Saint-Gobain ADFORS will tout the product, FlexScreen
Press Release, Saint-Gobain ADFORS
Photo courtesy of Saint-Gobain ADFORS: The FlexScreen product is manufactured by Saint-Gobain ADFORS. The company, which is headquartered in Grand Island, does not currently make the product at its Albion location on Route 31.
ALBION – Saint-Gobain ADFORS will be featured on tonight’s episode of Shark Tank, airing on ABC at 8 p.m.
The episode is part of the Shark Tank Update segment on FlexScreen, which originally was featured on the Shark Tank’s Episode 10 in Season 11. Since this initial appearance, Saint-Gobain ADFORS has partnered with FlexScreen to exclusively sell FlexScreen products within the retail and dotcom channels.
FlexScreen, the ‘Shark Tank’ winning industry disruptor, is innovative in design, strength, and ease. Built with high-performance spring steel and damage-resistant frames, FlexScreen offers residential and commercial consumers the most efficient and effective method for installing window screens.
Saint-Gobain ADFORS is headquartered in Grand Island, with a manufacturing facilty located in Albion NY and is the industry leader in retail for insect screen.
Saint-Gobain ADFORS is a division of the Saint-Gobain Group that is focused on the construction and industrial markets. ADFORS offers solutions based on a complete range of textile and coating technologies using fiberglass yarns, synthetic fibers, and natural fibers.
ADFORS is the reliable and innovative global leader in technical textiles, offering the most adapted solutions. The Saint-Gobain Group is established in 66 countries and is the market leader in each of its core businesses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 February 2021 at 1:36 pm
Roland Nenni has led Albion PD for nearly 10 years
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni speaks during a press conference on Dec. 11, 2020 with District Attorney Joe Cardone when they announced arson and reckless endangerment charges against an Albion resident after homemade fireworks badly damaged three houses in the village.
ALBION – Roland Nenni, Albion police chief for nearly 10 years, will retire on March 31 after working in local law enforcement for 29 years.
Nenni started his career in Holley in 1992 and joined the Albion Police Department in 1994. He also has served as the Holley police chief about five years in an intermunicipal between Albion and Holley. Albion will continue to provide leadership for the Holley PD until June 1.
Nenni also has served as the SWAT commander for Orleans County and teaches at the Rural Police Academy at GCC.
“I gave it everything I had and I’m proud of that,” Nenni said today. “I took the job very seriously.”
The Albion Village Board accepted his resignation letter on Wednesday evening. Mayor Eileen Banker praised Nenni for his commitment to the department. “He gave the job 150 percent,” she said.
Nenni pushed for community policing, working with about five different neighborhood watch groups in the village and co-leading the annual National Night Out at Bullard Park. That event drew about 1,000 people for games and activities with local law enforcement officers and agencies.
He pushed for close connections with the community before that was a mandate in police reform from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Certain officials in government have given us a black eye and insisted on us doing things we’ve already been doing,” Nenni said.
Nenni is a Holley resident and former Holley fire chief. He said the experience as fire chief proved to an asset in incident command as police chief.
In his role as Albion police chief he pushed the department of 13 full-time officers (which includes the chief’s position) to be trained and prepared to respond to many different calls, including medical and mental health.
Albion and Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni, left, and Albion Lt. David Mogle helped direct traffic during the Flag Day parade in Holley that passed through the intersection of routes 31 and 237. They are shown on June 14, 2019. Mogle is the second-in-command of the Albion PD.
The Albion and Holley patrol cars all have Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) because Nenni said the officers are often the first on the scene in medical emergencies and the AEDs can save someone in cardiac arrest.
The police chief secured grant funding for the AEDs. He also was successful getting grants for traffic enforcement, child car seats, pedestrian crossing safety and awareness, and other public safety initiatives. He has been recognized for his work by AAA.
The Albion PD on Oct. 1, 2016 also was the first local police department in Orleans County to use body cameras on all officers.
