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Albion Middle Schoolers persevere in performing Wizard of Oz

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 March 2017 at 9:44 am

Extreme weather knocked out 5 rehearsals in last 2 weeks

ALBION – The Wicked Witch of the West (Olivia Morrison) confronts Dorothy (Aubrey Boyer) and her friends during the Albion Middle School production of The Wizard of Oz on Friday. There are shows today at noon and 7 p.m. at the Middle School Auditorium.

Last night’s show included a fire alarm about halfway through the second act. The crowd and performers all had to leave the building after the fog machine triggered the fire alarm.

It was the latest adversity for the cast and crew of 73 students. They had five of their rehearsals canceled in the past two weeks because of the wind storm that knocked out power and then the snow storm this week.

The students put on an entertaining show last night and were given a standing ovation by the crowd.

This is the 40th show led by Carrie Kozody, director, and Kevin Feder, the assistant director. Kozody thanked the students for persevering in the face of so many challenges in the past two weeks.

Dorothy (Aubrey Boyer) holds her dog Toto while on the Kansas prairie with her Aunt Em (Annaliese Steier) and Uncle Henry (Jacob Coolbaugh).

In Munchinland, the mayor (second from right – Leah Kania) and the farmer (right – Keyonna Hamilton) realize Dorothy’s house has flattened the Wicked Witch of the East, who tormented the Munchkins. Dorothy was presented several gifts who ridding the Munchkins of their enemy.

Glinda, the good witch played by Sydney Mulka, presents Dorothy with the ruby slippers and sends her on her way to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz, who might be able to help Dorothy get back to Kansas.

Emily Merger plays the Tin Man, one of three friends Dorothy makes on the way to see the Wizard of Oz. The Tin Man feels inadequate because he doesn’t have a heart.

The Yellow Brick Road Dancers include, from left: Maleah Knight, Leeanna Montanarella, Annabella Salisbury, Emma Tower, Alyson Knaak and Hannah Coolbaugh.

The four friends are happy after they reach the Emerald City. The Tin man (Emily Merger), Dorothy (Aubrey Boyer), the Scarecrow (Zachary Kilner) and the Lion (Myleigh Miller) all have requests for the Wizard. The Tin Man wants a heart and Dorothy wants t go home, while the Scarecrow wants a brain and the Lion would like courage.

Kenyatta Hamilton is one of the Ozians in the Emerald City.

Olivia Bieber also performs as an Ozian during Friday’s performance. The cast includes students in grades 6 through 8.

The Great Oz appears as a disembodied head. He is voiced by Will Trembley. Oz refuses to grant any wishes until the group comes back with the broomstick from the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Witch’s Winkies are led by the Winkie General (Jacob Coolbaugh). The Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man would dress as Winkies to rescue Dorothy and Toto from the Witch’s castle.

Will Trembley plays the Wizard. He shows the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion how they already had the brains, heart and courage they desired. He tells Dorothy he will take her back home in a hot air balloon.

Dorothy (Aubrey Boyer) takes a bow at the end of Friday’s show, which was disrupted by a fire drill. The show didn’t end until about 10:20 p.m. The crowd showed its appreciation for the students who are back today for shows at noon and 7 p.m.

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Albion will push this year to address ‘zombie homes’

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2017 at 7:38 pm

File photo by Tom Rivers: This home on West State Street, behind the Post Office, is one of about 45 houses in the Village of Albion considered a “zombie” property.

ALBION – The Village of Albion will soon start a new program to target “zombie homes” in the village.

Those houses have been vacant – often for several years – and typically are not maintained during prolonged foreclosure proceedings.

There are about 45 zombie homes in the village. Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer, would like to see the houses occupied, and contributing to their neighborhoods.

He is heading the village effort, which has been aided by a $75,000 state grant, which was awarded in October.

The funds will pay for several initiatives, including legal work, researching the title and trying to trace which bank owns a property. In some cases, the bank that holds the mortgage isn’t easily known or an out-of-state bank or mortgage company doesn’t have someone assigned to manage the properties in foreclosure.

“We want the banks to either move on these properties or cut them loose,” Vendetti said.

The grant will establish a program for dealing with the zombie houses, a program that could expand county-wide. Vendetti said there relive more than 200 zombie houses in the county. He wants to create a database of zombie homes in Albion and the county, with special computer software to track the properties.

