By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – An airplane comes in for a landing at Pine Hill Airport on Sept. 8 in Barre. The airport is the only one in Orleans County with a hard-surface runway.
BARRE – The Orleans County Legislature is giving its support to a grant application to pave a ramp area and connector west of a hangar at the Pine Hill Airport in Barre.
The Vintage Aircraft Group, owner of the airport, is seeking a state grant through the Department of Transportation for the funding. It would require a 10 percent local match and VAG would pay that share, about $6,000, said Gene Haines, VAG president.
He wrote a letter to the Legislature on Wednesday, seeking the county’s show of support for the project as part of the 2013 Aviation Capital Grant Program through the DOT.
Pine Hill Airport is the only one in Orleans County with a hard-surface runway. About 20 volunteers keep the airport functioning.
Haines was scheduled to address the Legislature on Wednesday, but that meeting was canceled due to the blizzard. He is expected to be on the agenda March 26. The Legislature today voted to support the application.
“We’d like to assist him in moving forward,” said David Callard, Legislature chairman.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
The Albion Rotary Club had its annual St. Patrick’s ham dinner today at the American Legion. Here Rotarians Becky Karls, right, and Deb Boyer serve up a takeout dinner. Albion student Jasmine Ballines, left, volunteered as a “runner.”
Albion Rotary Club members Don Bishop, center, and Dick Remley, right, serve up a ham dinner for Eric Brown. Michael Bonnewell, Albion school superintendent and a Rotary Club member, serves in the food line.
Leeanne McKenna, center, won the iPad raffle. She is joined by her grandchildren Piper Chatfield, left, and Thomas Green.
The Irish dancers class at Spotlight Studio performed several dances. Three of the members include, from left, Zoey Chatifeld, McKenna Boyer and Faith Chaffee.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion DPW Superintendent and Lions Club member Dale Brooks, left, reviews plans for Bullard Park in Albion with Kevin Howard, a Lions Club member, and John Grillo,the recreation director. Annette Finch, in back, is on the Recreation Committee.
ALBION – If the Albion Recreation Committee had its choice for a priority project at Bullard Park, the group said it would favor a spray park.
“We would be a leader in Orleans County is we did this,” said John Grillo, the Albion recreation director. “It would draw people here.”
The committee helped form a master plan for Bullard Park about three years ago that called for reseeded fields, a concession stand, lodge, walking trails, relocated bathrooms, the spray park and a walking trail.
The village sought state funding to help with the project, but was denied in 2012 and 2013. Village officials don’t want to give up on Bullard improvements, but the work will likely have to go in stages and the money may need to come from the local community.
The Lions Club wants to help with upgrades. The Village Board has agreed to create an account in the village – “Rebuild Bullard” – and village staff will process any donations.
The Lions initially thought replacing the main playground equipment might be the first project as part of rebuilding Bullard. But Grillo and Recreation Committee members said they think the spray park would draw more people to Bullard and have the most benefit for the community.
“It would draw a lot of kids and families,” Grillo said after a meeting at Hoag Library to discuss Bullard. “It would be a blast.”
Grillo remembers the popularity of wading pools at two village parks until they were removed about 25 years ago. He sees how spray parks are an attraction in other communities, including Batavia.
The spray parks do not pose a threat of drowning. They have big sprinklers.
The spray park would ideally be located in the center of Bullard, just west of the Pee Wee Park, according to a conceptual plan. If the village can raise the money, bathrooms with a changing area should be next to the spray park. The bathrooms and changing area could be part of a concessions area for the park.
Grillo said the lodge would his choice for a second priority. He sees that at other parks and then are used by the community throughout the year.
Annette Finch, Recreation Committee member, said the lodge could function as a senior citizen center for seniors to play cards and have meetings. Holley and Medina both have sites for seniors, but Albion doesn’t have a site.
The village will seek a rendering for the improvements that can be showed to the public, as well as cost estimates for the projects.
