By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 October 2017 at 10:32 am
Elementary students with winning fire safety displays get to ride in fire trucks
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A Barre fire truck dropped off a student at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School this morning.
Melodee Sager, a third-grader in Mrs. Sheryl LeBaron’s class, was able to ride in the fire truck with her teacher. When they arrived at school, Melodee’s classmates came out to greet her.
Elementary students were all encouraged to create fire safety and fire prevention posters or displays. One students from each grade was selected to ride in a fire truck to school.
Melodee Sager had fun riding in the fire truck with her teacher, Sheryl LeBaron. Ben Flansburg drove the truck for the Barre Volunteer Fire Company.
Melodee leaves the truck and Mrs. LeBaron is greeted with a hug by one of her students. Throughout the week, students with winning fire safety displays will be dropped off at school in a fire truck.
Keira Sidari, a student in Mrs. Werner’s second grade class, created this poster, which was picked the best in the second grade.
Myalee Moyer, a fourth-grader in Mrs. Sheehan’s class, had the winning display for the fourth grade.
Ryan Gardner’s poster was picked the winner of the Pre-K.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 October 2017 at 12:54 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This scarecrow – The Grinch – was made by Albion Agencies and won first place in the “Cutest” competition in the second annual Scarecrow Contest in downtown Albion.
The event was organized by Energize Albion and the Albion Merchants Association.
These scarecrows of Wizard of Oz characters were created by the Downtown and Uptown Browseries and were tied for second in the “Cutest” with the Sally Princess/Minnie Mouse scarecrow made by the Crawford family.
Other winning scarecrows include:
Scariest: First place – Jack Skeleton/Jack the Pumpkin King/The Nightmare Before Christmas by United Structural LLC. Second place – Peter Pan by Jackson.
The Queen of Hearts and Her Royal Cards came in second in the “Funniest” category.
Funniest: First place – Charlie Brown by the Pollock family. Second place – Queen of Hearts & Her Royal Cards by the Barry family.
The Mummy won first place in “Most Traditional.”
Most Traditional: First place – Mummy by the Albion PTA. Second place – Tom Selleck by the Baldwin family.
Energize Albion and the Albion Merchants Association also had a Downtown Storefront Decoration Contest and Spotlight Dance Studio won first place, with the Albion Village Hall in second.
In addition, there was a Halloween House Yard Decoration Contest and the Pate family on West Academy Street won first place, followed by the Francis family on Platt Street in second, and the Starkweather-Miller family on South Main Street as an honorable mention.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 October 2017 at 10:29 am
Provided photos by Tim Archer, Albion service learning teacher
ALBION – Three historical markers about the Erie Canal were recently repainted with help from Albion seventh-grade students.
The student pictured include, from left: Mercy Sugar, Yoselin Lauro and Lisa Beam.
They repainted markers include one about the bridge collapse where 15 people died on Sept. 28, 1859 in Albion. Another marker is near Gaines Basin Road and notes a spot that is the northernmost point on the canal. Another sign by the canal in Albion talks about the Erie Canal’s impact on the area after the waterway opened in 1825.
Melissa Ierlan of Clarendon worked with students on the project. Ierlan has repainted many markers in Orleans County in recent years.
The repainted marker is back in place by the Main Street lift bridge.
The students are working on canal-related projects as part of the bicentennial celebration of the canal. Construction started in 1817 and was completed in 1825.
Students also plan to touch up the Erie Canal mural image on the back of fire hall, and hope to paint “Welcome to Albion” above it.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 October 2017 at 6:48 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion held a “Blue Mass” for law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics, coroners and other first responders this morning.
This is the second straight year the parish and the Knights of Columbus has held the Mass. Some local firefighters and law enforcement officers gather outside the church just before the Mass at 10:30 this morning.
Local first responders gather before the Mass. The Knights of Columbus, led by Grand Knight Greg Dugan, organized the Mass. Dugan, owner Greg’s Barbershop, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 6, 2012.
“The first responders saved my life,” Dugan said today.
He was seriously injured in the accident, breaking both knees, both wrists, separating his pelvis, fracturing his left hip, and lacerating his left leg.
Dugan said the Mass today was a chance for the church to pray for the first responders, including those unable to attend the Mass this morning.
Father Richard Csizmar greets firefighters, including Harry Papponetti at right and Dale Banker, smiling.
