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Albion’s Main Street bridge was often in the news just over a century ago

This postcard, dated 1911, shows the swing bridge on Main St., Albion which was demolished in 1912.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2023 at 6:56 pm

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3 No. 4

ALBION – Albion’s Main Street bridge across the Erie Canal is a significant structure on Route 98, a busy north-south road.

The swing-bridge, photographed above, built in 1871, was replaced in 1913-14 by the lift bridge currently under repair. The Barge Canal Improvement Project 1905-1918, which widened the existing canal to accommodate larger, taller barge traffic, necessitated the replacement of the swing bridge.

Then, as now, the bridge project was a cause of inconvenience to many.  Newspapers followed the project closely, as the following extracts show:

Orleans Republican, Nov. 20, 1912: Work has begun on the temporary bridge* at Main St. It should be made wide enough to carry the traffic properly and to hold up the new fire truck and fire engine. (*A temporary bridge was necessary as the Ingersoll Bridge was not built until later)

Orleans Republican – Dec. 4, 1912: The old swing bridge was finally demolished last Friday. The work of blasting out the concrete wall and the stone pile which supported the bridge is progressing rapidly.

Orleans Republican – Dec. 18, 1912: The Cooper Company* has installed a bright electric light with reflectors to aid in night work on the canal at Main Street. (W.S. Cooper Barge Contacting Company)

This May 1913 photo shows the new lift bridge trusses in place.

The new lift bridge was 132 ft. in length and had a span of 116 ft. It was built between 1912-1914 by the Lackawanna Bridge Company of Buffalo and I.M. Ludington’s Sons Inc. of Rochester, NY.

Democrat and Chronicle – May 16, 1913: ALBION BRIDGE AT LAST LOWERED

After removing about fifteen tons of cement block chips from the two sixty-ton cement counter-balance weights of the new electrically operated lift bridge at Main Street over the Erie Canal here, the bridge was finally lowered this afternoon about 3 o’clock with the two 12 horsepower electric motors installed west of the operator’s tower on the towpath side of the canal.

Orleans Republican – May 28, 1913: BRIDGE IN USE

The new lift bridge over the canal on Main Street was lowered for the first time on Tuesday afternoon of last week and traffic over the “raging Erie” was resumed in a straight line after many months of circling over the temporary structure.

The first vehicle to cross was a delivery auto driven by H.T. Stockton and other conveyances, as well as foot passengers who scrambled to be “one of the first” to walk over the new bridge.

The bridge is several feet higher than the old swing bridge and at present the approach on either side is very steep and abrupt. We hope this will soon be remedied.

As is often the case with technology, there were some glitches at the beginning which caused problems:

Democrat & Chronicle – June 10, 1913: APPOINT TRAFFIC OFFICER – To Watch Canal Bridge at Albion During Rush Hours

A new position has been created at the Main Street Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal by the appointment of Paul Kaneski, of this village, as temporary traffic officer at that time. He will be on duty ten hours each day and evening, working at such times that traffic is heaviest and will prevent fast driving of automobiles and horse drawn vehicles.

Albion’s new lift bridge, July 31, 1913.

Democrat & Chronicle, July 13, 1913: ALBION BRIDGE IS SPUNKY – Goes Up in the Air and Refuses to Come Down for an Hour

Traffic across the Erie Canal in this village was at a standstill for about an hour on Saturday afternoon during the rush hour, when the Main Street electric lift bridge refused to work after being elevated to let a boat pass through.

The bridge has given considerable trouble in being operated and experts who have charge of that work for the state have failed to remedy the defect.

Electrician Paul R. West, of this village, was summoned after the bridge had been set out of service for an hour and discovered that a piece of cement which had been dislodged and had fallen back of a break band causing it to fail to release. He removed the chip, and the bridge was lowered.

Buffalo News, July 28, 1913: BOATS RAM BRIDGE

The new $40,000 lift-bridge which spans the Erie Canal in Albion was damaged Saturday when three heavily laden lumber boats crashed into it. Bridgetender Martin Lucas stated that the bridge would not lift, and the barges were carried downstream by the current.

Democrat and Chronicle, May 31, 1915: ALBION AUTOS CAUGHT AS BRIDGE IS RAISED

At noon on Saturday, Frank Lund and family of West Gaines, were driving over the Main Street bridge when the bridge started to rise, as Mr. Lund contends, without the customary bell signal having been sounded. As the car left the south end of the bridge, the auto dropped about three feet in front, leaving the rear part suspended on the bridge, breaking the crank casing. The bridge was lowered, and the car moved off.

