EAGLE HARBOR – Motorists in Orleans County received good news on Wednesday. The lift bridge in Eagle Harbor reopened to traffic about a week early.
The bridge closed on July 15 for a repair and was expected to reopen on Aug. 2.
But on Wednesday it was back in action, carrying vehicles across the Erie Canal.
The bridge was built in 1910. The bridge was previously closed for about six weeks in 2022 for repairs.
Provided photos: The 2023 preservation award winners include, from top to bottom, left to right: Harriette Greaser in Albion, Diana Dragan of Albion, the Walsh Hotel in Medina, Pine Hill School in Barre, Bent’s Opera House in Medina, and Marti’s on Main in Albion.
CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum is accepting nominations for the 2024 Historic Preservation Awards to be presented by the museum.
The honorees represent the very best of what Orleans County stands for and supports in historic preservation, said Doug Farley, museum director.
The awards allow the museum to show appreciation to the people who are using preservation to safeguard and enhance structures in Orleans County.
According to Farley, they exemplify best practices in the field and demonstrate how preservation is integral to building stronger neighborhoods, boosting local economies and saving the places that are special to all of us. The Historic Preservation Awards celebrate those who work so hard to protect that shared heritage.
Nomination forms are available on the Cobblestone Museum’s website (click here). They are due by Sept. 1.
Awards will be presented in three categories:
• Cobblestone – To recognize outstanding preservation and rehabilitation of a historic cobblestone structure located in Orleans County.
• Resident – To honor an Orleans County homeowner who completes rehabilitation/restoration of a 75-year-old or older historic residential structure.
• Business – To honor the body of work demonstrated by a business or organization in the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic projects in Orleans County.
The winners will be recognized at an awards dinner on Oct. 25 at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.
Last year’s awards were presented to Harriette Greaser and Donna Kay Dragan Reed for restoring historic homes in Albion; Pine Hill School on Pine Hill Road, Albion, Marti’s on Main in Albion, the Walsh Hotel and Bent’s Opera House, both in Medina.
Anyone with questions or wishing more information may call the Cobblestone Museum at (585) 589-9013.
GAINES – The lift bridge over the Erie Canal in Eagle Harbor will be closed to traffic from July 15 to Aug. 2 for a repair, the Orleans County Emergency Management Office advised.
The bridge was built in 1910. The bridge was last closed for about six weeks in 2022 for repairs.
Motorists are urged to use alternative routes while the bridge is closed.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Chad Pike and his partner Julia Hopkins stand in the dining room of the former Village Inn at Childs, which they have taken over and renamed Tavern on the Ridge.
CHILDS – One of the most historic structures on the entire Ridge Road is again serving the public after being closed for more than two years.
The restaurant formerly known as Tillman’s Village Inn, has reopened under new ownership and a new name, the Tavern on the Ridge. The building is the last remaining stage coach stop on Ridge Road.
New restauranteurs are chef Chad Pike, a 1997 graduate of Albion High School, and his partner (in life and business) Julia Hopkins. She grew up in Rochester and the two met while working at a restaurant in Perinton.
Most recently, Pike was chef at Shelridge Country Club in Medina, where he leased the bar and restaurant for seven years and Julia tended bar.
“The contract with my partner and I was coming up and Julia was ready to step back, so we didn’t renew it,” Pike said. “We had heard Laura Bentley had purchased this place and was looking for someone to breathe new life into it. We began talking to her in the summer of 2022.”
“That Christmas we decided to go for it,” Hopkins said. “We redid the floors, cleaned and painted.”
“We want to honor what the Tillmans had here since 1952,” Pike said. “We hope to make our own history here.”
The historic former Village Inn at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98 in Childs has reopened under new management and a new name, the Tavern on the Ridge.
The couple spent months planning menus and developing their plan of business. In January they began doing takeout-only while waiting for their liquor license and. The food proved popular.
Pike wanted a menu that was smaller, reasonable and flexible, so he could change courses with the seasons. A Polish platter has emerged as a favorite and it will probably stay on the menu.
“People were so happy we are serving food here again,” Pike said.
Menu entrees are priced in the low $20, while sandwiches are in the $13 range.
Eat-in dining began the week before Mother’s Day.
“We were very busy,” Pike said.
Currently, the restaurant is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Beginning Sunday they plan to serve brunch every other Sunday.
Hopkins said they are working on their website, building up the bar menu and developing a full menu.
“We want to focus on consistency and quality,” Pike said. “It was hard to leave Shelridge, but we hope to develop here what we had there.”
Eventually, they hope to add a lunch menu and catering.
Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are appreciated by calling (585) 283-4332 or (585) 297-4416.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Fire Department ladder truck is from 1997 and the fire department would like to replace it soon. A new truck could top $2 million.
ALBION – Petitions have been turned in to try to force a public vote on whether a new Albion Joint Fire District should be created serving the towns of Albion and Gaines.
On Thursday, petitions were turned in to the Gaines town clerk signed by 107 people, to the Albion town clerk signed by 95 people and to the Albion village clerk signed by 259 people. Thursday was the deadline to turn in the petitions.
The town boards for the two towns plus the Albion Village Board on April 30 voted to create a joint fire district. The new district would move the fire department out of the village budget and into its own taxing jurisdiction with elected commissioners.
