By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Albion and Gaines area in particular has many historic sandstone hitching posts. The Lamonts on Densmore Road have a cast-iron one by their driveway on Densmore Road in Gaines.
Roger and Ingrid Lamont pose for a photo with two of their grandsons, Alex, left, and Aaron.
ALBION – Roger Lamont saw it in a barn, part of a collection of old relics that had been abandoned.
He knew it should be displayed, returned to the landscape.
A decade ago he put a cast-iron hitching post by his driveway at his old farmhouse on Densmore Road.
“I keep everything that is old,” he said.
I’ve developed a hitching post and carriage step obsession. I was at Lamont’s house last evening for a story about two new apple varieties. I noticed the hitching post. It’s unusual around here. Most of them are made of sandstone.
The cast-iron one dates back more than a century. Lamont said it was owned by a farmer down the road. The old hitching post was left with a farm acquired by the Lamont family.
When Roger and his wife Ingrid moved in his parents’ home in 2002, Roger decided the hitching post would be a nice touch by the house.
For several years the couple operated a bed and breakfast at the site. Ingrid hung a welcome flag from the hitching post. She planted flowers around it.
The house is 100 years old this year. It includes a sandstone foundation and sandstone base for the pillars on the porch.
If you have a hitching post or carriage step story to share, send me an email at tom@orleanshub.com.
Provided photo – The Spotlight dancers, pictured in Boston, include, from left, front row: Aubrey Boyer, McKenna Boyer, Zoe Chatfield, Faith Chaffee and Baillie Oberther. Back row: Thomas Green, Katlin Pieniazsek, Hannah Yocum, Angela Carloni and Serina Blair.
Press release
Spotlight Studio
ALBION – Students in the Spotlight Dance Company attended a dance convention in Boston earlier this month. The dancers were joined by director Rachael Blair.
The Spotlight students were instructed by professional dancers in several dance styles. These professionals instruct, choreograph and dance with famous artists in movies, concerts, on Broadway and on television.
The dance company will never forget this amazing experience. They would like to thank the community for supporting the fundraisers to make this possible.
“We wanted to give the kids the opportunity to learn from instructors that dance for a living in New York City and Hollywood,” Blair said. “They learn different styles of dance and work on technique for three days straight. It is an opportunity that these students will remember forever.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church will use $3,000 grant for a roof repair study at the church at the corner of East Park and South Main streets.
ALBION – Three historic churches in the Albionarea all have received “Sacred Sites” grants that will help advance projects ranging from roof and tower repair studies to repointing of the masonry.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy approved 23 grants state-wide for $275,000. That includes $3,000 to the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, $1,500 to the First Presbyterian Church of Albion and $1,000 to the Cobblestone Universalist Church.
Peg Breen, president of the Landmarks Conservancy, noted that the grant recipients serve important roles in the community as religious and community institutions.
“It’s vital to repair and renew religious buildings,” she said. “Not only do these sites convey their communities’ history, they serve their neighborhoods today with food pantries, nursery schools, concerts and a variety of worthy programs.”
The Cobblestone Society Museum has been awarded a matching grant to survey the roof and tower of the Cobblestone Universalist Church, a building from 1834 that is part of the museum near the intersection of routes 98 and 104.
The Cobblestone Universalist Church is most prominent building in the Cobblestone Society Museum. The church from 1834 needs roof and tower repairs. The $1,000 grant will go towards a survey to determine the repairs needed for the roof and tower. The church is used for a variety of historical programs, services and weddings every year.
The Presbyterian Church was built in 1874, and its 175-foot-high spire makes it the tallest building in the county. The church is working to repoint some of the masonry on the sandstone structure at the corner of Main and State streets.
The First Presbyterian Church in Albion was awarded a $1,500 grant to help with some repointing work on the building that was constructed in 1874.
“Any support helps and makes a difference,” said the Rev. Doug Holmes, the church pastor. “We want the church to be around and vital for a long time to come.”
The church is used by many community organizations, including Scouts, a garden club and various 12-step groups. It also is used to host the Eastman at Albion concert series and a baccalaureate program for graduating high school seniors.
The Pullman building was built in 1894 at the corner of East Park and Main streets. The building includes 41 Tiffany stained-glass windows. The congregation is working to replace the roof.
The Orleans County Genealogical Society has monthly meetings at the church, which has also hosted at Eastman concert. The Concerned Citizens of Orleans County also meet at the site to discuss their efforts to keep the county nursing home publicly owned.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – This Waldo is hiding at the offices for The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub at 170 North Main St., Albion. This is your only clue.
ALBION – He is hiding with the pens near the front desk at the Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub. This is the only clue we’re giving to find the 23 Waldos that are hiding at Albion businesses.
