Chris VerSteeg painted this tugboat on the Erie Canal. It’s one of the paintings featured in a new art show about the canal. The opening reception is today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Marti’s on Main.

Tony Barry of Holley painted this Erie Canal scene. Several of his works are on display at Marti’s.

ALBION – It runs through Orleans County, the iconic Erie Canal. In the eyes of many artists, the canal and its century-old bridges are a source of inspiration, a peaceful path full of beauty.

Several Orleans County artists are sharing paintings, photographs and other art about the historic waterway during a canal-themed art show at Marti’s on Main, an art gallery at 227 North Main St.

The opening reception will be today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. as part of the monthly First Fridays reception, which gives the public a chance to meet local artists. The latest show includes 11 artists. They have photographed or painted all seasons along the canal. Some of the artwork shows boaters or people walking along the canal.

Most of the paintings show a serene location, the canal set amidst changing fall foliage or tranquil waters.

Connie Mosher painted this scene of a canal bridge during the fall.

The following local artists are part of the canal show: Gallery owner Kim Martillotta-Muscarella, Tony Barry, Susan Rudnicky, Connie Mosher, Suzanne Wells, Rose Patronski, Terry Vick, Stacey Kirby, Christine VerSteeg, Arthur Barnes and Tom Zangerle.

In addition to the canal show, Marti’s is displaying art by the Skoog Family Artists, a group artists who started painting once they retired from their careers. Laurie Groth also has featured works about horses.

The First Fridays events at Marti’s are in their fifth year.

Stacey Kirby painted this winter scene of the canal between the lift bridges in Albion, where canal barges and tugboats are kept when the canal is closed.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Kim Pritt, a fifth-generation member of the First United Methodist Church in Albion, volunteers with the hospitality ministry that provides coffee and refreshments for people waiting to take their driver’s test at the corner of East State and Platt streets.

ALBION –  The church that voted in August to abandon its historic building isn’t giving up on serving the community.

The First United Methodist Church in Albion is serving spaghetti dinners, offering coffee and conversation at a hospitality table, and planning other events.

“We’re still here,” said Kim Pritt, a fifth-generation member of the church at the corner of East State and Platt streets. “We’re alive and well.”

The church doesn’t have a timetable for when it will leave its building. That is in the hands of the conference. The church voted Aug. 21 to turn over the building, which needs a $1 million roof and building repair.

The Upper New York Annual Conference, which has its main office in Syracuse, is weighing the offer. Church buildings have been abandoned before, but in those cases the congregation typically disbanded. The Albion congregation is staying together and looking for alternatives for a meeting place, perhaps at another local church, Pritt said.

In the meantime, the church doors are open to the community. Last Wednesday the church held its monthly spaghetti dinner and served 73 meals to the community, an all-time high. The church will have a rummage sale this Friday and Saturday and it is planning its annual Country Fair, set for Oct. 19. That includes lunch, crafts, baked goods and other activities.

Kim Pritt has the coffee ready as part of the hospitality ministry at the United Methodist Church in Albion. The church is hosting a rummage sale on Friday and Saturday.

About 10 years ago, church volunteers started a hospitality ministry on Mondays and Wednesdays for people taking the state driver’s test. The test starts in front of the church on East State Street. Church members noticed people often stood outside by the church waiting to take their test or for a friend or child to finish the exam.

The church started to serve coffee and refreshments to those waiting, and to let them come inside the building. Sometimes the testers want to use the bathroom. Sometimes they need a walk in the church to calm their nerves.

Pritt likes to volunteer for the hospitality table. She has met people from throughout the state. Many come from outside Orleans County to take their driver’s test, she said.

“Every single time I have at least one wonderful conversation with someone,” she said. “Sometimes I get lucky and get two or three great conversations.”

She and other church volunteers often give people tours of the historic church. The volunteers also share local history and point people to other local attractions.

When the church building is closed, Pritt said the United Methodists want to keep up the hospitality ministry, but they said it may need to be run from a church across the street, the Free Methodist Church. United Methodists want to help provide the manpower to keep the ministry going, she said.

“It’s a blessing,” she said about the hospitality table. “All of us who volunteer love to meet people.”

Press release, Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force

Theresa Nichols

David Nichols

ALBION – Four people, including a mother and her two sons, were arrested today following a 5-month-long investigation into the sale and distribution of prescription narcotic pills in the village of Albion.

The Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and the Albion Police Department executed a search warrant at 209 North Main St.  Police seized a quantity of hydrocodone pills and tramadol pills as a result of the search warrant.

A mother and her two sons face numerous counts of criminal possession and sale of a controlled substance. The sons, along with their mother, were allegedly selling hydrocodone and tramadol pills, which were prescribed to the mother.

An Oakfield woman also was charged in connection to the investigation.

The following were arrested:

Theresa S. Nichols, 51, of 209 North Main St. who was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.

