ALBION – When the Cobblestone Museum organized its first Christmas Tour of Homes last year, more than 200 people attended, making it one of the musuem’s most popular events of the year.

On Dec. 1, the Cobblestone Museum will sponsor its second annual Christmas Tour of Homes, featuring eight distinctive properties in the Albion area, all decked out for the holiday season.

Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Society Museum, said this is a perfect opportunity for people to enjoy the rich heritage of the region while touring 19th century homes in a variety of architectural styles. These include Victorian, Queen Anne, East Lake Victorian, cobblestone, Greek Revival and country farmhouse.

Farley said the museum is excited about the diversity of homes on this year’s tour, including a Federal style home on farmland, a stone Italianate and a log home in Barre.

Jan Mikael Erakare’s and Maarit Vaga’s home on East Avenue, Albion, will be decorated for the holidays during the Cobblestone Museum’s Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 1.

“This fantastic tour will feature historic homes bedecked and bedazzled in holiday splendor,” Farley said. “Many open houses will be included and the tour will feature many different types of building construction. Visitors will also learn about Scandinavian Christmas traditions and be reminded about Albion’s important role in American Christmas history.”

Featured sites are Fair Haven Treasures on Ridge Road, the Cobblestone Museum’s Ward House, Toni Plummer and Tom Stark’s home on Ridge Road, Mary Anne Braunbach’s home on Densmore Street, the Orleans Chapter DAR house in Albion, Joe and Debbie Martillotta’s home in Albion, Jan-Mikael Erakare and Maarit Vaga’s home in Albion, the Albion First Presbyterian Church, and the home of Mark and Lois Chamberlain in Barre.

New this year will be a bus tour option, in addition to the self-driven tour. Visitors can leave their car at the Cobblestone Museum and ride in comfort on a motor coach, or choose to drive their own vehicle to each location.

The tour runs from 2 to 7 p.m. For more information about ticket prices check www.cobblestonemuseum.org or call 589-9013.

“As a child growing up I remember ‘Christmas visits’ when our family would pack into the car and drive see our friends and relatives,” Farley said. “There was always lots of food and merriment along the way.  The next few nights, we would have been the recipient of similar ‘visits’ in our homes from still more aunts and uncles. That was part of the magic of Christmas for me. Today, I think the Christmas Tour of Homes is a flashback to that era, when we get to share Christmas traditions with others in the community.”

Also on Dec. 1 is the final day of the Holiday Shoppe at the Cobblestone Museum, with special prices on remaining books and Christmas decorations. In addition, local author Sharon Cassano-Lochman will be on hand from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. to sign copies of several of her books.

The Dec. 1 programs conclude a busy year for the museum, which had about 30 events in 2018.

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Cobblestone Museum presents 1,186 petitions, asks developer to look at site across from Town Hall on 104

This is a rendering of the design for the new store proposed on Route 104.

GAINES – The developers working on a controversial new Dollar General store that would in a historic commercial district say Dollar General wants to stay at a site that would be across from a cobblestone schoolhouse built in 1849.

Two officials from the Zaremba Group traveled from Cleveland to meet with Cobblestone Museum leaders and supporters on Thursday to go over the plan for the new 9,100-square-foot store.

Zaremba builds about 40 Dollar General stores a year. Zaremba buys the land, builds the store and leases the site to Dollar General.

The proposed site for the Gaines store is in a wooded area, just east of the routes 98 and 104 intersection. It is a high traffic area, and is the preferred location for Dollar General, which does the market analysis for its stores, said Gary Hough, senior director of development for Zaremba.

“This is the location they believe in,” Hough told about 50 people at the meeting inside the Cobblestone Universalist Church, a building constructed in 1834. “They have charged us to move forward.”

Doug Farley, the museum director, presented 1,186 petitions against the Dollar General’s proposed site in the historic district. Farley handed the petitions to Hough and Mary Ann Wervey, vice president of Retail Development for the Zaremba Group.

Farley said the project should have never been considered by the Gaines Zoning Board of Appeals. A zoning misinterpretation has, unfortunately, allowed Zaremba to spend money on a site that shouldn’t be developed for a commercial chain store, Farley said.