The Lions Club and village leaders also said they will try to get a sense of community support – in terms of dollars – that can be raised for the project. The village may reach out to neighboring townships and the county for financial contributions to make the projects happen.
The Lions scheduled a meeting for 7 p.m. on April 15 at Hoag for the next session at the park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – The Hoag Library opened in July 2012, more than doubling the space from the previous library.
ALBION – After 15 years of leading Albion’s public library, Susan Rudnicky is no longer director of the center on Main Street.
The Swan Library Association board of trustees voted tonight to end Rudnicky’s tenure. The board named a trustee, Terry Wilbert, to serve as temporary library administrator during the search process for a new leader. Wilbert will take a leave of absence from the board.
Rudnicky led the organization during its relocation from a 6,000-square-foot converted home on North Main Street to a 14,600-square-foot new building that opened in July 2012. She is also president of the Cobblestone Society Museum’s board of directors.
Susan Rudnicky
“This transition is not about good or bad, or about the past, but clearly reflects the Trustees’ determination to match skill sets with program needs,” Board President Kevin Doherty said in an email announcing the change in leadership. “We have a breath-taking new facility, constructed with the support of an over $1 million capital campaign from this community, and as Trustees, we have a responsibility to maximize the community value of the Hoag Library.”
Wilbert, a retired guidance counselor and school administrator, worked in the Albion, Pal-Mac and Livingston Manor School Districts, and also at the Ulster County BOCES and the Rochester Urban League. He has been a soccer coach for the Oakfield-Alabama Central School and a number of community clubs. Wilbert is a candidate for the Village Board in the March 18 election.
Doherty said a search for a new director will begin immediately and will involve community members. He said he expects there will be a good pool candidates and a new director will be picked “in a reasonable time.”
“There may be additional re-alignments of duties plus improved offerings and services in the coming year,” he said.
ALBION – A Charles D’Amico High School senior has been named to Business First’s 2014 All-Western New York Academic Team.
Jonathan Trembley (Second Team) has qualified for this year’s list of the 100 most outstanding high-school seniors in the eight-county region. Winners were chosen for their records of academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. The top 25 were named to the First Team, 25 runners-up to the Second Team, and another 50 to the Special Mention list.
“This is a highly competitive award,” said Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First. “Think of it this way: We have about 20,000 high-school seniors in Western New York this year, and we’ve picked only 100 for the Academic Team. That puts them in the upper one-half of one percent. They’re the best and brightest students anywhere in this region.”
Schools throughout the eight-county area were asked to nominate their smartest and most accomplished students for consideration by an eight-member committee, which included six admissions directors at area colleges and two Business First editors. A total of 122 schools responded with 419 nominees. (Each school was limited to four candidates.)
The complete list of 100 honorees, along with their photos and profiles, will be published in Business First’s 2014-2015 Guide to Western New York Schools, which will hit newsstands on June 13.
Provided photo – Albion FFA students who competed at the district competition include, front row, from left: Alexis Bentley, Alexis Maines, Julie Porter, Sophia Smith, Alaina Fleming, Laiken Ricker, Clara Stilwell, Isabel Penafiel, Lauren Beam. Back row: Megan Rosato, Sara Millspaugh, Logan London, Elizabeth Bentley, Abigail Maines, Harrison Brown and Jayne Bannister.
Article by FFA reporter Megan Rosato
BATAVIA – Albion FFA members went to BOCES in Batavia on Thursday to compete in FFA Districts. Students competed in Career Development Events (CDEs), which help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, and perform effectively in a competitive manner.
There are 24 CDEs, covering job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. The finalists moving on to substates include:
ALBION – Teachers at Albion Elementary School dressed in blue today in support of Wayne Burlison, the elementary band teacher who is fighting colon cancer.
Teachers wore blue and signed a “Go Team Wayne” banner. Mr. Burlison’s wife Lisa teaches second grade at Albion.
