By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2023 at 9:00 am
ALBION – Jeff Holler has been cooking for years at Bullard Park, bringing a grill to the site and making hamburgers, hot dogs and other food with the Masonic Lodge.
Other groups also bring grills to the park to serve food for other special events and festivals.
Holler would like to see a concession stand at the park near the football field. He pitched the idea to the Village Board last week.
The stand could also have space to store equipment for the youth football program. Right now those are kept in a resident’s garage.
Holler said the small building also could have a spot for an announcer with a PA system for the games.
Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said he is open to the project but he and other board members would like to see a rendering of the building.
Holler said he would work on getting more details for the building.
“This is just the beginning stages,” he said. “We didn’t want to pour money into it if the board isn’t interested.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2023 at 9:25 pm
United Methodist Church steps up as key donor
The Wendel engineering firm did this rendering of the new proposed basketball courts at Bullard Park. They will be built along Route 31 at the former skate park area.
ALBION – A group working on building new basketball courts at Bullard Park has the funding lined up to complete the project.
The Albion United Methodist Church stepped up and agreed to pay for two of the new hoops, a final top coat, the painting and lining of the courts, fencing on the south side and concrete barriers to keep vehicles from driving on the courts.
Susan Oschmann is shown on the old basketball court at Bullard, which was in rough condition.
The United Methodist Church also recently paid for a three-wheel bike for Cycling Without Age to give senior citizens rides.
The church is trying to support projects that benefit seniors and also youth in the community, said Susan Oschmann, one of the leaders of the “Bounce for Bullard” project.
Sanford Church, the Orleans County Court judge, also is donating for two of the new hoops.
There is a chance the new setup could be ready next month, Oschmann said.
In June, Keeler Construction put down the first layer for two full-size outdoor basketball courts. That was funded with a $40,000 grant from the James and Juli Boeheim Foundation. The Greater Albion Recreation and Events, Inc., a non-profit organization, secured the funding with assistance from the Orleans County United Way.
The effort was still about $100,000 short until the recent donors came forward.
The top surface will be painted purple with white lines for the basketball courts, and yellow lines for the markings for four pickleball courts. There are portable nets for the pickleball courts. (Bounce for Bullard is paying for the lines on two of the courts through its fundraisers.)
Oschmann said there will be 3-on-3 basketball tournaments at the new courts, and basketball camps. There will be time too for people to use the space for pickleball, an emerging sport similar to tennis but in a smaller area.
That will have the basketball court effort nearly done. Oschmann said in the future more fencing could be added for all four sides, and the committee would like benches. The group would also like to see smaller quarter courts for basketball at the neighborhood parks in the Village of Albion.
She said many entities helped move the project along.
“Everybody is really putting helping hands together,” she said. “It is really amazing.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2023 at 8:48 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Firefighters check on any hot spots at a trailer on Phipps Road in Albion. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at about 6:15 p.m.
Lisa McGuire was home and used water from a garden hose to put out a small fire from a plug-in heater that was malfunctioning, said her husband Chris McGuire. Four children were also inside and everyone was able to get out safely.
Mrs. McGuire was checked out at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters from Albion, Barre, Carlton, Medina and Shelby responded, as well as Monroe Ambulance, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office and Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
(Left) This is the cover of a 44-page booklet about Charles W. Howard that was compiled by an Albion middle school students in 2021. The booklet will be available for sale on Sept. 23 during a program by Ken McPherson. (Right – Photo by Tom Rivers) Ken McPherson, a graduate of the Charles W. Howard Santa School, meets Weston Burgio of Albion on Dec. 2, 2019 at Hoag Library in Albion.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 16 September 2023 at 8:32 am
CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum will celebrate the life and legend of Charles W. Howard with a special program by Ken McPherson of Medina, a friend of the Howard family and a graduate of Howard’s Santa Claus School.
The program on “Charlie Howard, the Santa Claus School and Christmas Park” will take place at 1 p.m. Sept. 23 at the historic Cobblestone Church on Route 104.
McPherson said he was “roped in” to being Santa by Dave Green when he was dating Green’s daughter Lisa.
“I stopped at their house one day when Dave was getting dressed to be Santa at the Millville Church,” McPherson said. “I was a junior in high school then. The more I learned about Charlie Howard, the more interested I got.”
