Albion

Albion Village Board mulls whether to put 121 North Main St. on the market

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2022 at 11:29 am

3-story site from 1890 home to assemblyman’s office, Orleans EDA, Ministry of Concern

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Village of Albion has owned 121 North Main St. since 2002. The village finished off a renovation project for the building that is called the Albion Visitor’s Center.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board is talking about possibly selling the Albion Visitor’s Center, which is an office building at 121 North Main St.

The building has been appraised for $249,900 by David Snell of Snell Realty in Albion. The building has three tenants that pay about $4,000 combined each month.

Some Albion artifacts, including a fire hose cart and a wooden waterline, are on display in the foyer of the building.

The village pays about $1,000 in utilities a month for the building. Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the building is break-even or maybe even a loss for the village when the time from the village Department of Public Works staff is factored in.

If the building was sold it would be on the tax rolls, generating tax revenue for the village, town, school district and county, he said.

The village has owned the 8,061-square-foot building since 2002. It took over the building that was in the midst of a big construction project. The former Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce was approved for a $585,000 grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development for the renovation. That grant didn’t cover all the costs and the village stepped in to finish the project.

The building from 1890 was in major disrepair before the Chamber and village took on the project. The Visitor’s Center current tenants include Assemblyman Steve Hawley on the first floor, the Orleans Economic Development Agency on the second floor and the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern on the third floor.

There is space on the first floor available from two previous tenants – Bernie Baldwin with MetLife and Crossroads Abstract.

Snell put the value of the property at just shy of $250,000. He compared that to 10 North Main St. in Albion, a residential, business and office building that sold for $240,000 in May 2021. It was listed at $249,900. That 12,540-square-foot building has fewer parking spaces than the 13 for the Visitor’s Center.

Snell also highlighted an 8,887-square-foot building in Medina at 415 West Ave. That one sold for $225,000 in August 2022. It was listed for $259,900. That property has at least 20 parking spots.

Snell said the Visitor’s Center is in good condition and already has three tenants with the chance for at least two more. The building has a working elevator and a prominent location on Main Street.

“This property has a lot of character,” Snell said during last week’s Village Board meeting. “It’s a nice-looking building.”

If the building was listed for sale, Snell estimated it could take a year to sell it. The two buildings he used as comparables were on the market for an average of 366 days.

Mayor Javier said the board is gathering information right now and no decision has been made to try to sell the site.

The three-story building includes an elevator. There are currently two available offices for rent in the building following the retirement of Bernie Baldwin as a MetLife agent and ending of the lease by Crossroads Abstract.

Volunteers needed to help with events to promote Albion when Main Street bridge closes

Photo by Tom Rivers: Michael Bonafede facilitates a meeting last week among Albion community members, brainstorming ideas and events to promote Albion while the Main Street bridge is closed. They meeting was at Hoag Library.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2022 at 2:04 pm

ALBION – A group looking for ways to promote the Albion downtown and community has identified projects and activities to bring foot traffic and people to Albion.

However, those programs and events need organizers and volunteers, and many local organizations and residents already active working on events are stretched thin.

The Main Street bridge is scheduled to close Oct. 17 and is expected to be closed to traffic for at least 18 months for a major rehabilitation.

A 24-7 video that shows the bridge and construction progress was listed as the top idea during a Sept. 12 meeting, when participants were asked to vote on their five favorite ideas or projects among a list of about a dozen different things.

Michael Bonafede, facilitator for the group and owner of three downtown buildings, believes the construction will be a spectacle of wide interest, especially when a crane is brought in and the bridge is temporarily moved from over the canal to land next door owned by the Canal Corp.

Cameras showing the construction site could be mounted on buildings by the canal with footage shown 24-7 through a YouTube channel.

The second most popular idea was a tie with block parties and the canal concerts moved to a closed part of Main Street, between Beaver Alley and Bank Street.

There was also several votes for a Christmas Tree festival, temporary ice skating rink, New Year’s Eve ball drop, and designated spots for food trucks with fees waived.

Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the Christmas Tree festival could include bringing in a tall tree about 50 feet high for the event.

Bonafede said the people and organizations who usually are the planners and organizers need more partners to pull off more events and projects.

The groups doing events also don’t often know what other entities are planning. The groups need to communicate with each other, and perhaps join forces on some of the projects, Bonafede said after hearing from some of the group.

