Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A section of Butts Road, from Route 31 to East State Street, was closed on Thursday so the railroad bridge can get worked on.

Genesee Valley Transportation Company, based in Batavia, is making masonry and steel repairs to the bridge. GVT owns the Falls Road Railroad, which goes from Lockport through Orleans County to Brockport.

GVT reopened Keitel Road on Thursday after working on the bridge there for about a month.

Butts Road is expected to reopen to traffic in mid-May.

“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 5, No. 17

HOLLEY – Taken after 1903, this photograph shows the blacksmith shop of Frank W. Donohue as it appeared on Mechanic Street in Holley, just south of Public Square. This building and the billiards room showing to the left were situated south of the block currently occupied by Holley Falls Bar & Grill. Frank “Duff” Donohue, pictured right, stands in front of his business with George Jenks (left) and Joseph Haight (middle). Mag the horse is the centerpiece of this photo, demonstrating the work primarily carried out by blacksmith shops; the sign reads “F. W. Donohue, Horse Shoeing and Repairing.”

At the time this photograph was taken, all three men were well versed in the work of the blacksmith. Originally a native of Albion, Joseph Haight worked as a stableman before entering the blacksmith trade. He eventually relocated to Sandy Creek where he opened a blacksmith shop on Rt. 237 just north of Rt. 104 adjacent to the present site of the Murray Superette. An 1894 newspaper article indicates that George Jenks commenced working out of this shop after William Wetherwax relocated to East Gaines. Jenks and Haight operated a business partnership for a short period of time, dissolving the venture that same year.

According to a business directory from 1911, Haight worked as a blacksmith out of a shop on Mechanic Street, which suggests that the photograph was likely taken between 1903 and 1911. Although the three appear to be regular, hardworking men, Jenks appears to have been more of the rough and tumble type. In 1883, he was arrested for stealing a collection of pennies from C. H. Frisbie of Holley and accused of selling the lot in Rochester for approximately $30. The following year a brief note in the Holley Standard notes that he accidentally shot himself with a revolver. Then in 1893, prior to commencing work with Haight, Jenks married Alta May Downey at the age of 15 (not necessarily uncommon for the time); the two lived together for a short period of time, then living separately until finalizing their divorce in 1904.

The men are pictured with the typical leather apron, used to protect their clothing from burning embers and heated metal. Pictured to the right of the front entryway are wooden wheels leaning against the sidewall. Blacksmiths were often able to true wooden wheels and install the metal tread that covered them; various sizes indicate that work was performed on both wagon wheels (the thicker) and buggy wheels (the narrower). Prior to the widespread ownership of automobiles, the neighborhood blacksmith shop was the equivalent of the car repair shop where horses were shoed and buggies repaired. In the years leading up to this photograph, blacksmiths would produce nails and tools in addition to the services provided by Donohue and his colleagues.

It is worth noting that this building was constructed of fieldstones of varying sizes and shapes. The utilitarian nature of the building did not warrant stones of similar size or for the stones to be “dressed” to provide a decorative or uniformed appearance. The building is also lacking in windows, which provided a darkened environment inside allowing the blacksmith to monitor the temperature of the forge based on the color of the flame.

Located down the alleyway, which still exists today, was a shed with a cupola and a dwelling with a high foundation. Both were situated along the bank of the old Erie Canal bed that looped through the Village of Holley. The house still stands today.

As a final side note, before relocating to Sandy Creek Joseph Haight raised his family at Albion where his eldest daughter Martha married William Howard. The couple’s son, Charlie, was well known locally for his portrayal of Santa Claus.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Members of the Preston family in Albion work on a landscaping display in the Lartz Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. The Prestons are one of 44 vendors at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Home and Garden and Outdoor Show.

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday there is a chicken barbecue and Sunday there is a pirate theme and activities to appeal to children, said Becky Charland the Chamber director.

There is a $3 charge for the show, although a coupon can be printed off the Chamber website for free admission. (Click here for more information.)

Boe Preston, 8, has a wheelbarrow with some mulch to help with the display for Preston’s Lawn Care & Landscaping.

