By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Howard and Clara Lake opened The Park Grille on Saturday at 11089 Park Ave. in Medina. They are pictured with three of their employees. Pictured, in back, from left: Matt Winans (Clara Lake’s son), Riki Culverwell and Ben Madafferi.
Howard Lake cooks hamburgers at The Park Grille today.
MEDINA – Howard and Clara Lake moved their computer business, C & H PC, last May from a building behind their house on Laurel Street to a site on Park Avenue.
The new location is busy, close to several big companies in Medina, including Associated Brands, Baxter Healthcare Corp., Credit Recovery Financial Services, and several others. Barnes Metal Finishing is across the street.
Mr. Lake, Medina’s former mayor, sees all the traffic and thought those employees might want a quick lunch close by.
Last Saturday, the Lakes opened The Park Grille, serving Sahlen’s hot dogs, black angus hamburgers, French fries and ice cream. The site has been busy, Lake said.
“It’s been very popular,” he said earlier today, just before the lunch rush. “We’ve been getting a lot of repeat customers.”
The Lakes purchased a 26-foot-long trailer that is equipped with grills, a fryer and freezers. They expect to stay open until September, but Lake said customer demand may extend their season. The Lakes also expect to add more to the menu.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Our Light of Victory now owns St. Mary’s, which was closed by the Catholic Diocese in 2007.
Albion has a reputation, in a good way, for the seven historic churches that are part of the Courthouse Square, a cluster of about 30 buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The former St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Brown Street doesn’t get the same recognition as a historical and community treasure, but the site should be considered on par with the churches by the courthouse.
I think the former St. Mary’s, built by Polish immigrants, may be most striking of all the Albion churches. It opened in 1893, predating some of the churches on the Square.
The Catholic Diocese closed the church in 2007. Our Light of Victory acquired the church and has Sunday services there.
I’d like to see a historic marker prominently placed on the property, honoring the Polish families who sacrificed and gave generously to build this church.
Matt Ballard has developed a wonderful web site, www.albionpolonia.com, that details the history of the church and many of Polish families who were drawn to Albion the late 1800s.
I passed by the church today. I had to stop and take a picture.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Mary Anne Braunbach has been influential in planning and raising money for the new Hoag Library, and helping with numerous other projects at the old and new Albion public libraries.
ALBION – When she was 6 years old, Mary Anne Braunbach would ride her red bike with a basket to Swan Library. She lived a few blocks away on West Academy Street.
Braunbach would take out three books and then head home. She remembers climbing the steep sandstone steps at the front of the library, and then facing the imposing entrance.
“It took everything I had to open that big front door,” she recalled.
By age 7, she would spend two hours most mornings at the library during the summer.
“I just liked to go there, read books and bum around,” Braunbach said.
She went on to work more than three decades as a teacher and librarian in the Newfane school district in Niagara County. She moved from Lockport back to her hometown 18 years ago and soon joined the Swan Library Board of Trustees.
Braunbach has served on the board for 15 years. There was one gap in that stretch. The former board president wasn’t re-elected amidst controversy in the community over where to build the new library.
But Braunbach didn’t let that election loss push her away from the library. She took a year off from the board and re-energized the Friends of Swan Library, planning several events and raising money for the new Hoag Library.
Braunbach’s volunteer commitment to Albion’s public library has attracted the attention of the Library Trustees Association of New York State. The organization last month presented her with the “Outstanding Friends Award,” a state-wide honor.
“She’s done so much for the library,” said Susan Rudnicky, director of the Hoag Library. “Even after there was a change in the board, she kept going. She has worked so hard for the library for a bunch of years.”
Braunbach has since been elected back on the board. Her current term as a library trustee is about to expire. She was ready to step back from the board. But only one candidate ran for four open seats on the library board last month.
Braunbach has agreed to serve one more year. She wants to see some younger people serve on the board, so the organization has their viewpoints and there is leadership in the future for Albion’s public library.
Braunbach and the Friends committed to raising $25,000 for the new Hoag. The group has a room in its honor, which is uses to sell used books and books by local authors. The Friends also sells candy, coffee and has a plant sale. Proceeds are donated back to the library.
The Friends group is raising $12,500 for the library, while Braunbach is matching that money.