The group discussing ideas for Albion while the bridge is closed will next meet at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 at Hoag Library. People don’t need to own a downtown business or building to be part of the discussion or to work on a project.

Albion creates scarecrows for downtown as part of fall fest

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2022 at 9:31 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This colorful scarecrow is one of 32 that was created on Saturday during a fall festival organized by the Albion Merchants Association.

There were also several food and craft vendors at the festival.

Stan Farone ties scarecrows to a light pole on Bank Street. Farone was assisted a group of high school students in the task.

These high schoolers helped during the activity. All of the supplies were used up, with scarecrows made non-stop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pictured from left include Abby Mancuso, Micky Stowell and Skyler Draper.

This Purple Eagle themed scarecrow is on Main Street. The scarecrows will be judged during most of October in four different categories. Ballots will be at the Downtown Browsery and Krantz Furniture.

People walk by the scarecrows that were created on Saturday.

If COVA closes, Monroe Ambulance says it could cover central Orleans

Photos by Tom Rivers: Anna Tower, treasurer for COVA, speaks during an EMS Task Force on Thursday evening in Albion. She said the ambulance provider needs help to continue serving the community. She is joined by Aaron MacKenzie, left, and Dan Conrad, both representatives for COVA.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2022 at 9:34 am

ALBION – Monroe Ambulance, which is the primary ambulance provider in eastern Orleans County, said it could serve central Orleans County if COVA closes.

John Caufield, chief operating officer for Monroe Ambulance, spoke during an EMS Task Force meeting on Thursday. Those meetings have been going on since February.

Caufield said Monroe wasn’t trying to knock out COVA, but Monroe could expand into central Orleans. If that happened, Monroe would serve a block of seven Orleans towns – Barre, Albion, Gaines and Carlton in the central part and Clarendon, Murray and Kendall on the east side.

John Caufield, chief operating officer for Monroe Ambulance, says Monroe would likely keep two ambulances in Orleans, and maybe three if it served a block of seven towns.

“We see value in the consortium of seven towns,” Caufield said. “There is an opportunity for better service if we serve the area as a block of seven towns.”

Monroe would likely have two ambulances stationed in the county – one in Albion and the other likely in Holley or Kendall – and possibly a third when there is a higher call volume. Monroe also could draw from ambulances it has based in Brockport and Greece if there was higher demand in Orleans, Caufield said.

Monroe has 26 ambulances and six fly cars for northwest Monroe County, eastern Orleans and Wyoming County. Monroe currently doesn’t base in ambulance in Orleans because the call volume in eastern Orleans – about 1,200 calls a year – doesn’t financially justify keeping in ambulance on the east side, Caufield said.

But including central Orleans, where he said there are about 2,200 ambulance calls annually, would be enough for Monroe to likely dedicate two ambulances throughout the day, with a third during peak call volumes.

Monroe would also have a supervisor and dedicated crews for Orleans if Monroe became the primary provider for the seven towns, Caufield said.

COVA has been the central Orleans provider for 43 years. The agency is in a financial crisis and has been seeking support from the four central towns, either with a contract or in a taxing district.

Anna Tower, the COVA treasurer, said COVA needs $150,000 to $200,000 annually from the towns to cover a deficit. COVA used to make a profit each year and the extra funds would go towards purchasing a new ambulance.

But COVA has been operating a deficit in recent years – $161,000 in 2019 and $172,000 in 2020. The agency received federal PPP funds in 2021 to stay about even that year, Tower said. But this year has been another deficit. COVA has used up its reserves and accumulated $70,000 in unpaid bills, while struggling to make payroll. The organization has cut expenses by $40,000 to try to stay open.

Tower said a big factor in COVA’s profitability has been an increase in patients on Medicare and Medicaid, which offers COVA a low reimbursement. A decade ago, about 60 percent of patients were on Medicaid or Medicare with others on private insurance that pays at a higher rate. About 85 to 89 percent of patients are now Medicare or Medicaid, Tower said, and those rates don’t cover COVA’s costs.

“We are definitely in trouble,” she said at the EMS Task Force meeting. “”We need the help from the towns and possibly the village.”

