By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2020 at 10:21 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: In an unusual sight in December, the Erie Canal is full in Orleans County. This photo was taken on Saturday in Albion of the guard gates near the Bowman bridge, between the Gaines Basin and Main Street bridges.
The Erie Canal, which has been kept full in Western New York, will be drained starting on Monday.
The canal normally would have drained the canal about a month ago. But this year in a pilot program the State Canal Corp. kept the canal full and gradually released water to supplement tributaries that are popular for fishing.
The higher water flows in the streams and creeks gave better opportunities to catch brown trout, Chinook salmon and steelhead (rainbow trout) in Lake Ontario tributaries.
This fall the Canal Corporation increased regulated water releases into Orleans and Monroe County’s premium streams—Oak Orchard Creek and Sandy Creek.
In early November and early December, other Lake Ontario tributaries – Eighteenmile, Johnson, Oak Orchard, Sandy and Salmon Creeks – all saw higher flows.
The extra water was intended to entice more brown trout, steelhead, and Atlantic and Pacific salmon populations to run up these streams, improving conditions for the fish and expanding opportunities for local and visiting anglers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release on Oct. 20.
“This fall, New York is enhancing some of our world-class fisheries and expanding opportunities for anglers into December by creatively using water from the Erie Canal to bolster fishing conditions and to extend the season,” Cuomo said. “As a fisherman, I’m pleased to see our incredible Lake Ontario tributaries will be host to even better experiences for anglers. This innovative use of iconic infrastructure continues our strong tradition of ecotourism while supporting our small businesses.”
The Gaines Basin Road bridge, which opened last week after reconstruction, is shown during snow flurries on Saturday.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A fast moving fire quickly engulfed a house at 221 West State St. and caused extensive damage the residence next door on East Academy Street. Another house on West State Street also was damaged from the blaze.
Posted 6 December 2020 at 8:34 am
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – On Saturday at approximately 4:30 p.m. the Orleans County 911 Center received numerous calls reporting an explosion and fire at 221 West State St. in the Village of Albion.
The Albion Police Department and Albion Fire Department were dispatched. Albion Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s personnel arrived on scene and found the residence located at 221 West State Street heavily involved in fire. The fire quickly spread to the adjacent residences located at 219 West State St. and 5 East Academy St.
A male occupant of the 221 West State St. was found at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries consistent from an explosion and subsequent fire. The male was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by COVA Ambulance.
The fire to the homes was extinguished by the Albion Fire Department along with assistance from numerous mutual aid fire companies. The damage to the homes located at 221 West State St. and 5 East Academy St. is extensive.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Albion Police Department with assistance from the Orleans County Fire Investigation Unit, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
UPDATE: Chief Nenni released this additional statement at 11:30 a.m.
“The investigation into the fire that occurred at 221 West State Street in the Village of Albion and spread to nearby homes is ongoing.
The investigation so far has revealed that the fire started in the attached garage at 221 West State St. Because of the initial reports of an explosion and the lack of an obvious cause of an explosion, Bomb Squad Technicians were brought in to make sure the scene was safe.
The safety of the firefighters, who had to finish the overhaul process of the scene, and general public was made sure of by specialists who determined there was no further risk of explosions.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is who the Albion Police use in these situations.
More information will be released in the near future as investigation continues.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 December 2020 at 7:45 pm
ALBION – Santa Claus will be coming to town on Dec. 19. The jolly old elf has shied away from many in-person gatherings this season due to Covid-19 concerns.
But he will be greeting people on Dec. 19 at the Hoag Library parking lot from 1 to 2 p.m. in Albion. He will visit with children and their families as long as they are wearing masks and adhering to social distancing. Santa may also take a ride around the village to wave to youngsters.
The Albion Lions Club is planning the event, which will also will include a visit by Deputy Jeff Cole and his K-9 Otto, and an appearance by Dominic the Donkey and his horse friend.