Also, on Saturday, a woman driving on Main Street was part way on the bridge when it raised and left her machine partly on the ground and partly on the bridge which was lowered, after being raised several feet.

As we observe the dramatic images of the removal of the Main Street Bridge trusses this past week, we can but marvel at the accomplishments of the original bridge building team.

Albion students hear from law enforcement about training and tactics

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2023 at 8:48 pm

Provided photos

ALBION – Orleans County Deputy Sheriff Matt Prawel, Albion’s school resource officer, lets sixth grader Anthony Napoli try on a vest during a visit last week to Tim Archer’ s citizenship class in the middle school.

Deputy Prawel was joined by Deputy George Barton and Sgt. Adam Hazel in discussing training, tactics, jurisdiction and cooperation with other agencies. Barton and Hazel are both members of the county’s SWAT team.

The law enforcement officers also discussed the 911 dispatch center, road and marine patrols, weapons and equipment, and Otto, the county’s K9.

Tim Archer, teacher of the citizenship class, is at left. He is joined by Deputy Prawel, Deputy Barton and Sgt. Hazel.

“It was a great couple days for the students to learn from and appreciate our local law enforcement,” Archer said.

For first time since 1914, no canal bridge over Main Street in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2023 at 4:22 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The truss on the west side of the Main Street lift bridge is hoisted this afternoon at about 2:30. The first one was removed with a crane at about 11:45 a.m.

Both trusses have been set on a cradle on the north side of the canal where they will be either rehabilitated or the corroding steel will be taken off and replaced with new high-pressured beams and other steel.

The state Department of Transportation is having a major overhaul of the bridge from 1914. It last received extensive work in the 1980s and has had frequent repairs since then, said Jon Long, engineer in charge for the state DOT.

Editor’s Note: Matt Ballard, a former Orleans County historian, thinks the removal of the bridge today is more likely the first time there hasn’t been a Main Street bridge over the canal since 1859. When the 1914 bridge was built, there also was a temporary bridge in place to allow for some traffic.

Ballard suspects Albion last didn’t have a bridge across Main Street after the bridge collapse on Sept. 28, 1859. That day there were 250 people crowded on the bridge, and five horses. The crowd assembled to watch a tight-rope walker west of the bridge. He took a few steps on the tight rope and then the bridge collapsed, killing 15 people.

Here is how the bridge looked this morning before the trusses were removed. This is looking west from the Ingersoll Street bridge.

Clark Rigging & Rental used a big crane with a 400-ton capacity to lift the trusses, which each weighed an estimated 53,000 pounds.

Here is the scene soon after the second truss was removed this afternoon.

The rebuilt trusses are expected to be put back across the canal in August or September, with additional work on the bridge to follow. The bridge closed to traffic in November for the 18-month rehabilitation project. A similar effort will start in April in Brockport.

The state DOT is paying $28.3 million to contractors for the two projects.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems of Spencerport is general contractor for the project, with BVR Construction Company in Churchville hired as a subcontractor for the structural steel work on the bridge rehabilitation.

Here are some other photos this afternoon during the removal and lifting of the second truss.

The trusses had to be cut free from the lifting frame at each end of the bridge.

The 115-foot-long truss is lifted over the control tower and wires stretched across the canal.

The lifting of the trusses drew many onlookers throughout the morning and afternoon.

Ken Pettine and Junior LaMartina of Albion missed the first truss in the morning but they camped out in the village parking lot by the canal for about an hour to watch the second truss be removed.

“It’s amazing to see what they do,” Pettine said. “These guys were unbelievable. They know exactly what they are doing.”

53,000-pound truss from lift bridge moved by huge crane in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2023 at 1:22 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A 53,000-pound truss from the Main Street lift bridge in Albion was moved to land just north of the canal today.

The much-anticipated project had been delayed by windy conditions in recent days. Today there is barely any wind and Clark Rigging & Rental was able to use a big crane with a 400-ton capacity.

The 115-foot-long truss on the east side rises in the air above the truss on the west side.

Before the truss was picked up by the crane, an employee with BVR Construction Company in Churchville cut the end free on the north side. BVR is doing the structural steel work on the bridge rehabilitation.

The truss is slowly lifted above wires and the tower, to be set on land on the north side of the canal.

The truss is set on a cradle where BVR can more easily work on replacing the bottom steel beam. Most of the diagonal steel beams also will be replaced. The top beam doesn’t need to be replaced and is in good shape because it doesn’t have much exposure to road salt.