“It was a very bad decision by the Zoning Board to allow it to get to this point,” he said. “We are clearly an interested party and we’ve been ignored.”

About 50 people attended the 4 p.m. meeting to hear about the proposed Dollar General.

The historic commercial district allows convenience stores, such as Crosby’s. However, the district doesn’t allow a general store.

The Dollar General was deemed suitable in the zoning by Gaines ZBA officials, who said it is a convenience store. However, the Cobblestone Museum said the Dollar General, at a proposed 9,100 square feet, should be considered a general store, and thus not allowed in the historic district.

Farley said the presence of the Dollar General would have a damaging effect on the Cobblestone Museum and the historic district, an impact that couldn’t be reversed once the store was built.

Museum supporters worry that the Dollar General would also bring more chain stores to the district. Zaremba is developing about 1 acre for the store, but 4 other undeveloped acres are next to the site.

The developer says the store would be shielded with vegetation.

There are already five Dollar General stores in Orleans County – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Medina and Ridgeway. That seems to be more than enough, the Zaremba officials were told.

However, Hough said Dollar General sees more opportunity in the county with the store in Gaines.

“It’s a new trade area they feel they are serving,” he said about Gaines. “They find this to be a new location they are not serving.”

Farley asked Zaremba to hold off on pushing for the store for at least six months because Gaines is looking to update its comprehensive plan and possibly expand the commercial district on Route 104.

Hough said the developer is limited right now where a commercial building can go in Gaines on Route 104. The commercial district is limited to historic area of Gaines.

Farley also asked the company to look at undeveloped land across from the Gaines Town Hall. That would be a prime spot for the Dollar General, he said.

Hough and Wervey said they would share the concerns from the museum with Dollar General.

Hough also said the company has some screening in the plan for the building, should it go across the street from the historic schoolhouse. The store also will have an upgraded look from many of the stores, he said.

(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers is a member of the Cobblestone Museum’s board of trustees.)

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GAINES – The Town of Gaines Zoning Board of Appeals approved the site plan and a special use permit for a barn on Route 104 to be used for a seasonal business in Commercial Historic District.

Ray Burke, owner of Fairhaven Treasures, wants to use the neighboring barn on Route 104, across from the Cobblestone Universalist Church, for retail sales, auctions, weddings and other events.

The Gaines ZBA approved the project on Monday. Burke is a member of the ZBA. He abstained from voting.

Burke acquired the barn at 14386-14398 Ridge Rd. Burke in his application said the barn would be available for the events on a seasonal basis because he uses it in the winter to store cars, boats and campers. He thinks using the site for events would fit in with the other nearby businesses.

“Our town is the center of the county at the crossroads of Route 104 and 98 and because of all the businesses on the Ridge we could become a destination for everyone travelling on these corridors,” he wrote in the application.

Burke has parking available behind the barn and east of the structure to accommodate visitors, without cars needing to back into the roadway, the Orleans County Planning Board said on Aug. 23, when that board approved the project.

The ZBA also set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 for a variance request for a former cobblestone schoolhouse on Ridge Road. Bill and Jacqueline Bixler want to make the former school a one-family residence.

The Gaines ordinance requires one-family homes to be at least 980 square feet. The cobblestone school is only 896 square feet. It is on the west end of the town at 13592 Ridge Rd.

The Bixlers don’t want to change the historic nature of the building by putting on a small addition to increase the size.

Gaines town officials don’t believe the building has ever been used for a residence. The building, which doesn’t have a known construction date, is at least 150 years old.

The public hearing will be at the Albion High School cafeteria.

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GAINES – The Town of Gaines is expecting to soon receive a site plan for a new Dollar General on Ridge Road, a project that is opposed by the Cobblestone Museum which owns a cobblestone school from 1849 that is across the road from the site eyed for the store.

The developer for the project, the Zaremba Group, is working on the site plan, attempting to include suggestions from a state agency that has concerns about a new store in a nationally recognized historic district.

The NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation last month sent a letter to Michael Grabowski, chairman of the Gaines Zoning Board of Appeals. The state would prefer Dollar General find an alternative location for the store.

