Albion

OTB returns to Albion as EZ-Bet

Photo by Tom Rivers: Brenda Richardson, the front end manager at Save-On Beverage Center and Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot, is pictured by a self-service machine for people to place bets on horse racing at the Save-On Beverage Center.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2016 at 3:43 pm

ALBION – A long-time Off-Track Betting parlor closed on Feb. 27 after about four decades in Albion.

The Albion area still had many dedicated horse-racing fans, but not enough to justify the expense of keeping a betting parlor in the small town, Western Regional Off-Track Betting officials said at the time.

However, OTB has partnered with a local business to bring back a betting site. It’s not an official OTB parlor, but the new EZ-Bet at Save-On Beverage Center gives racing fans a place to bet by using a self-service terminal.

OTB also installed four TV screens for customers to watch the action.

The EZ-Bet opened on Sept. 24 (last Saturday) at Save-On Beverage Center, 320 West Ave. There will be a grand opening on Oct. 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. with some prizes.

There were 72 OTB parlors about 30 years in the Western New York, but that has been pared down to 25. However, the EZ-Bets are a way for OTB to offer a betting option in person without high overhead costs. WROTB now has 28 EZ-Bets. The one at the Save-On site, just across the street from the former OTB location, is the first in Orleans County.

“It’s a way to get into smaller markets,” said Sean Schiano, director of branch operations for WROTB, which is based in Batavia. “We can’t have all of the brick and mortar locations. This is a way to be in small towns and smaller cities.”

Schiano said the sites give a boost to the host businesses. They give up a little bit of space, and get added foot traffic to their sites. Most of the EZ-Bets are at restaurants or bars. There are some in bowling alleys and convenience stores. Those businesses typically are open later than OTB parlors, which benefits many customers, Schiano said.

One customer at the EZ-Bet in Albion today said he is grateful for the local place to wager. He didn’t like having to drive to Batavia to bet since the OTB closed in Albion about seven months ago. Although OTBs have seen a drop in betting in recent years, the customer, who asked that his name not be used, said there are still many local OTB diehards who enjoy betting on the horses.

To see a list of OTB and EZ-Bet locations in WNY, click here.

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Albion 8th-graders use sewing skills to make pillows, ponchos for breast cancer patients

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2016 at 2:24 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Students in Kim Toombs’ Introduction to Technology and Careers class, including Alexa Grandy in yellow shirt, made 90 ponchos for breast cancer patients.

The eighth-graders at Albion Middle School also are working on 100 post-surgery pillows, and 50 smaller pillows. They will be delivered by the class of 22 students next Friday on a field trip to the Pluta Cancer Center through Strong Memorial Hospital, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital in Rochester.

Kim Toombs, right, gives pointers for making a poncho to student Leeanna Montanarella. Toombs is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in July 2014. After surgery, she completed chemotherapy and radiation in January 2015.

“This is a service-learning project where kids give to the community and not always be on the receiving end,” Toombs said.

It’s also a chance for the teacher to give back to the Pluta Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital, where she received care.

Annalise Steier works on one of the ponchos. Students in Toombs’ class last year made 70 ponchos. But this year the students have been fast learners and eager to work on the projects. That allowed Toombs to boost the number of ponchos to 90.

Maurice Taylor Jr. shows two of the pillows and Quinn McCue wears one of the ponchos made by the class.

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Waterline near Wal-Mart connects districts, provides backup for nursing home

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2016 at 6:51 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Town of Albion Highway Department is running a 160-foot-long 8-inch water main that will link Water District #6 with districts #2 and #3.

The town ran a waterline that connected with a 12-inch main that was a dead end on Route 31, just east of Gaines Basin Road. Water District #6 also stopped on the other side of Gaines Basin. The town spent three days with help from other municipalities to run an 8-inch water line, connecting the districts.

Albion had to cut across Gaines Basin and that section will be repaved to Route 31 next month, Town Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert said. (This photo was taken on Wednesday afternoon when the section of Gaines Basin Road near 31 was put back together and cleaned up.)