The two towns currently pay a fire contract to the village for fire protection. With the current budget of about $350,000 the village pays $113,456 (32 percent), the Town of Gaines contributes $120,422 (35 percent) and the Town of Albion pays $116,122 (33 percent).
Some community members want more information about the fire district, including a budget breakdown. During a public hearing on April 24 at the Albion High School LGI, residents were told the fire district budget would likely be $750,000 to $850,000 a year, well above the current $350,000 for the fire department. That $350,000 has left the fire department without a reserve fund for a new ladder truck at an estimated $2.2 million and another fire engine at about $1.1 million. Those trucks will be needed in the near future to replace aging apparatus, deputy fire chief John Papponetti said.
Laura Bentley supports a referendum on the issue. Bentley, owner of Bentley Brothers, lives in Carlton but owns property in Albion and Gaines. She didn’t collect petitions but helped with the process.
“I support a fire district,” she said on Saturday. “It needs to happen. But they need to share more information. During the public hearing, they didn’t respond to questions.”
Bentley said a big jump in the fire department budget will be hard on local taxpayers who are seeing many cost increases in taxes and other expenses.
The two towns require signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the last gubernatorial election or about 100 people. But the village requires signatures from at least 20 percent of the registered voters or about 650 people.
Bentley said the group seeking a referendum believes it met the threshold to force a public vote in the two towns. It didn’t get enough at the village level. However it is a moot point because village residents are also in either one of the two towns and it doesn’t make sense to also have a referendum at the village level when they are voting at the towns.
Gaines and Albion town officials are expected to review the petitions and meet to set a date for the referendum, which is 60 to 90 days from when the petitions are turned in.
If a vote is set for Albion and Gaines, this would be the second referendum forced by the public on an issue in Orleans County this year. Yates is having a public vote on June 20 on whether the town can spend $700,000 in grant funds to acquire 153.3 acres from NYS Electric and Gas to expand the Yates Town Park on Lake Ontario.
The Albion Village Board issued a press release announcing there will be informational meetings about the fire district at 6 p.m. on June 10 and June 17 at Hoag Library.
“The intent is not to point fingers, but to provide facts about what the next steps should be,” The Village Board states in the press release. “In an effort of continued transparency, our goal is to address any remaining questions.”
The Village Board states the fire department needs a bigger budget. The board stated the following problems with the current situation and the reasons for its support of the fire district:
• When most of us took office, there were no reserves to offset larger capital projects or equipment purchases. The Albion Fire Department was forced to operate “paycheck by paycheck” with no savings for future expenses, planned or unplanned.
• The current fire department budget was not funded at proper levels to meet operational needs, and the village was not able to increase funds without significantly increasing the village tax rate. This resulted in a situation where needed improvements to facilities and equipment had to be delayed, “the can was kicked down the road.”
• The fire contract money from the Town of Albion and Town of Gaines, along with supplemental funds from the village, is keeping the fire department afloat but is not meeting current or future needs.
• We are faced with having to replace two aging apparatus (vintage 1992 & 1997). While evaluating this situation, the chief officers of the fire department proposed to the village replacing three apparatus with only two to “right size the fleet.” The Board agreed because long term, this would be a cost-saving move for the taxpayers. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Standards recommend that apparatus that are more than 25 years old be retired from the vehicle fleet.
• The Village of Albion does not have the ability to take on the debt for the replacement of fire apparatus, or any other necessary improvements, without significant increases in the village tax rate.
• Providing fire protection is not an optional service. It must be provided by law. Providing inferior fire protection not only puts our volunteer firefighters at risk, but it is also a letdown to those that expect a high-quality life and property saving service.
• Providing inferior fire protection lowers the community’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating and would likely increase the insurance premium of every homeowner and may even cause an insurer to deny you coverage in some circumstances. ISO ratings reflect an area’s preparedness to prevent and extinguish fires, such as the number of firefighters, training, apparatus maintenance and reliability, water supply, emergency communication system, and fire safety education and prevention.
Benefits of forming a Joint Fire District for the Town Albion and Town of Gaines:
• The district offers a way to right the mismanagement of past fire protection service and spread the cost of this necessary service evenly across a larger tax base.
• Every registered voter in the Joint Fire District has a say and has the ability to run for commissioner.
• Every registered voter has the ability to vote for commissioners, bonding referendums, creation of reserve accounts, etc. that affect the operation of the fire district. You eliminate “taxation without representation.”
• Your tax bill will have a separate line item with the Fire District Tax. You will have peace of mind that your fire tax dollars are being spent on fire protection.
What happens if the Joint Fire District is not approved:
• If the Joint Fire District is not approved, the Village of Albion will be forced to raise village taxes about $5 per $1,000 of assessed value (a 25 percent increase in village taxes). In addition, once the fire protection contracts with the towns expire at the end of 2026, the village will be forced to negotiate higher-rate contracts with the towns to properly fund and operate the fire department. The towns will then need to increase taxes to pay the higher rates.
ALBION – A petition is now available to force a referendum on a proposed joint fire district serving the Village of Albion, and towns of Albion and Gaines.
Representatives plan to be at Hoag Library this week from 4 to 7 p.m. from Monday to Thursday with a petition.