The Lions Club also is doing a toy drive and letters for Santa. The toys can be dropped off at Roots Hair Salon at 29 Bank St., Jeff Colonna’s can redemption center on Hamilton Street, and 169 State St. in Medina. Dan Conrad, the Lions Club president, will deliver the toys as Santa at the Community Kitchen, the event at the Hoag parking lot, through the Hands 4 Hope ministry and also will visit some homes in the community to give out the presents.
The letters to Santa can be dropped off at Roots Hair Salon, Bloom’s Flower Shop at 139 S. Main St. and 169 State St. in Medina.
That address in Medina is for Best of Tymes Party Rental. It will be hosting Santa this Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. with cotton candy, popcorn and a hot cocoa bar.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Laurie Schwab, a paramedic and chief operating officer for COVA, gets in an ambulance last week for call about a man having a heart attack in Carlton.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 December 2020 at 9:07 am
Organization has provided emergency medical services since 1979
ALBION – COVA Emergency Medical Services is reaching out to the community and local government leaders, raising concern about budget shortfalls for the organization.
COVA responds to about 2,000 calls annually, mostly in the central Orleans towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines.
COVA’s new ambulance heads out for a call last week. The scaled-down vehicle cost $80,000 and replaced an ambulance from 2013 with 200,000 miles.
The organization operated on a $1,093,578 budget in 2019, but the revenue came in at $1,042,964, a $50,614 difference. That has been the trend the past three years – about a $50,000 budget deficit.
This year is shaping up to be worse. COVA’s call volume was down early in the Covid-19 pandemic, which hurt revenue. COVA also is spending more for PPE for staff and for disinfecting the ambulance after each call.
The organization continues to face other challenges with low reimbursement rates through Medicaid and Medicare.
Medicaid pays about 20 percent of the COVA bill and the Medicare rate is about 32 percent. Those are an increasing number of the COVA calls, said Laurie Schwab, COVA’s chief operating officer and paramedic.
The Medicaid calls include responses to the two state prisons in Albion. Those calls not only are at a low payment, but they tend to be time-consuming because of the time needed to be processed into the prison and for an inmate to meet the COVA staff for care and transport.
Private health insurance pays more compared to Medicaid and Medicare, but the checks from private insurance are made out to patients. They should then write their own check to COVA but many just keep the money from the insurance companies.
This trio is committed to COVA. They include, from left: Jennifer Stilwell, a volunteer EMT; Anna Tower, chief financial officer; and Wendy Kelly, an administrative assistant. COVA is located at 239 South Main St. in Albion.
COVA loses about $50,000 to $70,000 in “kept checks” annually, Schwab said. COVA and other ambulance providers have pressed state legislators to pass legislation, requiring the funds to be turned over to the ambulance companies or to have the insurance companies pay the ambulance providers directly.
The “kept checks” typically range from $1,000 to $2,500. If people turned those funds back to COVA the organization’s budget woes would be solved.
“It creates a financial hardship for COVA,” Schwab said.
COVA officials have met with local town and village leaders in recent months to discuss the deficits and how to keep COVA viable. COVA believes municipal support is needed. They are seeking $100,000 annually to be divvied up among the four towns – Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines, and possibly the village. The contributions from each municipality would be based on COVA’s call volume in each municipality.
In 2019, the call breakdown by municipality included 1,030 calls in the village, 542 in the Town of Albion, 211 in Carlton, 159 in Gaines and 110 in Barre. There were also 25 mutual aid calls.
COVA used to be able to set aside 10 percent of its income towards a new ambulance. The organization last month welcomed a new ambulance to its fleet of three ambulances. The new one replaced an ambulance from 2013 with about 200,000 miles.
The new one is a scaled down model that cost $80,000. It will be better on gas mileage with less maintenance costs.
Chris Atwell, a COVA EMT, gets his masks on and heads out for a call last week. COVA responds to about 2,000 calls a year.
The organization was staffed with volunteers when it started in 1979 but has shifted to mostly a paid staff. There are 13 full-time employees, 16 part-timers and three volunteers. COVA tries to have four on duty during the daytime hours and two on the night shift.
