(UPDATED: The election was moved back to April 28.)

ALBION – Village of Albion offices are closed to the public until further notice, Mayor Eileen Banker said.

Any payments can be made by using the drop box located on the front of the Village Office Building. Please put any payments in an envelope with a name and phone number. If there are any questions or concerns, call the Village Hall at 585-589-9176.

Payments can also be made online. (Click here for the village’s website.)

As of today, the Village election for two trustee positions will continue as scheduled for March 18.

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ALBION – Hoag Library will remain open to the community during its regularly scheduled hours, although events have been cancelled.

That includes the library’s anniversary celebration planned for this Saturday.

“This was a voluntary event, celebratory rather than necessary,” said Betty Sue Miller, library director. “Many of the library’s most faithful supporters are in a target group for the Covid-19 virus. We will plan an event after that concern has passed.”

The library plans to continue its other regular services.

“We have started the process to expand our internet wireless capabilities,” Miller said. “If schools are going to be closed, many students will be able to distance learn from home. However, many others are in the internet desert that isolates our rural residents.”

The library anticipates some additional demand from local college students, whose campuses have already been closed. The Wi-Fi capability allows internet access both inside the building and 24 hours a day in the parking lot. The facility is large enough for patrons to self-isolate and we can help individuals find safe spaces.

In addition to the daily cleaning routine more stringent cleaning will be added immediately. New signs have been posted suggesting to all staff and patrons ways to minimize risks. Flat surfaces will be cleaned multiple times during the day. Visitors are encouraged to use hand cleaner as they enter and when they leave the building.

Library employees may self-identify in a target group. According to Trustee President Kevin Doherty, “No employee should feel that she or he must jeopardize personal health to fill a library shift. Our intent, however, is to keep library operation as close to normal as possible.”

Although the library’s own programs which bring crowds have been suspended, it will be the individual decisions of groups that use the meeting rooms to determine which of their events will continue. The library meetings rooms do allow participants to spread out and provide the social distancing recommended.

Hoag Library is prepared to adjust to the recommendations of state and local officials, the library said in a news release.

The longer-term plan is to be knowledgeable and responsive. Changes may be required, perhaps even daily, to reduce the infection threat or improve service. The library website is www.hoaglibrary.org.

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‘We are asking all community members to be proactive and take this situation seriously. Stay informed. Wash your hands. Stay home when sick. Call 911 only for true emergencies. Follow the guidance of actual medical professionals.’ – Albion Fire Chief Harry Papponetti

Press Release, Albion Fire Chief Harry Papponetti

ALBION – The Albion Fire Department is modifying response guidelines as a precautionary measure related to COVID-19.

AFD believes this to be a matter of “when,” not “if,” our community will be directly impacted by this virus. Accordingly, we are implementing proactive, reasonable and rational steps to protect the community we serve, as well as our firefighters and emergency medical personnel.

Beginning immediately, we are taking precautions to ensure AFD firefighters and emergency medical personnel remain healthy and able to respond to fire-rescue emergencies. To that end, we are issuing several temporary response orders to AFD personnel.

Rest assured, we will still respond to your emergencies as we always have and always will. We will be limiting the number of personnel entering homes and businesses for what we determine to be “low-risk” calls or emergency medical calls where the risk for disease transmission is higher.

As a person in need of our services, you might find yourself being asked questions by AFD response personnel from outside of the structure. You or your caregiver or relative(s) may be asked to wear a mask while we assess your medical condition. Again, this is being done out of an abundance of caution to maintain a healthy, well-staffed and prepared emergency response team.

In addition, the AFD Fire Station will be closed to all non-emergency response community members until further notice.

We are asking all community members to be proactive and take this situation seriously. Stay informed. Wash your hands. Stay home when sick. Call 911 only for true emergencies. Follow the guidance of actual medical professionals.

Information about COVID-19 can be found on the Orleans County Public Health, NYS Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent, speaks during commencement on June 28, 2019.

ALBION – Michael Bonnewell has announced he will retire as Albion Central School superintendent in June 2021.

He shared the news today in a letter to parents in the school district.

Bonnewell is in his 10^th year as Albion superintendent of schools. He said he reached a mutual decision with the Board of Education last week. The timing  gives the district plenty of time to find his successor and also to help with the transition.

“It has truly, truly been my privilege to serve the students and, by extension, the community of Albion Central for nearly ten years already – and I know that I will enjoy the year and a half I will continue to serve,” Bonnewell wrote in the letter to the community.

