ALBION – On May 23, 2013 at 1:24 p.m., the Albion Police Department was dispatched to the Crimson Heights Apartment complex on Crimson Drive for a reported suicidal person armed with a firearm.
First arriving police units learned that an adult male had left the residence following a domestic dispute and that he was armed with a firearm. Police personnel were advised that the male had made phone contact with the Albion High School prior to their arrival in an attempt to speak with this child enrolled at the School.
As a precaution the Albion Central School District was notified of the incident and police personnel were placed at school campus entrances. The school then made the decision to place the school in Lock Down. The School District was given constant updates as the situation unfolded.
Police personnel were able to speak with the individual via cell phone which resulted in him surrendering to the police. Upon the individual being taken into custody, the Albion Central School District was notified and the school resumed normal school operations.
At no time did the individual make an attempt to travel to the school and he was not near the school when he was taken into custody.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2013 at 3:30 pm
ALBION – Albion Central School was in lockdown this afternoon when a parent in a domestic dispute called to report a possible threat.
The school was told the parent of a student might arrive on campus with a gun. That prompted the schools to lock all doors at about 1:35 p.m. The lockdown was lifted at about 2:15 p.m. when police had the suspect in custody off-site.
Police officers were quickly on scene after the initial call to secure the perimeter of the campus, said Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent. Village police, state troopers and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department all assisted the school.
“Our law enforcement people were here immediately,” Bonnewell said. “The response was incredible.”
The school hasn’t cancelled after-school activities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Bill Robinson and members of the Albion Lions Club are selling geraniums today until they’re all sold out. They are set up on Route 31 in front of Mark’s Pizzeria. Robinson found some shade on an 80-degree day. When he wasn’t pushing product, he was reading a book.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Virginia Nicholson, long-time Medina BOE member, not re-elected
Photo by Tom Rivers – David Bertsch of Carlton casts a ballot in the new optical scan voting machines, which were used for the first time today by the school district. Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent of business, was on hand to help people use the machine.
ALBION – School district residents gave strong support for Medina and Albion school budgets today.
Albion’s $33.3 million budget today passed 294-79. The budget includes a 1.5 percent tax increase and will cut five positions.
Residents also supported a school bus reserve proposition that would create a reserve for buses not to exceed $4,821,000. That passed 305-69. The district plans to take $440,000 from the reserve to go towards new buses.
A proposition to collect $654,000 for Hoag Library was approved, 264-109.
Residents also returned Margy Brown, the BOE president, to a second five-year term. She received 338 votes. Resident Linda Weller also was elected to her first five-year on the BOE with 257 votes.
“I have really enjoyed the opportunity,” Brown said about serving on the BOE. “I enjoy keeping it about the kids and not agendas.”
The district will need to adjust to new teacher and principal evaluations, increased “Common Core” standards, and new nutritional requirements in school lunches. And Albion will need to do so without straining local taxpayers, Brown said.
“There will be the challenge of keeping the district financially stable while still providing opportunities,” she said.
Medina’s $33.8 million budget also gained strong support with 577 in favor and 148 opposed. The budget won’t raise school taxes and will restore some staff and modified sports.
Residents also approved, 552-170, a proposition to spend $200,000 to purchase one 66-passenger bus and two 30-passenger buses. Another proposition to establish a capital reserve account for up to $2.5 million was approved, 572-137.
There was a five-way race for four seats on the BOE. Long-time incumbent Virginia Nicholson was not re-elected. Residents re-elected Wendi Pencille and John McCarthy to three-year terms, while newcomer Lori Draper also was elected to a three-year term.
David Sevinski was the fourth-leading candidate and will receive a one-year term.
Albion and Medina both ended voting at 8 p.m. I’ll check back on the other districts after polls close at 9 p.m.
Press release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni III
ALBION – Village police will be stepping up its efforts to enforce seat belt use beginning today until June 2 as part of a state-wide initiative.
The Albion Police Department is using a $779 state grant from the state Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to have extra officers on duty during the next two weeks. Officers will be doing road checks and patrolling throughout the village to enforce seatbelt compliance.