Waldo hunters have until Wednesday to try to find them all. Bindings Bookstore has organized the adventure for July. Bookstore owner Carolyn Ricker wanted to promote local businesses as part of the Waldo event.
The elusive character has black-rimmed glasses and striped shirts. If shoppers can find him in 10 spots, they will be eligible for prizes and coupons. Mayor Dean Theodorakos will pull the name of the winner of a grand prize from a basket at 6 p.m. July 31 at Bindings, 28 West Bank St. The winner receives a six-volume deluxe set of Waldo books.
A passport with a list of participating businesses is at Bindings. Waldo’s American publisher, Candlewick Press, is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and 265 independent bookstores all across the country, including Bindings Bookstore, for some hide-and-seek fun while promoting local businesses.
ALBION – Senior citizens are welcome to attend the annual Senior Citizen’s Day Picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31. The picnic will be at the east end pavilion at Bullard Park.
Senior Citizens are urged to bring a dish to pass and optional place setting. The menu will include hot dogs, hamburgers, pop, chicken wings, pizza and treats.
There will be some fun games and activities provided for those who want to participate. The event is sponsored by the Village of Albion Recreation Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 July 2013 at 12:00 am
CHA submitted this “concept plan” to the Village of Albion for a Dunkin’ Donuts on Main Street, between the railroad tracks and Tim Hortons.
ALBION – A proposal for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion would have access for motorists on both Main and Platt streets, helping to ease congestion on Route 98, village officials said.
Dunkin’ hasn’t submitted a formal plan to the village yet. The coffee and baked goods franchise has hired the CHA firm for engineering and design of the Albion site.
CHA and Dunkin’ expect to have a formal site plan submitted to the village in August.
Dunkin’ wants to demolish a warehouse next to Tim Hortons in Albion for the new store. The concept plan shows about 40 parking spaces at the site.
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, said Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Group also backs new doors for church, sign for Pratt Center
The Albion Historic Preservation Commission supported a street-scape plan that includes these bike racks, which will be painted blue and highlight Albion’s canal heritage. Design by DERO Bike Rack Company.
ALBION – The Albion Historic Preservation Commission has approved $50,000 worth of street-scape improvements, including new bike racks, trees in planters, benches painted as murals and other projects.
The Commission voted to support the projects on Thursday. The different projects now will be submitted to state preservation officials and the New York Main Street grant program for their approval.
The street-scape improvements are part of a $477,000 Main Street grant that was awarded for the downtown in December 2011. Most of the grant offered matching funds to property owners to work on their buildings.
The street-scape projects include 10 large tree planters made of concrete and stained pale red to mimic Medina sandstone and 18 smaller flower planters. The planters will be able to be moved by the village DPW and they will have drainage.
Twelve benches will be replaced and local artists will paint murals on them with local heritage themes, including apples, the canal, the trolley system and the quarrying industry, as well as many others.
Four bike racks, all with a tugboat theme, are planned for Main and Bank streets. There will be three smaller hoop-shaped racks and a larger rack that looks like a bicycle.
The street-scape subcommittee also wants to swap out the street signs in the Albion historic district with ones that would be blue with a upper box that says “Historic Albion.”
Those signs are targeted for portions of Liberty, Main and Platt streets, running between the canal and Beaver Street. The state DOT needs to approve those changes.
Two interpretive panels – cast-iron mounted signs – also are planned for the downtown. One is targeted for Waterman Park and would be focused on the downtown architecture. The sign also would have “teasers” about the four other nationally recognized historic districts in Albion: the Cobblestone Society Museum, Courthouse Square, Mount Albion Cemetery and the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor.
Another panel is planned to go near the village parking lot, just north of the Presbyterian Church. The village is expanding the site for parking. There will be space to display two hitching posts. A panel will discuss these artifacts from the horse-and-buggy era and will note that Albion and the 14411 zip code is loaded with old hitching posts and carriage steps.
Other projects include a cast-iron historical marker that will note the downtown business district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Main Street clock will have a sandstone base similar to the one in Medina. A sandstone bench will also be added to the sidewalk and that bench is planned to stay out year-round. The other benches typically are brought inside during the winter.
Mary Anne Braunbach and some of her gardening friends want to create a memorial garden for veterans in front of her building at 138 North Main St. The grant would fund a bronze plaque to be installed on a boulder, noting the garden is a veterans’ memorial.
The commission approved two other projects on Thursday.
The Albion Free Methodist Church wants to replace doors on an addition to the building that was put up in 1985. The double-aluminum doors on the south side of the building and a steel side door will be replaced with bronze-colored aluminum framed doors.
Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler, owners 118 North Main St., want to change the sign of the building from “Coffeehouse” to the “Pratt Center.” The current sign color, lettering style and signboard will be used.
