ALBION – The tax rate for Albion Central School is $14.44 per $1,000 of assessed property for 2019-20, which is down $1.03 from 2018-19 school year.

In 2018-19, only Barker at $15.21 was less than Albion at $15.47 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The Albion Board of Education approved the tax warrant on Monday, setting the tax rate at 6.7 percent lower than the previous year.

Although the tax rate is down, the district will be collecting the same amount in property taxes, $8,449,094, as in 2018-19. This is the 11th time in the past 13 years the school district has either kept taxes flat or reduced them.

Th tax rate is down due to rising assessments in the school district following a reassessment in most of the towns that are in the school district. Ridgeway didn’t do a town-wide reassessment so that town’s tax rate for the Albion school district will be down by 12 cents to $15.35, instead of a drop to $14.44.

Those whose tax assessments increased by more than 6.7 percent from a year ago will actually pay a higher school tax bill despite the low tax rate. Those with assessments that dropped or increased less than 6.7 percent will pay less in Albion school taxes in 2019-20.

Derek Vallese, the school district’s business administrator, said Albion had the second lowest tax rate in 2018-19 among school districts in Orleans, Niagara and Genesee counties. The new rates haven’t been set yet by all of the districts.

After Barker at $15.21 and Albion at $15.47 in 2018-19, the rates in the three counties include: Niagara Falls, $15.71; Lyndonville, $16.35; Kendall, $17.02; Lewiston-Porter, $17.07; Pembroke, $19.00; Starpoint, $19.67; Pavilion, $20.43; Elba, $20.56; Roy-Hart, $20.83; Alexander, $21.15; Wilson, $21.42; Oakfield-Alabama, $22.16; Medina, $22.46; Batavia, $22.79; Holley, $22.79; Newfane, $23.36; Byron-Bergen, $24.11; Lockport, $24.74; and Le Roy, $24.83.

Linda Weller of the Albion Board of Education asked if Albion was offering less to students given the low tax rate.

Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent, said Albion has significant budget savings by contracting transportation and food services.

“We also run pretty tight contracts,” Bonnewell responded during Monday’s meeting.

The district includes many benefits for retirees, but not some of the more costly benefits, Bonnewell said.

He also said the district hasn’t had to cut programs in the past 10 years, while others with higher tax rates have reduced extracurricular activities and had big reductions in staff. Albion has gradually reduced some positions the past 15 years in response to a declining student enrollment.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Gregg Boose Sr. signs the oath of office as new member of the Albion Board of Education during the board meeting in Monday. Derek Vallese, the business administrator and district clerk for Albion Central School, administers the oath for Boose, a retired corrections officer.

Joyce Riley also was sworn in as a new board member on Monday. Boose and Riley were both appointed to board last month with their terms starting on Monday.

They fill vacancies from the recent resignations by Steve LaLonde and Marie Snyder.

Boose and Riley both narrowly lost elections to the board in May. During that election Linda Weller had the most votes with 323 followed by 290 for Sidari. They were elected to five-year terms. Boose received 284 and Riley, 221.

Riley, a former board member more than two decades ago, worked as a registered nurse and later supervised an ambulatory surgical unit in Washington, D.C., overseeing 200 employees. When she retired, she moved back to Albion in 2015.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A contractor is removing three houses on Liberty Street to make way for a 40-unit housing project proposed by DePaul Properties of Rochester.

DePaul last week started demolishing three unoccupied houses on Liberty Street, between the railroad tracks and Beaver Street.

The three houses are behind the Hoag Library. This photo was taken from just outside the children’s library.

DePaul is planning to have 36 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units. The one bedroom units can have up to two people and the two-bedroom apartments have room for up to four people.

DePaul will have staff on site to oversee the apartment complex, and also to take residents to appointments with a DePaul van.

DePaul is designing the project to support people with disabilities, including senior citizens and veterans. The organization will do extensive background checks for credit, criminal and sex offender history and evictions.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – 7th Heaven caps a day of music at Bullard Park on Saturday during the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park.

Michael Giarrizzo, left, plays guitar and sings for the band, while Terry K. is the lead singer and Dave Quick is the bass player from Kendall.