She also faces a charge of felony welfare fraud in the third degree.

Joshua Nichols

Serena Weber

David Nichols, 28, of 209 North Main St., who was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.

Joshua Nichols, 26, of 209 North Main St., who was charged with one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Serena L. Weber, 28, of 3039 East Shelby Rd., Oakfield, who was charged with one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

All four suspects were arraigned in the Town of Albion Justice Court by Town Justice Gary Moore. Theresa Nichols and David Nichols were both committed to Orleans County Jail on no bail, due to their previous criminal histories.

Joshua Nichols was committed to the county jail on $2,500 cash bail. Weber was committed to jail on $5,000 cash bail.

All four subjects are to return back to Albion court on Friday at 2 p.m.

ALBION – The economic development agencies for Orleans County and New York State are each providing some help for Claims Recovery Financial Services to move into the former Chase call center and add 150 jobs.

The company already employs about 600 people in Orleans County at the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina and next door to Chase in Albion.

Empire State Development has offered CRFS an $872,500 incentive package to assist with job creation and retention, which includes a $472,500 wage tax credit and a $400,000 capital grant to help pay for new computers, desks and other office furniture.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency approved a $250,000 low-interest loan from the Orleans Revolving Loan Fund. That money will help CRFS with some of the upfront costs for creating the new work spaces. The EDA also will approve a sales tax abatement for the equipment purchases.

The Chase building at 231 East Ave. has been acquired by Roger Hungerford and his development company, Talis Equity. Hungerford owns the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina.

The EDA board of directors hasn’t met to discuss a tax abatement plan for the building, which is assessed at $4,046,000. The EDA approved a 10-year abatement plan for Chase in 2011. That first year Chase didn’t have to pay any taxes to the local governments. With each following year, the company would pay 10 percent more of a $4,046,000 assessment until the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) expired in 2021.

Once Chase shut down the Albion site, the PILOT was cancelled and the property returned to the tax rolls at 100 percent of its assessed value.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Workers from N. Choops Painting in Lancaster are giving the three-story Five Star Bank site in Albion a fresh coat of paint. The new color is darker than before. Painters also are painting the medallions up high a blue that matches the company logo.

“I love the color,” said Wendy Hinkley, the Albion branch manager. “It stands out more and it looks classy.”

The front on the building facing 102 North Main St. has two rows of medallions that will be painted blue. N. Choops may be able to finish the project later this week.

“It’s going to look sharp,” Hinkley said.

The project is partially funded with a NY Main Street grant, which provided matching funding for several other downtown projects.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Jodi Gaines, CEO and co-owner of Claims Recovery Financial Services, announces the company will consolidate its Orleans County locations in the former Chase call center in Albion, and add 150 employees. She is pictured inside the Orleans County Legislative Chambers.

ALBION – Claims Recovery Financial Services will not only move into the former JPMorgan Chase site in Albion, the new tenant plans to add 150 jobs there.

CRFS will move employees from sites in Albion and Medina into the Chase site. The move may begin in December and it’s possible the company’s transition to the building could be done by March.

The company, led by Albion resident and CEO Jodi Gaines, has been on a rapid upward trajectory and Gaines said it’s possible it will need more than 150 additional hires.

The 60,000-square-foot Chase site is being purchased by Roger Hungerford of Medina, who currently is leasing Gaines and CRFS space in the Olde Pickle Factory. The Chase site has been emptied in recent months of 413 employees.

“One of the many benefits of the Chase complex is that it’s a state-of-the-art, turnkey facility, which will allow CRFS to ramp-up quickly and fast-track our much-needed expansion,” Gaines said.

CRFS has hired 55 former Chase managers and employees, workers who have fit in well with CRFS because of their background in the banking industry, Gaines said.

The space at the Chase site allows CRFS to begin actively recruiting to fill an additional 150 positions.

Gaines and CRFS were praised by local elected officials, including Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos. The Chase closing has been difficult for the community, but the mayor said CRFS has the potential to more than offset those Chase losses.

“What Jodi has been able to do is just marvelous,” Theodorakos said.

The community also expects to benefit with Hungerford owning the building. He has shown he will keep up his properties, including the Olde Pickle Factory, which previously was used by Fisher-Price.

“We’re getting local ownership with the building and someone who will invest in the property,” Theodorakos.

OrleansHub.com will have more soon on today’s announcement.

Photo by Tom Rivers – JPMorgan Chase closed its Albion call center earlier this month after the company worked five years out of this East Avenue site, which was previously home to Washington Mutual. Claims Recovery Financial Services will be the new tenant in the building, which is being acquired by Roger Hungerford of Medina.

ALBION – A company that has grown so fast it couldn’t fit its entire workforce in one building in Orleans County has found a local home for its 500-plus workers.

