By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Two weeks ago the village opened a new farmers market on East Bank Street in downtown Albion. It lasted two Sundays.
The Village Board voted on Friday to shut down the market due to “safety concerns.” Only one vendor, Vendetti Farms of Murray, had been at the site for the first two weeks.
Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti, the brother of the farm owner, was managing the market and was there from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays. Vendetti said the market was building a customer base, and he was hopeful more farms would join.
Vendetti has some enemies in the village, including an Albion couple currently in a lawsuit with the village over a certificate of occupancy. That couple has been disruptive at the market, videotaping customers, Vendetti and the farm staff, Mayor Dean Theodorakos said.
“I worry that continuance of the market may result in escalation of bad behaviors, thus the decision to close for safety concerns,” the mayor said this morning. “I still believe the market is a great idea for downtown and hope we can bring it back next year.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2013 at 12:00 am
POINT BREEZE – The sun cast an array of colors while setting last night at Lake Ontario. Jerome Pawlak of Albion was at Point Breeze and took this photo of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.
I’ve seen a lot of photos of the lighthouse since it was erected in 2010, and I think this is the best one. Thank you to Jerome for sharing it.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2013 at 12:00 am
CARLTON – Candidates for Carlton town offices met with Carlton Democrats last night, seeking the party’s support for the Nov. 5 election. But only one Republican, who currently isn’t a town official, received Democratic Party support.
Incumbent Town Clerk Pam Rush and her GOP challenger Lea Olles both asked Democrats to back them. But during a party caucus at the home of Aggie Recco, 37 Democrats didn’t reach a majority of support for the clerk candidates. In fact, there were more no votes than votes of support for the candidates, said Jeanne Crane, a Carlton Democrat and chairwoman of the Orleans County Democratic Party.
The Carlton Democrats also declined to support either Highway Superintendent David Krull or his challenger Paul Snook, Sr.
The Democrats did support one Republican, Bilal Huzair, for Town Board. Huzair is endorsed by the Conservative Party and also will be in a Republican Primary on Sept. 10 against incumbent Republicans Joyce Harris and Jim Shoemaker.
Democrats also backed a member of their own party, Doug Hart, for a Town Board seat.
Crane said the crowd of Democrats for the party caucus was the most she can recall.
She said the controversy over town-wide reassessments, which ignited an uproar from residents this spring, has many residents watching town government closely.
“Carlton this year is the hotbed,” she said.
The Republican candidates for town clerk, highway superintendent and Town Board will square off in a Primary on Sept. 10. The general election will be Nov. 5.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – About 20 volunteers are regulars at the Orleans County Animal Shelter, feeding animals, taking dogs for walks, socializing cats and performing other duties. Three of the volunteers include, from left: Gina Smith of Hilton, and Joette and Bill McHugh of Albion. They are pictured with Zurie, a Shar-Pei/Lab mix.
ALBION – Joette McHugh stops by each pen in the Orleans County Animal Shelter, and she leans over and calls each and every dog by name.
Many of them lick her fingers. They wag their tails in delight. When she visits the cats in a separate room, they also are greeted by their names, such as “Jennipurr.”
McHugh is lead volunteer at the animal shelter. She and her husband Bill are among a dedicated corps of 20 volunteers who help to feed the animals, walk dogs, play with cats and clean cages.
“These animals need us,” she said while giving a tour of the shelter on Thursday evening. “They’re safe here. They’re given food and love. That’s all any animal ever asks for is love and we give it to them.”
In the past five years, the volunteers and county have adopted out 1,200 animals from the shelter, including dogs, cats and rabbits. On Saturday, the shelter will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the adoption program.
There will be an open house and yard sale as part of the celebration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the corner of routes 98 and 31A in Barre. The site used to be Starrview Kennels until the county bought it and made it the county animal shelter in May 2006.
Right now there are six dogs and 14 cats at the shelter, “but tomorrow it could totally change” with an influx of strays, Mrs. McHugh said.
Volunteers staff the shelter for the public to see the animals from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
The animals up for adoption are also posted on two web sites: www.petango.com/OCAdoptions and www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY650.html.
McHugh praised the county government and community for establishing the improved shelter and for monetary support and pet supplies.
Contributed Story Posted 23 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion native performs cabaret show at Studio B
Photos by Michael Karcz
ALBION – Kailey Winans returned to Albion tonight for a cabaret show with her former choir teacher and musical director Gary Simboli.
