Photo by Tom Rivers

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins addressed members of the Albion Rotary Club today, including Michael Bonnewell, superintendent of Albion Central School.

GAINES – The government could grind to a halt next month due to the “vast differences” between President Barack Obama and a Republican-led House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Chris Collins told members of the Albion Rotary Club today.

House Republicans want the president and Congress to reduce the nation’s deficit and develop a plan for paying down the national debt, said Collins, R-Clarence.

“The country is on an unsustainable course,” Collins told the Albion Rotary Club today during its meeting at The Village Inn. “There will be a showdown.”

House Speaker John Boehner vowed “a whale of a fight” over extending the debt ceiling. Boehner told reporters in Boise on Tuesday that Obama needs to cut government spending for Republicans in Congress to support raising the debt ceiling.

If the debt ceiling isn’t extended, the government could default on paying its bills in October. Collins would support raising the debt limit, if Obama would agree to rewriting the tax code. Collins said a fairer, less burdensome tax policy would spur the economy, with increased business activity resulting in more tax revenues.

Collins also wants to see the controversial Keystone Pipeline approved. Republicans could insist on that as part of the negotiations with Obama and Democrats in Congress over the debt ceiling and deficit reduction plan, Collins said.

The congressman touched on other issues. He supports an immigration reform plan that would give legal status for many farmworkers, especially those at dairies, to be in the country and work in agriculture.

He doesn’t want the United States to intervene in the civil war in Syria. While the fighting in Syria is “deeply troubling,” Collins said the country’s disintegration doesn’t pose an “imminent threat” to the U.S.

“We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction and fire cruise missiles,” Collins said. “I’m hopeful the president will move cautiously.”

Collins this afternoon made at least his third stop in Orleans County since March. He was in Corfu earlier today and was in Batavia on Wednesday. He said he is frequently meeting with business and community leaders in the eight-county district.

When he was elected in November, Collins said many people assumed he would seldom reach out to the rural counties, and instead be devoted to Erie County, where he was the county executive.

“I’m trying to prove the naysayers wrong,” Collins said.

More than 50 vendors at church flea market

Photos by Tom Rivers

Sharon Pollock of Albion created this image of the Mount Albion Tower. She drew the tower by burning into a piece of wood. I bought it from her today at a flea market with 51 vendors at the Gaines Carlton Community Church.

Pollock was laid off from her job on Jan. 1 as an index clerk at the County Clerk’s Building as part of a downsizing at the office. She has spent more time developing an arts business, creating images of local scenes etched in glass, mirrors or wood. She calls the business Scratch and Burn Crafts.

The flea market continues until 4 p.m. today at the Gaines Carlton Community Church at 14585 Ridge Rd., just east of Route 98.

There are 51 vendors at the flea market, including Debbie Clocksin of Rochester, in back by van. She is selling painted furniture, vintage jewelry and other collectibles. COVA, Mercy Flight, PAWS Animal Shelter and other community groups have displays at the event.

I bought this picture of an unidentified Albion man from Debbie Clocksin at the flea market. She had a stack of old portraits from Western New York. I didn’t want the photo to leave the community. If anyone has an idea who the man is, send me an email at tom@orleanshub.com.

GAINES Three projects – the renovation of a historic brick house, the conversion of a home into a labor camp, and the construction a new camp for farmworkers – are all before the town Zoning Board of Appeals.

Town residents can air their views about three projects during public hearings and meetings in the next month.

Ray Burke is working to convert a single-family house at the corner of routes 98 and 104 into a co-op for high-end crafters and artists. Burke plans to add a driveway to the south of the building that will be accessible to Route 98. He also is planning a parking area for about 15 vehicles.

Burke is seeking a permit to run the business in the town’s commercial and historic overlay district. There will be a hearing on July 16. That will follow a 7 p.m. hearing on one of the labor camp projects. The Orleans County Planning Board will review Burke’s project during its 7 p.m. meeting on July 25. The Gaines ZBA will then meet 7 p.m. Aug. 5 to vote on it.

Burke and a group of volunteers have been working on the 3,000-square-foot house, which was built around 1840, for several months. They still have a lot of work to do, Burke told the ZBA on Monday night. He would like to be open in the fall, but that may be too ambitious.

He believes the project will complement the cobblestone historic district, which includes the Cobblestone Society Museum, Tillman’s Village Inn and several nearby antique dealers.

“There are a lot of people who do nice things craft-wise, but they have no place to show their wares,” he said.

Two fruit growers also are trying to establish housing for their seasonal workers, who come to pick apples for about 10 weeks in the fall.

Kast Farms wants to add four manufactured housing units, with a capacity of eight people in each building, at 2824 Densmore Rd. The manufactured housing buildings are about 1,000 square feet – 14 by 76 feet. They each include two bathrooms.