Click here for a short YouTube video of the truss being hoisted in the air.

Jon Long, engineer in charge for the state Department of Transportation, said the trusses will be worked on over several months and expected to be reset over the canal in late August or September. At that point they will have new steel on the bottom and most of the diagonal pieces.

BVR will also put in new stringers, a new deck (flooring system) and cross beams and the bridge will be repainted.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is the general contractor for the project and will be doing the concrete work on each side of the bridge, as well as ordering the materials for the project.

BVR is a subcontractor doing the structural steel work. O’Connell & Electric will be doing the electrical work, which is primarily with the lifting system.

The 18-month rehabilitation project started in November. The Brockport lift bridge on main Street will be getting a similar overhaul with that bridge expected to close in April. It also will be taken apart and moved offsite on land for most of the repair and replacement work.

DOT staff and many of the workers took videos of the truss being removed at about 11:45 a.m. The other truss is expected to be lifted this afternoon.

Trusses, big beams on bridge will be removed today

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2023 at 10:56 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – One of the big beams on the Main Street lift bridge is moved to a spot on land, north of the canal in Albion this morning.

The much-anticipated removal of trusses and beams is happening today. Clark Rigging & Rental has a crane in Albion with a 400-ton capacity.  Windy conditions in recent days delayed the truss removal, but today there isn’t much wind so the work is proceeding.

The beams and trusses are expected to be removed by late this afternoon.

The trusses, the long horizontal steel going across the canal, each weigh an estimated 53,000 pounds. This isn’t one of the trusses, but one of the cross beams.

The crane has a 257,000-pound counterweight.

Construction workers cut through the steel to take apart the bridge today.

There is a live stream of the bridge available by clicking here.

Albion boosts price to rent pavilion at Bullard Park

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Albion has increased the price to village residents and non-village residents.  

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2023 at 9:14 am

ALBION – It will cost $10 more to rent the pavilion at Bullard Park for parties and events. The Village Board voted on Wednesday evening to increase the cost for village residents to $35 while non-village residents will have to pay $60 to reserve the space.

This is for Bullard Park only, where the new pavilion is next to bathrooms and has electricity.

The Village Board may also add a cleaning/damage deposit in the future, said Trustee Tim McMurray. He said the village Department of Publics Works employees often come in on weekends on overtime to clean up after parties and events.

He said the fees are in line with what many other communities charge to reserve pavilions.

The village may include a charge to rent pavilions at other parks once those facilities are upgraded, board members said.

Tracy VanSkiver, the village clerk and treasurer, said the village office has been getting several requests to rent out the pavilion at Bullard Park in 2023.

In other action at the meeting:

• The board approved taking $20,013.94  from the police equipment reserves to purchase a 2022 Durango patrol vehicle for the K-9 unit.

• Appointed Susan Oschmann to the Historic Preservation Committee, with a term expiring in April 2026.

• Voted 4-0 to post employee contracts and salaries on the village website. Trustees said that information is already on the SeeThroughNY website. Putting them on the village website will make it easier for the Albion community to see the information, trustees said.

• Voted to advertise for two part-time clerk positions.

• Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said she has spoken with the state Department of Transportation about the closed off Brown Street canal bridge. That bridge has become unsightly, she said. It has been closed to traffic for about a decade.

Riley and the board would like it to be fixed and reopened, but that isn’t in the short-term plan for the DOT, Riley said.

She said the village will continue to advocate that the bridge be reopened to traffic. If the DOT doesn’t have plans to fix it, the state should consider removing the bridge while looking at an option for pedestrian access, Riley said.

County Legislator John Fitzak said if the bridge was removed, the DOT should regrade the approaches, and could create more parking spaces for the former Crooked Door Tavern which is on the south side of the bridge. The Crooked Door is being turned into a café.

“Don’t just leave it this way,” Riley said about the bridge. “It is an eyesore just sitting there.”

Contractor, DOT hope Friday will be day for bridge lift in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2023 at 6:42 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A large crane is in place north of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. The contractor for the project, Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport, and the state Department of Transportation are planning for Friday to lift the bridge from its current spot over the canal to land north of the site.

The lift has been delayed due to weather. It was planned for earlier this week.

Crane-Hogan is doing a major rehabilitation of the bridge that was originally built in 1914. The span has been closed since Nov. 14 for a major rehabilitation project expected to last 18 months.