In 1981 McPherson bought his first Santa suit from Elizabeth Babcock of Albion. Babcock lived just down the street from Christmas Park and made the Santa suits for Howard.
“Then I became friends with Charlie’s daughter and family, Gail Bergeman, a friendship which continues today,” McPherson said.
He graduated from the Santa Claus School and has continued in his Santa role ever since. He hopes his presentation at the Cobblestone Museum will spark a lot of interest.
“Charlie Howard and his love of Christmas should never be forgotten,” McPherson said. “I hope everyone gets bitten by the same bug and carries on the tradition.”
It was in the late 1930s when Howard realized how shabby and unprofessional some Santas looked, and he wanted to do something about that. He started to convert three large barns on his farm into what became Christmas Park and the world’s first Santa Claus School. This small attraction became well-known and brought visitors from all over the Northeastern United States.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Ken McPherson, a Santa portrayer, visited the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina on Nov. 30, 2018 for a pajama storytime. There were about 75 kids in attendance, who shared their Christmas wish list with Santa.
Part of Howard’s concept with Christmas Park was to give his Santa Claus School a working campus with a classroom, dressing rooms and extensive props to better educate the Santa students.
In 1948, Howard became Santa for Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, which he continued until 1965. His Santa career led to appearances on television, in magazines and newspapers, including “What’s my Line,” “To Tell the Truth,” “The Tonight Show,” Life Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post.” He also contributed to “Miracle on 34th Street.”
McPherson will be showing memorabilia he has collected over the years, some from the late Mildred Baker of Medina. The former Mildred Wilson, she lived in a cobblestone house next to the Ward House for many years. She was a friend of Howard’s and ran the gift shop for him at Christmas Park.
The Cobblestone Museum also has a guest book signed by thousands of visitors to Christmas Park, which can be viewed during the presentation.
The event is free, but a free-will offering will be taken. Reservations are not required, but are appreciated.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 September 2023 at 11:52 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The bleachers for Albion’s side were near capacity for the debut of Albion’s new turf football field under the lights at Spierdowis Field on Friday night. Albion battled the Roy-Hart-Barker team and the Purple Eagles won the game, 36-14.
The ribbon-cutting included the varsity team sprinting through a ribbon held by Wayne Wadhams, president of the Board of Education. The team was led on the field by Blake Preston(2) and Auston Johnson (4).
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion coaches, district leaders, Board of Education members and representatives from the construction and design companies also were on the field for the ribbon cutting.
District Superintendent Mickey Edwards, a 1985 Albion graduate, played defensive back for the varsity teams in 1983 and ’84. The ’83 team won Sectionals and played at Rich Stadium.
Edwards said the turf field allows the team to practice on it, and not just be used for games. The players can better familiarize themselves with the lines and hash tags on the field.
“We don’t have to worry about the rain and the mud,” Edwards said.
When that happened in a game, the grass field was often torn up, and took a lot of work and expense to get back up to par.
“I’m excited for our kids to play on a field like they play on in Sectionals,” Edwards said. “It will be the same for our soccer and softball teams.”
Contractors are working to bring turf to those fields. If the weather allows, the softball field could be ready for the spring season. Soccer will be able to play on the new field in the fall 2023.
Albion coaches, District Superintendent Mickey Edwards (second from left), contractors and the Board of Education check out the soft new turf on the field.
Kirk Narburgh, CEO & managing partner at King & King Architects, worked on the design of the field and many of the recent Albion school construction projects. Narburgh is a 1982 Albion graduate and also played football for the Purple Eagles.
He said the turf field is nearly 100 percent maintenance field. The turf should last 12 to 15 years. It doesn’t need to be mowed, fertilized or have fresh paint for the lines.
“It gives you more play-ability,” Narburgh said. “You can get on it sooner in the spring. With the grass field you couldn’t get on it after it rained.”
Narburgh said the baseball team could practice on the field in the spring and get outside more in getting ready for its season.
The district had been considering a turf field for about 25 years, Narburgh said.
Air Raising Events added balloons for the festive game, including this décor in one of the end zone corners.
The Albion district welcomed representatives from the contractors that worked on the field, including Diehl Development, sitework; Blackmon/Farrell, electrical; Chenango Contracting, turf installers; and the Campus Construction Management Group.
