ALBION – Orleans County Undersheriff Christopher Bourke reports that Friday at 3:20 p.m., an Albion man was arrested on 18 charges related to the sale and distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine in Orleans County
Jason C. Abron
Jason C. Abron, 44, of Lydun Drive was charged following a three-month joint investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and The Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. During the investigation, Abron allegedly sold cocaine and crack cocaine to an undercover officer on numerous occasions.
Abron was charged with 8 counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd (Class B Felony), 8 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd (Class B Felony), 1 count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4th (Class C Felony), and 1 count of Unlawful possession of Marihuana.
Abron was taken into custody without incident following a vehicle stop by the Orleans County SWAT Team on Linwood Avenue in the Village of Albion. Simultaneously, search warrants were executed at 23 Lydun Drive and 142 East State St. in the Village of Albion. A quantity of drugs, cash, ammunition, scales and packaging material were seized during the search.
Abron was arraigned in the Town of Carlton Court by Justice Patricia Russell and was remanded to the Orleans County Jail on no bail. Abron is scheduled to appear in the Town of Albion Court on March 14 at 3 p.m. Abron has four prior felony convictions.
Other agencies assisting with this investigation and arrest were the Albion Police Department, the Genesee County Local Law Enforcement Drug Task Force, and The Orleans County District Attorney’s Office.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jason Dragon, second from right, speaks during a candidate forum on Thursday at the elementary school. Other candidates, from left to right, include Kevin Doherty, Joyce Riley, Gary Katsanis, Sandra Walter, Stan Farone and Eileen Banker.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2018 at 11:52 am
Some candidates see dissolving police force with county takeover as way to make village more sustainable for taxpayers
ALBION – Seven candidates for three open positions on the Albion Village Board shared their ideas for moving the village forward during a two-hour candidate forum on Thursday evening.
Michael Bonafede, the forum moderator, said the village is fortunate to have seven qualified candidates run for the March 20 election.
“These aren’t career politicians,” Bonafede said at the forum, which was held in the elementary school cafeteria. “They’re like us. They’re not doing it for the money. It is easy to run down local politicians. But these are our friends and neighbors.”
Eileen Banker
The Republican team – Eileen Banker for mayor and Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone for trustee – includes two current trustees, Banker and Farone. Current Mayor Dean London isn’t seeking re-election. The Republican trio said Albion is on the right track by securing grants for upgrades at Bullard Park, the sewer plant, and other village projects.
Bullard, once the upgrades are done, will make Albion more appealing for young families, Banker said. Bullard will get a new spray park and other improvements with a state grant covering most of the cost.
The GOP candidates said the village has partnered with local organizations for festivals and community events. The village has also established partnerships with nearby municipalities where Albion provides personnel while running the Holley Police Department, and Holley and Elba sewer plants.
Gary Katsanis
Katsanis, a former village trustee, said the shared services are a way for Albion to maintain services while staying under the 2 percent tax cap.
Farone and Banker both praised the village employees and department heads for their work in Albion and with the partnering municipalities in the shared service programs.
The village also created a local development corporation and secured a $75,000 grant to tackle zombie houses, vacant sites that have been foreclosed by banks.
Stan Farone
Banker said grant writing efforts are paying off with $668,000 secured in the past three years. The village just was notified it was approved for a state grant for $300,000 for a new vacuum truck.
The Republicans said they were strongly in favor of keeping the village police force. A study last year from the Center for Governmental Research looked at alternatives for policing in Orleans County. One alternative would be dissolving the village police departments and having the County Sheriff’s Department take over the service in the villages. That would cut the village taxes in Albion by approximately $6 to $8 per $1,000 of assessed, while increasing the tax rate in the county by $1.50 to $2, according to the study.
The Democratic-endorsed candidates – Joyce Riley for mayor, and Sandra Walter and Jason Dragon for trustee – said they would consider dissolving the police department, to bring down villages taxes to make the community more affordable for residents. They want assurances the Sheriff’s Department and State Police would fill the void if there wasn’t an Albion police force. (The police department couldn’t be dissolved unless it was approved by village residents in a referendum.)