He would like there to be financial counseling for people in mortgage trouble. Some residents may have lost their house, and Vendetti said they might be able to return with a mortgage modification.

Albion is partnering with PathStone in Rochester to try to redevelop the vacant properties.

Vendetti said some of the solutions for the vacant houses will be working with people who are experienced in construction to make needed repairs at the houses. PathStone could help identify new first-time homebuyers.

The village’s LDC might also be able to acquire some of the houses, and hold them in a tax-exempt status in the short term as an incentive for people to buy the houses and make needed improvements.

“We are going to develop a template for how to deal with this,” Vendetti said.

Once the program is in place, Vendetti said the state could provide additional grants to help redevelop some of the properties. The state did that before for the village, which partnered with PathStone about a decade ago to fix up some houses and then sell them. Without the grant, sometimes it doesn’t make financial sense to buy or invest in a property that needs tens of thousands of dollars in improvements.

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Wind blew corner steeple off St. Joseph’s

Photos by Tom Rivers: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is missing one of its corner steeples after the wind storm roared through the area on Wednesday afternoon.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2017 at 5:07 pm

Mike Condoluci, a maintenance worker for Holy Family Parish, is pictured with one of the corner steeples on the church that was blown off during Wednesday’s wind storm.

ALBION – St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion had four corner steeples at the church on West Park Street in Albion.

The powerful winds on Wednesday blew one of the corner pieces off. It crashed to a sidewalk below and ended up in the street.

Holy Family Parish is looking to replace the corner steeple. Mike Condoluci, a maintenance worker, said the piece is smashed beyond repair.

The corner steeple is about six feet tall. It is made out of tin with a wooden framework inside. The base that helped hold the steeple down on the roof also has been damaged and will need some repairs, Condoluci said.

He went up on the roof with Tony Navarra, another maintenance worker, to tie another loose corner piece down more securely with wire.

Condoluci said a new corner steeple will likely have to be made to replace the one that was swept off the roof.

Eliott Neidert took this aerial photo last month with a drone of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church when it had all four corner steeples. The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church is at left.

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Barre Fire District will try again for new fire hall

Renderings courtesy of Barre Fire District: Barre residents will vote on April 25 on whether the Fire District can borrow $2.5 million for a new fire hall that would also have space for a community center that could be used as a Red Cross relief center during an emergency.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2017 at 9:37 am

$2.5 million project also includes community center

Photos by Tom Rivers: The current fire hall for the Barre Volunteer Fire Company was built as an addition to a schoolhouse in 1960. Firefighters say the site is cramped and many modern fire trucks are too long or tall to fit inside and have to be retrofitted to squeeze into the Barre hall.

BARRE – A proposal for a new firehall that would also have a community center will go before Barre residents in a vote on April 25.

The $2.5 million project would give the Barre Volunteer Fire Company much needed space for fire trucks and the new building would also have a community room with space for 140 people.

The Barre Fire District tried to get the public’s support for a new fire hall on June 4, 2014, but the proposition to borrow $1.4 million was voted down, 249-114.

Fire District officials heard from many in the community that residents wanted a community center to be part of the project, and not just a facility to keep fire trucks, said Mark Farone, one of the commissioners for the Fire District.

The addition of a community center should increase the chances for the project to receive state and federal funding, Farone said. The building would be a designated Red Cross shelter with a full kitchen, four bathrooms total, and a laundry machine.

The space could also be rented to community organizations such as churches, the Red Cross, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

Barre firefighters are pictured in the firehall on Route 98, a building that was constructed in 1960 as an addition on a former schoolhouse, which was built in 1910. This group includes, from front to back: Barry Flansburg, secretary/treasurer for the Barre Fire District; Mark Farone, Fire District commissioner; Bert Mathes, first lieutenant for Barre Volunteer Fire Company; Brian Bentley, third lieutenant; Gary Mufford, commissioner; Jerry Bentley, past chief; and John Egloff, assistant mechanic for Fire Company.

Fire District leaders say the current firehall is outdated for a modern fire department. The four bays in the firehall have doors that are 10 feet tall. Many of the modern fire trucks are 10 feet, 2 inches tall. Barre had to have its most recent fire truck special ordered so it was 9 feet, 6 inches in height. That made the truck more costly, adding about $100,000 to the cost, Farone said.

