Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Firefighters from Albion, Barre, Holley and Shelby did a joint drill today simulating a response with foam in case there is a fire while inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility bottle hand sanitizer.

There are thousands of gallons of sanitizer at the prison, with a high concentration of alcohol. If there is a spill and fire with the material, firefighters can spray foam which is a fire suppressant. Today’s drill used a soapy material instead of foam.

The drill helped firefighters plan for a response in case it is needed at the prison, where inmates will be working with a flammable material.

“They will bring it in premade and it will be a bottling operation,” said Dale Banker, emergency management director for Orleans County. “We’re training in case there’s an incident.”

His office has already orchestrated the delivery of 192 one-gallon bottles of hand sanitizer in many of the government buildings throughout the county, including fire departments, police stations, and EMS.

The inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility will be bottling sanitizer in 7.1 ounce and 1.7 ounce bottles.

Some of the new bottles will be sent to school districts. Even though the districts are currently closed to students, some staff continue to be at the buildings each day.

Mark Farone of the Barre Volunteer Fire Company shows this group of fireifghters some of the features on the truck.

These firefighters spent time working together and learning about each others’ trucks and different tools.

Holley Fire Chief Harris Reed, left, and firefighter Rick Cary discuss how to best deploy foam in case of a fire.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Zack Dugan gives a haircut to Frank Strasburger today at Zack’s Barbershop on Main Street in Albion.

Dugan has been busy the past two days since the governor announced barbershops and hair salons are being required to temporarily close at 8 p.m. today until further notice. The governor issued the directive Friday morning as an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The governor announced this morning the state now has more than 10,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Dugan has been a barber for seven years and has owned his own business in Albion since 2014.

“Everything will work itself out in time,” he said. “Hopefully once I get back up and open when this is over people will storm in to get their hair cut.”

Strasburger, owner of Frank’s Auto Center in Albion, knew this could be the last day for a while to get a haircut. He said his business has suffered during the virus shutdown, with people cancelling appointments for car repairs or to buy a vehicle.

“I’m hoping this won’t last too long,” he said about the slowdown to try to curtail the coronavirus.

Dugan, 30, urged people to not be too stressed by circumstances and try to enjoy more time at home.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to spend time with their families,” Dugan said. “It will slow down life a little bit.”

Marcell Taylor, owner of Absolute Xquisite Cutz on East Bank Street in Albion, gives a hair cut to Dan Perl of Elba today.

Taylor runs the business with another barber. They are open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

“It’s going to hurt,” Taylor said about closing the business. “But in the bigger picture it’s better for everyone to help slow this virus down. You have to take a short-term loss for a longer-term gain.”

Taylor also works as a regional administrator for PathStone and was required to work from home this past week.

Lynn Burgess, owner of Lynn’s Salon on West Park Street in Albion, shares a light moment with Debbie Prest during a haircut.

Burgess has been cutting hair for 20 years. She was planning to close temporarily after Orleans County announced on Thursday afternoon the county had its first confirmed case of coronavirus.

Burgess said she works with many senior citizens and didn’t want to put them at risk, or any of her other customers and her family.

She has a list of customers she will call when she is given the OK to open.

Amber Mogle, owner of the Roots hair salon in Albion, gives a haircut to Carrie Moyer of Albion. Mogle has owned Roots for about 2 ½ years and has been working in Albion the past 10 years.

On Friday when she received the notice from the state that she would need to close indefinitely.

“I’ve already cried over it,” she said. “There’s nothing else I can do about it. You just have to deal with it.”

Three hairdressers and one nail technician work at Roots. Mogle called people with appointments next week and is trying to get in as many people as possible before closing at 8 p.m. today.

“I would feel much more relieved if I knew how long this would last,” she said. “I’m thankful the community here has always supported us.”

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Ron Oliver, left, of Albion receives two to-go meals on Friday from Faith Smith, director of the Community Kitchen at Christ Church in Albion.

Oliver took one of the meals to a friend who is usually a regular participant at Community Kitchen on Fridays.

The kitchen closed off its dining area last week and is continuing with to-go meals.

Smith and her husband Michael wait at the entrance of Christ Church on West Park Street for people to receive their meals. They made 75 meals on Friday which included tuna casserole, with peaches and garlic bread. The bread was donated by Subway.

The Community Kitchen typically welcomes 75 to 200 people. Mr. Smith said many of the people often will spend an hour or more in the dining area. They enjoy the chance to connect with their friends.

“A lot of people who come here love to socialize,” he said.

Peggy Francisco, a volunteer for the Community Kitchen, helps organize the food in the dining area, which was off-limits to the public.

The volunteer crew of three looks for people to serve on Friday at about 5 p.m.

Faith Smith has been the director of the Community Kitchen for 11 years. On Friday she also prepared 15 kids’ bags with cereal, gummy bears, granola bars and juice bags.

She also prepared 40 bags with food for senior citizens and 30 other family bags with food and activities, including kits for making Easter eggs. Some of the food for seniors will be set outside a seniors house to minimize any person-to-person contact.

This sign lets the public know the Community Kitchen is open on Friday.

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Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This mural was painted on the northside of the Albion fire hall, facing the Erie Canal, in 1998. It was the Girl Scout Gold Award project for Corinne Toenniessen, who received some help in the design from Terri Wood of the LonoWood Art Company in Albion.

Tim Archer Middle School Citizenship and Service Learning classes have been planning to add “Welcome to Albion” in large letters above the Erie Canal scene mural. The project will be done with Mrs. Kami Feder’s art classes.

Provided photo: Orleans Chapter NSDAR Regent Ann Jacobs presented $300 toward the project to Albion Middle School Citizenship and Service Learning  teacher Tim Archer.

The project is in conjunction with the state’s push to promote the Erie Canal corridor during the bicentennial the canal’s construction, which happened from 1817 to 1825.

Previously the classes helped restore three canalside historical markers.

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‘Grab and go’ bagged lunches will be available at 6 locations

ALBION – The school district on Wednesday will begin providing “grab and go” bagged lunches for all students in the school district. (Breakfasts will be available beginning on Thursday.)

Albion has been approved by New York State’s school meals program to offer the meals for all residents under the age of 18 in the home of an Albion Central School student.

Students in the school district (or a parent of an ACS student presenting ID) may pick up meals. Parents need to fill out a short form available by clicking here so the district can have the right number of meals ready for each location.

Meals will be available Monday through Friday beginning Wednesday at the following locations:.

• Albion Elementary School (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

• Oak Orchard Estates (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

• Lydun Drive Extension-Canal Town Commons (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

• Elks’ Lodge (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

• Barre Center Presbyterian Church (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

• Carlton Recreation Hall (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

For the elementary school pick up, parents should enter from East Avenue (by the tennis courts) and drive towards the elementary school building. They will stop at D-wing (the wing next to the farm playground) to place their order and then drive to A-wing to pick up their food and leave via Clarendon Road. The school is a different time than the rest (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.).

The five other sites will have ACS buses or vans in the parking lots. Food will be distributed from these school vehicles between 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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(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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