Advance Auto Parts plans move into former Rite Aid

Photos by Tom Rivers – Dunkin’ Donuts wants to demolish a warehouse next to Tim Hortons in Albion for a new store that sells coffee and baked goods.

ALBION – Dunkin’ Donuts and Advance Auto Parts are both pushing forward with projects only a few buildings away from each other on Route 98 in Albion.

Dunkin’ has submitted a “concept plan” to the Village Planning Board that calls for removing a warehouse next to Tim Hortons. Dunkin’ would build a new structure with about 40 parking spaces just south of the railroad tracks. The site would have access from both Main and Platt streets, which would relieve some of the traffic on Main Street, said Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer.

The two access points would also allow delivery trucks to pass through the property without having to back up.

Dunkin’ is expected to submit a formal site plan in time for the board’s next meeting, 7 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Advance Auto Parts plans to spend $140,000 fixing up the interior of a former Rite Aid at the corner of routes 98 and 31 in Albion

The warehouse is owned by Charles Breuilly. The building occupies almost the entire property. The Dunkin’ plan would add green space to the site, improving runoff and water quality, Vendetti said.

The Dunkin’ store would be run by a franchisee. Vendetti said the store could open soon after Jan. 1. Dunkin’s closest site is in Batavia.

Another major chain, Advance Auto Parts, plans to spend $140,000 on interior changes and improvements at the a former Rite Aid at the northeast corner of the routes 98 and 31 intersection. The site has been vacant for several years since Rite Aid moved to the former Eckerd building across the street.

Advance will be on the Orleans County Planning Board agenda at 7 p.m. July 25 for its plan for signage at the site. The company wants two signs on the building and a monument-style sign closer to the road.

Advance has nearby sites in Brockport, Batavia and Lockport.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Civil War section, shown last fall, includes a cannon from the war.

ALBION – A historic cemetery on Route 31 will be featured for Sunday tours during August when County Historian Bill Lattin leads groups on the outings.

Lattin will cover different sections of the cemetery for each tour, which begin at 6:30 p.m. at the chapel.

There is no cost to attend, the tours will go on rain or shine for Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25.

The cemetery opened in the 1840s and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The 70-acre cemetery was designed to create a park-like atmosphere. Rufus Bullock, a native son and former Georgia governor, is among the notable dead buried in the cemetery. Nine former congressmen also have been laid to rest in Mt. Albion.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A warehouse on McKinstry Street in Albion, which has sat mostly vacant the past 11 years, will be upgraded and turned into a site for electronics recycling. The company expects to add 30 jobs in the next three years.

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency has approved a $150,000 low-interest loan to a Canadian company that will turn a long-vacant warehouse into a base for recycling electronics.

The EDA board of directors on Friday approved the financing for BOMET Recycling, Inc. The company expects to close on the sale next month for a warehouse on McKinstry Street in Albion.

BOMET intends to hire 30 people for the site within three years. The company is led by Zhan “Bo” Zhang of Cambridge, Ontario. BOMET recovers metals from electronics and other recyclable materials and reported a $25 million revenue for its operation based in Canada, according to a report from the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The Orleans EDA has owned the property at 152 McKinstry St. since 2002. The EDA has accepted a $176,000 offer from BOMET to buy the 52,000-square-foot property.

The company will spend about $700,000 in addition to the purchase price by replacing the roof, making other building upgrades and buying equipment for the Albion operation.

The EDA board also approved tax incentives that will save the company $94,347 over 10 years. The company will pay $61,034 in local taxes over the next decade as part of the tax agreement approved today.

The site currently isn’t generating any property tax for the village, town, school or county because the EDA has owned the property.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Cole London, 10, of Albion tries to toss a bean bag through a target as part of a Children’s Carnival today at Bullard Park. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., was coordinated by the Village of Albion Parks Program and Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

Bri Hursh, 9, of Hamlin holds still while Pam Hage, a family advocate at Community Action, paints a flower on Bri’s cheek. Face-painting and many other games and activities were part of a Children’s Carnival today at Bullard Park.

Photos by Tom Rivers – The state Department of Labor halted demolition work in April on this sandstone building in Albion.

The DOL said the work is suspended until an asbestos removal permit is secured.

ALBION – Dan Dunn in mid-April started tearing down a hulking sandstone building along the Erie Canal. The 5,000-square-foot site didn’t have a roof, a tree was growing in the middle and had been declared an unsafe structure by the village.

Dunn took out most of one wall before the work was halted by the state Department of Labor. The agency said Dunn failed to secure a proper asbestos removal permit.

Nothing has happened at the site since then and Dunn told the Village Board on Wednesday he intends to file an Article 78 court action against the DOL, contending the agency was wrong to stop the work on the building.

