Photo by Tom Rivers: The Brown Street bridge over the Erie Canal in the Village of Albion has been closed for more than a decade. Village officials worry about the deteriorating condition of the bridge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2024 at 9:12 pm
ALBION – The Albion Village Board is reaching out to the county, state and federal levels for help with the deteriorating Brown Street canal bridge.
The structure from 1912 has been closed to vehicular traffic since July 18, 2012 after an inspection by the state Department of Transportation showed serious deterioration of major elements of the steel truss floor system.
The Village Board wants the bridge to get a major rehabilitation or be removed. A letter was sent to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, State Sen. Rob Ortt, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson.
“State or Federal resources are needed now to improve the status of this bridge,” according to the letter from Mayor Angel Javier Jr., Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley and trustees Tim McMurray, Chris Barry and David Buczek.
The board states in the letter the bridge was last rehabbed in 1955 – 69 years ago.
The bridge remains open for pedestrians, but village officials said rusty bridge pieces are falling into the canal. The board included photos in the letter of the bridge, calling it a “biohazard” for the Erie Canal.
“You can see clearly from the pictures the erosion of paint, rust, steel fragments, missing bolts and concrete that have fallen into the canal, contaminating it and its tributaries, like Sandy Creek,” according to the letter from the board.
The village officials note the Brown Street bridge is the third north-south crossing eliminated in the village, with the Clarendon Street bridge demolished and Clinton Street railroad crossing closed.
The village in December asked the DOT to work on the bridge by repairing or removing it – at the very least have it painted.
“We have talked to local and regional officials about this bridge, and everyone passes it to someone else,” the letter states. “Who is the final arbiter? Who will help determine if this bridge is to remain or fall into the canal? Will someone please respond to this request for HELP? Or will we again hear crickets?”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 February 2024 at 11:53 am
ALBION – The Albion Village Board won’t seek about $2,000 from the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern in late payments for rent.
The board approved a higher rate for GOMOC to start on Oct. 1. The rent for the third floor space at the Albion Visitor’s Center went from $1,146.67 to $1,550.96 a month, which includes utilities.
Jami Allport, the GOMOC director, last week asked the board for a smaller rent increase, perhaps 2 or 4 percent. She said the 35 percent increase was too high and would likely force the agency to find another place.
The board in a 3-1 vote kept the rent at the $1,550.96 amount. However, the board agreed to not start the higher cost until March 1. The board won’t seek about $2,000 owed over the five months in the higher rate.
GOMOC never signed the lease at the higher rate so the board believed it could give them a break.
“I think that was beautiful of them and we really appreciate that,” Allport said today about the reprieve.
She said she and the board of directors are considering the lease at the higher rate. The village would like GOMOC to commit to a year with the lease, from March 1 to Feb. 28.
Allport said the agency has other options, and could put its office in another community in Genesee or Orleans counties.
“People have been contacting us,” she said. “We are looking at other options. We’re keeping our eyes open.”
She would prefer to stay in Albion. She said Orleans residents account for more than double the people from Genesee that are served by the agency.
“We’d like to stay in the Village of Albion but we don’t have to,” she said. “The need is great here.”
The Ministry of Concern uses 2,386 square feet on the third floor of the building at 121 North Main St. GOMOC was previously paying 48 cents a square foot. With the new rate at $1,550.96, the square footage is 65 cents a month.
That is below the $1.65 a foot paid by Assemblyman Steve Hawley for 860 square feet on the first floor ($1,416.77 total); $1.30 by the Orleans Economic Development Agency for 1,686 square feet on the second floor ($2,196.06 total); and the $1.40 a foot for Darlene Benton of Paradise Healing Arts, who uses 289 square feet for $405 a month.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 February 2024 at 9:04 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Dave Beach, pastor of the Gaines Carlton Community Church, shares a message on Wednesday during the first Lenten luncheon served at the First Baptist Church of Albion at 30 West Park St.
The Baptist church is hosting Lenten lunches from noon to about 1 p.m. on Wednesdays until March 20.
Churches take turns preparing the lunches with soup, sandwiches and cookies. They also have a different local pastor share a message each week.
