By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – I’ve heard the jokes for years, that downtown Albion resembled an air strip at night when the tall lights were shining bright.
The village has swapped out most of the Main Street lights with newer LED lights that village officials say use about a tenth of the energy for the same shine. The village also replaced the globes on about 30 lights.
I wanted to see what the new lights looked like at night. I went out tonight and I think they’re an improvement. The light seems mostly focused downward, with some sidelight. That’s quite a contrast from the previous lights that sent light in every direction.
I couldn’t unearth a before-picture from my Albion archives, but I remember how the sides of the buildings, often on the second floor, had so much light on them with the old lights.
Those lights also directed light upwards, giving the air strip impression. I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
The village soon should have some potted trees, bike racks, and other street-scape improvements as part of a Main Street grant, which will make downtown even more appealing.
ALBION The Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home in Albion will use its historic property to host its first-ever classic car show on Sunday.
The funeral home can fit up to 100 cars at 12 Ingersoll St. The car show runs from 1 to 5 p.m. The show will be a benefit for Hospice of Orleans.
Funeral Director Rebekah Karls said she got the idea for this event from colleagues involved in “Hotrods for Hospice” in Rochester.
“We’ve got plenty of parking spaces right on our property,” Karls said, “and this is something different from a lot of the other benefits we have going on locally. Hospice is such an important part of our community. We wanted to find a way to support it.”
The auto show will feature food, music, a 50/50 raffle, and trophies for the classic and custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles (best in show, best paint, fan favorite, etc.).
Also coming up, on Oct. 12, will be the Cross-Country 5k Race and Memory Walk, hosted by Brown’s Berry Patch at 14264 Roosevelt Highway in Waterport.
The race, which starts at 10 a.m., invites runners and walkers to enjoy the fall foliage during a brisk (or leisurely) stroll through the woods, orchards and fields of the Brown farm. The Rotary Club of Albion co-sponsors the event, which features a professionally sanctioned and timed 3.1-mile course, as well as a 1-mile fun walk option.
“This will be our 17th year of hosting this race and we consider it a privilege to help support our local Hospice,” said Margy Brown. “It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning.”
Contact Hospice of Orleans at 585-589-0809 for more information about either event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Brad Rouse, a village of Albion sewer plant worker, this morning changes the bulb and globe of a light just north of the Erie Canal.
ALBION – Albion is swapping out about 30 street lights on Main Street with energy-efficient LED lights. The new 30 to 50 watt lights will use about a tenth of the energy as the 400 watt incandescent lights while maintaining similar levels of brightness.
Village employees Brad Rouse and Jay Pahura have been working to replace the lights. They worked on a section north of the canal this morning.
An incandescent light is pictured at left and a new LED light is at right.
Rouse had the high work, using a bucket truck from the village of Medina to remove the old bulbs and light globes. Pahura removed the transformer, starter and diffuser from the old lights. The new lights don’t need those components.
The village expects the new lights will quickly pay for themselves with the energy savings.
The village of Albion is replacing the street lights on Main Street with energy-efficient LED lights.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Governor announces $48M for projects state-wide
Photo by Tom Rivers – An airplane comes in for a landing at Pine Hill Airport on Sept. 8, when the airport in Barre hosted a fly-in breakfast.
ALBANY – Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $48 million in grants for transportation improvements across the state, including $54,000 for Pine Hill Airport, the only airport with a hard-surface runway in Orleans County.
The money for Pine Hill will help construct a new apron and taxiway connector for the west ramp.
Cuomo said the $48 million in state funds will leverage an additional $80 million in federal, state and local funding. The governor said the money will boost transportation infrastructure and support economic development.
“We are making targeted investments that will improve transportation systems across the state, provide the foundation for future economic development, and create jobs,” the governor said. “This funding will modernize aviation facilities, improve the speed of freight and passenger transit, and build cleaner and safer networks of transportation.”
The state approved $7 million for 21 airport infrastructure projects in state, $21 million in transit capital grants, and $20 million for 14 rail projects.
Sept. 28 event will include 80 students at Mount Albion
Courtesy of Albion Central School – Albion student Kendra Morrison recounts a story during last year’s Ghost Walk about Amos Clift and how he solved the issue of some hobos that kept stealing his farm fencing.