Nenni said he tried to empower the Albion officers, with each being a trainer in a different aspect of police work. All were trained to field training officers.
He has worked closely with the Albion school district to have a school resource officer and to quickly respond to any threats at the district.
Nenni has a reputation for being very detailed and writing lengthy event action plans, whether for local festivals, parades, food distributions and even 5Ks races.
“I’ve never been a wing it guy,” he said. “I like to be prepared for when the ‘what ifs’ happen.”
The police chief, 49, said he is proud of the officers. In Albion, he hired all but two who are currently in the department.
“The sign of an outstanding leader is the performance of the people,” he said. “We’ve had really great officers.”
In retirement, Nenni said he would like to teach more at the Rural Police Academy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2021 at 1:33 pm
Families thrilled heartwarming article has lifted people’s spirits during pandemic
Photos by Tom Rivers: Cooper Traxler, 6, gives his date Natalee Olsen a ride in a Power Wheels toy car at the McDonald’s drive-through on Sunday for Valentine’s Day. Lt. Steve Fox of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office provided an escort while they were driving to keep them safe in the loop around the store.
ALBION – The article on the Orleans Hub on Valentine’s Day about the two 6-year-olds hitting the drive-through at McDonald’s in a toy car has gone viral, and been featured by many news sites in Western New York and beyond. The Fox News station in New York City put together this article today (click here) and is putting it on their national platforms.
The parents of Cooper Traxler and Natalee Olsen reached out to the Orleans Hub about the special Valentine’s Day planned for the two kids who became best friends in kindergarten.
The Traxlers appreciated someone donating a Power Wheels car after Cooper’s mom Jamie posted on Facebook that he wanted to take his date through the drive-through and order their meal like adults. The car was left in Cooper’s dad’s truck with a note from a “Hopeless Romantic.”
The families asked the Sheriff’s Office to provide an escort for Cooper and Natalee to make sure they were safe in the drive-through. Deputy Jeff Cole and his K-9 Otto rode in front of the two in their toy car with Lt. Steve Fox behind.
After Cooper and Natalee made a loop around the McDonald’s in the toy car, they went inside to eat their cheeseburger Happy Meals. Cooper decorated a table and had flowers and a gift basket for Natalee.
“I just thought that with all the negativity going on, this story would be truly heartwarming and cute to cover,” Mrs. Traxler said.
Cooper Traxler and Natalee Olsen settle in their decorated booth at McDonald’s. Cooper wants to be a K-9 handler and wears a jacket courtesy of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office from a couple years ago when he met K9 Otto and handler Jeff Cole while Cooper was in preschool. Cooper had on a dress shirt with a tie under the jacket.
Mrs. Traxler is amazed how fast the story spread with more than 1,200 shares on the Orleans Hub Facebook and more than 1,600 likes.
“We all need to see heartwarming events like this after the year that we had,” Mrs. Traxler said today. “That something so innocent and pure just pulls on the heart strings. Seeing their story puts a smile on everyone’s face. It is not something you see everyday.”
She and her family are grateful the story has connected with so many people.
“Let this story soar to bring joy, love and smiles to everyone!” she said.
Ciara Olsen, Natalee’s mom, said she has heard from many in the community how the Valentine’s Day date was “super cute” with the two kids dressed up in fancy clothes once they were inside McDonald’s.
“I didn’t expect it to be like this,” Mrs. Olsen said about the article’s popularity. “Usually what we read in the news isn’t positive. But this is bringing people together.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2021 at 8:10 pm
Matt Taylor is assistant video director for Tampa Bay Bucs
Photos courtesy of Matt Taylor: Matt Taylor, a 1996 Albion graduate, holds the Lombardi trophy after Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl, 31-9, over the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 7.
ALBION – Matt Taylor dreamed of being in the NFL when he was a kid and in college. The 1996 Albion grad played for the Albion Purple Eagles and was a 6-foot, 230-pound defensive lineman for Ithaca College.
Taylor, 43, earned a degree in sports management at Ithaca. His path to the NFL wasn’t for his exploits on the field. He excelled in video, in filming practices and games and making those images available to coaches and players.