The four towns have met with COVA but haven’t reached an agreement on how much to give them. County legislators John Fitzak and Skip Draper said COVA’s numbers have shifted, creating some uneasiness among the town leaders.

Fitzak said last month COVA leaders were seeking a $13,000 a month subsidy. But on Wednesday, in a meeting with the Albion Village Board, COVA said it would need a $16,000 subsidy.

The Village Board is considering the $16,000 a month to have a COVA ambulance primarily dedicated to the village.

Fitzak and Draper also said COVA has presented the deficit as about $150,000 a year, but in a presentation last month, a COVA official sought $50 per household from central Orleans that would be about $379,000 a year.

“You have to have a good handle on your business before we can figure out how to help you,” Draper said during the task force meeting.

Fitzak also said COVA and the four towns need to have a metric that is fair for covering the subsidy, whether by assessed value in each town or call volume per municipality to determine how much each of the four towns would contribute. Or maybe the four just evenly split the cost.

Tower, the COVA treasurer, said the organization would provide a precise number.

Ultimately, Draper said the issue needs to be worked out between the four towns and COVA. The four town supervisors also met with Monroe Ambulance last week to discuss ambulance service in the four towns.

Caufield said Monroe could step in but it would need some time to ramp up its service in the county. Monroe currently doesn’t get a municipal stipend in its service area and is funded as a billed service.

He acknowledged it is a challenging business to provide ambulance service. He said there are 25 fewer ambulances in Monroe County compared to eight years ago and 10 fewer agencies.

“The economic model is upside down,” he said.

Richard Remley, the Albion town supervisor, said he expects more clarity in the next month on ambulance service in central Orleans.

The EMS Task Force next meets on Nov. 10.

Albion Lions Club donates $2K to COVA, challenges others to give to ambulance service

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2022 at 4:58 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Ron Albertson, president of the Albion Lions Club, presents a check for $2,000 to Jennifer Stilwell, president of the COVA board of directors.

The Lions Club donated to COVA and urged other services clubs, business and residents to give to the ambulance provider which is in a financial crisis. COVA has ceased overtime paid staff and is trying to cut other costs, hoping it can secure funding from the central Orleans towns of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines.

Others in the photo include, in back from left: Lions Club members Kevin Howard and Mark Johnson, COVA treasurer Anna Tower, COVA EMT and chief financial officer Brandi Fisher; Jill Albertson; COVA board member and Lions Club member Dan Conrad; and Laurie Schwab, COVA’s chief operations officer.

COVA also is urging central Orleans residents to sign a petition in support of a taxing district which COVA officials said would average $43 per $100,000 of assessed property in the four towns.

Those petitions are available at:

COVA Base – 239 S. Main St., Albion
Olde Dogge Inn – 14472 Ridge Road W., Albion
Toyz N’ Kandy – 28 E. Bank Street, Albion
Gilligan’s Galley – 928 Point Breeze Road, Point Breeze

Donations can also be made to COVA through the organization’s website. Click here for more information.

Mount Albion Cemetery earns arboretum accreditation

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2022 at 2:24 pm

1,100 trees stand at historic cemetery on Route 31

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mount Albion Cemetery is shown on Oct. 29, 2019 at the peak of the fall foliage season.

ALBION – Mount Albion Cemetery, one of the area’s most striking sites with its rolling hills and towering trees, has been accredited as an arboretum.

Tim Archer, a seventh-grade teacher at Albion, pursued the designation for the cemetery through ArbNet and The Morton Arboretum.

“It’s a treasure we have here,” Archer said about the cemetery during Wednesday’s Village Board meeting. He presented the accreditation certificate to board.

The cemetery covers about 100 acres and is home to more than 1,100 trees and an array of flowers and bushes.

There are 65 varieties of trees, ranging from alder to beech, butternut to basswood, oak to spruce, hemlock to dogwood, pine to cedar and chestnut, according to the listing by ArbNet and The Morton Arboretum. Click here to see the listing.

“But what dominates the landscape is New York State’s official tree – the Sugar Maple,” the group stated. “It’s brilliant fall colors dance across the landscape like a kaleidoscope of calm.”

Archer and his students are working on a 50-page book about the cemetery. The booklets will be distributed in the spring to local libraries, schools and government offices. He said the local DAR chapter is paying for the cost of printing.