The band delighted the crowd with music by AC/DC, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Don Henley and others.

Phil LaTona of Churchville plays the drums and Eddie K., Terry’s brother from Medina, is on keyboards.

Five bands played under the big beer tent from 3 to 11 p.m., including Shotgun Pauly, The Trellis Cooper Band, Zero, The Who Dats and then 7th Heaven.

Dave Quick lays down the bass for 7th Heaven.

Terry K., a Medina native, fires up the crowd. The concert started with “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol, “Hysteria” and “Armageddon It” by Def Leppard, and “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” by AC/DC.

7th Heaven had the crowd dancing under the big tent.

The crowd enjoys the concert under the tent. Soon a new amphitheater will be done as well as other park improvements.

Zack Burgess, right, and Dylan DeSmith perform with the band, Zero. Burgess led the band in its opening number, singing “Blow At High Dough” by The Tragically Hip. Burgess served as co-chairman of music festival with Ron Albertson of the Albion Lions Club.

Dylan DeSmit is lead guitarist for the band. He followed Burgess by singing “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes.

Mike “Thunder” Warren, the bass guitarist, led the band’s performance of “T.N.T.” by AC/DC.

Alex DeSmit pounds the skins as Zero’s drummer.

The musicians enjoyed the stage with the lighting and a fog machine.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Joel Hurlbert, an Albion native who now lives in Lockport, and Stacy May perform with the band Unorthodox today during the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the festival will feature acoustic musicians, with bands then performing from 3 to 11 p.m. under the beer tent.

This is the sixth annual Rock the Park to benefit improvements at Bullard Park.

Jonathan Koch of Lockport plays the violin for Unorthodox.

Albion native Gregg Albertson kicked off the festival this morning at 11. Albertson, 26, lives in Nashville and performs with the band, Quigg Hollow, which will soon be releasing its first album. Gregg’s father, Ron, is co-chairman of the Albion Summer Festival along with Zach Burgess.

Mark Johnson grills hamburgers for the Albion Lions Club, which is one of the organizers of the today’s festival. There are several other food vendors, and arts and craft vendors at the event.

Jeremiah James, an Albion native who lives in South Carolina, owns Blue Groove Cold Brew. He is selling nitro tea and nitro coffee today. Johnson said he is looking to return to his hometown of Albion to open a coffee shop.

Jim Navarra is giving free wagon rides around the park.

The music schedule for today includes:

11 a.m. – Gregg Albertson plays the acoustic stage

11:45 a.m.  – Unorthodox plays the acoustic stage

12:30 p.m. – Highway 31 plays the acoustic stage

1 p.m. – Kids games open

1:15 p.m. – What About Jane plays the acoustic stage

2 p.m. – Burial Harbor plays the acoustic stage

3 p.m. – Beer Tent opens

3 p.m. – Shotgun Pauly plays the beer tent stage

4:15 p.m. – The Trellis Cooper Band plays the beer tent stage

5 p.m. – Craft and Artisan Vendors close

5:30 p.m. – Zero plays the beer tent stage

6:45 p.m. – The Who Dats play the beer tent stage

8:30 p.m. – 7th Heaven plays the beer tent stage

11 p.m. – Festival closes

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Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

Photo by Tom Rivers: Madison Schultz, 2, of Medina sits on the lap of her aunt Sami Lynn Denniston, 7, of Middleport during the National Night Out last Aug. 7 at Bullard Park in Albion. Mercy Flight brought a helicopter to the event. Children were welcome to sit in the pilot’s seat and get a close up of the aircraft which is used to transport people with life-threatening injuries and illnesses.

ALBION – The Albion Police Department would like to remind everyone that National Night Out at Bullard Park is a few days away. The event will be held next Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will have more participating agencies taking part than we have ever had before.

Our mission is simple. We want an event where families can come for a night and be entertained at no cost and eat for free in an environment that is free of violence, alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Our goal is to have those that attend walk away with a positive contact that can assist with any needs a person may need. We strive to make this event a one-day event that lasts all year long.

