By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Crews are painting the former Monro Muffler Break and Service site in Albion, giving it the black and red colors for Verizon.
The phone and telecommunications company will open a store in Albion at 214 West Ave. Verizon had a small store in downtown Albion about seven years ago. It will have a new presence in Albion in a setup comparable to the one in Brockport.
In addition to painting the building, Verizon will take out the garage doors and do interior furnishings, said Ron Vendetti, the village’s code enforcement officer.
Verizon also will put new signs on the building.
Verizon’s black and red are replacing the yellow and blue from Monro Muffler.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Icicles hang from Tillman’s Village Inn at around noon today.
The National Weather Service has issued a freezing rain advisory for Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The advisory includes Orleans County and much of Western New York.
The Weather Service warns that roadways will likely be slick especially on elevated surfaces, including bridges and overpasses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
CLARENDON – Tuesday’s big snowstorm kept Melissa Ierlan homebound for most of the day. She didn’t sit idle. She used the day to paint three historic markers that sorely needed a makeover.
The top photo shows the marker by the Ashwood Wesleyan Church on Platten Road, just west of the Yates-Carlton Townline Road.
The other marker is for the Five Mile House in Barre, which was later knwon as Ball’s Tavern. The house was built in 1816 by John Huff and was an overnight stop for mail carriers between Lewiston and Canandaigua.
This photo shows the marker a few weeks ago when it was stripped of paint. Ierlan noted the misspelling of Canandaigua. This marker was originally put up in 1932 by the NYS Education Department.
Ierlan has now worked on 11 markers. She first tackled four in Clarendon that needed to be repainted. Other historians have reached out to her to work on markers in other towns.
The marker for Five Mile House was in rough shape. It needed to be rewelded. Gerry Bradt of Clarendon put the marker back together. He has rewelded two others.
After the marker is stripped of paint, Ierlan puts on a coat of blue paint. Then she adds the yellow for the letters and the outer border.
This marker is for Elisha Wright. It also needed to be rewelded.
Ierlan said the three markers will be reinstalled in the spring. She is willing to work on other ones in the community. Ierlan works as the Clarendon code enforcement officer and town historian. She said people can reach out to her on her phone at Town Hall, (585) 638-6371, ext. 104.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Participants in this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary school prepare Lego “vehicles” which will run down a “zipline.”
KENDALL – Dozens of Kendall Elementary students and their parents enjoyed a fun morning of creativity today at the first ever Lego Camp organized by the Kendall Recreation Department and hosted by Kendall Elementary School.
Kendall Recreation Director Michelle Werth said the first-time event is the brain-child of parent Alicia Charland, who wanted to offer something fun and creative for kids who might not have an interest in the Recreation Department’s many sports programs.
“We have 55 kids registered,” Werth said. “It was offered for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.”
Appropriately enough, kindergartener Cooper Hughes makes a Lego snowplow guy with Mrs. Colucci.
The morning started off with the construction of a Lego “worm” – a simple block structure in which participants tried to create the longest and most creative “worm” on a small Lego board.
Participants were then free to visit a number of stations where they could make Lego vehicles, Hexabug habitats, play Pictionary with Legos, make Lego constructions from bagged sets, make free form Lego figures and constructions, race cars with Mega Blocks, create Legos to run down a “zipline,” and more.
Large Mega Blocks were used in the Elementary School hallway to create a racetrack/obstacle course for toy cars.
Refreshments were provided and The Lego Movie and other videos featuring Legos were shown.
Alicia Charland said her sons love Legos and she knew they would really enjoy the Lego Camp. “We decided we would make it happen,” she said.
Legos were both donated and collected from garage sales and will be stored for use at future Lego events.
“We are thinking about a four-day camp in the summer that would likely be held in the mornings,” Charland said. She noted Legos fit well with the STEM-based school curriculum and are a great way for children to express their creativity.
Third-grader Stephen Elliott made a Lego speed boat during this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary School.
Participants wore lanyards with their name and received a star to place on the lanyard each time they completed a project, or cleaned up after their snack.
“When they get five stars they become a Master Builder in Training,” Charland said.
