Albion gallery opened five years ago on North Main Street

Photos by Tom Rivers – Susan Rudnicky, Kim Martillotta-Muscarella, Arthur Barnes, Michael O’Keefe, Suzanne Wells, Connie Mosher and Tony Barry.

A group of 17 artists in Orleans County are ready to debut new paintings and other artwork this Friday at a North Main Street gallery.

The Art Circle, a group that showcases its work at Marti’s On Main, will have an opening reception from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at 229 North Main St.

Kim Martillotta-Muscarella opened the gallery five years ago. She devotes seven rooms in her home to showcasing artists in the community.

“She’s the magnet that keeps us all in orbit,” said Connie Mosher, a painter who lives in Gaines.

Kim Martillotta-Muscarella is pictured in the stairwell of her art gallery, Marti’s on Main, in front of paintings by Judy Wenrich of horses on the wall.

The group includes photographers, sculptors, and painters in watercolors, oils and acrylics as well as artists who create collages.

The group gets together to paint and create artwork at least once monthly, and often weekly, during the year.

Tony Barry of Holley likes the energy in the Art Circle.

“I love the people and the group I’m associated with,” he said.

He has a few paintings in the gallery, including a scene from a maple farm.

Martillotta-Muscarella said the community has a lot of talented artists. She wants to promote them. She likes some of the artwork so much she often will buy it when a show is over.

“Kim is definitely a patron of the arts and our society needs more patrons,” said Michael O’Keefe, an artist and attorney from Medina.

The reception on Friday is open to the public.

Medina attorney Michael O’Keefe is pictured with a piece of his art work that will be part of an opening reception Friday at Marti’s on Main, 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

These flowering plums at Mount Albion Cemetery are in their blossoming glory at the historic cemetery on Route 31 in Albion. Cemetery workers are busy with other improvements at the site, including new wooden signs that will show the layout of the east and west sides of the cemetery. Kenneth Blank, a cemetery employee, carries stones that he added to a freshly poured foundation for the signs this morning.

Photo by Tom Rivers

Wendy Hill, an employee at JPMorgan Chase in Albion, peddles a copy of today’s Buffalo News special Kids Day edition this morning in front of Chase’s Albion site on East Avenue. Chase employees are selling the newspapers at several locations in Albion until 11 a.m. Proceeds from the newspaper sales go to Variety Kids of Buffalo and the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

ALBION – A movie poster, top left, for the new film, “42,” shows Pee Wee Reese, No. 1, with his arm around Jackie Robinson, No. 42. The movie focuses on Robinson’s 1947 season when he broke the Major League Baseball color barrier playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Two Albion twin brothers, Edward and Jackson Narburgh, watched the movie and were inspired by Robinson’s courage and skills on the field. The brothers also are seniors on Albion’s baseball team that is again competing for a league title.

Edward wears No. 42 while his brother has No. 1. At a recent game, their teammate Steven Stauss snapped a photo that looks strikingly similar to the movie poster.

Edward and Jackson’s mother, Leanne Serrato, has shared the photo on Facebook. She is sad the boys’ senior year is winding down, but happy to see the team doing so well this year. She said the photo reflects the bond they’ve formed on the field.

Photo by Tom Rivers

Arlande Fenelon, a native of Haiti studying hydroponic tomatoes in Albion, joins a multi-congregation church music festival this afternoon at the First Baptist Church. About 30 people sang together in the service directed by Katie Robinson, owner of Katherine’s School of Music in Albion and the organist at First Baptist Church.

ALBION Michelle Toenniessen said she needed closure. On Friday, she worked her last shift as a nurse at Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport, which is closing after six decades and laying off 200 employees.

She and Dawn Amico, another nurse at Lakeside, put a notice on Facebook they would be at the Crooked Door Tavern in Albion on Friday evening to reflect on Lakeside’s closing. Toenniessen thought maybe a dozen of her co-workers would show up.