This year’s event will include many demonstrations from law enforcement, fire and EMS along with over 50 other organizations providing entertainment and give-a-ways. Mercy Flight will be arriving at with an aircraft that everyone is welcome to tour and sit in.

We will have bikes on hand for kids to ride in an obstacle course with police officers and to receive a free bike helmet. There will also be free food and water for everyone.

We are very excited to be doing a “Battle of Belts” competition again this year to promote vehicle passenger safety. The competition entails teams of 4 who compete to see who is the fastest getting into car and fastening their seatbelts. Each contestant then must switch seats and again fasten their seat belts. The time ends when each person has sat in each seat in the car. This event is fun to participate in and even more fun to watch. There is still time to enter and details can be found on the event Facebook Page.

A Webinar was hosted by the Population Health Collaborative where Chief Nenni gave insight on what the National Night Out Event in Orleans County is all about. It can be viewed by clicking here. Come out and enjoy a night of fun.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: A member of the State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit is at the scene of a fatal accident at the corner of Brown Road and East Bacon Road.

ALBION – A motorcyclist died this evening after hitting a pickup truck that was turning from East Bacon Road onto Brown Road.

The motorcyclist was going in excess of 100 miles per hour when it struck the truck on the side of the vehicle at about 7:30 p.m., said Chief Deputy Michael Mele of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Mercy Flight took the motorcyclist to Strong Memorial, where he was pronounced dead.

The Sheriff’s Office isn’t releasing the motorcyclist’s name, pending notification of family.

Mele said the motorcyclist is from Rochester and was riding on Brown Road, headed south with another motorcyclist riding behind, also from Rochester.

Mele said the driver of the truck didn’t see the motorcyclist. The driver told officers he felt like he was hit by an explosion.

The driver of truck wasn’t seriously injured and went to Medina Memorial Hospital.

Mele said the section of Brown Road just north of the intersection has a slight hill, making it difficult to see far down the road. The motorcyclist’s speed also made the black motorcycle difficult to see for the driver.

“Speed was definitely a factor,” Mele said.

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Press Release, Albion Police Department

Two people seek money from Crosby’s, north of the canal, on Monday night in Albion.

ALBION – The Albion Police Department is continuing to investigate the attempted robbery that occurred at the Crosby’s North convenience store on July 29.

In an attempt to identify the suspects involved, the Albion Police Department has released clips from the security camera footage of the incident.

The videos can be viewed on the Albion Police Department’s Facebook page by clicking here.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Albion Police Department at (585) 589-5627 or Orleans County Dispatch Center (585) 589-5527.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Calvin Nichols sings classic rock songs with the Rock Soulgers during Rock the Park on Aug. 4, 2018. Four bands and five other acoustic acts will perform Saturday at Bullard from 3 to 11 p.m.

ALBION – Bands and acoustic performs will be rocking this Saturday at Bullard Park in the sixth annual Rock the Park.

The annual event has been rebranded to the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park. There will be food and alcohol vendors as well (and also nonalcoholic drinks). There also are many arts and crafts vendors.

Rock the Park was initially spearheaded by the Albion Lions Club in an effort to raise funds for upgrading Bullard Park. Contractors are currently working on $800,000 in improvements to the park, including a new amphitheater, splash park, pavilion and utility building.

The construction has shifted the musicians and vendors to the east side of the park. The amphitheater will be available for next year’s music event.

“With the construction going on people are seeing the results of what was the reason for doing this,” said Zack Burgess, co-chairman of the event with Ron Albertson.

Burgess has booked many of the bands and performers. He is a member of the band Zero, which performs at 5:30 at the 120-by-40-foot beer tent. Four bands will play in the beer tent from 3 to 11 p.m.

There also is a smaller tent, 40-by-20-foot, for five acoustic acts to perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All of the bands and acoustic acts have a connection to Albion or Orleans County, Burgess said.

“This will really be a celebration of the local musicians,” he said. “It is rare to see so many on the same stage on the same day.”

The committee for the festival wants to keep building on the event. Last year’s Rock the Park attracted about 500 to 600 people. Albertson and Burgess said donations are up this year from sponsors and the event’s social media pages have nearly doubled the traffic from last year.