Albion Village Board votes to seek $2 million in funding from Restore NY

Photo by Tom Rivers: Main Street in downtown Albion is pictured on Sunday evening after some snowfall.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2023 at 8:29 am

ALBION – The Albion Village Board approved a $2 million application on Wednesday evening for the Restore NY grant program.

The application would assist 22 properties in the downtown area, and if approved would bring state funding for 90 percent of building improvement projects in vacant or underutilized buildings.

Jay Grasso, the village’s grantwriter for the application, said the projects range from $50,000 to up to $400,000. Most of the projects include drywall, utility work, plumbing and other improvements to make space more usable for residential and commercial uses.

He thanked the building owners and the village office staff for their efforts in providing information for the application. Building owners needed to submit estimates from contractors for work.

If Albion’s application is approved, Grasso said more detailed construction bids will likely be needed and the state will finalize contracts with each building owner.

Albion qualified as a severely distressed community, making it eligible for Restore NY funding. That state program seeks to revitalize the heart of community centers, bringing funding for residential and commercial projects.

The grants for a community are up to $10 million, and are often anchored by a massive project for several million dollars. Albion is going funding for 22 smaller projects, rather than one giant effort.

Grasso, the grantwriter and owner of G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing, said he expects it will take several months before the state announces the winners in Restore NY. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 1 announced a new round of $250 million in Restore NY funding is available.

The Albion sites in the grant are on Main Street, South Clinton Street, South Platt Street, East Bank Street, North Liberty Street and Beaver Alley.

Grasso said the connections he’s made with building owners, included some not in the application, will be helpful if Albion pursues other grants including the Forward NY program. He said Albion qualifies for many of the programs and is a strong candidate for funding.

County backs $675K grant application from state for Freeze-Dry in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2023 at 9:09 am

Photo by Tom Rivers: Thrive Foods is looking to make a $3 million upgrade at the Freeze-Dry facility on Route 31 in Albion.

Company looks to invest $3 million in Albion, add 45 jobs

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is supporting an application for a $675,000 grant to assist with a $3 million expansion at Freeze-Dry in Albion, a company that was recently acquired by Thrive Foods.

Thrive is looking to invest in new dryers, machinery and other equipment, as part of a plan to expand operations at 111 West Ave., and add 45 employees as part of the first phase of growing in Albion, said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

“This is concerning a wonderful project that I think will make everybody very, very happy,” Barone said during a public hearing on Tuesday about the application.

The county will apply for the grant funding from the state Office of Community Renewal. The Orleans Land Restoration Corporation, which is under the EDA umbrella, will assist the county with the application.

Barone said she is hopeful for a quick turnaround from the state, perhaps in three to four months on whether the funding is approved.

Thrive Foods in early September announced it acquired Freeze-Dry, which operated for the past 20 years in Albion at the former Lipton’s plant. Freeze-Dry Foods specializes in freeze-dried products, including pet treats, proteins and ingredients. The products have a shelf life of up to 25 years because Freeze-Dry eliminates moisture and oxygen, while preserving nutrients, flavor, taste, color and aroma.

Thrive Foods recently expanded into a new facility in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Now the company wants to upgrade the Albion facility.

“Hopefully there will be a need for additional phases to follow,” Barone said at the public hearing.

Bridge lift in Albion pushed back from today due to weather

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2023 at 8:35 am

ALBION – Many people were hoping to see history today with the lifting of the Main Street bridge by crane, and seeing it moved to land north of the canal.

Onlookers will have to wait a little longer because the lift has been pushed back due to the weather today with snow in the forecast.

The state Department of Transportation said the bridge lift will likely be later this week but doesn’t have a set date yet.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is general contractor for the project and has brought in a very large crane to move the trusses of the bridge.

The company will be doing a major rehabilitation of the bridge from 1914. The span has been closed since Nov. 14 for a repair project expected to last 18 months.

Albion Lions recognize 3 long-time members

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2023 at 9:40 pm

Provided photo

ALBION – Ron Albertson (center), president of the Albion Lions Club, this evening presented awards to two long-time members, Dennis Smith (left) and Lloyd Wright. Smith has been an active member for 35 years and Wright for 25 years.

The Lions Club also will recognize the Rev. Wilfred Moss for 30 years of service to the club.

Albertson said all three of the long-time members remain active with the Lions, all three “are great community people.”

Wright is the treasurer. He also hauls the trailer carrying the club’s signs, grills and tables.

Smith organizes and oversees the annual geranium sale.