Joyce Riley
“We realize our police department consumes a lot of our money, and our community is satisfied with the way they are doing the current policing, and I am here to say to you, ‘Please take another look,’” Riley said. “Because as we have a decreasing tax base we are not going to be able to afford this over the long term. We need an active government that is actually going to look at to see if we can deliver services in a different way.”
Albion currently keeps a minimum of two officers on duty at all times, including overnight shifts when there aren’t too many calls. The study from CGR said Albion could have one officer on overnight and that would save taxpayers about $100,000.
Riley would like to try going to one officer overnight. Banker, Farone and Katsanis all said they want to keep two officers on at night for officer and community safety. Farone said officers respond to drug overdoses and provide Narcan to help bring someone out of an overdose.
“They are the first responders,” Farone said.
Jason Dragon
The current local taxing system is grossly unfair to village residents, Dragon said. The village residents pay a village tax rate of $17.76 per $1,000 of assessed property. Moving just outside the village lines can save the average homeowner more than $1,000 in taxes.
Dragon said the tax burden in the village discourages investment and chases out residents and businesses.
“The tax base in the village is stagnant,” Dragon said. “Outside the village it isn’t. People view the village as too expensive.”
Sandra Walter
Walter also said the current taxing structure is punishing village residents, leading to deterioration in the community.
She said the Village Board needs to look at all village services, including police, and decide what the community can afford and if a different municipality can provide the service.
“Everyone does love the police force,” she said. “It’s great to have such an outstanding police force. But we need to look down the road not only at them but everything to make sure we are sustainable.”
Kevin Doherty is running under the independent “Spark Some Action” party. He operates a communications maintenance business. He has been president of the board of trustees for the Hoag Library the past seven years when the organization built a new library and secured more than $1.3 million in donations from the community for the project.
Kevin Doherty
Doherty said the village needs to adopt a Wegmans mentality where the focus is on customer service and being the best village it can possibly be.
“It’s clear from the past few years that whatever we’re doing isn’t working,” he said during the forum that was attended by about 60 people.
Doherty worries the village will continue to lose people and be stagnant with the same approach to the village government.
“The people running this year and the folks who sat in the chairs for the Village Board are good people with good hearts but pulling together for a common goal just hasn’t been accomplished,” he said. “The cure for Albion is more people and more accessible residential property.”
A village government with a focus on customer service will change the perception many have that Albion is in decline.
“We need to have people who want stores, who want restaurants, who want shops and happy people draw the attention of potential manufacturers,” Doherty said.
Michael Bonafede, former president of the Albion Board of Education, served as the forum moderator. He said the community is fortunate to have several candidates running in the March 20 election.
Banker works as the chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. She also is on the board of directors for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, and on the advisory council for Genesee Community College. She also has been a member of Albion Fire Department Auxiliary since 1979.
“The reason why I’m running for mayor is I think it’s important to be involved in your community,” Banker said. “Being on the board for the last two terms (eight years) has enlightened me to the struggles municipalities face. Our current board is not divided in any way. We are united with the same philosophy of what can we do best for the village and its residents.”
Farone, a Kodak retiree, is a founding member of the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance. He helped start the Energize Albion group, which has planned several events in Albion. He is along-time volunteer with the Fire Department. He also works part-time for the Mental Health Association of Orleans & Genesee Counties as a project manager, based out of the Albion drop-in center at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex.
He surged residents to volunteer in the community and attend village meetings. “We have to make this village grow and we can’t do it with the help of everybody,” he said.
Katsanis is retired after working in medical data analysis for Strong and then Blue Cross. He managed a staff that stretched from Buffalo to Utica. He is a member of the Albion Lions Club, the Albion Merchants Association and was active with the Albion Main Street Alliance.
“I have the time, I have the skills and I have the willingness to work,” Katsanis said. “I support our community and I believe in our community.”
Riley is a former member of the Albion Board of Education. She 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.
“If you like what we currently have, I’m not for you,” she said. “I have the experience. I have the know-how and I have the tenacity.”
