By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 December 2020 at 1:57 pm
Photo courtesy of Albion Police Department: Albion Police Officer Christopher Glogowski is pictured with elementary school students in this photo from February 2019.
ALBION – The school district agreed to keep a school resource officer until the end of the school year on June 30, 2022.
The Board of Education voted on Monday to renew a 2-year contract with the Village of Albion, at the same $81,250 rate. The contract keeps an officer committed at the district from Sept. 1 to June 30.
Chris Glogowski, an Albion police officer, has served in the role since February 2019, after the district didn’t have an SRO for several years. The Board of Education on Monday said Glogowski has proven to be “a valuable asset to the district.”
“He also has spent a large portion of his time working with our students and building a relationship with them,” the Board of Education stated in the contract agreement. “You can often find him greeting students when they arrive in the morning, along with a send-off wave at the end of the day. When he isn’t greeting students, you can find him in the classroom reading stories to students which he continued during our closure through recorded videos.”
If Albion is unable to assign an officer to the school, the contract will be reduced by $350 per day.
The school resource officer works under direction and supervision of the Albion police chief, but the school superintendent and building principals also can have input in the officer’s duties and job performance.
The duties of the SRO include but are not limited to law enforcement, investigation, education, counseling (as appropriate), and those items identified in a specific job description, according to the contract.
The officer will work normal school hours, Monday through Friday, and some major school social and sporting events.
The $81,250 contract with Albion is less than the $95,070 that both Lyndonville and Kendall pay the county to have a deputy assigned as school resource officer. With the county contract, there is no built-in overtime. If Kendall or Lyndonville district need overtime, that is invoiced separately.
Medina’s contract for a school resource officer has the school district paying the village $70,000 for services from a Medina police officer this school year.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Brenda Winters wipes her eyes as she looks at her cordoned off home on West State Street, which was severely damaged by smoke and water when firefighters tried to put out a blaze which started in the house next door.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 December 2020 at 6:26 pm
Agencies try to find housing for displaced families
ALBION – Brenda Winters has lived at the home she rents on West State Street for 20 years. Monday afternoon she wiped tears from her eyes as she surveyed the damage to her home and two others from a fire which broke out next door on Saturday afternoon.
Brenda lives with her son Herbert and adult grandson Quarmine.
On Saturday afternoon, she said she was in her kitchen when all of a sudden there was a big bang next door at the home on the corner of West State and East Academy streets.
“I went to the window and all I saw was smoke,” she said. “Then about five minutes later there was another every louder explosion that shook my house. I looked out again and all I saw was fire. I said then it was time for me to get out.”
This is the aftermath of a fire which destroyed three homes on East Academy and West State streets Saturday afternoon. It is believed up to 10 people were displaced in the fire, which started with an explosion in a garage next to the house on the corner.
Brenda went to a neighbor’s home across the street and watched as fire company after fire company came to fight the blaze, which had engulfed the house next door and spread to her home and another on East Academy.
While her home is the least damaged of the three, with fire damage in the attic and west side of the house, she said her home is ruined with smoke and water. She said water stood a foot deep inside the home and the furniture reeks of smoke.
She escaped with a few clothes, but they also are full of smoke.
In the meantime the Winters are staying with another of Brenda’s sons in Lockport while Community Action is trying to find housing for her and the other two families.
Annette Finch, director of Emergency Services at Community Action; Nyla Gaylord, director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern; and Jeff Holler with Albion Masons have joined forces to help the three families displaced in the fires.
“Our three organizations have decided to coordinate all our efforts to help these people who have lost everything,” Finch said.
Gaylord said people started contacting her on the weekend asking if they could help. Finch said Holler called her and said the Masons want to do something to assist the families.
There are no official numbers on how many people were displaced from the fire, but Finch and the agencies believe there were five in one house, two in another and three in Winters’ home. Finch doesn’t believe there were any children living in the homes.
“Clothing is not an issue,” Finch said. “But finding housing is the biggest thing.”
Robin Smith, who lived in the corner home, is staying with a sister and Finch took them food and a gift card to Tops.
“If we can find places for them to live, we can get help with the first month’s rent through the Uplift Grant United Way got us to help people with housing,” Finch said.