ALBION – The Village Board on Wednesday accepted a proposal from a Trumansburg firm to do a tree inventory and develop a forestry management plan for the village.

Davey Resource Group will be paid $41,450 for the project. The village received a $38,260 state grant for the tree inventory and management plan.

Davey will create a GIS-based inventory of trees, planting sites and stumps along 37 miles of public rights-of-way within the village line. DRG’s urban foresters will locate about 5,000 sites in the village and record specific information about each site for the database.

For each site, Davey will detail the address, species, tree size, multi-stem tree, condition, maintenance needs, defects, tree risk assessment and rating, residual risk, overhead utilities and date of inventory.

The report on the tree sites will be accessible to the village in a computer software program known as TreeKeeper, offering immediate access to tree data to the Department of Public Works.

Once the inventory is done, Davey will develop a management plan for the village, including the trees at parks and Mount Albion Cemetery. There will be hazard rating to identify trees that should be removed and spots identified for new trees to be planted.

The village received the grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.

The village will be given a recommendation for diverse tree plantings that would thrive in the village. A variety of trees would also protect the village from losing a large percentage of trees to blight.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Dean Bellack, director of the Orleans County United Way, speaks to the Albion Rotary Club last week, including members Bill and Marlee Diehl, left.

Jeannie Bebby-McNeil, who is legally blind, has a service dog named Bella.

Bellack was joined by Jeannie Bebby-McNeil, right, who shared how the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern assisted her with home heating fuel when she ran out.

Bebby-McNeil is legally blind after suffering a traumatic brain injury. She is an Army veteran who is returning to college to pursue her doctorate degree in psychology.

Bellack said the United Way raises funds for about a dozen agencies in the county. The money stays local for assist residents in the county.

“We need to raise the funding,” he told the Rotary Club. “We have tremendous need in Orleans County. We hope to raise a lot of money so we can give it away because the county needs it.”

Ann McElwee, a volunteer tutor with the Orleans County Adult Learning Services, also spoke about how OCALS with 20-25 volunteers helps children and adults with their reading skills.

For more on the United Way, click here.

MEDINA – Five people committed to preservation and historical projects in Orleans County will be recognized this evening with Heritage Hero Awards.

Genesee Community College and the Orleans Hub have teamed up for the annual recognitions since 2014. The community is welcome to the awards program at 7 p.m. today at GCC’s Medina campus center on Maple Ridge Road.

The 2019 Orleans County Heritage Heroes are:

• Tom Taber – Taber, an Albion resident, has devoted many years to chronicling local connections to the Civil War. In 2003 he completed his first book, “Hard Breathing Days-The Civil War Letters of Cora Beach Benton.” Taber transcribed, edited and researched 160 Civil War period letters of historical and genealogical interest from the Orleans County wife of a soldier.

He followed that effort in 2012 with a 320-page book, “Orleans Battery – A History of the 17th New York Light Artillery in the War of Rebellion.” The book details the service of 240 men from Orleans County who served in the war. Taber worked dutifully for 15 years to track down stories about Orleans County men who fought in the war. He feels like he has adopted the soldiers from the 17th, many of whom returned from the war and led distinguished lives.

• Harriette Greaser – She and her late husband Philip restored two grand homes in Orleans County, including a prominent house in Albion’s historic Courthouse Square, earning them the Landmark Society of Western New York Historic Home award in 2002. That house was built in 1893 at the corner of East State and Platt streets as the manse for the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.

The house had been the church manse, the home for the pastor, since the house was built in 1893. The house was designed by acclaimed Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner, and was constructed in the Queen Anne style. The house was in rough shape when the Greasers bought it, and they completely transformed it, scraping away old paint, bringing back original woodwork, planting trees, hedges and a big garden of flowers and vegetables. In addition to her restoration efforts, Mrs. Greaser has been the organist for Holy Family Parish/St. Joseph’s Catholic Church since 1987.