Editor’s note: Hub editor Tom Rivers is chairman of the street-scape subcommittee.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Dr. John Thompson, who has worked in Orleans County the past 26 years as a family physician, has announced he is leaving to provide medical care and substance abuse treatment to homeless in Arizona.
Effective Aug. 1, he is transferring his medical practice and all records to the Orleans Community Health Center, which recently opened a new facility on the corner of Route 31 and Butts Road.
Thompson said his patients will be in good hands with doctors Sandra Boehlert and Jamal Janania.
“They are primary care doctors who work at this state-of-the-art facility, and they offer continuing medical care for my patients,” Thompson said in a letter to his patients. “They are caring and well-qualified physicians. I recommend them highly.”
Thompson said is new job gives him a chance to be closer to his father, who lives in Phoenix.
Thompson, a former Orleans County coroner, will have his last day on July 31 in Albion. His office is in the former Arnold Gregory Hospital.
“It has been my honor, privilege, and joy to provide medical care for so many of you and your families during the 26 years that I have lived and worked in Orleans County,” Thompson said in his letter. “I will miss you. May God bless and keep you.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Al Capurso – The graves for the Bailey family were moved to Mount Albion Cemetery in 1865.
ALBION – The Capurso family is continuing its efforts to honor pioneer settlers in Albion. The family unveiled a bronze historical marker for William McAllister and his wife on July 8.
The McAllisters were Albion’s first settlers. The built a log cabin where the County Clerk’s Building stands on Main Street.
The Capursos now plan to dedicate a veteran flag holder for Lansing Bailey, a pioneer settler who fought in the War of 1812. The marker will be dedicated during a 10 a.m. service on Aug. 10 at Mount Albion Cemetery. The Honor Guard of the American Legion will be there to honor Bailey.
Capurso has been researching Bailey and discovered he came to Albion in 1811 with his younger brother Joel. Bailey owned land in Gaines where Bill Lattin now lives. Capurso was able to verify Bailey’s service with the local VA.
Bailey’s brother Joel died of a fever on August 10, 1813. While plans were underway for his burial, Lansing’s wife Loda became ill from the same fever and died on August 15, leaving three children, the latter two being 3 month-old twins born in the Bailey Cabin in May 1813, Capurso said.
“Lansing buried both his brother and wife on the same day at Bailey Cemetery (where the veterans office is now on Route 31 Albion),” Capurso said. “This is the bicentennial of that sad occasion.”
The 10 occupants of Bailey Cemetery were moved to Mt. Albion in December 1865. They are located on Bitternut Path. Bitternut is also the resting place of two of Lansing’s children and Lansing’s second wife, Sylvia Pratt Bailey. Lansing died in 1866.
Capurso said Lansing was instrumental in the forming of Orleans County in numerous ways and his life is chronicled in “Pioneer History of Orleans County” by Arad Thomas and echoed by J. Howard Pratt in “Saga of the Ridge.”
Lansing’s grandfather Samuel was a Revolutionary War Veteran.Samuel is buried in Oneida County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 July 2013 at 12:00 am
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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Grocer recognized for years of community service
Photos by Tom Rivers – Jerome Pawlak, left, accepts a Paul Harris Fellow Award from Albion Rotarian Nathan Lyman at the end of today’s Albion Rotary Club Golf Tournament.
ALBION Jerome Pawlak and his family have accumulated a half century of service to Orleans County. Today, the Albion Rotary Club honored Pawlak with a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest honor the club can give.
Pawlak isn’t a member of the Rotary Club, but his decades of good works are noticed and appreciated, said Albion Rotarian Nathan Lyman, who presented Pawlak with the club’s award at the end of today’s golf tournament.
Pawlak runs a grocery store, video station and beverage center in Albion. Last year he opened a grocery store in Holley after the community there was without a grocery store for about five years.
Pawlak has donated his time serving on the boards of the Orleans Economic Development Agency, Chamber of Commerce, and United Way. He is the current vice president of the Albion Main Street Alliance.
Jerome Pawlak is pictured with one of his hole sponsor signs at today’s Albion Rotary Club Golf Tournament. Pawlak supports numerous community organizations.
He donates to numerous community causes and organizations. The Albion club will give $1,000 to Rotary International for the organization’s humanitarian work.
(I was part of Pawlak’s team in today’s golf tournament. Jerome is a good athlete. He also has been active at Notre Dame High School in Batavia, serving on the school’s board of trustees.)
Today’s golf tournament likely raised about $5,000 to help fund scholarships and other community projects, said Cindy Perry, the club president. There were 72 golfers at Hickory Ridge in Holley for the tournament.