When some departments fill in for Barre because Barre firefighters are on a call, the other departments often can’t fit their fire trucks inside the Barre firehall.

The fire trucks are bigger these days because manufacturers have combined two trucks into one, such as Barre’s new pumper-rescue truck. Combining the trucks means Barre doesn’t need two crews to go with a truck, just one. Dual-purpose trucks helps with the manpower issues many volunteer fire companies are facing.

It’s a tight squeeze in the fire hall for the fire trucks. The new facility would have five bays and have more space for the trucks and equipment.

Barre has about 40 active firefighters who responded to 209 calls in 2016. There are also another 60 people who are social members or active in the Ladies Auxiliary.

The Fire District is the taxing authority for the Fire Company. The fire company provides the personnel, and the fire district finances the trucks and equipment. The current firehall is owned by the Fire Company. The new one, if approved by residents, would be owned by the Fire District.

The district currently pays an annual fee to the Fire Company for using the old firehall. That payment would instead be used as the debt payment for the $2.5 million facility, which would be paid over 30 years.

The annual debt payment is expected to be about what the Fire District is currently paying the Fire Company. (The Fire Company’s members would decide the fate of the old firehall. It could be put up for sale and could be used as an auto repair garage or for another business, past chief Jerry Bentley said.)

The Fire District needs voter approval before it can proceed with likely grants for the project, as well as construction bids.

There are currently low-interest rates for borrowing, and a lender would agree to a 30-year arrangement for a new building, said Barry Flansburg, the Fire District secretary/treasurer.

If the project is voted down, Flansburg fears firefighters will be stuck trying to upgrade the current building,, without a low-interest loan stretched over three decades. Instead, it would likely take a loan to be paid in a short-term loan. That could actually result in a higher annual cost for taxpayers, while firefighters are still tied to an undersized facility.

 

This shows the layout for the proposed new building and the parking lot. The site would be on Route 98, north of the current firehall. The proposed new building would be on the west side of Route 98, a little north of the Barre Town Park.

The Fire District has the land secured for the project. keeler Construction owns the vacant land, north of the current fire hall.

Firefighters are holding open houses to discuss the project every Tuesday at the current fire hall from 6 to 8 p.m. until the vote on April 25. The Fire District is working on the final arrangements for the vote with the Orleans County Board of Elections. Flansburg said the voting time will be announced soon.

If the project passes on Aril 25, Flansburg said design, approvals and permits would take about six months. Construction could start in the spring of 2018.

A letter to the community from the Fire District and Fire Company says the truck and equipment storage is similar in size to 2014 proposal but now includes community center and additional parking. The letter states the following positives with the proposed new building:

• Centrally located along Route 98;

• 5,700 square feet of space for fire truck and storage area with five truck bays, a private office for the fire chief, dispatch office, equipment storage, breakdown, lockers, laundry, kitchenette and a bathroom;

• 3,300 square feet for community center with full kitchen and bathrooms that can be used for disaster relief/emergency shelter and also for community meetings;

• Masonry construction with insulated metal siding and standing seam metal roof;

• Energy-efficient design with radiant floor heating system;

• Asphalt parking and driveways with overflow stone parking area;

• Concrete pads in front of overhead doors;

• Onsite utilities (septic, water, electric, gas, storm water);

• Grant applications are in progress and will be submitted with voter approval of the project.

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Albion not happy about long trips for football team this coming season

Photo by Cheryl Wertman: Albion’s Tommy Mattison breaks through the line for a big gain against Alden during a Sept. 9 game at Albion. The Purple Eagles will have longer trips to play some opponents this season.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2017 at 8:25 pm

Some opponents more than 2 hours away

ALBION – A realignment among the Class B football teams in Section VI football will have the Purple Eagles taking some distant treks to play some of their opponents this fall.

At least three of the teams now in Albion’s division are two hours or more away by bus – Dunkirk, Olean and Fredonia/Westfield/Brocton.

Albion games at Dunkirk and Olean on Friday nights will have the Purple Eagles returning home about midnight on those game days, District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell told the Board of Education on Monday.

He has crunched the numbers for the travel time for the teams and he said the new configuration of the divisions puts Albion at a disadvantage with much longer drive times. It isn’t fair to the Albion players or their families that have to make the long hauls, Bonnewell said.

It also tough on bus drivers who start the day early on morning bus runs.