• Lynne Menz – She is a strong supporter of making historical artifacts and local heritage preservation an attractive destination for young and old in Orleans County. Her direct assistance with GCC’s Civil War Initiative (2013 – 2015) and her leadership on the event committee for the Orleans County Heritage Festival (2017-2018) were instrumental in highlighting the noteworthy history of Orleans county people, places and things.

Her recent efforts are culminating in a labor of love started by her father, Bill Menz, to honor Orleans veterans who mustered to go to war through the Medina Armory (now the YMCA) with the installation of a 7-foot bronze World War I soldier on the grounds of the YMCA.

• Todd Bensley (Receiving the Bill Lattin Municipal Historian Award) – Bensley has worked as the Medina village historian since 2004. Prior to that he was president of the Medina Historical Society. He has led numerous historical tours of Medina, engaged students in local history and written a book about the community’s historic cemetery.

Through his role as a teacher at Medina High School, Todd leads student and new teacher tours of Medina and assists his students with a local history project each year. He teamed up with the Medina Sandstone Society to establish the John Ryan School of Historical Excellence in 2015. In 2014, he worked with the State Historic Preservation Office to designate Boxwood Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places. That effort led to more research on the cemetery, which culminated with his book, “Boxwood Cemetery: Where the Past is Present.” Proceeds from the book are donated to Friends of Boxwood Cemetery.

• Neil Johnson (Receiving the Bob Waters Lifetime Achievement Award) – Johnson has been the Albion village historian since 1980. He wrote a weekly column, “Albion, Oh Albion,” in the Albion Advertiser for 26 years, compiling more than 1,300 columns about village history, often highlighting regular folks in the community. He has written books about the history of Swan Library and the Orleans County 4-H Fair. He teamed with historian Bill Lattin to do an inventory of all the historical markers in the county. They are included in a book in 2001.

Johnson was critical to the effort in 2000 for the establishment of a monument at Mount Albion Cemetery for at least 50 pioneer black residents in the county. Neil also has been honored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension with the Legacy Award for serving as a 4-H leader for a rabbit club for more than 40 years. Johnson worked as an archeologist and taught anthropology at The SUNY College at Brockport. He continues to do monthly lectures – “Take a Bite Out Of History” – about local history.

The keynote speaker for the awards ceremony will be Dr. Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer. Dr. Bailleul-LeSuer is currently the historian of the Western Monroe Historical Society, whose headquarters are at the Morgan-Manning House in Brockport. However, she is first and foremost an Egyptologist and she continues her research on birds in ancient Egypt. To get a better understanding of the various ways that birds were incorporated into the daily life of ancient Egyptians, she especially studies the bird mummies now held in museum collections. In 2012-13, she was guest curator of the Oriental Institute Museum special exhibit entitled “Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt.” She is now working on the publication of a monograph entitled “From Marshes to Farmyard: Aviculture and Poultry Husbandry in Pharaonic Egypt.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

This London Planetree was planted at State Street Park this morning.

MEDINA – Jason Watts of the Medina Department of Public Works climbs into an excavator this morning at State Street Park. The DPW planted a new tree at the park for Arbor Day.

Medina is planting 36 trees this spring, with four new ones at the park.

Medina normally hosts a festive Arbor Day celebration with more than a hundred elementary school students. This week is spring break and the students are off from school.

Besides the four trees at State Street Park, Medina will plant 32 other trees, mostly along areas of East Center Street with additional plantings throughout the village. Species to be planted in the village this year include Elm, and varieties of Maple, London Plane, Honey Locust and Serviceberry.

Some volunteers will be at the park on Saturday for a cleanup effort from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Volunteers are urged to bring gloves and sturdy shoes.

Kyle Morgan, left, and Ricky Tuohey of the DPW help plant the new tree. Medina has planted about 1,000 new trees in the past 15 years, and has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a “Tree City USA.” The designation recognizes Medina for its commitment to community forestry.

Chris Busch (left), chairman of the Medina Tree Board, and Mayor Mike Sidari pose for a photo with the tree after it was planted at State Street Park.

BATAVIA – State Sen. Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) is a member of the Senate’s Agriculture’s Committee. He is concerned about the impact on agriculture with legislation in the Senate that would allow for overtime pay for farmworkers and the right to collective bargaining.