The remaining schedule for the churches preparing the meals includes: February 28 – Albion Presbyterian & Gaines Congregational; March 6 – Eagle Harbor Methodist; March 13 – West Barre Church; and March 20 – Holy Family Parish.
About 50 people attended the luncheon on Wednesday.
The Medina Area Association of Churches also sponsors a series of ecumenical Lenten lunches, which started Feb. 15 at the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street. The lunches will take place each Thursday during Lent until March 21.
Lunches are free and includes soup and sandwiches, with singing and devotionals after lunch. Churches take turns preparing the meals and sharing a message.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 February 2024 at 8:35 am
Fundraiser in memory of Tim Drake Jr. will support young wrestlers
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Mike Sanders, center, holds a $1,400 ceremonial check from the Elk Riders at the Albion Elks Lodge 1006 on Wednesday evening. Sanders is president of the Purple Eagle Wrestling Academy, which serves about 100 kids ages 4 to 12. They are based out of the former Apollo restaurant on Route 31 in Albion.
Sanders is joined by in front row from left, Tim and Kathy Drake, and Elk Riders President Mike Jenks and Vice President Mike Clemons, and other members of the group.
The money came from a garbage plate dinner on Jan. 12. The Elks served 116 dinners and many people also donated to a fund in memory of Tim Drake Jr., a star wrestler in high school at Albion. Drake passed away from cancer at age 22 on Jan. 2, 2021.
The Elks want to make the dinner an annual event and continue to give the proceeds to the Wrestling Academy.
Tim and Kathy Drake hold a picture of their son. Tim Jr. graduated from Albion High School in 2016. He wrestled and played football, and also was an avid motocross racer. He also loved to go hunting. Tim Jr. had a tattoo with the words: “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”
His father said the sport of wrestling helped shape his son into a hard-worker. Tim Jr. was aware the sport could be expensive especially with wrestling shoes. He would give some of his best shoes to other wrestlers, his father said.
Mike Sanders outlines the programs offered by the Wrestling Academy. A group of volunteer coaches runs the program that meets five evenings a week during a four- to five-month season. The program is finishing up its fifth year.
The $1,400 will help the Wrestling Academy pay for some tournament fees and other expenses for some of the kids to be in the program, Sanders said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2024 at 4:03 pm
Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Pera
ALBION – The great-grandchildren of the late Judy Grabowski presented a check today for $685 to the PAWS Animal Shelter on Gaines Basin Road in Albion. The money came from a Super Bowl Square fundraiser with some of the players donating extra for PAWS. Donna Vanderlaan, a PAWS board member, is in back.
The donation was presented by Caleb, Leah and Eli Prior of Hilton on what would have been Grabowski’s 86th birthday. PAWS was one of her favorite organizations to give to, said her daughters Pat Fredendall of Holley and Elizabeth Pera of Hamlin.
Grabowski was known as “Mema” to the great-grandchildren. She was a Holley resident who donated often to PAWS in memory of friends who passed away, and as memorials for pets in the family that also passed.
Grabowski’s great-grandkids play with some of the animals at PAWS.
Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from a foggy Jan. 27 shows part of downtown Albion on main Street with the First Presbyterian Church of Albion in the background.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2024 at 10:08 am
ALBION – The Village Board has been asked by the Albion Betterment Committee and Orleans County Chamber of Commerce to try again at developing a local law addressing vacant buildings in the community.
The Betterment Committee and Chamber on Feb. 6 sent a letter to the Village Board.
“For several years, there have been a number of buildings within the village that are left vacant and in various stages of deterioration,” the letter states. “There are entrepreneurs who are seeking space in which to conduct their business either through purchase, or renting, and are willing to make the investment in the community. Albion’s downtown has the structure and appeal of a thriving, quaint village, but our development is stalled because storefronts sit vacant and unused instead of opening their doors to new businesses.”
The Betterment Committee and Chamber say they have a vision for a bustling downtown with “great potential for growth of the local economy through small, family-owned businesses.”
