Provided photos – Several speakers attended a rally in Albion on Saturday seeking to divide NY into two regions. Some of the speakers included, from left: Pastor Earl C. Wallace from Liberty Christian Fellowship in Halfmoon (eastern New York); Cathy Sapeta from New Yorkers United for Kids; John Bergener, Jr., Divide NYS Caucus, Inc.; Mattie Zarpentine of Holley representing New York Revolution; and Stephen Aldstadt, president of SCOPE (Shooters Committee on Political Education).

ALBION – Upstate New York is outnumbered in the State Legislature, and the dominating influence of downstate drives up costs for upstaters, and leads to social policies outside community norms for Upstate, speakers at a rally in Albion said on Saturday.

The Divide NYS Caucus, Inc. wants to create two autonomous regions with the New York region consisting of the counties Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester.

The rest of the state would be the New Amsterdam Region, consisting of the other 53 counties in the state, including Orleans.

John Bergener, Jr., one of the leaders of the Divide NYS Caucus, said the group is pushing for residents to support a Constitutional Convention in 2017. The goal isn’t to create two different states, but to divide the state into two autonomous regions. That effort would not require Congressional approval and can bypass the NY Legislature through a NYS Constitutional Convention, Bergener said.

John Bergener, Jr. speaks at Bullard Park about a push to divide the state into two autonomous regions.

Every 20 years, New York residents have an opportunity to vote on whether to hold a NYS Constitutional Convention. The convention would focus on the State Constitution only. The next opportunity for a convention vote will be November 2017.

Bergener and the Divide NYS Caucus said the state has very diverse population with the majority of the counties small to medium sized communities set in a rural and suburban climate. Those communities tend to be conservative with their values. The state also is home to New York City and the surrounding counties that are far more liberal than Upstate. The divergent regions make it difficult to govern the state.

For more on the Divide NYS Caucus, click here.

New York Revolution formed soon after the state passed the SAFE Act in January 2013, a controversial gun control law. Zarpentine said the group is focused on fighting for Second Amendment rights, but sees other problems in the state encroaching on the rights and lifestyle of upstate residents.

“The SAFE Act got many of us involved,” Zarpentine said. “But this is much more than a Second Amendment issue.”

The downstate influence in the State Legislature and governor’s office has driven up costs for businesses and taxes for residents, making Upstate uncompetitive for many businesses and driving away people.

Mattie Zarpentine, a state coordinator of New York Revolution, speaks at the rally in Albion.

“Albany does not care how we feel, how we live and will just continue to push forward their agenda,” Zarpentine said. “How is upstate being served by a downstate governor and a downstate controlled legislature?”

Zarpentine said Albany politicians continue to be mired in scandal, with no end in sight. The governor and Legislature haven’t enacted ethics reform, she said. This month the former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos were both sentenced to prison for corruption.

Zarpentine, a Holley resident, said she was encouraged by the different groups that attended the rally in Albion. The groups are trying to build support for the Constitutional Convention.

It was a fairly small crowd at the Albion rally, which was held with rain, gusty weather and temperatures in the 50s. Zarpentine said she met people from Jamestown, Saratoga and other parts of the state. They are determined to have a state that preserves residents’ rights and works for solutions for attracting and keeping businesses and families.

“A small number of people can make change,” Zarpentine said.

Pastor Earl Wallace of Liberty Christian Fellowship spoke on the Biblical basis of the Bill of Rights. Wallace said the Founding Fathers were influenced by the Bible, especially the 10 Commandments, and historical documents such as the Magna Carta from 1215 that treat citizens according to Biblical principles.

Kathy Sapeta of New Yorkers United for Kids wants to repeal Common Core in schools.

Stephen Aldstadt, president of SCOPE, discussed the SAFE Act and NY regulations that make New York the highest taxed state in the country.

Zarpentine said the groups will make their feelings known to state legislators.

“Our representatives are not advocating for us to the full extent that they should be,” she said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Michael Ryan, right, and Zack Baron work together this morning to put an American flag by the grave of a veteran buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31 in Albion.

Scouts put more than 1,000 flags at the graves for veterans this morning, an annual service project for Boy and Girl Scouts in the Albion area. They have the flags out before Memorial Day.

Henry Symons, 8, and his sister Amelia, 4, look for veterans’ graves at Mount Albion Cemetery. Henry is in Pack 164.

Jessica Schleede and her mother Tina have been putting flags at veterans’ graves before Memorial Day for about 10 years. Jessica is a Girl Scout in Troop 82059.