“We hear of the courageous fire personnel who put their lives in jeopardy when approaching a blazing inferno. They are concerned about the lives that may be inside the house,” Csizmar said in a homily during the service. “They go about trying to protect the safety of those whose homes are next door. They run to accident scenes, to join others ministering to accident victims. They do so because of the generosity within their hearts. They do not look for glory and recognition—they see the value of the life of another human being, even if unknown.”
Law enforcement officers head into the church for the Mass.
Csizmar said this about police and deputies:
“We admire those who work nights, driving through the village, waiting for that next call. It may be an accident, a shooting, a fight, a person wanting to jump from a bridge. They arrive and are the first to deal with the bleeding. They talk to the person so distraught at the scene. They clean up the mess. They do not seek any reward.”
A blue wreath brought to the service by Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home symbolized first responders killed in the line of duty, including Bruce Baldwin, Albion Fire Department; Richard Buongiorne, Kendall Fire Department; Lewis Grimes, Albion Fire Department; Matthew Phillips, Albion Fire Department; and David Whittier, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. Csizmar also acknowledged the loss in the past week of Buffalo police officer Craig Lehner.
The Gates Keystone Club (Police Pipes and Drums) played at the Masseur the second year. The band formed in 1998 to “for the purpose of honoring our fallen brothers and sisters and to participate at official ceremonial events.”
Knights of Columbus members Casimer Pruski, left, and Bob Ballard, right, both past grand knights, get ready for the Mass.
“We ask God to bless all who wear the uniform in service to our community and country,” The Knights said in a message in the church program. “We also pray for a special blessing upon your families, your spouses, children and parents who pray for your safety daily.”
Firefighters from Albion and Barre stand during the Mass this morning.
Stephen Winner, drum major for the Gates Keystone Club, leads the band through the center aisle in a processional at the end of the Mass.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 October 2017 at 9:42 am
‘Parents, it’s OK to push our children’
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Dr. Adolph Brown III and his team of motivational speakers visited Albion on Tuesday to meet with students, teachers and community members. Brown gave high-energy speeches throughout the day. He is pictured on Tuesday night in the middle school auditorium.
Brown is speaking at schools across the country, with a message about “character, choices and consequences.”
Brown grew up without a father. He praised the nurturing influence of his grandparents in setting high expectations for him. Brown had the Albion crowd give a round of applause for all the grandparents.
Brown spoke about the “Three B’s” – Breathe, Believe in Yourself, and Bounce Back.
He urged people to take a breath when they are being challenged or in a struggle. He urged the group to being generous in praising others, to help people to believe in themselves.
Brown said resilience, the ability to bounce back, is a critical in overcoming challenges. He urges school districts and families to adopt a “growth mindset” and not a fixed mindset. A growth mindset focuses on hard work, discipline and overcoming challenges.
“Parents, it’s OK to push our children,” Brown said.
Brown’s team on Tuesday included three other motivational speakers, including Jahzeel Mumford, a Top 10 pop star and an actor on Tyler Perry shows. One of the photos on the screen shows him singing with Mariah Carey, and also break dancing.
Mumford emphasized hard work, even as a young kid, is critical to success. He played the cello as a young boy, a time when he said it was far from cool. But that helped him develop his skills as a musician.
“Winners say ‘try me’ and not ‘Why me?'” he said.
Meghan Shanley, an international Soul/R&B music recording artist and former Miss Virginia, urged the group to keep trying after an initial setback. It took her three tries to win the Miss Virginia pageant. That title paid for her college loans.
She lived in Nashville for 12 years as a musician before recently moving to Atlanta. She urged students and their parents to be open to new challenges and to not just do what’s comfortable.
Javier Trejo is an educator, mentor, youth advocate and tech guru. He shared his story of coming to the United States as a boy from Mexico. He wanted to play basketball and worked hard at his skills, practicing with a hoop and backboard he paid for himself in his backyard. Trejo graduated and now is a big advocate for education.
He stressed putting in the hard work. Many people with lots of talent and resources don’t have the dedication to hone their skills, he said.
“Every dream has a challenge,” Trejo said. “You have to learn to walk before you can fly.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2017 at 6:25 pm
Lots of salmon have made it to Albion
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This Chinook salmon was spotted today in Sandy Creek near the culvert under the Erie Canal. There were several other Chinook near this one in Sandy Creek (on the north side of the canal) at about 2:30 p.m.
It’s the annual fall salmon run, where Chinook swim upstream to spawn. Usually they don’t get too far. The streams and creeks usually aren’t deep enough for fish to go many miles into Orleans County.