The letter was discussed briefly at Thursday’s Village Board meeting. Trustee Tim McMurray said he doesn’t disagree with the sentiment of the letter. He and Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley have been discussing the issue with the Albion code enforcement. The board is asking the Planning Board to look at local laws in other communities for vacant buildings.
McMurray cited the example of the Village of Montour Falls as one example.
Montour Falls charges $125 when buildings are vacant or abandoned and are put on the village registry. If the site stays vacant for a year, the owner is charged $500 for a residential structure for the first unit, and then $100 more for each additional unit. Commercial building owners are charged a $1,000 fee if the building is vacant a year or 15 cents per square foot, whichever is greater.
Owners of the properties also need to submit a plan to Montour Falls to rehabilitate or reoccupy the buildings, or to stabilize and maintain them. A third option would be a plan for demolition.
Albion considered a vacant building registry but it was roundly criticized during a public hearing on Aug. 11, 2021 and the initiative has been stalled. Several building owners said proposed fines in that ordinance would punish property owners who are already struggling.
The Albion proposal in 2021 would have assessed a $250 fee if a commercial site went vacant for more than 30 days, with $1,000 tacked on if the site was empty for a year, $2,000 if it went a second year, $3,000 for a third year and $4,000 for each subsequent year.
The Betterment Committee and Chamber are asking the village to take up the issue again, and come up with a proposal that is amenable to the property owners and facilitates a more vibrant downtown.
“There are many similar municipalities who have created ordinances that inspire the kind of change we would like to see, many of these are available as a matter of public record,” according to the letter from the Betterment Committee and Chamber. “We would like to see our local leaders follow their lead, and implement codes that have been proven to work.”
File photo by Tom Rivers: Jami Allport, director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, is shown in September on the third floor of the Albion Visitor’s Center, where the Ministry of Concern is a tenant. The village raised the monthly rent by about $400.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2024 at 3:39 pm
ALBION – The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern made a plea for the Albion Village Board to back off a 35-percent increase or a hike of about $400 in the monthly rent for the local not-for-profit.
Jami Allport, the GOMOC director, told the Village Board on Thursday the increase is “unsustainable” and will force them to seek another location.
She asked instead for the board to impose a 4 percent increase.
The board raised the rent starting back in Oct. 1 from $1,146.67 to $1,550.96 a month. That amount also includes utilities.
Allport attended a September board meeting and asked that the increase only be 2 percent, the same rate for the other tenants at the Albion Visitor’s Center, a village-owned building at 121 North Main St.
Allport said she asked the board then to let her know if the 35-percent increase would be imposed. She said during the Thursday meeting she didn’t hear back from the board so she assumed GOMOC wouldn’t be charged the higher rent.
But she recently received a delinquency letter from the village, saying GOMOC owes four months at the higher rate, or about $1,600.
Allport said GOMOC is funded through donations and some grants. The higher rent takes away funds for the GOMOC to help people in need, she said.
“We are the agency of last resort,” she said. “We are their last hope.”
The Ministry of Concern uses 2,386 square feet on the third floor of the building. It was previously paying 48 cents a square foot. With the new rate at $1,550.96, the square footage is 65 cents a month.
That is below the $1.65 a foot paid by Assemblyman Steve Hawley for 860 square feet on the first floor ($1,416.77 total); $1.30 by the Orleans Economic Development Agency for 1,686 square feet on the second floor ($2,196.06 total).
Joyce Riley, the deputy mayor, said all of the rates are below market.
“We’re not good landlords because we’re not charging enough,” she said.
The village needs to bring up the GOMOC rate “to respond responsibly to everyone,” she said.
Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the village is trying to be fair with the rental charges.
“We can’t give it away for free,” he said.
Allport responded that GOMOC isn’t looking for free rent, and is amenable to paying more, perhaps a 2 to 4 percent increase.
Village Trustee Tim McMurray suggested the rate increase just be 5 percent, which would still be $57.33 more a month and keep GOMOC as a tenant. Pushing them out with a big increase would leave the village with no rental income from that space, McMurray said. He also said GOMOC as a non-profit shouldn’t be assessed such a big increase.