Anna Gillette, one of the seventh-grade students, said the class also would like to identify and label some of the trees on the main walking trails.

Archer and the students thanked Jason Zicari, the cemetery superintendent, and the other cemetery employees for their care and work at Mount Albion.

Provided photo: Two Albion students – Omer Fugate and Anna Gillette – are pictured with Albion Village board members on Wednesday evening when the students presented the board with a certificate showing the arboretum accreditation for Mount Albion Cemetery. Pictured from left include village trustees Chris Barry and Joyce Riley, Omer Fugate, Anna Gillette, Mayor Angel Javier Jr., and trustees Zack Burgess and Tim McMurray.

Historic marker will go up in Albion honoring Henry Spencer, prominent African-American

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2022 at 11:30 am

Albion native was University of Rochester’s first Black student

Photograph of Henry Spencer courtesy of the University of Rochester

ALBION – A historical marker is expected to be erected in the next few weeks honoring Henry A. Spencer, an Albion native who was the first African-American student at the University of Rochester.

The marker will go by the childhood home of Spencer on Chamberlain Street. Spencer was a pall bearer for Frederick Douglass’s funeral, a member of Frederick Douglass Memorial Committee, and secretary for the NYS Assembly.

The $1,500 cost for the marker is being paid for by the Pomeroy Foundation. The effort is led by Tim Archer’s seventh-grade service learning class at Albion Middle School. Archer and his students will work with the Albion Department of Public Works on the installation.

“Because of his remarkable legacy, our classes petitioned for, and were granted, a NYS historical marker,” seventh-grader Omer Fugate old the Village Board during Wednesday’s board meeting. “These are hard to get, but with the proper documentation we were able to receive the $1,500 grant.”

Archer said the marker was recommended by former County Historian Matt Ballard. He wrote about Spencer in one of his columns when he was county historian.

Spencer’s father came to Western New York with local Union army officers at the conclusion of the Civil War. The father, Henry Spencer, arrived in Orleans County with Lt. Hiram Sickels of the 17th New York Light Independent Artillery sometime around 1866, and then brought his wife and children to the area, Ballard wrote in a column published on Feb. 22, 2020.

One of Spencer’s sons, Henry Austin, worked as an errand boy as a teen-ager and also attended local schools, but only for about three months out of the year. He would then attend a boarding school in Philadelphia and then the Brockport Normal School where he graduated in 1880 as the Gamma Sigma orator, an honor that earned him a full scholarship to the University of Rochester.

After the U of R, he studied law under the Hon. George H. Smith of Rochester. Spencer would then be appointed to a position in Albany in the speaker’s room thanks to a former University of Rochester classmate, Hon. James M. E. O’Grady, according to Ballard’s research.

When S. Fred Nixon assumed the role as speaker of the State Assembly, Spencer was appointed as Nixon’s confidential clerk, a position which he continued to hold through the tenure of the Hon. James Wadsworth, Jr.

“Upon his retirement in 1929, he had served in government for over 30 years and worked for a period of time under Governor Alfred E. Smith and other prominent state officials,” Ballard wrote. “At the time of his death on September 25, 1935 in Rochester, he was one of the area’s more prominent African-American citizens. He was a past grand master of the New York State Colored Masons, an organization which consisted of over 2,000 members across New York.”

Albion Village Board tries to keep COVA afloat with contract for ambulance services

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2022 at 8:21 am

Village sets public hearing for Oct. 26; COVA officials say they are running out of money

Photo by Tom Rivers: COVA treasurer Anna Tower, right, and Brandi Fisher, COVA’s chief financial officer and an EMT, speak at Wednesday’s Village Board meeting about the financial challenges facing the agency.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board wants to direct some of its federal ARPA money to keep COVA afloat as a local ambulance provider.

The village has $172,000 left in in its allotment for federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and village department heads have all submitted proposals for spending that money.

But the board is putting off those department heads proposals while COVA is struggling and near closing.

COVA said it has been operating a deficit in recent years – $161,000 in 2019 and $172,000 in 2020. It has used up its reserves and accumulated $70,000 in unpaid bills, while struggling to make payroll.

Trustee Chris Barry suggested the village use $16,000 a month for COVA from the ARPA funds to help the ambulance provider while a longer-term funding arrangement can be worked out. COVA has suggested a taxing district or ambulance service contracts with the towns of Albion, Barre, Gaines and Carlton, COVA’s direct service area.