Bonnewell came to Albion after working as superintendent of the Schroon Lake school district in the Adirondacks. That district only has about 200 students. Bonnewell was the district’s superintendent, K-12 principal and also served as the business administrator.

Before Schroon Lake, he was principal of Honeoye Middle-High School. He said he is thankful for a 35-year career in education.

“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to interact with students daily, as a teacher, coach, advisor, director and administrator for more than thirty-five years and believe that I am one of those lucky to have found the career that they love,” Bonnewell said. That has been most obvious here at Albion Central.”

Bonnewell was highly visible at the district, attending numerous events after school. He was a chaperone with the high school chorus to New York City last year.

He shared during commencement last June 28, that a woman stopped him in New York City on that trip to ask him if a group of students were his kids. He answered affirmatively, which surprised the woman.

“Yes, these are all my kids,” Bonnewell shared in his speech. “You are all my kids.”

Bonnewell stepped in as interim high school principal last year for three months, and said he welcomed the chance to get to know students better.

In his letter to parents today, Bonnewell reflected on a song at the district-wide choral concert at school last week. In one selection, students sang, “Put a little love in your heart and the world will be a better place.”

Bonnewell said the lyric should have a revision: “Put a little love in your heart, and these children in your life, and the world will be a better place.”

“My life is a better place because our children are in it,” Bonnewell wrote. “The world is a better place because our children are in it.”

Michael Bonnewell served as interim high school principal for three months last school year in addition to being superintendent.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: The Erie Canal is pictured on Dec. 8, 2017 in Albion with the Gaines Basin Road bridge in the background. This bridge will close on March 23 for six months for rehabilitation.

ALBION – The Gaines Basin Road canal bridge will close on March 23 for six months of rehabilitation. It is one of seven canal bridges to be upgraded as part of a $10.7 million initiative by the state Department of Transportation.

Crane Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is the contractor on the job. Crane Hogan will be installing high-strength galvanized steel to replace steel floor systems, low chords, gusset plates, and truss elements.

Bridge railing and guide rail on the bridge approaches also will be improved and the bridge will be repainted to black. The alignments and profiles of the bridges will not change.

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.

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Photos courtesy of Tim Archer

ALBION – Students in Albion Rotary Interact attended a leadership conference last Thursday at Clarence High School with about 100 other students in Western New York.

Area civic and community leaders provided a panel discussion around the student-led conversation. Topics included mental health, social media, politics, racism and college preparation.

Albion Rotary Interact students are pictured with Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard, one of the presenters at the conference. From left include Samantha Basinait, Alanna Holman, Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard, Emily Mergler, Ally Mathes and  Sarah Mathes.

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350 attend wine-tasting event at downtown businesses

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – These four friends enjoyed the Albion Sip N’ Stroll on Saturday. Lindsay Monacelli, Erin Conley, Cindy Ramsey and Kimberly Koia were among about 350 people who sampled wine at 15 locations for the seventh annual Sip N’ Stroll in downtown Albion.

The four ladies are shown at Laura Loxley on Main Street, trying wine from A Gust of Sun Winery in Ransomville.

Denise Hagen of Albion tries wine from Autumn Moon Farm Winery in Bergen. They are in the kitchen and party room at the Lockstone.

Ray Wendling, owner of North Ridge Distillery in Medina, offered samples of “Forbidden Apple” at Tinsel.

Jennifer Mateo and her husband Erik Mateo tried wines from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina. Sarah Geer served the wine at Red Check Rustic in the Pratt Opera House building. Geer was joined by her husband Peter in serving the wine for Leonard Oakes.

Nickie Girardo, manager at 39 Problems in Albion, serves up appetizers for the 100 people who bought VIP tickets for the Sip N’ Stroll. The Lockstone hosted the VIP party.

The Lockstone opened its doors for the VIP party. John Hernandez and his wife Natasha Wasuck have been working about two years to turn the site into a wedding and events venue. There is still a lot of work to do. The Lockstone will host two weddings in October.

The couple opened Tinsel, an ice cream shop, last June at the front of the building at 160 North Main St.

People check in at the beginning of the VIP party at the Lockstone, the former Burgio Tire just north of the Erie Canal.

Janna Stirk, Liz Groat and Natasha Wasuck took the lead in planning the seventh annual wine walk for the Albion Merchants Association.

