By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 May 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Village Board intends to resubmit a grant to upgrade Bullard Park. The village sought state funds last year for $430,000 worth of park improvements, including 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.
Mayor Dean Theodorakos on Wednesday said the Bullard upgrades are worth pursuing and would enhance the community. The board is considering paying J O’Connell and Associates of Clarence up to $3,500 to resubmit the grant with some changes. The firm told Theodorakos it has ideas to strengthen the application.
The village could also pay LaBella Associates of Rochester $1,000 to resubmit the grant from a year ago with few changes.
The state hasn’t set a deadline for when the applications are due. Last year the deadline was in early July with the grants announced in December.
Theodorakos said he wants to hear more from J O’Connell and Associates on how the village could improve the grant before committed money to the firm.
Village officials may also seek a grant to replace sanitary 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 said it would do the income surveys for $500 with Albion also paying the costs for mail.
The board may decide how it wants to proceed with the grants at its May 22 meeting.
Village officials are moving ahead with another project. The board approved paying Chatfield Engineers of Rochester $3,630 for work designing a parking lot on Main Street.
The board wants to expand an existing lot with about 20 spaces to a bigger lot with 40 spots. The lot is located between the Presbyterian Church and the former Sneezy’s Bowling Alley.
ALBION – An Albion woman was charged with welfare fraud and grand larceny on Wednesday following a two-month investigation by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, Department of Social Services Welfare Fraud Unit and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mary A. Cruz, 32, of 14870 East Lee Rd. allegedly received $46,934 in benefits she wasn’t entitled to for a day care from April 2010 to March 31, 2013, the task force reported.
She was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Judge Kevin Howard and committed to the county jail with bail set at $10,000 cash or $10,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Town Court at 9 a.m. on June 19.
The investigation also revealed that an alleged undocumented resident was living in the house. Rochel Carrillo-Ramos, 24, was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree. He was arraigned by Judge Howard and committed to jail with bail set at $5,000. He is also being held on a federal detainer for allegedly re-entering the country illegally after being deported.
As a result of the search warrant execution, the task force reported another man was hiding in a closet who was determined to be in the country without legal documents. Marvin Ramirez-Tomas, 22, was transported to the federal detention center in Batavia, where he is held on a federal retainer.
Police seized more than $1,600 in cash and numerous fraudulent documents during the raid, the task force reported. The investigation is ongoing and more charges and arrests are pending, the task force reported.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion girl is serving in role for Masonic Lodge in WNY
Photo by Tom Rivers – Samantha Hollenbeck, 13, of Albion is serving as beloved queen in Western New York for the Masonic Lodge. She is the youngest queen ever for Masonic Lodge in WNY.
ALBION – Samantha Hollenbeck, 13, of Albion will spend at least the next year as “beloved queen” of the Triangle program, the youth component of the Masonic Lodge. She is the youngest queen ever for a district that includes about 50 lodges in Western New York.
She could continue in the role after this year if a successor isn’t chosen. Local residents can expect to see her in parades and community events, touting the Masonic Lodge, and its youth programs for boys and girls. She also has made raising money for breast cancer awareness and research, her chosen charity for the year.
“I know people affected by it,” she said Tuesday at her home on Ingersoll Street.
The seventh-grader will be selling popcorn and flowers, washing cars and participating in “Relay for Life” events to raise money for breast cancer research.
She will travel the state in her role as beloved queen, attending Masonic lodges and their events.
Courtesy of Hollenbeck family – Samantha Hollenbeck was installed as beloved queen last month for the Triangle, the youth organization for girls in the Masonic Lodge. She is pictured with her parents, Brian and Dawn Hollenbeck.
Samantha, a cheerleader and member of the National Junior Honor Society, also will lead meetings of the Triangle group sponsored by the Lockport lodge. (Albion doesn’t have a Triangle program.) The group meets every other Saturday at the Akron lodge.
“She is well-grounded and mature for her age,” said her father Brian Hollenbeck, a Mason in Albion the past 12 years. He and his wife Dawn are supervisors for the Triangle.
Samantha joined the Triangle three years ago and established friendships with the other girls, while memorizing the different rituals that are part of the meetings.
She wants to see the group work hard for the community, and also have fun. This summer she is planning social events with the Triangle girls and the DeMolays, the boys youth program. They will play laser tag, go to the aquarium in Niagara Falls and the zoo.