The village couldn’t just approve the $16,000 on Wednesday, Village Attorney John Gavenda advised. The board needs to give notice of a public hearing about the issue so residents can provide input about the new ambulance contract that would give at least one ambulance priority for village residents. The hearing was set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Village Office.

The Village Board has stayed out of the issue because village residents are either in the towns of Albion and Gaines and the Village Board said the village residents would be “double taxed” if the village paid money to COVA and then village residents paid again through the towns.

But an agreement hasn’t been reached with the towns, and COVA said it is nearing closure. It no longer has overnight staffing.

Village Trustee Joyce Riley said she was concerned about the village funding being used without a solid plan to keep COVA going strong long into the future.

“The ARPA money isn’t a permanent solution,” she said. “It’s a temporary fix.”

COVA leaders spoke at the Village Board meeting. They said COVA has seen a rise in patients on Medicaid or Medicare and those reimbursement rates are far below COVA’s costs. The agency has seen its expenses rise with the costs of fuel, medications and equipment.

Brandi Fisher, COVA’s chief financial officer, said COVA has tried for four years to make the local government leaders aware of the fiscal challenges of the agency. COVA has pushed for a contract or taxing district with the central Orleans towns. If those four towns contributed $200,000 a year in a contract that would keep COVA viable, Fisher said.

Laurie Schwab, COVA’s chief operations officer, said COVA hasn’t received any of the federal Covid relief money that went to local governments even though COVA medics and staff were on the front lines of the Covid pandemic, going inside houses and helping people who were sick.

“We were your response,” Schwab said. “We saved lives.”

COVA leaders thanked the Village Board for working towards a contract, but they said they were worried they were running out of time.

Albion community members will meet this evening about Main Street bridge closure

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Main Street bridge in Albion is scheduled to close Oct. 17 and then face 18 months of construction and rehabilitation before it reopens in 2024.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2022 at 7:42 am

ALBION – A group of Albion community members will meet today from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to discuss ways to soften the impact of the Main Street bridge closure.

That bridge, built in 1914, is scheduled to close on Oct. 17 and not reopen for about 18 months.

A community group is looking for ways to help the downtown business district during the closure, and also help motorists with well-defined detours, including in the village.

“Bring your ideas, excitement and volunteerism,” Karen Sawicz, owner of Lake Country Media, said in an email on Friday to people who attended the first meeting on Sept. 12. “We all need to work together on this project!! Invite your neighbors, other Albion businesses.”

At the first meeting some ideas proposed included block parties, concerts, a Christmas tree festival, cornhole tournaments, designated spots for food trucks, ax throwing competitions and many other events.

“This can devastate a community or we can use it as a building tool,” Michael Bonafede, a downtown building owner, said at the Sept. 12 meeting.

Town supervisors in central Orleans say they are working on ambulance coverage and funding

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 September 2022 at 4:58 pm

Editor’s Note: The following statement was sent by the town supervisors in Albion, Barre, Gaines and Carlton. They are in central Orleans which is the service area for COVA Ambulance. The supervisors include Richard Remley of Albion, Sean Pogue of Barre, Tyler Allport of Gaines and Gayle Ashbery of Carlton.

“The towns of Carlton, Gaines, Albion and Barre, in conjunction with the county-wide EMS Task Force, have been working on ways to find solutions to our ambulance coverage and funding issues.

“While no definite conclusion has been reached, we are exploring many viable solutions for our respective towns. We fully realize the importance of 24/7 emergency coverage and we are striving to ensure that remains the standard in our communities.

“Please be assured that there are mutual aid plans in place at the county and state levels to ensure that none of the towns will go without ambulance service.

“It is also important to note that there are no easy, free solutions to these problems. We are, however, striving to find the most cost-effective way forward while providing the widest possible range of services.”

COVA asks community to sign petition for taxing district

Editor’s Note: Jennfer Stilwell. President of the COVA board of directors, sent a letter to the editor to the Orleans Hub today, urging community support for a taxing district in the fur towns that she said would cost an average of $43 annually per year.

COVA has stopped overnight staffing as it faces a fiscal crisis and needs $150,000 to stave off closing before Jan. 1.

