Chase will host job fair for displaced workers on June 26, 28

ALBION – An Erie County company has agreed to hire 150 displaced workers from the JP Morgan Chase mortgage servicing center in Albion. The company, AMS Servicing, will be part of a job fair at Chase on June 26 and June 28.

Chase notified its employees last week it will shut down the mortgage servicing business in Albion, and will lay off about 400 employees in September.

AMS Servicing and other businesses will be at the job fair at the Chase center. The companies will be hiring for entry-level to managerial positions in industries from mortgage servicing and technology to insurance and telecommunications.

“We work very hard to take care of our employees when we have to make tough decisions about our business,” Kevin Watters, CEO for Chase Mortgage Banking, said in a news release. “We sought out top companies with open positions that would benefit from hiring our talented and skilled workforce.”

In addition, Chase is holding on-site hiring events today and next Friday for employees to meet company managers from Rochester and other U.S. locations to discuss 330 open positions in customer assistance and support areas. Chase is also offering career services and training sessions, including resume writing, interviewing and online skill assessments.

“I appreciate Chase’s commitment to engaging on opportunities for its employees and keeping jobs in area,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence. “This is a good outcome for both the workers in Albion and the Western New York economy.”

AMS will be part of the June 26 hiring event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The company will be back on June 28 form 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be joined by the following businesses looking for employees: Yahoo!, Altitude, Concentrix, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Rochester, CRFS, Premiere Credit of North America, Sutherland Global Services and Wegmans.

“We have more work to do to help the people of Orleans County, but this is a huge step in the right direction,” Collins said. “I will continue to work with JP Morgan Chase and our partners in the private sector and at every level of government to help find jobs for each person affected.”

Photos by Tom Rivers – Crystal and Timothy Elliott are working to open a pottery business in Medina. They discuss their business plan during Tuesday’s MAP graduation.

ALBION – They have the ideas, the passion and now the business plans to launch new businesses, stimulating the local economy and creating opportunities in Orleans County.

Nine residents completed the latest Microenterprise Assistance Program, a 12-week business training class run by the Orleans Economic Development Agency and The BEST Center at Genesee Community College.

The program is offered twice a year. There are 100 businesses operating from MAP graduates in the past five years.

The Spring 2013 class graduated on Tuesday with a celebration at the Crooked Door Tavern. The program has Dee Hansel of Albion more confident about her goal of opening a massage and skin care service business. Hansel has a business and marketing plan for Tranquil Moments Massage and Skin Care.

She plans to open next year. She is completing her certification as an esthetician, which will allow her to do facials and detoxification wraps. She is already a licensed massage therapist. She wants to run the business on Main Street in Albion.

“The class has been very helpful with the business plan and marketing ideas,” she said.

Dee Hansel plans to open a massage therapy business in Albion that offers skin care.

A Medina couple, Tim and Crystal Elliott, are working to open Brush Strokes Studio that would allow customers to create their own pottery at a site in Medina. Mrs. Elliott believes the site will be popular for parties, home-schooling groups and for other events. She and her husband need to find a spot for the business that they would like to open in late winter or early spring.

“People say we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Mrs. Elliott said. “But we’re in the middle of everything.”

Gaines Town Clerk Jean Klatt and her husband Reynold are working to open a custom wine-making shop on Main Street in Medina in the fall. Mrs. Klatt plans to keep working for the town, while teaming with her husband in what they said would be just the third custom wine-making business in the state. The others are in Gates and Syracuse.

Some of the MAP graduates already have opened their businesses. Eula Collins opened Baby Ribs in Medina about two months ago. She just added a mobile truck so she can take her barbecued food to parties and other events. Jacqueline Henhawk runs Lake Alice Motor Sports.

Eula Collins opened Baby Ribs, a barbecue business in Medina. She talks about her business plan on Tuesday with other MAP class members.

Other graduates include: Matthew Coles of Barre, who has a site secured on East Ridge Road in Greece for an embroidery business. He’ll also sell Yankee Candles; Jack Larkin is selling antiques through the Internet; Daniel Mathews plans to open a rib restaurant and bar in Albion; and Susan Orman will open a seamstress business in Holley.