Samantha said the youth groups typically take the summer off, but she wants them to stay connected in July and August.
The Hollenbecks are active members of the Masons. Mr. Hollenbeck first joined in Albion. His wife recently became a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic organization for women. The couple has 14 children.
Their son Matthew, 25, is a Mason in Albion. He is currently stationed in Seattle with the U.S. Army. Nicholas, 23, is a past leader of the DeMolays youth group, which is based in Albion. Andrew, 16, is currently in the DeMolays Charity Lodge.
Two of Samantha’s younger brothers – Thomas and Conner – will join the program next year.
“We’ve never forced any of our kids to do it,” Mr. Hollenbeck said. “They see the good we do and the fun we have and the friends we make. We’re trying to make a difference in the community and in ourselves.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Knights of Columbus members in Albion are pictured with Scouts and their leaders on Tuesday when the K of C presented $1,800 to the Scouting organization. Pictured, front row, from left: Rebecca Flanagan, president of Venturing Crew 164; Nicole DeCarlo, advisor of Venturing Crew; Aaliah Knickerbocker, a Webelo; Steve Karas, K of C grand knight; and Bob Ballard, deputy grand knight. In back: Carl Laubacher, past grand knight for the K of C; Justin Kirby, assistant Scoutmaster; Freeman Lattin, senior patrol leader for Troop 164; Rob Seymour, Cubmaster; and Matt Ballard, K of C member.
The Knights of Columbus in Albion shared its fund-raising success with three Scout groups and also the religious education program at Holy Family Parish. The Knights had an annual Palm Sunday chicken barbecue and raised $1,800 for Pack 164, Troop 164 and Venturing Crew 164. They each were given $600 from the K of C.
The Knights used other fundraisers to buy a 40-inch LED television with a Blu-Ray player for the religious education program at Holy Family Parish. The TV will be used during faith formation classes and youth group social events.
The Knights of Columbus purchased this TV with Blu-Ray player for the religious education program at Holy Family Parish. Pictured, from left: Carl Laubacher, past grand knight; Steve Karas, grand knight; Nancy Sedita, religious education director; Matt Ballard, K of C member; and Bob Ballard, deputy grand knight.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – East Bank Street in Albion will be closed off on Sundays this summer for a farmers’ market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ALBION – The village will close off East Bank Street between Main and Platt on Sundays for a new farmers’ market that will run the third week of June until October.
“The idea is to bring people downtown and to promote the community,” said Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer who will serve as the volunteer market manager.
The market would be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vendetti said a church and Phoenix Fitness are the only sites open on the street during that time.
He doesn’t see the new farmers’ market as a competitor with the one on Route 31 at the Save-A-Lot parking lot on Saturdays. He would like to model the downtown market after the one in Brockport.
However, he doesn’t want to charge the $250 vendor’s fee that Brockport bills farmers. Vendetti would like to have a much-lower fee to encourage participation from vendors.
He will send out letters soon to farmers to encourage them to sell produce from the downtown location that will be barricaded off for five hours on Sundays. The entire block may not be closed off, depending on how many vendors join the market.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Circulation has surged at Hoag Library in Albion since the new site opened in July.
ALBION – A new building with more space for books, meeting rooms and parking spaces resulted in a record-high for circulation for Albion’s public library.
Albion’s library actually closed for five weeks last year, during June and the first week of July, while the library collection and staff moved from the historic Swan Library site in the downtown to a new building on South Main Street. The combination of circulation at Swan and the new Hoag Library totaled 93,089 in 2012, up 20.9 percent from the 77,019 in 2011.
“Isn’t that an amazing jump?” said Susan Rudnicky, Hoag Library director. She provided the data during the annual meeting of the Swan Library Association on Monday.
This year the circulation is growing at a faster rate. It totaled 39,504 for the first four months of 2013, compared to 22,993 in the same period last year, a 71.8 percent jump. Rudnicky expects the library to break the 100,000-barrier in circulation for the first time this year.
“Clearly, we are exceeding our projections,” said Kevin Doherty, the library board president.
The new library increases the space from about 6,000 square feet at the Swan site to 14,600 at Hoag. The new building has eight wired computer terminals plus five laptops. Three meeting rooms are frequently in use.