“We figured we’d have some fun and raise some money,” Perry said.
The Rotary Club lost one of its most spirited members with the July 13 death of Erling Maine, who owned a hardware store, lumberyard and a car wash in Albion for many years. He was in the Rotary Club for 48 years.
Erling, 75, was an enthusiastic member of the club, and often led Rotarians in singing at their weekly meetings on Thursdays.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Josh Trexler, right, and Jules Bonafede feed some goats at their farm on Gaines Basin Road. They would like to use goat milk to make soap. Right now, the goats are a “hobby.”
Jules Bonafede refills the water for a group of chickens on a 90-degree day.
ALBION – When Jules Bonafede saw the forecast for scorching temperatures this week, his chief worry was his flock of month-old chickens.
Bonafede, 29, didn’t want the animals to overheat. He set up a canopy over the birds, and placed fans on the ground to try to keep them cool. He thinks the contraptions have been working during this week’s heat wave.
Bonafede and Josh Trexler, 26, this year started Our Good Life Farm on Gaines Basin Road in Albion. The partners had been raising chickens, about 15 a year, for themselves and their friends the past three years. This year they decided to offer chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese to the general public.
They have had a huge response. They expect to raise 1,000 chickens this year.
“We thought we’d grow a larger batch,” Bonafede said at the farm on Tuesday afternoon. “But it quickly turned into more than that.”
Josh Trexler holds a frozen duck, one of the meat products available through Our Good Life Farm in Albion.
The animals are fed organic feed and they are pasture-raised. At least once a day, the caged chickens are moved to a new patch of grass.
Our Good Life is part of a trend of new small farms that are cropping up in New York. The number of farms in New York with revenue between $10,000 and $99,999 annually increased by 500 last year, going from 10,800 in 2011 to 11,300, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Trexler and Bonafede invite people to the farm to see the chickens and animals, and pick up the finished frozen product.
“People want to know where their food is coming from,” Trexler said. “They want a relationship with their farm.”
Our Good Life has taken a pledge to treat the animals as humanely as possible. They feed the animals grain that is grown without pesticides or genetically modified corn. Bonafede and Trexler butcher the animals, and they do it as quickly and painlessly as possible, they said.
Chickens are their top seller right now. The birds sell for $3.25 dressed. That compares to about $1 a pound when chicken is on sale in the grocery stores. Our Good Life has a waiting list of customers willing to pay the premium.
“They want the better-tasting chicken,” Bonafede said. “Our chicken has a different taste.”
Josh Trexler, right, and Jules Bonafede prepare to move a cage of chickens to fresh patch of grass at the farm on Gaines Basin Road.
Our Good Life has developed a local following in the Albion area. The farm saw demand really take off when it was invited to the Pittsford Farmers Market. Our Good Life expects to raise four cycles of chickens a year.
It takes about two months to grow a mature Cornish Cross chicken and 12 to 14 weeks to raise a Kosher, a heritage chicken.
Trexler and Bonafede expect to have their turkeys ready for Thanksgiving.
They are also juggling the Sports & Graphics business, a screen-printing and embroidery business.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Peter Loran of Kent submitted several designs for the bench-painting project, including this one of Albion native Grace Bedell and President Abraham Lincoln. Bedell wrote a letter to Lincoln, encouraging him to grow a beard.
ALBION – What do a tugboat, a Chinook salmon, Santa Claus, Abe Lincoln and a quarryman all have in common?
They will be painted on benches in downtown Albion as part of public art project.
The Albion Main Street Alliance is coordinating the project that calls for at least 10 benches to be painted with Albion heritage themes. We may do as many as 12 benches.
A $50,000 Main Street grant, which is paying for several street-scape improvements, is funding the bench project. This fall there should be bike racks, a historical marker, trees and other upgrades to the street scape.
The grant paid to swap out the benches and some of us on the street-scape committee thought it would be a good idea to paint the new benches as a mini-murals. We wanted to celebrate our history and highlight the canal, Santa Claus School founder Charles Howard, the quarrymen and other prominent residents and features of the community.
The artists – all Orleans County residents – came through with many nice designs. I’m real excited about this project.
The Downtown Albion Neighborhood Advisory Committee, a group that has been reviewing all the grant projects through the bigger $477,000 Main Street grant, will pick the bench designs. The winning entries will be submitted to state historic preservation officials to make sure they are OK with everything.
I don’t know the exact time frame for the project due to the review process, but I anticipate the painted benches may not be ready until late fall. At that point, maybe they will be inside businesses where they would stay for the winter. In the spring we will unleash them on Main Street and East Bank.
I think they will draw folks to the downtown, giving the businesses a lift and stirring community pride.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2013 at 12:00 am
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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2013 at 12:00 am
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.