Mike Beach and his son Oliver are pictured at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Oliver placed a flag at the grave for his great-grandfather, George Allard, who served in World War II. Oliver and his brother James Michael have put a flag at Allard’s grave the past six years.

Zack Baron carries an American flag while looking for veterans’ graves at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Matthew Flanagan is pictured with two of the three picnic tables he delivered this afternoon for Hoag Library.

Matthew, 18, built the tables for his Eagle Scout project. They are a welcome addition to the outdoor area off by the children’s library section, said Nicole Struble, children’s librarian.

She said she will invite families to use the tables for story times and for other activities, including if people want a spot to eat lunch.

Matthew said he joined the Scouting program in sixth grade and developed a deeper appreciation for the community through the many service projects. He said he also enjoyed the many camping and backpacking adventures.

His father, Daniel Flanagan, will serve as new Scoutmaster for Troop 164 in Albion beginning in July.

Matthew Flanagan, back left, unloads one of the tables with help from his brother John, back right; Ben Restivo, front left; and John Flanagan, back to camera.

Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – An Arc of Orleans County van hit the underpass on Butts Road at about 10:40 a.m. today. The handicapped accessible van was damaged after trying to pass under the bridge with a 7-foot, 2-inch clearance.

The van had several passengers with developmental disabilities. No one was injured in the incident. Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies, the Albion Fire Department and COVA all responded to the scene.

Dylan Hellems said he would be a voice for students

Photo by Tom Rivers – Dylan Hellems speaks about his candidacy for the Board of Education during a forum Tuesday at the LGI room at the high school. Hellems is one of four candidates for one open seat on the Board of Education.

ALBION – The election on Tuesday for the Albion Board of Education includes four candidates seeking one open seat, a five-year term on a nine-member board.

One of the candidates is a high school senior. Dylan Hellems, 18, said he would bring a student’s insight to the BOE, as well as a passion to make a difference in the community.

Hellems will be on the ballot with three other candidates: Steven LaLonde, Kevin Doherty and Anitrice Riley.

Albion had a high school senior win a BOE election in the late 1990s, when Dan Bellor was elected to a five-year term.

In Buffalo, Austin Harig last week nearly defeated Carl Paladino, a multi-millionaire and Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2010. Harig, 18, lost to Paladino by 132 votes for a seat on the Buffalo School Board.

Hellems thanked the other Albion candidates for their community service during a forum on Tuesday, when school officials discussed the district’s proposed budget and other propositions that go before voters on Tuesday.

Hellems said he has had a good experience at Albion Central School, with a week-long trip to Washington, DC as the highlight.

He went to the nation’s capitol with the Close-Up program at Albion High School in late February-early March. That trip fueled a desire to be involved politically. On the Close-Up trip, Helllems met two Albion graduates who work full-time in D.C.

Don Sisson works in the White House as a special assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. He also worked 10 years for Rep. Louise Slaughter of Rochester.

Sarah Brown Dirkes is the director of External Relations at American Farm Bureau Federation.

Hellems was impressed to see two people from a small town having an impact in DC.

“I want to make a difference,” he said after a public hearing Tuesday on the school budget. “I want to pursue politics and this will be a great place to start.”

Hellems will major in general studies this fall when he starts at Genesee Community College.

Hellems said he is pursuing the volunteer position on the Board of Education to inspire more high school students and recent grads to be involved in local government.

In terms of specific issues, he said he doesn’t support banning books at the school because some topics may be considered too controversial. He also said he would like to see the district work towards a turf field that would require less maintenance and also could be a draw for athletic events.

Hellems will face three long-time district residents, incuding former Board of Education member Kevin Doherty, who is currently president of the Hoag Library Board of Trustees. Doherty runs his own communications company, and is a past superintnedent of the buildings and grounds depaetment at the school district. His six grown children are Albion graduates.

“We clearly have a good school district and what we’re looking to do as they say in 4-H is make it better,” Doherty said.

Steven LaLonde has a doctoral degree in statistics, measurement and evaluation from Syracuse Univeristy. He is a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology. He and his late wife, Kathy, raised three children who graduated from Albion.

LaLonde said he wants to give back to the district that provided a quality education for his children. He said he tends to bring people together to develop common ground in working on issues.

Anitrice Riley is a 1993 graduate of Albion. She works as a senior tax servicing specialist. One of her three children has graduated from Albion, and she has two others in the district.

Riley said she wants to see the district work harder to reach students not involved in sports and extracurricular programs.