The town will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. July 17 on the project. Kast is seeking a variance to have a maximum of eight people per unit, which is two more than the town’s standard. Kast’s orchard manager Gary Davy said the units are designed for up to eight people.

The project also needs a variance because Kast wants to set the manufactured units on a piers rather than a full foundation. Gaines’ zoning requires a full foundation, but HUD standards allow the piers, said Roger Kopas, the town’s code enforcement officer.

Oded Kalir of Brockport also is working to add farmworker housing in Gaines at 13105 Eagle Harbor-Knowlesville Rd. Kalir wants to convert an existing single-family house into farmworker housing. The house currently isn’t in an agricultural district but Kalir has applied to have it added to County Agricultural District No. 3.

Because the project isn’t in a certified ag district, he needs a permit. The ZBA set a hearing for 7 p.m. July 16 at the town hall.

GAINES – Two years ago Chris Watt erected a 150-foot-high wind turbine on his farm next to the Watt Farms Country Market on Route 98.

Next month he will go before town officials seeking approval for the project.

Watt believed the town took care of the permitting process properly before the windmill went up in August 2011. His next-door neighbor Mary Neilans and her brother Robert sued the town, claiming proper procedures weren’t followed. The board waived site plan review and didn’t offer residents a chance to comment on the turbine during a public hearing, according to their lawsuit in state Supreme Court.

The town and Watt said they followed the town and state laws for siting windmills for agricultural purposes. State Supreme Court Judge James Punch ultimately decided to put the issue back in the town’s hands. Punch issued a ruling in January 2012, not siding with either party.

Watt was a member of the Planning Board when the project was first approved. He abstained from voting.

The Town Board in January 2012 voted to abolish the Planning Board and shift its duties to the Zoning Board of Appeals. That board will hold a public hearing on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. at Gaines Town Hall to take comments about the Watt project.

“We’ve done this before,” Watt told the ZBA during its meeting tonight after it set the hearing. “Why do you need to do the same thing again?”

Watt said he met the requirements for setbacks and an environmental impact statement with the project.

“I’m not sure the setbacks were followed,” responded ZBA member Marilynn Miller.

Watt said the project was approved by the town’s code enforcement officer two years ago.

“We’re just following through with the letter of the law,” said ZBA Chairman Michael Grabowski.

Photos by Tom Rivers – U.S. Rep. Chris Collins discusses legislation and the impact of Obamacare with residents during a “Coffee with Chris” event Saturday at The Village Inn.

GAINES – After six months in Congress, Chris Collins sees the role of conservative Republicans as playing defense in the nation’s capitol, trying to minimize the impact of what he said is a liberal agenda “in the nanny state,” a push to grow government programs and “hand-outs” at the expense of hard-working Americans.

“We’re trying to prevent additional laws like Obamacare and Dodd-Frank,” Collins said Saturday during a “Coffee with Chris” meeting at The Village Inn. The public event was attended by about 30 people, including many local elected officials.

Collins expects Obama will push hard to enact laws that would cut fossil fuels before his term is over. Climate change legislation would cripple the country’s economy, Collins said.

However, he said conservatives shouldn’t be extremists or obstructionists with every proposal. He is trying to take a pragmatic approach so Congress can pass much-needed legislation, including a Farm Bill that would offer a five-year plan for agriculture. The Farm Bill has been stymied over food stamps, which account for about $80 billion of the $100 billion Farm Bill.

Collins also favors immigration reform, but not the plan approved by the U.S. Senate on Thursday. That would allow a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally. Collins said those people can have work permits if they are working in agriculture and other jobs that are difficult to fill with Americans.

But Collins wouldn’t give the people who are here illegally a pathway to citizenship, nor would they be eligible for any government benefits. However, he said he would support the possibility of citizenship for the children of people who came to the country illegally.

Collins said agriculture desperately needs access to foreign workers who can milk cows and harvest crops without the threat of deportation. Farmers can’t find enough Americans to do these jobs. Without legal workers from Mexico and other countries, the nation’s food supply and rural economy is very vulnerable, Collins said.

A group of many local elected officials turned out to hear Chris Collins discuss his first six months as congressman.

Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick, a former dairy farmer from Shelby, said local farmers have been traveling to Washington to lobby for immigration reform for 15 years. Farmers are starting to switch from labor-intensive crops to corn because of the lack of legal workers, Eick said.

“I hope you can get something done,” Eick told Collins about the immigration proposal.

Collins was harshly critical of Obama’s health care plan – “Obamacare is the worst law ever passed.” That legislation is starting to take effect and causing numerous problems, Collins said.

Healthy people are resisting the high-cost of health insurance, while businesses aren’t hiring or have cut hours to stay under thresholds for providing health insurance, he said. That has reduced job opportunities and take-home pay for residents.

“This law is beyond a wet blanket,” Collins said. “It’s destroying people’s lives.”