He would prefer Albion play opponents that aren’t so far away.

“They need to fix this,” Bonnewell told the Board of Education. “This is a problem. This isn’t the right way to deal with kids.”

Section VI grouped the 18 Class B teams in three divisions, with the six largest schools by enrollment in B1 – East Aurora/Holland, Pioneer, Cheektowaga, Burgard/MST, Lew-Port and Maryvale.

Albion is among the group of the second-largest schools that also includes Dunkirk, Olean, Springville, Depew and Fredonia/Westfield/Brocton.

The six schools in the smallest division include Medina/Lyndonville, Barker/Roy-Hart, Newfane, Alden, Tonawanda and Lackawanna.

The B2 schools are spread out from each other and have to drive 1,834 miles over two years travelling to each division opponent. Albion has to drive 420 of those miles, according to Bonnewell.

The B1 (large schools) have to drive 862 miles over two years and the B3 (smallest schools) have to go 872 miles. The B2 schools are driving more than twice as far as the B1 and B3 schools.

‘They need to fix this. This is a problem. This isn’t the right way to deal with kids.’ – Michael Bonnewell, Albion superintendent

Section VI went to a strictly enrollment size for determining the six divisions. The combined teams don’t reflect the actual total enrollment. For example, with Medina and Lyndonville, Section VI determines the enrollment by counting the numbers of students in grades 9 through 11 at Medina – 378 – and then adding 20 percent of Lyndonville’s enrollment because Lyndonville is classified by the state as a Class D school. Instead of counting all 153 Lyndonville students, only 30.6 or 31 are included for determining school size or 409 total for the Medina/Lyndonville team.

Larger schools in a merged team count a higher percentage: 30 percent of Class C schools, 40 percent of Class B and Class C, 40 percent of Class A, and 50 percent of Class AA, according to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

Albion’s enrollment is 446 for the three grade levels, and for the purpose of determining its division in Section VI. That makes Albion bigger than the combined Medina/Lyndonville team which has an actual enrollment of 531 but counts as 409 because Lyndonville is only factored at 20 percent of its enrollment.

It’s similar with the combined Barker and Roy-Hart team. The two districts together have 500 students in grades 9 to 11 but is considered 380 with the reduced percentage applied to Roy-Hart.

“I understand the size issue,” Bonnewell told the Board of Education. “But they’re not using real numbers. It’s based on a formula.”

Albion will play both Medina/Lyndonville and Barker/Roy-Hart in interdivisional contests in 2017. (The Medina/Lyndonville team beat Albion in 2016 by a score of 48-6, and Albion defeated Barker/Roy-Hart, 46-7.)

Randy Knaak, Albion’s athletic director, said he has reached out to the Section for an extra home game for the Albion varsity due to the longer travel. He also is asking that the starting time for jayvee games be pushed back from 10 a.m. to 11 or noon because Albion has to leave early in the morning for those Saturday games.

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DePaul will seek local approvals this year for 50-unit apartment building in Albion

Courtesy of DePaul Community Services: This rendering shows the layout for a 50-unit apartment site on Liberty Street, behind the Hoag Library in Albion. The project would demolish three existing houses and for the new housing, which would include 46 one-bedroom apartments and four 2-bedroom units.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2017 at 10:27 am

ALBION – An organization proposing a 50-unit housing project on Liberty Street will be seeking local approvals for the project in the coming months and also will be pursuing state funding.

DePaul Community Services, Inc. wants to build the project on Liberty Street, between the railroad tracks and Beaver Street. DePaul needs to remove three houses that are on that section to make room for the housing project.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Gillian J. Conde is Vice President for DePaul Properties in Rochester. She addressed the Albion Rotary Club last week.

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.

DePaul can refuse applicants based on information in the background checks, said Gillian J. Conde, Vice President for DePaul Properties in Rochester.

The organization is proposing 46 one-unit apartments and four that would be two-bedroom. Conde said only a few children would likely live at the site.

“We thought this would be ideal,” Conde told the Albion Rotary Club last week. “We wanted to give people a nice, new option.”

The apartments aren’t a public housing project. Conde said they are “middle market housing” with one-bedroom apartment rent at $600 a month and two bedrooms at $700. That includes utilities, basic cable, WiFi and laundry.

“In Upstate New York, one of the big things going on is our housing stock is aging,” she said.