Taylor is the assistant video director for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has worked about 20 years in professional football. The Buccaneers victory on Feb. 7 – 31-9 over the Kansas City Chiefs – earned Taylor his first Super Bowl ring. It has been a whirlwind week since then, celebrating the victory, including a boat parade on Feb. 10 on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa.
“How many people from Albion can say they won the Super Bowl?” Taylor said this afternoon in a phone interview.
The Super Bowl title culminated six intense months of 70-80 hour weeks for Taylor. He learned that work ethic growing up on an apple farm on Zig Zag Road. His father Richard Taylor is now retired as a fruit grower. Taylor grew up with his mother Joanne and his siblings, Tracy, Mark and Chris.
Taylor said the technology has changed so much in his two decades in the business with the switch from beta tapes to digital. That has made it easier to share the video to many people. Before coaches had to take turns watching a tape. The images are easier to store and characterize with 800 fields to enter data – it could be plays on different downs and distances to go to a first down, who made tackles, catches and other key plays.
Matt Taylor is ecstatic with defensive lineman Will Gholston while celebrating the Super Bowl win.
For the Super Bowl game, the Bucs coaches wanted to see plays of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and what he did when he scrambled to the right and to the left.
Taylor and the team of the four full-time staff in video put together video for the coaches and players. The teams all submit game video to the NFL and each team has access.
“It’s completely different from what you see on an NFL game,” Taylor said.
The teams record two main views for the games – the All-22 angle and the end zone view. The All-22 is from up high and shows all 22 players on the field. The end zone angle is down low, and tends to focus on the lineman and the tight ends.
Taylor got his start in video for the Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League in 1999. It was after his junior year in college and he worked as an intern for the Destroyers in the summer, juggling work on the farm after college ended for the semester.
Taylor videotaped practices for the Destroyers. He was with them for four seasons.
Taylor wanted to get into the NFL. He sent his resume to the Bills and was interviewed on Sept. 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks. Taylor offered to volunteer for free to help the Bills.
“I just wanted to get my foot in the door,” he said.
Halfway through the season he was called by Henry Kunttu, the video and film director for the Bills. Taylor was tasked with filming some of the practices. There weren’t any full-time positions open with the Bills.
After the season, Taylor sent resumes all over the NFL. The Miami Dolphins called and gave Taylor a job after a recommendation from the highly regarded Kunttu, who is now retired.
Matt Taylor celebrates on the field after the game with cornerback coach Kevin Ross. Taylor said Ross viewed signing Tom Brady as quarterback as the key to getting the team to the Super Bowl.
Taylor was with Miami for the full season, a team with the explosive Ricky Williams at running back and Jason Taylor on the defensive line.
The following year, he took a position with the Chicago Bears in a seasonal position. Then he worked for NFL Europe in Germany with the Cologne Centurions.
Matt Taylor holds his daughter Josie during the boat parade to celebrate the Super Bowl victory.
In 2005, the Dolphins reached out to him for a full-time job in video. New coach, Nick Saban, wanted the team to upgrade its video. Taylor would stay with the team for 10 years as a video assistant.
He left in 2016 to work for a company in Massachusetts that provides the video software for most of the NFL teams and many other professional and college teams. That job was a chance to be near his wife Lindsay’s family. The couple has three children – Wesley, Clayton and Josie.
In the job with the software company, Taylor was assisting teams throughout the league in using the video. The Tampa Bay Bucs let him know they needed an assistant video director. They offered the position to Taylor and he accepted.
“I have always enjoyed working as part of a team,” Taylor said. “The opportunity presented itself to get back into the NFL.”
He just finished his fourth season with the Bucs. The pace at work picks up again soon with the upcoming scouting combine, free agent market and then OTAs in the spring.
It is a high-pressure business with long hours. But Taylor said he is thrilled to be a part of it.
“You get to go to football practice and games for your job,” he said. “You really can’t beat that.”