The town boards for the two towns plus the Albion Village Board on April 30 met and voted to create a joint fire district. The new district would move the fire department out of the village budget and into its own taxing jurisdiction with elected commissioners.
The two towns currently pay a fire contract to the village for fire protection.
The vote from the two towns and the village creates a new district to take effect on Jan. 1. The three municipalities are expected to soon appoint five commissioners who would likely start on July 1 and serve about six months until the five commissioners can be elected in December.
But some community members want the joint fire district to go to a public vote. Richard DeCarlo Jr., co-owner of the Heritage Estates mobile home park, and Laura Bentley, owner of Bentley Brothers and the Tavern on the Ridge, say more details are needed on the costs to taxpayers with the new joint fire district.
DeCarlo and Bentley do not live within the fire district, but they are both significant taxpayers in Albion and Gaines. They both said they support the joint fire district, but more information should be provided to the public.
“I understand there is a need for this,” DeCarlo said about the fire district. “It has to happen. But there’s been a lack of transparency.”
Bentley and DeCarlo believe a public referendum would force the local officials to present more details, and the plans for the fire department’s future in regards to new fire trucks, whether a new fire hall is in the pipeline, and other expenditures.
During an April 24 public hearing about the joint fire district, residents were told the fire district budget would likely be $750,000 to $850,000 a year, well above the current $350,000 for the fire department. That $350,000 has left the fire department without a reserve fund for a new ladder truck at an estimated $2.2 million and another fire engine at about $1.1 million. Those trucks will be needed in the near future to replace aging apparatus, deputy fire chief John Papponetti said.
The fire district intends to lease the current fire hall on Platt Street. But DeCarlo would like to know if that is the long-term plan for the district, to stay at the current fire hall or build a new one.
During the public hearing, residents could ask questions, but no answers were provided outside of the prepared presentation.
Because three different municipal boards voted in favor of forming the district, three different petitions are being passed to force a referendum. The petitions need to be turned in within 30 days from the April 30 votes from the three boards.
Bentley said the two towns require signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the last gubernatorial election. She said that is about 100 in both Gaines and Albion.
But the village requires signatures from at least 20 percent of the registered voters or about 650 people.
“Everyone is in a favor of a fire district,” Bentley said. “But we want to see more information, including a budget breakdown for the next three years.”
CHILDS – The Cobblestone Society has announced the first of its special events for the 2024 season.
The first will be an educational program May 3 by coverlet enthusiast Marty Schlabach on the Cobblestone Museum’s Orleans County 19th century coverlet collection. A guided tour of the coverlet collection is including in the evening, which begins at 6 p.m.
Marty Schlabach
Cobblestone director Doug Farley explained that coverlets are woven bedcovers, which were popular in the 19th century when most American homes had spinning wheels and looms. A wide array of cloth was woven by the women of the family for household use, including geometric patterned coverlets.
There were also professional weavers who wove specialty textiles and earned some or all of their living practicing their trade. Figured and fancy coverlets were one of the specialty items and required special equipment usually only found in the professional weave shops.
Following an introduction to coverlets, the coverlet weavers of Orleans County will be highlighted in the evening’s presentation.
Marty Schlabach came to appreciate coverlets through his wife, Mary Jean Wesler, who has been interested in and collected textiles for many years, with a particular interest in quilts. Sometime more than 10 years ago, while pawing through a pile of textiles at a local estate sale, Mary Jean came across two whole late 18th century cloth quilts and one geometric patterned coverlet. It was this that started their interest in exploration and collection of coverlets.
As a retired Cornell University librarian, Marty particularly enjoys the historical research associated with learning about coverlets and their weavers.
A free-will donation will be accepted at this presentation, and reservations are strongly encouraged by calling (585) 589-9013.
File photo by Tom Rivers: On May 8, the Cobblestone Society will host its annual Membership Dinner at the Carlton Recreation Hall. Here, Randy Bower lends his talent as auctioneer at one of the events.
The second event in May is the annual membership fundraising dinner at Carlton Recreation Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6:15 p.m. A buffet catered by Zambistro’s will include chicken piccata and Italian meatballs.
Farley said this is the Cobblestone Society and Museum’s 64th year of service to the community, but there is still much important work to continue.
“With your help and generosity, the Cobblestone Museum will be able to maintain our 10 historic buildings and provide educational programming for generations to come,” he said.
Tickets for this year’s membership dinner are $67 per person or $124 per couple. Each package includes a full year’s membership to the Cobblestone Society and Museum (good through April 30, 2025).
The Carlton Recreation Hall is located at 1853 Oak Orchard Rd., Albion (in Carlton).
The third event announced by the Cobblestone Society is a hands-on Historic Masonry Workshop on May 18 presented by Brian Daddis Heritage Masonry at the Thompson-Kast Visitors Center, listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places.
The full day workshop will focus on maintaining a historic masonry structure. Topics include the importance of using lime mortar when reconditioning historic masonry structures, with a hands-on demonstration involving repointing a stone foundation, repointing brick, extracting and replacing bricks and composite patching of bricks.
Cost for the full day working, which includes lunch, is $90 for Cobblestone Society members and $100 for all others.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion Fire Department Deputy Chief John Papponetti, standing at lower right, goes over the current budget issues and challenges facing the Albion Fire Department. He presented benefits of a new Albion Joint Fire District to about 80 people this evening during a public hearing about the joint fire district. The hearing was held in the LGI room at Albion High School.