“In a last-ditch effort our community has come to us with petitions for our towns to get us a tax district. The outpouring from local residents has kept us going and we are grateful for this last effort you have asked for,” Stilwell wrote.

The petitions are at the Olde Dogge Inn in Gaines, at Toyz n Kandy in Albion, the COVA base in Albion, Gilligan’s Galley in Carlton. Or call COVA at 585-589-4163 for information on how to get access to a petition.

“We have one week to get as many signatures as possible,” Stilwell wrote. “We also encourage everyone who is concerned to go to your town meetings in October and voice your concern and support to get us a tax district. This would raise your taxes approximately $43 per year or less per household. That is not per person! That is per taxed household! A very small price to pay for the security of your community-based ambulance.”

Youth football teams rally for Albion boy, 5, fighting brain tumor

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 September 2022 at 10:11 am

Provided photos

ALBION – The youth football teams from Albion and Akron rallied in support of Maddox Pearl, 5, and his family on Saturday when Bullard Park hosted four football games at the beginner, mini, JV and varsity levels.

The top photo shows Maddox Pearl with his parents, Katelyn and Ryan Pearl, at the coin toss before the game.

The Albion AYSAP organization sold these T-shirts for $15 to raise money for the family.

The Akron players wore stickers on the their helmets in a show of support for Maddox. Pictured is Akron coach Sean Luck with some of his players.

The Akron players signed a poster and presented it to Maddox and his family.

The new scoreboard at the field was temporarily named “Maddox Field” for the games on Saturday.

Hensley Allport sells shirts and 50/50 tickets for the benefit for Maddox and his family.

Albion youth football thankful for new scoreboard at Bullard

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2022 at 8:40 am

Provided photo

ALBION – The new scoreboard has been installed and is in use for the Albion youth football games at Bullard Park.

Players, cheerleaders and coaches recently gathered for a photo with a representative from the Burger King in Albion. Mark Cammilleri, owner of the local Burger King, covered the cost of purchasing the scoreboard. Shelby Hollenbeck, a Burger King employee, joined the AYSAP group for a photo celebrating the new scoreboard which was installed by the Village of Albion Department of Public Works.

“The ability to have the scoreboard is huge for our organization,” said Geno Allport, the AYSAP commissioner for Albion. “Instead of having to worry about the officials keeping the time on the field and having people wonder what’s the score, quarter and time remaining. Mark and Albion Burger King have relieved a lot of stress from our organization.”

The Albion youth teams will have home games on Saturday at Bullard and they will be selling T-shirts in support of Maddox Pearl, a 5-year-old Albion boy who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Proceeds will go to Maddox’s family.

Albion PD will check car seats for safety on Saturday at Save-A-Lot

Posted 21 September 2022 at 8:27 pm

Press Release, Albion Police Chief David Mogle

ALBION – On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Albion Police Department will be conducting a Child Safety Seat Check Event in the Save-A-Lot parking lot located at 320 West Ave.

This event is being conducted for Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, which is currently taking place from September 18-24.

This Check Event, which is sponsored by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the Albion Central School District, will allow parents and guardians to have their child seats inspected by a Child Safety Seat Technician. The technicians will determine if the child safety seat will provide adequate protection for the child or if a new child safety seat is needed.

Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% when used correctly. However, misuse reduces effectiveness. More than 90% of child safety seats are used improperly.

The Albion Police Department will continue to address this issue by participating in the New York State Child Passenger Safety Grant Program and conduct Safety Seat Inspection Checks.

Residents may call the Albion Police Department anytime at (585) 589-5627 in order to schedule an individual appointment to have their child safety seat inspected.

Preschool, dancewear business join Gotta Dance in Albion

Photos by Tom Rivers: Amy Sidari, owner of Gotta Dance by Miss Amy, welcomed Jordan Thomas to the building at 28 West Bank St. as the operator of a new reschool called The Beehive.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2022 at 6:59 pm

ALBION – The Gotta Dance Studio by Miss Amy in Albion has become a busier place. There is a new preschool and owner of a shop that sells dance supplies.

The building at 28 West Bank St. for about 20 years has been used for dance classes, and in recent years has hosted cabaret shows and other live performances.