Today happens to be “National Dress in Blue Day.” This started in 2009 on the first Friday of March to bring national attention to colon cancer and to celebrate the courage of those affected by this disease.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2014 at 12:00 am
District plans new playground for elementary school
ALBION – The school district has a relatively small budget gap that it is working to close before the spending plan is approved by the Board of Education next month.
The district has a $139,000 gap to close if it doesn’t want to raise taxes and still maintain the same level of staff and programming. The district could reduce the gap if the State Legislature directs more state aid to Albion, compared to what Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed in his budget.
The governor’s budget in January gave Albion about $330,000 more in state aid, just shy of a 2 percent increase. The state Legislature has historically tended to provide more than the governor’s proposal, but those increases have been relatively small increases in recent years.
“That’s not a large gap compared to the past,” Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent of business, said about $139,000.
If Albion’s state aid is unchanged from the governor’s budget and it makes no other reductions, property owners would be looking at a 1.6 percent tax increase, which is already under the state-imposed 2 percent tax cap.
School administrators and Board of Education will continue to look for ways to pare expenses, Liddle said. He expects the Board of Education to approve a budget on April 7. That will then go before voters in May.
The district’s budget gap is relatively small partly because five veterans teachers and staff are retiring. They will either be replaced with less experienced employees at lower salaries or those positions may not be filled at all, Liddle said.
“We’re continuing to look at our staffing levels,” he said this morning.
The 2013-14 budget totaled $33.3 million. That budget included a 1.5 percent tax increase, the first time Albion raised taxes since the 2006-07 school year. The tax levy, at $8,446,946, is down compared to the $9,094,194 levy in 2006-07.
Liddle discussed the budget during Monday’s Board of Education meeting. The BOE also recognized Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion. George Lawson, the company’s general manager, was picked as a “Friend of Education.”
Freeze-Dry is storing new playground equipment for the elementary school at the company’s East Avenue site, the former Lipton’s in Albion. The district was able to buy the equipment at a discount but didn’t have its own space to store it during the winter.
The new playground includes painted steel posts and plastic decking and slides. It will replace a playground with a lot of wooden pieces. The new playground should be installed in the spring or summer, Liddle said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Uptown Browsery and Cobble-Ridge feature many vendors
Provided photo – Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos joins the vendors at the Uptown Browsery for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Saturday morning. The site is located at 118 North Main St.
Two new co-ops with antiques, collectibles and other items celebrated their grand openings on Saturday.
The Uptown Browsery is located downtown Albion with 15 vendors. Uptown is a spinoff of the Downtown Browsery at 14 East Bank St. Downtown Browsery opened eight years ago.
That site became too crowded for more vendors. Browsery leaders found additional vendors and some of the same ones decided to expand their merchandise at the Uptown location. The two sites collectively have 20 vendors.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Some of the vendors at Uptown Browsery pose for a photo on Saturday. The group includes, from left, front row: Lucy Sackett, Karen Appleman, Maureen Bennett and Kim Remley. Second row: Kevin Lake, Scott Sackett, Erik Sinkora, Liz Groat, Elizabeth Penafiel, Susie Gaylard and Mary Lou Smith.
Karen Appleman was one of the founding vendors of the Browsery nearly a decade ago. She said the vendors share the costs and workload in running the stores.
“We have a big variety,” Appleman said.
The Uptown site is a little more upscale than the Downtown Browsery, she said.
“We’ve had some big-ticket items go out the door,” she said.
The Uptown Browsery also sells coffee and there are plans for baked goods and sandwiches to be sold at the site.
The Cobble-Ridge Co-op on Ridge Road opened on Saturday with 10 vendors. Kim Rowe is owner of the site at 14462 Ridge Rd.