Players from the Roy-Hart/Barker team are lined up in the Albion end zone after the national anthem.
Sarah Dumrese, great-granddaughter of Michael Spierdowis, was part of the ceremonial coin flip with her sons, Isaac and Ezra, and her nephew, Ben Allen. All three are the great-great-grandsons of Spierdowis.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – The Spierdowis great-great-grandkids were part of the ceremonial coin flip just before the game.
Albion students dressed up neon construction outfits and had fun in the “De-Construction Zone.” The turf field is part of a major construction project throughout the school district.
Cheerleaders support the team during the season home-opener. They are standing in a spot where a new track will soon be installed.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 September 2023 at 9:27 am
Provided photos
ALBION – Bullard Park on Saturday hosted the 10th annual car show to benefit Hospice of Orleans County.
Becky Karls is the lead organizer of the event, which attracted about 50 cars. That was down from the turnout in recent years. The threat of rain kept some car owners away.
Karls said she still expects to present a check for about $2,000 to Hospice. Some donations are still coming in from the event.
Becky Karls, left, congratulates Ed Doran as the “Hospice Choice Winner.” Doran of Medina brought a 1968 Chevy Pickup that he has painted and decorated as a tribute to the 343 firefighters who were killed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Julia Alt, director of development for Hospice of Orleans, is at right.
Doran used to be a firefighter for Medina, Shelby and East Shelby. Mark Weld, an Middleport artist, did the artwork on the truck.
The car show included several hearses or the vehicles for the “last responder.” Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes is a major sponsor of the car show benefitting Hospice.
Not all of the vehicles were cars or trucks. This old farm tractor has been well cared for.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr., right, and grantwriter Jay Grasso speak during a meeting Tuesday evening in the Village Hall about the $4.5 million Forward NY grant program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 September 2023 at 12:49 pm
ALBION – The Village of Albion is working to submit an application for the $4.5 million Forward NY grant program.
The village has already received proposals from business and building owners, as well as village-led projects on municipal land, that combined top $4 million. More projects are expected to be submitted for the program that could push the total to $6 to $7 million, said Jay Grasso of G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing.
The Village Board next week will work G & G staff to prioritize the projects to be submitted for the application which is due the end of the month.
Grasso and G & G have held two public meetings at the Village Hall, Sept. 5 and Sept. 12, to go over the Forward NY and to encourage the community to submit projects and ideas. Both meetings drew a near full house to the Village Hall.
“Give me a project,” Grasso said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Go for it. Think of something exciting you want to do with your building.”
The reimbursement rates can vary on the projects with the grant covering at least 50 percent of the cost. Some of the grant for façade improvements can cover up to 75 percent of the cost.
One building owner wanted more specifics on the varying reimbursement rates. Gary Derwick said a 75 percent reimbursement rate is much more attractive than 50 percent.
Grasso said building owners aren’t committed to a project that they propose in the application.
He went over the goals of Forward NY. The program supports adaptive reuse of buildings, especially turning upper levels into apartments and living spaces, Grasso said.
The program targets vacant spaces rather than new construction. The state wants projects that elevate cultural, historical qualities “that enhance the feeling of small-town charm,” Grasso said.
The grant can’t be used for one project. The application must demonstrate $3 to $5 million “in multiple synergistic projects,” Grasso said.
Albion is a “prime candidate” for the NY Forward program, which seeks to boost communities that lost industries around which their town grew, such as the canal, railroad, coal and mill towns, he said.
“We often think of these as crossroads or bedroom towns, small business districts along corridors that connect major employment centers and magnet cities in the region,” Grasso said.
The applicants must submit a vision for the downtown and a slate of developable projects to achieve that vision. The regional economic development councils will review the applications and nominate winners. Albion is in the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.
The application should include a full suite of synergistic projects that could include one or two anchor projects and a variety of smaller supporting projects.
Medina was awarded a $4.5 NY Forward on Feb. 13, and the village is finalizing a list of projects to be approved by the state. The Forward NY grants range from $2.75 million to $4.5 million.
The state started the program about a year ago to help more villages and hamlets access funding. The state was doing a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative for each region and those grants tended to go to cities, with few villages getting the DRIs.
Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the Village Board will work with members of the Planning Board, Zoning Boards of Appeals and Historic Preservation Commission to review the proposals and try to build a strong application.
The village in January tried for a $2.5 million Restore NY grant for projects in the downtown. The village never received a formal acceptance or denial letter, but Grasso said it seems that application wasn’t approved. However, he has contacted many of the building owners in that application who have already done much of the preliminary work for a proposal.
Building owners, not-for-profit organizations and residents with ideas and projects can send an email to contact@ggprocess.com and request a form from Grasso to detail the proposal.
The project area is focused in the downtown area but Grasso said the boundaries can be stretched. He wants to include repairs to the chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery in the grant, and could propose a heritage trail to connect the cemetery to the downtown and Courthouse Square.
“We’re looking for projects that bring people here and keep people here,” Grasso said. “Shoot for the moon.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 September 2023 at 10:28 am
Village will have to spend about $1 million more to complete project
File photo by Tom Rivers – The 1-million-gallon water tank on Route 98 is pictured through a metal fence at the site north of the village in the Town of Gaines. The village will have the tank demolished and replaced with a new one.
ALBION – The Albion Village Board approved a $1.5 million construction contract on Wednesday evening which is the first phase of replacing a 1-million gallon water tank on Route 98 in Gaines.
The village will have to spend about $1 million more in the second phase.
The first phase includes the demolition of current tank, and installation of new piping, valve and a meter pit.
The board accepted a $1,527,000 bid from STC Construction of Springville for the first phase.
A $1,250,000 grant from the state will cover most of the cost. That money is from the Community Development Block Grant program, with another grant covering 60 percent of the remaining cost. The state’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) will cover $166,200 or 60 percent of the remaining $277,000.
The village expects it will pay its share through the water rates in the water fund.
The village broke the project into two phases because it needs to spent the $1.25 million state grant by April 1, said Brian Sibiga, the village’s consultant on the project from Wendel, an engineering and construction management firm.
Albion will prepare bid specifications to replace the water tank from the early 1960s. The current steel tank will be demolished with a new concrete tank or a glass-lined tank. Sibiga said that cost is expect to be about $1 million.
The village could bond the expense with the cost to paid through a long-term loan through a likely increase in the water rates.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2023 at 9:16 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Firefighters are lined up for the Sept. 11, 2001 memorial observance on Monday evening at the Courthouse Square.
There were about 150 people at the 22nd anniversary service. On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others when four airplanes were hijacked and crashed – with two into the World Trade Center towers in new York City, one into the pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the other into a field in rural Shanksville, Pa.
In New York City, 343 firefighters were killed responding to assist people in the World Trade Center.
Members of the New York State Police, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and Albion Police Department stand for the service.
There were 60 police officers killed in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the United States was badly shaken from the terrorist attacks, which brought the country together in a spirit of sadness and patriotism. She said Sept. 11 remains “a day that forever changed our nation.”
“We must never forget those who died at the hands of undeniably ungodly evil people,” Johnson said. “And we must never forget how tens of thousands of first responders from across the country ran towards the danger to aid their fellow Americans at the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and the fields of Pennsylvania. The fateful events of that day forever changed our nation – and called on the bravery and selflessness of first responders as they faced unimaginable challenges.”
She said the terrorist attacks 22 years ago reshaped how Americans think of war and peace.
“Whether you lived the moments watching the horrors of that day, or if those who did have shared their own personal memories of that day with you, let us never to forget; never become complacent; and sadly never assume it will never happen again,” Johnson said.
James Hollinger of Albion was part of the Honor Guard at the service. A large American flag is in the background. It was draped high on Main Street from the Albion and Medina ladder trucks.
Carol Callina, a Navy veteran from Medina, plays Taps near the end of the half-hour service. She is on the steps of the County Clerks’ Building.
Scott Schmidt, the Orleans County chief coroner and a local funeral director, served as the keynote speaker at the observance. Schmidt spent three weeks with a federal team – U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) – and assisted in collecting and identifying remains, and interviewing family members searching for loved ones.
He left for New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He was there for 20 days, including a week at Ground Zero. Five of his colleagues on DMORT attended the service in Albion on Monday.
