By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2013 at 12:00 am
The cover of “Unknown Museums of Upstate New York” includes a photo of the Cobblestone Universalist Church in Gaines, which is part of the Cobblestone Society Museum.
The Cobblestone Society Museum, which includes several historic structures, has been trying to raise its profile in recent years so more people could experience the oldest cobblestone church in North America and other buildings at the museum.
A new book about 50 museums in Upstate New York includes a picture on the cover of the Cobblestone Universalist Church, which is the centerpiece of the museum complex near the routes 98 and 104 intersection. The church was built in 1834.
The book introduces readers to “unknown museums.” Chuck D’Imperio, the author of several books about Upstate New York, wrote his latest book as a guide to 50 “treasures” that tell unappreciated stories of the state’s history.
In “Unknown Museums of Upstate New York,” D’Imperio writes about the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, the Kazoo Museum, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage and Museum.
Syracuse University Press published the book. I spotted it earlier today in Bindings Bookstore in Albion. Click here for more information on the book.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2013 at 12:00 am
CRFS leader has built growing company with 650 employees
Jodi Gaines
ALBION – A company that has grown into Orleans County’s largest private employer did not exist until 11 years ago when Jodi Gaines started the business from her kitchen table.
Gaines would start Claims Recovery Financial Services, a company that has become the leader in its industry, helping banks and investors recoup money when a home is foreclosed. Gaines and her 650 employees are committed to knowing the industry regulations in all 50 states and meeting all deadlines for clients.
Her employees work with attorneys, county clerks, utility companies and investors from all over the country. CRFS works to recover past-due interest, unpaid principal, unpaid taxes and unpaid insurance on houses.
The company’s commitment to clients has CRFS in expansion mode, growing from 150 workers in the fall of 2011 to 320 a year ago. In the past year, the company has opened a location in Medina, where it has 230 workers. There are 300 CRFS employees in Albion, and another 80 work in San Antonio.
Gaines and the company have had a critical impact on Orleans County’s economy, and for hundreds of families. Her drive to build a vibrant company, and her years of community service, have earned her a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m extremely grateful and humbled for my family and employees,” Gaines said during a phone interview while she attended a conference in Dallas earlier this week.
She is often traveling, meeting with clients and speaking at conferences, where she is recognized as an industry expert and leader.
Gaines credits the CRFS management team and her dedicated employees for the company’s success. During different growth opportunities, she has been wooed to move the company out of state. But she said the employees in Orleans County, with their high standards, are irreplaceable.
Gaines witnessed that commitment to the job while she worked at the former Anchor Savings Bank and Dime Bank in Albion. When she started the new company, some of her former co-workers were quick to join her and help the company take off.
“I knew this would work in Albion,” she said about the company’s early days. “It was all about the people. I saw their work ethic and the pride of the people in Orleans County. The people around me are absolutely wonderful. They work incredibly hard. We don’t go home until the job is done.”
Claims Recovery was the Chamber’s Business of the Year in 2012, when the company more than doubled its workforce. Gaines and CRFS pulled that off again this year, again doubling the employees.
Gaines still manages to be involved in community service. She is a member of the board of directors for the Orleans County United Way. She also was involved in the Albion youth soccer program for many years.
With the United Way, Gaines said the organization teams with agencies to provide a lift for residents who may be down on their luck.
Gaines said she is thrilled to be part of the United Way and CRFS, organizations that are providing opportunities for people “to grow and be successful.”
“I have a great management team and an incredibly supportive family,” she said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – New York Revolution, a grass-roots organization that formed after the state passed an anti-gun law in January, has rallied public opposition against the SAFE Act by attending many community events, including the Lyndonville Fourth of July parade, as shown in this photo.
Nine months ago the group didn’t exist. Now it has secured resolutions from the 10 Town Boards, four Village Boards and the Orleans County Legislature all in opposition to the state’s new anti-gun law.
New York Revolution also is mounting a voter registration drive. The organization wants citizens to be more involved in the political process at the local, state and national levels. A big goal: voting out Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his re-election effort next year.
Cuomo pushed the SAFE Act through the state Legislature in January, a process that many have decried because there weren’t public hearings. Many detractors also say the law is unconstitutional, an attack on Second Amendment gun rights.
Gia Arnold of Holley was outraged when the law was passed. The 23-year-old mother of three young children helped form the New York Revolution, and coordinated a SAFE Act protest by the county courthouse in April. She has become the state leader of NY Revolution and has attended gun rights rallies throughout the state.
She also has been working to secure the resolutions from the local governments, believing a unified front in Orleans would send a message to Cuomo that the law is roundly opposed in Orleans. She hopes other counties will follow suit.