ALBION – The Town Boards for Albion and Gaines, as well as the Albion Village Board were unanimous this evening in voting to form a new Albion Joint Fire District.
The new joint district will be its own taxing entity, with its own elected fire commissioners. It will replace the current setup where the Albion Fire Department is part of the Albion village budget, with the Albion Village Board serving as a commissioners overseeing the department and determining its funding.
The towns of Albion and Gaines both provide funding through fire protection contracts with the village.
The new joint fire protection district would likely have an annual budget of about $750,000 to $850,000. That is more than double the current $350,000 for the fire department.
That amount is much too low and doesn’t include any money for reserve funds to help pay for fire trucks and equipment, said John Papponetti, the deputy fire chief.
He went over slide and information for more than a half hour during a public hearing at the LGI of the high school. The hearing went for about 50 minutes.
“The village realizes that the funding for the fire department is insufficient to meet current standards of today and the future, and that the department is not adequately equipped and needs better equipment, vehicles and facilities,” Papponetti said.
Deputy Fire Chief John Papponetti said the fire department needs more funding to meet the demands for new equipment, from trucks to turnout gear. The current budget of $350,000 is less than half of what the fire department needs, he said. The map on the screen shows Orleans County with Albion Joint Fire District in the red outline.
With an $850,000 budget the tax rates for fire protection would change from the current 93 cents per $1,000 in Albion and 80 cents in Gaines to about $2.00 for the two towns and village, according to the presentation from Papponetti.
The new joint fire district is pending a permissive referendum. If there is a petition submitted by enough registered voters in Albion and Gaines, the joint district would go to a public vote. (The attorneys didn’t have all the details on a referendum this evening, but it typically requires a petition with at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the last gubernatorial election. The petition would need to be submitted within 30 days of today’s vote.)
If the joint district stands – with or without a referendum – it would take effect on Jan. 1. That’s when it would start with its own budget, and the joint district would own the fire trucks and equipment. The village is keeping the fire hall on Platt Street and will lease the space to the fire district.
The first five commissioners were appointed this evening and they will serve terms from July 1 to Dec. 31. Al Cheverie and Gary Mumford represent the Town of Gaines. The Village of Albion has one representative, former village trustee David Buczek. The Town of Albion has two appointees, Chuck Nesbitt and Jeremy Babcock. Cheverie and Babcock are current members of the Albion Fire Department.
If the joint fire district goes forward, there will be an election for five fire commissioners in December. In that first election, the candidate with the most votes gets a five-year term, then the fourth most gets four years, down to the candidate with the fifth-most votes getting a one-year term.
After that first election, there will be an election for just one position for a five-year term in the following years.
Doug Heath, attorney for the Town of Gaines, welcomes the public to ask questions during the hearing. He was joined at the table by the Town Boards for Albion and Gaines, and the Albion Village Board, as well as the attorneys for each municipality and advisor Raymond DiRaddo who has provided legal advice to fire districts for 40 years.
Papponetti said residents will have a greater say in the department through the election of commissioners. Any bonding or establishment of reserve accounts by the joint district will also need voter approval.
The fire department faces a need for a new ladder truck and an engine in the not-too-distant future. The cost of the fire trucks has more than doubled since 2011. Papponetti said ladder trucks in 2024 are now about $2.2 million with a fire engine at about $1.2 million.
The Village Board hasn’t established reserve funds to prepare for these big purchases, he said. Papponetti said the fire department currently competes for funds in the village budget with other departments – police, DPW, cemetery, clerk’s office, recreation and other needs.
The fire department currently operates on about a $350,000 budget, with the village paying $113,456 (32 percent), the Town of Gaines at $120,422 (35 percent) and the Town of Albion at $116,122 (33 percent).
Papponetti said the fire department would come out of the village budget with its own tax bill in January. It should result in a lower village tax bill, although village residents would pay the new fire district tax.
Pete Sidari, an Albion firefighter and former Albion Village Board member, asked if the village is keeping the fire hall and leasing it to the joint fire district. Other new joint fire districts have had villages just transfer the fire halls to the new district. None of the questions asked at the hearing were answered during the meeting.
The villages of Holley and Lyndonville both recently moved the fire department out of their budgets and into fire districts. Raymond DiRaddeo, a Rochester attorney, has worked with fire districts for about 40 years. He said more communities are putting the fire service in fire districts to ensure there is proper funding.
One resident, Jake Walter, said he didn’t like that the annual elections are in December, which he said is a busy time for people who haven’t gone south. He said the timing of the vote seemed to discourage voters.
Laura Bentley also said the fire protection taxes would more than double with a joint fire district.
Papponetti said the fire department budget would need to go up significantly, even if the joint district doesn’t go through. He said there isn’t enough money right now to run the department and have money set aside for new trucks and equipment.
“It’s very difficult to operate in this current environment,” he said about having the department in the village budget. “It’s like living paycheck to paycheck. There are no reserve accounts. The funding is inefficient.”
(The 2024 numbers are preliminary. The tax rolls will be filed on May 1. Property owners have the option of challenging those assessed values through the grievance process.)
