Photos courtesy of Jesse Colmenero
ALBION – Residents attended Friday’s open house at the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance. They toured fire trucks and ambulances, ate hot dogs and hamburgers, and even did the chicken dance in the parking lot at 239 South Main St., Albion.
Mercy Flight landed a helicopter by COVA to help the agency celebrate its service to the community.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Barre firefighters stood near the intersection of routes 98 and 31A this morning, collecting money for the fire company. Jesse Babcock, left, and Brad Driesel worked together on Route 98, just south of 31A. Babcock said the funds will help firefighters upgrade their equipment. “Every little bit helps,” Babcock said.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Haylee Wright, 2, of Lyndonville fills a basket with Easter eggs. Her mother Barb Wright joined her on the egg hunt.
About 200 children went hunting for Easter eggs on Saturday on the Courthouse lawn in Albion. The event included a visit from the Easter Bunny, a story hour, a coloring contest and other games inside the First Presbyterian Church. The event was organized by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, Albion Main Street Alliance and the Presbyterian Church with sponsorship from Digital Ink Arts, Della’s Chocolates, Oliver’s Candies and the Salvation Army.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Andrew Niederhofer, left, and Jerry Bentley were part of a 10-person team that cooked 416 chickens on March 24 for the 8th annual Palm Sunday Chicken Barbecue. The event at St. Mary’s Athletic Club in Albion is organized by the Knights of Columbus with the proceeds benefitting Boy Scouts in Troop 164.
Photos by Tom Rivers
About two dozen Scouts in Pack 164 in Albion competed in the annual Pinewood Derby on March 16 at St. Joseph’s Lyceum. Sawyer Braley took third, Austin Narburgh placed second and Pom Seibert won the event.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Emilie Barleben and members of the Albion Middle School Jazz Band perform March 16 during the 35th Jazz Band Dinner Dance in the Albion High School gymnasium. This year’s theme: “S for Swing,” with music in a 1940s USO-style. Nate Smith plays the drums for the Middle School Jazz Band.
Photos by Tom Rivers
About two dozen Scouts in Pack 164 in Albion competed in the annual Pinewood Derby on March 16 at St. Joseph’s Lyceum. (Left to right) Sawyer Braley took third, Austin Narburgh placed second and Pom Seibert won the event.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Marguerite Dixon of Albion looks forward to St. Patrick’s Day every year. She loves to dress in green for the holiday. On March 17, she sprayed her hair green, wore about 50 buttons celebrating the day, and was decked out in green, including for her purse and shoes. She is pictured with her husband Ralph at Flyway Farms in Medina, where they visited a maple farm owned by Terry Laubisch.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Albion Middle School students performed “Schoolhouse Rock LIVE” on March 8-9. The show is based on Saturday morning cartoons that taught a generation about civics, grammar, science and history.
The leader of a three-county tobacco prevention program asked Albion town officials to reinstate a no-smoking policy on town property.
The town follows a state law, banning smoking inside a public building, but Albion allows it outside on town property and inside highway vehicles.
Kevin Keenan, program coordinator of Smoke Free NOW, addressed the Town Board on March 11, asking the town officials “to send a strong message to the community about community health.”
Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk said a no-smoking policy would be unenforceable because of all the people who attend court on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We can’t control court people,” Stirk told Keenan. “You’re going to have people smoking in the parking lot.”
Councilman Tim Neilans made a motion for the board to reverse a decision from last year. Neilans said smoking should be banned on all town property, including highway trucks.
Highway Superintendent Jed Standish objected, saying he would be targeted with that policy.
“You’re isolating me from everybody else,” he said. “You’re remodifying it to me.”
But Neilans persisted, saying the truck is town property and Standish could have passengers who would be subjected to the smoke.
Standish said he always drives by himself. Kennan interjected that many towns have banned smoking inside municipal-owned vehicles because employees change over time. Kennan’s group works in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties and is funded by the state Department of Health.
Smoke Free would pay for no-smoking signs on town property, and Keenan said the group could have staff at court, offering smoking cessation programs.
“Seventy percent of smokers want to quit,” he said.