Finch said the families need food, furniture and personal care items.
“We are going to be able to help with the resources we have,” Finch said. “If there are churches, clubs or factories who are thinking about adopting families for Christmas, these would be good ones to help. Any donations we receive for them we will put in a fund to distribute equally to all three.”
Holler said the Masons are designating their lodge building at 39 Platt Street as a collection site for any donated items. If anyone calls Holler at (585) 590-0983 with donations, he will be available 24/7. The Masons are also planning a fundraising meal as a drive-thru, at a site to be determined.
Anyone who can help in any way can contact Michelle Figueroa, case manager at Community Action, at 589-5605, Ext. 105; Nyla Gaylord at 589-9210; or Jeff Holler at 590-0983.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Albion Fire Department was first on the scene after being dispatched to a fire at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at 221 West State Street. Explosions in an attached garage quickly engulfed the garage and house in flames. The fire would spread to two neighboring homes.
Posted 7 December 2020 at 2:18 pm
Editor’s Note: Albion Mayor Eileen Banker submitted this letter of appreciation for firefighters and other public officials who assisted with the fire Saturday in Albion that damaged three houses.
ALBION – On behalf of the Village of Albion Board I would like to thank all the fire companies that responded to the fire Saturday in Albion: Albion FD, Barre FD, Carlton FD, Clarendon FD, East Shelby FD, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray FD, Holley FD, Kendall FD, Lyndonville FD, Village of Medina FD, Ridgeway FD, Shelby FD, Elba FD, Brockport FD, Middleport FD, Hamlin-Morton-Walker FD, Hartland FD and Oakfield. They all either responded to the scene or filled in during the recent fire on Saturday on East Academy and West State streets in the Village of Albion.
This fire was met with many uncertainties, specifically the explosions, yet each department fought tirelessly to extinguish the fire before it took down many more houses. The danger that each of you faced during this fire did not detour you from doing your job. For that, we are forever grateful.
Thank you to the men and women of the fire service who unselfishly risk their lives to protect the lives and property of our community.
I also want to thank Albion PD, Orleans County Emergency Management Ofiice, COVA, Monroe Ambulance, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Orleans County Dispatchers (the voice of the county), NYSEG, National Grid, Village of Albion Water Plant and Albion DPW for all their assistance.
Also, thank you to Roadies Pizzeria and Sports Bar, Stephanie, Connor and Landon Williams, and Alex Breuilly for the pizza and beverages. God bless each of you for all you do and stay safe during these uncertain times!
The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company brought its new ladder truck and crew of firefighters to focus on the neighboring house that caught on fire on East Academy Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2020 at 12:59 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Fire Department is shown at the scene of 221 West State St. at about noon today for a rekindle at the scene.
This house was engulfed with fire on Saturday evening. The blaze, which started in an attached garage, spread to two neighboring houses, one on East Academy Street and the other on West State Street.
Firefighters left the scene at about 2 a.m. last night but were called back at about 3:45 when the fire rekindled. They were then called back again at about 11:45 when smoke could be seen coming from the house.
Fire Chief Harry Papponetti said the house is an unsafe structure. He isn’t allowing firefighters inside to deal with hot spots.
“We’re going to give it a good soaking,” he said at about noon today.
The Fire Department was spraying water on the house, using a deck gun on top of the fire truck.
Papponetti said the insurance company will decide how soon the house will come down.
The two neighboring houses remain boarded up.
Click here for a video of the Fire Department on scene at about noon today.
A section of East Academy Street is blocked off to traffic.
Albion firefighters Rob Conner, left, and Joe Grube check where the garage was for any hot spots.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2020 at 10:21 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: In an unusual sight in December, the Erie Canal is full in Orleans County. This photo was taken on Saturday in Albion of the guard gates near the Bowman bridge, between the Gaines Basin and Main Street bridges.
The Erie Canal, which has been kept full in Western New York, will be drained starting on Monday.
The canal normally would have drained the canal about a month ago. But this year in a pilot program the State Canal Corp. kept the canal full and gradually released water to supplement tributaries that are popular for fishing.