Schmidt said there have been 2,997 who were verified to have been killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Those people “are our brothers and sisters who were senselessly killed,” Schmidt said.
Many others have been afflicted from exposure to the dust from the collapse of the two World Trade Center buildings, Schmidt said.
He urged the crowd to reflect on the loss of life and the pain many people continue to experience from the attack. An airhorn was sounded from an Albion fire truck, which Schmidt said is sounded on a rescue call when firefighters are in danger and should evacuate from a burning building.
The sound of the airhorn “is a stark reminder that 2,997 is not just a number,” Schmidt said.
Other speakers included Don Snyder, chaplain for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, and Justin Niederhofer, director of the Orleans County Emergency Management Agency.
Snyder encouraged the community to consider joining their local volunteer fire department and other service organizations.
Niederhofer shared a timeline from 22 years earlier. On Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., the North Tower was struck in New York City. At 9:03, a plane hit the South Tower. At 9:37, the Pentagon was struck. At 9:59 p.m., the South Tower fell. At 10:07 a.m., Flight 93 crashed in rural Shanksville, Pa. At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower collapsed.
“We were attacked and wounded beyond belief but not beyond repair,” Niederhofer said.
Doug Egling, a musician from Albion, performed “God Bless America.”
A very large American flag was displayed high on Main Street from the Albion and Medina ladder trucks.
These firefighters work together to lower the flag and fold it.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 11 September 2023 at 8:32 am
Site also works with VA to offer telehealth pod for veterans
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Village of Albion Mayor Angel Javier helps Cassie Healy, director of Community Action’s Main Street Corner Thrift, Gifts and More Store and Community Action’s executive director Renee Hungerford cut the ribbon to celebrate the store’s new name and focus.
ALBION – This past weekend was a busy one for Community Action’s Main Street Store, now re-named the Main Street Corner Thrift, Gifts and More Store.
On Friday, the store welcomed Paul Galantowicz, facility Telehealth coordinator for the VA Western New York Healthcare System.
Galantowicz spent a couple of hours cooking hotdogs outside and offering them free to the public. It was Galantowicz’s aim to attract veterans to the store, where earlier in the year the VA announced placement of a telehealth pod in the store.
He said veterans have been slow to utilize the service, which the VA hoped would make it more convenient for veterans to communicate with the VA and eliminate long drives to the city. Veterans can sit privately in the pod and access their health records, communicate with medical people to schedule appointments and renew prescriptions.
The pod is one of only 14 in the country and two in New York state, the other being in Gowanda.
(Left) Cassie Healy, manager of the Main Street Corner Thrift. Gifts and More Store helps Adam Iaymon of Georgia with a purchase. Iaymon said he shops there often and likes the store. (Right) Paul Galantowicz, facility Telehealth coordinator for the VA Western New York Healthcare System, sits in the healthcare pod the VA has placed in Community Action’s Main Street Corner Thrift, Gifts and More Store.
On Saturday, Community Action cut a ribbon to celebrate the store’s new name and the launch of still more innovative new features at the store. Participating with store manager Cassie Healy and Community Action’s executive director Renee Hungerford was Albion Mayor Angel Javier.
“It’s amazing the assortment of things they have here,” Javier said. “They have just about anything anybody could possibly want.”
The name was changed to Main Street Corner Thrift, Gifts and More Store in an effort to better reflect all the store offers, Hungerford said. In addition to a wide selection of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, small household appliances, furniture, holiday decorations, gifts and toys, the store runs a credit recovery program for graduating students, a job development program, the veterans’ pod and prom dress giveaway program.
Healy said she is planning to expand the prom dress giveaway this year and will have a corner devoted to prom dresses.
Two new features are a Young Entrepreneur’s Corner and party rentals.
(Left) Abbie Worsley, 14, of Albion arranges her homemade magnets and sewing kits on the new Young Entrepreneurs’ Shelf at the Main Street Corner Thrift, Gifts and More Store. (Right) Kinzie Rinkner, 11, stands in front of the Young Entrepreneur’s Corner with one of her homemade soy candles.
The Young Entrepreneur’s Corner is designed to support young people with the ambition to run their own business, Healy said. The idea sprung from her own daughter, Kinzie Rinkner, 11, who makes soy candles. Hungerford donates the wax. Kinzie buys assorted glassware and containers from the thrift store and fills them with colorful wax.