Moss leads the group in prayer at most of their meetings, which are held at the Masonic Lodge on Platt Street.

“He is a wonderful human being,” Albertson said about Moss. “He is very revered among the Lions.”

Mickey Tower worked for Charles Howard, bringing magical scenes to Christmas Park

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2023 at 8:57 am

Albion man was tasked with bringing Howard’s ideas to reality

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mickey Tower, 87, looks over a newspaper section that detailed Christmas Park and the Santa School in Albion. Tower was in his early 20s when Howard hired him as an electrician and carpenter, tasking him with bringing Howard’s ideas into reality.

ALBION – Mickey Tower remains thankful for Charles Howard, the founder and visionary behind a Santa School in Albion and later a Christmas Park.

Tower was 20 when Howard hired him as a carpenter and electrician to be part of a team in building rides and other attractions at Christmas Park at the corner of Phipps Road and Gaines Basin Road in Albion.

Tower, now 87, said Howard was amazingly creative. He cast a vision for how a ride should look, and he told Tower, his brother Arnold Tower and Norman Starkweather to make it happen with no blueprints to go by.

“He had a very big imagination,” Tower recalled. “He wanted to build the world’s biggest apple pie and he did.”

The trio worked there about two months a year for about a decade. Working for Howard helped the three young men gain a reputation locally for challenging construction projects.

Photos courtesy of Orleans County Department of History: Charles Howard in the mid-1950s converted part of his farm into Christmas Park with amusement park rides, a petting zoo and other attractions.

They helped build the track for a train at Christmas Park, a tunnel, wooden snowflakes, wooden icicles hanging down from the roof, the fire place, and many other projects. There was never a slow moment. Howard had short- and long-term projects. Tower recalled the effort in turning a pond on the property into Snowflake Lake.

The fire place is one of the few remaining pieces of Christmas Park. Tower remembers filling Charlie Howard’s car and trailer with stones from Howard’s fields for the fire place.

Tower and his two colleagues would make the pieces for the attractions and exhibits, and set up gears and wires to make many of the parts move and light up.

This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966. He wanted wooden icicles on the school and barn.

He remembered “Santa’s Castle” where Howard told the trio to put a cloth on the ceiling to resemble clouds, and then he wanted flickering lights to look like stars. Howard told them what he wanted, and left them to work out the details.

Tower also remembered Howard buying a “Christmas tree ride” and telling his construction crew he wanted a large metal Christmas tree in the center. The carpenters and electricians were tasked with getting elements of the rides have a magical element – to go up and down with lights. Howard created the park in Albion before Darien Lake and when Disneyland was in its infancy.

Howard opened the Christmas Park at his farm on Sept. 2, 1956. The Santa-themed amusement park welcomed about 80,000 visitors annually.

“People came from all over the world, but the Albion people didn’t patronize like they should have,” Tower said. “It was very entertaining. It was something for your imagination.”

Howard ran the park as executive director until 1964. He died of a heart attack on May 1, 1966.

Tower said the crew was kept busy by Howard. Now, at 87, he regrets he never took photos of the crew in action. This was long before social media when now so much of life, even the mundane, is photographed and shared with others.

“At that time it wasn’t important,” Tower said about taking photos.

Tower recalled when Howard wanted reindeer antlers to be mounted and moving slightly as part of a sleigh for a float in a parade. He left it to Tower and his two buddies to figure out how to make that happen.

“He didn’t like anything fake,” Tower said. “He wanted it to be nice and to look like Santa.”

He remembers going with Howard to Watertown and filling two tractor trailers with amusement rides. Tower and his co-workers needed to get them into shape, and add some of the Christmas features envisioned by Howard.

“He was pleased with what we did,” Tower said. “He told us what he wanted, but didn’t tell us how to do it.”

The crew would transport rides and displays to the State Fair for Howard, and set them up. They did the same for Howard in building exhibits for fruit and muck farms. Howard was respected for telling a story, even about growing onions and apples, in a captivating way.

When Tower, Starkweather and Tower weren’t working for Howard, they built and remodeled houses.

Tower in the mid-1960s got out of the construction business and went to work for 10 years at Wolcott Dairy, and then worked 8 years in maintenance for Bayex in Albion,. He ended his career with Tower Electric.

He said Howard was a one-of-kind visionary whose mind was always racing.

“He had so many ideas,” Tower said.