Ortt will be hosting a roundtable on May 2 at Farm Credit in Batavia with local farm owners, farmworkers, and agriculture organizations. They will discuss the current state of New York’s farming industry and how newly proposed labor laws could affect the future of New York farming.

Ortt will be joined by several state senators, including Pam Helming (R-Canandaigua), Mike Ranzenhofer (R-Amherst), Tom O’Mara (R, Big Flats), Pat Gallivan (R, Elma), Rich Funke (R, Fairport), Chris Jacobs (R-Buffalo).

Farmworkers from Torrey Farms will join the roundtable, along with farmers, including Jeff Toussaint, a fruit and grain grower in Knowlesville; Christian Yunker, co-owner of CY Farms in Byron; and several others.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) also will attend the roundtable, and so will Michael Kracker, director of Unshackle Upstate.

Village’s LDC now owns site which is considered an anchor of Public Square

Wayne Goodman (right) is executive director the Landmark Society of WNY. Brian Sorochty, left, is Holley’s mayor. Goodman praised the Holley officials and community for their commitment to redeveloping historic sites in the community, including the former Holley High School.

HOLLEY – The Village of Holley is seeking proposals for a new owner for a historic building in the Public Square. Holley wants assurances the building will be renovated in a way that preserves the character of the 1890 structure on the western end of the downtown.

The village wants to avoid another scenario where the building is bought and then left to sit empty, gradually deteriorating, said Dan Schiavone, chairman of Holley’s Local Development Corporation.

That LDC owns the building, which was given to the LDC by the previous owner who bought it at the county tax foreclosure auction. The owner bid online from Florida. She saw it as an investment, but no tenants or new buyers emerged.

The village stepped in, not wanting to see the building fall in disrepair and have to be torn down.

The LDC is working with the Landmark Society of Western New York to have an engineering study done on the building so a new owner knows of the issues with redeveloping the site.

“We will find the answers of what will be needed,” Schiavone said today during a community announcement about the next steps with the historic building.

The Landmark Society has committed $2,000 to the engineering study. That contribution follows the Landmark Society’s decision in October to name the site as one of the “Five to Revive” in WNY. This is the third time the Landmark Society picked a building in Holley for the list, which started in 2013.

The designation helped bring a developer to the former Holley High School, which is being transformed into senior citizen apartments and also the village offices. The chapel at Hillside Cemetery also made the “Five to Revive” and that helped spur restoration of the chapel and land state funding for the project.

Mayor Brian Sorochty, second from right, is joined at today’s announcement by Village Trustee Michelle Moroz, Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch, and Dr. Dan Schiavone, chairman of Holley’s Local Development Corporation.

Wayne Goodman, executive director of the Landmark Society, said Holley has an engaged Village Board and community, willing to work through the obstacles to redevelop important buildings in the community.

The Odd Fellows Building at 89 Public Square is critical to the downtown. “It anchors an entire block,” Goodman said.

The Public Square has retained its historic charm, and Goodman said there is strong momentum in the village.

“There are great bones in Holley,” he said about the historic sites. “There are bright days ahead. This is an iconic village. We’ve been impressed with the local leadership and local pride in the village.”

Mayor Brian Sorochty said the Landmark Society has been a welcome and influential partner in helping Holley redevelop the old school. Putting the old school on the “Five to Revive” in 2013 “was the turning point” in a new life for the building, which had been vacant since the mid-1990s.

Holley created the LDC about five years ago so the village could accept eight houses owned by the Environmental Protection Agency, houses that were vacated by residents after a chemical leak at the former Diaz Chemical in January 2002. Those houses were sold in 2017 for $192,600. The EPA received 90 percent of the sales and the Holley LDC got 10 percent.

The Odd Fellows Building has been vacant and deteriorating for a few years. The village had a fence put on the northern side of the building because loose bricks were falling. The fence has since been removed.

The LDC currently has about $15,000 in its bank account. Schiavone said at least $500 will go towards the engineering report. More may be needed if there is asbestos in the building that needs to be abated.