Press release
Albion Central School
ALBION – About 80 Albion High School students will portray notable residents of Mount Albion during a Ghost Walk on Sept. 28. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with tours every 15 minutes. The cost is $5 with proceeds going to service-learning projects.
The tours will start near the chapel of the historic cemetery on Route 31, east of the village. The tour includes the older part of the cemetery.
Students will portray the following:
Albert Warner, who embezzled money from the Roswell Burrows estate and the First National Bank.
William Barlow, a famous architect who designed and built some of our most prominentbuildings, including the Orleans County Courthouse.
Jane Lavery, who was 16 yearsold when she died in the 1859 Main Street bridge collapse while watching an aerialist attempt to cross the Erie Canal.
Ben Field, who acquired the franchise rights to make sleeper cars for the railroad. He sold his part of the business to his partner, George Pullman, for $5,000. Pullman became a multi-millionaire.
Loren Stiles, who was influential in starting the first Free Congregational Methodist Church in the world. The Free Methodist denomination started in Albion.
Amanda Bedell, mother of Grace Bedell, who was 11 when she wrote a letter to Abe Lincoln encouraging him to grow whiskers. He took her advice and met Grace during a train stop in Westfield, NY.
Sanford Church, perhaps the most prominent citizen of Albion’s past. He was an attorney, state assemblyman, state comptroller, Lieutenant Governor of NY and served as chief justice to the NYS Court of Appeals.
Emma Swan, who along with her husband, William Gere Swan, turned the Burrows mansion into thefirst public library for the Albion community.
John Proctor, an early settler in Gaines, he was the Paul Revere of the Ridge during the War of 1812.He rode east to warn people the British were advancing to Lewiston.
John Hull White, who was the grand sire of theIndependent Order of the Oddfellows.
William Butts, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Roswell Burrows, a wealthy banker (reportedly the richest man in Albion). He established the First National Bank of Albion and unfortunately trusted Albert Warner, his assistant.
Lewis Tyrell, a Civil War soldier who fought at the Battle of Petersburg with General Grant.
Emma Root, who recounts a story of a certain gentleman named Pat Flynntrying to settle his bill with a clerk at the village store.
The tour includes choral and instrumental musical selections. To reserve a spot on the tour, call Sue Starkweather Miller at the school, 589-2087.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Leonel Lopez-Alvarado
ALBION – A village resident, who is wanted for aggravated assault with a firearm in Michigan, was arrested today at his residence, 129 West Academy St., the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.
Leonel Lopez-Alvarado, 30, is in the country illegally without proper documents, the Task Force reported today. He has twice been deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs, in 2009 and again in 2010.
Police searched Lopez-Alvarado’s residence and found a loaded 9mm semi-auto pistol, ammunition, fraudulent alien registration card and social security card.
Lopez-Alvarado was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (non U.S. citizen).
He was arraigned at the Town of Albion Justice Gary Moore and committed to the Orleans County Jail on $5,000 cash bail. Lopez-Alvarado is to return back to Albion court on Sept. 24 at 9 a.m.
Lopez-Alvarado also is being held on a detainer filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is facing numerous federal charges, including illegal re-entry into the United States. He also is facing extradition to the state of Michigan for aggravated assault with a firearm.
Police executed the search warrant in Albion after receiving information that Lopez-Alvarado was wanted for a shooting in another state. The Major Felony Crime Task Force worked the case with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Albion Police Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Young Enterprises employee Shane Swann is on top of the Pratt building at 118 North Main St., coating the roof this afternoon.
Several contractors are working on the building, which is owned by Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler. They want to have the top floor, a former opera house, reopened as a performance venue.
Andy Young, owner of Young Enterprises in Albion, was up on the roof this afternoon. He is pictured in the photo below.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2013 at 12:00 am
‘This is a lot better than looking at a book.’
Photos by Tom Rivers – These Albion High School students – Aaron Burnside, Gary Moore and Dillon Black – were out in a corn field with other members of Adam Krenning’s agricultural science class on Tuesday.
ALBION – Adam Krenning used to show YouTube videos of corn planters spreading seeds in a field and combines coming through in the fall and harvesting the crop.