She owns a historic downtown building by the canal. Her late father Joseph DeCarlo used that building to run a hardware store. He also was in the plumbing and heating business.
Braunbach lives in a cobblestone house on Densmore Street from 1830 with her husband Ken.
She has been busy this week with the Friends group. She is helping to organize the annual chair auction. Those chairs are painted by local artists and will be sold during the Strawberry Festival.
She also is taking an inventory and pricing items from the Swan. Some of the old collectibles and antiques will be sold during the festival.
“I’ve been a friend of the library since I was 5,” Braunbach said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Reynolds, Gerbig and Brakenbury all honored
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall coaches with legendary accomplishments and reputations – Dick Reynolds, Ben Gerbig and Carol Brakenbury – pose for a photograph after being inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
KENDALL – Three Kendall coaches with long careers and numerous league and sectional titles were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet tonight attended by about 200 people.
The coaches – Ben Gerbig, Dick Reynolds and Carol Brakenbury – are part of the HOF’s second class. Basketball great Roosevelt Bouie went into the HOF as the inaugural inductee last year.
Gerbig was a math teacher whose career spanned four decades, including eight years at Albion. He oversaw a boys soccer program that earned 18 Genesee Region League Championships, appeared in Sectional finals eight times, and won two sectional championships. He is Kendall’s all-time wins leader in boys soccer (297), and was recognized as Section V Class B Coach of the year four times. Gerbig was inducted into the Section V Hall of Fame in 2000.
Dick Reynolds coached basketball and baseball for about four decades. In his 20 seasons as the KCS varsity baseball coach, the team won 10 Genesee Region championships, made five Sectional finals appearances, and racked up 152 wins.
Reynolds was basketball coach during Kendall’s most glorious run, highlighted by undefeated seasons with Bouie. Reynolds coached the team from 1963 to 1977 and amassed 186 wins and only 72 losses. During his tenure, Kendall won five Section V championships and held the Section V record for consecutive wins with 57. Reynolds also oversaw the KCS athletic program from 1967 to 1992, serving as the longest tenured athletic director in KCS history.
Brakenbury was a pioneer coach at Kendall. Her career began in 1964, and she worked as a physical education teacher at KCS until her retirement in 1998.
Brakenbury guided her soccer teams to three sectional championships, 13 Sectional finals, and 13 Genesee Region League Championships. She earned Section V Class B Girls Soccer coach of the year in 1982. Her team also won 42 straight games in the Genesee Region League. Brakenbury was influential in the development of Kendall’s sports program for girls.
There will be more coverage of the HOF ceremony on Orleans Hub tomorrow, including comments from the coaches.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – This bust and antiques, collectibles and other items from the former Swan Library will be for sale during the Strawberry Festival on Saturday.
ALBION – Century-old wicker chairs. Display cases for DVDs. Busts and collectibles from the 1800s and early 1900s.
They’re all for sale as Swan Library officials work to empty the historic building at the corner of North Main and West State streets.
Albion’s public library moved up the street last July to the new Hoag Library. The Swan site is being eyed for use as a local history museum.
Swan Library leaders want to remove some of the pieces that are taking up space at the Swan site. Some of the Swan furniture and most of the collection was moved to the new building. But not all of the furniture and collectibles were needed.
Community members are welcome to look over the items for sale on Friday. They will be sold on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. People are also welcome to come inside and tour the former library during the festival June 7-8.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Work by Megan Swan and Kim Martillotta featured this month
Photos by Tom Rivers
Megan Swan, who just graduated with an art degree from Brockport State College, created the above pictured works that are part of an exhibit at Marti’s on Main.
ALBION – A new exhibit at Marti’s on Main features the work of Megan Swan, a local resident who just graduated from Brockport State College with an art degree.
The gallery at 229 North Main St. includes Swan’s ceramics, sculptures, paintings and black-and-white photography.
The community is welcome to visit the gallery and meet local artists during a reception Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Kim Martillotta grew up seeing this house on Route 98 that was owned by a family friend, Fred Ferris.
The gallery’s owner, Kim Martillotta, also is displaying some of her new work, including a painting of house that used to stand on Route 98 at the current Oak Orchard Estates. That house was owned by Fred Ferris, who worked for Martillotta’s father, Mimi Martillotta. He owned the Gulf gas station that is now the Yellow Goose on Route 98.