The waterline will also be tested and should be activated next week after tests from the Health Department.

The line provides a backup source of water for the nursing home and other users on Route 31 from near the village line heading west to near Wal-Mart.

Besides the Albion town crews, highway workers from Carlton and the Orleans County Highway Department assisted with the project.

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New sergeant for Albion police takes oath of office

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2016 at 7:07 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Brandon Annable, a new sergeant for the Albion Police Department, takes the office on Wednesday evening during the Albion Village Board meeting. Village Clerk Linda Babcock, left, administers the oath while Annable’s wife Tracy holds the Bible. Police Chief Roland Nenni is second from right and Lt. David Mogle is at right. Deputy Mayor Eileen Banker is in back.

Annable has worked for the Albion PD for five years as a patrolman. He started his career as a part-time officer in Middleport and Barker eight years ago and then worked for the Transit Police in Buffalo. He welcomed the chance to return to a village police force.

Brandon Annable said he enjoys working in a small town, compared to a bigger city.

“I wanted to work in a small town where you’re not just a number,” he said Wednesday after the swearing-in.

Annable has proven an asset to the Albion police, providing leadership and serving as one of the field training officers for younger officers who join the department, said Police Chief Roland Nenni.

Albion’s Police Department has become younger recently with several retirements of long-time officers. Nathaniel Staines, Guy Burke and Daryl Robb are all new hires, and the department has one more opening to fill.

The department has 13 officers when it’s at full strength. Annable said he likes that his promotion isn’t an administrative-only job. He will still be out doing patrols.

Nenni said the union for the police officers and Village Board recently amended the officers’ contract where they work 12-hour shifts. That has cut down on overtime while boosting their base pay.

“It’s had zero impact on the budget and it allows officers to have more time off,” Nenni said.

Sgt. Brandon Annable’s parents, Audrey and Ross, were part of the swearing-in. Annable’s mother pinned on the collar brass and his father pinned on his son’s badge.

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10 farmworkers taken to hospital after exposure to chemicals

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2016 at 8:51 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Workers at Kast Farms on Zig-Zag Road wait to be treated by medical personnel after they were exposed to an insecticide this afternoon at the farm.

Kast Farms had sprayed the chemical on a field, and some of the insecticide drifted over to an orchard where workers were picking apples.

Some of them complained of numbness and nauseous. The farm they called for medical attention at about 2:30 p.m.

Jeremy Graham, Albion’s deputy fire chief, was among the firefighters who responded to the call. He arrived to find two or three of the farmworkers vomiting.

Firefighters used soap and water to decontaminate the workers, who were transported by ambulance to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, and Rochester General and Strong Memorial in Rochester.

The workers changed out of their clothes into Tyvek suits so they wouldn’t bring clothes with chemicals to the hospital.

Graham said the protocol for hazardous materials calls for the workers to be observed in a hospital for 12 hours in case there are any late onset symptoms.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected at the scene on Thursday to remove water used in the decontamination of the workers.

Graham said Kast Farms managers and owners were at the scene and showed concern for the workers, calling for medical attention when there were signs of possible illness.

There were several first responders on scene, including three ambulances from Monroe Ambulance, two from Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance and one from Medina Fire Department.

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Man rebuilds life after being seriously injured when hit by a car a year ago

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2016 at 3:22 pm

Benefit for Chris Caldwell set for Sunday at Ridgeway Fire Hall

Photos by Tom Rivers: Chris Caldwell does a push-up on Tuesday. He works hard in physical therapy and doing daily exercises to regain strength and mobility. His left leg was amputated from just above the knee.

ALBION – Chris Caldwell greets people with a smile and a firm handshake. He is upbeat despite a painful path to recovery after being critically injured about a year ago.

Caldwell was hit by a car on Harrison Road in Shelby on Sept. 7, 2015. The vehicle may have been going 45 miles per hour. Caldwell, 38, was hit from behind while walking on the road. His head hit the windshield and his body went flying.

First responders weren’t optimistic he would survive after he was struck that day. He was flown by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center, where doctors also were grim in predicting Caldwell’s future.