Krenning’s agricultural science students could read about the biology of plants from a textbook, learning about how photosynthesis from plant leaves helps grow corn and other crops.
This year, his students aren’t confined to an indoor classroom. The district last spring opened a 5-acre “Land Lab” near Clarendon Road.
A local farmer Adam Kirby planted the crop last May. Albion ag students filled the planter with seeds. One of the students, Aaron Burnside, sat in the planter with Kirby.
Four months later the plants are about 10 feet tall. Students have been out in the field, measuring the plants’ heighth, the distance between rows (29 inches) and distance between plants in each row (6 inches).
“This is a lot better than looking at a book,” said Dillon Black, a senior.
Gary Moore, an Albion 11th grader, holds an ear of corn in the school district’s 5-acre land lab, which is producing its first crop this year for the school’s agriculture program.
Students were surprised by how big and strong the corn plants grew in four months, and all that to produce one ear of corn, although different varieties could have two or three ears.
When they studied the corn plants on Tuesday, Krenning sent them about 25 plants deep into the corn field. Krenning said the edge of a corn field can give a false indication about a field’s health. The edge often has small or stilted plants because animals can feed on them or the soil is splashed with road salt.
Aaron Burnside, a junior, was impressed with the plants. He said it’s been a good growing season with lots of rain and sunshine.
“This is the first time the classes can get hands-on with the plants,” he said.
The ag sciences classes and FFA chapter have developed a corn maze that will be open to Albion elementary school students. They will each paint a pumpkin on Oct. 16-17 as part of a fall outdoor event with apple cider and donuts. Each elementary classroom is making a scare crow for that event.
The district opened the 5-acre Land Lab last year. Local farmer Adam Kirby in May brought a planter to the site to plant corn.
Later this fall students will be able to watch the corn be harvested. They also will likely be able to see it at the ethanol plant in Medina, where the corn is ground up and turned into fuel.
The district’s agricultural program also is working with Panek Farms in Albion. The farm planted corn on 63 acres of land owned by Albion Central School. Panek is tracking the farm’s expenses for the crop. It will share that data plus the revenue numbers for the crop later with students. The net profits from the crop will be donated back to the district for the ag program.
Krenning said those funds plus the knowledge shared by Panek Farms will make for a program full of enrichment for students.
Recent rainy days kept his class inside, instead of out in the corn field. He could sense their enthusiasm on Tuesday, when they went into the cornfield, inspecting and measuring the plants.
“You can explain all you want on the board or with YouTube videos, but this is where the educational aspect really happens,” Krenning said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – A $2,000 grant will help pay for pre-construction engineering documents and drawings for the Pratt Opera House, located in the upper floor of the Main Street building at right.
Press release
Landmark Society of WNY
ALBION – A grant from The Landmark Society of Western New York will help to advance the revitalization of the Pratt Building, historic home to the former Pratt Opera House on Main Street in Albion. The $2,000 grant will assist in funding pre-construction engineering documents/drawings on the building.
“This planning grant will enable us to further the restoration of the 1882 Pratt Opera Theater, once the largest stage between Rochester and Buffalo,” said Judy Koehler who owns the building with her husband Michael Bonafede. “It is an important part of our community’s unique architectural and cultural heritage and an important part of improving the quality of life in our community. Partnerships with organizations such as the Landmark Society make it possible to preserve our past to benefit our community’s future. We are very grateful.”
Preservation Grant Fund awards are earmarked for preliminary design and planning studies to help make positive improvements to at-risk buildings.
“Grants are for projects that epitomize the mission of The Landmark Society to sustain and enhance the cultural and economic vitality of Western New York by bringing new life to historic buildings and resources and ensuring they are present and contributing for generations to come,” said Wayne Goodman, executive director of The Landmark Society.
Initial funding for the Preservation Grant Fund was made possible by a generous bequest from Elizabeth “Libby” Stewart. She was a longtime Landmark Society staff member who was dedicated to the revitalization of neighborhoods and historic structures. Generous donations to The Landmark Society’s 75th Anniversary fund-raising campaign provide ongoing funding.
Other grants awarded by The Landmark Society of Western New York include:
A $1,000 grantto Providence Housing Development Corporation to assist in funding conceptual architectural drawings for the rehabilitation of the Pulaski Library at 1151 Hudson Avenue in Rochester.