Martillotta has other paintings and collages she is presenting publicly for the first time.
She said she is inspired by Swan’s pottery and ceramics. Martillotta would like to raise money for a kiln that could be used by local artists. Martillotta is the leader of
The Art Circle Group, which meets regularly at the Marti’s gallery.
Martillotta made this three-dimensional collage that she entitled, “Circle of Life.”
ALBION – Orleans County is accepting enrollment of additional parcels in certified agricultural districts during the month of June, pursuant to New York State Agricultural and Markets Law.
This annual 30-day window is for inclusion of property which is predominantly viable agricultural land. During this time period, land may only be added and not removed from an agricultural district.
This opportunity does not replace enrollment in an existing agricultural district during the eight-year, formal review process, but allows a once-a-year opportunity for a property owner to request that the County Legislature add parcels to one of Orleans County’s agricultural districts.
The agricultural districting program provides eligible operations right-to-farm protection, among other benefits. Please note that requesting enrollment during this 30-day time period is not a guarantee that property will be added to an existing agricultural district. Moreover, it will not automatically qualify property for a reduced agricultural property tax assessment. For information on obtaining a reduced agricultural property tax assessment, please contact a local assessor.
The eight-year, in-depth reviews are expected to continue for each agricultural district as scheduled.
At the conclusion of June, requests for inclusion in agricultural districts will be reviewed, in order, by the Orleans County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, the Orleans County Legislature, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Enrollment forms are available from the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development. Completed forms should be sent by June 30 to: James Bensley, Orleans County Department of Planning and Development, 14016 Route 31 West, Albion, NY 14411.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Three Little Maids performed in the Pratt Opera House last September. The group includes, from left: Maarit Vaga, Marsha Rivers and Kristi Phillips.
ALBION – Singers, dancers and theatrical performers – 115 people in all will take to the outdoor stage Saturday night to cap the Strawberry Festival.
Theatre on Main Street will be offered for the first time in the festival’s 27 years. A 20-by-24-foot stage will be set up on West Bank Street near Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. Local talent will perform from 7 to 10 p.m.
The initiative is a first of its kind between the National Park Foundation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. They contributed grants to pay for the stage. Other local sponsors, including Albion Main Street Alliance and Five Star Bank, also helped bring the event to Albion.
“It’s going to be a family-fun event with a lot of local talent,” said Michael Bonafede, one of the coordinators of the event.
The National Park Foundation and Erie Canalway reached out to Albion for the theater program. The groups wanted a theatrical show with a historic theater as a backdrop.
Initially the program was targeted for Main Street, but it proved too difficult to shut down a state road for most of the day. Crews will start working Saturday morning to set up the stage on West Bank. The stage will have a canopy.
Bonafede and his wife Judith Koehler own the Pratt Opera House on Main Street. They have been working to restore the site from 1882, and expect to have a certificate of occupancy this fall as a “theater in the rough.” The National Park Foundation wants to see historic theaters rejuvenated, Koehler said.
Saturday’s program will provide a venue with a professional sound system. Spectators can watch the show in a historic downtown district. Some chairs will be available, but spectators are urged to bring a lawn chair.
The performers include: the Albion men’s and women’s select choruses, Spotlight Dance Company, The Bent Theater presents ‘The A List,’ Dance Reflections by Miss Heather, Lisa’s Dance Boutique, Erie Canal Sal, Dance Reflections, The Pratt Theater presents ‘Three Little Maids,’ Gotta Dance Academy and Performing Arts, and a Full Cast Fun Finale.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2013 at 12:00 am
80 people have participated in ‘Run for God’
Photo by Tom Rivers – Some members of the Run for God group at Albion Free Methodist Church get ready for a 5-kilometer run on Sunday. The group will be running in Saturday’s Strawberry Festival race at 8 a.m. That includes 5k and 8k options.
ALBION – They get together every Sunday and often on Fridays, supporting each other in prayer, and then lacing up their running shoes for a jog along the canal.
The Albion Free Methodist Church has a “Run for God” group that meets regularly to run. But before they do, the group’s leaders share a short Bible lesson and then take prayer requests.