She commended the many volunteers who helped make the event possible, including Kendall High School students. Charland was also impressed by the number of fathers who came to enjoy the event.
“It was three hours in the morning, something local and something affordable,” she noted.
Kendall Elementary Principal Sharon Smith attended and lent a helping hand. She said the camp was a great winter activity.
“We hope it is the first of many activities as part of a partnership between the school and the town,” Smith said. “Our doors will always be open for Kendall Recreation Department activities.”
The first-ever Kendall Recreation Lego Camp proved to be a popular activity during Winter Break week. The event was held in the Kendall Elementary School cafeteria.
Kendall High School students volunteered to help participants during the Lego Camp event, including 10th-graders, from left: Caleb Henion, Megan Hardenbrook and Michela Hanlon. They are at the Hexabug Habitats station.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Megan McDonald, a computer literacy teacher at Albion, leads a workshop for parents last week. The four-part program with other specialists will continue until March 31.
ALBION – Parents were urged to think twice about posting and identifying pictures of their children on Facebook and social media sites, especially pictures that the children could some day see as embarrassing.
“Think about the pictures you are posting of kids,” Megan McDonald, a computer literacy teacher at Albion, said during a workshop last week. “Don’t overshare.”
Pictures that “tagged” and identify children can be accessible for years to come, McDonald said.
“You are creating a digital footprint for them,” she said.
The Albion Rotary Club is teaming with the school district and Head Start at Community Action to put on a four-part literacy program for parents of children from birth to age 5.
McDonald led a session on Internet safety. She urged parents to learn about the many different social media sites used by children, and to keep kids from signing up until at least 13 for Facebook.
Parents shouldn’t view social media as a dangerous activity, McDonald said, but they should show some caution. She said the sites can help strengthen relationships.
Parents should put privacy controls on social media accounts so kids’ posts and pictures can only be seen by friends and family.
She said there are other sites that allow children to code and build technology skills.
She urged parents, especially with young children, to limit their screen time and have them away from computers and gadgets with breaks after 20 minutes.
She also tells her students to keep a media log to track how much time each day they spend on cell phones, TV, video consoles, tablets and computers.
“I’m all for digital media, but we want them up and moving,” McDonald told parents. “Manage kids’ screen time and have other alternatives.”
The four-part literacy program will give parents of children from birth to age 5 tips on helping their children excel at school. Besides McDonald’s presentation, a speech pathologist addressed parents last week.
Other upcoming sessions include Feb. 25 on story telling (will help parents tell their own stories) and will focus on making reading fun; March 10 will focus on prekindergarten and kindergarten readiness with the parents’ role. That workshop will include classroom visits.
The program will conclude on March 31 with a family fun night that includes children’s author Josie Waverly, professional storyteller Gretchen Murray Sepik, and other games, stories, prizes, refreshments and a book fair.
The program is free and open to parents in the Albion school district. Child care will be provided. Parents should enter at about 5:45 p.m. through the community entrance in the back of the school.
For more information, contact Community Action at 589-5683.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Higher minimum wage talk has service provider cautious
Photo by Tom Rivers – Buses at Ridge Road Express are parked on West State Street on Tuesday after about a foot of snow fell in Albion.
ALBION – Albion Central School sent out nine bid packages to transportation companies for busing services in 2016-17.
Only one company responded to the request for proposals. The Board of Education approved the contract with Student Transportation of America (Ridge Road Express), the district’s current provider.
Ridge Road Express will be paid 9 percent more for the three contracts, which include $958,680 for the main contract (2 bus runs in mornings and 2 in afternoons); $583,120 for out-of-district transportation; and $103,000 for the student charter contract.
The district had the same contract with Ridge Road Express for 15 years, a deal that allowed for inflationary increases.
The district expected more than one bidder for the new contract. However, some transportation providers are reluctant to commit to new clients because of the uncertainty with the minimum wage, said Shawn Liddle, Albion’s assistant superintendent for business.
“They are leery about extending themselves too far out,” he said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing to raise the minimum wage from $9 to $15. The minimum wage was $7.25 about three years ago.