A $2,000 grant to assist in funding a Condition Report on the Church of God and Saints of Christ at 19 Harrison St. in Rochester.
A $2,000 grant to assist in funding a Condition Report on the roof and tower at the Genesee Baptist Church, 149 Brooks Avenue in Rochester.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This Jimmy truck was T-boned by a car a little after 11 this morning on Platt Street in front of the Orleans County Jail. Three people were transported by the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance to the hospital with what were called minor injuries. Albion firefighters responded to the incident.
(Editor’s note: John Ulmen, a member of the U.S. Navy, gave this speech during the Sept. 11 memorial service on Wednesday at the Elk’s Club in Albion.)
Honored dignitaries, members of the military, ladies and gentlemen. My name is John Ulmen. Since that terrible day 12 years ago, I joined and serve in the Naval Reserve. In 2007 I was called to serve a 14-month mobilization to active duty. Seven months of that tour were spent at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, where my Seabee regiment contributed to the rebuilding of that shattered nation.
Whatever your position on our war on terrorism, it is always been a uniting factor for us Americans to display our compassion, to give aid, and to value the lives of others. That is what differentiates us from the terrorists, who use religion to mask their evil. Today we observe a solemn sacred pause in our daily routine. The attacks of that day served only to unite us, much like the attack on Pearl Harbor did. Flags displayed at the rubble of ground zero inspired and reminded us all of what unites us, and we responded with a sea of flags displayed throughout the nation, and we delivered swift retribution to those responsible.
That day showed that it doesn’t matter what uniform an American wears, whether they be first responders, EMT’s firemen, policemen, military or citizen. All stood prepared to give their all, and tragically, too many did. There is no greater honor for me than to serve this great country, and to salute all others who have likewise served, and especially to those who have laid down their lives for her like our brave citizens that dark day.
Coming from a military family, I learned at a young age how fortunate I was to be an American, by seeing and appreciating those who stood the watch and guarded our safety. I have proudly instilled my love for my country into my children, one of which presently serves in the Navy. I know they will pass on our love of America to theirs.
As I speak there are U.S. forces deployed around the world, some performing critical missions, some mundane everyday tasks. I can tell you that today, wherever they may be, they feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that they are standing the watch for all of you, and that we recognize and appreciate your support. It has been my privilege to serve you.
So, let us pause and reflect on what it actually takes and what it has taken to preserve our great nation. For the firemen, police, medical personnel, and our military and general citizenry who have sacrificed and still do, and to the sacred graves of those who have paid the ultimate cost, let us honor them and let us never forget to teach our children to observe and appreciate the meaning of this day and the cost of freedom.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion town and village each give $250 to event
ALBION – Beggar’s Night, when youngsters descend on the downtown looking for candy, will return after a year’s absence on Oct. 25.
Many downtown merchants will be handing out treats beginning at 5 p.m. The bounty has been sweetened by $500 in donations, $250 from both the town and village of Albion. Both municipal boards agreed to donate to the cause at their meetings this week.
Merchants also are paying for candy for the event, which attracted about 350 to 400 children in past years.
“We want to provide a safe place and a fun community event,” said Carolyn Ricker, president of the Albion Merchants Association.
The Village Board on Wednesday also approved $1,000 towards a concert series next year. The board is seeking a $1,000 grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for the series, which is in the planning stage.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 September 2013 at 12:00 am
County, towns team with village of Albion crew
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The village of Albion Department of Public Works is repaving West State Street today with help from the highway departments from Orleans County and the towns of Albion, Barre and Gaines, which all hauled dump trucks full of blacktop.
The village and the local municipalities share equipment and manpower for many projects. The village on Tuesday paved Beaver and Erie streets, as well as an alley by the canal running along Krantz Furniture.
The State Street project is the longest stretch of road work planned by the village. The DPW also plans to repave a street at Mount Albion Cemetery.
Ron Ricker, a village DPW worker, marks the center of West State Street, ahead of several dump trucks and a paving machine.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2013 at 12:00 am
David Callard is buying houses and fixing them up
Photos by Tom Rivers – Nelda Callard paints the trim above the side door of a house she and her husband David Callard are working to restore on Temperance Street in Albion.