In September, Stirk opened “Marked. by Janna.” on East Bank Street, where she does body-waxing and micro-blading. She said the Sip N’ Stroll is a chance to highlight the businesses in the downtown. She sees a lot of new energy among the business owners.

Stirk has led many painting parties in the kitchen room at the Lockstone. She said the Lockstone will be a landmark establishment for the community, at a location that serves as a gateway into the downtown.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Rev. Brad Hunt, pastor of the West Barre United Methodist Church, speaks during today’s Lenten luncheon at Christ Church. The Episcopal Church on West Park Street is hosting Lenten luncheons on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. during the Lenten season.

Today was the first Lenten luncheon and 70 people attended. The West Barre church provided the lunch – chicken soup, bologna sandwiches and desserts.

The Rev. Brad Hunt urged the group to not necessarily give up something for lent, but to take on something instead.

He urged them to be deliberate to reaching out to others and encouraging people. He said they could send a humorous card or a note telling someone or a business how much they appreciate their good works in the community.

“Stir up the goodness in other people,” he said.

Aleka Schmidt, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Albion, led the group in singing hymns.

The Lenten luncheons will continue each Wednesday at noon at Christ Church until April 1.

The Albion Ministerium will join in holding a Maudy Thursday service at 7 p.m. on April 9 at the First Presbyterian Church of Albion. That service will include singing from a community choir and also communion.

The Baptist Church will host a Good Friday service at 7 p.m. on April 10.

The Rev. Randy LeBaron, leader of Go Scatter Ministries, promotes an Easter Cantata – “Wonders of the Cross” – which will be 7 p.m. April 4 and 3 p.m. April 5 at Oak Orchard Elementary School in Medina. LeBaron is portraying Jesus in the cantata.

Don Snyder, retired chaplain, also urged the group to attend “Stories of Hope by People in Recovery” on March 6 event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the lower level of GCASA, 249 East Ave., Albion. Snyder is a volunteer with Orleans Recovery – Hope Begins Here.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Students in the Albion elementary chorus sing on Tuesday evening during a district-wide chorus concert at the Albion High School gym. About 1,000 people attended the concert, which was a celebration of Music in Our Schools Month.

The third, fourth and fifth-graders sang “Springtime,” “Cantamos,” and “We Will.”

Anna Atwater directs the elementary students during the Albion concert.

The middle school chorus also performed during the concert.

District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell welcomes the community to the concert. Carrie Kozody, middle school chorus director, and Kevin Smith, audiovisual equipment technician, are in back as well as the high school mixed chorus.

Some of the performances this month at local districts include:

• March 5 (7 p.m.) – Kendall All District Band and Chorus Concert at Kendal Jr./Sr. High School Auditorium

• March 7 (2 p.m.) –  All County Music Festival (Elementary School Band, Junior High Chorus, High School Band) at Kendall Central School

• March 13 (7 p.m.) and March 14 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) – Holley MS/HS, “High School Musical”

• March 19 (7 p.m.) – Holley district choral concert at HS Aud

• March 20 (7 p.m. ) and March 21 (noon and 7 p.m.) – Albion Middle School Musical, “Matilda”

• March 20 (7 p.m.) and March 21 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) – Kendall musical “Annie” at Jr./Sr. Aud

• March 27-29 – Lyndonville and Medina’s musical production of “Mama Mia” with shows at Lyndonville Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Match 27, 7 p.m. on March 28 and 2 p.m. on March 29.

• March 31 (2 .m.) Holley Elementary School music assembly at HS Aud

• March 31 (7 p.m.) Holley District Band Concert at HS Aud

• March 31 (7 p.m.) – Lyndonville Music in our Schools Concert

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Bryce Wilson of the Carlton team pitches in a game under the lights on the Albion varsity softball field on June 10, 2017. The district allows the Albion Midget League to play a game under the lights for players in the league who are in their last year in Little League. The district has allowed the game the past three years.

ALBION – The Board of Education is considering whether it should change the district policy for community use of varsity fields.

The district currently only makes exceptions for use of a varsity field for an all-star or championship game.

The district has much more leeway for the JV fields and many youth sports leagues use those for soccer, softball and baseball.

The district the past three years has allowed the Albion Midget League to have a senior game under the lights. This is for players ages 12 or 13 in their last season of Little League. It’s technically not an all-star game, but the Board of Education has made that exception for one game usually in mid-June.