The higher water flows in the streams and creeks gave better opportunities to catch brown trout, Chinook salmon and steelhead (rainbow trout) in Lake Ontario tributaries.
This fall the Canal Corporation increased regulated water releases into Orleans and Monroe County’s premium streams—Oak Orchard Creek and Sandy Creek.
In early November and early December, other Lake Ontario tributaries – Eighteenmile, Johnson, Oak Orchard, Sandy and Salmon Creeks – all saw higher flows.
The extra water was intended to entice more brown trout, steelhead, and Atlantic and Pacific salmon populations to run up these streams, improving conditions for the fish and expanding opportunities for local and visiting anglers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release on Oct. 20.
“This fall, New York is enhancing some of our world-class fisheries and expanding opportunities for anglers into December by creatively using water from the Erie Canal to bolster fishing conditions and to extend the season,” Cuomo said. “As a fisherman, I’m pleased to see our incredible Lake Ontario tributaries will be host to even better experiences for anglers. This innovative use of iconic infrastructure continues our strong tradition of ecotourism while supporting our small businesses.”
The Gaines Basin Road bridge, which opened last week after reconstruction, is shown during snow flurries on Saturday.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A fast moving fire quickly engulfed a house at 221 West State St. and caused extensive damage the residence next door on East Academy Street. Another house on West State Street also was damaged from the blaze.
Posted 6 December 2020 at 8:34 am
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – On Saturday at approximately 4:30 p.m. the Orleans County 911 Center received numerous calls reporting an explosion and fire at 221 West State St. in the Village of Albion.
The Albion Police Department and Albion Fire Department were dispatched. Albion Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s personnel arrived on scene and found the residence located at 221 West State Street heavily involved in fire. The fire quickly spread to the adjacent residences located at 219 West State St. and 5 East Academy St.
A male occupant of the 221 West State St. was found at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries consistent from an explosion and subsequent fire. The male was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by COVA Ambulance.
The fire to the homes was extinguished by the Albion Fire Department along with assistance from numerous mutual aid fire companies. The damage to the homes located at 221 West State St. and 5 East Academy St. is extensive.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Albion Police Department with assistance from the Orleans County Fire Investigation Unit, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
UPDATE: Chief Nenni released this additional statement at 11:30 a.m.
“The investigation into the fire that occurred at 221 West State Street in the Village of Albion and spread to nearby homes is ongoing.
The investigation so far has revealed that the fire started in the attached garage at 221 West State St. Because of the initial reports of an explosion and the lack of an obvious cause of an explosion, Bomb Squad Technicians were brought in to make sure the scene was safe.
The safety of the firefighters, who had to finish the overhaul process of the scene, and general public was made sure of by specialists who determined there was no further risk of explosions.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is who the Albion Police use in these situations.
More information will be released in the near future as investigation continues.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 December 2020 at 7:45 pm
ALBION – Santa Claus will be coming to town on Dec. 19. The jolly old elf has shied away from many in-person gatherings this season due to Covid-19 concerns.
But he will be greeting people on Dec. 19 at the Hoag Library parking lot from 1 to 2 p.m. in Albion. He will visit with children and their families as long as they are wearing masks and adhering to social distancing. Santa may also take a ride around the village to wave to youngsters.
The Albion Lions Club is planning the event, which will also will include a visit by Deputy Jeff Cole and his K-9 Otto, and an appearance by Dominic the Donkey and his horse friend.
The Lions Club also is doing a toy drive and letters for Santa. The toys can be dropped off at Roots Hair Salon at 29 Bank St., Jeff Colonna’s can redemption center on Hamilton Street, and 169 State St. in Medina. Dan Conrad, the Lions Club president, will deliver the toys as Santa at the Community Kitchen, the event at the Hoag parking lot, through the Hands 4 Hope ministry and also will visit some homes in the community to give out the presents.
The letters to Santa can be dropped off at Roots Hair Salon, Bloom’s Flower Shop at 139 S. Main St. and 169 State St. in Medina.