His left leg was shattered and became infected. Doctors tried to save the leg but were forced to amputate it from below the knee on Sept. 25.

Caldwell, who had worked a decade as a heavy equipment operator for C.P. Ward in Rochester, was clinging for his life. He suffered a traumatic brain injury. His ribs on the left side were all broken. He had a collapsed lung. His left arm was also shattered, and he suffered other injuries, including fractured vertebrae.

His mother remembers seeing him the first time at ECMC, looking lifeless with tubes and bandages, and a worry permeating his hospital room.

She knelt by her son and told him to keep fighting, to stay alive for his two sons: Christopher, now 13; and Jackson, 9.

Caldwell’s eyes flickered open at his mother’s words. She prayed for him then, asking God for healing and for strength for the family in the days ahead.

Chris Caldwell is pictured with his mother, Ida Caldwell. She said it is a miracle her son survived and has recovered as much as he has.

Caldwell has rebounded, although he has a ways to go. He left the hospital on Dec.17, about 3 ½ months after the accident. He attends physical therapy three times a week in Brockport. He does daily stretches and exercises.

He remembers when he couldn’t hold a glass of water with his left hand. Now he can do push-ups.

“He’s so motivated to make progress,” said his mother, who works as a program coordinator for the advocacy program at The Arc of Orleans.

Caldwell fell twice on Monday. He was frustrated and he said it’s hard to get back up when he falls.

“It’s easier to walk standing up,” he said with a smile.

His recovery has been slowed by the brain injury. The blow to the head damaged the area of the brain that controls mobility. Caldwell is learning to walk all over again, with only one leg this time.

Caldwell grew up in Albion. He was living in his own home in Shelby when he was hit by Danielle Conrad, who was driving drunk on Sept. 7. She was sentenced in April to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison for vehicular assault.

In April, Caldwell suffered sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection.

In February he was denied Social Security short-term disability benefits because officials there believed he could recover in time to be working within a year, his mother said.

She is hopeful her son will continue to make progress. She is thankful for his recovery so far.

“God has carried us,” Ida Caldwell said. “He answered our prayers. He got us through it.”

Caldwell’s friends and family have planned a fund-raiser for this Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, 11392 Ridge Rd., Medina.

There will be a basket raffle, silent auction, music and food. The benefit will go towards Caldwell’s continued medical care.

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New business incubator opens at Arnold Gregory site in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2016 at 7:32 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

Local officials joined Ben DeGeorge of the DeGeorge Property Group on Friday for a ribbon-cutting and open house for the Orleans Business Center, a new business incubator at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex, a former hospital on South Main Street in Albion.

The following are pictured, from left: Jamaal Stevens, vice president of operations for DeGeorge; Ben DeGeorge; Donna Saskowski, executive director of The Arc of Orleans and Genesee ARC (a tenant at Arnold Gregory); State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Diane Blanchard, manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program in Orleans County; State Sen. Robert Ortt; and Michael Kracker, deputy chief of staff for Congressman Chris Collins.

DeGeorge bought the building from Ray Lissow in December 2014. DeGeorge said Lissow was creative in redeveloping the former hospital hospital, a 56,000-square-foot building that closed in the late 1980s.

The building is now home to 16 different tenants, including six that have moved to Arnold Gregory in the past year. The new incubator is in the suite that was used by Dr. John Thompson, a family physician who has moved out of the area.

The Orleans Business Center has 4,000 square feet. There are rooms for 10 to 12 units who can share a copier, signage, WiFi, a conference room and a gym.

Samantha Marchincin, left, is the first tenant in the Orleans Business Center. She is pictured with Diana Blanchard, manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program.

Marchincin took the 10-week small business training program run by MAP last spring. She has started a business, Muze, that offers social media services for musicians.

The 200 square feet of space in the incubator “is just perfect for me,” she said. She wanted a low-cost physical space for the business. If Muze grows, she said she would like for a bigger location.

That is the goal of the incubator, to offer professional space to a new business. DeGeorge and economic development officials hope the business will outgrow the incubator and settle into a storefront or bigger office space.