Last week a preschool started at Gotta Dance. The Beehive serves eight children ages 3-4. Jordan Thomas runs the preschool from 9 to 11 a.m., Monday through Thursday.

Thomas, 24, also is a dance instructor at Gotta Dance working with preschoolers. She started dancing at the studio in 2012.

Amy Sidari, owner of Gotta Dance, sees first-hand how Thomas connects with younger children and keeps them happy and motivated. Sidari welcomed the chance to have one of the three dance studios be used for preschoolers in the morning.

“It makes sense to maximize the hours in the buildings,” Sidari said. “We want this building to maximized for the community at all hours for all ages.”

The Beehive helps prepare the preschoolers for kindergarten. Thomas runs a program that teaches social skills and respect others, often incorporating singing and dancing. The kids learn how to express their feelings and emotions in a safe environment. There are plenty of crafts, and activities where they learn colors, counting, days of the week, the weather and reading.

“We stress kindness, respect and listening skills,” Thomas said.

She said the Beehive helps fill a preschool gap in the community. She used to work at the former Rainbow Preschool in Albion as a one-on-one aide. That school closed in August 2020.

“There are so many kids and not enough places for them to go,” Thomas said about local preschools.

Mandee Heinsler owns the Barre Boutqiue at Gotta Dance. She has taken over the part of the business where Gotta Dance students and other sin the community can buy ballet, tap and jazz shoes. Heinsler will also do fitting for point shoes and sew ribbons on those. She learned the art of fitting point shoes from Sidari.

Heinsler’s daughters – Evee, 15, and Thalia, 10 – are both dancers at Gotta Dance.

Heinsler also sells dance leotards, from sizes toddler to adult, and tights, including ones that are convertible. The Barre Boutique also has graphic tees and other trendy clothing, including gifts.

Heinsler named it “Barre Boutique” not for the town in Orleans County. In ballet and dance, the barre is the horizontal handrail that is fixed to the walls of a studio.

The boutique will be open from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday with some Saturday hours expected in the future. Heinsler also will be available for appointments. Contact her through the Barre Boutique Facebook page for more information.

Sidari has made another big change at Gotta Dance. Crystal Hallenbeck, a dance instructor there since 2001, will serve as manager of operations. She also works as a budget director at Brockport State College. She has a doctorate degree in executive leadership.

Sidari said the changes will allow her to step back from some of the day-to-day demands of running the studio and business. She recently became a grandmother with a second grandchild due soon.

She was considering selling the building and closing Gotta Dance in June, but a new team came together that Sidari expects will take the place to new heights.

“This year will be rocking,” she said. “It’s everybody that works here. I know I can walk away a little bit but I’m still here.”

Sidari said the cabaret already has five shows with bus tours lined up. She and Hollenbeck also will work on monthly events, including a kids night out in October and dance-a-thon.

Sidari said other activities are in the works, and she also rents out the cabaret room as an events/conference venue with the professional technology equipment available.

“Here we have a genuine love for everyone,” Sidari said. “Come as you are and we will help you meet your goals. This has always been my home and my place to help others’ dreams come true.”

Coalition for Justice will discuss ‘Woke’ and ‘Critical Race Theory’ at Albion library on Oct. 10

Posted 16 September 2022 at 8:12 pm

Press Release, Community Coalition for Justice

ALBION – As part of our ongoing discussion about racism and the division in this country, the Community Coalition for Justice brings a presentation entitled “Teaching U.S. History & Unpacking The Terms ‘Woke’ And ‘Critical Race Theory’” on Monday, Oct. 10, (Columbus Day) at Hoag Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided.

This presentation will include the showing of W. Kamau Bell’s “United Shades of America” on a July 7, 2022 episode entitled “The Woke War” and an interactive discussion lead by a panel of responders.

Kamau Bell has hosted the CNN series “United Shades of America” since 2016. Known as a comedian and political commentator, Bell tackles many very relevant and controversial issues around the country. In this episode, he travels to Arizona and “talks with parents and educators to hear both sides of CRT” and how it relates to the education of our youth.

The Community Coalition for Justice includes the Hoag Library, Albion Betterment Committee, Pullman Universalist Church, People Embracing Diversity and the Social Justice Committee.

The Coalition’s Co-chair Bob Golden also will be presented with an Orleans Hub “outstanding citizen” award for his efforts facilitating the discussions.