Walter retired about two years ago as a claims processor for CRFS in Albion. Before that she was a supervisor in collections for Dime Bank and North American Mortgage in Albion.
“Many of you care about our community,” she said. “The future of this village is up to you.”
Dragon works as a software engineer/consultant. He also manages the website for the Orleans County Democrats. Dragon grew up in Albion, moved away and returned. Despite its challenges, Albion remains an attractive place to live, Dragon said.
“We have too many uncontested elections in this county,” Dragon said. “People deserve a choice come election time.”
Doherty, in addition to leading the Hoag Library and running his communications maintenance company, was a long-time 4-H leader and Fair Board volunteer, as well as a member of the Albion Board of Education and his church’s vestry.
“The Village of Albion needs a mayor who is a leader,” Doherty said. “I have a proven and documented record of team play, team building and team leadership which are just what the Village of Albion needs right now.”
To see a video of the forum on YouTube, click here.
ALBION – A couple from the Village of Albion has been charged with sexually abusing children between the ages of 12 and 16.
Renee Koch, 54, and her boyfriend, Richard Hering Jr., 45, have been arrested and charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and act in manner injurious to a child less than 17 years of age.
Renee Koch
Police are declining to say how many children are involved or their relationship to Koch and Hering.
Hering Jr., 45, has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of forcible touching and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was previously on the sex offender registry as a level one offender after being convicted of attempted sexual abuse in the 2nd degree in Clarendon in 1995.
Koch has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of forcible touching and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Both were arraigned in Albion Town Court and committed to Orleans County Jail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2018 at 10:00 am
ALBION – Village of Albion residents can hear directly from the candidates who are running for the Village Board in the upcoming March 20 election.
The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub are sponsoring a candidate forum 6 p.m. today at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School cafeteria.
The event is set up as a forum and not a debate. Candidates will give opening and closing statements, and will respond to questions submitted by the audience.
There are seven candidates seeking three positions on the board. Republicans have endorsed Eileen Banker for mayor and Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone for village trustee. Democrats are backing Joyce Riley for mayor and Sandra Walter and Jason Dragon for village trustees. Kevin Doherty made it a three-way battle for mayor when he submitted petitions to run under the independent “Spark Some Action” party line.
The March 20 has voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall.
ALBION – A contingent of Rotary Interact members from Charles D’Amico High School recently attended the prestigious Clarence Student Leadership Conference at the Clarence High School.
The event was sponsored by the Clarence Rotary Club and included prominent western New York figures representing education, law enforcement, mental health, media, the court system, and other careers.
Joining advisor Tim Archer included Albion students, from left: Tess Pettit, McKenna Boyer, Malory Adams, Alexa Adams, and Noah Wadhams. The Albion Interact Club holds a similar student leadership seminar of its own. This year’s seminar is entitled “Service Above Self.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2018 at 12:12 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Sarah and Tim Brigham, right, were among 300 people on Saturday’s Sip and Stroll in downtown Albion. They are sampling wine from the Victorianbourg Wine Estate in Wilson. Bill Koller, left, represented the winery at Xpress Fitness, which was one of 15 stops of the wine-tasting.
The 300 participants were the most in the five years the Albion Merchants Association has organized the event.
Dave Licata of the Winery at Marjim Manor in Appleton serves up wine at KeyBank. Tim McMurray enjoys the camaraderie with several friends, including Traci Davis-Taylor, right.
Angela Benton of Shay’s Shamrock offered chocolates from Oliver’s Candies as part of the tour of the downtown.
Dawn Basinait and her daughter Samantha of Barre set up a table on Main Street and sold Girl Scout cookies. They are members of Troop 8259. They sold 42 boxes in about an hour.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2018 at 9:13 am
ALBION – Village of Albion residents can hear directly from the candidates running the Village Board in the upcoming March 20 election.
The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub are sponsoring a candidate forum on March 8 at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School cafeteria. The forum begins at 6 p.m.
The event is set up as a forum and not a debate. Candidates will give opening and closing statements, and will respond to questions submitted by the audience.