Truss removal for Albion lift bridge planned for Wednesday

Photos by Tom Rivers: many of the parts of the Albion Main Street lift bridge have been removed. The trusses are scheduled to be removed to the north side of the canal on Wednesday.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 January 2023 at 9:51 am

ALBION – The much-anticipated removal of the trusses on the Main Street lift bridge is now scheduled for Wednesday.

That historic moment was set initially expected last week, and then was shifted to Tuesday (tomorrow). But the state Department of Transportation said the removal is now scheduled for Wednesday.

The trusses will be moved by a giant crane to just north of the canal on land owned by the State Canal Corp. Soon there won’t be a bridge over the canal for the first time since 1914. The historic span will get a major rehabilitation.

The bridge closed to traffic on Nov. 14 and isn’t expected to reopen for 18 months. Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is general contractor for the project.

In rebuilding the Albion bridge, Crane-Hogan will replace bridge decks and portions of the truss system with high-strength, galvanized steel; modernize mechanical and electrical components within the bridge’s lifting system; rehabilitate the bridge tower; install new bridge rails; and repaint the bridge in the current shade of green.

Sections of the walkway and railing are stacked up on a trailer.

Albion sets public hearing on Restore NY grant seeking aid for 17 sites in village

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2023 at 1:13 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Albion has 17 properties included in a Restore NY application, including 28 East Bank St. (left).

ALBION – The Albion Village Board has set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Village Hall for residents to comment on an application to state for Restore NY funding.

Albion has qualified as a severely distressed community and is eligible for Restore NY funding. That state program seeks to revitalize the heart of community centers, bringing funding for residential and commercial projects.

The Restore NY program could bring up to $10 million to revitalize distressed commercial and residential sites, providing 90 percent of the costs, said Jay Grasso, the village’s grantwriter and owner of G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing.

The Restore NY program funds reconstruction, structural repairs, repair and replacement of mechanical systems, energy efficiency upgrades, and demolition.

Restore NY can be used for vacant, abandoned, condemned or surplus buildings. These properties can be demolished, deconstructed, rehabilitated or reconstructed. The grant allows up to $70,000 per residential unit.

Albion has made it past the first round of the application and needs to submit a more detailed application by Jan. 27.

There are 17 properties in the downtown business district identified for the village’s application.

The properties identified for the village application include:

  • 117 North Liberty St., 6,960 square feet
  • 124 South Clinton St., 7,692 square feet
  • 132 North Main St., 5,984 square feet
  • 18 North Main St., 19,600 square feet
  • 165 South Platt St., 34,344 square feet
  • 52 North Main St., 9,996 square feet
  • 102 East Bank St., 1,530 square feet
  • 10-12 North Main St., 6,270 square feet
  • 138-140 North Main St., 6,932 square feet
  • 116 North Liberty St. (Beaver Alley), 14,250 square feet
  • 24 and 28 East Bank St., 21,900 square feet
  • 101 North Main St., 6,696 square feet
  • 25-27 East Bank St., 1,860 square feet
  • 38 Platt St., 3,759 square feet
  • 255 East Bank St., 2,936 square feet
  • 160 North Main St., 10,870 square feet
  • 34 North Main St., 3,472 square feet

Cast of characters from circus returns in annual visit to Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2023 at 9:34 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Caleb Lambert, 6, of Albion balances three plates with assistance from Franko Bui, a clown. Caleb was picked out of the crowd to assist Franko with the act at the elementary school gym in Albion, which hosted two performances on Thursday of Billy Martin’s Cole All Star Circus.

The circus has started its annual swing in the region. The other upcoming local performances include Medina today at 5:15 and 7:15 p.m. in the Wise Middle School gym; Holley Elementary Gym at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, and Kendall High School Gym with a 6:30 p.m. show on Jan. 27. Tickets are available at the door. Click here for more information on the schedule.

Ivan Arestov displays his skill with Cyr Wheel acrobatics. He has been performing with Billy Martin’s Cole All Star Circus for several years now. Last summer he also spent a week at the Orleans County 4-H Fair as a performer, including balancing on a stack of chairs that were 25 feet high.

Slinko has long been one of the popular acts at the circus. The character is like a dancing slinky.

Lilly Otis, 7, of Albion gets a cat painted on her face during intermission.

Alex Arestov balances an umbrella on his forehead. Alex and Elena performed with many umbrellas on Thursday. In the past their performance included a series of quick costume changes that seemed like magic.

Franko sells merchandise, including lighted swords and super-hero inflatables. There was also cotton candy, popcorn and other goodies available.