One recent MAP grad, Kim Rowe, was the keynote speaker during Tuesday’s graduation. Rowe has launched “U Make Scents Products” – lotions, fragrances and shampoos.

She said the best business plans don’t account for surprises in opening and running a business.

“There are things you’re going to have to change,” she said.

She told them they need to create a superior product, work hard and count on word of mouth to build a customer base.

“Do an excellent job,” she told the MAP grads, “because your name is on the product.”

Editor’s Note: Hub editor Tom Rivers completed the MAP class last fall.

Passarell backed for Albion town supervisor

ALBION – The Orleans County Conservative Party has endorsed a slate of candidates who the party says are committed to reining in local taxes.

The group endorsed Matt Passarell for Albion town supervisor. Passarell, a current town councilman, was passed over by the Albion Republican Committee, which also interviewed Jake Olles, a town councilman. The GOP opted against endorsing either one.

The Conservative endorsement assures Passarell a line on the November ballot.

Conservatives also endorsed Emil Smith of Medina to run for County Legislature against incumbent Bill Eick, who represents a district that includes the towns of Shelby, Barre and Clarendon.

“We’re hoping for a change,” said Al Lofthouse, the party chairman from Kendall. “We’re under duress with taxes. We’re hoping if nothing else it wake all of these people up, the people in office and the voters.”

The party is critical for Republicans in several municipalities for overriding the 2 percent tax cap imposed by the state. The Conservatives made their endorsements in two meetings last month and on Monday. Lofthouse said he doesn’t expect the party to endorse more candidates.

One Republican incumbent, Don Allport, was backed the Conservatives for another two-year term on the county.

The Conservative Party also endorsed Gaines Town Supervisor Carol Culhane, Gaines Town Councilwoman Susan Smith and Gaines Town Justice Bruce Schmidt.

The Conservatives endorsed other candidates to run against sitting Republicans, including Paul Snook for Carlton highway superintendent, Raymond Wendling for Ridgeway highway superintendent, Bilal Huzair for Carlton town councilman and Paul Lauricella for Yates town councilman. Lauricella is treasurer of the Orleans County Conservative Party.

“We’re tired of the way Republicans are running things,” Lauricella said. “They’ve lost their principles.”

State tries to limit tax incentives for retail, but allows exceptions

Photo by Tom Rivers – The new Ace Hardware store at the former Jubilee in Medina received some assistance from the County of Orleans Economic Development Agency.

MEDINA – It sat empty for nearly seven years. The roof had started to cave in and vandals had free rein inside. The former Medina Jubilee hadn’t generated any tax revenue, either, for several years.

Clearly, it was a property in distress, said Jim Whipple, chief executive officer of the County of Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The Orleans EDA worked with Roger Andrews, owner of two Ace Hardware stores, to redevelop the site into a hardware store and lumber yard. The agency approved a $140,000 loan for the $1.2 million project. The EDA also established a 10-year tax plan that freezes the tax payments at $5,386 annually. That money is divvied up for the village, town, county and school district.

Tax incentives for retail operations have come under fire in the state. They are no longer allowed, as of April 1, unless the property is in a highly distressed area or if it is a tourism project. The Ace incentives were approved before the new law took effect, but Whipple said the incentives would pass muster under the new state policy.

“If you look at that property before, the roof was falling in, and look at the difference now,” Whipple said. “It’s made a huge difference in that area of the village. It’s right across from a park. It’s cleaned up that whole area of the town.”

Although the IDA provided some assistance with the project, Whipple noted that Andrews bore the vast majority of the expense. The site was owned by the county because the taxes were delinquent for several years. Andrews paid the county $100,000 upfront to offset the back taxes and part of the penalties.

The county agreed to take down a small drive-through structure by the building, remove two petroleum tanks and pave the parking lot after Andrews bought the materials for the project. Whipple noted the county was technically the property’s owner before Andrews acquired it.