Taylor urged people looking to get into the NFL or landing their dream job to not shy away from entry-level positions that often have little or no pay with a grueling schedule.
“It’s like anything, you have got to put your nose down and work at it,” he said about his career in the NFL. “You have to always aim to put your best foot forward.”
Matt Taylor, back left, and the video staff celebrate in the locker room after the Buccaneers upset the Kansas City Chiefs in convincing fashion in the Super Bowl.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2021 at 3:23 pm
Cooper Traxler takes his date on a ride at the McDonald’s drive-through with his Power Wheels toy car
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cooper Traxler (right), 6, takes his Valentine’s date Natalee Olsen, 6, through the drive-through at the Albion McDonald’s. They received an escort from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. Lt. Steve Fox is in back in the patrol vehicle.
The two met last year in kindergarten in Albion in Mrs. Auricchio’s class. They became best friends. They are in Mrs. Uderitz’s first grade class together this year, but they are on opposite days with students having in-person classes two days a week. They only see each other on Wednesdays, but that’s through Google Meet with their other classmates.
This year valentines weren’t passed out in class. Cooper wanted Natalee to be his valentine. The two families met last Thursday at Dustin’s Pizzeria in Holley and Cooper asked Natalee to be his valentine. He wanted to take her through the drive-through at McDonald’s.
The parents – Josh and Jamie Traxler, and Ciara and Tom Olsen – worked out the details for the special date, which included a visit from Otto, the K-9 with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and his handler, Deputy Jeff Cole. Cooper wants to be a K-9 handler when he’s an adult.
Cooper Traxler and Natalee Olsen ride in style in a Power Wheels Dune Extreme. Cooper wanted to drive his date through the drive-through, just like an adult.
An anonymous person dropped off the Power Wheels toy car in Cooper’s dad’s truck after Cooper’s mom shared a few days ago about the Valentine’s Day date planned for today. Jamie Traxler said her son wanted to drive Natalee himself but didn’t have one of the big toy cars.
A message on the toy car left in Mr. Traxler’s truck said it was sent from a “Hopeless Romantic.”
Cooper and Natalee stop at the drive-through window to pick up their cheeseburger Happy Meals.
The two friends ride together along the driveway circle at McDonald’s. (Click here to see a short video of them riding together.)
After they parked the Power Wheels car, Cooper and Natalee went inside McDonald’s to enjoy their Happy Meals. They both dressed up for the occasion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2021 at 10:36 am
Provided photo
ALBION – Greg Dugan, grand knight for the Knights of Columbus in Albion, presents a $1,200 check to Faith Smith for the Community Kitchen at Christ Church in Albion. Smith is the director of the kitchen at 26 South Main St. It is open Fridays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and currently serves to-go meals and extra bags of food, personal care products and laundry care items.
The Knights raised the funds through a chicken and biscuits dinner on Jan. 16, a first-time fundraiser for the Knights to assist the Community Kitchen.
“A chicken and biscuits dinner was something no one had done recently,” Smith said.
Guy Warren from Kent was the chef and prepared the dinner.
The Knights also do a food collection every year. This year they collected 1,160 pounds of food and $575 for the kitchen.
“The Knights of Columbus Albion Council #1330 has always been a major supporter of the Community Kitchen since I have been the director,” Smith said. “The Community Kitchen is so thankful for their continued help and support!”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2021 at 12:42 pm
ALBION – The Albion Board of Education voted on Monday to join hundreds of other school districts around the country in a class-action lawsuit against JUUL, which makes and markets vaping products.
Albion won’t have to spend any money on lawyers as part of the lawsuit that is currently pending in the Northern District of California.
Plaintiffs are alleging JUUL Labs, the largest manufacturer of vaping products in the world, fraudulently and intentionally marketed its products to children through social media, online advertising and even television networks for children.
“It’s no risk to the district and only a gain for our students if we do win,” Derek Vallese, the Albion business administrator, told the Board of Education on Monday evening.