Rowe also is the owner of U Make Scents shampoos and conditioners. She welcomed vendors for the site, wanting to create an old-time variety store.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Some of vendors at Cobble-Ridge Co-op include, from left: Betsy Meisenzahl, Lisa Mannella, Linda Roberts, Chris Nelson, Paula Brooks, Earl Treese Sr., and Kim Rowe.
Photos by Sue Cook – Judge Cosworth, played by Reed Markle, and Margaret Mason (Iva McKenna) observe as Miss Peabody (Jann Davis) eats one of the desserts in the baking contest during the play of “Just Desserts.”
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
BARRE – For the past 25 years the West Barre United Methodist Church has made a habit of putting on a yearly performance to raise money for the church.
After missing last year due to scheduling conflicts, the tradition is back by popular demand. The church also serves dinner before the performance.
The tickets sold help the church to raise money, while also entertaining the public. Jean Peglow e-mails the group small summaries and then a play is decided on. The church purchases the script books and pays per performance.
Sometimes the script requires tweaking to keep it both appropriate for church and family-friendly. The shows are sell-outs almost every year and the group stresses that this is a community event, not just a church event.
“We want everyone to know that people who go to church can have fun,” said Iva McKenna.
Iva McKenna, playing Margaret Mason, applies makeup to her husband, George McKenna, for his role as Edna Mae Carter.
This year the play was a comedy mystery requiring audience participation. This is the first time the church has ever performed a murder mystery and the first time they have asked for audience participation.
Previous years have varied greatly including a western and a radio show. The shows have always been a comedy. The group begins practicing in January to prepare for a late February or early March show under the direction of Alice Mathes.
The show for this year was “Just Desserts” written by Craig Sodaro. The curmudgeonly old Judge Cogsworth is reluctantly judging a baking contest. The winner will receive $1,000 for a charity of her choice.
Three women are chosen to bake goods for the competition: Edna Mae Carter, Lucy “Scooter” Bright and Margaret Mason. The contest begins, but things turn sour when suddenly the judge drops dead. It is then up to the audience with the help of the head of the contest, Miss Peabody, to determine which of the three contestants are the guilty party in the murder.
George McKenna recalled their early practices. “Jim couldn’t get out more than a line or two without cracking up laughing,” he said in reference to Jim Peglow who was Lucy “Scooter” Bright.
During the intermission the audience members, including Dennis Smith in red sweater, are asked to search the sanctuary for clues and listen to the testimonies of the suspected. Attentive audience members may be able to solve the mystery with the presented clues and a good eye on the situation.
Most years include the same actors and the group jokes about their amateur abilities. During the play gender pronouns are frequently confused due to men playing the role of women, lines are forgotten, and characters grab the wrong props, but all of it adds up to more audience laughter and serves the performance well instead of detracting from it. All of actors are members of the church.
“We’re just not afraid to get up and make fools of ourselves,” jokes Reed Markle.
“We really had to poison Reed. He’s not that good of an actor,” says Jim Peglow with a laugh. Pointing to George McKenna, he added, “And next year we hope we’re men.”
“I’m confused. I’m very confused. I’ve been confused the whole play,” wails Jim Peglow while still in character, but breaking the fourth wall after forgetting his lines. The other actors and the audience laugh while the director attempts to get things back on track.
The group is making one final performance of “Just Desserts” this evening at 6 p.m. The performance is not offered with dinner to make sure the kitchen crew and other family members are able to attend at least one performance. There is no cost. Parking and seats fill up quickly. The church is located at 5337 Eagle Harbor Rd.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Librada Paz, a farmworker rights advocate from Brockport, addresses a group at the First United Methodist Church of Albion on Friday evening as part of the church’s “Stand Against Racism” series of discussion. The series continues at 7 p.m. on March 28 with Kae Wilbert leading a discussion about Native American issues.
Paz has been working with the Rural and Migrant Ministry to try advance immigration reform at the national level. At the state level she has been advocating for the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act” that would grant farmworkers collective bargaining rights, workers’ compensation, overtime pay and unemployment benefits.