“Let’s make sure every child has the best access to education,” she said. “Some kids are losing their way.”

Voting on Tuesday will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school, conference room A.

ALBION – The school district has eliminated 87 positions in the past 13 years, at a time when the student enrollment has shrunk 29 percent or by nearly 750 students.

The district had 2,574 students in 2003-04, but next year’s enrollment is projected to fall to 1,834, a 38-student drop from the current school year. The total number of full-time equivalent positions has fallen in 13 years from 349 to a proposed 262 in the 2016-17 budget, a 25 percent reduction. The district doesn’t plan to cut any teaching positions but will eliminate a full-time clerical job as part of the proposed 2016-17 budget.

As enrollment has steadily dropped, the district has pared back staff. That has allowed the district to either cut or hold the line on taxes in nine of the last 10 years, school leaders said Tuesday during a budget hearing.

The proposed $33,890,990 school budget keeps taxes at the same amount, $8,355,939, as the 2015-16 budget.

The district’s rate of reducing staff, 25 percent, doesn’t quite match the reduction in student enrollment, at 29 percent in the past 13 years. Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, said teachers and staff have more “extra things” from the State Education Department.

Liddle noted Albion has the lowest per pupil cost at $18,479 of any district in Orleans, where the average is $22,918. The state per pupil cost for 2016-17 is $25,962. Albion is one of 57 districts spending less than $19,000 in the state, out of 669 districts, Liddle said.

The district’s tax rate for the current school year, $16.06 per $1,000 of assessed property, is the lowest of all districts in Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Monroe counties. The Albion rate is estimated to fall to $15.87 in 2016-17, Liddle said.

District residents will vote on the budget Tuesday from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school, conference room A.

Other propositions on the May ballot will include:

Authorization to spend up to $460,000 for buses;

Approval to collect $687,211 for Hoag Library. That is up 1 percent from the $680,411 for 2015-16.

Choosing one of four candidates for a five-year term on the Board of Education. The candidates include Dylan Hellems, Steven LaLonde, Kevin Doherty and Anitrice Riley.

Lake Plains Players welcomes audience participation

Provided photo/Lance Anderson – A 10-person cast from the Lake Plains Players will perform Killing Sarah, a murder mystery, at The Cabaret at Studio B on Sunday at 2 p.m.

ALBION – The Lake Plains Players will spend part of Mother’s Day performing a murder mystery show at the Cabaret at Studio B in Albion.

“It’s just what mom wants: a murder mystery,” joked Andy Spragge, director of the show.

The Lake Plains Players, a local community theater group, is trying its first non-musical that includes audience participation. The crowd will have a chance to help solve a murder in the play called “Killing Sarah.”

In the show, the CEO of EastRich Enterprises has died, and four contenders for CEO plot to either woo Sarah, the CEO’s sole surviving heir, or have her killed.

Spragge has been in theater for more than 30 years, performing in many shows with the Players. He is returning to directing after a five-year break.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I really love the process.”

The cast performed the show Friday as part of a dinner theater at Becker Farms in Gasport. The 2 p.m. show Sunday includes desserts and drinks at the Cabaret, 28 West Bank St., Albion.

The audience are all shareholders in EastRich Enterprises. They will vote for the company’s new leader. Another character in the show will die.

“The audience helps figure out the mystery,” Spragge said. “The audience is integral to it because they are part of the company.”

The show has lots unpredictability due to the uncertainty with audience responses.

“There is a lot of improvisation that goes on,” Spragge said. “There will be some unpredictability.”

Tickets for Sunday’s show are available at the door.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Ben Yazman, Heritage Wind project developer, is pictured by the Barre water tower on Route 98 behind the firehall.

BARRE – Apex Clean Energy last week announced its plan for Heritage Wind, a 200 Megawatt project, the same power proposed for Lighthouse Wind in Yates and Somerset.

Apex put out a map that showed the project focused in Barre but also spreading out into surrounding towns, as far northeast as Fancher and south into Elba.

Apex said today the project will be focused entirely in Barre. Ben Yasman, Heritage Wind project developer, said Barre’s elevation is about 200 feet higher than most of the county. It has access to transmission lines and state roads.

It also is the least populous town in the county with lots of open farmland.

Apex is just beginning the public outreach process. The company expects to have many meetings with town officials and residents in a siting process that could take several years. Yazman said feedback from residents, landowners, town officials and other stakeholders will determine the location and size of the turbines.

“The locations will be dependent on the landowners who want to participate,” he said.