Anna Tower is one of the volunteers. She used to be paid as the chief financial officer but decided to volunteer in the role due to COVA’s fiscal challenges.
“It’s my passion,” she said about COVA.
But she is worried about the numbers. COVA needs more revenue to continue long-term in the community.
Jennifer Stilwell also is a volunteer EMT and member of COVA’s board of directors. If there wasn’t COVA, the central Orleans towns would have to put the ambulance services out for contract, with an out-of-community provider perhaps stepping in.
Stilwell said that could lead to longer response times and unfamiliar faces responding to calls.
“It’s nice to have a community-based ambulance,” she said. “There’s connections with the staff. It’s comforting for the residents to know the people who care for you.”
One of COVA’s three ambulances leaves the Albion base for a call last week.
Mickey Edwards, former Albion teacher and principal, has been leading Byron-Bergen school district
ALBION — The Board of Education has picked an Albion graduate to be the next district superintendent.
Mickey Edwards
Mickey Edwards started his career in Albion as an art teacher. From 2007 to 2009, Edwards was the Principal at Charles D’Amico High School. He also served as the Assistant Principal at Carl I. Bergerson Middle School for four years and interned as Dean of Students in Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School. Edwards lives in the district in Kent. His three children all graduated from the district.
The Board of Education this evening appointed Edwards to be superintendent. He is expected to start in mid-January to February 1, 2021.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to the Board of Education for extending me the opportunity to serve as Albion’s next Superintendent of Schools,” Edwards said in a news release from the district. “My hope is to bring my experiences, skills and network of contacts to the district and help build upon our mission of Achievement, Character and Success for Life. I look forward to being a part of the team and serving our community together.”
After graduating from Albion, Edwards spent four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career as a teacher at Albion.
After working at ACS, he was the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction at Orleans-Niagara BOCES before gaining six years of experience as a superintendent. In 2014 he was appointed as the superintendent at Wyoming Central School District. He was there two years before being hired in 2016 as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.
Under his leadership, Byron-Bergen Junior-Senior High School has been named to US News and World Report Best High Schools in the Nation for the last two years. Additionally, Edwards resurrected an agriculture and FFA program in the district after the program’s 40-year hiatus and worked to increase the amount of advanced college courses offered at the high school, including AP and Genesee Community College ACE Courses. He also implemented a program for trauma, illness and grief in the district to address the social and emotional needs of staff, students and families.
“The ACS Board of Education is pleased to welcome Mickey Edwards as our next Superintendent of Schools,” according to a statement from the board. “With input from stakeholders, the Board set out to find a superintendent who was a proven leader, of unquestioned integrity, with proven collaboration and communication skills and an ability to improve student performance and programs. We believe Mr. Edwards embodies not only these characteristics and qualities, but so much more. His experience as superintendent in two previous districts will allow him to hit the ground running, while his background as a lifelong Albion resident and Purple Eagle will provide him with a deeper understanding of school and community needs and the drive to fiercely advocate for our students.”
When he was at Albion previously, Edwards was on the committee that developed the district’s mission statement of “Achievement, Character, and Success for Life,” and still firmly stands by it. He believes the mission statement “needs to be part of everything we do, not just words on a wall.”
Edwards serves on a number of committees and boards across the Genesee Valley region including chairman for Career & Technical Education Committee, member of Legislative Committee, a representative in the House of Delegates for NYS Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) and the Board of Directors for Rural Schools Association and Genesee County Business Education Alliance.
“We would like to thank the students, parents, teachers, staff and community members who participated in focus groups and completed the superintendent search surveys,” the BOE stated. “The input provided was invaluable, and gave us the guidance we needed as we reviewed applications and interviewed candidates for the position.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2020 at 2:39 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee had this sign honoring Charles Howard erected in 2015 on Route 98 in Albion.
This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed off on state legislation to name a portion of Route 31 in Albion in honor of Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.