The board discussed the issue more in executive session and decided to keep the 35 percent increase intact.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2024 at 11:53 am
Editor’s Note: The original article stated the Albion Recreation Committee was pushing for the grant and lodge, but it is the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc., a not-for-profit organization, that would be seeking the grant. This group includes many Recreation Committee members.
ALBION – The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc., a not-for-profit organization, wants to seek a $600,000 state grant for a new lodge at Bullard Park.
An application is due to the state in July, said Kim Remley, who has been part of the “Rebuild Bullard” effort for more than a decade.
Rebuild Bullard helped the village secure grant funding for a splash pad, new playground equipment, a new bathroom and pavilion, an amphitheater and other upgrades.
Bullard last year also put in new basketball courts, in another citizen-led effort.
Now park advocates would like to see a lodge in the park that would be available year-round and could be rented out by community members. The lodge would have space for up to 90 people, Remley told the Village Board on Thursday.
Village Board members thanked the group for pushing through several successful improvements at Bullard. But the board would like to see a survey done to see if there is strong interest in a lodge from the community, and how much would people be willing to pay to rent it out.
Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said there should be a master plan for Bullard, rather than tackling projects in a staggered approach.
The lodge was in the original plan to rebuild Bullard more than a decade ago, Remley responded. The committee would like to see it on the west end of the park, behind the old bathrooms.
Riley said there could be a significant cost to run water and sewer to the lodge. She is more concerned about aging pipes in residential areas of the village.
She would also like to see the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Inc. propose improvements to some of the smaller neighborhood parks in the village.
Trustee Tim McMurray also expressed concern that the lodge would be an extra burden on the short-staffed village Department of Public Works, especially with ongoing cleaning and maintenance of a lodge.
Susan Oschmann, a member of the non-profit working on the parks, said a rental charge could go towards hiring a cleaner so the task doesn’t fall on the DPW.
But how much would people be willing to pay to rent out the facility? That is what Riley would like to see be determined. She also said a lodge could take away from other sites in the community that are rented out for events, such as the QWL building.
John Grillo, the village’s recreation director, said lodges are assets for other communities. He noted the Town of Sweden and Town of Chili have lodges that are widely used.
“Don’t we want Albion to grow?” Grillo asked the board. “Don’t we want Albion to be better?
Riley said she doesn’t oppose the project. She just wants the short-term and long-term costs to be clearly identified.
“This could be a great thing for our community if it’s done well,” Grillo said.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion Fire Chief Jeremy Graham is shown at the scene of the fire at Frank’s Auto on Nov. 26, 2023 in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2024 at 4:50 pm
ALBION – The towns of Albion and Gaines, and the Village of Albion are working towards creating a new fire district that would have its own budget and a board of commissioners to oversee the district.
Right now fire protection for the village and two towns is provided by the Albion Fire Department. The Albion FD’s budget is part of the village budget, with the two towns each paying the village a fire protection contract. In 2024, Gaines will pay $116,390 and the Town of Albion will pay $115,362.
The Albion Village Board believes the costs for the department would be more fairly paid in a fire district where property owners all pay the same fire protection tax rate. That would take the fire department out of the village budget.
Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the two towns would have a greater say in the fire department budget through the election of fire commissioners who can be more focused on the needs of the fire department, while also answering to taxpayers.
The two Town Boards and the Village Board will meet March 27 at Gaines Town Hall with their attorneys in a closed-door session to go over the details and legalities of the district. A public hearing is expected to be scheduled in the spring to present the details of the district to the community.
If all three boards approve the district, it would then be subject to a permissive referendum before being finalized. Residents could petition to have the issue go to a public vote.
Javier said the town and village officials would like to have the new fire district in place for Jan. 1. Albion and Gaines would follow the example of Lyndonville and Yates which created a district in 2023, and Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray which formed a joint fire district in 2021.
Javier said the new district will provide a fair distribution over the entire tax base of the two towns and village as Albion looks to purchase a new ladder truck and make other equipment upgrades in the near future.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2024 at 9:17 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Rev. Dr. Don Algeo, pastor of the Gaines Congregational United Church of Christ, offers the benediction and a closing blessing at this evening’s Ash Wednesday service at the First Baptist Church of Albion.