Keenan and his organization were called “the tobacco Nazis” by resident Jake Walters.
The board could pass a policy that allowed people to smoke in their personal vehicles, while banning smoking in public places, Keenan suggested. Neilans said that would be acceptable to him, but he was adamant there shouldn’t be smoking in town trucks.
Councilman Dan Poprawski said he supported a smoking ban, but not in the town truck. However, when it was time to vote on the resolution, banning smoking in the trucks and all town property, Poprawski, Neilans and Passarell all voted in favor of it.
With the three votes in place, Stirk said the issue should be tabled a month so it could be studied more.
Neilans and Passarell said the resolution shouldn’t be tabled when it already had three votes. But town attorney Robert Roberson said a tabled motion takes precedence.
Resident Gary Katsanis suggested Passarell and Councilman Jake Olles meet before the next meeting to draft the language for the policy, which board members agreed would be helpful.
“You need to write up a resolution so you know what you’re voting on,” Katsanis said.
Albion Town Board members may be against a controversial new state law about gun control, but the board has decided not to come out formally opposed to the legislation approved in January.
Many upstate New York counties, including Orleans, have gone on the record opposing provisions of the SAFE Act and the lack of public input in the legislation.
While most counties have passed resolutions against the law, few towns have done so, said Councilman Matt Passarell.
“It’s a county-and-above issue,” he said during the March 11 Town Board meeting. “It’s more symbolism than substance.”
Town Councilman Jake Olles agreed the resolutions from the counties and towns are “more symbolic.” But he said the state should hear from the local governments that the SAFE Act “infringes on our rights.”
The legislation has been criticized for being open to interpretation, for requiring seven-magazine rounds when few currently exist in New York, for requiring documentation of all ammunition sales in the state – “a significant unfunded mandate on business.”
Olles said the state already had tough gun control laws. “We don’t need new ones.”
Resident Dawn Allen urged the board to formally oppose the legislation.
“It makes a huge statement if every layer of government opposes it,” she said. “The more governments that adopt it, it makes a statement to New York State.”
Olles and Councilman Daniel Poprawski voted to oppose the legislation, while Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk voted against opposing the SAFE Act. Passarell and Councilman Tim Neilans abstained from voting.
ALBION – The Town Board said it will spend up to $1,000 for flowers in downtown Albion and other spots in the village.
The board made the decision March 11 at Town Councilman Matt Passarell’s suggestion. The board in February discussed contributing $10,000 to the American Wind Symphony’s three-day visit to Albion in mid-June. But village officials have decided against hosting the symphony, citing the $20,000 cost, and short notice in finding host families for 45 musicians and working out other logistical issues.
Passarell said some of that $10,000 should be directed to the Albion Main Street Alliance, which has been soliciting funding for the flower project. The town gave AMSA $10,000 annually the previous three years, but ended its contribution in 2013.
Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk supported the $1,000 for flowers. He told the flower committee, headed by Lisa Stratton, to send vouchers to the town hall.
“Submit a bill for up to $1,000 and we’ll cut you a check,” he said.
Town Councilman Jake Olles suggested flowers be expanded outside the downtown district. But Katelin Olson, AMSA director, wanted to check with the village Department of Public Works first. She didn’t want to commit the DPW to watering the flowers without village officials’ permission. The DPW waters most of the downtown flowers.
Press Release: Scott D. Hess, Sheriff
An Albion woman is dead following a one-car crash late yesterday afternoon, March 5, in the Town of Barre.
The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 P.M., in the 14300 block of Maple Street, just west of Oak Orchard Road (State Route 98). Jacqueline A. Dingle (Age 60 & sole occupant), was operating a 2006 Chevrolet sedan & travelling west on Maple Street, when her vehicle crossed the center line, ran off the south side of the roadway, and sheared off a fire hydrant.
Dingle was transported to Medina Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at approx. 6:30 P.M. It is believed that the accident was precipitated by some type of medical issue.
The incident was investigated by Deputy T.N. Tooley, assisted by Lieutenant R.E. Perry.
The investigation now shifts to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.