Howard also was the Santa for nearly 20 years in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. He remains a revered figure among the people who portray Santa today. The Santa School continues to operate in Howard’s name in Midland, Mich.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and Sen. Robert Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) both are pleased with passage of their legislation which designates a portion of New York State Route 31 in the town of Albion as the “Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway.”
“Mr. Howard was known for his hard work, his love for community and his jolly spirit; he represented the best any New Yorker could hope to achieve,” Hawley said in a statement. “With this highway dedication and the committed partnership of Sen. Ortt, Western New York has finally given the man the recognition and reverence he deserves. This holiday season and year-round, we can all learn from Charles about how to be good neighbors, how to work to spread cheer and joy and how to live life to the fullest.”
The Orleans County Legislature in August 2019, passed a resolution, urging the state to recognize Howard by naming a portion of Route 31 in his honor.
Signs proclaiming the section of Route 31 in Howard’s honor will be displayed when entering the Town of Albion – northwest corner of Transit Road from the east to the southeast corner of Wood Road from the west.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2020 at 4:39 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: This group helped plan Small Business Saturday in Albion. They are pictured in Tara Thom quilt shop on East Bank Street. Pictured from left include Courtney Henderson (owner of Milk and Honey) and her daughter Lair Alchin, Maureen Bennett (owner of A Lil’ Cottage Chic), Tara Thom (owner of Town and Country Quilt Shop), Beth Schorer, (owner of Beth’s Sewing Box) and Cliff Thom, who assisted in planning the event.
ALBION – Many of Albion’s locally owned businesses are working together in a Small Business Saturday event, urging people to give the local merchants a chance and not spend so much money online with Amazon or through the Big Box stores.
The local stores tomorrow are offering a “shop hop” where people have a chance to win a $100 gift card through members of the Albion Merchants Association. That’s if people get a passport for the event stamped by 10 locations. If they get it stamped by five businesses they have a chance at winning a gift basket.
Many of the stores in the downtown, on Ridge Road and the Arnold Gregory Office Complex will have in-store specials and prizes.
The AMA wants the community to know the stores have been resilient during the pandemic, and together they offer a variety of merchandise and services.
“People say we don’t have anything in Albion but we literally have everything,” said Courtney Henderson, owner of Milk & Honey in Albion, a women’s and children’s clothing boutique.
She is one of the businesses offering discounts for Small Business Saturday, as well as exclusive “swag bags” for the first 10 customers who spend $100.
She is one of the 10 locations on the shop hop. The others include Laura Loxley Vintage Inspired Goods, Town & Country Quilter, The Flying Needle and Thread, Beth’s Sewing Box, The Olde Dogge Inn, How Sweet It Is Bakery (pop up shop at Tinsel), Downtown Browsery, Red Check Rustic and The Backroom – Pretty Sweet Bakery & A Lil’ Cottage Chic.
Saturday’s shop hop will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a country fair at Arnold Gregory’s and Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza will be at Tinsel’s from noon to 5 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 November 2020 at 8:29 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: This home on South Clinton Street is pictured on Thanksgiving in Albion. The Albion Merchants Association wants to see more houses decorated for the Christmas holiday.
ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association is offering $900 in gift cards to homeowners who decorate their houses for the upcoming Christmas holiday.
The AMA is hosting its first “Deck the Town” contest, with a goal to spread joy and make the community shine bright, the group said.
The contest includes a $500 gift card to AMA businesses for first place, a $300 gift card for second and a $100 gift card for third. Voting will be done by the public through Facebook. People are welcome to submit photos of exterior of their decorated homes through the Albion Merchants Association’s Facebook page or by email, albionmerchantsassociation@gmail.com.
Voting will be done through a Facebook album. All submitted entries will be posted with photo and address (no names, but address for public viewing). The winners will be chosen based on the most likes. Winners will be announced December 25th and receive a gift card redeemable at AMA businesses.
The eligible houses need to be located between Route 31A and 104, and between Lattin Road and Eagle Harbor Road.
The photos need to be submitted from Nov. 28 thru Dec. 15. Winners will be announced Dec. 25 and receive a gift card redeemable at AMA businesses
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2020 at 9:10 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Traffic passes over the Gaines Basin Road canal bridge this morning. The bridge has reopened after a major rehabilitation.