“It’s needed to come down for a long time,” Dunn told the Village Board. “I’ve been prepared to take it down.”

The DOL insists Dunn needs to hire a certified asbestos removal contractor. But Dunn, who works in the salvaging business, thinks he can do the work himself even though he isn’t a licensed asbestos removal contractor.

Dunn said the law allows the owner of a building that is classified as residential to remove asbestos without a certified contractor. He wants to wrap the pieces of non-friable asbestos in plastic and then have it hauled off to a landfill.

Although the building was classified as residential by the assessor, it was never used for housing and hasn’t been used in about a half century, village officials said. The building is one of the oldest commercial Medina sandstone buildings along the canal. It was once the home for a carriage-making business and later a furniture warehouse.

But the roof and floors have collapsed in the building years ago. The village wants it to come down. The Albion Historic Preservation Commission approved the site’s demolition.

Dunn said the Article 78 should force the DOL to make a decision on how the matter will proceed. He doesn’t want to hire a certified asbestos contractor and also an engineer for a job that he can do himself.

“I feel they are being unreasonable and will make it very costly,” Dunn said about the DOL.

The Village Board has been pressing Dunn to address the site. The board agreed to wait another 30 days to see if there is a court decision or other resolution from the DOL.

ALBION – The Village will submit an application to state to upgrade Bullard Park and also is working on an proposal to replace sanitary sewers on three village streets.

The grants are due next month. The board voted Wednesday to seek a $500,000 request from the state for Bullard Park, a project that wasn’t approved last year. Mayor Dean Theodorakos believes Albion has a better chance this funding round.

The village spent $20,000 last year upgrading playground equipment at the Pee Wee Park section of Bullard and also has $50,000 in a capitol reserve that could be spent at Bullard. He thinks that shows the village is willing to put some of its own money into the park, and not just rely on state funding.

The community also completed a comprehensive plan since the last grant application. That plan guides land use and identifies priorities in Albion, including the Bullard improvements.

The project is largely changed from a year ago when Albion sought state funding for two reseeded ball fields, new playground equipment and a 6,400-foot-long hiking trail carved through the park.

The grant wasn’t approved as part of the Consolidated Funding Application process, which places an emphasis on projects with a regional significance. The village is paying LaBella Associates of Rochester $1,000 to resubmit the grant.

The village also wants a $600,000 state grant to replace sewers on portions of Crimson Drive, Caroline Street, and East State Street between Platt Street and just past Ingersoll Street.

The village needs to do an income survey of residents in the project area to see if the majority of residents are low- to moderate-income. That would make Albion eligible for the state grant. LaBella has sent 83 surveys to residents, but only eight have returned them. The village needs at least 53 for the application.

Village Board members said they would go door-to-door to residents in the target area, explaining the grant and need for the surveys. Board members may be out knocking on doors on Saturday.

ALBION – I’ve heard people joke about it before, some of the distinctively unique street signs we have in Orleans County, signs that show you’re clearly in a rural community.

Woodchuck Alley in Kendall tops the list. But I also like Johnny Cake Lane in Barre, Zig Zag Road in Gaines and Beaver Alley in Albion.

People get a kick out of these signs, and I’ve thought people would buy replicas. Call me crazy, but I’ve been brainstorming possible merchandise that promotes the area and makes a little money for some of the business owners.

I’m the chairman for the street-scape subcommittee in Albion. We’ve been tasked with coming up with a plan for spending a $50,000 NY Main Street grant.

One the projects calls for replacing the green street signs in the historic district. We don’t have a final design approved by the state DOT or the historic preservation officials yet, but we’d like the signs to be blue and white, with “Historic Albion” in a box above the street name. We thought this would help “brand” the historic district, make it stand out from the other streets.

I also thought we could have replicas made of these street signs and they might sell at the local stores, especially if we create a more inviting and interesting downtown.

I talked about this during several Village Board meeting last fall and winter. I mentioned I thought the Beaver Alley sign would be a hot-seller. Apparently I chuckled when I said this, and some folks in the audience at one of meetings thought I was making a perverse joke.

This was brought up at the Village Board meeting two weeks ago by residents Mark and Rhonda Parker. They chastised the board for laughing at what the Parkers took as sexual innuendo. Last night Trustee Eileen Banker told the Parkers she was “appalled” by their accusations. Banker asked me during the meeting what my intentions were in wanting to promote Beaver Alley.

I told her and the board I wasn’t making a sexual reference, that I thought the sign, given the street’s oddball name, could actually be a popular piece of merchandise.

I laughed during the meeting a few months ago because I knew there was a chance some people would find the idea of people buying replica street signs a little bizarre. I was nervous the Village Board wouldn’t take the idea seriously. But I do think some people would buy “Beaver Alley” because it’s an unusual name that is uniquely Albion.