They performed “Dare to Dream” at Studio B and Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. Kailey started her cabaret life nearly a year ago. The show she performs, “Dare to Dream,” was put together by Winans using songs and stories to tell about her journey through college with all of its ups and downs.
Winans went to Wagner College in Staten Island, and afterward moved to Manhattan. Simboli not only accompanied Winans, but he added some stories and songs from his own college experience.
Kailey debuted her Dare to Dream cabaret at the prestigious Don’t Tell Mama in New York City in August 2012.
Contributed Story Posted 23 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Michael Whiting of Whiting’s Village Studio – Dylan DeSmit, left, and Taylor Whittier give an enthusiastic performance during last night’s final concert for Above the Fog, a band that started seven years ago.
Chad DeSmit plays the guitar.
ALBION – Above the Fog played its final concert last night outside Hoag Library in Albion. The band includes lead singer Taylor Whittier and the DeSmit brothers – Dylan, Chad and Alex. The band has been performing together for seven years and has starred at many local venues.
The musicians still expect to make an impact on the local music scene.
Alex DeSmit, the youngest of the DeSmit brothers, plays the drums during Above the Fog’s farewell concert.
Dylan DeSmit plays the guitar and also has been a songwriter and vocalist for the band. Taylor Whittier has been the band’s high-energy lead singer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kyle Heuer is pictured with his father Karl today at a dental practice Karl helped start 38 years ago.
ALBION – In his junior year of college at Notre Dame University, Kyle Heuer knew what he wanted in a dream job.
His fellow accounting majors were relishing careers in Chicago, New York City and other major metros in the country.
But Heuer wanted to come back to Albion and work as a dentist alongside his father, Karl.
The dream came true last month when Kyle started as a dentist in his hometown. He and his father work out of 313 South Main St. Karl has been a dentist in Albion for 38 years. His son joined him in the practice on July 22.
“I definitely wanted to be here,” Kyle said today. “I wanted to be with my family and friends. I still have a lot of close buddies who live in Albion.”
Kyle earned an accounting degree from Notre Dame, and then attended the University at Buffalo Dentistry School. His father is a graduate of both schools. Kyle completed a residency at the VA Medical Center in Buffalo. There he learned the art of pulling teeth, performing root canals and other oral surgery. And this for a kid who fainted at the sight of blood in biology class.
Kyle’s skill at oral surgery has allowed the Heuer dental practice to do more extractions and surgeries. Patients sometimes had to have those procedures done in Lockport, Batavia or Rochester.
“Now we’re doing them all here,” Karl said. “People don’t have to drive out of town anymore.”
Kyle enjoys the science behind dentistry and he said there is an element of art in reshaping a tooth that has a filling. He likes to see patients leave pain-free and often smiling.
It has taken some getting used to, working on the teeth of his former teachers and parents of friends. But Kyle said he is grateful to be home, working in a small town where there is a sense of connectedness.
When his father moved to Albion 38 years ago, Karl said the community was declared an underserved area because there were so few dentists. Karl and his friend A.J. Monacelli worked together at a site on Hazard Parkway. They were there for four years until moving to the site on South Main Street. Monacelli would later start his own practice at the corner on Main Street and Allen Road.
Heuer said the community’s dental health is “drastically better” these days. When he started, he was pulling decayed teeth on people in their 20s. He believes the public is much better educated about dental health, and they brush their teeth and floss, helping to ward off decay. He also credits the vast expansion of public water lines for improving dental health because of the access to fluoridated water.
One other contributor: Sesame Street. Children’s shows often feature kids going to dentists and that has helped children to feel more comfortable sitting in the big dental chairs and having their teeth checked, Heuer said.
Karl has witnessed another major change in his career: dental insurance. Many of his patients used to work at Kodak, Rochester Products and Harrison Radiator, major companies with generous dental insurance coverage.
There are less high-paying jobs for his patients these days, and many companies don’t offer dental insurance, or the insurance only pays a portion of the costs.
Karl and Kyle say there is a shift in dentistry, with more clinics opening where dentists are employees and often the owner of the business is not on site and isn’t known to the public. The clinics often operate multiple sites, given them buying power advantages for equipment and supplies.
“You’ll probably see less and less family dental businesses down the road,” Karl said.
His wife has worked with her husband for years. She is the receptionist. There are four other employees in addition to the Heuers.
Karl six years ago was diagnosed with colon cancer, a disease that kept him out of work for nine months. He praised Sandra Chang, a former dentist at the site, for keeping the practice going during his illness.