ALBION – The new assessment notices arrived in the mail last week for property owners in Albion and Gaines, and most people are seeing a significant increase.
The two towns and village of Albion last did community-wide reassessments five years ago in 2019. The town boards decide when to do the reassessments and Albion and Gaines contract with the county Real Property Tax Services for the job.
Usually the town-wide reassessments are done every three years. But Albion and Gaines officials pushed it back when real estate sales started to surge in the Covid-19 pandemic, first in 2020. But the real estate sales haven’t come down, said Dawn Allen, the county’s real property tax services director.
The median sale price in Orleans County is up nearly 50 percent from 2019 to 2023, going from $104,900 to $155,000, according to the NYS Association of REALTORS
Orleans County median home prices
Percent change from 2019 to 2023: (up 47.8%)
Source: NYS Association of REALTORS
Allen and Coleen Pahura, the Albion and Gaines assessor, said home prices have been on the rise in Albion and Gaines, with an even larger percentage increase in the village. And that’s after many years of stagnant prices in the village.
The average prices for single-family homes outside the village in the towns of Albion and Gaines is up 55.5 percent from 2019 to 2023 – from $143,731 to $223,443.
The average prices in the village, while a much lower sales amount, saw a larger percentage increase. The average single-family price was $77,081 in 2019, and that jumped by 80.5 percent in four years to $139,136 in 2023.
Average sales price outside village in Albion & Gaines (single-family homes)
Total change: up 55.5%
Average sales price inside village (single-family homes)
Total change: up 80.5%
The higher sales prices are driving the higher assessments. Pahura and Allen said the assessments need to reflect the market rate for the properties.
They have fielded many calls in the past week from Albion and Gaines property owners, who are concerned about such a dramatic rise in their assessments.
Allen and Pahura explain the assessed value should reflect what the property would sell for on the market today. And the reality is the houses are selling for far more than just a few years ago, whether a small house or a larger one in immaculate condition.
Bigger assessments don’t mean bigger tax bills
Higher assessments don’t necessarily mean taxes are going up, Allen and Pahura noted. For example, Shelby and Ridgeway completed community reassessments last year. When the school tax bills came out in September, the Medina tax rates dropped more than 30 percent in those two towns.
Ridgeway was down from $21.67 to $14.03, while Shelby decreased from $20.59 to $14.03.
Albion Central School is presenting a school budget that keeps the tax levy the same for 2024-25. The district will see lower tax rates due to the bigger tax base when the tax bills come out in September.
Village finally sees some sizable growth in the tax base
The higher assessments will boost a village tax base that has been shrinking in recent years.
The tax base went down 1.08 percent or by $1,663,794 – from $154,457,302 in 2022-23 to $152,723,508 in 2023-24. Most of the loss in tax base was from the assessed value be lowered at the plaza at 318 West Ave. That plaza includes Save-A-Lot, Pro Hardware, Dollar Tree and the vacant spot formerly for Gordman’s.
Going back to 2014, the village tax base was $140,751,091. The number went up 8.5 percent in the following nine years, an average of less than a percent a year. With the new assessments, the tax base is up 40 percent.
The Albion Village Board is working on the 2024-25 budget, but the new assessments won’t take effect until the following year for the village. The new assessments first will be used for the school taxes in September.
Village of Albion Tax Base
2022: $154,457,302
2023: $152,723,508
2024 (before new assessments): $152,793,508
2024 (with preliminary assessments): $214,805,983
Difference: up 40.7 percent or $62,082,475 since 2023
The taxable value for the towns of Gaines and Albion are both up about 40 percent. The increase is a little more in Albion, 41.5 percent, compared to the 37.2 percent in Gaines.
Town of Gaines (county taxable value)
2023: $134,379,190
2024: $184,351,498
Difference: up 37.2 percent or $49,972,308
Town of Albion (county taxable value)
2023: $233,211,567
2024: $330,015,604
Difference: up 41.5 percent or $96,804,037
The new assessments aren’t final numbers. They may be tweaked before the May 1 filing deadline, and could see more changes if people go through the grievance process, meeting with the assessor and a Board of Assessment Review.
“It’s going to be a moving target for a while,” Allen said about the final numbers.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Albion fire hall on North Platt Street is shown on Sunday during an open house and recruitment effort for the Albion Fire Department.
ALBION – The Albion and Gaines community is moving towards a new joint fire district that would have its own fire commissioners, and own budget and taxing authority.
There will be a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 24 at the LGI room in the high school for the community to hear details about the district and to ask questions.
The Albion Town Board, Gaines Town Board and Albion Village Board held a joint meeting on March 27 at the Gaines Town Hall. The three boards all voted in favor of establishing the joint fire district.
The fire department’s budget is currently part of the Albion village budget, with the Village Board functioning as the commissioners overseeing the fire department budget. The two towns currently contract with the village for fire protection. In 2024, Gaines will pay $116,390 and the Town of Albion will pay $115,362.
Albion village officials have long felt the village bears an undue financial cost for the fire department budget. With the joint fire district, the costs will be based on the taxable values of each municipality, which village officials see as a better way to fund the department, especially with new fire truck purchases in the near future, including a ladder truck.
The joint fire district should also better identify the true costs of providing fire protection in the community by taking the department out of the village budget.
Fire Chief Jeremy Graham and Deputy John Papponetti both will give presentations during the public hearing on April 24.
