Liam tries on a police officer’s vest and a patrolman’s hat while meeting police officer Nathaniel Staines.

Press Release, Albion Police Department

ALBION – Members of the Albion Police Department made a surprise visit to a very special person recently.

Liam Williams, 6, was diagnosed with Stage 3 T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma on July 13. Liam is the cousin of Albion Police Officer Guy Burke and has a love for law enforcement.

Members of the Albion Police Department visited Liam at his home in Akron and brought with them a police car and other police equipment for Liam to enjoy.

It was an honor for officers to give Liam joy and excitement during their visit and for his focus to be on something other than his illness, even for just a short time.

Liam has a long road ahead of him involving extended hospitalizations and treatments.

A GoFundMe fund-raising page has been set up to help Liam and his family with the costs during this extremely hard time. Click here for more information.

There will be a spaghetti dinner on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. to benefit Liam at the Akron Fire Hall, 1 Main St., Akron, NY.

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ALBION – The Village of Albion is taking applications for the crossing guard position in front of the middle school.

The village will be paying $13 an hour for the part-time position, which is two hours a day. Crossing guards are needed for about 180 days a year. The village is estimating it will cost about $5,000 in pay.

The village will also provide a reflective vest and a flash light. Albion would like to hire more than one so it has flexibility in case a crossing guard calls in sick or is unavailable.

The village will post the job through Civil Service in Orleans County.

Albion Mayor Dean London notified the school district in early September that there wouldn’t be a crossing guard anymore. That sparked an uproar in the community. The school district offered to help cover the cost. That is being negotiated as to how much the school will contribute to the expense, London said during Wednesday’s board meeting.

Police Chief Roland Nenni on Wednesday presented the board with a packet about the position, how it will be filled through a Civil Service posting. He said there will be background checks on people considered for the job.

He recommended the village allow hiring up to five crossing guards. Some of them might never be utilized in the role, but having them trained and ready would give the village more flexibility. He said it’s possible some crossing guards would just work in the morning and someone else in the afternoon. Or some might just work in warmer weather months, while others serve during the winter.

The Police Department will provide 8 hours of initial training, and then about 2 hours of refresher training in following years. The crossing guards will be appointed each year, likely in August and then serve until June 30, the end of the school year.

The position was expected to be posted today with applications available later this afternoon at the Village Office at 35-37 East Bank St.

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ALBION – After working in the banking industry for a decade, Deborah London made a big career change 17 ½ years ago when she bought Bloom’s Flower Shop.

London was an assistant vice president in escrow operations for Anchor Bank in Albion. She stayed there when Anchor was acquired by Dime Bank and then North American Mortgage. Her job was eliminated in a downsizing by Washington Mutual.

The timing was good. Lorraine and Gary Oakley were looking to sell Bloom’s. London didn’t want a banking job in the city. She took on the challenge at Bloom’s and has enjoyed meeting so many community members since then.

“You get to work with people all the time,” she said. “When you’re in an office at a desk, you don’t get that.”

Deborah and Brian London are pictured by Bloom’s Flower Shop at 139 South Main St. Mr. London makes many of the deliveries.

London is being recognized by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce this evening during the annual awards dinner as the “Business Person of the Year.” She deserves praise for keeping Bloom’s open during a time when larger businesses are getting more involved in selling flowers, the Chamber said.

Since she bought Bloom’s she has endured the road reconstruction on Routes 98 and 31, the addition of Tops and Wal-Mart in Albion, and the recession in 2008-09.

Last year was difficult when her home was damaged in a fire on Feb. 2, 2016, right before Valentine’s Day, one of the shop’s busiest times of the year. Debbie and her husband Brian insisted on staying in Albion and having their home repaired on West Park Street. It was six months before then could move back in.

London has embraced e-commerce, taking orders through her website (click here). That has been a boost.

But London said the biggest factor for the business’s success is the face-to-face with customers, ensuring they get a fresh product that is sensitive to the occasion.

“Everybody likes flowers,” she said.

She sells chocolates and greeting cards, but flowers are the focus at Bloom’s.

Wes Hansen, a designer at Bloom’s for 22 years, praises Debbie London for her organizational skills.

London can call on friends and family to pitch in during a busy season, whether the prom, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, dance recitals or Christmas. Her husband Brian has been more than willing to make deliveries. He also runs his own electrician’s business and works as a fly fishing guide.

“It’s really a team effort between the two of us,” Debbie said.

Wes Hansen has worked at Bloom’s for 22 years. He said London does a great job managing the business.

“She is very well organized,” Hansen said. “She likes lists. I have to have an organized person.”

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