ALBION – A third boy in an alleged plot against the Albion Middle School pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the sixth degree in Orleans County Family Court on Tuesday.

His guilty plea came a week after two other boys pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the second degree. One of those boys also pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment for sending a “disturbing image” to a female classmate, said Joe Cardone, the district attorney.

The three were charged on Nov. 7 after an alleged plot to bring weapons to the middle school and harm classmates.

The boys will be sentenced next month by Judge Sanford Church. There are no sentencing promises as part of the plea agreements. The judge could decide the boys need to be detained at a juvenile detention facility, or he could give them a lesser punishment of perhaps probation.

The boys are currently not allowed back in school. They are being tutored off site.

Because the three boys are all juveniles age 13 their names aren’t to be publicized by the media.

Cardone said the boys remain suspended from school and are under adult supervision. They also need to continue their mental health appointments, and are not to communicate with each other or use electronic media devices.

The students allegedly used Discord, a social media platform for gamers, to make grave physical threats to at least one other student. The threats spread to other social media platforms as the threads were shared, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said during a Nov. 8 press conference.

The school district this evening will host a social media and safe networking program for parents and community. That session begins at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.

New York State Trooper John Campanella will be the guest speaker. He is the Troop A (Batavia) School and Community Outreach Coordinator and a former School Resource Officer.

He will discuss various social media sites often used by teens; how businesses target teens through social media; how metadata and geo coding are used and misused; and will discuss the legalities and consequences of sexting and cyber bullying.

(Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version that said the third boy pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the sixth degree, which is a misdemeanor.)

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ALBION – The Village Board last week approved a construction bid for $739,931 to replace 8-inch waterlines on South Clinton and West Academy streets.

The project will replace 4,200 feet of waterlines on the two streets between Route 31 and Allen Road and should resolve issues with low water pressure, village officials said.

The low bid for the project was submitted by 716 Site Contracting from North Boston, NY.

Albion didn’t receive a grant to help pay for the project. The Village Board last week approved a $975,000 bond to cover the full costs of the project, including engineering and legal fees.

In addition to the waterlines, the project includes hydrants, gate valves and and service connections. The contractor also needs to do pressure testing and disinfection of new main, and surface restoration work.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Middle School is pictured last month after some snow. The school will host a session on social media and safe networking safety this Wednesday at 7 p.m.

ALBION – The school district will host a social media and safe networking program for parents and community on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium, 254 East Ave.

New York State Trooper John Campanella will be the guest speaker. He is the Troop A (Batavia) School and Community Outreach Coordinator and a former School Resource Officer.

All are invited to attend this informative and free program.

The presentation will include:

• Learn about various social media sites often used by teens

• Find out about how businesses target teens through social media

• Learn how metadata and geo coding are used and misused

• Discuss the legalities and consequences of sexting and cyber bullying

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Photos courtesy of Jules Hoepting

ALBION –  This photo looks under the giant canvas over the Transit Road bridge in Albion, one of seven canal bridges in Orleans County receiving extensive upgrades.

The Transit Road bridge was closed to traffic in August. The state Department of Transportation also closed the Telegraph Road canal bridge in August for construction work.

The state is spending $10.7 million on the seven bridges in the county. The DOT said the work on these bridges will include installing high-strength galvanized steel to replace steel floor systems, low chords, gusset plates, and truss elements.

Bridge railing and guide rail on the bridge approaches also will be improved and each bridge will be repainted. The alignments and profiles of the bridges will not change.

The  seven single-lane truss bridges were constructed between 1909 and 1914. They will all be repainted from green to black.

The DOT has completed work on the Densmore Road bridge in Albion and Bennetts Corners Road bridge in Murray.

As part of the $10.7 million bridge initiative in Orleans, the DOT also will work on three more bridges – Gaines Basin Road in the Town of Gaines, Bates Road in the Village of Medina, and Marshall Road in the Town of Ridgeway.

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ALBION – Two boys, age 13, pleaded guilty in Family Court on Tuesday to conspiracy in the second degree for a plan to bring weapons to the middle school to harm classmates.

One of the boys also pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment for sending a “disturbing image” to a female classmate, said Joe Cardone, the district attorney.

The two boys will be sentenced on Feb. 25 by Judge Sanford Church. There are no sentencing promises as part of the plea agreement. The judge could decide the boys need to be detained at a juvenile detention facility, or he could give them a lesser punishment.

A third boy charged in the case has an upcoming court appearance and has been cooperative, Cardone said.

Because they are juveniles their names aren’t to be publicized by the media.

Cardone said the boys remain suspended from school and are under adult supervision. They also need to continue their mental health appointments.

The three were charged on Nov. 7 after law enforcement discovered a credible plot against the school.

The students allegedly used Discord, a social media platform for gamers, to make grave physical threats to at least one other student. The threats spread to other social media platforms as the threads were shared.

Police seized various items that included legally purchased firearms, Police Chief Roland Nenni said during a Nov. 8 press conference.

There was concern last week on social media that the alleged attack from November had a target date for Friday, Jan. 3. Nenni responded on the district website and in a news release that there was no evidence last week of a planned attack for Friday.

Albion police had seven officers at the school at different times of the day, including an officer in each school building. There weren’t safety incidents.

“Once again our police force has given us wonderful support,” Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent, said at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

The attendance on Friday was only 50 percent throughout the district which has about 1,800 students.