Graham said he favors the joint district. Local residents will have a bigger voice in the fire service by electing commissioners and voting on any bonding for trucks and other equipment.
“The taxpayers will have a say,” Graham said. “They will have a vote.”
Holley and Lyndonville both recently moved the fire department out of the village budget and into their own fire districts. That lowered the village taxes, but there is a new fire district tax in January.
The Albion Fire Department had activities for children during the open house on Sunday, including giveaways of plastic firefighter helmets.
Photos by Tom Rivers: These hand-painted rocks with an eclipse theme are available at the gift shop at the Cobblestone Museum. They were painted by a group led by Lori Laine.
By Tom Rivers and Ginny Kropf
CHILDS – With an influx of visitors expected in the area for the eclipse, the Cobblestone Museum is opening this weekend. The museum normally opens for the season on Mother’s Day Weekend.
The museum, a National Historic Landmark, has many programs and events planned starting today through Monday. The museum wants to be part of the eclipse on Monday. Orleans County is in the path of totality for the eclipse, which hasn’t happened locally since January 1925.
“We don’t know what to expect,” said museum director Doug Farley. “There could be record crowds in the area out looking for something to do.”
The museum opened today with tours available and eclipse-themed merchandise for sale.
Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper gave a talk today on “Spring Cleaning: Whose Idea Was That?”
Cooper didn’t want to speak specifically about the eclipse, but wanted a topic that tied in with the sun. She said the longer days of sunlight in the spring often awakened people, especially housewives, to give their homes a thorough cleaning.
The houses needed it after a winter of burning coal. That left homes with lots of dust, especially when chimneys were cleaned.
Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper gives a talk at the Cobblestone Universalist Church today entitled, “Spring Cleaning: Whose Idea Was That?” She is holding two carpet beaters that were used to knock dust and debris from rugs. Cooper said the spring sunshine was an impetus for people to do the arduous task of ridding their homes of dust that accumulated over the winter.
Cooper, speaking today the museum, said the early settlers didn’t have many possessions, arriving with clothes, food, tools and some supplies. Gradually they acquired things.
Rugs were a nemesis to clean in the spring. Cooper, during her talk, shows carpet beaters from more than a century ago that were used to free dust and disintegrated straw from rugs.
She found notices in old newspapers invited the community for spring cleaning at cemeteries, post offices and local roads.
Cooper will give her presentation again at 2:30 on Saturday at the Cobblestone Church.
The schedule of events from Saturday to Monday includes:
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
The Gift Shop and Holiday Shoppe located in the lower level of the church will be open daily, featuring solar eclipse souvenirs. Also open will be the self-service used books building behind the brick house.
Guests are advised the Gift Shop/Holiday Shoppe will be closed during the solar eclipse. Hours will be posed inside the Gift Shop.
Self-guided exhibits will include “Mourning Art and Sundries” in the Upper Gallery of the brick house; artwork by Tom Zangerle and 19th century painters and more than 20 historic coverlets from the 1800s in the Visitor’s Center.
Public restrooms are available behind the Ward House. Anyone requiring access to the unisex bathrooms located in the Visitor’s Center or brick house should ask the volunteer at each location.
Provided photo: Gary and Doreen Wilson of Albion expect to bring this MGTD 1952 replica to the car show at the Cobblestone Museum during the Solar Eclipse weekend in April.
CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum is ramping up activities in preparation for the much-anticipated total solar eclipse on April 8.
Orleans County is in the direct path of this historic event and a big influx of visitors is expected to the region, assistant director Sue Bonafini reported in the winter edition of the “Cobblestoner.”
“The Cobblestone Museum is hopeful that members of the Cobblestone Society, friends of the Museum and visitors from near and far will join us for some planned events between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday and from 10 a.m. until the ‘main event’ concludes Monday afternoon (April 8),” Bonafini said.
The Cobblestone’s “SOLAR” weekend is an acronym of what is expected on that historic weekend, Bonafini explained.
“S” is for shopping. The Museum Gift Shop, Holiday Shoppe and used books building will be open for browsing and making purchases.
“O” is for the Olde Tyme photo opportunity that will be available, with accessories of bygone eras provided for guests to put on and create a souvenir photo. Children can also visit the “Cobbles the Mouse” photo booth.
“L” is for learning. The Cobblestone’s docents will tell the history of select campus buildings, where storytellers will share historical accounts from the past. Exhibit rooms will also be open, where guests can learn about the 19th century coverlets of Orleans County and the Victorian Mourning Art and Sundries exhibit on display. Blacksmithing demonstrations will take place at designated times in the Vagg Blacksmithing Shop.
“A” is for an auto show that will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday afternoon (weather permitting), featuring a variety of classic, antique and sports cars parked on the grounds, where visitors can see them up close and talk to their owners.
“R” is for the refreshments which will be sold on Monday, Solar Eclipse Day. Pizza will be sold by the slice, while popcorn, cobblestone candy and beverages will be sold individually or as part of the special SOLAR admission package rate of $25 per person.
Regular admission is $9 for adults and $6 for teens and students with a valid college ID. Children under 12 are free with an accompanying adult.