This isn’t a normal year, however. The high Lake Ontario waters and recent heavy rains have streams deeper. That has Chinook salmon reaching spots they aren’t usually seen.
“We have high water all over the place,” said Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportsfishing promotion coordinator. “It’s not a typical year.”
He has heard reports from people who saw Chinook jump up and over fallen logs to keep moving in local streams.
I wondered how far the fish could go in Albion. I stopped by Bullard Park after seeing the fish by the canal.
Someone left a fishing rod and reel by Sandy Creek at Bullard Park.
Sandy Creek is pretty shallow near the park. I followed the creek, which has many small waterfalls and a big culvert for the railroad. I didn’t see any salmon.
This culvert is impressive, but I didn’t see any fish in this part of Sandy Creek. The railroad tracks run over the culvert.
I headed over to Community Action, which is on the south side of the Canal by Sandy Creek. I was curious if any of the salmon swam through the culvert under the canal.
A waste weir is used to empty water from the canal. Initially I thought any fish on this side of the canal (the south side) would have a traumatic experience being shot through the water from the waste weir. But I think Sandy Creek runs underneath this concrete. This spot is behind Community Action on State Street, west of Brown Street.
I saw one salmon right away that had made it to this side. The fish seemed to be relaxing. The bubbles are from roaring water from the waste weir.
I wondered how far the fish could keep going. It’s difficult to get down here and the water isn’t very deep in spots, but I could see the fins of some fish coming out of the water a little farther down the stream.
This was one of two dead fish I saw (and smelled) down here. This was a monstrous fish.
This is the end of the road for the salmon. This waterfall would be impossible to get past, unless the salmon could pole vault. There were about 25 huge salmon in this area, swimming in a circle.
This is the spot where the salmon have been stopped in their spawning run. They’re hard to see in the photo, but there were about 25 at the base of the waterfall. I wonder where they will go?
Some of the salmon swim in Sandy Creek near the waterfall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 October 2017 at 6:20 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – John Gerhardt is up high working on a 5,000-square-foot addition of Harvest Christian Fellowship. Gerhardt, a member of the church’s board of directors, is among a dedicated group of volunteers working on the addition.
The church broke ground on the addition in June. The addition will be used as a sanctuary with room for up to 250 people at 560 East Ave., across from Bullard Park.
Volunteers are doing about 90 percent of the work on the new building.
Gary Derwick climbs a ladder while carrying lumber for the trusses. Derwick said the church is hoping to have the new roof on next week, and to have the building enclosed before winter.
Ken Smith works on the project late this afternoon.
Once the new sanctuary is finished, the church plans to use the existing sanctuary, which seats about 140, for a fellowship hall, and programs for youth and community life, said Tim Lindsay, the church’s pastor since it started in 1987.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Barb Morlino, training coordinator for COVA and the Orleans Training Academy, speaks during a public hearing on Thursday about COVA’s request for a countywide certificate of need to provide ambulance services.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2017 at 4:37 pm
ALBION – Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance is pursuing a certificate of need to provide ambulance services throughout Orleans County.
COVA currently has a CON for the central Orleans towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines. It wants to expand the CON to eastern and western Orleans, too.
COVA officials said the CON application shouldn’t be viewed as a takeover for eastern Orleans which is currently primarily served by Monroe Ambulance or western Orleans which is served by the Medina Fire Department.
“This would provide for seamless backup,” said Jason Spencer, COVA’s director operations. “We don’t see any radical changes.”
COVA has three ambulances in Albion. Two of them are pictured Thursday evening at 239 South Main St.
Right now, COVA needs to be requested to respond to a call outside its primary service area.
The Big Lakes Regional EMS Council (REMSCO) held a public hearing on Thursday evening for COVA’s CON application at COVA’s headquarters, 239 South Main St.
Four COVA officials spoke in favor of the application, while Monroe Ambulance opposed it.
Mike Bove, vice president of Monroe Ambulance, speaks against COVA’s request for a countywide CON. Monroe has the CON to serve eastern Orleans as primary ambulance provider.
Mike Bove, vice president of Monroe Ambulance, said Monroe responds to about 600 calls annually in eastern Orleans with an average response time of 12 minutes, 18 seconds. That is well below the 15-minute threshold for rural communities, he said.
Monroe has had the CON for eastern Orleans for about three years. The ambulance company keeps ambulances in Brockport and responds to 90 percent of the calls in eastern Orleans.
“No one can get to 100 percent of the calls, which is why we have mutual aid,” Bove said at the hearing.