Another young entrepreneur is Abbie Worsley, 14, of Albion who makes do-it-yourself magnets and sewing kits. She was busy on Saturday arranging her merchandise on the shelf.
Other budding entrepreneurs are invited to bring in their new ideas to sell.
“The purpose of the Young Entrepreneur’s program is to work with youth and show them how to run a business,” Healy said. “In return for selling their merchandise, we ask them for at least an hour a week of volunteer time here.”
During that time, the young people will help around the store and learn how to run a cash register and deal with customers.
Also new is a service renting party decorations and supplies, said Jackie Dunham, operations officer and overseer of the store. They will be renting tablecloths, decorations, glassware, silverware, centerpieces and candle holders.
“There are still lots of new ideas to come,” Hungerford added.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2023 at 1:13 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Taco Bell employees celebrate the opening of a new Taco Bell in Albion this morning. Ashlie Buzard, with scissors, is general manager for the new restaurant at 122 West Ave.
Autumn Zona, at left, is the assistant manager and Junior Morales, right, is a shift supervisor. They are among the 32 employees at the site, which is looking to add about 20 more workers.
The Taco Bell opened at 7 a.m. today. It starts at 7 every morning and is open until midnight from Sunday through Thursday, and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
The group cuts the ribbon on the new Taco Bell on Route 31 next to McDonalds.
Co-owners include Matt Prouty, fourth from left, and Wahid Akl, third from right. They are part of Hospitality Syracuse which now owns 106 Taco Bell restaurants.
Akl said many Albion and Orleans County residents asked for a Taco Bell in Albion when they visited nearby Taco Bells in Brockport and Batavia.
“A lot of people have been requesting we come to Albion,” Akl said just before a ribbon-cutting at about 10 a.m. “The community has been very welcoming.”
Many of the Albion employees received training at the taco Bells in Brockport and Batavia. They also worked Tuesday evening in a VIP celebration for employees and their families.
The Albion restaurant is led by Ashlie Buzard, the general manager. She also was the GM for the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Albion. When that site closed in May she reached out to Hospitality Syracuse.
She hired the team for the Taco Bell, which includes seven former employees of the KFC.
“I’m really excited to be here,” Buzard said after the ribbon-cutting. “We’re open early and we’re open late.”
Eileen Banker, chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley, presents a citation of congratulations to some of the Taco Bell team, including from left Janet Lalone, training manager; Marc Stout, area coach (district manager); and Ashlie Buzard, the general manager.
Matt Prouty, one of the co-owners, said he is grateful for a talented team of employees to open the new Taco Bell.
“We’ve had a ton of applications,” he said.
He encourages more people to apply for a job at the Taco Bell.
Hospitality Syracuse has three more Taco Bells under construction: on Mount Hope Avenue in Rochester, in Watertown and in Queensbury near Glens Falls.
The Albion site accepts mobile orders, and will soon offer DoorDash delivery.
Most of the customers are expected to use the drive through. There are also 46 seats to dine inside.
Taco Bell currently receives about 10 percent of orders through the mobile app as a company, and about 15 percent of its orders are delivered, a company representative said today.
The Albion location has four kiosks inside for people to place their orders and make their decisions without the pressure of standing in a line with other people, Prouty said.
Lalone, the training manager, said the tacos, burritos and other items on the menu are all made to order.
“There isn’t a microwave in the building,” she said. “Everything is made fresh. Nothing is pre-made.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2023 at 7:59 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The new Taco Bell is shown at about 6:50 a.m., 10 minutes before opening its doors to the community for the first time this morning.
The new 2,600-foot restaurant opened following about four months of construction.
Hospitality Syracuse is the developer for the project next to McDonalds and across from Freeze-Dry Foods.
Hospitality Syracuse will have a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. today.
These three Albion freshmen were among the first customers at the Taco Bell, stopping in before the start of the school year. They include from left: Ayden Coston, DeAvion Bloom and ChrisJen Winters.
Winters said he was ordering a Cravings Box and a Cinnabon coffee.
“We wanted to get the school year off to a good start,” Winters said.
Bloom said he often goes to the Taco Bell in Brockport and is glad to have the new place close to home.
Coston wanted to be among the first customers “just to show support.”