Apex has been meeting with Yates landowners for about two years. The company has fielded questions about the Lighthouse Wind project at its booth at the 4-H Fair. Apex officials were told by several Barre landowners said they would a support a project in Barre, said Taylor Quarles, Apex’s development manager.

The company sees the potential in Barre, which was eyed for a project by Iberdrola before the company withdrew its effort about a decade ago after concerns by the Pine Hill Airport.

Yazman said he wants to alleviate worries from community members, including the airport. It will be part of the company’s public outreach plan and later environmental studies and scoping documents.

“We want to involve the town in this potential project,” said Cat Mosely, Public Affairs manager for Apex. “We see it as a community owned project.”

Apex has already done its public outreach plan for Yates and Somerset, and also submitted a Preliminary Scoping Document. It is working to address environmental concerns and other issues raised for the Yates-Somerset project.

Mosely and Yazman said today the company remains committed to Lighthouse Wind.

The intent to develop the Heritage Wind project shows the company’s commitment to Orleans County and the region, Mosely said. (Apex is also working on a project on Galloo Island near Watertown.)

Yazman said the projects will take years of work. He welcomed residents and government officials to reach out to him. He can be contacted through the Heritage Wind website. Click here for more information.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Residents in the Hoag Library service area on Monday elected Holly Canham and Kevin Doherty to four-year terms as library trustees.

ALBION – Residents elected Kevin Doherty, the Hoag Library president, to another four-year term on the library board of trustees on Monday.

Doherty has served on the board for seven years and has been president for six years, leading the library through a capital campaign and construction of a new facility that opened in 2012.

Voters also elected Holly Canham to a four-year term on the board. Canham is a frequent library user, utilizing the local history resources. She is founding president of the Orleans County Genealogical Society, and remains the group’s president after 16 years.

Canham is retired from working at Chase in Albion. She leads “Family Tree Fridays,” classes on genealogy on the first and third Fridays of the month at Hoag.

“I felt it was my turn to help out,” she said about running for the library board.

She wants to promote the local history resources and help people use those materials in researching their family histories.

Doherty has been an active community member for many years with the Strawberry Festival, 4-H Fair and Albion school district. He owns Doherty Communications.

The new library and a push for programs at Hoag that best serve the community are important as a quality of life issue for the Albion area, Doherty said.

A vibrant library with technology and other resources is part of making the community viable long-term for many young families and other residents when they consider moving or staying in the Albion area, Doherty said.

He is thankful the library has completed the new site, which opened in 2012. Now the focus is on providing the best services to the community, he said.

“The job isn’t done yet,” he said about why he sought another four years on the board.

The nine member board has three vacancies. Two will be filled by the board and Mayor Dean London also can appoint a representative.

Residents in the Albion school district will vote on May 17 whether the district can collect $687,211 for Hoag Library. That is up 1 percent from the $680,411 for 2015-16.

Voting for the library funds is part of the May 17 school vote from noon to 8 p.m. at elementary school.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Charles Howard, founder of Santa Claus School in Albion, died 50 years ago today. This image shows Charles W. Howard on the cover on a report from January 1961 about the previous season at Christmas Park.

ALBION – Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Charles Howard, one of Albion’s most prominent residents. Howard was a farmer and toymaker who started a Santa Claus School in 1937 on Phipps Road in Albion.

He played Santa in the Macy’s televised parades for about 20 years. He established standards for how Santas should look and act with children, principles that are still taught today to Santas around the world.

Howard expanded his school into Christmas Park, a destination for the community that remains a cherished memory for many local residents. After Howard’s death in 1966, the school was moved to Michigan. Today it is in Midland, Mich., and still bears Howard’s name.

Waterman Park has room for a statue of Charles Howard and other displays about the founder of a Santa Claus School.

A committee in Albion has been working for more than a year on a memorial for Howard. The Village Board last week agreed to make Waterman Park, a half block south of the Erie Canal, available for a bronze statue of Howard as Santa Claus. The park will likely include interpretative panels, murals and other displays about Howard and Santa Claus.

The committee will now work on designs of the statue and park, hoping to have them ready for the community at the Strawberry Festival in June.

“I’m excited about it,” Mayor Dean London said on Wednesday when the board voted to back the effort.

The Albion Betterment Committee is taking the lead in a fund-raising campaign that could be about $100,000.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Howard made Santa Claus suits and other Christmas items from Christmas Park in Albion. This picture shows the tag inside a Santa suit.

The group was determined to have a site for Howard on Main Street, seeing a statue as a boost for other downtown businesses.