There are seven candidates seeking three positions on the board. Republicans have endorsed Eileen Banker for mayor and Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone for village trustee. Democrats are backing Joyce Riley for mayor and Sandra Walter and Jason Dragon for village trustees. Kevin Doherty made it a three-way battle for mayor when he submitted petitions to run under the independent “Spark Some Action” party line.
The March 20 has voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2018 at 6:44 pm
Owners pushed for site to draw more people to Main Street
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Adam and Tina Johnson are pictured behind the new bar that opened today at 39 Problems on North Main Street. The Johnsons also opened a new restaurant at the location.
The couple purchased the building, which includes three storefronts, in 2015. They have been working diligently to renovate the site, while preserving its historic charm. Last June they opened 39 Problems, selling pizza, grilled foods and “chill desserts.” The site didn’t have a dine-in option.
Now 39 Problems has a dine-in restaurant. The Johnsons have two of three storefronts done, and they would eventually like to expand the dining area to the remaining storefront.
Today is a more than opening day for the bar and restaurant. It felt like a celebration with many residents and village officials stopping by to congratulate the Johnsons on the ambitious work they have completed at the site, which includes a new kitchen, two new bathrooms, wiring, gas lines, structural and roof repairs, masonry work and lots of other attention.
“There isn’t anything that hasn’t been touched,” Johnson said.
The storefront has been changed. The windows are now aluminum framed with insulated glass. Johnson kept the cast iron columns and removed paint on the Medina sandstone at the storefronts. Some of the wood from the storefront he has repurposed above the bar.
Angie Dickinson is one of the bartenders.
“Albion needs a place like this, without a doubt,” she said. “It’s got everything you want for a night out. It’s beautiful in here and the food is delicious.”
Dickinson is one of 15 employees at 39 Problems. Johnson named the business 39 Problems because of the challenges in renovating the site at 39 North Main St. That is the unfinished storefront and the largest of the three.
Johnson had to gut the sites. When he knocked plaster off the walls, it exposed the original brick.
“The brick was buried in the plaster,” he said.
Johnson wanted to keep the scene as a “simple industrial” look, with drop-down lights, ceiling fans with belt drives, unadorned bricks and clean lines.
He used maple he salvaged from the hardwood floors for the bar top, and chestnut from the old wainscoting for part of the bar. He did put down new vinyl planks for the floor to better endure the demands of the foot traffic in a restaurant and bar.
Johnson was pleased with the positive reaction from the first customers who stepped when the dining room and bar opened for the first time at 4 p.m.
“We’re hoping it will get Main Street alive, and lots of people to the downtown,” he said.
39 Problems opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at 11 p.m. The hours may be tinkered with, Johnson said. The business will be closed on Mondays.
Waitresses at 39 Problems include, left to right: Elizabeth Spies-Hunt, Kristin Grose, Amber Mesita and Melissa Stornelli.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2018 at 4:02 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Bob Dexter, right, of the Holy Family Parish enjoys lunch and conversation today with other local church goers during a Lenten Luncheon at the fellowship hall at Christ Church in Albion.
The church for many years has hosted the luncheons during Lent. Churches in the Albion area take turns preparing meals and messages every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.
“You get to meet people from different churches,” said Dexter, a Catholic. “For five weeks everyone gets together and talks with each other. It’s one of the things about Albion, there are a lot of nice things in the community that get people together.”
The Rev. Aleka Schmidt, pastor of the First Baptist Church, shared the message and also led the group in singing hymns.
Marie Follett of the United Methodist Church in Albion plays the piano. Some of the hymns sung today included, “Standing in the need of prayer,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” and “Bind us together.”
Schmidt had a 10-minute message for the group today. The luncheons are open to the community each Wednesday during Lent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2018 at 8:12 am
Initiative raises funds and awareness for domestic violence
Provided photos: Genevieve Riviere overcame adversity and was devoted to her children and community.
An Albion native, Genevieve Monacelli Riviere, is one of two women being honored in an inaugural event to take place March 4.