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Provided photo: Crosby Stores and ExxonMobil presented $1,000 to for a STEM program at Albion. Pictured from left include: Brenda Thompson, Crosby Stores District Leader; Sabrina Lipowski, Territory Sales Advisor for Reid Petroleum; High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery; and Superintendent of Schools Michael Bonnewell.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – Charles C. D’Amico High School is the recipient of $1,000 in grant funds that will be used to boost the school’s STEM programs.

Albion received $500 from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program, and Reid Petroleum and Crosby Stores matched that award with an additional $500 to be used to support math and science education.

Executives from Crosby Stores stated, “Since its inception, the Educational Alliance Program has provided grants to help with funding to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs. Partnering with ExxonMobil, the Reid group strives to help give students the tools and technology they need to connect what they see in the classroom with what they see in the real world. It is part of ExxonMobile and the Reid Group’s efforts to support STEM education within the communities we serve.”

Some of the funds will be used in the High School for the Python computer programming class. Micro:bits were recently purchased for the Python class. A Micro:bit is a programmable device which can be programmed using Python or graphical code blocks.

Students can program the device to respond to changes to motion, light, magnetic field or button presses. The Micro:bit is used to teach the Python programming language to students while providing the opportunity to solve open ended problems. The students enjoy working with the Micro:bits and these new funds will be used to purchase additional Micro:bit accessories.

Funds will also be used to support project-based learning in the science and technology classrooms. Accessories for the technology department’s router table will be purchased, allowing our students to design and create projects with materials that can be milled down to 1/16 of an inch.

Also, a steam generator will enable students to bend wood in the production of fishing nets here at the high school. Additional supplies will support the new aquarium for our Living Environment classroom as students study and research the small scale ecosystem and its relation to our local community.

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Press Release, Police chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – The Albion Police Department has learned that there have been numerous social media posts indicating that there is a concern for violence on the Albion Central School campus tomorrow related to the previous threat made against the Albion Middle School.

The Albion Police Department has investigated the allegations contained in these posts and determined that there is no evidence or indications of impending violence.

The Albion Police Department is in constant communication with the School District and the Probation Department, who is tasked with monitoring the defendants who were arrested in November for the previous threat.

Even though we have no credible information supporting a threat, we understand the community’s concern and heightened sense of awareness. Since the incident in November we have had an increased law enforcement presence on the school campus. Tomorrow we will increase the amount of law enforcement to a greater level.

We encourage anyone with direct information regarding threats to contact the Albion Police Department at 585-589-5627.

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Provided photo: Gordmans will be converting Peebles stores to look like the store in this photo.

ALBION – The Peebles store at the Route 31 plaza in Albion will be changing over to a Gordmans, another retailer with designer name brand apparel, home decor, gifts, fragrances, clothing and other items.

The change will happen on Feb. 18, Gordmans said in a news release.

Gordmans and Peebles are both owned by Stage Stores. Stage bought Gordmans in April 2017.

Peebles uses 16,240 square feet of the Route 31 plaza, which also includes Save-A-Lot and the Dollar Tree. Peebles opened in the Albion plaza in 2007.

Gordmans is changing over 13 Peebles in upstate New York. The apparel and home décor retailer is hiring at the 13 stores.

All of the sites, including the Albion store, will host a job fair on Jan. 7 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Walk-in applicants are welcome. Candidates are encouraged to first apply online at gordmans.com/careers.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Heather Drew is co-owner of The Snack Shack at 50 North Main St. in Albion. She and Donald Buchanan started The Snack Shack this past summer at Hamlin Beach State Park. They decided to keep the business going in Albion.

ALBION – This summer, Heather Drew and her boyfriend Donald Buchanan ran the restaurant at Hamlin Beach State Park. Their business, The Snack Shack, proved popular at the state park.

“We got the best feedback in the world,” Drew said today.

When the season ended, the Albion couple looked for a spot for The Snack Shack in their hometown, and found that 50 North Main St., the Hazy Jade Gift Shop’s location for several years, was available. Drew and Buchanan opened in October.

Donald Buchanan and Heather Drew have a food trailer behind the Main Street building where the food is cooked. They plan to take the food trailer to special events in 2020.

In November, they added a food trailer behind the Main Street building. That is where the food is cooked. They do a lot of the food prep at Brightly’s Farm Market in Hamlin, where ther eis a commercial kitchen. Drew’s mother, Elizabeth Brightly, runs the farm market in Hamlin.

The Snack Shack is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then from 5 to 8 p.m. Most of the orders are takeouts, but there is dining available. The Snack Shack offers free delivery within the Village of Albion.

Heather Drew peeks through the window of the food trailer. She has worked in the food business half of her life, beginning when she was 17.

Drew and Buchanan each have many years working in the food service business. Buchanan, 30, spent a decade at Uncle Sal’s in Albion. Drew, 33, started as a hostess at a restaurant when she was 17. She would later work as a bar manager at the former Crooked Door Tavern.

The couple was going at a brisk pace today with fish fry orders, and others from their menu. Some of their more popular dishes are crab rangoons, coconut shrimp, garbage plates and salads. They wanted to offer more than burgers and fries, but they have those as well.

They said 2019 was a great start for the business and they are looking forward to 2020. They want to take the food trailer to special events, including the concerts by the canal. They also will offer catering.

Drew and Buchanan both said they enjoy the fast-paced food service business.

“We want to offer something different,” Buchanan said. “We like satisfying everybody.”

They expect to be back at Hamlin Beach State Park this upcoming summer, but will be available for other events in Albion. During the park’s offseason, they plan to run The Snack Shack at the Main Street location.

For more information on The Snack Shack, click here.

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