The congressman also blamed Albany politics for much of the New York state’s economic problems. The growing welfare state in New York has resulted in oppressive taxes, chasing away residents and businesses, he said.

“We are shrinking and shrinking every day, and dying,” he said about the state. “We should be a prosperous, growing area. We have great climate, a lot of water and an educated workforce. But Albany hurts us. Fix Alabany and you would see this state grow again.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The Proctor Brook is swollen with water after hours of heavy rain this morning. The creek is threatening to touch a row of historic buildings on Route 98 in Childs that are part of the Cobblestone Society Museum.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Society Museum has been awarded a matching grant to survey the roof and tower of the Cobblestone Universalist Church, a building from 1834 that is part of the museum near the intersection of routes 98 and 104.

GAINES – The most prominent building in the Cobblestone Society Museum, the Universalist Church from 1834, needs roof and tower repairs.

The museum has received a matching $1,000 “Sacred Sites Grant” from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. The grant will go towards a survey to determine the repairs needed for the roof and tower.

The church is used for a variety of historical programs, services and weddings every year.

“Preserving this unique piece of cobblestone heritage is vital for future generations to enjoy,” said Deborah Brundage, the museum’s director. “The Cobblestone Society wishes to thank The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Program for their support in this endeavor.”

The eight-building museum was established in 1960 to preserve the oldest cobblestone church in North America and to collect and disseminate information on cobblestone masonry construction.

In 1993, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared the collection of buildings a National Historic Landmark, the only historic site in Orleans County with this designation.

A cobblestone house from 1836, which was once owned by the famous publisher Horace Greeley, is next to the church.These two buildings are furnished to show how they would have been used in the 1880s. A few buildings east on 104 sits a one-room cobblestone schoolhouse from 1849.

The museum also includes four wooden buildings on Route 98, just north of 104. They include a blacksmith shop, print shop, harness shop and an exhibit hall of 19th century farming tools. A brick house from 1836 also serves as a resource center on the 1,200 cobblestone buildings in North America.

The museum opens its season June 23 and runs until Sept. 1. It’s open every day but Monday during the summer. For more information on the museum, click here.

Garage and contents melt from blaze on 104

Photos by Tom Rivers – Albion firefighter Jared Thomson hoses down the smoky ruins of a garage on Ridge Road in the town of Gaines. (Thomson is wearing Brandon Zwifka’s turnout gear.)

GAINES – The garage is a total loss, with tools, four-wheelers and a tractor all destroyed from a blaze late this afternoon.

The fire melted some of the shingles off the house at 13113 Ridge Rd. The flames could have spread.

“When you have a chance to save the house or save the garage, you save the house,” said Paul Wagner, the Orleans County emergency management coordinator.

Fire officials said there didn’t appear to be any interior damage to the home owned by Glenn Woody. But his garage was gone.

The house is located near Allens Bridge Road. Firefighters responded from Albion, Barre, Carlton, Lyndonville and Medina.

Photos by Tom Rivers

A group of runners and walkers head up Route 98 near Watt Farms Country Market on Wednesday, two days after bombs killed three people in Boston and wounded nearly 200 others.

About 30 runners and walkers gathered for a 2.62-mile trek tonight along Route 98 in Gaines between the Five Corners and just south of Route 104, where the state Department of Transportation has closed the road due to a culvert project.

Jack Burris of Albion organized the “Boston Marathon HOPE Run/Walk,” which was exactly one-tenth of the marathon distance.

Tabitha Sauls of Albion was among the group that laced up her sneakers. She and five of her friends decorated fluorescent pink shirts in memory of the victims at the Boston Marathon bombing. And then they walked up 98 and back.

“I’m thinking of the people who lost loved ones,” she said. “I’ve suffered a loss. I know exactly how they feel.”

Two participants, Jerome and Teresa Pawlak, bottom, have a son, Kevin, who finished the Boston Marathon on Monday. Mr. Pawlak attended the race to watch his son, who crossed the finish line about two hours before the bombs went off.

ALBION – The community is invited to a 2.62-mile run/walk on Route 98 tonight, a trek that will begin near the parking lot at Watt Farms, head north 1.3 miles and then return to the Five Corners. The entire route is blocked off because of the construction at a culvert just south of Route 104.

Jack Burris measured the distance this morning while out for a morning jog. He noted the distance was exactly one tenth of a marathon. The “Boston Marathon HOPE Run/Walk” begins at 7 p.m. Burris said it will give a chance for grieving people to connect and be inspired.

Burris is one of the leaders of a “Run for God” group at the Albion Free Methodist Church. About 60 people are in the program, training for the 5-kilometer race at the Strawberry Festival on June 8.

Everyone is welcome tonight and participants can park in the lot at Watt Farms at 3121 Oak Orchard Rd.