Albion and the other school districts could receive part of a monetary award to recoup costs of any vaping-related issues on campus. Some districts are also asking for additional damages to compensate for future expenses, according to a memorandum to the district from the Bond Schoeneck & King lawfirm.
An example of a cost incurred by a district is installing vape detectors in every district bathroom or hiring additional staff to supervise potential vaping areas on campus.
“In addition, we anticipate that school districts will likely need to hire additional counselors to deal with the well-documented social and emotional issues associated with nicotine addiction,” Bond Schoeneck & King said. “Finally, districts may need to incorporate educational programs about the harms of vaping and are seeking monetary damages in the lawsuit to cover the cost of that endeavor.”
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking a court order to stop JUUL from continuing to manufacture, market and sell their “flavor pods” that are particularly attractive to children.
JUUL has marketed its products to make children believe vaping and the products weren’t harmful. But the lawsuits says the e-cigarettes could contain 10 times the amount of nicotine a as traditional cigarette.
The company also targeted children with the products with flavors such as fruit medley, crème brulee and mango.
Albion’s only cost in the lawsuit could be having about 10 hours of staff time to prepare documents and information for the legal team, according to the memorandum from the Bond Schoeneck & King lawfirm.
The Frantz Law Group in California is the lead firm in the lawsuit. The lawfirm normally receives 40 percent of a plaintiff’s recovery, but has agreed to reduce that to 20 percent if the case is resolved in the first year and 25 percent if resolved after a year.
Bond Schoeneck & King will serve as co-counsel the Frantz Law Group and will act as a liaison between Albion and Frantz.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2021 at 11:25 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Derek Vallese, the business administrator for Albion Central School, goes over the school district’s $35.5 million budget during a meeting on April 1, 2019. Vallese came to Albion after working as treasurer for Newfane Central School.
ALBION — The school district is losing another administrator. Derek Vallese is leaving Albion next Friday to take a job as assistant superintendent at Victor Central School. Victor’s $78.2 million budget for 2020-21 is more than double the $36.8 million at Albion.
Vallese has worked as Albion as the business administrator for about two years. He came to Albion after being the treasurer at Newfane Central School.
Vallese also was the district clerk at Albion, and needed to oversee last year’s election, which was much more complicated due to Covid-19 restrictions. The state required school districts to hold the elections and budget votes entirely by mail.
Vallese was praised the Board of Education on Monday for his work at Albion. Mickey Edwards, who started as the district superintendent on Monday, said he will begin the process of filling the vacancy.
Vallese said the district’s annual budget work has started and he will be available to help by phone if Albion needs some assistance in the coming months. The budget goes to a public vote in May.
Vallese said he has enjoyed working at Albion.
“Thank you Albion Central School District for accepting me as one of your own,” he said. “It has been a great two years with the district, and I have learned so much. This is an amazing district and an amazing community, and I will miss everyone.”
Albion will also need to fill other positions on the administrative team. Mary Leto, the assistant superintendent for instruction, informed the district last month that she will retire, effective June 30.
The district also has interim elementary school principal this year after Rachel Curtin left the position after seven years to work as principal of the Chautauqua Lake Elementary School in Mayville. That is near her hometown of Ripley.
Maura Pierce came out of retirement to serve as interim principal this school year at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School.
Photo from Albion Central School: Mickey Edwards is pictured in the district office with a painting of the high school. Edwards starts today as Albion school superintendent.
ALBION – Today is the first day for Mickey Edwards as Albion’s new district superintendent. Edwards, an Albion graduate, rejoins the district after serving as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.
Edwards said he plans to be very busy the next 90 days, getting reconnected to district stakeholders.
“I want to connect with community members and organizations to hear what people are proud of and listen to any concerns,” Edwards said.
While he never really left Albion – all three of his children graduated from the district and he lives in Kent – Edwards emphasized the importance of communication, not just with the school, but with the community at large.
“I want Albion to know I am available to them,” Edwards said. “I want to be out and involved and part of the team.”