“We’ve gained momentum, and you don’t want to slow down momentum once you got it going,” Albertson said. “I think we’ll have a fantastic turnout, I really do.”

Admission for Rock the Park is free, except for a $5 charge to enter the beer tent.

The full schedule includes:

11 a.m. – Festival opens

11 a.m. – Craft and artisan vendors open

11 a.m. – Food vendors open

11 a.m. – Gregg Albertson plays the acoustic stage

11:45 a.m.  – Unorthodox plays the acoustic stage

12:30 p.m. – Highway 31 plays the acoustic stage

1 p.m. – Kids games open

1:15 p.m. – What About Jane plays the acoustic stage

2 p.m. – Burial Harbor plays the acoustic stage

3 p.m. – Beer Tent opens

3 p.m. – Shotgun Pauly plays the beer tent stage

4:15 p.m. – The Trellis Cooper Band plays the beer tent stage

5 p.m. – Craft and Artisan Vendors close

5:30 p.m. – Zero plays the beer tent stage

6:45 p.m. – The Who Dats play the beer tent stage

8:30 p.m. – 7th Heaven plays the beer tent stage

11 p.m. – Festival closes

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Two people seek money from Crosby’s employees on Monday night in Albion.

ALBION – Two people allegedly attempted to rob the Crosby’s North convenience store on Monday night. The suspects entered the store and displayed a handgun and demanded money from store employees.

The suspects then immediately left without getting any money from the store at 202 North Main St., Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said.

The Albion PD was dispatched to store, just north of the canal, at 9:50 p.m.

Suspect descriptions are as follows:

• Suspect 1 is a white male wearing blue jeans, black hoodie with “ZOO YORK” in white bold letters on the front and two white stripes on the rear, with a black bandanna with sunglasses covering his face. The suspect described as having a lighter-colored receding hairline and missing teeth.

• Suspect 2 is a white female wearing black sweatshirt, black baseball hat, light-colored bandanna with sunglasses covering her face. She has short curly blonde hair with brown in it.

Both suspects were last seen eastbound on foot on Caroline Street.

If anyone was in the area of the store around the time of the incident or if anyone has information, they are asked to contact the Albion Police Department at 585-589-5627.

The suspects ran from the store and headed east on Caroline Street.

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Provided photos

ALBION – Students in grades 5 through 8 at Albion, Lyndonville and Medina sing in Thursday’s concert as part of the Summer Music Fest.

There were 209 students in the program, now in its sixth year. The three districts combine and run a music program for four days, to help students keep up with their music skills and connect with other students.

Jeanette Sheliga, a Medina music teacher, conducts the cadet band at the Albion Middle School Auditorium. Albion hosted the Summer Music Fest for the first time.

Music teachers at the three school districts have collaborated the past six years for the music fest, which started with 76 students the first year and set a new record with 209.

Amir Huzair of Lyndonville sings a solo, “This Is Me,” during the concert.

Lyndonville students are wearing orange, while Albion is in purple and Medina in blue.

This summer the program was expanded to include students going into the eighth grade.

Myles Kifner, Lyndonville’s new band teacher, made his debut with the school at the Summer Music Fest.

Three students play their clarinets, including, from left: Neveya Barnes (Albion), Teagan Balaban (Medina) and Jillian Robertson (Lyndonville).

The concert band performs “Hooked on a Feeling.”

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ALBION – The family of a mother and son killed in a Feb. 2 accident on Route 98 in Elba will celebrate their lives at two upcoming events.

Theresa Norton, 53, and her son, Thomas, 22, died in a car accident on a snow-covered section Route 98 between Edgerton Road and Batavia Elba Townline Road.

July 29 would have been Theresa’s 54^th birthday. The family will be releasing balloons at 6 p.m. on July 29 at her house, 4779 Cushing Rd. in Barre. The balloons will be released in honor of the mother and son, said Kim Albanese, Theresa’s daughter.

Earlier that day, Kim will also be laying flowers at the crash site in honor of her mother and brother.

The family will have a celebration of life for Theresa and Thomas Norton at 1 p.m. on Aug. 3. That celebration will be at 317 West Academy St., Albion, at a relative’s home.