Several churches in the Albion Ministerium planned and led the service.
Algeo has a cross of ashes on his forehead. The ashes are from the burnt palms from the palms from about a year ago on Palm Sunday.
Ash Wednesday starts a 40-day Lenten season for Christians around the world.
Lent is a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter, which this year will be celebrated on March 31.
Algeo gave the sermon during this evening’s service.
The Rev. Marsha Rivers, left, and the Rev. Susan Boring sing “Lord, Have Mercy” during the service. Rivers is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Albion and Boring is pastor of the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church.
The Baptist Church at 30 West Park St. will host Lenten luncheons beginning next Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. Those luncheons continue until March 20. They are free and include soup and sandwiches, with singing and devotionals after lunch. Churches take turns preparing the meals and sharing a message.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2024 at 8:44 pm
Greg Bennett and Jeff Holler will be lone names on ballot for March 19 election
ALBION – No additional candidates have emerged to run for the Albion Village Board. Today was the deadline for candidates to file petitions to run as independent candidates. No one submitted petitions by 5 p.m. today, said Tracy VanSkiver, the village clerk-treasurer.
Two candidates were previously endorsed. Greg Bennett and Jeff Holler both secured the Repulbican endorsement on Jan. 29, and Bennett also was backed by the Democrats on Jan. 23.
Bennett and Holler will appear unopposed on the March 19 ballot.
Bennett works as a locksmith at the Albion Correctional Facility. He has been there nearly five years. Previously, he worked a decade for Baxter Healthcare in Medina. He also has been a long-time youth baseball coach.
Holler worked as an executive chef for 25 years, and then head cook for 13 years at the Orleans Correctional Facility. Since he retired in 2014, he has been a very active member at the Masonic Lodge. He also has been a busy volunteer for the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries, especially with the efforts to cook Thanksgiving meals and also an Easter egg hunt and prize giveaway.
Holler and Bennett are running for four-year terms for positions that are currently filled by Chris Barry and David Buczek, who aren’t running in next month’s election. Barry has been on the board nearly four years while Buczek was appointed in December by Mayor Angel Javier Jr. He is filling the remainder of Zack Burgess’s term.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2024 at 9:32 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Rose Allen calls out the winning ticket for one of 84 baskets up for raffle today during a benefit at the QWL building on Washington Street.
Crystal Hand
The community turned out to support Crystal Hand and her family. She suffered serious injuries in Nov. 21 accident when another driver crossed the center line and hit her car on Route 31A in Clarendon.
Allen coordinated today’s spaghetti dinner, basket raffle and 50/50 drawing. Allen said Hand is an active volunteer in the community as PTA president in the elementary school, treasurer of the Music Boosters and a Girl Scout leader.
Hand attended the benefit in a wheelchair while she recovers from a broken leg. She also broke her left arm, suffered a concussion and has nerve damage. She was joined at the benefit by her husband Matt and their three daughters: Samantha, Al and Rianne.
“I’m just overwhelmed,” Hand said after the benefit. “This town never ceases to amaze me, how it comes together to help a family in need.”
Samantha Croft cooks spaghetti in the kitchen. There were 250 spaghetti dinners served today.
Angie Wolfe, an Albion elementary teacher, was among the many volunteers for the event. Wolfe is a breast cancer survivor and said a benefit to help her in September 2018 made a big difference in her fight with cancer.
“The emotional support is the biggest thing,” Wolfe said. “To know you have all these people behind you is wonderful.”
Wolfe said Hand has been a key supporter of children in the community through the PTA, Music Boosters and Girl Scouts.
“Crystal goes above and beyond for everyone else,” Wolfe said. “We just want to help her family.”
Jeff Andrews and his dad Chuck are in line for spaghetti. They are served by, in front, Paul Bachorski, followed by Rhonda Grammatico, Rhiannon Moody and Matt Grammatico.
There were 84 baskets donated for the raffle. This photo was taken after the bigger crowds were at the QWL. The event was from noon to 3 p.m.
Crystal Hand posted this message on Facebook this evening: “Words cannot express how thankful, humbled and overwhelmed I am by this amazing community. I cannot thank everyone enough for the love and support I have received the last three months since the accident.