Andrews also received a sales tax exemption of about $50,000 for building materials and other store improvements as part of the project. The new store opened in April.

Andrews said the project is now generating tax revenue for the community, as well as complementing the village’s historic downtown a few blocks away. Andrews owns an Ace near Hamburg and bought the former Hahn Hardware in Medina about two years ago.

“We paid the back taxes and the property is back on the tax rolls,” Andrews said. “We put the right project in this spot. It would have been a shame to let this building sit.”

Tom Snyder, owner of Medina Lumber and Hardware, has decried the IDA assistance for the Ace project. Some other community members also didn’t think it was fair to Snyder.

But Whipple said the property, which was certified as part of a distressed Census tract by state officials, is now a community asset. He praised Andrews for stepping up and tackling the ambitious renovation of a 26,000-square-foot building.

“A guy like that comes around once in a lifetime,” Whipple said about Andrews. “He took a major structure that was destined for the wrecking ball and totally renovated it.”

The IDA has provided some help to two other recent retail projects. The owners of The Village Inn in Gaines spent about $325,000 on a renovation last year. The IDA approved a sales tax exemption for the project that saved Mark Tillman, the restaurant owner, about $3,000. Whipple said the restaurant is a draw to people outside the county.

The Save-A-Lot in Holley, which also targeted a former Jubilee store, was approved for a loan and property tax abatement for the remodeled portion of the building. Those incentives were offered before the retail law took effect, but Whipple said the project would qualify under the new rules because the federal government classified Holley as a “food desert,” a community without a grocery store.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Guy Scribner, a past director of operations with the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance, poses with an ambulance this afternoon outside COVA’s headquarters at 239 South Main St., Albion. Scribner is an advanced EMT with COVA.

ALBION – Residents are welcome to meet the staff and take a peek at ambulances and fire trucks tonight at Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance, 239 South Main St.

The organization is having its annual open house from 5:30 to 8:30 tonight. Hot dogs, hamburgers and other refreshments will be served, and children’s games will also be available.

Neighboring fire departments are expected to bring fire trucks for the event, and Mercy Flight is scheduled to stop by with one of its helicopters.

Photo courtesy of Jeanne Crane – Teresa Martillotta greets Andrew Cuomo at a function in this photo from 2001. Martillotta was well known by influential Democrats in the state.

ALBION – Teresa Martillotta was a popular person in the leading circles of the state’s Democratic Party for the past half century.

She was beloved for her sense of humor and spunk.

“She had a personality that was bigger than life,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said about Martillotta, who died at age 87 on May 23. “She was a special lady with a great energy and a great heart.”

Cuomo spoke about Martillotta today while he was in Batavia. Lieutenant Gov. Robert Duffy attended Martillotta’s calling hours yesterday at Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes.

Martillotta was a committee member of the state Democratic Party for more than 50 years. In that role she hobnobbed with party leaders and candidates. At her home in Albion she had photos of herself with some of the state’s most prominent Democrats the past two generations, including Cuomo, his father and former governor Mario Cuomo, Geraldine Ferrarro, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and many others.

“She was a people-person and a dedicated Democrat,” said Jeanne Crane, the Orleans County Democratic Party chairwoman. “She loved the camaraderie and interaction with people.”

Martillotta lived locally all of her life. She retired as executive housekeeper at the Orleans County Nursing Home. She enjoyed the parties and functions with the big-name Democrats, Crane said.

But Martillotta was also a loyal and hard-working Democrat in Orleans County, where Republicans have a 2-to-1 enrollment advantage and fill nearly every elected position at the town and county levels.

“She was such a dedicated Democrat,” Crane said. “She was always supporting.”

Martillotta often had the political shows on television when Crane visited her home.

When Martillotta was at hospice in recent weeks, she asked Crane about this November’s elections. She wanted to know who was running for the Democrats.

Crane traveled with Martillotta to many of the state events. Martillotta was treated like a star.

“She took command of a room when she walked in,” Crane said.

