr. Godshall is a role model for all educational leaders,” Albright said. “His expertise, talent and creativity are examples to other educators, parents, community members and students.”

Godshall has served as the District Superintendent of the Orleans/Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services for the past 14 years. He started with the local BOCES 24 years ago and served as assistant superintendent for 10 years. He started his career as a science teacher at Hilton.

The Orleans/Niagara BOCES serves 38,000 students. It is consistently ranked as one of the top BOCES in the state.

In honoring Godshall, the Council of Superintendents noted these details about the Orleans/Niagara BOCES:

Operates the third largest career and technical education BOCES and regional summer school in New York State;

Career and technical education graduation rate is consistently more than 93 percent and the BOCES exceeds the state and national average student performance with over 161 students receiving their Technical Endorsement Seal;

Orleans/Niagara BOCES is the only BOCES in New York State to receive frequent national recognition for their fiscal management from ASBO International and Government Finance Officers’ Association;

The current LPN program had a 100 percent passing rate for the Test of Essential Academic Skills;

Their Adult Literacy Program is ranked number one in New York State.It is had grown from 500 to 3,000 and served over 2,000 people this year alone.

While at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, Godshall has worked with his team to:

Standardize programs against state and national benchmarks to align with state and federal standards while using data to effectively monitor students’ progress and success.

Develop an effective continuum of services for students with special needs focused on main-streaming, integrated classrooms and ensuring that service follows needs.

Expand program offerings to include new programs – Baking, Fashion Design/Interior Design, Certified Personal Trainer and Heavy Equipment/Diesel/Agricultural Mechanical programs.

Offer over 80 collegiate articulation agreements for high school students to gain higher education credit prior to graduation.

Supports a high school alternative education program enabling at-risk students to graduate with a Regents and Advanced Regents diplomas.

Promote the importance of shared services to maximize local school districts capacity to offer shared administrators, employee benefits’ consortiums, energy and purchasing co-ops, shared media and printing services, along with safety services to both schools and other agencies.

Broaden the eco-friendly focus through an increase in energy savings programs; installation of systems to shut down all computers and control building temperatures.

Conducted and facilitated over 50 professional administrator searches on behalf of regional districts.

Broaden communication to reach more people through an enhanced website and the use of Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Facilitate a variety of partnerships with businesses, civic organizations, hospitals, and governmental organizations to collaborate on the provision of services and supports for students.

Develop fiscally responsible budgets, yielding one of the lowest average budget increases over the past four years, while preserving or enhancing programs in the face of spiraling reductions in state aid. Continually recognized as a state model of financial management for a school entity.

Construct and renovate facilities, all on schedule and under budget, including new component district special educational space in centralized locations.

4 town races are too close to call

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 November 2013 at 2:02 am

Absentees will be opened on Nov. 12 to determine winners

Four races in town elections are too close to name a winner until the absentee ballots are all opened. That will happen on Nov. 12 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Board of Elections office.

Of the four races, the Albion town supervisor contest is the closest. Jake Olles is ahead of Matt Passarell by 1 vote, 476-475. Both candidates are town councilmen vying to replace Dennis Stirk, who didn’t seek re-election.

The BOE has received 46 absentees in the race, but Election Commissioner Dennis Piedimonte said more may have been mailed in on Tuesday.

In Barre, it was also close in the race to succeed Alan Jones as town justice. Richard DeCarlo Jr. has a nine-vote lead over Rick Root, 205 to 196, with about 20 absentees to be counted.

Two races for highway superintendent are also very close. In Carlton, incumbent David Krull is ahead of Paul Snook, 403 to 394 with 48 absentees to be counted.

In Ridgeway, Ray Wendling has an eight-vote lead, 570 to 562, over incumbent Mark Goheen. There are 33 absentees out.