Liddle was asked why only one company would bid on a bus contract for about $1.5 million at a recent Albion Board of Education meeting.
“The governor is saber-rattling with the minimum wage,” Liddle responded.
Other districts are seeing similar responses to busing proposals, where companies are reluctant to negotiate contracts based on the unknowns with their salary costs, he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Off-Track Betting site in Albion will close later this month after revenue from the branch plummeted in recent years. OTB will put the building up for sale.
ALBION – The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. will close its OTB parlor at 317 West Ave. on Feb. 27.
The decision follows a big drop in revenue at the site. The amount of bets has declined from $1.3 million in 2010 to $517,000 last year. It’s down another 24 percent this year, said Sean Schiano, director of branch operations for WROTB.
WROTB has closed many betting parlors in recent years. There are currently 27 in operation, down from 72 in 15 Western New York counties about 30 years ago.
The OTB branch in Albion is in a commercial district in a busy part of Albion on Route 31.
WROTB runs a lean operation in Albion with a full-time branch supervisor and a cleaner who works about 15 hours a week. The site still has been operating in the red.
“The bottom line is it takes away revenue we send to Orleans County,” Schiano said.
WROTB is owned by 15 counties plus the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. They share in profits from the overall operation. The video gaming center at Batavia Downs has proven a money-maker for WROTB, more than offsetting losses at OTB branches.
The success at Batavia Downs allowed WROTB to boost its revenue to Orleans County from $39,000 in 2014 to $52,000 last year.
However, WROTB doesn’t want to keep betting parlors that operate at a loss. The organization has partnered with restaurants and bowling alleys to have EZ-Bets, where people can bet on horses without WROTB staff.
WROTB would like to have EZ Bets in Orleans County, perhaps at more than one location.
The site at 317 West Ave. will be put up for sale. It is located across from the Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot plaza. The OTB is off the tax rolls. Schiano said once it is sold the community will get the benefit of the property generating taxes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Ryan Collins, 18, of Albion uses a snowblower to clear out a driveway on East State Street late this afternoon after about a foot of snow fell in the area.
Orleans County remains under a winter storm warning until 7 p.m. today. There won’t be much new snow on Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting a half inch of possible snow accumulation and a high of 32 degrees.
Several accidents were reported today in the county, including one involving a bus from Community Action of Orleans & Genesee and another vehicle on Route 31 near Wal-Mart. Three ambulances – 2 from COVA and one from Medina Fire Department – transported people to hospitals. No additional information is available.
Robyn Ottaviano of Lyndonville sent in this photo taken today of a cardinal in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Tyler Johnson, 14, shovels on Main Street in Albion this morning after several inches of snow fell overnight and this morning. Most of the county could get 8 to 12 inches of snow today, with southeastern Orleans in Holley and Clarendon getting up to 18 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Kevin Doherty clears the sidewalk and walkways in front of the Christ Church Outreach Center in Albion at 20 South Main St.
A member of the Orleans County Buildings and Grounds department works on clearing the sidewalk by the County Courthouse and County Clerks’ Building.
Dan Morrow, a member of the Albion Fire Department, directs traffic after a two-car accident with minor injuries on Route 98, north of the lift bridge.
A state Department of Transportation plow truck works to keep the road open on Route 98 by the canal.
A shopping cart in the canal, just west of Main Street, is partially buried in snow.
At least one agency decided to close due to the rough roads. The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse won’t be open in Orleans County or at its Batavia office today.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am
Clarendon cancels tonight’s Town Board meeting, public hearings
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent CLARENDON – Town Supervisor Dick Moy announced that tonight’s regular meeting of the Clarendon Town Board has been cancelled due to the snowy weather. Additionally, two public hearings, which were scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. this evening, have also been cancelled.
The first public hearing was in regards to amendments to Town Zoning Ordinance Sec. 301 which pertains to building permits for building/structures 64 square feet and larger.
The public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. was in regards to Local Law #1 of 2016 to amend Local Law #1 of 2007. The proposed law would change the size of structures requiring a building permit.
Moy said town officials will have more information regarding the rescheduling of the public hearings once a decision has been made.