Monroe has 28 ambulances and 284 employees. The company can shift resources to Orleans when needed, Bove said.
He opposed the COVA expansion because Bove said there isn’t a need for COVA to have a CON in eastern Orleans.
Laurie Schwab, COVA director, said the Albion-based ambulance company is willing to add resources to better serve eastern Orleans.
COVA currently has a 7-minute average response time for calls in its four towns. COVA is willing to put an ambulance in Holley, which should significantly reduce the response time in eastern Orleans, said Jason Spencer, COVA’s director of operations.
Laurie Schwab, COVA’s executive director, speaks during the public hearing. She said the organization has the resources to expand to serve the county.
Wade Schwab, president of COVA’s board of directors, has been with COVA for 26 years. The organization has changed from being run by volunteers in 1979 to having paid paramedics and drivers. Schwab said COVA has proven its dedication to the community after nearly 40 years of operation.
Barb Morlino, COVA’s training coordinator, said COVA has a training program in place so more residents can serve the community with emergency medical care.
A county-wide CON would allow COVA “the ability to serve residents of Orleans County if the need arises,” Morlino said.
The Big Lakes REMSCO includes the counties of Genesee, Orleans and Niagara. That group will review the CON application and make a decision. That ruling on the CON can be appealed.
If the CON is approved for COVA, the organization wouldn’t automatically become the primary ambulance provider county-wide. COVA would have to reach out to each municipality for a contract.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2017 at 1:08 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Students at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School in Albion check out the rescue boat for the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company today as part of Fire Prevention Week. Carlton, Barre and Albion firefighters ran several stations for elementary students, teaching fire safety and prevention for students from prekindergarten to grade 5.
Garrison Foote, a first grader, aims the hose at a target with help from Barre firefighter Andrew Faskel.
Albion firefighter Greg Marston waits for students at the new fire safety trailer that is available for all 12 fire departments in the county to teach fire prevention and also a fire escape plan. The trailer has been at a different school each day in Orleans County from Tuesday through today. It will be at Medina on Monday.
Elementary students had fun exploring the Carlton rescue boat.
Jaiden Livingston sprays water with help from Barre firefighter Brianna Caldwell.
Albion firefighter Marsha Cook assists a student using a ladder at a fire prevention trailer. The trailer allows students to practice a fire escape.
The Albion Fire Department has a new contest this year to emphasis fire prevention. One student from each grade will be picked (from PreK through grade 5) to ride to school in a fire truck. One student will be picked from each grade who created the best poster or display about fire prevention.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jerome Pawlak and his son Joe are pictured in April outside Pawlak’s Food Center, after the family switched the store from a Save-A-Lot to an independent grocery store.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2017 at 8:34 pm
ALBION – The Pawlak family has announced it is closing its grocery store in Albion after nearly a half century in Albion.
“We would like to thank the Albion and Orleans County communities, and especially our Associates, for your support, friendship, and the memories you have given us,” The Pawlak family said in an email.
The Pawlaks in April switched from running a Save-A-Lot store to an independent grocery store, Pawlak’s Food Center.
Jerome Pawlak and his son Joe have been running the store together.
The Pawlaks have been unable to sign a new lease with their landlord at the plaza on Route 31, the family said.
“Competitive realities, a slow economy, and cost deflation in the food industry has forced us to make the decision to close Pawlak’s Food Center after 49 years of serving the Albion community,” The Pawlaks said. “We have been unable to compete with these trends and continue to rent our current space. We recognize closing is the necessary course of action to take. The closing also includes The Video Station and Save-On Beverage Center.”
A liquidation sale of the store’s remaining inventory will begin this Saturday at 8 a.m.
The family for 15 years operated a Save-A-Lot in Albion at 320 West Ave.
In April they became Pawlak’s Food Center. The store has been affiliated with the Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative, which serves independently owned groceries in New York, Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio.
The family has been in the grocery business for 57 years, starting in Lyndonville. The Pawlaks also ran a Save-A-Lot in Holley for about 3 ½ years before closing in September 2016.
The Pawlak family ran the Albion store as a Shurfine from 1997 to 2002, before Jerome Pawlak changed to a Save-A-Lot to better compete against Tops, which opened a new store next door.
Since then, Walmart opened a Supercenter in Albion (in 2006) with groceries as well as general merchandise. Walmart also has supercenters in Lockport, Batavia and Brockport. An Aldi Foods also has recently opened in Medina.
It’s a very competitive business with many of the dollar stores, gas stations and Rite Aid also selling groceries.