About 100 Lakeside employees came with heavy hearts, including CEO Jim Cummings.

“It was very cathartic – We all needed it,” Toenniessen said. “It’s been very sad for the employees and community. Everybody tried so hard to keep it open.”

Toenniessen of Albion worked at Lakeside for 24 years. She loved her job.

“There’s a different atmosphere in a small community hospital,” she said. “I knew all of my co-workers by name and I knew most of my patients and their families. We had the opportunity to get very involved with our patients and to know them.”

Toenniessen and her co-workers were hopeful the hospital would stay open in a reduced form. Lakeside officials had sought permission from the state Department of Health to keep open the emergency room and five in-patient beds, which would have been a drop from 61 beds.

The organization also sought a $5 million life-line from the state, but the money was denied. On Monday, Lakeside officials announced the hospital would close on Friday.

“It was a big shock,” Toenniessen said.

Lakeside is the second small-town hospital she has worked at and watched close. She spent her first three years as a nurse at Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion.

Toenniessen has accepted a job at Beikirch Care Center nursing home, which is owned by Lakeside. The organization will decide soon whether it seek a buyer for that facility and an urgent care center in Spencerport. Toenniessen will work as a nurse on the rehab floor at Beikirch.

“It’s a big change, but I have a job and I’m thankful for that,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers

John Bennett, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, shows off the agency’s new community meeting room during a meeting with the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition earlier this week. GCASA spent about $850,000 to revamp the former Knights of Columbus hall at 249 East Ave., Albion. The agency added a 200-square-foot addition to the 8,800-square-foot building, and also put in a new parking lot.The community meeting room is in the former basement. Bennett said Behavioral Healthcare Magazine will feature the adaptive reuse project in an upcoming issue. He welcomed other organizations to use the room. “We want it to be a regional resource,” he said. There are 18 GCASA workers at the Albion site, offering preventive services and serving about 600 people in treatment each year.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The former Agri-Business Child Development is a vacant 5,000-square-foot structure on West State Street. Village officials are debating a plan to turn the site into 10 “efficiency units” that would each have their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

ALBION – It has sat vacant for at least three years and village officials question if a 5,000-square-foot former child care center would ever be used as a residential site for families, the building’s current zoning.

Agri-Business Child Development vacated the premises several years ago for a new building, “Grace’s Place,” in Holley at the Holley Business Park.

Albion resident Linda Smith has presented a plan for the Albion building at 448 West State St., next to the Elks Lodge. Smith would like to carve the building into 10 “efficiency units” that would each have their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

That would not be permitted under the site’s current residential zoning, which allows for single or multi-family housing.

“Ultimately, you’d like to see R-1, but what do you do with the property?” Mayor Dean Theodorakos asked Village Board members on Wednesday.

The village could create an overlay district allowing for an adaptive reuse of the site, said Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti. Smith would then have to apply for a special use permit for her project, and neighbors could weigh in during a public hearing.

“We have a property that isn’t occupiable,” Vendetti told the board on Wednesday. “What do you want to do with it?”

Village attorney John Gavenda said Smith’s plan has already worried neighbors, and prompted a potential homebuyer in the neighborhood to back out of a sale. He said the project is contrary to the recently approved Albion comprehensive plan that is against “high-density housing” in the village.

Trustee Kevin Sheehan said he has fielded phone calls from residents, including leaders of the Elks.

“There’s some concern in the area,” he said.

The village intends to send letters to neighbors on the street, informing them of the possible use for the building. The Planning Board is expected to discuss the zoning change and Smith’s proposal during its 7 p.m. meeting on May 15 at the Village Hall.

Smith has revised an earlier proposal for the site. She initially suggested turning it into a boarding house with 20 units. Residents would have shared bathrooms and kitchen space in that scenario.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Al and Andrew Cheverie

ALBION – Some of Andrew Cheverie’s earliest memories are taking a soapy sponge and wiping off the big tires on Albion fire trucks. He often joined his father, Al, in the fire hall.