That address in Medina is for Best of Tymes Party Rental. It will be hosting Santa this Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. with cotton candy, popcorn and a hot cocoa bar.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Laurie Schwab, a paramedic and chief operating officer for COVA, gets in an ambulance last week for call about a man having a heart attack in Carlton.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 December 2020 at 9:07 am
Organization has provided emergency medical services since 1979
ALBION – COVA Emergency Medical Services is reaching out to the community and local government leaders, raising concern about budget shortfalls for the organization.
COVA responds to about 2,000 calls annually, mostly in the central Orleans towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines.
COVA’s new ambulance heads out for a call last week. The scaled-down vehicle cost $80,000 and replaced an ambulance from 2013 with 200,000 miles.
The organization operated on a $1,093,578 budget in 2019, but the revenue came in at $1,042,964, a $50,614 difference. That has been the trend the past three years – about a $50,000 budget deficit.
This year is shaping up to be worse. COVA’s call volume was down early in the Covid-19 pandemic, which hurt revenue. COVA also is spending more for PPE for staff and for disinfecting the ambulance after each call.
The organization continues to face other challenges with low reimbursement rates through Medicaid and Medicare.
Medicaid pays about 20 percent of the COVA bill and the Medicare rate is about 32 percent. Those are an increasing number of the COVA calls, said Laurie Schwab, COVA’s chief operating officer and paramedic.
The Medicaid calls include responses to the two state prisons in Albion. Those calls not only are at a low payment, but they tend to be time-consuming because of the time needed to be processed into the prison and for an inmate to meet the COVA staff for care and transport.
Private health insurance pays more compared to Medicaid and Medicare, but the checks from private insurance are made out to patients. They should then write their own check to COVA but many just keep the money from the insurance companies.
This trio is committed to COVA. They include, from left: Jennifer Stilwell, a volunteer EMT; Anna Tower, chief financial officer; and Wendy Kelly, an administrative assistant. COVA is located at 239 South Main St. in Albion.
COVA loses about $50,000 to $70,000 in “kept checks” annually, Schwab said. COVA and other ambulance providers have pressed state legislators to pass legislation, requiring the funds to be turned over to the ambulance companies or to have the insurance companies pay the ambulance providers directly.
The “kept checks” typically range from $1,000 to $2,500. If people turned those funds back to COVA the organization’s budget woes would be solved.
“It creates a financial hardship for COVA,” Schwab said.
COVA officials have met with local town and village leaders in recent months to discuss the deficits and how to keep COVA viable. COVA believes municipal support is needed. They are seeking $100,000 annually to be divvied up among the four towns – Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines, and possibly the village. The contributions from each municipality would be based on COVA’s call volume in each municipality.
In 2019, the call breakdown by municipality included 1,030 calls in the village, 542 in the Town of Albion, 211 in Carlton, 159 in Gaines and 110 in Barre. There were also 25 mutual aid calls.
COVA used to be able to set aside 10 percent of its income towards a new ambulance. The organization last month welcomed a new ambulance to its fleet of three ambulances. The new one replaced an ambulance from 2013 with about 200,000 miles.
The new one is a scaled down model that cost $80,000. It will be better on gas mileage with less maintenance costs.
Chris Atwell, a COVA EMT, gets his masks on and heads out for a call last week. COVA responds to about 2,000 calls a year.
The organization was staffed with volunteers when it started in 1979 but has shifted to mostly a paid staff. There are 13 full-time employees, 16 part-timers and three volunteers. COVA tries to have four on duty during the daytime hours and two on the night shift.
Anna Tower is one of the volunteers. She used to be paid as the chief financial officer but decided to volunteer in the role due to COVA’s fiscal challenges.
“It’s my passion,” she said about COVA.
But she is worried about the numbers. COVA needs more revenue to continue long-term in the community.
Jennifer Stilwell also is a volunteer EMT and member of COVA’s board of directors. If there wasn’t COVA, the central Orleans towns would have to put the ambulance services out for contract, with an out-of-community provider perhaps stepping in.
Stilwell said that could lead to longer response times and unfamiliar faces responding to calls.
“It’s nice to have a community-based ambulance,” she said. “There’s connections with the staff. It’s comforting for the residents to know the people who care for you.”
One of COVA’s three ambulances leaves the Albion base for a call last week.