The district has received a request from the Albion Storm Fastpitch Softball to have four games under the lights on the varsity softball field from May 15 to June 12.

The Albion Storm Fastpitch Softball also requested 30 dates for use of the JV softball field from April 28 to June 18.

The Board of Education discussed the request during Monday’s BOE meeting. District Superintendent Mike Bonnewell said the two requests in May shouldn’t be approved. The varsity team plays May 15 and there is a playoff possibility on May 28 that could be moved to May 29.

The superintendent advised against approving the dates requested for June 5 and June 12.

“I would caution the board because you are caretakers of the property the community has entrusted you.”

Not only does the softball field get use during a game, but part of the varsity soccer field has players on it who are in the outfield.

The school’s policy for restricted usage of the fields states:

“The Board of Education reserves the right to limit access to any specific area of the school facility. The varsity football field, due to its composition, is available only during the ‘off-season’ for occasional non-athletic events (e.g. band competitions).

“The other fields (soccer, softball and baseball) are available for special events such as championship and/or all-star games.”

“The Board of Education endorses use of school facilities by District community groups whenever reasonable and at reasonable costs. Activities for youth should, whenever deemed appropriate by the Superintendent, be allowed at no cost. Other activities should be allowed at reasonable costs as set by the Superintendent and approved by the Board.”

The policy also states school groups get first priority for use of facilities.

If the varsity field use requests are approved, Bonnewell said the district needs to either change the policy or give different groups a waiver.

For the softball request, the players are all Albion district children. Board member Wayne Wadhams said he would like to see they have a chance to play at least one game under the lights. The district has the only lighted field in the community.

“That’s a big deal for kids,” he said.

Board member Elissa Nesbitt also wants to find a way to work with community groups that doesn’t violate the school policy for use of fields.

The board decided to have the softball group resubmit its facility request to only ask for the JV fields for regular-season games.

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ALBION – Seventh-graders will no longer be allowed to play on junior varsity or varsity teams at Albion Central School, the Board of Education decided recently.

The district will give 8^th graders an opportunity but only if they have strong grades, are emotionally mature and are exceptional athletes.

The 8^th graders will be deemed exceptional with recommendations from coaches and at a skills assessment.

Adam Krenning, the athletic director, went over the Athletic Placement Process (APP) with the board recently. The district approved establishing a protocol for moving 8^th graders up the JV or varsity levels.

Not all of the board members were in favor of excluding seventh graders. Wayne Wadhams, a retired teacher who volunteers with the track team, said cross country and track and field are sports where seventh- and eighth-graders can be moved up without displacing athletes in grades 9 through 12.

With the APP, 8^th graders identified for consideration will need written permission from parents and guardians to participate before there is any evaluation.

The athletic director also needs to confirm the student is suitable for consideration and there needs to be medical clearance to make sure having an eighth-grader play at JV or varsity doesn’t increase the likelihood of injury.

Other steps in the process include:

• Sport Skill Evaluation: sport coach will rely on past personal observations; consider input from the student’s former coaches; if coach is unfamiliar with the student, the coach may observe the student in a physical education class

• Physical Fitness Testing: must be done by a certified physical education teacher

• Qualification Determination: the results of the three evaluations are sent to the director of physical education/athletics

• Try-Outs: student is allowed to try out for the sport and level requested or student must return to the modified level of competition

The entire APP process should take five days or less, Krenning told the BOE.

Krenning told BOE members APP wouldn’t be used to fill spots on teams, but to give higher-skilled eighth-graders a chance to flourish at their sport.

The district hasn’t had a set guideline for identifying exceptional athletes in middle school for the JV or varsity teams. The district now has a set rubric in picking 8^th-graders who have a chance to try out for JV or varsity.

Mike Bonnewell, the district superintendent, voiced concern over moving up middle school students who would compete for playing time with 9^th through 12^th graders. If the 7^th and 8^th graders stayed on modified, they would still be playing the sport and not cutting into some time for high school athletes. He said cross country, track and field and swimming are exceptions.

In cross country everyone can run the race, except at Sectionals which is limited to the seven top runners from a school. Swimming and track and field can always add heats or expand an event to accommodate more athletes.

The board opted to allow 8^th graders to move up if they meet the standards, and will look at the policy again next school year to discuss whether it makes sense to allow 7^th graders to be on JV or varsity teams.

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