“It is our opinion that the construction of a generic retail building at this location will significantly alter the District 5 Schoolhouse’s visual environment and setting,” Sloane Bullough, Historic Sites Restoration Coordinator for the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, wrote on Aug. 9. “The introduction of a modern generic commercial store with its associated 45 space parking and service areas will greatly impact the historic character of the National Landmark school as well as the two other nearby Landmarked cobblestone buildings.”

Zaremba isn’t looking elsewhere in Gaines for the new Dollar General. Instead, the developer will try to redesign the site to reduce the impact. Grabowski, the ZBA chairman, said Dollar General is considering suggestions from the state agency.

In her letter, Bullough said if no alternative site is found, the site across from the schoolhouse should be redesigned to have less of a visual impact. That could include having the parking lot on the side of the building instead of in front with the number of parking spaces pared down to the minimum.

State Parks would also like to see “a strong vegetative buffer be planted to visually screen the parking lot and building from the road.” The buffer could include mixture of deciduous and coniferous indigenous trees and shrubs. The trees should be planted in a staggered pattern and not in rows, she said.

“We understand that the developer and the Town of Gaines have already negotiated a low-lying sign, which is a good beginning for minimizing impact to the historic school and adjacent properties,” Bullough said.

Grabowski said he expects the ZBA will have a public hearing on the site plan in about two months. The ZBA has moved its meetings to the Albion High School cafeteria while the project is under review to accommodate larger crowds. There were about a dozen supporters of the Cobblestone Museum at the meeting on Monday. (The Gaines Town Board was also meeting on Monday and had its session at the Town Hall. The ZBA usually meets the first Monday of the month, but this month’s meeting was moved back a week due to Labor Day.)

Grabowski declined to let the Cobblestone Museum  speak about the project at the meeting Monday because the chairman said public comments will only be accepted at the public hearing. It’s the board’s policy to not allow comments on a project until a public hearing, he said.

After the meeting Doug Farley, the museum director, said the museum and its supporters welcome the opportunity to speak against the project.

Several hundred people have already signed a petition against the Dollar General in the historic district, saying the store “will mar the character and ambiance” of the Cobblestone Museum’s historic buildings on Ridge Road and also just south of Route 104 on Route 98.

The ZBA also passed a resolution to amend its by-laws insisting that all communications for projects go through the Town Hall. Grabowski said members have been called at their work places and at their homes, with other messages through their personal email.

If residents want to contact members about projects, they need to go through the Town Hall, the board voted in a majority. One member, Gerard Morrisey, opposed the issue, saying board members and the public shouldn’t be limited to the town offices.

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Jim Bonafini, president of the Cobblestone Museum, also was a student in one of the classes. Patricia Greene, the instructor, is in back at center.

CHILDS – Budding artists will show off their work during a reception at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cobblestone Museum.

Artists are all members of the Cobblestone Sunday Painters’ group, which was taught by Pat Greene of Medina.

Many will be exhibiting their very first paintings, Greene said.

Artists are Valerie Collins, Susan Giorgio, Deb Roberts, Cathy Feldman, Cheryl Keppler, Pat Payne, Jim Bonafini and Sandy Chenelly.

In addition Greene will have five of her paintings in the exhibit.

The Sunday Painters classes are so popular, more will be scheduled in the future, according to Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Museum.

“This art exhibit is really amazing, considering many of the students just started painting this year at our Cobblestone Art Classes,” Farley said. “I would have thought the artists were seasoned professionals. Pat Greene has a very hands-on way of helping people get their ideas onto the canvas.”

A grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council helped fund the project.

Greene led workshops on April 8 about composition, on May 6 about “Creating Drama” and on June 3 about “Learning from the Masters.”

Refreshments will be served during the reception on Saturday.

The exhibit will be open during regular museum hours in September and October – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

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Former director asks Gaines for one-year moratorium on new projects in Historic District

GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum is stepping up its efforts to send a message to Gaines town officials and the developer for a new Dollar General that a new store shouldn’t be built in the historic district on Ridge Road, which includes several cobblestone buildings from the 1830s to 1850s.