After graduating from Albion, Edwards spent four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career as an art teacher at Albion. He then served as dean of students in the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, assistant principal at Carl I. Bergerson Middle School, and a principal at Charles D’Amico High School.
“This is where it all started,” Edwards said. “I have so many great memories of my childhood and of Albion, which is one of the reasons I am so excited and wanted to come home.”
After working at Albion, 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.
“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,” Edwards said. “I look forward to being a part of the team and serving our community together.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2021 at 7:15 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: The flag is lowered in this photo from May at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion, out of respect for the victims of Covid-19.
ALBION – A nursing home in Albion where 30 residents have passed away due to Covid-19 has been hit with a $66,632 fine for Covid violations.
The fine is the largest penalty for a nursing home in New York State for Covid violations, according to an article in The Buffalo News.
The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center was fined $20,000 in September by the state Department of Health for violations cited in a May 9 state inspection of the facility.
The new fine from the federal government is based on that earlier state inspection. DOH inspectors on May 9 said facility staff weren’t following proper infection prevention and control measures. One example included certified nursing aides and licensed practical nurses entering and exiting a room of a person with Covid, and then entering rooms of other residents without Covid.
The staff “passed breakfast trays, assisted with the residents’ meals and provided hands on care without wearing PPE and completing proper hand hygiene,” according to the DOH report.
The DOH said personal protective equipment wasn’t readily available to staff. Several employees told DOH there wasn’t adequate PPE for workers.
The Department of Health also reported that many nursing home employees, including agency staff, did not seem educated on infection control policies, standard/droplet precautions and Covid-19.
The Villages has had 93 of its residents in the 120-bed facility test positive for Covid. The Villages hasn’t experienced any deaths among residents since May due to Covid.
The nursing home is one of 20 in the state under investigation by the Attorney General Tish James. She released a report last week about nursing homes and their response during the pandemic. The AG said many nursing homes weren’t prepared to protect residents from Covid-19.
The AG also faulted the state for underreporting the deaths of nursing homes residents from Covid by as much as 50 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2021 at 10:09 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cole Glover carries a box of food to a vehicle in line this morning at a food distribution in Albion. About 300 boxes of food were given out from the parking lot at the Main Street Store, a thrift store at 113 South Main St.
Volunteers put boxes of food in cars and trucks on a cold morning with temperatures in the low teens.
The food distributions will continue in February.
Greg Gilman, maintenance supervisor at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, assisted with the food distribution this morning. For the first time, the food included eggs and bags of brown rice.
About 300 boxes of food were given away this morning in the “Families Food Box Program” which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Susie Miller, assistant director of the Office for the Aging, grabs three dozen of eggs for one of the vehicles in line.
The schedule for February includes:
February 5th – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Albion, NY 14411-entrance is on Taylor Hill Road. The line of cars needs to form south on Taylor Hill Road. There will be no entrance on Route 31.
February 12th – Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion 14411
February 19th – Medina Central School District, 1 Mustang Drive, Medina- Line will start off Oak Orchard Road, no entrance off of Route 31.
February 26th – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Albion, NY 14411-entrance is on Taylor Hill Road. The line of cars needs to form south on Taylor Hill Road. There will be no entrance on Route 31.
All start times are approximately 8:30 a.m. If the Foodlink truck is there and unloaded it may start at 8 a.m.
Organizers ask that people not line up before 8 a.m. due to possible winter weather conditions. “We remind people not to block driveways,” said Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging, which helps organize the events. “We want to thank all the volunteers. Without them there would be no events. Please be patient and kind.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2021 at 8:45 pm
Joe Martillotta and Zack Burgess will be on ballot in March 16 election
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Republican Party backed Joe Martillotta, left, and Democrats picked Zack Burgess as their candidate in the March 16 election.
ALBION – The Democrats and Republicans each picked their candidate this evening for the March 16 village election.
Both parties held a caucus at 7 p.m. to select a candidate to fill the remaining three years of a trustee position on the Village Board. The position $6,370 a year.