“This is an affordable business startup,” Blanchard said.

She is also using the Arnold Gregory for weekly classes for the MAP class after meeting in the Hoag Library in Albion. Arnold Gregory is more of a business setting and the MAP class has access to a bigger classroom space, with a bathroom and kitchenette, Blanchard said.

Some of the other tenants at Arnold Gregory include The Arc of Orleans Rainbow Preschool, Catholic Charities, Dr. Rumble (dentist), Lake Plains Medical (doctor’s office), Restore, Neil Lewis (chiropractor), Different Strokes Massage, utility company field office, Miracle Ear, Pathstone, Northpoint Chapel, Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans Counties, Keeler Construction, Venture Forth (home care agency) and New Direction Youth and Family Services.

The Arc also opened a coffee and snack shop in the the lobby by the main entrance last year. DeGeorge said about 275 people visit the building each day.

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Big turnout for Bruski memorial at St. Mary’s

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2016 at 4:47 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – It’s still early, but a big crowd has turned out for the spaghetti dinner and basket raffle to benefit a memorial scholarship in honor of Brandon Bruski. St. Mary’s Athletic Club on Moore Street is hosting the benefit.

Bruski, who was 18 when he was killed in a car accident about a decade ago. His mother, Bonnie Velez, has been awarding a $250 fine arts scholarship to a graduating senior the past nine years.

Brandon graduated from Albion in 2006. He was a hard worker with a creative side. He enjoyed art. He had just finished his first year at Monroe Community College, when he fell asleep while driving and was in a fatal crash. He was also working with his mother at the Bonduelle vegetable packing facility in Brockport.

Marsha Gaddis of Albion looks over some of the gift baskets at the scholarship benefit today. There are about 100 baskets up for raffle. The benefit continues until 7 p.m.

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Purple comes out at Albion Homecoming

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2016 at 11:50 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Enoch Martin has an “Albion Batman” painted on his face while he was part of the pep band during the Albion homecoming game vs. Depew.

Albion cheerleaders and the Eagle mascot rooted for the Purple Eagles during their game vs. Depew in front of the big Homecoming crowd.

Albion graduates Marissa Olles (Class of 2000) and Crystal Hollenbeck (Class of 2001) sold popcorn and Albion High School merchandise from the alumni booth at the football game.

Bruce Landis took this group photo of the Class of 2017.

Provided photo: The Homecoming royalty was crowned during the pep rally this afternoon. The group includes, from left: King/Queen – Sam Slick, Vivian Rivers; Prince/Princess – Demetrius Gardner, Natalie DiCuriea; Duke/Dutchess – Connor McQuillan, Brylie Hapeman; and Lord/Lady – Chase Froman, Kendall Derisley.

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School spirit celebrated during Homecoming

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2016 at 1:32 pm

Albion, Kendall and Medina all mark festive week

Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion is celebrating Homecoming this week and today started off with the hall decorating contest among the four high school classes. Seniors used an Alice in Wonderland theme to create “Senior Land.” This photo shows Class President Emily Blanchard serving as a guide, leading judges into the hall. Bella Prest, back left, and Kastriot Bela are dressed as cards.

Skyler Smith, a senior, serves tea (actually a cookie with candy) to the judges (Board of Education member Steve LaLonde is at left) as they make their way down the seniors’ hall.

Albion seniors painted this van, owned by senior Donato Rosario’s father, last night and parked the vehicle on the front lawn of the school today as part of the Homecoming celebration at Albion.

Photos courtesy of Marlene Seielstad: Victor Benjovsky and Riley Seielstad, members of the junior class, welcome judges in viewing their hall decorating theme set to Hogwarts and Harry Potter.

One of the banners by the junior class includes Simboli’s Owl Emporium for Gary Simboli, a popular music and drama teacher in the high school.

Medina, Kendall and Roy-Hart are also celebrating Homecoming this week, and Lyndonville’s Homecoming is next week. Holley and Barker have Homecoming Oct. 2-8.

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