In addition to the special SOLAR weekend, the Cobblestone Museum is urging people to register for their February virtual lecture event, in which speaker Debra Ross will address the solar eclipse. This is scheduled at 7 p.m. Feb. 22. Ross is chair of Rochester’s Eclipse Task Force and co-chair of the AAS National Solar Eclipse Task Force.
Having witnessed the 2017 Great American Eclipse in Missouri, and understanding the implications for the Rochester area, Ross started the Rochester Eclipse Task Force, which now has more than 750 members in the area.
Ross will discuss what is going to happen in our area on April 8, what makes it such a transformational experience, how to experience the eclipse safely and who everyone should prepare to craft their own eclipse story by making the most of this moment in their own personal history and in Western New York history.
“Life is about writing your own story and you want this to be a chapter that you look back on and talk about for the rest of your life,” Ross said.
Photos courtesy of Landmark Society of WNY: The cobblestone schoolhouse from 1849, left, and Cobblestone Universalist Church from 1834 are among 29 contributing buildings in the historic district in the Childs Hamlet.
CHILDS – The Childs hamlet has been nominated by Gov. Kathy Hochul to be included on the state and national registers of historic places.
The Cobblestone Museum has been working with the Landmark Society of WNY on an application for the historic designation for 19 contributing primary buildings, 10 contributing secondary structures, one contributing object as well as 12 non-contributing secondary structures and two non-contributing primary buildings. The district is at the Ridge Road and Route 98 intersection and also extends along Ridge Road that reflect the rural and commercial character of the district.
Three of buildings – the cobblestone church, cobblestone schoolhouse and the Ward House – were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The historic Childs hamlet expands the number of buildings to be recognized.
“Architectural styles seen in the nominated district reflect its long history with examples of Federal, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, and one designed in the Craftsman style,” according to the nomination.
A National Register designation opens up grant possibilities and benefits homeowners with tax credits, said Dog Farley, the Cobblestone Museum director.
Once the designation is finalized, Farley said the museum plans to hold a community workshop to look at streetscape improvements in the hamlet.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Landmark Society of Western New York in October 2019 unveiled its annual list of “Five to Revive,” which included the hamlet of Childs in the Town of Gaines, Orleans County. The district is home to several cobblestone buildings, Tillman’s Village Inn and other historic structures. That designation launched the effort to get the Childs hamlet recognized as a historic district.
He thanked the Landmark Society for its assistance in trying to elevate the status of the hamlet. The Landmark Society in October 2019 named the Childs hamlet to its annual list of “Five to Revive,” an annual list of historically significant sites that are need of protection and financial resources.
“The future economic potential of Childs lies in its unique historic character,” The Landmark Society stated in October 2019. “Modern planning and zoning practices that encourage sensitive new construction, along with the addition of pedestrian-oriented infrastructure and design, could help guide the hamlet’s growth and enhance its economic development.”
The Childs district includes a historic schoolhouse, the First Universalist Church, residences, a former village inn and stagecoach stop, a former blacksmith shop, and mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth century agricultural buildings such as barns.
The museum has also relocated several mid-to-late 19th century buildings. Those buildings are non-contributing to the nominated district because they were moved to the complex outside the nominated period of significance, beginning in 1977. The buildings should therefore be reevaluated as a museum unit when their date of relocation collectively achieves 50 years of age from when the last building was moved to the campus, the Landmark Society stated in the nomination packet.
Map from Landmark Society of WNY: The district is at the Ridge Road and Route 98 intersection and also extends along Ridge Road.
The description from the governor’s office about the Childs hamlet includes:
“Childs Historic District, Orleans County – The Childs Historic District represents the critical relationship between rural and commercial that characterized the nineteenth century in New York. The hamlet of Childs developed at the intersection of two new state routes during the 1800s which later developed into major thoroughfares.
“The community’s proximity to the Erie Canal catapulted it onto the global stage in the 1820s, as Orleans County became the national center of wheat production as a result of being able to cheaply and efficiently ship wheat eastward. Suddenly, rural subsistence farmers were plugged into massive markets and quickly became cash crop farmers.
“This resulting economic stability led to an increase in building and infrastructure, and locals were able to construct buildings that reflected their wealth and prosperity. The architectural resources in this historic district collectively represent the hamlet’s commercial development due to its prominent location from 1820 until 1960.
“The district includes Federal, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, and even one Craftsman-style building. The several Greek Revival structures built using cobblestones present a unique regional building material and method of construction.
“Taken together, these buildings retain their character-defining features and integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling while their proximity to roadways evoke a mid-nineteenth to early twentieth-century community feel. They also highlight efforts to preserve the hamlet’s architectural heritage which dates back to the 1960 founding of the Cobblestone Society.”
The brick house from the 1820s is at the southeast corner of routes 98 and 104. The site will become the Thompson-Kast Visitor Center for the museum.
The Childs hamlet is among 37 nominations for State and National Registers of Historic Places announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. She said the sites have been recommended by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation.
“These nominations reflect generations of community building, planning, and activities that give us a glimpse into our collective past as New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a statement. “Identifying these resources and adding them to our historic registers expands our ongoing understanding of our shared history and are important reminders of the innovation, passion, and lived experiences of New Yorkers who came before us.”