The library also faces a rising budget as debt payments are due for the project. The library association took out a five-year $600,000 construction loan and borrowed $1.6 million to be paid back over 20 years for the project. The debt service payments will increase from $64,961 in 2012 to $141,000 this year. That is the main reason the library budget will increase from $658,908 to $678,978 in 2013.
The library has cut the staff from 13 to 12 employees, which resulted in a reduction in salaries and benefits from $366,873 to $330,608. The board also trimmed the budget for library materials from $85,396 to $72,000.
The association will see some debt service relief in the coming years once the five-year loan is paid off and the interest shrinks with the other loan as the principal owed is reduced.
“This is the worst we will have it,” Rudnicky said about the debt payments. “It will get better.”
Doherty noted the naming rights for the children’s library are still available for $75,000. That would provide immediate debt reduction for the library.
Albion Central School residents will vote May 21 for a proposition for the school district to collect $654,000 for the library. That covers the majority of the library budget. The $654,000 is up from $641,210 voters approved for the library last year. Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. in the elementary school conference room A.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Historic churches will showcase architecture May 18-19
Photos by Tom Rivers – The First Presbyterian Church in Albion completed a $300,000 renovation and restoration of its interior about five years ago, including work on the rose window.
The Pullman church includes this stained-glass window, an early work by the famed Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of “Christ the Consoler.”
ALBION – Historic churches around the state on May 18-19 will open their doors to showcase the architectural wonders inside the buildings.
Two Albion churches, First Presbyterian and Pullman Memorial Universalist, are participating in the third annual “Sacred Sites” tour in New York, an event aimed to raise public appreciation for the churches as community treasures with stained-glass windows, pipe organs, ornately carved pews, decorative paintings and murals.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy is spearheading the Sacred Sites tour. The organization has provided about $7 million in grants to churches in New York since 1986. The two Albion churches are among the recipients of Sacred Sites awards.
Both churches are eager to participate in the tours and will be open both days from noon to 3 p.m.
“We love showing off our building,” said Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman church at 10 East Park St.
The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church was built with Medina sandstone and includes 41 Tiffany stained-glass windows.
The church was built in 1894 with money from railroad manufacturer George Pullman, who grew up in Albion. The building is an excellent example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the NY Landmarks Conservancy stated. The church has 41 Tiffany stained-glass windows including one of “Christ the Consoler” that was featured in Tiffany brochures in 1898.
Richards believes the seven historic Albion churches have potential to draw more tourists to Albion. The community is unusual to have so many historic churches so close together on the Courthouse Square. They are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pullman and the Presbyterian Church have both committed to being open on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon on 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. The churches hope the other congregations in the Square will also open their doors and have docents available to lead tours.
The Presbyterian Church, with its 175-foot-high spire, is the tallest structure in Orleans County.
“Each church has something that is very special and should be shared,” said Martha Mitchell, an elder at the Presbyterian Church.
The church at 29 East State St. was built in 1874 and includes a 175-foot-high spire, the tallest structure in the county. Five years ago, the congregation completed a $300,000 restoration and renovation of its interior.
“We did a beautiful renovation that restores the church back to its Victorian décor,” Mitchell said. “We have a rich heritage with all of our nice windows and stories.”
Even the pews inside the First Presbyterian Church are works of art.
For more information about Sacred Sites, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Gertie Albano is pictured inside her shop, Gertie’s Groovy Garments, at 107 East Bank St., Albion.
ALBION – Gertie Albano knows about the financial pressure of trying to provide a teen-age daughter with the latest styles.
Albano said Orleans County parents may feel they need to pay big dollars for trendy clothes for their daughters while driving to malls near Rochester and Buffalo.
Albano has opened a new store that offers fashion at affordable prices. Gertie’s Groovy Garments has dresses, blouses, shirts, pants and other clothes for girls and younger women. Albano sells everything for $19.99 or less. Most items are $12.99.
“I’m sure there are parents who don’t want to drive to malls or put it on charge cards,” Albano said today at the store, 107 East Bank St.
She also sells prom dresses and jewelry, all for less than $20.
Albano, a Waterport resident, worked in local child care centers for several years. She bought fashionable clothes for her daughter through wholesalers. Albano had to buy the clothes in bundles of six. She gave one item to her daughter and then sold the other five at clothing parties. That went well enough to convince Albano to open her store on April 1.
“We don’t have enough variety in this town,” she said. “I like individuality.”