Andrew, 16, has grown up as a part of the Albion Fire Department. Now, he is a cadet member, a step above the youth explorer program, but not quite a basic firefighter. He can do many of the firefighter duties, but isn’t allowed to go into a house on fire.

“It’s always been a lot of fun, even cleaning the fire trucks,” Andrew said about the fire department. “It’s definitely been exciting having grown up here and to now become a part of it.”

Andrew and Al Cheverie are one of many firefighting families in the department. Some families, such as the Sidaris, have been active volunteers for four or five generations.

Al Cheverie, an AFD volunteer for 23 years, enjoys working alongside his son as firefighters.

“You’re definitely doing something constructive together,” Al said.

Firefighters say the volunteer jobs consume a lot of time with training, work around the fire hall and responding to emergencies. Having family members in the department makes the time away from home more bearable.

Michael and Spencer Misiak

“It’s a camaraderie,” said Michael Misiak, an AFD firefighter the past 12 years. “It brings a father and son closer together.”

His son Spencer, 16, is president of the explorer post, which currently includes four people 14 and older. It’s run through the Boy Scouts of America.

“It’s fun, but it’s a commitment,” Spencer said.

The department started the explorer post in 1974. Tim Irwin was in that initial group. He spent four years as an explorer before become a full member 35 years ago. He now helps run the explorer program. His daughter Allyson, 15, is one of the explorers.

“I put her in a fire truck when she was 2,” Irwin said.

Tim and Allyson Irwin

Allyson has been a frequent presence in the fire hall she was a baby. As an explorer, she has joined firefighters on tasks in the community, including basement pumping. She is eager to gain more skills to help the department.

Bill Francis joined the AFD 26 years ago, following 10 years with the Wallace Fire Department in the Southern Tier, where his father was an assistant chief. His two sons – Will, 22, and Matt, 21 – are active firefighters in Albion.

“I’ve always wanted to be a fireman,” Matt said. “You want to help the community you grew up in.”

Matt works in Rochester as a collision technician. His brother works at CRFS in Albion and wants to be a police officer. Will says firefighting “is a family tradition.”

“I still get excited sitting in the front seat with the lights on, going out on a call,” he said.

Bill Francis is pictured with his sons Will, center, and Matt.

The department has 75 active firefighters, but could use more, especially for the day-time calls when many members have work commitments. Harry Papponetti, a past chief, said there are many roles to help the department, and not just fighting fires and providing EMS. Volunteers are needed for scene support and as drivers.

Papponetti has volunteered with the department for 43 years. Four of his sons have served with the AFD, including John, 38; Jimmy, 35; Scott, 33; and Steven, 20.

John remembers when he was a kid riding his bike up and down Platt Street, pretending he was in a fire truck. When John moved from Albion about a decade ago, he joined the Penfield Fire Company, where he is now a vice president.

“It’s in your blood,” he said about the fire service. “You can’t get away from it.”

The Papponetti family, from left: John, Jimmy, Harry and Steven. Scott is also a member of the AFD but is currently stationed with the military in Montana.

His brother Steven juggles a college course load with volunteerism in the fire department. On weekends, he often hangs out at the fire hall, where he said he enjoys the fellowship.

When Harry Papponetti joined the fire department 43 years ago, he said there were 350 firefighters in Albion. There were a lot of fires back then. These days the AFD responds more to motor vehicle accidents, automatic alarms, gas leaks and smoke and odor investigations. However, the department still battled 24 fires last year.

The department welcomes new members, and they don’t need a pedigree in the AFD. Jodi Genno is an example of a newcomer who sought out the department. She was living in Florida when she moved to Albion in 2004.

“I always wanted to be in the fire service and be an EMT,” she said.

In Fort Lauderdale, where she lived, the department was run by career firefighters.

