EAGLE HARBOR – Albion firefighters Chuck Prentice, right, and Mike Dalle spray water on the smoldering remains of a house in Eagle Harbor. Fire torn through the house this afternoon, leveling the structure at 3248 Eagle Harbor Rd.

Firefighters were dispatched to the home of Richard Clark at about 1:30 p.m. The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Albion firefighters were close by at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Many fire departments were there as part of a display of fire trucks.

The quick response to Eagle Harbor wasn’t enough to prevent the house from being a total loss. The structure was set back from the road in a wooded area. Live wires that were sparking added to the challenge.

Live wires that were sparking made part of site unsafe. National Grid arrived after this photo was taken to deaden the wires.

Clark wasn’t home at the time when the fire started. He thinks an animal could have started it or perhaps a sparking electric wire. The fire is under investigation.

Carlton firefighter Dave Bertsch gets water on the fire. Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management coordinator, is at right.

GAINES – The driver of a Dodge pickup truck ran into a utility pole on Route 104 this afternoon by the Rocking R Ranch. The pole was knocked down at about 1:37 p.m. and damaged a trailer that belonged to a customer of the Rocking R Ranch.

The driver was responsive and didn’t appear seriously injured, but he was trapped inside due to live wires from the utility pole. National Grid was on scene at about 2 p.m.

Albion firefighter David Nayman directs traffic near the scene of the accident at Rocking R Ranch, 14877 Ridge Road West, Kent.

A Sheriff’s Office deputy on scene said the driver was distracted and drove off the road.

Jennifer Alchin, owner of the Rocking R Ranch, was making a milkshake when the truck crashed into the pole, knocking out power for the business.

She said the utility pole has been hit several times before by motorists.

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GAINES – The driver of this Lancer was injured and taken by Mercy Flight helicopter after an accident at the 5 Corners in Gaines at 4:51 p.m. today.

The driver was headed west on East Bacon Road when she entered the intersection because her brakes failed, she told deputies on scene.

The driver of the white car struck the Lancer after it passed into the intersection where routes 98, 279 and Bacon Road all converge. The driver of white car was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

There was another vehicle involved in the accident that had minor damage. The 5 Corners is the site of numerous accidents every year.

GAINES – This roadside sign was installed on Wednesday on Gaines Basin Road, about a quarter mile south of Route 104. The marker is a memorial for Deputy David Whittier, who was fatally injured here in 1989.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office had a reception on Monday afternoon with Whittier’s family and former colleagues to unveil the sign for the only Orleans County deputy ever killed in the line of duty.

David Whittier worked 20 years at Kodak before following his dream of being a police officer. He was hired as a full-time deputy on June 22, 1987. Whittier made many arrests for people driving while intoxicated. Ironically on Jan. 19, 1989, Whittier was on routine road patrol when he came upon an unoccupied pickup truck on Gaines Basin Road. The driver of that truck was out hunting.

While Whittier was inspecting the truck a young man who was driving drunk struck the parked pickup truck. Whittier had dove between the pickup and his patrol car. He was crushed between the two vehicles after the pickup was hit. He was then dragged about 100 feet and left for dead under the truck.

He survived the accident and remained in the hospital until April 1989. After being home for a few months, his condition did not improve. He had contracted cancer, which doctors said was trauma induced. Doctors said his immune system was too compromised due to injuries sustained from the accident. He and his family were advised that treatment was not an option and would only cause further pain and suffering.

Whittier was 41 when he died on Sept. 8, 1989. About 700 people, including police officers around the state, attended his funeral in Clarendon at the Disciples United Methodist Church.

GAINES – An employee with Xzeres Wind reinstalls the turbine today at Watt Farms on Route 98 in Gaines. The turbine was taken down on April 14 for repairs.

The turbine was originally put up in August 2011. Xzeres gave the turbine new blades and other parts. The main issue was with the alternator. Chris Watt said there was bad insulation on the wiring, which resulted in signals being sent for the turbine to not run.

The 10-kiloowatt turbine is 154 feet above ground. It has three 12.6-foot-long blades. It has a swivel head with a tail so it can face the wind at its peak strength.

The turbine was the focus of a lawsuit from the Town of Gaines, which claimed the 154-foot-high turbine needed to be moved farther away from a farm market and storage building.

Judge James Punch, acting as a State Supreme Court justice, ruled in December the turbine didn’t need to be moved. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets also sided with Watt Farms, saying the turbine location met the proper setbacks.

GAINES – The body of a 17-year-old-boy, Raymond L. Kingdollar of Barre, was discovered in the Erie Canal on Monday.

Orleans County deputies responded to the canal, approximately ¼ mile west of Gaines Basin Road, after receiving a call from a civilian reporting a body in the water, Undersheriff Chris Bourke said in a news release. Deputies recovered the body with assistance from the Sheriff’s Marine Unit and Albion Fire Department.

Kingdollar was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.

The Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation into this incident and anyone with information regarding this matter should contact the Sheriff’s Office at (585) 589-5527.

The incident is being investigated by Sgt. Gunkler, Deputy A. Breuilly, Deputy D.Pahuta, Deputy DeFilipps, Deputy Strimple, Deputy T. Marano, Chief Deputy Michael Mele, Inv. S. Brett, Inv. Strickland, The District Attorney’s Office, and the Major Felony Crime Task Force.

EAGLE HARBOR – Susan Boring, pastor of the Eagle Harbor United Methodist Church, shares a laugh with the congregation this morning after the group sang Happy Birthday to her.

Boring and the church celebrated 15 years of ministry together. Boring, a fifth-grade instrumental teacher at Brockport, grew up and lives in Albion. She embraces music, including the Agape Ringers behind her, in church services.

Steve Watkins and his wife Chris have been attended the church for over a year. They praised Boring and the congregation for their warmth and compassion.

Watkins grew up in Albion knowing Boring as a kid. She visited Watkins and his wife while both had recent hospital stays.

“This is a church that has made me feel whole,” said Mrs. Watkins, who has been cancer-free for seven months after battling the disease for two years. “They’re very supportive. It’s like a family.”

Boring, in orange, directs the bell ringers during the service today that was attended by about 75 people. This photo was taken from the balcony where a brass choir played during the service.

Susan Boring and Mike Vick sing a duet of praise songs, including “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” and “Psalm 100.”

Marsha Rivers, a member of the pulpit supply for the church, shares a reflection on Boring’s ministry during today’s service.

Linda Haight, a pastor from Albion who leads the South Byron and Stafford United Methodist churches, shared a prayer during today’s service that included several local ministers.

Greg VanDussen, former pastor of the Albion United Methodist Church and a retired district superintendent for the conference, was a key church leader in encouraging Boring to pursue the ministry. He praised her for using her talents to serve God and care for others.

Jeff Post and Aleka Schmidt play with the Agape Ringers during today’s service. Schmidt leads the First Baptist Church in Albion. That congregation had church in Eagle Harbor today.

The Eagle Harbor United Methodist Church has been meeting in this brick building since 1875. It replaced an original wooden structure from 1826.

GAINES – Gretchen Schweigert of the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina serves wine on Friday to Alex Green, back left, Leanne Serrato and Peggy Barringer. The Cobblestone Museum hosted its second First Friday art show at the Cobblestone Church on Ridge Road.

The art show featured retired Holley art teacher Tony Barry. He has been traveling in recent years to places he often talked about as a teacher. He is pictured with a painting of the Blue Dome of the Santorini in Greece and men playing cards in Sicily.

Barry travels with his wife Annette, a retired school librarian at Holley.

Barry is pictured with Georgia Thomas of Medina, who bought this painting of maple sugaring in Edinboro, Pa.

This painting shows a scene from Venice. Barry will paint a small watercolor on site, and then do a larger oil painting when he gets home. He said it’s too difficult to travel with all of his art supplies.

This painting shows a cafe in Paris. Barry said the city is “block after block” of outdoor cafes.

“As an art teacher I was dying to see some of these places I’ve been telling the kids about,” he said.

Barry lives in Holley, which he said is a beautiful place. Some of his paintings show canal scenes. He was happy to see the clock hands restored last year to the former church bell tower in the Public Square. He did this painting on location.

Cobblestone Museum President Matt Ballard said the organization is working to establish strong partnerships in the community. He welcomes the First Friday art shows, as well as Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and an ongoing partnership with Tillman’s Village Inn. (People who attend a July lecture series at the museum, paying $5, will get a $2 coupon for The Village Inn.)

The series runs July 8, 15, 22 and 29. Ballard will speak at 7 p.m. on July 8 about the local World War I effort. on July 22, Ballard will highlight notorious criminals from the county’s history.

Bill Lattin, the former county historian and museum director, will give lectures on July 15 about infamous fake Victorian paintings and on July 29 about “church stories you don’t hear in church.”

For more on the Cobblestone Museum, click here.

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – May is being celebrated as Preservation Month with a “This Place Matters” campaign by the National Trust for Historic Preservation .

The Cobblestone Museum, the only site in Orleans County deemed by the federal government as a National Historic Landmark, is joining the effort. The top photo shows Museum Director Taylor Daughton, left, and Volunteer Coordinator Sue Bonafini by the Ward House.

The Ward House was built in 1840 under the direction of John Proctor, a prominent early Gaines resident. The building was constructed in the Federal style. The interior of the house is decorated to reflect the 1880s.

Following Proctor’s ownership, the house was sold to Benjamin and Mary Ann Woodburn Dwinnell. Mary Anne was the aunt of New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, who held the mortgage until 1863. The home functioned as a private residence until 1975, when the property was purchased by the museum from Mrs. Inez Martyn Ward.