Gertie’s is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, contact Albano at 205-5236.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – There is an election in Albion today, although many people likely don’t realize it because it’s such a low-key campaign.
The community will pick a new member for the board of trustees for the Swan Library Association.
There are actually four seats open, but only one candidate, Terry Wilbert, agreed to be on the ballot. The other three openings will be left to the discretion of the 11-member board. The board could appoint members to fill the spots, or the positions could be left vacant until the next election in May 2014, said Kevin Doherty, board president.
Voting will be from noon to 7 p.m. today at Hoag Library, 134 South Main St. Voting is open to residents in the Albion school district. They will need proof of identity and residence.
The annual meeting, when the library reviews its proposed budget and circulation numbers, will begin at Hoag tonight at 7.
The board includes nine members who are elected by the public and two members who are appointed, one by the president of the Board of Education and one by the mayor of Albion. Doherty said the library board has talked about reducing the number of seats, which would require approval from library users in a public meeting.
Doherty and other board members believed all 11 members were needed when the community was working to not only run a public library, but to also build a new complex for the library. Now that the building project is complete, board members are open to reducing the size of the board.
“It’s been an item for conversation,” Doherty said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Boy Scouts from troops in Albion and West Barre this morning set 720 flags on the graves of veterans in Mount Albion Cemetery. Scouts work with the American Legion every May to make sure the graves receive flags.
Eight-year-old Devin Marchu, above, places a flag on the grave of William S. Lattin, a World War II veteran, while Anthony Freeman, 10, places flags for veterans in the Civil War section of the historic cemetery on Route 31.
Some of the state officers for FFA are silhouettes while watching a fireworks show at the Albion varsity football field tonight as part of the kickoff celebration for the 88th annual convention.
Jack Hill of Medina tries on a new FFA jacket tonight during opening ceremonies for the state FFA convention in Albion. Ashley Willits, the District 6 president, handed Jack his FFA coat. The state officers awarded 15 jackets to new members who have exhibited outstanding leadership. “With this jacket comes great responsibility to carry on the traditions of this organization,” FFA members were told. In the past 80 years, 6 million FFA members have worn the blue corduroy jackets.
After a two-hour kick-off ceremony inside the middle school auditorium in Albion, 1,100 FFA students filled the bleachers at the varsity football field to watch fireworks. The convention continues until Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2013 at 5:45 pm
ALBION – Albion police have charged a 20-year-old man formerly from Albion with endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly picked up a 12-year-old girl after school on Wednesday and took her to Buffalo overnight.
Jonathan Banks may face additional charges and an investigation is continuing, said Tom O’Hearn, a lieutenant with the Albion police. Banks was put in jail in lieu of $2,500 bail this afternoon.
He allegedly picked up Marina Zeppetella after middle school at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Video from the school showed her getting into a car. O’Hearn said police used On-Star and cellular phone tracking to help locate the car driven by Banks.
He dropped Marina off at a truck stop on Route 77, and state police picked her up around noon today.
Marina allegedly arranged for the ride after school by Banks, police said. Albion police issued a missing person alert for the girl at about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The alert was broadcast throughout Western New York. A motorist on the Thruway called the 911 to report seeing Marina near Route 77.
Marina wasn’t hurt and was dropped off at the truck stop at her request, O’Hearn said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A 12-year-old Albion girl reported missing on Wednesday has been found and is safe, Albion police said.
Marina L. Zeppetella was last seen on Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. before a missing persons reported was filed. State troopers pulled over a car suspected in the case on the Thruwaytoday and discovered Zeppetella as a passenger. The car was stopped between Batavia and Pembroke, WHAM is reporting.
Albion police say they will be issuing a news release about the case soon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2013 at 12:00 am
The tower, nestled in the southeast section of Mount Albion Cemetery, rises 68 feet from the hill it stands on. From the top, which can be reached by climbing the spiral staircase inside, visitors can admire Albion’s countryside and, on a clear day, see clear north to Lake Ontario.
ALBION – For 11 years after the Civil War, Orleans County residents fought to raise money for a memorial to 463 county residents who perished in the war.
Quarrymen cut the stone and hauled it to the heart of Mount Albion Cemetery. The community built a 68-foot-high tower, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, that has endured for nearly 140 years. An 84-step spiral staircase allows people to climb the tower, to enjoy a view above the trees.
The tower is a tremendous achievement, one of our most magnificent sandstone structures – and an overwhelming expression of grief.