Riviere was ahead of her time and never gave in to adversity, her son, Patrick Riviere said. She became a single mother during a time uncommon to this type of family dynamic, and she experienced the loss of a child.
When challenged with tragic moments in her life, she carried on for her family and for her own well-being. Volunteering her time, and always keeping her faith, “Mama Gen” was the heroine in her own story. Passing away on March 4th, 1997, she left her family with inspirational memories. For those who remember her, especially her family, we recognize how she always “Marched Forth.”
The Unwritten Women’s Society brings together women who want positive change in their lives by encouraging personal growth and providing opportunities to meet other inspirational women. It is with that spirit (and a Facebook exchange between old friends) that the inspiration for #MarchForth was born.
In memory of Genevieve (and Patricia Zoltoski of Grand Island, NY), the Unwritten Women’s Society of the Philadelphia suburbs will celebrate the Inaugural March Forth event this Sunday. Embracing the difficult moments in life and celebrating our ability to rise above adversity, we will #MarchForth. UWS will also be encouraging people across the country to participate in their own way to honor these women and the special women in their own lives.
Jess Alaimo Filpo, a friend of Patrick Riviere’s, is the organizer of March Forth. Riviere lives on Cape Cod and is a professional actor and playwright.
His mother endured prejudice as an Italian-American, and also battled rheumatic fever and double leakage of the heart as a young girl. When she was a student, she worked in a local canning factory and on a farm.
Patrick Riviere is pictured with his mother, Genevieve.
“She was a child of the Great Depression so she never took things for granted and had an amazing work ethic,” her son writes about her on the Unwritten Women’s Society website. “When her father refused to help her with college after her older sister dropped out, she worked her way through night school to become an accountant. She got a job with the General Accounting Office (GAO) in Washington DC working for the government in a department dominated by men. Early on in her life, she marched forth.”
She gave up her career to have a family. Her first child, Jackie, was born with Down syndrome. Patrick was born 2 years later. His mother raised both of boys as a single mother after her husband walked out, Patrick says.
“My brother Jackie died when he was only 16,” Patrick writes. “I remember going to visit my mom at The Ronald McDonald House on my 14th birthday. She felt guilty that she wasn’t doing more for my special day. My brother died the next day. I’m really not sure how my mom survived it. And yet, out of the depths of her sorrow, she marched forth.”
His mother worked at the grammar school, did taxes during tax season and sold Avon. She was a woman of faith who insisted on tithing to the church, even during lean times financially.
Genevieve was 72 when she died on March 4th, 1997. “Her life was a testament for all of us to #MarchForth,” Patrick writes.
To support the March Forth movement, the Unwritten Women’s Society is holding a t-shirt fundraiser. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the prevention of domestic violence. Domestic violence is an “equal opportunity offender.” It can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.
To read more about the Unwritten Women’s Project, and Genevieve and Patricia’s story and learn how you can support March Forth, visit http://www.unwrittenwomenssociety.org/marchforth/.
Patrick Riviere stars in Super Bowl ad
Patrick Riviere (pictured in a new ad) is an Albion native who works as a professional actor and playwright (and also helped manage a bed and breakfast for a few years in Cape Cod). He appears in a regional ad for the Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts market. The ad for a law firm debuted during the Super Bowl. Click here to see it.
“This biz is a crazy roller-coaster,” Riviere wrote in an email. “Each time I think I might have come to the end of the ride, I find myself buying another ticket.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 February 2018 at 9:08 am
File photos by Tom Rivers: Adam Burlison gets ready to cut the string holding the balloons during the Run for Wayne last April. Mark Moore, the race director, is at right. Adam is the son of the late Wayne Burlison.
ALBION – The fourth annual Run for Wayne, which honors the memory of Wayne Burlison, will return on March 24 as a 5-kilometer run and walk in Albion.
The race, however, will now be formally called “Wayne A. Burlison-Colon Cancer Awareness 5K Run and Walk.”
Burlison was a popular Albion elementary music teacher who also promoted running and fitness in the community. He was 36 when he passed away from colon cancer on March 26, 2014.