The bridge has been closed since March 23. It is one of seven canal bridges that have been upgraded as part of a $10.7 million initiative by the state Department of Transportation.
Crane Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport was the contractor. The company installed high-strength galvanized steel to replace steel floor systems, low chords, gusset plates and truss elements.
The seven single-lane truss bridges were constructed between 1909 and 1914.
The bridges in the $10.7 million project include Bennetts Corners Road in the Town of Murray, Telegraph Road in the Town of Murray, Transit Road in the Town of Murray, Densmore Road in the Town of Albion, Gaines Basin Road in the Town of Gaines, Bates Road in the Village of Medina, and Marshall Road in the Town of Ridgeway.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 November 2020 at 12:30 pm
Event that honors memory of Nicholas Kovaleski has raised $25K for scholarships in 10 years
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dancers rehearse the opening number of the 10thannual Nicholas Kovaleski Hometown Christmas. Performers will be videotaped today with the show available to watch online beginning Dec. 4. A $10 purchase gives 24 hours of access of watching the show. There are also baskets up for raffle. Tickets can also be purchased online for the baskets or in person at Gotta Dance by Miss Amy.
ALBION – Covid won’t be stopping the 10th annual Hometown Christmas show in Albion. While there won’t be an in-person audience the show will be available to watch online.
Nicholas Kovaleski
Amy Sidari, owner of Gotta Dance by Miss Amy, has directed the Nicholas Kovaleski Hometown Christmas shows the past decade. They honor the memory of one of her dancers.
Nicholas Kovaleski also excelled in football, swimming and tennis for Albion, and was a Boy Scout. He valiantly battled leukemia and passed away at age 15 on June 29, 2011.
The Hometown Christmas show includes some of Miss Amy’s dancers and other performers from the community, including singing by Gary Simboli, Marcy Downey and Riley Seielstad. Jim Babcock, a local contractor, will appear as Santa and two of his employees, Craig Lane and David Karcz, will be dressed in reindeer costumes.
Sidari also will give a message about love, community and unity during this difficult year.
“With love we can overcome the negativity, the restrictions and feelings of lost hope,” Sidari said. “With Covid, our whole community has gone through its own grief. We’re a group that wants to bring joy to people.”
Kelly Kovaleski will share with the audience about her late son, who was upbeat while pushing himself to excel. The Hometown Christmas shows have raised $25,000 in scholarships which are given to Albion seniors selected by Kelly and Jay Kovaleski who “Live with Purpose.”
Kelly Kovaleski and Amy Sidari have worked together on the Hometown Christmas shows in memory of Kovaleski’s son, who passed away from leukemia at age 15 on June 29, 2011. They are wearing facemasks with the “Live with Purpose” message that a guiding principle in Nicholas’s life.
That was the guiding principle for their son. Albion seniors submit applications for the scholarship, and the Kovaleskis want to honor students who step up for their families and friends.
The scholarships have ranged from $500 to $800. Last year the Kovaleskis were able to award three scholarships – Laiken Ricker, Masey Ferchen and Colby Ferchen were the winners.
The scholarships and fundraising are through the Jim and Diane Salmon Children’s Fund, which is a 501c3 organization, allowing tax exempt donations.
Salmon, a home repair radio host for WHAM in Rochester, had Nicholas as a guest on the show.
“He was sick, but he was wonderful,” Salmon said. “He did a great interview.”
Salmon said the Hometown Christmas continues to honor Nicholas’s memory, and this year provides an important outlet for the performers and the audience.
“This show is a testament of the tenacity of Miss Amy, and Jay and Kelly Kovaleski,” Salmon said. “They have found a way to do the show and do it within the rules.”
Michayla Kovaleski rehearses a dance on Sunday for this year’s Hometown Christmas show. She is Nicholas’s sister and works as a dance instructor at Miss Amy’s. She recently graduated from Nazareth College.