The three students are joined inside by Chris Quackenbush of Albion, who placed the first order: a Breakfast Box and Cinnabon coffee.
“I’m just glad there is something here that is good,” Quackenbush said.
Some other high school students also came in just before school, while the drive-through was also busy.
Isaac Sugar, 15, of Albion wanted to get a burrito before started his sophomore year at the Cornerstone Christian Academy.
Photos and information courtesy of Albion Central School
ALBION – The Albion school district invites the community to join in celebrating the opening of Spierdowis Field with a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the Purple Eagles’ home opener on Friday, Sept. 15. The district has replaced the grass surface with a new turf field.
The ceremony will take place before the game at 6:45 p.m., at the football stadium behind the District Office at 324 East Ave. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and parking will be available next to District Office.
“Celebrations like these reaffirm our dedication to investing in the success of our students and our community as a whole,” District Superintendent Mickey Edwards said. “We are excited to share the re-opening of Spierdowis Field with the Albion Community this fall.”
Courtesy of GCASA: The Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse is working to build a 25-bed women and children’s residence on Butts Road in Albion.
Posted 5 September 2023 at 1:09 pm
By Mike Pettinella, GCASA Publicist
ALBION – Providing a safe and secure place to live for women battling substance use disorder, including those with children, is yet another vital phase of the mission of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to offer a wide spectrum of care.
“This project is only one of maybe three similar facilities west of Syracuse,” said GCASA Chief Executive Officer John Bennett, speaking of the agency’s 25-bed women and children’s residence that will be located on Butts Road in Albion. “We will serve Genesee and Orleans counties, primarily, and also the Western and Finger Lakes regions.”
Part of the wooded 9-acre lot just outside of the Albion village limits is being cleared to make way for the construction of the building frame and roof this fall, Bennett said. The home – which will take on a woodsy look of green siding and black window trim – is expected to open around October of next year.
“Once open, it will include an early childhood learning center, walking paths in the woods, a large playground, a small workout area for residents, an area for arts and crafts, and more,” he offered. “We continue to find ways to break down barriers for individuals to enter and remain in treatment services. We currently offer extra services such as our drop-in daycare, transportation, case management, recovery services, and a 24/7 peer hotline, as well as our core services.”
GCASA has expanded its programs exponentially under Bennett’s guidance, with its workforce tripling in size over the past 15 years. The women’s and children’s residential facility in Albion fills a great need in substance use treatment, he noted.
“Since 2015, we have seen a significant increase in our female (client) population,” Bennett said. “It used to be 75 percent men and 25 percent women. Now, with opioids – pills – becoming more popular among women, the need in the community to serve women has multiplied.
“One of the barriers for women entering a residential program is, ‘Who will care for their children?’ In our program, women will be able to have their children (under school age) with them while in care.”
Bennett said the Albion location will provide services to women 18 and older during their recovery, with five of the 25 units set up to accommodate women with children younger than kindergarten age. Up to two children can live in those units.
GCASA will operate the facility, with staffing at all hours, seven days a week, Bennett said. A grant from the New York State Department of Health has covered $4.6 million of the $5.2-million cost of construction.
“We looked at buying the Clover Hill Adult Home building in the village but it really wasn’t set up appropriately for the project. It would have taken much to convert and to rehab it,” he said. “When we did purchase the property on Butts Road, the Town of Albion was incredibly welcoming. It’s near to the village but provides privacy for the residents.”
Responding to questions from citizens in the area, Bennett said that only a small part of the land is designated as wetlands and that area will be left untouched, and that GCASA will put in plantings along the driveway upon completion to provide privacy for those living along Butts Road.
“GCASA always strives to be a good neighbor,” he said. “All of our buildings are well-kept.”
The agency is working with the firm of Fontanese Folts Aubrecht Ernst Architects, P.C., of Orchard Park, the same company that has contributed design expertise for seven other GCASA projects. Whitney East, Inc., based in Le Roy and Rochester, is the general contractor.
Bennett said that once operational, the women and children’s residence will enable GCASA to make the Atwater Community Residence in Batavia a “male-only” facility.
“When this is done, we’ll have significantly expanded our bed capacity for all – providing stabilization, rehabilitation and re-entry into the community,” he said.