The trustee position became vacant when Kevin Sheehan resigned to take the job as Albion’s code enforcement officer.
Both parties had a low turnout this evening with less than 10 people. Democrats picked Zack Burgess and Republicans nominated Joe Martillotta.
Burgess, 31, works for Bentley Brothers at inside sales. He also has been very active in the Rock the Park music festival at Bullard Park. He serves as co-chairman of the event which has been renamed as the Albion Summer Festival. Last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Burgess and the organizers are hoping this year’s festival with many bands can happen the first Saturday in August.
Through that event, Burgess said he has worked with many village officials and community members. He also is a member of the Albion Lions Club.
“I want to do anything I can to improve the quality of life in the village,” Burgess said.
He was backed by Democrats at the caucus which was held at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
His father, Phil Burgess, made a motion to support Zack, which was seconded by his mother, Lynn. Phil works for Kodak and Lynn has a hair salon at her home on West Park Street.
Zack lives on Hamilton Street.
Joe Martillotta, 69, was backed by the Republicans at a caucus on the second floor of the Albion Visitors Center. Martillotta retired in 2009 after 36 years as a high school social studies and economics teacher.
He and his wife Debbie did extensive renovations of 469 East State St. and opened the Crooked Door Tavern on Jan. 31, 2011. It was his dream of owning a restaurant and bar. They operated the business for more than three years, selling it in April 2014.
Martillotta lives on North Main Street and owns other properties in the village.
“I’ve been paying taxes for years in the village – lots of them,” he said.
He has long advocated for shrinking the size of local government through consolidation. That is an issues he wants to explore.
“We should do it,” he said about dissolutions or consolidations. “Do we really need 15 highway superintendents in Orleans County?”
Each of the 10 towns, four villages and the county all have an elected or appointed superintendent of highways or the DPW.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2021 at 6:44 pm
ALBION – There will be Republican and Democratic caucuses on Tuesday to pick a candidate for trustee in a March 16 special election.
The two political parties will meet to pick a candidate for trustee to fill three years of vacated term by Kevin Sheehan, who resigned to take the job as Albion’s code enforcement officer.
The Democrats will meet at 7 p.m. at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, 10 East Park St.
The Republicans will meet at 7 p.m. at the Albion Visitors Center, 121 North Main St.
The parties will take nominations from the floor during the caucuses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2021 at 8:09 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Logan Kast, 12, of Albion gets sprayed with snow as he heads down the sledding hill at Bullard Park on Saturday. There hasn’t been much snow this year, but several inches fell on Friday and Saturday and many people dusted off their sleds, inner tubes and saucers.
Frankie DiCureia, 11, of Medina had a ball zooming down the hill.
Sophia Albanese, left, and her friend Mickey Stowell, 14, of Albion descend down the hill. There were kids of all ages having fun sledding on Saturday. The temperature was in the 20s, but there wasn’t much wind.
Traivon Eibl of Albion tried snowboarding and had a wipeout.
Lincoln Eibl, 4, is all smiles heading down the hill after a gentle push from his father, Traivon.
Finley Draper, 7, of Lyndonville grabs a string from his dad Tim Draper to climb the last slippery spot on the hill.
This photo is from the very top of the hill, where there is a staircase. Sledding can down the hill from a few different directions.
Rose Collins, 9, of Medina and Lucy DiCureia, 10, of Medina get sprayed with snow as the take off down the hill on the west side.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 January 2021 at 1:13 pm
Matt Grammatico had surgery last week at Cleveland Clinic
Photo courtesy of Grammatico family: Matt Grammatico gives thumbs up while he recovers after getting a heart and liver transplant on Jan. 12. Grammatico has been at the Cleveland Clinic for more than three months.
CLEVELAND – An Albion man is recovering so well after getting a heart and liver transplant last week that he has been moved out of the intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic – a week ahead of schedule .
Matt Grammatico, 47, has been at the hospital in Cleveland since Oct. 16. He had the transplant surgery on Jan. 12.