People can purchase an online ticket for $10 and then have 24 hours of access to watch the show, which will be about an hour. The show will be available on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5.
Sidari also will host watch parties at the studio for small groups to view the performance on the big screen. (Sidari’s Cabaret at Studio B has already done online shows with Gary Simboli.)
The event also includes the chance to win at least one of 40 baskets donated by the community. Tickets can be purchased and placed in-person at Miss Amy’s or purchased online with notes sent to Miss Amy on which baskets the tickets should go.
For more information on the Nicholas Kovaleski Hometown Christmas, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2020 at 12:32 pm
Several vendors offer variety of items at the site on North Liberty
Photos by Tom Rivers: Sarah Ebbs and her mother Pamela Jenks own Pretty Sweet Bakery, which is located in “The Backroom” at 117 North Liberty St. The share space with Maureen Bennett’s business, A Lil’ Cottage Chic.
ALBION – A year ago a business opened in downtown Albion with a bakery and a shop with “an eclectic mix of vintage” – handcrafted gifts, gourmet dips, candles and seasonal décor, soaps, spaghetti sauce, lanterns and other items.
“The Backroom” at 117 North Liberty St. has made it to a year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Maureen Bennett pushed to open the business following nine years as a vendor in the Downtown Browsery. She also had retired from Albion Central School.
She was joined at the downtown site by Pamela Jenks and her daughter Sarah Ebbs. They run Pretty Sweet Bakery together.
Jenks, 54, had been working as a servicer for a mortgage company in Elma. She had talked for years of opening a bakery. Her daughter joined the effort, expecting to squeeze in some time when she wasn’t doing a full-time job driving to Geneseo as a student loan collector. That position was eliminated in late March due to the financial impact of Covid-19.
Ebbs, 33, was able to make the bakery a full-time pursuit with her mother. The site and other bakeries were deemed an essential business by the state and never had to close during the pandemic.
Pam and Sarah praised the building’s owner, Michael Bonafede, for putting in a kitchen certified by the Health Department. The location also benefits from a big parking lot that serves Five Star Bank and other businesses.
“There is plenty of parking and people can get in and out quickly,” Pam said. “So many of the people that come in say we finally have a home-made bakery in the downtown.”
Sarah Ebbs decorates a cookie with a holiday theme.
They have seen the business steadily grow the past year. Pam does lots of the baking and her daughter Sarah has an artistic flair for decorating the cookies, scones, muffins, pies and cakes. Sarah is a baker, too, who enjoys experimenting with ingredients to add new flavors.
“We both love what we’re doing,” Sarah said at the bakery on Thursday. “Every day is a science project where we try new things.”
Sarah often brings her daughter Charli to the shop. She will be 3 in January. She is wuick to learn peoples’ names and gives them big greetings and sendoffs.
Sarah has enjoyed baking and decorating since she was a kid, helping her grandmother Beulah Jenks who had a wedding cake business.
Sarah would make cakes and other baked goods for friends and family. She always has had a knack for decorating the cookies, and has the family gene for baking, her mother said.
Sarah is thankful for the response from the community the past year, with many people stopping by the shop or ordering for pickups. That has helped her weather what would have been a rough time with her job being eliminated in March.
“This is a supportive community,” she said about Albion. “There are a lot of people who want to see things work.”
Some of the bakery’s hot sellers have been raspberry cheesecake bars, lemon blueberry cake with whipped cream cheese frosting, pumpkin sandwich cookies, and cookie cutout with royal icing. Pam and Sarah also take orders for cakes for birthdays, weddings and other special events. Sarah posts frequent photos of the creations on the bakery’s Facebook page.
Maureen Bennett opened A Lil’ Cottage Chic a year ago after nine years as a vendor at the Downtown Browsery. She is shown with Charli, Sarah Ebbs’ daughter who delights in greeting customers at the shop.
Bennett, owner of A Lil’ Cottage Chic, said the bakery and Bennett’s shop have been a winning combination.
“We complement each other,” Bennett said. “They have the home-baked goods and we have so many home-made items.”