The leading causes of fatalities in motor vehicle accidents continues to be speeding, not wearing seat belts and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, said Police Chief Roland Nenni III.
“The safety of our streets continues to be one of the number one goals of the Albion Police Department,” he said. “We will continue to strive to make our community safe.”
The Police Department for the past two years has won the Automobile Association of America’s Community Traffic Safety Platinum Award.
“This award shows the commitment and dedication the officers of the Albion Police Department have for the safety of our motorists and pedestrians,” Nenni said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Aaron Kirby, 2009 graduate and PhD student in physics, gives keynote address
Photos by Tom Rivers – Aaron Kirby, a 2009 Albion graduate, addresses Albion honor graduates during the Academic Honors Convocation Dinner tonight at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
Faith Bentley is congratulated by Albion High School Principal Leslie Stauss and Superintendent of Schools Michael Bonnewell during a dinner for honor grads.
ALBION – While growing up in Albion, 22-year-old Aaron Kirby said he learned life is often what you make of it.
He was a top student in the classroom, and was active in the music and sports programs. He was an Eagle Scout who enjoyed time on the farm. His parents, Dennis and Wendy Kirby, sponsored two families from war-torn Kosovo, families that moved to Albion.
“There’s tons of stuff going on in Albion,” Kirby told Albion honor graduates tonight. “You just have to find it.”
Kirby was picked as the keynote speaker for the 38 students with cumulative grade point averages at 90 percent or higher. He graduated May 12 from the University at Buffalo with a mathematics and physics major. He is now a doctoral student at UB in physics.
Kirby heaped praise on his upbringing and the opportunities at Albion.
Aaron Kirby, a doctoral student in physics at the University at Buffalo, urged Albion graduates to have confidence and take the important first step.
“Albion has given me the tools and allowed me to have exceptionally varied experiences,” he told more than 200 people at the Academic Honors Convocation Dinner at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
Kirby has recently taken up rock climbing, a sport that requires patience, efficiency and passion. It also demands confidence.
“You have to take the first step,” he said.
He urged graduates to strike the right balance of confidence. Too little is fear and too much is arrogance.
Board of Education members took turns at the podium with Kevin Doherty closing the two-hour event.
“Albion has tried to help you to be the very highest you,” Doherty told the honor grads. “Be the highest and best you.”
Thirty-eight students who will graduate with cumulative grade point averages at 90 percent or higher are pictured for a group photo.
The honor grads include: Kyle Appleman, Brooke Bensley, Faith Bentley, Carly Burris, Ryan Castrechino, Samantha Covis, Brandon Doyle, Erika Edwards, Rebecca Flanagan, Alissa Francis, William Grimble, Trevor Hadick, Jackson Hamilton, Hannah Hapeman, Xiao Mei He, Brandon Hennekey, Samantha Johnson, Joyce LaLonde, Julia Lawrence, Kirsten Liddle, Sili Lin, Dustin Lockwood, Mary Martin, Cady Messmer, Tanisha Moyer, Tyler Neilans, Alison O’Hearn, Sarah Papponetti, Michael Patterson, Alan Quintana Aragon, Christopher Reed, Alessaundra Rivera, Roland Sanford, Gretta Smith, Taylor Soule, Tiffany Standish, Abigail Thaine and Jacob Tynan.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Pullman Memorial and Presbyterian also featured on Sunday
Photos by Tom Rivers – The pipe organ inside the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church includes gold leaf stencils.
ALBION – Two historic churches in Albion are part of a state-wide “Sacred Sites” tour this weekend.
The First Presbyterian Church and Pullman Memorial Universalist Church were open today from noon to 3 p.m. and will be open for tours during the same time on Sunday.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy coordinated the third annual “Sacred Sites” tour in New York. The event aims to raise public appreciation for the churches as community treasures with stained-glass windows, pipe organs, ornately carved pews, decorative paintings and murals.
I stopped by the Pullman building today and will feature the church in an upcoming “Sandstone Heritage.” The church was built in 1894 from local Medina sandstone. It has 41 stained-glass windows from the famed Tiffany stained-glass windows including “Christ the Consoler,” which looks like a three-dimensional image of Jesus with outstretched arms.