“The outpouring of love my family has received has been a godsend. I am brought to tears just thinking of all the people who have helped, prayed, reached out, donated, brought food, flowers, cards and the amazing spaghetti dinner benefit.
“I have so many heroes in this community. I will not name them all because it will be a huge list. You all are forever in my heart. The only way I know how to repay all of you is to pay it forward as soon as I am back on my feet. My family and I thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. We love our community and we are grateful.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2024 at 8:22 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Dr. Michael Richmond, an astronomy and physics professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, on Saturday at Hoag Library discussed the upcoming total eclipse on April 8, the first total solar eclipse in Western New York in nearly a century. The last one was on Jan. 24, 1925.
In a total solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. Orleans County is in the path of totality.
During the eclipse on April 8 at about 2 p.m., a little bite obstructing the sun will gradually get bigger and bigger until the moon will fully block out the sun from about 3:18 to 3:22 p.m. The partial eclipse ends at about 4:30 p.m.
During the four minutes of totality, the sun may look like a halo with the blockage of the moon.
“It’s unreal,” Richmond told about 75 people during a presentation at Hoag Library. “The sky will be completely dark, except the glowing corona. It’s one of the things in the natural world that makes people go, ‘Awesome!’”
Hoag Library’s main meeting room was full on Saturday with people wanting to hear about the upcoming solar eclipse.
Richmond said the area will see a big influx of visitors. The Rochester region anticipates 300,000 to 500,000 people in the area to see the eclipse.
Tonya Lustumbo of Carlton attended the lecture. She traveled to Nebraska on Aug. 21, 2017 to see the spectacle.
“The moment of the eclipse was very memorable,” she said. “It was surreal. It was awesome to see.”
Lustumbo on Saturday was wearing a shirt promoting the April 8 eclipse. She has bought 100 solar-viewing glasses and mailed them to friends and family.
Richmond shows a slide detailing the path of totality, which goes through Western New York on April 8.
A potential detriment on April 8 to viewing the eclipse: cloudy weather.
“If it’s overcast and rainy, it will be as if there is no eclipse at all and you’ll be very sad,” Richmond told the crowd.
Sue Starkweather Miller shared a headline from the Medina Journal-Register, the day after the Jan. 24, 1925 eclipse. The eclipse started at 9:09 a.m. and some businesses didn’t open until 9:30 so employees could be outside for the eclipse. Except the weather didn’t cooperate.
“Clouds prevent view of eclipse,” the newspaper reported the next day.
Richmond said he is hoping for clear skies on April 8 so the region can see the solar spectacle.
Debbie Restivo, left, and Nancy Mack wear solar-viewing glasses which were given away for free on Saturday at the library. The cost is covered by the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program, which is providing 5 million of the glasses to 10,000 libraries.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2024 at 8:46 am
Crystal Hand volunteers as PTA president, Girl Scout leader and Music Booster
Photo by Tom Rivers: Crystal Hand is shown Friday even with her husband Matt and their three daughters, from left: Sam, 18; Al, 17; and Rianne, 12.
ALBION – Crystal Hand was driving home to Albion on Nov. 21 after an appointment in Brockport. It was a rare ride by herself. Usually, she has at least one of her children with her, and often some of their friends.
But at 11:12 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, she was driving a Chevy Impala alone on Route 31A in Clarendon. She was nearing a notorious curve in Clarendon, when another car came at her from the opposite direction – in her lane. A collision was unavoidable.
Hand, 40, was badly injured in the crash with a shattered right leg, a left arm broken in two places, a concussion, bruised collarbone and nerve damage in both arms. She has had six surgeries, including putting a rod in her leg from the kneecap to her ankle.
“I’ve been in pain since Nov. 21,” Crystal said during an interview at her home in Albion on West State Street. While she talked she had a bag of frozen vegetables on her aching knee.
She is grateful to be alive, and to have been by herself in the car that day.
Two people in the other car were killed. Justin S. Christmas, 32, of Rochester and Autumn Lynn Dercqu, 22, of Medina didn’t survive. Christmas was driving the car, a Buick. He was eastbound when he crossed a double solid line at a curve, where one of the property owners keeps a sign noting the accidents.