“I’m hopeful for the future,” Grammatico said by phone on Wednesday. “The doctors are all happy where I’m at. Honestly, they are stunned with how fast I’m coming out of it.”
Grammatico was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. He had major heart surgery as a baby followed by an open-heart reconstructive surgery when he was 11. He has needed multiple procedures and surgeries throughout the next 30-plus years of his life.
During one of the surgeries as a child, he was unknowingly given a Hepatitis C tainted blood transfusion. The virus attacked his liver, undiscovered, for more than 20 years, further complicating his health. He has endured end-stage liver disease.
Grammatico’s health deteriorated in the past year, and Cleveland Clinic kept him in good enough condition for the surgery. He was in the operating room for about 19 hours.
Normally patients are in the ICU for two weeks after the surgery. Grammatico was able to move out of ICU after one week and is now in a transplant step down unit. He said he is in a lot of pain and feels a little groggy.
But he is very thankful for the medical team, the organ donor and for a supportive community. He praises God for the surgery’s success so far.
It was almost three years ago when the Albion community put on a spaghetti dinner and basket raffle for Grammatico on Jan. 27, 2018 at the Carlton Rec Hall.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Matt Grammatico is pictured in January 2018 at his former auto repair shop, MPG Automotive in Hamlin.
Grammatico’s wife Rhonda has been in Cleveland since Oct. 16, but hasn’t been able to see her husband, face to face, due to Covid restrictions. She has been staying in a hotel room and having frequent phone and video conversations with her husband.
Grammatico said the separation from his family, including son Nate, has been very difficult. If he continues to progress, he could be released from the hospital possibly next week. Usually patients are in the transplant step down unit for a week to three weeks before being released. He then has to stay in Cleveland and check in for daily tests at the hospital for at least a month.
His wife has been providing updates on her husband’s journey at the Cleveland Clinic on Facebook through the “Feel The Love With Matt” page.
Matt Grammatico chats with friends on Jan. 27, 2018 during a fundraiser on his behalf at the Carlton Rec Hall.
Grammatico worked as a truck driver for 17 years and then owned his auto repair business in Hamlin. His father, Mike Grammatico, was a long-time music teacher at Albion.
Matt was informed there were organs for him and he was prepped for the transplant surgery on Dec. 30. But the doctors determined the liver had “declined” and it would be better to wait. Mrs. Grammatico shared that patients and their loved ones need to be prepared for “dry runs” where the surgery gets cancelled.
“We love you so much, thank you for rallying and praying and cheerleading alongside of us,” Mrs. Grammatico wrote on Facebook on Dec. 30. “We know the next call is coming in God’s good time. Praise God, Matt is in great spirits and he is in the wonderful hands of the doctors and our Lord! We will continue to be patient and wait for the next call.”
The call came in the morning on Jan. 12. Grammatico was prepared for surgery and his donor heart was in place inside his chest just after noon. The liver proved to be more time consuming. He was out of surgery at about 2:30 a.m.
“Transplant surgeries are done, Matt is doing well!” Mrs. Grammatico posted at 2:31 a.m. on Jan. 13. “He is closed and is heading down to Cardio/Vascular ICU now.
“While we are full of joy for this opportunity for a new and healthy life for Matt we are closing out tonight in a moment of silence in honor of the angel donor who saved the lives of multiple people today~ Beautiful Soul, may God bless you and keep you in perfect joy and peace with Him, all the days of eternity~”
Grammatico was able to call his wife later that day and came through with a strong voice – “I AM HERE, THANK YOU GOD, I AM HERE, PRAISE YOU LORD, I AM HERE,” he proclaimed on the call to his wife.
Mrs. Grammatico, an aide at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School in Albion, said the family is very thankful to be at this stage. She said the nurses, physician assistants, doctors, surgeons and medical staff are “God-appointed miracle workers.”
“We can never say thank you enough to these absolutely outstanding folks, and we will never stop saying it – God bless you all, we are forever thankful for each one of you!” Mrs. Grammatico wrote.