Today I was most interested in the Johnson pipe organ, which was decorated in gold leaf stencils by the Tiffany company. It is a striking work of art, and I didn’t even get to hear it play today. I couldn’t stay long and a woman from Buffalo was on the tour. I didn’t want to be a distraction.
The First Presbyterian Church spent $300,000 on an interior restoration in 2008, a project that included repairs to the rose window. The church also removed tiles and restored the original plaster ceiling.
The Presbyterian Church is full of shock and awe. From the outside, the church built in 1874, reaches 175 feet high. It’s impressive, but the inside may be even more dramatic.
The congregation spent $300,000 five years ago in a sanctuary restoration that removed ceiling tiles to showcase the original ceiling. The dominant stained-glass rose window also was repaired in the extensive interior project.
The two churches have committed to being open on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon from May 22 until the end of summer. The churches want to be available for canal visitors and community members who want to stop in to pray and tour the sites.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Gary Withey, owner of Fischer’s Newsroom on North Main Street, waits on customer Larry Harvey this morning at the North Main Street business.
ALBION A downtown Albion merchant admitted to stealing from a fellow business owner in court on Wednesday.
Denise VanWagner, 60, of Medina pleaded guilty to attempted petty larceny. She will be sentenced in County Court on Sept. 10.
VanWagner will pay partial restitution to Fischer’s Newsroom, where police say she stole $28,303. VanWagner, owner of the Place To Go consignment shop, would go to Fischer’s and watch the store while owner Gary Withey took a bathroom break.
Withey became suspicious about the theft and marked $20 bills that VanWagner then allegedly stole. One time he hid behind a door and witnessed her taking the money. He then called the Albion police.
In March, VanWagner was arraigned on charges of third-degree grand larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The plea on Wednesday means the case is resolved and won’t go to trial.
“Are we happy? Yes and no,” Withey said this morning. “We’re happy she finally pleaded guilty. And we avoided a trial which saved the taxpayers a lot of money.”
Withey and his wife Denise had the business for sale until taking it off the market about a month ago. Once the theft was stopped, Withey said Fischer’s proved to be a healthy business.
“We’re solvent again, and we’re no longer for sale,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Williams, a member of the Elks Lodge in Albion, opposes a plan to turn a daycare next door into 10 efficiency units.
This former childcare center is eyed for 10 apartments.
ALBION – A proposal to turn a former child care center at the end of West State Street into 10 apartments has riled neighbors, including the Elks Lodge, which is next door to the former Agri-Business Child Development site.
“It’s not a good thing,” John Williams, a member of the Elks, told the Village Planning Board. “You could have sex offenders in there and ex cons. It’s no good.”
Williams and other neighbors said the site, if turned into 10 apartments, would bring down the property values in the neighborhood.
Linda Smith of Albion wants to buy the site from the state and turn it into 10 “efficiency units” that would be about 550 square feet each with their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. She said she does criminal background checks on all applicants for her apartments.
“If I think they are a danger, I can refuse them,” she said about applicants.
The efficiency units wouldn’t be a “flop house” or boarding house, and residents would stay for at least a month. Smith said the project would improve a building that has sat empty for at least three years and would return the site to the tax rolls.
“I take pride in them,” she said about the properties she owns in Albion. “I keep them up. I try to put good people in them.”
The building is in a residential neighborhood. Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said it’s highly unlikely the building would be converted into one- or two-unit housing.
He wrote a proposal for adaptive reuse overlay districts that would target buildings older than 1996 that are vacant with more than 5,000 square feet of space. The zoning would provide some flexibility for reusing the properties, but also provides conditions for the Planning Board to consider the project’s impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Planning Board Chairman Dan Gleason said there are many vacant or underutilized sites in the village that need creative solutions. The Planning Board and Village Board would need to adopt the adaptive reuse zoning for the building before Smith could proceed. The Orleans County Planning Board also would need to weigh in on the proposal.
Several neighbors said they didn’t want a 10-unit site in their neighborhood. Matt Passarell, a member of Town Board, said the proposal is contrary to the recently approved Albion comprehensive plan, where community members they wanted less rental properties in the village.