The Albion Running Club has organized three “Run for Wayne” events, with the proceeds going towards a scholarship given to graduating seniors and also to a walking trail to be constructed at Bullard Park.
The Running Club is teaming with Oak Orchard Health with the Wayne A. Burlison-Colon Cancer Awareness 5K Run and Walk. Both groups want to raise awareness about colon cancer as the third-leading cause of death by cancer for men and women. Colon cancer is preventable or treatable with the proper knowledge, resources, and early detection.
“We want to unite our voices and educate others while remembering the legacy of a much-loved man,” the Running Club said in an announcement about the race.
The course for the race starts on Clarendon Road by the elementary school and heads to Mount Albion Cemetery before ending at the school’s parking lot.
There will be post-race snacks, overall male and female winners’ prizes, and top 3 winners in 10-year age groups. Each registered participant will also get a runner’s cap with a logo.
Proceeds from the race will go to scholarships in Burlison’s name and towards the walking trail at Bullard.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Rite Aid store in Albion is pictured today. The pharmacy will begin transitioning to a Walgreens after 5 p.m. on Thursday at the Albion and Medina stores.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2018 at 3:46 pm
Changeover expected to take up to 2 years
The transition starts on Thursday for two Rite Aid stores in Orleans County which will become Walgreens. That process won’t happen overnight.
It starts with the pharmacies at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The pharmacies will close at 5 p.m. Usually they stay open until 9 p.m. on Thursday.
They are expected to open as Walgreens pharmacies on Friday. Walgreens will work on fully changing over both stores in a process that could take two years with changing the signs and other branding and integration. One change in the future for the two local stores will be an extra hour each day of being open for business. Walgreens doesn’t close until 10 p.m.
Walgreens states on its website the pharmacies will have a seamless transition, keeping the same employees.
“The staff you know and trust will remain,” the company says. (Click here for more information from Walgreens.)
The Albion store was originally an Eckerd when it was built about 15 years ago at 10 East Ave. Medina’s store is located at 1422 South Main St.
Last year Walgreens agreed to buy more than 1,900 Rite Aid stores and three distribution centers for $4.4 billion. This year, the first stores have started to switch over to Walgreens.
The new owner doesn’t have a presence in Orleans County, although Walgreens in June 2007 received final approval from local planning officials for a new store in Albion.
Walgreens was planning on a 13,667-square-foot store that would have required demolishing the Sugar Creek gas station, the former Wiggly Jiggly’s English Pub and Chia Sen Buffet.
The Albion project never moved forward. The Sugar Creek gas station closed and is currently vacant. Wiggly Jiggly’s also closed and that space is now a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Chia Sen remains in that plaza.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2018 at 1:26 pm
After 14 years, group now has 34 vendors
Photos by Tom Rivers: Some of the vendors in the Browsery, pictured through the archway leading to their expanded storefront, include from left: Maureen Bennett, Elizabeth Penafiel, Erik Sinkora, Scott Sackett, Kim Remley and Lucy Sackett.
ALBION – The Browsery has expanded again, moving into a third Albion storefront in the downtown, and growing to 34 vendors.
The original Downtown Browsery opened at 14 East Bank St. in 2004 with 13 vendors. Four years ago the Uptown Browsery opened at 118 North Main St. Last month, the Browsery expanded north on Main Street. The two Uptown storefronts are connected with an archway that was used back when the site was a Landauer’s Department Store.
The archway was reopened by building owners Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler as part of the Browsery expansion.
The Browsery will hold a grand opening soon with specials, said Maureen Bennett, a member of the Browsery’s board of directors and one of the vendors since 2009.
Bennett sells farmhouse décor and antiques. She has a full-time job at the school district. The Browsery’s model works for the vendors. They all chip in for the rent and in providing manpower, at least 10 hours a month, to keep the sites open.
“People who are starting out in business can’t afford their own storefront,” Bennett said. “This gives them a slice of it. We all take turns in the store.”
The vendors sell vintage collectibles, antiques, upcycled furniture and other items.
Elizabeth Penafiel has been a vendor for four years, selling crocheted items, baby clothes, bibs, hats and dog collars.