Claims Recovery Financial Services will move into the former JPMorgan Chase call center on East Avenue. That site once housed 1,000 workers at Washington Mutual’s peak in Albion.

CRFS outgrew space next door to Chase and added 230 workers to the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina. The company has 320 employees in Albion.

At 1 p.m. today the company is announcing the move to the Chase site. Roger Hungerford, owner of the Pickle Factory, is buying the Chase site and CRFS will be his tenant.

The news is viewed as a major positive for Albion, which will benefit from all the workers visiting local businesses. The Chase building also is highly visible on Route 31. The sprawling parking lot full of vehicles will be good for the community’s morale.

Jodi Gaines started the business from her kitchen table 11 years ago. It has grown into the county’s largest private employer.

CRFS works with banks and investors to recoup money when a home is foreclosed. Gaines and her employees are committed to knowing the industry regulations in all 50 states and meeting all deadlines for clients.

CRFS also has a site in San Antonio with 80 employees.

OrleansHub.com will have more on today’s announcement following the press conference in the Orleans County Legislative Chambers.

ALBION – A major announcement is expected today that a company will add jobs in Albion and Orleans County.

Local, state and federal officials are gathering for a 1 p.m. meeting at the Orleans County Legislative Chambers to share the news.

Orleans Hub will be there. Check OrleansHub.com for updates.

Merrill-Grinnell puts on first classic car show

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Fifty classic cars and trucks are lined up on East State Street today and at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home parking lot, and the classic car show still had an hour to go before it started.

The funeral home is hosting its first-ever classic car show today from 1 to 5 p.m. Proceeds from the event, including a 50/50 raffle and entry fees for the cars, will go to Hospice of Orleans.

Funeral Home Director Rebekah Karls is pictured with a 1975 Plymouth Scamp. Karls organized today’s car show.

Scott Schimdt, owner of 2004 Viper SRT-10, gives the car a shine before today’s car show. Schimdt was parked next to his father Bruce, who brought along a 1973 Triumph TR6.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Tom Snyder, left, and Michael Bonafede, right, were high in the air today working on the front of the Day and Pratt buildings on North Main Street in Albion.

Bonafede and his wife Judith Koehler own the buildings. They are tackling several improvements on the property as they work to get the opera house on the third floor open again for public performances.

File photo by Tom Rivers – The new Dunkin’ Donuts will be next to Tim Hortons on Route 98, once the white warehouse is demolished and the new restaurant is built.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board gave its blessing for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion, a project that calls for removing a warehouse between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks.

JFJ Holdings of North Andover, Mass., is pushing for the new Dunkin’. The company wants to tear down the warehouse owned by Charles Breuilly of Albion.

Planners backed the project during tonight’s meeting. However, some of the board members expressed concerns about the Platt Street driveway. Planners agreed having that second entrance and exit will help alleviate some of the traffic from Main Street.

But planners wondered if an additional turning lane may be needed for the Platt Street driveway, and if a traffic device may be warranted on the Dunkin’ site to allow for drivers from both Main and Platt streets to take turns entering the drive-through.

County planners left it the Village of Albion Planning Board to consider whether a traffic device is needed for the driveway near Platt Street and if a turning lane should be added at the Platt Street driveway.

JFJ is willing to pay for any needed improvements, but the company wants to wait a year to see how traffic is working at the site and on Platt Street, said Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer. The company agreed to add traffic flow improvements after a year if they are needed, with village officials getting the final say on the issue, Vendetti said.

Planners said they expect customers will learn how to best maneuver on the site. But planners welcomed the option for the village to review how the site is working after a year.

Dunkin’ wants to build a 2,000-square-foot restaurant at 153 South Main St. The project also includes a 230-square-foot freezer and cooler. The site will have 46 parking spaces. It adds green space to a site that currently is almost entirely occupied by the warehouse.

The Village of Albion Planning Board is expected to give a final vote on the project at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at Village Hall on East Bank Street. Dunkin’ wants to begin demolition in October. The company is eyeing a January opening for the new store.

ALBION – There is good news for Albion and Orleans County: Roger Hungerford has reportedly acquired the JPMorgan Chase building in Albion, a site on Route 31 that was once home to 1,000 employees.

Chase closed down the site earlier this month, eliminating about 400 jobs from the community.

Hungerford owns the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina. He has spent millions of dollars at that site, turning an old factory into a remarkably clean building where Baxter International makes medical infusion pumps. There are also doctors with offices at the site and Claims Recovery Financial Services recently moved into a part of the Olde Pickle Factory on Park Avenue.

Hungerford told The Journal-Register he has a tenant lined up for the Chase building in Albion, but the details need to be finalized before there will be an announcement.

I’ve noticed several contractors have been working at the site in recent days. I’m relieved to know Hungerford will own the building, and it won’t sit idle with an absentee owner.