Mickey Edwards, former Albion teacher and principal, has been leading Byron-Bergen school district
ALBION — The Board of Education has picked an Albion graduate to be the next district superintendent.
Mickey Edwards
Mickey Edwards started his career in Albion as an art teacher. From 2007 to 2009, Edwards was the Principal at Charles D’Amico High School. He also served as the Assistant Principal at Carl I. Bergerson Middle School for four years and interned as Dean of Students in Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School. Edwards lives in the district in Kent. His three children all graduated from the district.
The Board of Education this evening appointed Edwards to be superintendent. He is expected to start in mid-January to February 1, 2021.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to the Board of Education for extending me the opportunity to serve as Albion’s next Superintendent of Schools,” Edwards said in a news release from the district. “My hope is to bring my experiences, skills and network of contacts to the district and help build upon our mission of Achievement, Character and Success for Life. I look forward to being a part of the team and serving our community together.”
After graduating from Albion, Edwards spent four years active duty in the United States Marine Corps before beginning his career as a teacher at Albion.
After working at ACS, he was the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction at Orleans-Niagara BOCES before gaining six years of experience as a superintendent. In 2014 he was appointed as the superintendent at Wyoming Central School District. He was there two years before being hired in 2016 as superintendent at Byron-Bergen Central School.
Under his leadership, Byron-Bergen Junior-Senior High School has been named to US News and World Report Best High Schools in the Nation for the last two years. Additionally, Edwards resurrected an agriculture and FFA program in the district after the program’s 40-year hiatus and worked to increase the amount of advanced college courses offered at the high school, including AP and Genesee Community College ACE Courses. He also implemented a program for trauma, illness and grief in the district to address the social and emotional needs of staff, students and families.
“The ACS Board of Education is pleased to welcome Mickey Edwards as our next Superintendent of Schools,” according to a statement from the board. “With input from stakeholders, the Board set out to find a superintendent who was a proven leader, of unquestioned integrity, with proven collaboration and communication skills and an ability to improve student performance and programs. We believe Mr. Edwards embodies not only these characteristics and qualities, but so much more. His experience as superintendent in two previous districts will allow him to hit the ground running, while his background as a lifelong Albion resident and Purple Eagle will provide him with a deeper understanding of school and community needs and the drive to fiercely advocate for our students.”
When he was at Albion previously, Edwards was on the committee that developed the district’s mission statement of “Achievement, Character, and Success for Life,” and still firmly stands by it. He believes the mission statement “needs to be part of everything we do, not just words on a wall.”
Edwards serves on a number of committees and boards across the Genesee Valley region including chairman for Career & Technical Education Committee, member of Legislative Committee, a representative in the House of Delegates for NYS Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) and the Board of Directors for Rural Schools Association and Genesee County Business Education Alliance.
“We would like to thank the students, parents, teachers, staff and community members who participated in focus groups and completed the superintendent search surveys,” the BOE stated. “The input provided was invaluable, and gave us the guidance we needed as we reviewed applications and interviewed candidates for the position.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2020 at 2:39 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee had this sign honoring Charles Howard erected in 2015 on Route 98 in Albion.
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.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed off on state legislation to name a portion of Route 31 in Albion in honor of Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.
Howard also was the Santa for nearly 20 years in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. He remains a revered figure among the people who portray Santa today. The Santa School continues to operate in Howard’s name in Midland, Mich.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and Sen. Robert Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) both are pleased with passage of their legislation which designates a portion of New York State Route 31 in the town of Albion as the “Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway.”
“Mr. Howard was known for his hard work, his love for community and his jolly spirit; he represented the best any New Yorker could hope to achieve,” Hawley said in a statement. “With this highway dedication and the committed partnership of Sen. Ortt, Western New York has finally given the man the recognition and reverence he deserves. This holiday season and year-round, we can all learn from Charles about how to be good neighbors, how to work to spread cheer and joy and how to live life to the fullest.”
The Orleans County Legislature in August 2019, passed a resolution, urging the state to recognize Howard by naming a portion of Route 31 in his honor.
Signs proclaiming the section of Route 31 in Howard’s honor will be displayed when entering the Town of Albion – northwest corner of Transit Road from the east to the southeast corner of Wood Road from the west.