David and Nelda Callard have worked more than a year fixing up this house on Temperance Street. The house dates back to the 1840s. It was badly rundown.
Jill Bower of Holley, co-owner of Erie Way Tree Farm, on Friday plants a pink dogwood in the front yard on house acquired by David Callard.
ALBION – David Callard is in the home stretch of an ambitious project, reclaiming a house left to die on Temperance Street in the village.
Callard, the Orleans County Legislature chairman, bought the distressed property in August 2012, paying $12,000 for the house and the back taxes. The building seemed destined to be torn down. It took several truckloads to remove a lot of the junk inside. Two layers of shingles were taken off and new siding was put on.
The crumbling foundation was put back together with fresh mortar. Callard removed old carpet and linoleum and discovered red oak floors underneath. Callard put in a new gas heating system and had the house insulated.
“This is a way for me to give back,” he said Friday at the house. His wife Nelda was outside painting the trim above the side door. “We’re bringing a house back and having an impact on a neighborhood.”
The 900-square-foot house was built in the 1840s, and wasn’t perfectly square. That has made it a little tricky to put on new siding and make other improvements. Callard said the entire project has been a learning experience. But he is more determined to take on more of them.
He has since acquired other houses that need work, and now owns eight properties altogether.
Callard, a retired banking executive, enjoys working with his hands, and seeing the turnaround with the houses. He also noticed other home owners near the house in Albion have tackled projects.
“There are four or five others that have done landscaping and other improvements,” he said. “It’s fun to watch if anything else perks along the street.”
The house is a short walk from the Legislature chambers at the corner of East Park and Main streets. Callard said he still has some finishing touches with the property. He may rent, sell or do a lease-to-own with the property.
He doesn’t expect the project will be a money-maker, but he believes it will be a lift for a neighborhood.
Callard has met many Albion residents and other people who buy beat-up houses through the project in Albion. They share frustrations about many abandoned houses, sites that were foreclosed by banks. Many of those bank-owned properties don’t have a clear owner, and the houses just sit with no maintenance, dragging down neighborhoods, Callard said.
The county has joined an effort across the state calling on state legislators and the governor to pass a law requiring ownership of houses to be clearly stated and for those owners to keep up the sites.
“The banks are letting unoccupied houses sit vacant for years,” Callard said. “The banks need to assume some responsibility for the maintenance. This has become a state and national issue.”
Press release, Pullman Memorial Universalist Church
ALBION – An organization that has been providing rape crisis services in Orleans County for 40 years will be honored with a humanitarian award by an Albion church.
Pullman Memorial Universalist Church is proud to present Planned Parenthood of Albion in the Rochester Syracuse Region with the church’s 2013 Humanitarian Award. The organization will be honored at 11 a.m. on Oct. 13 at the church on East Park and Main streets.
Jeff Pier, regional manager of Rape Crisis Service for Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties, will accept the award for his organization. Pier will speak at the ceremony and at a public reception to follow at noon.
The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church Humanitarian Award is given by Pullman’s board of trustees on behalf of the congregation to individual residents of Orleans County or a local organization most exemplifying Pullman Memorial’s liberal religious principles of social justice and equality.
“The Pullman Memorial Universalist congregation historically affirmed that ‘God is Love’ and continues to this day to believe that ‘Love wins,’” said Pullman Pastor H. Lee Richards. “This love is expressed in doing good works for others so that justice and peace may reign throughout the world. To that end, the congregation approves of, and supports, the rape crisis work of Planned Parenthood of Albion.”
Since 1973, Rape Crisis Service of Planned Parenthood in the central New York region, including the four GLOW counties, has provided personal support and advocacy for survivors and significant others of sexual assault and violence. Staff members and trained volunteer counselors at Planned Parenthood’s rape crisis center in Albion provide for sexual assault victims’ medical needs, psychological support, and police and legal intervention.
“I’d like to say at a time when the crime of rape has become politically trivialized and many times denied as even being a crime it’s more important than ever that victims of these vicious assaults be supported and empowered to receive the medical, psychological and legal assistance that are due them,” said Gay Smith of Kendall, chairwoman of the Pullman board of directors.