“We established a vision in our comprehensive plan and we should stick to it,” Passarell said.
Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti is looking for creative ways to reuse vacant buildings that are bigger than 5,000 square feet. He has proposed an adaptive reuse overlay district for those properties.
His parents, Jim and Barbara Passarell, both addressed the board and said the West State Street neighborhood has sharply declined in their 30 years on the street. Mrs. Passarell said the street has turned into “a slum.”
She also told Vendetti he should be neutral in enforcing codes, not working to create new zoning.
Vendetti said he was asked by the Village Board to draft a proposal for reusing some of the larger vacant buildings in the village that don’t lend themselves a one- or two-unit housing.
“It’s a hard thing to figure out,” Vendetti said about the properties.
The village’s tax assessed value has been shrinking in recent years. Gleason, the Planning Board chairman, said the village would benefit if sites were reused, rather than sitting vacant or being torn down. He said the board wouldn’t make a decision soon on the adaptive reuse zoning or on Smith’s project.
“It gives you an idea of what we’re up against,” Gleason said. “If you look around Albion, there’s a lot of empty buildings. We’re looking for ways to reuse some of those buildings and increase our tax base.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley has recommitted to keeping Albion as his district office, even though the redistricting process shifted the center of his district to Elba.
The 139th Assembly District was changed about a year ago during redistricting, with the boundaries moved south to include all of Genesee County. The new lines make northern Genesee the geographic center of the district.
Hawley’s district used to include all of Orleans, but Shelby was removed, as well as the town of Somerset. He picked up the southern border of Genesee, which previously wasn’t in the district. The 139th also includes four Monroe towns: Hamlin, Clarkson, Sweden and Riga.
Hawley’s predecessor, Charles Nesbitt, picked Albion as the district office in 2002, moving it to his hometown after the office was based in Brockport.
Hawley, who has served in the Assembly since 2006, isn’t going to pull up stakes from Albion.
“It’s accessible,” he said about his office at the Albion Visitors’ Center, 121 North Main Street. “It’s right in the center of Orleans County. People are familiar with it.”
The village owns the site at 121 North Main St. The Village Board requested a 2 percent increase in Hawley’s lease, which includes utilities. Hawley’s office paid $14,832 this past year for the space. The Assembly’s majority conference will decide if the increase is approved. Hawley said he supports paying a little more for the space.
“I don’t think that’s outlandish at all,” he said.
The Albion building also gives him access to a conference room and he said there is plenty of parking close by.
Hawley has stepped up outreach efforts with residents in Genesee and Monroe counties. His staff has office hours every Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Genesee Community College in Room T123 of the Conable Technology Building. His staff also will be available on Wednesdays at Brockport State College.
Hawley said he will meet with residents personally throughout the district if they schedule an appointment by contacting hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling the district office at 585-589-5780.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion farm will give profits from district land to ag program
ALBION – Panek Farms will soon start planting a crop on 63 acres of land owned by Albion Central School.
But before the seeds are planted, the farm will meet with students in Albion’s agricultural program to explain its reasoning for planting the crop. Panek will include students in growing, harvesting and selling the crop as well.
The farm on Monday was picked by the Board of Education for a two-year lease on the land the district acquired from Pete Dragan about a decade ago. With that deal, Dragan had use of the land until he died.
Dragan, a long-time local corn and soybean grower, died last Aug. 7 at age 96. The farm has completed the last cycle of a Dragan crop. Dragan Farms submitted a bid to continue using the land. It offered to work with the students and share some of the profits.
But the district asked that all the proceeds, after the farm’s expenses were paid, be turned over to the school district to support the ag program. Five farms were sent proposals, and only two returned with a bid. Only Panek Farms agreed to essentially work the land for free.
“It’s exciting,” Margy Brown, the Board of Education president, said tonight after the board accepted Panek’s offer. “I know it’s outside the box, but it’s a very exciting addition to what we offer the students.”
Michael Bonnewell, the district superintendent, will consult with the farm on how the donation will be used to benefit the school’s ag program.