“We are very proud we got them all,” Arnold said this morning. “It’s a big accomplishment for Orleans County and I hope Gov. Cuomo will take notice.”
Medina and Lyndonville villages were the last to go on record against the SAFE Act. Those Village Boards voted on Monday.
Arnold has been busy in recent months, attending government meetings, parades and gun clubs, trying to mobilize residents against what she said is an unconstitutional law.
“When the law was passed in January, I told my husband we couldn’t stay quiet any longer,” Arnold said. “There are too many people staying under the radar. We need to make our voices heard.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2013 at 12:00 am
YMCA director has organization on new path
Photos by Tom Rivers – Jeff Winters, executive director of the Orleans County YMCA in Medina, has led the organization to profitability, a big increase in membership, and the start of a $400,000 capital campaign.
MEDINA – It was 2010 and Jeff Winters had a law degree and a good job. He was only 27 with a bright future ahead of him.
But Winters dreaded his new career, the long hours of paperwork and what felt like detachment from regular folks.
So three years ago, Winters walked away from that life and took a job as executive director of the Orleans County YMCA in Medina. The organization ran at an $80,000 annual deficit, operated out of a historic building in need of significant repairs, and had a modest membership base.
Winters, now 30, has led a transformation of the local Y, with membership doubling to 2,400. The Y has made a concerted effort to expand outside of Medina, by running youth programs in Albion and Lyndonville, which has resulted in a big boost of program participants.
“We got back to the basics, focusing on good customer service and programs,” Winters said.
The organization is now profitable. The Y put a new roof on its historic site in Medina, the former Armory on Pearl Street. It has new cardio equipment, treadmills and other exercise equipment.
It has raised $275,000 towards a $400,000 capital campaign, which will increase handicapped accessibility of the facility and add a vestibule and two unisex bathrooms and shower areas inside. The lobby will be expanded for social areas for coffee and conversation. A “Child Watch” room and group exercise room will be added.
Jeff Winters is pictured with some of the new exercise equipment recently added to the Orleans County YMCA.
The transformation of the Y earned Winters the Chamber of Commerce’s “Community Service Award.” Winters, a Medina native, said the honor should be a group award because many community members have diligently worked to keep the Y in the county.
The Orleans County Y used to be known as the Lake Plains YMCA before the organization joined the GLOW Y, which has sites in Batavia and Warsaw. The decision to join the multi-county Y likely saved the Y in Orleans County, giving the Medina-based program access to more resources, Winters said.
Scott Taylor is the leader of the GLOW Y. He said Winters has done a remarkable job in three years.
“He has a passion to help others in the community,” Taylor said. “He has grown the programs, done fund-raising and worked on the capitol project.”
Winters took a significant pay cut to join the Y, but he said he doesn’t have any regrets. He is happy to be working in his hometown of Medina, connecting with people of all ages.
“When I was hired at 27, it was a leap of faith on my part and also on their part,” he said.
The YMCA has been running programs out of the former Medina Armory for about 30 years. The site was built in 1901 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Winters, a 2000 Medina grad, was an offensive lineman for Medina’s varsity football team and played catcher on the baseball team. He played baseball for four years at Ithaca College before earning his law degree at the University at Buffalo. He was working as a lawyer, but found he didn’t enjoy writing legalese.
“I consider myself a people person and I missed the people,” he said. “This job has definitely aligned all of my passions.”
Winters like sports and business. With the Y position, he has been able to combine many of those interests in leading the organization.
He praised a team of employees that has grown from 13 three years ago to 47 now. The Y has been reinvigorated by many new volunteers who are looking for ways for the Y to engage the community.
One new program starts on Sept. 28. The Y wants to tap a growing movement for 5K races through obstacles and mud. Many of these races draw hundreds of participants. The Y is planning its debut “Mud Run” on Sept. 28 beginning at the Sacred Heart Club with the first waves of runners at 11 a.m. The course includes three farms and the Erie Canal.
Participants will slip and slide down a muddy hill, climb hay bales and carry wood, as well as maneuver through other challenges.
“We’re always trying new things and taking some risks,” Winters said.
Winters and the other Chamber winners will be honored Saturday during a banquet at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville. The event is open to the public. Tickets are available by calling the Chamber at 589-7727.
Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
GAINES – An Albion man was injured last night when the motorcycle he was operating collided with a deer.
Luis R. Soto-Thomas, 45, was riding solo on his 2002 Harley-Davidson MC travelling north when a deer ran onto the roadway and into his path. After the collision, he and the machine became separated. Both slid an additional 225 feet before coming to rest on the east shoulder of the roadway.
Soto-Thomas was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight helicopter with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
The incident occurred at about 8 p.m., in the 2900 block of Gaines Road (State Route 279) in the town of Gaines.