About 80 people have participated in Run for God during the 12-week program that culminates on Saturday at the Strawberry Festival in Albion. Many of the runners will complete the 5-kilometer or 8-kilometer course. (To sign up for the race, click here.)
It will be the first race for the many in the Run for God program, which starts with walking and then adds jogging. The group ranges in age from 6 to 82.
“For beginners, it’s easier to start in a group,” said Sheila Lemcke of Albion. “I like the accountability.”
Lemcke, 35, started running a year ago. It was difficult at first, but now she loves it.
She is part of a contingent from the Cornerstone Church in Hulberton that is running the program with the Albion church. Most of the Run for God participants aren’t members of the Free Methodist congregation.
Lemcke’s mother-in-law Peggy has been a committed participant. She has opted against running, but has picked up her walking pace.
“It’s not predicated on how fast you go,” said Brian Krieger, one of the program’s leaders. “Everyone goes at their own pace.”
The church first started Run for God last year and 35 people finished the race. Many of those runners kept running during the summer and 11 of them ran a half marathon together in September.
“You’re running with a group of people,” Krieger said. “You’re not on your own.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2013 at 12:00 am
State tries to limit tax incentives for retail, but allows exceptions
Photo by Tom Rivers – The new Ace Hardware store at the former Jubilee in Medina received some assistance from the County of Orleans Economic Development Agency.
MEDINA – It sat empty for nearly seven years. The roof had started to cave in and vandals had free rein inside. The former Medina Jubilee hadn’t generated any tax revenue, either, for several years.
Clearly, it was a property in distress, said Jim Whipple, chief executive officer of the County of Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The Orleans EDA worked with Roger Andrews, owner of two Ace Hardware stores, to redevelop the site into a hardware store and lumber yard. The agency approved a $140,000 loan for the $1.2 million project. The EDA also established a 10-year tax plan that freezes the tax payments at $5,386 annually. That money is divvied up for the village, town, county and school district.
Tax incentives for retail operations have come under fire in the state. They are no longer allowed, as of April 1, unless the property is in a highly distressed area or if it is a tourism project. The Ace incentives were approved before the new law took effect, but Whipple said the incentives would pass muster under the new state policy.
“If you look at that property before, the roof was falling in, and look at the difference now,” Whipple said. “It’s made a huge difference in that area of the village. It’s right across from a park. It’s cleaned up that whole area of the town.”
Although the IDA provided some assistance with the project, Whipple noted that Andrews bore the vast majority of the expense. The site was owned by the county because the taxes were delinquent for several years. Andrews paid the county $100,000 upfront to offset the back taxes and part of the penalties.
The county agreed to take down a small drive-through structure by the building, remove two petroleum tanks and pave the parking lot after Andrews bought the materials for the project. Whipple noted the county was technically the property’s owner before Andrews acquired it.
Andrews also received a sales tax exemption of about $50,000 for building materials and other store improvements as part of the project. The new store opened in April.
Andrews said the project is now generating tax revenue for the community, as well as complementing the village’s historic downtown a few blocks away. Andrews owns an Ace near Hamburg and bought the former Hahn Hardware in Medina about two years ago.
“We paid the back taxes and the property is back on the tax rolls,” Andrews said. “We put the right project in this spot. It would have been a shame to let this building sit.”
Tom Snyder, owner of Medina Lumber and Hardware, has decried the IDA assistance for the Ace project. Some other community members also didn’t think it was fair to Snyder.
But Whipple said the property, which was certified as part of a distressed Census tract by state officials, is now a community asset. He praised Andrews for stepping up and tackling the ambitious renovation of a 26,000-square-foot building.
“A guy like that comes around once in a lifetime,” Whipple said about Andrews. “He took a major structure that was destined for the wrecking ball and totally renovated it.”
The IDA has provided some help to two other recent retail projects. The owners of The Village Inn in Gaines spent about $325,000 on a renovation last year. The IDA approved a sales tax exemption for the project that saved Mark Tillman, the restaurant owner, about $3,000. Whipple said the restaurant is a draw to people outside the county.
The Save-A-Lot in Holley, which also targeted a former Jubilee store, was approved for a loan and property tax abatement for the remodeled portion of the building. Those incentives were offered before the retail law took effect, but Whipple said the project would qualify under the new rules because the federal government classified Holley as a “food desert,” a community without a grocery store.