Genno said the AFD has been welcoming. She helps lead the explorer post, where her son Austin, 14, is one of the four members. Austin enjoys shooting pool with the firefighters and helping around the fire hall.

“I want to make the real firefighters’ jobs easier,” he said.

Jodi Genno and her son Austin

The department will have an open house this Saturday from 10 to 3 p.m. Firefighters will do blood pressure checks, offer fire safety tips, and lead demonstrations on the Hurst tool and a fire extinguisher. The fire hall is on North Platt Street next to the canal.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Clarendon Street bridge in the village of Albion is scheduled to be replaced next year with 95 percent of the costs paid by the state and federal governments.

ALBION – After more than a decade of looking at alternatives for the Clarendon Street bridge, construction of the project is now imminent: next year.

State Department of Transportation officials updated the Albion community on the replacement project on Wednesday. The DOT and engineers at Bergmann Associates in Buffalo are working on the final design for the project.

The state was considering a new bridge that would have been higher than the existing one, which would have required longer approaches, but the new bridge will be the same height, easing some neighborhood disruption with the project. The Falls Road Railroad backed off wanting a higher bridge.

Some residents, including former Mayor Ed Salvatore, told the Village Board and DOT to just dead-end the bridge and not bother with a replacement at an estimated price of $1.8 million.

“This is an enormous cost to the village for a few trains,” he said during a public meeting about the project on Wednesday.

The village has to pay 5 percent of the project, or about $90,000. The state pays 15 percent and the federal government 80 percent. The federal money is already approved.

If the village opted against going forward with the replacement, Albion could be on the hook for the $200,000 that has already been spent on engineering and preliminary costs, plus the village would then have to pay the full share of demolishing the bridge at an estimated $200,000.

“The bottom line to me is it will cost the village more to take it down than to have a new one,” Trustee Pete Sidari told the bridge detractors.

The current bridge has “heavily deteriorated” beams, spalling concrete and other problems, said Kevin Miller, an engineer with Bergmann.

The DOT wants to replace the bridge with a smaller precast concrete structure that will improve sight lines and offer wider travel lanes, shoulders and sidewalks. The DOT and Bergmann looked at fixing the problems at the bridge, instead of doing a replacement, but Miller said that would be a short-term fix.

Salvatore and resident Joe Martillotta were both critical of the cost of the project, and said the village wouldn’t move forward with it if the federals and state governments weren’t shouldering the costs.

Mayor Dean Theodorakos fired back at Salvatore, saying the village needs to go after projects supported by outside grants and funding.

“Are we going to sit here and let things fall down?” Theodorakos said. “Is that what you want? Eventually the village will shut down because the people won’t want to spend money here.”

Clarendon Street can be heavily trafficked, especially during in the morning when school starts and in the afternoon when it lets out. Trustee Eileen Banker said closing Clarendon Street permanently would divert traffic to McKinstry Street, where a lot of students walk to school.

The DOT is working to acquire pieces of five properties between Crimson Drive and Childs Street. The state plans to accept bids for the bridge construction in March 2014. Construction should start the following April and the new bridge should open in November 2014.

Tax rate climbs from $16.37 to $16.86 per $1,000

ALBION – The Village Board approved a $6.3 million budget on Wednesday that will raise taxes 2.6 percent and will allow the village to upgrade some infrastructure.

“We’re still able to do some very nice public works projects with streets and drainage,” Mayor Dean Theordorakos said after the budget was approved tonight.

The board approved taking $300,000 from its reserve fund and pursuing a $100,000 bond to tackle some drainage and road maintenance projects. Trustee Fred Miller cast the lone negative vote for the budget. He didn’t like to see the village borrow for road work.

“You’re pulling out your credit card,” he said.

But the mayor said it’s not uncommon for the village to borrow to get some infrastructure projects done. The biggest project will be milling and repaving West State Street.

“We’re improving our infrastructure to make it more livable,” Theodorakos said.