Paz in 2012 was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2014 at 12:00 am
Karen Williams receives ‘Silver Beaver’ Award
Photos by Tom Rivers – Karen Williams receives a snow globe from Colburn Spierdowis and other Webelos II Scouts tonight when the group moved up to Boy Scouts. Williams has been the group’s den mother. She was honored by the Iroquois Trail Council last month with the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor for a volunteer in Boy Scouts.
ALBION – An Albion woman who has been a Cub Scout den mother for eight years and coordinated district events for hundreds of Scouts has been honored with the Silver Beaver Award, the highest recognition given to an adult volunteer in Boy Scouts of America.
Karen Williams received the award last month from the Iroquois Trail Council. Williams has three sons in the Scouting program, including Gary, 17; Steven, 15; and Samuel, 11.
“It’s an important program for boys,” Williams said tonight after the Blue and Gold banquet at the lyceum. “It teaches them respect and responsibility. It teaches them to be a part of the community.”
Williams has been a den mother for Pack 164 in Albion. Her son Samuel crossed over to Boy Scouts tonight with four others in Webelos II. Williams will also transition to being a volunteer with the older Scouts. Her son Steven is assistant patrol leader with Troop 164.
Samuel Williams is welcomed into the Boy Scouts by Freeman Lattin, right. Samuel’s mother Karen is standing beside him.
Williams, a dental assistant for Dr. Warren Waldo in Fairport, also received a snow globe from the Webelos at the banquet.
Besides her son Samuel, the other Scouts to cross over and join Boy Scouts include Aaliah Knickerbocker, Nathan Olmstead, Colburn Spierdowis, and Jacob Thom.
Jess Markel, a district executive, told the Scouting community at the Blue and Gold banquet about Williams receiving the Silver Beaver award. He praised her for being so active with the Albion scouts, and also stepping up as a volunteer, running a day camp for eight years and the Spook-A-Ree, programs attended by hundreds of scouts from several counties.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – For the first time in 36 years, The Albion High School Jazz Band Dinner Dance is changing its venue, moving from the high school gym to the Cabaret at Studio B inside Gotta Dance by Miss Amy on West Bank Street.
Michael Thaine, the AHS Director of Bands, wants to recreate the intimacy and atmosphere one would experience at a real, Big Apple jazz club.
“Jazz was originally created for an intimate setting where the audience sits very close to the musicians. Even the most famous NYC jazz clubs like the Cotton Club, Blue Note and the House of Blues are not big venues,” Thaine said.
The Jazz Band will perform two shows on April 5. There will be 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. concerts.
Thaine and the Jazz Band have prepared arrangements to the theme of “An Evening at the Club with the Rat Pack.” Songs of Sinatra, Davis and Martin will be featured. Students participating in Gary Simboli’s musical/vocal programs will assist patrons during the concerts.
Seating is limited. For information about tickets, call the Cabaret at 585-354-2320 or visit the web site by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion Lions Club President Bill Robinson, left, presented John Keding with an award on Tuesday for his 45 years of service with the Lions Club.
Keding also was recognized by the Lions International for his role as secretary with the Albion club. He has a 100 percent rate in filing monthly “members and activities” reports to International. Keding has served as club secretary for at least 25 years.
Keding is a past president of the local club. The members refer to him as “Mr. Lion.”
“I enjoy the camaraderie with the guys,” said Keding, who has owned Keding’s Automotive in Albion for 40 years. “We do things for the community without getting paid for it.”
The club is preparing for two upcoming fundraisers. It will try to sell 200 dozen of roses for Mother’s Day. It also sells geraniums around Memorial Day. Those fund-raisers help the club give back to the community, including scholarships for graduating Albion seniors.
The club has offered five $500 scholarships annually but will change that this year to three $1,000 scholarships. Members said college has become more expensive and $1,000 will make a bigger impact for the scholarship winners.