The Ward House needs repairs to the front steps and other restoration work. The Cobblestone Museum welcomes donations for that project and other museum upkeep, as well as volunteers to help lead tours, and with other museum efforts.

For more on the Cobblestone Museum, click here or call (585) 589-9013.

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum hosted its first art show in about three decades on Friday and 75 people attended to view work by local artists.

Kim Martillotta-Muscarella, pictured, organized the show. She is pictured next to some of her paintings that are displayed in the Proctor Room in the lower level of the Cobblestone Universalist Church, which was built in 1834.

Martillotta-Muscarella ran Marti’s on Main, an art gallery at her home on North Main Street in Albion, for seven years. She held opening receptions the first Fridays each month. Martillotta-Muscarella is shifting the shows to the Cobblestone Museum, where she said there is more room to display work and for people to gather in a place that is also open to the public.

She said Friday’s show brought out her faithful attendees and also many new people to First Fridays. She is planning more art shows at the museum each month through October.

R.J. Bannan was among the attendees of Friday’s art show. He is looking at work by Connie Mosher. Other featured artists include Tony Barry, Tom Zangerle, Pat Greene and Suzanne Wells. Al Capurso and his band, Of the Bear, also played during the opening reception on Friday.

The museum opens for the season on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. with free admission for mothers.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Firefighters are pictured in this photo from April 13, 2015 at a fire on Eagle Harbor Road in Gaines.

ALBION – The Town of Gaines agrees it needs to pay more for fire protection, but town officials don’t believe it should be three times what town residents are currently paying the Village of Albion in a fire protection contract.

“We have acknowledged the rate is low,” said Andrew Meier, the town attorney.

The Village Board on April 13 voted to terminate the contract with Gaines, effective 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31. Village officials said the town has rejected Albion’s offer for the fire contract.

Albion was seeking $100,000 from Gaines for fire protection. That is the same as the Town of Albion pays the village for fire protection outside the village.

That contract resulted in a fire protection tax rate of $1 per $1,000 of assessed property for the Town of Albion. In Gaines, where the town pays the village $33,860, the rate is 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed property, by far the lowest in the county. The Town of Yates is next lowest at 49 cents with Carlton at 75 cents. Every other town pays at least $1 for fire protection.

Meier and the Gaines Town Board have asked for the fire department’s budget, and then want to discuss how to fairly share those costs among the two towns and the village.

The village has wanted to share the costs with a formula based on assessed value. Gaines has suggested a hybrid approach that would include the call volume per municipality.

The gross assessed value for the Town of Albion (outside village) is $109.7 million, nearly the same as the gross assessed value in Gaines ($112.2 million.) The village’s gross assessed value is $189.6 million or about 46 percent of $411.5 million total.

The village in 2013 accounted for 66 percent or 193 of the 269 emergency calls, while the Town of Albion represented 52 calls or 17.9 percent with Gaines accounting for 46 calls or 15.8 percent.

In 2014, the village represented 167 of the 291 emergency calls for 67.1 percent, with the Town of Albion at 64 calls (23.8 percent) and Gaines at 38 calls or 14.1 percent, according to data provided by Meier.

Given the shares of gross assessed value and call volume, Meier said Gaines should pay a small percentage of the fire department budget. He agrees Gaines should pay more than the current rate, but he wants to dissect the fire department’s budget and determine a fair system for sharing the costs among the village and towns.

Meier said the village’s breakdown of fire department expenses show a total cost of $243,839 for June 1, 2016 to May 31, 2017. It wouldn’t be fair if Gaines and the Town of Albion each paid $100,000, with the village only paying $43,839, Meier said.

John Gavenda, the village’s attorney, said in correspondence to Meier that the budget is actually closer to $300,000 to $350,000. Meier has sought clarification on the total expenses.

The village’s $243,839 budget for the fire department breaks out the following expenses: $80,000 for approximate bond payment for new fire truck: $16,216 for approximate bond payment for AFD roof: $65,512 for budget; $1,500 for AFD building repairs; $7,043 for chief’s vehicle payment; $7,899 for AFD pickup; $6,512 for Engine 31 repairs; $6,367 for worker’s compensation; $20,458 for vehicle insurance; $4,063 for life insurance; $1,459 for fire accident coverage; $5,000 for electric; $1,500 for heat; $599 for Internet and $19,707 for insurance.

Gaines officials have contended that Gaines should simply pay the same contract as the Town of Albion, even if they have similar tax bases with both at about $110 million.

Meier, in a letter to Gavenda on Feb. 1, 2016, said Gaines is almost entirely residential, although it does have several businesses and a museum on Ridge Road, and two large agricultural processing/production facilities.

The Town of Albion in contrast has higher-risk businesses, offices and institutional properties, such as two correctional facilities, Wal-Mart, the nursing home, car dealerships and county offices.

“We extended requests to keep talking about this,” Meier said in an interview. “We haven’t agreed upon a methodology for a number. So far we’ve only been presented with a demand to triple our contribution.”