Hand stayed awake after the impact. She turned her car off so it wouldn’t burst into flames. A good Samaritan was quickly on scene to check on her. She directed him to her phone and had him call her husband Matt to let him know she had been hurt in an accident. Matt was working from home and took off to see his wife, but in a blur he first forget his car keys, then his phone.
He came upon the scene with the other car in a field and his wife on a stretcher, being put in an ambulance. She was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Crystal said the pain in her leg that day was the worst she has ever felt, much more intense than giving birth to any of her three children.
In the ambulance she was told the two people in the other car did not survive. “When I heard that my heart broke,” she said.
Hand was hospitalized for about two weeks. She pushed herself to get out in time to see her youngest daughter’s middle school holiday concert. Crystal made it for that Dec. 7 event, positioned up front in a wheelchair.
“I’ve never missed one of their concerts and I wasn’t about to start,” she said.
Rianne, 12, is the youngest of the daughters. Al is 17 and Sam is 18. All have been very involved in the school musical programs.
Their mother is the treasurer of the Albion Music Boosters. She is president of the PTA that serves the elementary school, and also is a Girl Scout leader.
‘Always willing to help anywhere’
“She is all about her family and her kids,” said Rose Allen, the previous PTA president. “Anything with her kids she is all in.”
Allen has known Crystal and Matt for several years now through the PTA and Music Boosters.
“We have done many book fairs and craft nights through the PTA,” Allen said. “I can always depend on her and her husband. They are good people.”
Crystal is very dedicated and reliable to the organizations that serve the local students, and she does it without seeking any attention.
“She is very meek and doesn’t toot her own horn,” Allen said. “She is always willing to help anywhere.”
The Hands have a welcoming home to their children’s friends. They often have movie nights and kids like to hang out there. Allen’s daughter is among the kids who like to visit the Hand family.
Spaghetti dinner benefit at QWL on Feb. 10
Allen is leading a benefit for the family on Feb. 10 with a spaghetti dinner, basket raffle and 50/50 from noon to 3 p.m. at the QWL Building at 3623 Washington St., Albion.
There are 300 tickets available for the dinner and they are $15 each and pre-sale only. Allen is selling tickets (contact her at 585-298-8377), and any PTA or Music Boosters member also has them. Allen also can be reached to donate a basket or they can be dropped at the QWL on Saturday at 8 a.m.
Anyone interested in donating to the family can do it directly through Venmo at @Matthew-Hand-109.
Hand has been receiving in-home nursing care, and occupational and physical therapy. That is ending and she will be going to outpatient clinics for OT and PT, to learn to walk again.
She said she appreciates the many encouraging text messages and cards from the community. Crystal has to do the hunt-and-peck method to respond to texts, and several times a day she drops her phone because she can’t grasp it firmly due to the nerve damage.
She and her husband are thankful their friends formed a food chain right after the accident, frequently dropping off meals for the Hands.
“The community has been an absolute godsend,” Crystal said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2024 at 4:33 pm
Free solar-viewing glasses also will be available
Provided photo: Hoag Library will be distributing solar-viewing glasses on Saturday for free. The cost is covered by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Space Science Institute, through its Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program. The program is providing 5 million solar-viewing glasses to 10,000 libraries.
Dr. Michael Richmond
ALBION – Hoag Library will welcome a speaker at noon on Saturday about the upcoming solar eclipse. Orleans County is in the path of totality on April 8, when the moon will fully block out the sun from about 3:18 to 3:22 p.m.
In Western New York partial eclipse begins at 2:04 p.m. with the partial eclipse over at 4:32 p.m., according to NASA. Just before the near darkness approaches, the shade of the moon yields a sliver of light.
Dr. Michael Richmond, a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, will discuss the significance and rarity of the total eclipse during a presentation at Hoag. Richmond teaches both physics and astronomy courses and runs the RIT Observatory.
Map courtesy of I Love NY and shows a path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8. A map of the contiguous U.S. shows the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse stretching on a narrow band from Texas to Maine.