The Liberty Street project would be a big lift to that neighborhood and the village, Conde said.

The project would be similar to a DePaul site in Batavia that serves low-income residents, including people with mental health issues. Conde said DePaul would like to partner with local agencies, such as the Orleans County Mental Health Department, to connect tenants to services in the community.

DePaul would have some services on site, and staff will be there 24 hours a day. DePaul would have a van on site to transport tenants to medical appointments. Half of the apartments would be ADA-compliant and the other half would be adaptable for people who may need the apartment to be handicapped accessible.

The two-story building in Albion would have parking on site as well as green space. The old beech tree by Beaver Street also would stay.

Conde said the local approval process would also likely include a plan for DePaul to contribute money to the local governments in the form of a PILOT or payment in lieu of taxes.

File photo: Two of the houses that would be demolished on Liberty Street are vacant and obscured by vegetation.

Gov. Cuomo on Sept. 13 announced state funding for DePaul in Albion to provide services in supportive housing to “vulnerable populations.”

Conde said DePaul is now seeking state assistance to help pay for the construction of the housing. DePaul is pursuing projects in all four rural GLOW counties – Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming.

Conde said most of the state housing grants have been concentrated in cities.

“We wanted to see if we could get some of these dollars in rural communities because rural New York has been neglected,” she said.

DePaul also has been sampling the site for environmental contamination. The project would ensure any pollutants are removed.

“This would be a perfectly clean site,” Conde said. “There is a very high standard for a residential site.”

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Cleanup continues from high winds last week

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 March 2017 at 10:57 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Mount Albion Cemetery workers have been busy since high winds damaged many trees on Wednesday evening and overnight. One big tree in the back of the cemetery, by the Civil War memorial tower, snapped in half and landed on the memorial for the Kuck family.

The memorial stone was knocked over and chipped. Cemetery employees were cutting up the fallen tree with a chainsaw this morning.

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Many trees toppled from high winds

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2017 at 9:07 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – One of the trees at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31 in Albion snapped from the high winds that started Wednesday afternoon and continued overnight.

There were more than a dozen trees that fell on Wednesday evening, with several blocking lanes and roads in Orleans County.

The fallen tree at St. Jospeh’s Cemetery is in front of the Cunneen plot.

This big branch fell at Mount Albion Cemetery. (I drove around the historic cemetery and didn’t see any trees down, but numerous broken branches are on the ground.)

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325 students perform in All-District Concert at Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2017 at 9:59 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Chris Shabazz, an Albion eighth-grader, plays the saxophone during this evening’s All-District concert in the high school gym.

Shabazz was one of 325 students in grades 4 through 12 to play in a instrumental band for the school.

Albion fourth- and fifth-graders performed in the concert, which was the first public performance for the fourth-graders in the band. The school district has the concert to celebrate March as Music in Our Schools Month.

Sophia Zambito plays the chimes as a percussionist in the high school band. All of the students in the bands joined together to conclude the concert by playing “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.

Mike Thaine leads the high school band. He thanked the parents and community for supporting the music program at the school district.

Albion eighth-grader Jacob Thom plays the trumpet during the concert.

Members of the junior high band wait for their turn to perform.

Elementary band teacher Lindsey Fix directs a group of fifth grade musicians.

The Albion music program has been honored the past eight years with national awards through the North American Music Merchants. NAMM has named Albion a “Best Communities for Music Education.” The NAMM organization gives out the award to recognize districts that make music a priority, especially in an era of tight school budgets and packed student schedules.

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2 congregations say ‘win-win’ with shared church building

Photos by Tom Rivers: Linda Glantz, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Albion, preaches during this morning’s service held at Christ Church, an Episcopal Church. The United Methodists have their service at 9:30, followed the Episcopalians at 11 a.m.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2017 at 5:08 pm

2 years ago United Methodists in Albion started holding services at Episcopal Church

Christ Church holds services for the United Methodist Church at 9:30 on Sundays, followed by the Episcopalians at 11 a.m.

ALBION – Two church congregations have been sharing a building for almost two years now, and the partnership has gone extremely well, leaders from both the United Methodist Church and Christ Church said today.

The United Methodists have been holding services at Christ Church, an Episcopal Church building, since Easter in April 2015. The United Methodists left their historic building at the corner of Platt and East State streets. That building faces a costly roof repair that church members said would take $1 million to fix. That proved too much for the congregation.