Soto-Thomas was cited for aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree and operation without a license. He will appear in Town of Gaines Court at a later date pending his recovery.
The incident was investigated by Deputy J.J. Cole, assisted by Deputy K.J. Colonna and Sergeant G.T. Gunkler.
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School has been awarded a $100,000 New York State Performance Improvement Grant.
The district was a recipient last year, and in order to qualify for funding this year, Lyndonville had to demonstrate significant academic gains and growth, as well as meeting the goals of the grant.
The Performance Improvement Grant is used to support Lyndonville’s mission of ensuring that its students are college and career ready. Specifically, the grant will be used to support the AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) Program. AVID is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase school-wide learning and performance.
The AVID College Readiness System (ACRS) accelerates student learning, uses research based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic reform and change.
“This second year of grant funding will allow our district to continue to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our students as well as meaningful professional development for our teachers,” said Jason Smith, superintendent of schools.
Anne Marie Holland, director of Special Programs for the district, said the grant gives teachers additional staff development in AVID strategies, and will increase college opportunities for students.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2013 at 12:00 am
7 houses and cobblestone church will be on tour
Photos by Tom Rivers – This home owned by Ken and Mary Anne Braunbach on Zig-Zag Road in Gaines will be part of a tour of cobblestone houses on Saturday.
The Cobblestone Universalist Church on Route 104 was built in 1834. It’s part of a museum that is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with that designation.
GAINES – Between 1825 and 1860, early settlers in Orleans County, many of them farmers or quarry workers, used round stones on the exterior walls of their houses.
They set the stones in rows, using lime mortar. The buildings have proved durable, and unique to western and central New York where about 900 cobblestone structures still stand.
Orleans County has about 100 of them, including the Cobblestone Universalist Church built in 1834. That church and a house next door will be part of a tour this Saturday that also includes six other historic cobblestone homes.
The tour is a fund-raiser for the Cobblestone Society Museum. It also provides the public a chance to compare the masonry and architectural features of the buildings, and see how the property owners have worked to preserve the interiors or to make some modifications. Organizers believe this is the first local historic home tour that exclusively features cobblestone buildings.
Mary Anne Braunbach serves on the museum board of directors. Her home on Zig-Zag Road will be on the tour.
Braunbach and her husband Ken are both retired teachers from the Lockport school district. Braunbach, an Albion native, was looking for a house in the country about 19 years ago. She and her husband were looking for a house in either Middleport or Medina to stay close to Lockport.
Then they saw the house on Zig-Zag. It needed some work, but the two teachers liked the history behind the house, which was built in the 1840s.
They have filled it with antiques and other pieces that have a connection to the community. Braunbach also owns a historic downtown building. When she was cleaning out the basement of 138 North Main St., she found three empty glass bottles of beer from the 1800s. She cleaned the bottles and has them on display in her house.
She also has been collecting containers from the 1800s that were used to transport goods by canal boats. Those salt glaze pottery jugs were used to send hard cider great distances. Other containers held grains.
Braunbach has other local historical pieces, including artwork about the canal, including the Main Street lift bridge.
“This home is full of sentimentality,” she said. “That’s why I love this house so much. It has a story. I’m proud to be part of the area’s history.”
Cobblestone home builders set round stones in mortar as part of the exterior walls.
Braunbach and her husband put a cedar addition on the back of the house. People know they enjoy local history. One friend gave them a hitching post. They bought another one, giving their property three of those artifacts from the horse-and-buggy era. They believe one by the road is an original from more than a century ago.
The Braunbachs hope the house endures as a historic site for years to come. Mrs. Braunbach is exploring having it on the National Register of Historic Places.
Other houses on the tour include the Ward House owned by the The Cobblestone Society Museum, Bullard-Lattin House owned by C.W. “Bill” Lattin, Burgess House owned by Theresa Ames, Steward House owned by Sheri Egeli, Blood House owned by Dennis and Beth Thompson, and the Tolford House owned by William and Cecelia Feldman.
The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advance sale tickets are available at the Hoag Library and the Cobblestone Society Museum. On Saturday, tour programs and day-of-tour tickets will be available for pickup at the library and the Cobblestone Society Museum. Call (585) 356-5532 for more information.
The Braunbachs’ property includes three historic hitching posts. This one is unusual with its cube shape.
(Editor’s note: John Ulmen, a member of the U.S. Navy, gave this speech during the Sept. 11 memorial service on Wednesday at the Elk’s Club in Albion.)
Honored dignitaries, members of the military, ladies and gentlemen. My name is John Ulmen. Since that terrible day 12 years ago, I joined and serve in the Naval Reserve. In 2007 I was called to serve a 14-month mobilization to active duty. Seven months of that tour were spent at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, where my Seabee regiment contributed to the rebuilding of that shattered nation.