Bonnewell and Shawn Liddle, the district assistant superintendent for business, both praised Panek and Dragan Farms for their generous proposals.
“It shows the strong level of support for agriculture in our community,” Liddle said.
The lease includes a $70 per acre annual payment to the district or $4,410. That will be factored into Panek’s operating costs for using the land. The agreement gives Panek a two-year lease for the land plus a chance to extend the lease in one-year increments for three additional years if both parties agree.
Panek’s profits on the land will reviewed in profit-loss statements by Albion ag students. The profitability will then be reported to the district clerk. Net losses for farming the land are solely the risk of Panek Farms, according to the agreement with the district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION — Neil Johnson, a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Albion, volunteers with his wife Joanne in putting the messages on the church sign on Main Street. For the past week, the church urged the community to honor mothers. Johnson was getting ready for a new message for the sign at around noon today. Next up: “Things are happening at this church.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2013 at 12:00 am
8 teams start season in Albion Midget League
Photos by Tom Rivers – Shawn Whittier throws out the ceremonial first pitch to start the Albion Midget League season.
Shawn’s brother Taylor smiles after catching the first pitch.
ALBION – More than 100 players on 8 teams kicked off the Albion Midget League season today with a ceremony at the Albion Midget League field behind the Town Hall on Clarendon Road.
Shawn Whittier, son of the late Carlton Clippers coach Scott Whittier, threw out of ceremonial first pitch to start the season. His brother Taylor served as catcher. The Carlton team on Thursday dedicated a new backstop in honor of Whittier, who was a player on the team as a kid and coached the Clippers for eight years.
Coaches and players from the eight teams passed the microphone and introduced themselves with the Actives, last season’s champion, getting the first chance to use the microphone.
Caleb Hyde, a member of the Actives, introduces himself during opening day ceremonies.
Greg Bennett, an assistant coach for the Rotary Lions, holds the microphone while player Jason Dash says his name to the crowd.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion mayor: ‘We’re not going to stop having parades’
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Albion marching band performs during a Memorial Day parade last year along Route 98.
ALBION – More police officers, more flag men, more barricaded side streets. That’s what Albion and other communities may face if the want to continue having parades during Memorial Day and for other community celebrations.
“They put out these requirements and it puts the dollars on us,” Roland Nenni, the Albion police chief, told the Village Board.
The state Department of Transportation wants detailed plans from communities at least a month in advance of a parade on a state road. The DOT says the municipality will either have to post a detour when there is a parade or have police officers, peace officers and certified flag men at strategic locations along the parade route.
In Orleans County, auxiliary police officers technically aren’t peace officers and can not be used to meet the DOT requirements, Nenni said. And the fire police from the Fire Department also aren’t technically peace officers or certified flag men.
Albion wants to limit the number of police officers and Department of Public Works employees for traffic control because of over-time costs. Those employees likely would be busy with other tasks anyway, especially during the Strawberry Festival.
“We’re not going to stop having parades, and we’re not going to spend a small fortune for having parades, I mean come on,” Mayor Dean Theodorakos said.
Nenni believes there is way to use fire police for traffic control during a parade. If they are on the route to provide emergency egress for fire trucks, Nenni thinks they could also direct traffic and appease DOT’s requirements. The village could also sent up pylons at some intersections to block off traffic.
“We’ll work to comply as cheaply as possible,” Nenni said.
Many communities have complained about the new requirements from the DOT, and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, said he is in “continuous contact” with the DOT, telling them to back off the onerous requirements.
“Our community has maintained many proud traditions throughout the generations, and holding parades to honor our veterans, fire departments and citizens is an integral part of our identity,” Hawley said. “The DOT’s plan seeks to bring all of that to an end. Meddling in a practice that we have conducted safely and successfully for countless decades is a glaring example of big government run amok.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Low-lying fog this morning gives Albion a mysterious feeling, especially along the Erie Canal, where this tugboat is pictured near the Ingersoll Street lift bridge. The spire at the First Baptist Church and the top of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on West Park Street are under a shroud of fog, but they remain visible landmarks.