The museum has already collected 300 petitions with people opposing construction of a new Dollar General across Route 104 from a cobblestone schoolhouse that was built in 1849. That schoolhouse is part of the museum’s campus that has been declared a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1993.

“Please help keep our Historic District intact! Say no to Dollar General in their request to build a store across the street from the National Historic Landmark Cobblestone Schoolhouse.” That is what a new on-line petition states from the Cobblestone Museum. (Click here to see the petition.)

Museum Director Doug Farley and Bill Lattin, the retired director, attended Monday’s Town Board meeting to state their opposition to the Dollar General in the historic district. Lattin, a former Gaines town supervisor, asked the board to consider a one-year moratorium on new construction in the historic district.

The state agency that works with communities to help preserve historic sites across New York last week sent a letter to the Town of Gaines asking that an alternative site for the store be found.

“It is our opinion that the construction of a generic retail building at this location will significantly alter the District 5 Schoolhouse’s visual environment and setting,” Sloane Bullough, Historic Sites Restoration Coordinator for the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, wrote on Aug. 9 to Michael Grabowski, chairman of the Gaines Zoning Board of Appeals which is reviewing the project.

“The introduction of a modern generic commercial store with its associated 45 space parking and service areas will greatly impact the historic character of the National Landmark school as well as the two other nearby Landmarked cobblestone buildings.”

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Constructing ‘generic modern store’ across from historic schoolhouse would ‘significantly alter’ visual environment and setting

GAINES – The state agency that works with communities to help preserve historic sites across New York is asking the Town of Gaines and the developer of a proposed Dollar General to find an alternative site for the store so it isn’t in a historic district.

Dollar General wants to build a new store directly across from the District 5 Schoolhouse, a cobblestone building that was built in 1849. That schoolhouse, and the nearby Ward House and Universalist Church were named National Historic Landmarks in 1993.

“This designation is the highest recognition that the United State Department of Interior can bestow on a property or district in our country,” Sloane Bullough, Historic Sites Restoration Coordinator for the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, wrote on Aug. 9 to Michael Grabowski, chairman of the Gaines Zoning Board of Appeals which is reviewing the project. (Click here to see the letter.)

There are only 262 sites in New York that have been designated as National Historic Landmarks and less than 3,000 nationwide, Bullough said.

“Landmark designation recognizes the exemplary historic or architectural significant a property may have in the history of the nation,” she said in her letter. “The schoolhouse, which was constructed in 1849, is an exceptional example of both the Greek Revival Style and the unique cobblestone method of construction, which is almost exclusively found in the central-eastern part of New York.”

NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation urges the town and developer to find an alternative site away from the historic district for the new store.

“It is our opinion that the construction of a generic retail building at this location will significantly alter the District 5 Schoolhouse’s visual environment and setting,” Bullough said. “The introduction of a modern generic commercial store with its associated 45 space parking and service areas will greatly impact the historic character of the National Landmark school as well as the two other nearby Landmarked cobblestone buildings.”

If no alternative can be found, Bullough said the site should be redesigned to have less of a visual impact. That could include having the parking lot on the side of the building instead of in front with the number of parking spaces pared down to the minimum.

“A side parking lot could be visually screened to lessen the project’s visual impact from the schoolhouse and the overflow parking in the rear for employees and customers could be installed to reduce the size of the parking lot that is visible from the street,” she wrote in her letter to the town.

State Parks would also like to see “a strong vegetative buffer be planted to visually screen the parking lot and building from the road.”

The buffer could include mixture of deciduous and coniferous indigenous trees and shrubs.

The trees should be planted in a staggered pattern and not in rows, she said.

“We understand that the developer and the Town of Gaines have already negotiated a low-lying sign, which is a good beginning for minimizing impact to the historic school and adjacent properties,” Bullough said.

The Cobblestone Museum is opposing the project, saying it would hurt the character of the historic district. So far 250 people have signed petitions at the museum, opposing the store across from the schoolhouse.

Eight municipal historians have also written to oppose the location of the Dollar General. Click here to see their letter to the editor – “Historians in Orleans County say a Dollar General would destroy tenor of historic Gaines” – that was published July 11.

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