Albanese said family and friends are welcome to attend and are encouraged to bring a dish to pass.

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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.

ALBION – A group that has been doing projects in Albion to honor the life of Charles W. Howard, the founder of a Santa Claus School, wants to name Route 31 in Albion in honor of Howard.

The Albion Betterment Committee would like there to be signs at each end of Route 31 in the Town of Albion, declaring that section to be in honor of Howard, who established the school in 1937 and ran it until his death in 1966. The school was located at the corner of Phipps Road and Route 31. (The school has been moved to Midland, Michigan, and still bears Charles Howard’s name.)

The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday will vote whether to support the effort. The Legislature has a resolution on the agenda for the 4:30 meeting, which is in the new addition of the County Administration Building.

The resolution states:

“WHEREAS, Mr. Charles W. Howard was a resident of the Town of Albion for his entire life; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard was proud of his home town, county and country; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard brought national acclaim to himself and his home town by establishing the world’s first Santa Claus School; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard portrayed Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 18 years;

WHEREAS, Mr. Howard passed away in 1966 without receiving from his local neighbors the proper recognition he deserved; and

WHEREAS, the Albion Betterment Committee (a not-for-profit charitable organization which was formed in 2003 with the intent to promote the area’s natural assets and to set the area apart from every other community in the country) is asking support to dedicate a portion of the NYS Route 31 in Memory of Charles W. Howard; now bet it

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee had this sign honoring Charles Howard erected in 2015. It is on Route 98, on property owned by Gil and Donna Wolcott, north of Route 31A.

RESOLVED, that the Orleans County Legislature supports the Albion Betterment Committee in their request from the State of New York to have a portion of State Route 31 – when entering the Town of Albion (Northwest corner of Transit Road from the east to Southeast corner of Wood Road from the west) to be dedicated in Charles W. Howard’s name; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Legislature supports signage to be placed along that portion of Route 31 to read: THIS SECTION OF NEW YORK STATE ROUTE 31 IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES W. HOWARD, A LOCAL FARMER WHO FOUNDED THE WORLD’S FIRST SANTA CLAUS SCHOOL.”

The Betterment Committee in recent years has put up a “Believe” in downtown Albion, replaced the Santa Claus School sign at Howard’s property (now owned by Robin and Jill Stinson), and erected a welcome sign on Route 98 that declares Albion is the home of Howard, founder of the Santa Claus School. That sign includes a cutout of Howard’s likeness in a Santa suit.

The Betterment Committee has also raised more than $30,000 for a monument in downtown Albion for Howard. The group also has been a regular participant in the Strawberry Festival Parade with a Santa and Mrs. Claus waving to the crowd.

This wouldn’t be the first time in Orleans County a state road was named in honor of people. Route 98 in Genesee and Orleans counties in 2014 was named the Genesee and Orleans Veterans Memorial Highway. A brown sign with white letters was unveiled on May 22, 2014. That sign is by the Orleans County Marine Park in Point Breeze. Click here to see photos of the sign unveiling.

The state also approved naming Route 104 in Orleans County as the “American Legion Memorial Highway in Orleans County.”

The Albion Rotary Club last year worked with artist Stacey Kirby to have a 24-foot-long mural of Charles Howard as Santa in a sleigh over downtown Albion.

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ALBION – Hoag Library in Albion today will stay open until 8 p.m., instead of the usual 5 p.m. closing time on Fridays.

The library is staying open longer to serve as a cooling station due to the excessive heat warning.

On Saturday, the library will be open its regular hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An Excessive Heating Warning is in effect from noon today until 6 p.m. Saturday for Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, Wayne, northern Cayuga, Livingston and Ontario counties.

The high temperature today and Saturday will reach 92, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. The heat index values could be as high as 105 to 108.

“Heat illnesses likely for those spending prolonged periods outdoors or in non-air conditioned locations,” the Weather Service said. “Prolonged heat is most dangerous for young children and the elderly. Vehicle interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. Never leave children, pets or the elderly unattended in parked vehicles. Temperatures will remain very warm and muggy Friday night, preventing non-air conditioned buildings from cooling off.”

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