Bennett urged the community to support the local businesses in the downtown, which she said are safer with generally only a few people in the stores during the Covid pandemic.
“These little stores have far less people,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2020 at 6:29 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Vance VanSkiver, an Albion Department of Public Works motor equipment operator, secures a banner to a light pole on Main Street today. The DPW put out the holiday and seasonal banners as well as the wreaths.
Vance VanSkiver and Shaun Stephens are in a lift while putting up the holiday decorations. Charlie Ricci is the driver. The spire of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion is in back.
Shaun Stephens makes sure the wreath is plugged in and secured.
VanSkiver and Stephens work together to get the banner in place. They put up decorations on Main Street and Bank Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 November 2020 at 8:50 am
Sheehan resigns as village trustee to take part-time position
Kevin Sheehan
ALBION – A village trustee has resigned from the Village Board to take a job as the village’s code enforcement officer.
Kevin Sheehan was elected to a four-year term as trustee on Sept. 15. He previously served eight years on the board through 2014.
He and trustee Gary Katsanis were filling in at code enforcement in October following the resignation of Tracy Vanskiver. Katsanis was handling complaints about property maintenance with Sheehan doing inspections and building permits.
Sheehan was a union plumber for 27 years before working six years with the federal VA in Batavia. He was the maintenance mechanic work lead.
After retiring from the VA, he worked the past 1 ½ years as a safety compliance consultant for Safety York Solutions.
Sheehan applied for the code position with the village and was offered the job. He resigned as trustee on Nov. 1 and last week was appointed by the Village Board to the part-time code enforcement position.
Sheehan said he wants to be a resource to village residents, with property maintenance and construction projects. He said he plans to take classes to be a fully certified code enforcement officer.
His position on the Village Board will likely remain vacant until the village elections in March. The elections are usually the third Tuesday in March but this year was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
File photos by Tom Rivers: Albion FFA members load a flat bed trailer with produce on Dec. 14, 2019. The students sorted and boxed the produce in the FFA shop.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 November 2020 at 8:49 am
ALBION – The Albion FFA has set a big goal for its annual food drive: 50,000 pounds.
The student-led group last year reached 40,000 pounds for the first time. The Albion FFA started the food drive in 2010 and was able to collect 3,000 pounds of produce that was delivered to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.
The effort has grown significantly since the first year, and now several churches and food pantries receive produce that is donated by local farmers and ag businesses.
Albion FFA Alumni help to reach out to farmers and collect the produce. It is kept in the FFA shop and then organized by FFA members.
The FFA has reached put to farms and businesses that have given to the food drive in the past. Bailey Nesbitt, the FFA president, welcomes other farms and businesses to contribute to the effort, to try to reach 50,000 pounds during a year that has been especially challenging for many local families due to Covid-19 and the strain on the local economy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2020 at 3:03 pm
ALBION – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is shifting its annual holiday effort for local families to gift cards instead of presents.
Annette Finch, director of community service for the agency, doesn’t want to put volunteers and staff for Community Action at risk of contracting Covid-19.
“I’m not putting my volunteers, staff or families in jeopardy,” Finch said today. “We’re doing this differently. It’s the sign of the times. I’m not jeopardizing anyone who volunteers with me or who works the agency.”
Community Action expects to serve about 150 families in Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville for the holiday drive, but Finch said that number could go up given the economic challenges this year during a pandemic.
Nov. 25 is the deadline for families interested in applying for a gift card through Community Action. People should contact Michelle Figueroa, a Community Action case manager, at (585) 589-5605, ext. 105. Figueroa will set up an appointment.
The size of the gift cards will vary depending on the size of a family. The gift cards are all for Walmart. People who receive the gift cards will then pick out the presents for their children.
Community Action will include food baskets with the gift cards. The agency also will be welcoming the Albion FFA for its annual food drive, with produce delivered to the agency on Dec. 12. That food is shared with several local food pantries.
Finch encouraged anyone with a shortage of food to call Community Action anytime during the year.