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Erik Kulleseid will now review the recommendations for approval. That list will then go to the National Park Service for a review. Once approved, they are entered on the National Register.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Robert Brown, president of Lake Ontario Fruit, speaks during Thursday’s meeting of the Orleans County Planning Board.
ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board gave its blessing to an expansion at Lake Ontario Fruit, an apple-packing business on Route 104.
The company, which packs and distributes about 1 million bushels of apples each year for more than 30 local farms, is working on a 28,070-square-foot addition of controlled atmosphere storage, a $5.5 million project that would mirror a similar expansion in 2013.
The County Planning Board recommended the Town of Gaines approve the site plan for the project and also a height variance. The building is proposed to be 36.2 feet high, just above the town limit of 35 feet. The 36.2 feet is same as other buildings on site and Lake Ontario Fruit wants to maintain that continuity.
The warehouse will also be 140 feet wide and 200 ½ feet in length. The new space is needed because many of the new apple trees that were planted in recent years are coming into maturity, with a full crop expected next fall. The new addition would allow the company pack about 220,000 more bushels, said Robert Brown, president of Lake Ontario Fruit and co-owner of Orchard Dale Fruit Co. in Waterport.
The project will disturb about 2 acres, with construction taking about 10 months. Brown told the county planners that Lake Ontario Fruit is working to upgrade its stormwater management system, which includes storm sewers and a pond behind the buildings that is designed to slowly release water into Proctor Brook. The company is working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Gaines on the stormwater management plan.
Lake Ontario Fruit has 71 employees and will add 10 more jobs as part of the controlled atmosphere storage expansion at 14234 Ridge Rd. The project was backed by the Orleans Economic Development Agency with nearly $600,000 in incentives, including sale tax abatements of $240,000 on construction and $156,000 on fixtures and equipment.
The EDA also approved a 10-year PILOT that gradually phases in the taxes on the new addition. Lake Ontario Fruit would get a 100 percent exemption or $34,496 off in property taxes the first year, and then 10 percent will be added each year until it’s at 100 percent in year 11. That PILOT will save the company $189,729 in property taxes over the 10 years. Lake Ontario Fruit also will be paying $155,233 more in taxes during than 10 years than is currently paid on the existing buildings.
GAINES – The Gaines Town Board approved a contract with Monroe Ambulance to provide service in the town for 2024, making Gaines the sixth of seven towns to approve the agreement. Carlton is the last of the seven and the Town Board meets this evening at 7 to vote on the contract.
File photo: Albion Fire Chief Jeremy Graham
Monroe upped the contract from $181,200 in 2023 to $300,000 next year. The agreement for 2023 would have been $200,000 but Kendall didn’t pay anything towards ambulance coverage this year.
Among the seven towns in the agreement only Gaines is seeing a decrease, down from $24,600 in 2023 to $12,030 next year.
The other six will all pay more as part of the contract. Here are the financial terms for the other six town for 2024 (with 2023 in parentheses): Albion at $155,820 ($84,400), Barre at $13,740 ($8,000), Carlton at $22,350 ($14,800), Clarendon at $25,350 ($18,800), Kendall at $17,850 ($0) and Murray at $52,860 ($30,600).
The leaders to the towns divvied up the town shares based on call volume. An Albion resident, Jason Dragon, said he believes an error was made and some of the Gaines calls were put in the town of Albion. Part of the village of Albion is also in Gaines, and Dragon said he suspects those Gaines calls in the village were mistakenly put in Albion’s numbers and is part of the reason Albion is seeing a huge increase while Gaines goes down.
“As a taxpayer in the Town of Albion I would hope Gaines would pay its fair share,” he told the Gaines Town Board.
Tyler Allport, the Gaines town supervisor, said he would ask Richard Remley, the Albion town supervisor, to verify that the village calls were properly accounted for each town.
Albion Fire Chief Jeremy Graham also spoke during the Gaines Town Board meeting on Monday and he said the current ambulance coverage is deficient for the Albion fire protection area in Albion and Gaines.
Albion firefighters are often first on the scene for an EMS call. What used to be a 5-minute wait for an ambulance to arrive and take over for more serious EMS calls has often turned into 30 minutes to an hour, Graham told the Gaines officials.
He looked at the data since April 2023 when Monroe first started as a primary ambulance provider in central Orleans. Graham said there have been 180 EMS calls, and 68 times Albion firefighters have responded because an ambulance wasn’t available nearby.
“Monroe Ambulance can’t provide us with enough ambulances,” the fire chief said. “The patients get very upset and irate with the wait.”
The $300,000 contract calls for Monroe to station an ambulance in Albion 24 hours a day, seven days a week and one in Holley for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Monroe also will draw on ambulances in Monroe County if there is a need in Orleans County.
Allport said stationing two ambulances 24-7 in Orleans County would have cost $500,000.
Dave Bertsch of Carlton, a long-time medic with COVA ambulance, said the community is getting less service despite more cost for ambulance services. COVA closed late last year due to financial challenges. COVA did not receive any government aid from the local towns.
There often isn’t an ALS ambulance available for central Orleans, Bertsch told the Gaines officials.
“I said it last year that we’re going backwards and we’re still going backwards,” he said.
Charlie Ricci, a Carlton town councilman, asked the Gaines officials if they would be willing to partner with Carlton in a contract with Mercy EMS for ambulance services. The Gaines officials didn’t comment on that request.