The Parkers have attended the past two Village Board meetings, urging the board to take action against Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti for what they claim is selective enforcement of the codes.

They have started a “Fix Albion” Facebook page and presented a list of recommendations to Mayor Dean Theodorakos for improving Vendetti’s job performance. Theodorakos told the Parkers he supports Vendetti.

Christine Versteeg submitted this design of a tugboat for a bench-painting art project in Albion.

ALBION – The street furniture in Albion will soon offer more than a place to sit down.

Twelve new benches will tell stories about Albion’s past, and highlight some of the community’s assets. The Albion Main Street Alliance is organizing a public art project where the benches will be painted with heritage themes.

This may include paintings about the community’s ties to the canal, sandstone quarries and agriculture.

Prominent Albionites, such as Santa Claus School founder Charles Howard, also may be depicted on a bench.

I’m helping to round up submissions from artists. There was a public meeting about this project back in May, and I’ve been connecting with artists since then.

There is still time for artists to submit proposals for this project. The deadline to submit a design is 4 p.m. July 16. Those designs could be dropped off at The Lake Country Pennysaver, 170 North Main St., Albion. Or they could be emailed to me at tom@orleanshub.com.

The rendering must be in color because local and state historic preservation officials want to see the colors.

The 6-foot-long benches will have wooden slats that are very close together. The paintings will be like mini-murals promoting the community. The benches will be outside on the sidewalks from April until late fall. Then will then spend the winter inside local businesses.

Some possible subjects for the benches include: the top of the Briggs building, Mount Albion arch and tower, apples, cobblestones, Chinook salmon, Courthouse Square, tugboats and other canal icons.

Besides Charles Howard, benches could feature Grace Bedell (the Albion girl who wrote to Lincoln, advising him to grow a beard), George Pullman (a furniture maker in Albion before his sleeping railroad car fortune) and a “Governor’s Bench,” featuring Albionite Rufus Bullock who became governor of Georgia, Medina native George Anthony who went on to be Kansas governor, and Sanford Church of Albion, who served as NY’s lieutenant governor.

Artists are welcome to submit their own ideas for a themed bench.

Artists will be paid $400 for their work. This project is part of $50,000 in street-scape improvements that are being paid for with a NY Main Street grant.

For more information, contact me at tom@orleanshub.com.

Photos by Tom Rivers

The group includes Nancy Rezabek of Columbia, Missouri, who is travelling with Elmo. Rezabek is riding the canal for the first time after doing group treks in Iowa and Missouri.

ALBION – Today is Day 2 of an eight-day journey across the Erie Canal for 525 cyclists from 34 states and five countries.

The group left Medina this early this morning and many of the cyclists were in Albion by 8. “Cycling the Erie Canal” is in its 15^th year and includes a record-high 525 cyclists for the 400-mile trip this year. The event is organized by NY Parks and Trails.

The group will ride to Pittsford today with Holley an official rest stop on the journey.

Volunteers from Albion Main Street Alliance, including Judith Koehler, right, offered snacks and beverages for the cyclists this morning.

Photo by Tom Rivers

Photo by Tom Rivers – A couple snuggles on a slide at Bullard Park while the fireworks go off.

Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church served up free popcorn, cotton candy, tacos and beverages before the fireworks.

Mike Dean, in white shirt, was part of the praise band that performed at Bullard Park tonight. Dean leads the praise band at Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom, which is working to plant a church in Albion.

ALBION – The community got a second helping of fireworks tonight in Albion, two days after July 4.

The Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom treated the Albion community to a half-hour fireworks show, which was preceded by food, games and live music.

Tonawanda Indian is working to start a church in Albion. The Basom congregation hasn’t found a site for the church in Albion. It will be back in Albion this summer for backyard barbecues and Vacation Bible Schools.

A girl climbed to top of the playground in the Pee Wee Park section of Bullard Park to watch the fireworks.

Matt Dean is lead singer for the praise band at High Point Community Church in Corfu. He joined the band tonight at Bullard Park. Dave Jonathan of Elba is playing the guitar.

Press release, Hoag Library

ALBION – Brighton Securities is holding informational seminars for the Albion community on strategies for taking the next steps following unemployment.

Brighton offered to do the seminars on Monday and July 22 after JP Morgan Chase announced it was laying off about 400 Albion employees in September.

Brighton Securities will provide advice for dislocated workers during the free seminars at Hoag Library in Albion. Topics will include tax tips, company-sponsored 401(k) plans, how to navigate unemployment, and how to maintain a steady financial well-being for you and your family.

Join Steve Hicks, Brighton Securities Batavia financial advisor, and Alexandra Conboy, Brighton Securities CEO, during the 7 p.m. sessions at Hoag Library, 134 South Main St.