The village may pursue a bigger state grant for sanitary sewer work on Crimson Drive and East State Street, or it may seek a grant for a sanitary sewer, water main, storm drain and road rebuild on a portion of East State Street.

The village’s overall budget – general, water and sewer funds – totals $6,272,510, which is down from the $6,538,637 in 2012-13. The village will levy $2,419,975 in taxes, which is a 2.6 percent increase or $60,371 more from the $2,359,604 collected in 2012-13.

The budget includes $10,000 for economic development. That money isn’t allocated for a specific project.  The board opted against designating the money for the Albion Main Street Alliance, as it did the previous four years, but Theodorakos said the money could go to the group once a contract is worked out.

The village tax rate will go up 3.0 percent or 49 cents per $1,000 of assessed property. It will increase from $16.37 to $16.86.

The village saw its overall assessed value drop $608,407 to $143.5 million. That is pushing the tax rate higher. The previous year the assessed was down $420,688 to $144.1 million. The tax rate went up 45 cents to $16.37 in 2012-13.

The village of Medina also is struggling with shrinking assessments and a rising tax rate.

Photos by Tom Rivers – A driver smashed the sandstone sign outside Mount Albion Cemetery last December. 

Village officials are trying to find a replacement that matches the historic flavor of Mount Albion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ALBION – Jason Zicari sensed something was amiss at Mount Albion Cemetery on Dec. 21. He and the staff at the historic cemetery were working on a burial.

Zicari noticed the large sandstone sign in front of the cemetery had been broken off. A chunk of the wrought-iron fence was also knocked out.

A driver late the previous night smashed into the sign and fence. It has been months of haggling with an insurance company since then.

“Everything is waiting on the insurance,” said Zicari, the cemetery foreman.

Zicari is determined to have the sign be made of sandstone and match the historic character of the cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He is still trying to find a sandstone piece that is smooth on both sides and about 5 feet by 7 feet.

Zicari has been scouting old sandstone pieces, including former sidewalk panels. But those sidewalk pieces tend to be smooth on the top side and rough on the bottom. And they are a little too small for the cemetery sign.

“We got to get lucky,” Zicari said about finding the right sandstone for the project. “We’re trying to find a match and put it up like it was.”

He also wants the letters to be carved to match the former sign, which was installed in 1985. The cemetery crew painted the letters of the sign black about six weeks before it was destroyed. The paint made the sign stand out more, Zicari said.

With the new sign, the village may include that Mount Albion is owned by the village of Albion.

The sign also will need a new foundation. Zicari said the section of the gate that is missing will be replaced with a combination of old and new metal.

He is hopeful the entire project will be done by July.

“We’ve had to start from scratch with the whole thing,” Zicari said.

ALBION – Albion Town Councilman Matt Passarell said he will run for town supervisor under the Republican Party line by seeking support from the rank-and-file party faithful, rather than relying on the party leaders.

The Albion Republican Committee last week opted against endorsing a candidate for town supervisor. The committee interviewed Passarell and Town Councilman Jake Olles, but decided against formally backing either one.

Passarell said he will pursue the petition process to secure the Republican line. He would need a minimum of 5 percent of the 1,375 registered Republicans in Albion to sign his petitions for town supervisor. That would be a minimum of 69 valid signatures.

“I will be a candidate,” Passarell said.

The state Board of Elections hasn’t established a deadline for those petitions to be due, but they typically need to be filed by mid-July.

Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk, a Democrat, isn’t seeking re-election. Passarell and Olles both are interested in the position.

The Republican committee welcomes other candidates to come forward to interview for the position leading the town government, said Dawn Allen, the GOP chairwoman. Albion has until May 16 to make an endorsement for someone to run under the party line in November.

If the committee bypasses Passarell and endorses someone else, he would set up a September primary if he submits petitions with enough signatures.

The committee did endorse two candidates for Town Board: Richard Remley, a former owner of a printing company in Albion, and Todd Sargent, a village of Albion Department of Public Works employee.