Whatever your position on our war on terrorism, it is always been a uniting factor for us Americans to display our compassion, to give aid, and to value the lives of others. That is what differentiates us from the terrorists, who use religion to mask their evil. Today we observe a solemn sacred pause in our daily routine. The attacks of that day served only to unite us, much like the attack on Pearl Harbor did. Flags displayed at the rubble of ground zero inspired and reminded us all of what unites us, and we responded with a sea of flags displayed throughout the nation, and we delivered swift retribution to those responsible.
That day showed that it doesn’t matter what uniform an American wears, whether they be first responders, EMT’s firemen, policemen, military or citizen. All stood prepared to give their all, and tragically, too many did. There is no greater honor for me than to serve this great country, and to salute all others who have likewise served, and especially to those who have laid down their lives for her like our brave citizens that dark day.
Coming from a military family, I learned at a young age how fortunate I was to be an American, by seeing and appreciating those who stood the watch and guarded our safety. I have proudly instilled my love for my country into my children, one of which presently serves in the Navy. I know they will pass on our love of America to theirs.
As I speak there are U.S. forces deployed around the world, some performing critical missions, some mundane everyday tasks. I can tell you that today, wherever they may be, they feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that they are standing the watch for all of you, and that we recognize and appreciate your support. It has been my privilege to serve you.
So, let us pause and reflect on what it actually takes and what it has taken to preserve our great nation. For the firemen, police, medical personnel, and our military and general citizenry who have sacrificed and still do, and to the sacred graves of those who have paid the ultimate cost, let us honor them and let us never forget to teach our children to observe and appreciate the meaning of this day and the cost of freedom.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Apples await to be picked at an Orleans County orchard. After a disastrous 2012, New York fruit growers are poised for a record harvest this year.
Press release
NY Apple Association
The apple harvest is now officially underway across the state of New York, from the lower Hudson Valley to the upper Champlain Valley and throughout Orleans County – and growers are harvesting a record crop, the New York Apple Association reports.
The state’s nearly 700 apple growers are expected to pick about 32 million bushels by the time harvest concludes in November, a modern record.
Last year’s crop was decimated by late spring frosts that killed many tree buds. The 2012 crop was 17.1 million bushels. New York’s average production is 29.5 million bushels of apples.
Excellent weather conditions – beginning during this year’s bloom and growing season, and continuing into harvest so far – mean that this year’s fruit will be large and juicy, with high natural sugars. Meanwhile, recent new plantings mean that consumers will find more of the New York state apple varieties that they love.
“Good news, New York state apple fans: This year’s apple harvest is on time, and is now in full swing across New York state,” said NYAA President Jim Allen. “Our consumers who have been waiting for us to get back into the market after last year’s short crop will have lots to celebrate this fall.”
Harvest of New York’s top variety McIntosh is now underway in the eastern part of the state and will soon be harvesting statewide, Allen reported. Harvest of all other varieties, including consumer favorites including Zestar, Gala and HoneyCrisp, also has started across the state.
Farm markets across the state are now stocked with new-crop fruit and fresh apple cider, and retail stores are stocking their shelves. Pick-your-own orchards are also open statewide, offering wholesome, healthy family fun.
NYAA’s consulting dietitian also celebrated arrival of the new crop as the state’s schoolchildren head back to class.
“Apples are the perfect addition to every school lunch,” said Linda Quinn, MS, RD. “Their natural sweetness comes packaged with a big serving of fiber so that fuel is released to the body more slowly, giving your child healthy energy while leaving her feeling fuller for longer.”
To promote this year’s crop, NYAA has enlisted Rochester native and international soccer star Abby Wambach. In July, Wambach became the women’s world record holder for career goals scored. Television and radio commercials featuring Abby are airing now. She will also be featured in in-store signage starting later this fall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County municipalities have different ways of enforcing building and property maintenance codes, which can be confusing to residents and businesses who want consistency across the county, said District Attorney Joseph Cardone.
He spoke to the County Legislature on Wednesday, asking the group to be part of a county-wide meeting with village and town officials about establishing consistency in code enforcement.
Cardone’s office prosecutes some of the code infractions. The code enforcement officers also go to court for code violations.
Legislature Chairman David Callard said he supported a push for more consistency in enforcement across the county. Cardone said many of the towns and villages have common code definitions, but they are interpreted differently by some code officers and municipalities.
The upcoming code enforcement meeting could also raise the prospect of county-wide code enforcement. In Wyoming County, a county about the same population as Orleans, the county handles county enforcement, which results in more uniformity throughout the county.
Cardone is reaching out to towns and villages, and offered to coordinate any meetings about the issue.