The tower was built in stages. Several times, the community ran out of money for the immense project, County Historian Bill Lattin said.
But residents wouldn’t be denied a chance to pay their respects to the fallen. The monument was dedicated on July 4, 1876, the 100th anniversary of the country.
This tower isn’t merely decorative. It’s a memorial to 463 Orleans County residents who died in the Civil War.
I’ve been researching Civil War memorials on-line, and taking pictures of ones from other nearby communities. I want to be respectful and not criticize other memorials. In fact, I admire every one. But I think it’s clear that the Civil War memorial in Albion is one of the most unusual and perhaps most magnificent of them all, especially in a small town.
Many of the Civil War memorials include a plaque with a retired cannon from the war. Kendall has one at Beechwood Cemetery. Bergen has a Civil War memorial with a cannon mounted on a big stone block. The memorial includes the names of the soldiers from the community who died in the war.
Bergen mounted a cannon on a stone block as part of its memorial to Civil War soldiers at Mount Rest Cemetery.
There are a lot of obelisks as monuments. Batavia has a 36-foot-high obelisk with a bronze statue of a soldier in front. A lot of the memorials include statues. Some of them are on stone pedestals that are elevated 50 feet or more above ground. Warsaw in Wyoming County has one like that in the middle of a traffic circle. It’s impressive.
But the Mount Albion tower can be experienced, not just admired. Climb into the tower and you’ll see the names of the local dead carved on nine marble slabs that hang on the walls. Many of the last names, such as Davis and Root, remain in the community.
The Upton Monument in Batavia depicts a Civil War hero and Batavia native, Maj. Gen. Emory Upton. The monument, dedicated in 1919, includes a 36-foot-high obelisk and honors Civil War soldiers and other Genesee County veterans.
A grieving Orleans County didn’t pick the highest-ranked solider from the community and commission a bronze likeness of that solider, and then offer a general comment about how the memorial honors all who died in defense of the union.
In Orleans, every solider who gave his life is remembered. Rank didn’t give a solider a loftier position in the memorial. I think that’s a radical idea, and different from many of the Civil War memorials.
The Civil War memorial in Warsaw features a statue on a pedestal in the middle of Route 19. There are four cannons at the base of the monument.
The Albion tower is one of only two (I think) made of Medina sandstone. Brockport built a 52-foot-high tower in 1893. The tower has crumbled and today partially stands on Owens Road. Calls to save the tower have met with apathy.
Due to safety concerns, the tower in Albion was off limits in the early 1970s. A group of high school students attended a Village Board meeting when one trustee suggested the tower be torn down. The high schoolers were outraged and spearheaded a “Save a Tower” campaign that raised $30,000 to strengthen masonry joints and repair the staircase. The tower was rededicated on July 4, 1976, the country’s 200th anniversary.
The community raised $30,000 to repair the steps and masonry joints inside the tower in the 1970s.
“We saved something that is really important,” Lattin told me. “Out here in Western New York it is certainly one of the more outstanding monuments.”
Locally, we benefited from the close presence of so many sandstone quarries. That provided a superior building material for the memorial. And we had immigrant stonecutters who could shape the stone. They also loved their adopted country, and wanted to express their gratitude for the soldiers’ sacrifice “in defense of the union.”
Lattin said some communities spent more than Orleans County “with exotic memorials with statuary.”
Nine marble slabs bear the names of Orleans County residents who died in the Civil War.
But our tower shows what happens when regular people get together and give their best. A shared sacrifice resulted in a magnificent monument that should endure for decades to come.
I take visiting friends to the tower, and they are filled with awe when they reach the top. I’ve been asked to give tours of the cemetery recently, showing it off to Cornell graduate students last month and a Rotary exchange group from the Philippines last fall.
They act like tourists at Niagara Falls, especially at the top of the tower. They are overwhelmed, shocked by the achievement from 1876.
This group from the Philippines climbed the top of the tower in October.
We should promote the tower, include it as part of a community marketing plan with its likeness on gateway signs and tourism brochures. It could be the focus on a bigger “Civil War Trail” in Orleans County and perhaps Western New York. If we developed a “Sandstone Trail” with roadside markers of sandstone buildings and quarries in the county, the top of tower should be the iconic symbol for the signs.
The tower is absolutely incredible. No other Civil War tribute, at least locally, quite compares.