Lucy and Scott Sackett sell birdhouses and other collectibles. They are among the original group of vendors that have been with the Browsery all 14 years. Kim Remley, Linda Hollenbeck and Karen Appleman also are originals.
Erik Sinkora of Lyndonville has been selling alpaca apparel for five years with the Browsery.
The Uptown Browsery last month expanded into the Pratt Works site on North Main Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2018 at 8:15 am
ALBION – The Village Board is considering whether to offer a property tax exemption for veterans. If the veterans received a tax break, it would mean other village property owners would see an increase to make up the difference.
“I think we owe it to our veterans,” said Village Trustee Pete Sidari. “Let’s figure out a way.”
The board last month was asked to approve two tax exemptions for veterans. Earl Schmidt, director of the Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County, said if the exemptions were passed by the Village Board, other village property owners would see their taxes increase by 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed property, or $18 for a house assessed at $60,000.
“We need to really look at this,” Village Trustee Eileen Banker said during a board meeting last week. “I know it’s hard to shift it to the other residents.”
Banker wants the board to further study the issue during budget negotiations. The village budget needs to be adopted by late April. There needs to be a public hearing for residents to comment on the exemptions before the board votes on it.
Village Trustee Stan Farone wants to see at what level the other municipalities are offering veterans for exemptions.
Schmidt asked that the Village Board to pass a veterans’ exemption that would provide about 15 percent off village taxes. Schmidt said there are 179 veterans in the village that would be eligible for the exemption.
He also asked that the village pass an exemption for Cold War era veterans that provides about 10 percent off taxes. There are 13 veterans in the village that would be eligible for that benefit.
With both exemptions, municipalities have the option of deciding maximum exemption levels so the amount of the exemptions can vary.
In other action at last week’s meeting, the Village Board:
• Accepted a $1,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation for its summer concert series. Albion was awarded the funds after Lori Laine, leader of the Albion Rocks group, submitted a video about Albion Rocks and the Concert Series.
That video was included in Community Across America’s “Video Clip Competition,” which offered $5,000 in prizes, with $2,000 the top award. Albion NY Rocks won the $1,000 second place prize.
• Approved Derek Hinman as a member of the Albion Fire Department.
• Appointed Amy Jenks as a member of the Planning Board.
• Appointed Loretta Tomasino to the Historic Preservation Commission.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2018 at 1:46 pm
File photo: Jay Pahura, a long-time motor equipment operator for the Department of Public Works in Albion, runs a roller over fresh pavement on Hamilton Street in Albion in this photo from October 2015.
ALBION – The Albion Village Board has named a long-time motor equipment operator in the Department of Public Works to serve as the new DPW superintendent.
Jay Pahura has been the acting superintendent. The Village Board made his appointment official last week. The board also agreed to fill Pahura’s vacant motor equipment operator position.
The DPW superintendent position has been in flux since Dale Brooks left the village on Dec. 31, 2015 after he was elected the Barre highway superintendent. Todd Sargent also filled in as interim DPW superintendent.
In other business at last week’s Village Board meeting:
• The board gave Pahura permission to declare three trucks as surplus and to use proceeds from the sale to buy a one-ton truck from a dealer in North Carolina. The village will sell a 1997 Ford one-ton, 2000 Chevy one-ton and 2009 Ford pickup. Pahura said the sale of those vehicles should bring in $15,000 to $18,000. That will go towards a one-ton truck that will cost $28,500. Pahura has money in the DPW budget to cover the difference in the cost, subtracting the sale of the three used trucks from the $28,500.
• Accepted $2,500 from the school district to go towards the estimated $5,000 cost to have a crossing guard in the morning and afternoon during peak traffic times by the schools.
• The pile of Christmas trees left at Bullard Park will likely be burnt in a bonfire this spring. The village planned to burn them in a bonfire at Bullard on Feb. 10, but the fire didn’t take off because the trees were covered in snow.
“We will have a tree-burning when it dries up in the spring,” said Trustee Stan Farone, who helped organize the event.