Karl said he has no plans to retire anytime soon. Right now the father and son are enjoying work together, and sharing lunch breaks.
“I can’t picture working anywhere else,” Kyle said.
BERGEN – Officials from four Orleans County school districts met with a high-ranking leader in the state Education Department on Tuesday. The meeting at Byron-Bergen Central School was arranged by State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia).
State Deputy Secretary for Education De’Shawn Wright met with more than 20 local school superintendents and Board of Education members, including leaders from Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville school districts.
The gathering provided local education leaders with an opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions on the challenges facing schools and teachers in Western New York, as well as what the state must do to improve local education.
“The fact that the governor sent such a high-ranking education official to our community shows that our calls for fair aid allocation and greater control of our schools are being heard,” Hawley said. “Issues such as Common Core, mandate relief, special education programs, and eliminating the Triborough Amendment, Gap Elimination Adjustment and frivolous lawsuits were examined.”
“The local education leaders in attendance did a terrific job of illustrating to Deputy Secretary Wright the need for equitable school aid regardless of geographic location or socio-economic status,” Hawley said. “The meeting helped make the point to the highest levels of the State Education Department that children in low-wealth school districts deserve the same opportunities as kids in wealthier areas. I thank Deputy Secretary Wright for taking the time to travel to our community as well as all of the local education leaders who did such a tremendous job showing how much Western New York cares for its students.”
POINT BREEZE – The post card view seen here was taken in the 1930s at Point Breeze in the town of Carlton. To the left we notice Robert Taylor’s Boat Livery, Bait – Fishing Tackle and Fish Market Shanty.
To the right is Dad Parmelee’s Shanty for boat rental and bait. In the background is the Oak Orchard Harbor. The Parmelee Business was located where the present boat launch is today just west of the Black North restaurant.
This postcard was sold through the H.P. Hawks Rexall Drug Store in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Brian Bouchard, an engineer with CHA in Syracuse, talks with the Village of Albion Planning Board about the site plan for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion.
The site plan for the new store shows 46 parking spaces and two driveway entrances for the Dunkin’, which would be 2,000 square feet plus a 230-square-foot freezer.
ALBION – Dunkin’ Donuts could have a warehouse knocked down in October and a new restaurant open in Albion in January, an engineer working on the project told the Village Planning Board on Wednesday.
Dunkin’ has submitted a site plan for a 2,000-square-foot store in Albion at 153 South Main St., between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks. The new store would have 30 seats inside, 46 parking spaces, a 230-square-foot freezer next to the building, and a drive-through lane that could accommodate 10 vehicles.
The property would have exits on both Main and Platt streets. The project doesn’t need any sign variances from the village. Dunkin’ is seeking one sign on the building and a monument sign out in front by Main Street. There would be small directional arrows on Platt Street. Dunkin’ has tried to follow the village code to ensure the project moves forward without delays, said Brian Bouchard, assistant project engineer for the CHA firm in Syrcause.
Village officials looked at the plan the past two months and they asked CHA and the developer to try to make the store blend in with a historic district that is only a few blocks away to the north. Bouchard presented a rendering of the building last night that would have a red brick façade that will be accentuated with concrete panels and grout lines. That is a change from the initial building that was proposed to be cement board siding.
Village Planning Board members credited Dunkin’ and CHA for being sensitive to the historic fabric of Main Street.
“It fits, and everything works,” Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti told the Planning Board. “There are no variances. I don’t see any problems.”
The project will go before the Orleans County Planning Board, which next meets Sept. 26. The Village Planning Board can’t give a final vote on the project until the county reviews it. The village may call a special meeting soon after the county meets so Dunkin’ can work to demolish a warehouse, prepare the site and get up the shell of the building before winter.
The warehouse is owned by Charles Breuilly. The building occupies almost the entire property. The Dunkin’ plan would add green space to the site, improving runoff and water quality, Vendetti said.
Dunkin’ is seeking permission from the state Department of Transportation to tie into the state’s storm drain system that runs along Route 98.
Planning Board Chairman Dan Gleason said the project is good news for Albion.
“It’s always good to see new businesses coming around,” he said. “We’re not dead.”
Gleason did voice concerns about Platt Street with the visibility near the Dunkin’ entrance and some of the fast-moving traffic on Platt.
“On that street people just go nuts,” he said.
The Platt entrance will ease some of the traffic congestion on Main Street and also make it easier for delivery trucks, which won’t have to back onto Main after making a delivery.