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch – Medina resident Chris Busch visited veterans’ graves at Boxwood Cemetery on Sunday. He sent Orleans Hub a few photos of some of the graves that are marked with American flags. 

The cemetery is located along North Gravel Road.

The community will honor veterans with parades and services throughout Orleans County today.

In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a service will follow the parade.

In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade then starting at 10 a.m. It will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.

In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library.

In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow.

Busch also stopped by St. Mary’s Cemetery on North Gravel Road…

… and captured these images of graves on a sunny day.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislator Henry Smith Jr. started pushing for prayers to begin each County Legislature meeting about five years ago when he was the group’s chairman. Many local pastors have attended Legislature meetings since then, leading the group in prayer.

ALBION – When Henry Smith Jr. started as chairman of the Orleans County Legislature in January 2008, one of his first initiatives was to start each meeting with prayer.

Smith, in the five years since, has contacted many clergy leaders in the county, welcoming them to the Legislature to offer a prayer to start each meeting.

“It’s good to have everybody involved in the county, including the pastors,” Smith said. “I’ve tried to reach out to all of them.”

Catholic priests, evangelical pastors, the Unitarian-Universalist leader, jail chaplain and nondenominational church leaders have all attended at least one Legislature meeting to lead the group in an opening prayer.

County Attorney David Schubel believes the practice falls within the Constitutional parameters because the Legislature isn’t restricting churches and religions.

“It’s an open process,” Schubel said. “It’s more spiritual than religious.”

Schubel, Smith and other county officials say they will be watching a Supreme Court case with interest in the coming months. The nation’s highest court will rule whether the town of Greece’s practice of having local clergy deliver prayers at its government meetings violates the U.S. Constitution.

Opening prayers have been part of Congress and many state governing bodies for more than 200 years.

The Greece case says the town violated the Constitution by repeatedly having Christian clergy conduct prayers at the start of meetings. The Supreme Court case focuses on whether the repeated use of Christian prayers violates the first 10 words of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The Orleans Legislature has almost exclusively welcomed Christian pastors. Sometimes legislators, including Smith, will share the opening prayer and those prayers often include references to “Jesus.”

Court of Appeals judges have said public prayer is fine, but all faiths should be invited to participate. The Supreme Court will hear the case in its next term, which begins in October.

Smith said he wants to see prayer continued at the beginning of each Legislature meeting, the second and fourth Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re getting too sensitive in this country,” he said. “You can’t say anything. What’s wrong with a prayer?”

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Sons of American Legion placed these flags on veterans’ graves at Boxwood Cemetery in Medina in advance of Memorial Day. The Sons placed 1,000 flags on veterans’ graves at three Medina cemeteries.

The four villages in Orleans County will all have parades on Monday to mark Memorial Day.

In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a servicewill follow the parade.

In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade then starting at 10 a.m. It will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.

In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library.

In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow.

There will also be a service in Kendall at 7 p.m. on May 31 at the Morton Cemetery.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Bill Larkin, left, and Larry Manning work part-time on the Orleans County Marine Patrol.

POINT BREEZE – I saw two familiar faces yesterday at Point Breeze. Bill Larkin and Larry Manning are both retired deputies from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. I remember them both from my earlier days as a newspaper reporter in Orleans County.

They’re still working the beat, but now they’re part-time as part on the Orleans County Marine Patrol. There are seven part-timers on the Marine Patrol, and they’re all retired police officers. The county also assigns a full-time officer to the group from April through October.

Manning worked full-time for the Sheriff’s Department from 1974 to 2001. Larkin worked full-time for the department from 1976 to 2005, retiring as an investigator.

The Marine Patrol has boats based out of Oak Orchard Harbor and Lake Alice. Another boat is on a trailer and can be taken to any waterway in the county.

The Marine Patrol does safety checks on boats and makes sure they have life preservers. Sometimes a boat will get stranded and need help. Other times, a boater may be intoxicated.

“Usually it’s pretty quiet down here but you have to be ever vigilant because you never know,” Larkin said.

The state reimburses the county half of the Marine Patrol costs, Larkin said.