They have had the building up for sale and the North Point Chapel, which currently meets at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex, has submitted an offer. The sale needs a final approval from the state Attorney General’s Office.

North Point is the church that paid for fireworks in Albion on July 5 for three years. North Point has scheduled a 10 a.m. service on April 2 for the church launch at the former United Methodist building. Click here for more information.

“It will be nice to see the building rejuvenated,” said Reid Cole, chairman of the United Methodist church board of trustees.

He has been a part of the church for more than 50 years, since he was a kid.

The United Methodist Church building has been vacant for about two years. North Point Chapel has submitted an offer than has been accepted by the United Methodists, but needs final approval from the State Attorney General’s Office.

Cole and other United Methodists praised the Episcopalians for sharing their building at 26 South Main St.

“The Episcopalians have been more than welcoming,” said Marie Follett. “They have been wonderful.”

Follett attended services at the United Methodist building for more than 50 years. She continues to play the organ for church services. The United Methodists also have choir practice on Wednesday at Christ Church.

The United Methodists have their hymnals and songbooks on a cart and hand them out for their services. There are about 30 to 50 regular attendees on Sundays for the 9:30 service.

“It’s been good to be able to share space,” Follett said.

The churches share the costs for heating, snow plowing and cleaning services. That has helped the Episcopalians.

Each congregation goes to each other’s community dinners, and other celebrations.

“It’s been a win-win,” said Jan Cheverie, a member of the Christ Church vestry.

Christ Church holds services at 11 a.m. That later service worked well with scheduling for the United Methodists, which have had an earlier worship time.

Jan Cheverie, serving as acolyte during this morning’s Episcopal service, extinguishes the candles at the end of the service.

The United Methodists have a coffee hour after their service, and sometimes that stretches until after the Episcopal service. Members from both congregations can find themselves socializing until well after noon.

Linda Glantz became pastor on July 1 of the United Methodist churches in Albion and Holley. She is pictured inside Christ Church today. Glantz is leading both United Methodist churches in planning for the future.

Linda Glantz started as the United Methodist pastor on July 1. She also leads the United Methodist congregation in Holley.

She said the Albion congregation experienced a loss with leaving its building that was its home for more than 150 years. Now the focus is on the future and being a vital congregation for years to come.

The church leadership is meeting to focus on the next steps – including where to hold services. The United Methodists may decide to stay long-term in the shared role with Christ Church, or it may look for another spot. The church leadership will weigh that decision.

“It is a process to get the church from healing to seeing what the future holds,” Glantz said.

The United Methodists are going to meet the next few weeks in the fellowship hall for church services. That way they can decorate for the Lenten season. Right now there is some shuffling of sacraments and other elements in between the two services.

The Episcopalians are grateful to see their historic building, the oldest of the church buildings at the Courthouse Square, being better utilized, said Kevin Doherty, a warden with the church.

“A used church building is much better than an unused one,” he said after today’s services.

During announcements today at Christ Church, Doherty urged the group to attend an Ash Wednesday observance this Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. led by the United Methodists.

The Rev. Judy Hefner, supply priest for Christ Church, shares an announcement at today’s service. Hefner is holding a prayer devotional that the United Methodists have available for the everyone.

Judy Hefner, the church’s priest, also held up a prayer devotional made available by the United Methodists. She urged the congregation, which today numbered 10, to read the booklet. She said she would include it in her own daily devotionals.

Hefner, a supply priest, said there hasn’t been any hard feelings among the two congregations, which have different styles of worship.

“It’s been good to be able to share space,” she said.

Marie Follett plays the organ at the Christ Church. Follett has been a member of the United Methodist Church for more than 50 years.

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Albion village looks for ways to boost water pressure/volume on Allen Road

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 February 2017 at 11:35 am

ALBION – The Village of Albion has heard from residents on Allen Road for many years who complain about low water pressure and volume.

The village has tried to improve the situation, but Allen Road residents, and some who live on the side streets, continue to say there is a problem.

Village Trustee Mattea Navarra met with several residents on Allen Road recently and they told her they feel like the village has given up on the problem.

The water pressure often falls below 42 pounds per square inch, and some residents see their water slow to a trickle if they try to wash their car outside.

The village Department of Public Works isolated valves along the line to check for pressure and that wasn’t the problem, said Todd Sargent, DPW superintendent.

The village would like some expertise from John Papponetti, an engineer with Labella Associates. Papponetti is a former village resident and Village Board member.

His father, Harry Papponetti, has endured low water pressure or volume for 27 years. Harry Papponetti said the pressure and volume were better when Albion had standpipes at the corner of Route 98 and Allen Road. They were removed in the early-1990s and the Allen Road neighborhood now gets its water from a 3-million-gallon tank at the corner of Route 31A and 98 in Barre.

That tank has higher elevation, and engineers expected it would boost pressure and volume for Allen Road, but Harry Papponetti said that hasn’t been the case since the new storage tank went on line more than 20 years ago.

When the tank is full, there is stronger water pressure, village officials said.

“We’ve been talking about this for months,” said Trustee Stan Farone. “We need to come up with a game plan.”

Village officials, including Sargent, said they would meet next week to focus on resolving the issue.

“We need to communicate with the residents to let them know we’re working on it,” Navarra said.

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Schools get ready for busy March

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2017 at 9:21 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Larry Gaylord, a member of the Building and Grounds Department for Albion Central School, changes the sign this morning for the school, advertising a March 3 basketball game between faculty and state troopers. That game starts at 6:30 and is a benefit for the Middle School FFA.

Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina school districts are all closed for classes this week for mid-winter break.

Next week, the districts begin a busy stretch of the school year. Gaylord said March will require many updates for the sign.

The other side of the sign promotes a March 1 district-wide concert.

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No snow, still lots of fun at Bullard winter event

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2017 at 8:44 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Christmas trees are burned in a bonfire at Bullard Park this evening in an event put on by Energize Albion.

The Albion DPW collected the trees that were discarded at the curb after the holidays.

The bonfire was part of what was intended to be a winter celebration at Bullard today, with snow-related challenges, such as a sledding distance and snowboarding contest. The snow didn’t last long when the temperatures hit 60.

Energize Albion was able to switch to spring-weather events, with basketball, kite-flying and other challenges.

Isaac Sugar, 8, tries to throw a tennis ball through one of the holes in the snowman. Skip Stratton made the snowman cut-outs.

Isaac Sugar, left, and his cousin Aaron Sugar had fun trying to throw the tennis balls through the snowman targets.

Crystal Hand, left, and Jessica Downey serve hot cocoa, which proved popular even on a warm day.

A food truck served hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and other food.

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‘Hope and Love’ at Albion community concert in honor of Elaina Webb

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2017 at 4:51 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This ballet quartet – Michayla Kovaleski, front left, and Lauren Thomas, and Laiken Ricker, back left, and Rylie Lear – perform Landslide during a community concert this afternoon at the First Baptist Church in Albion. The dancers are part of Gotta Dance by Miss Amy.

The concert is a benefit for Elaina Webb’s family. Elaina, 2 ½, passed away from cancer on Feb. 7. Her mother, Beth Webb, worked several years as a dance instructor at Gotta Dance.

Aleka Schmidt, pastor at First Baptist, welcomes about 150 people for the concert, “Hope and Love are in the Air.”

Amy Sidari, the Gotta Dance owner, shares an inspirational message she called, “Greatness.”

Zachary Neal played three solos on the piano.

The High School Men’s Select Chorus sang two songs, “Blue Skies” and “Catch a Falling Star.”

Gary Simboli directs the Men’s Select Chorus. Simboli also sang two solos, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Make You Feel My Love.” He also directed at the High School Women’s Select Choir.

Albion High School senior Angela Tarricone sang, “Let It Be” and “My Heart Will Go On.”

There were 18 different performing acts altogether in the concert.

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Big crowd comes out for basket auction to benefit Albion Middle School musical

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2017 at 9:45 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Sydney Mulka plays Glinda the Good Witch in the Albion Middle School production of The Wizard of Oz. Aubrey Boyer, front right, is playing Dorothy.

The cast gave a preview of the show tonight during a benefit at The Pillars. The show is more expensive than most middle school shows and tonight’s basket auction will help cover the costs for costumes, backdrops, sets, licensing, etc.

Carrie Kozody, the middle school musical director, addresses about 175 people at the event. The show will be March 17-18 at the Middle School Auditorium.

Community members and businesses donated 80 baskets for the raffle. The event was organized by parents of students in the middle school cast and crew.

Aubrey Boyer sings as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

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