Schiavone also said $10,000 from the LDC will go towards paying the county off for the back taxes with the site. The LDC asked the county to waive those back taxes, but was denied.

Schaivone said the LDC, instead of paying off the back taxes, could have used that $10,000 to make the building more marketable to a potential buyer. He is still hopeful the county will waive the taxes.

Schiavone said the Public Square looks better than it has in the last 50 years. Many building owners have improved their buildings recently. Dan and Monica Seeler last year opened the Holley Falls Bar & Grill, following several years of renovations.

Schiavone did a major renovation of his building about 20 years ago for his dental business.

He said the many projects in the downtown, as well as the old school, will encourage more people to invest in Holley.

“Stay tuned, there is more to come,” he said.

HOLLEY — The Village Board on Wednesday approved a $1,211,874 budget for 2019-20 in the general fund that increases spending by 6.9 percent or $78,418 from the $1,133,456 in 2018-19.

The village is adding two full-time employees who work in both the Electric Department and Department of Public Works, and also a full-time employee in the Clerk’s Office. All three fill vacant positions that left those departments understaffed, said Mayor Brian Sorochty.

Village property owners will see taxes increases by 6.6 percent, or by $55,101, as the tax levy goes from $832,898 to $887,999. The tax rate is increasing from $15.65 to $16.41 per $1,000 of assessed property. The board voted to override the tax cap with the new budget.

In addition to filling the three vacancies, the village will begin paying an annual lease with Home Leasing for the village office space. Holley will move the village offices to the former Holley High School in early 2020 at an annual lease of about $23,000, the mayor said.

The village will serve as an anchor tenant in the school building, which is being extensively renovated with most of the building being converted into senior apartments.

The village’s tax base dropped slightly with the new budget, going from $54,166,115 in 2018-19 to $54,098,660 in the new fiscal year, which starts June 1.

Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – The Albion Police Department on Wednesday charged Nicholas M. Monacelli, 29, of Eagle Harbor Road in Albion with two Class A misdemeanors following a nearly 2-year investigation into the death of 11-month-old Damon S. Carter.

On July 28, 2017, the Albion Police Department and COVA Ambulance responded to Beechwood Boulevard in Albion for a reported child with a head injury.

Albion Police personnel arrived on scene and found Damon Carter with a severe head injury. Damon was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital where he died the next day.

The investigation into the cause of Damon’s death was led by the Albion Police with assistance from the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office, Orleans County Major Felony Crimes Task Force, Orleans County Child and Family Services, New York State Police, Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, University of Rochester Medical Staff and affiliated experts.

The investigation revealed that Damon was in the care of Monacelli and that his actions knowingly and recklessly endangered Damon and resulted in the subsequent injuries that Damon received.

Monacelli has been charged with one count each of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment on the second degree.

Monacelli was arraigned in Albion Town Court and was placed in the Orleans County Jail on $1,000 bail. He is to return to the Gaines Town Court on May 8 at 2 p.m.

Press Release, State Police

OAKFIELD – On April 25 at approximately 12:50 a.m., State Troopers from Batavia responded to a reported robbery at the 7-Eleven located at 25 Main St. in the village of Oakfield, Genesee County.

The suspect is pictured in the image above. If anyone has any information about this incident, please call the State Police in Batavia at 585-344-6200.

ALBION – An 18-year-old from Clarendon was sentenced to 60 days in Orleans County Jail plus five years of probation after he allegedly pointed a loaded rifle at a sergeant with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

The teen-ager was given youthful offender status, so his name shouldn’t be published and his record will be sealed.

In February, he pleaded guilty to attempted menacing a police officer. The teen came out of his house on Sept. 27 with a loaded rifle after watching a Sheriff’s deputy and a sergeant put handcuffs on the teen’s sister and mother after a family dispute.

The teen dropped the rifle after being told by law enforcement.

He will also have to undergo anger management counseling, complete 100 hours of community service, and is encouraged to earn his GED.

District Attorney Joe Cardone said the scene “quickly escalated” on Set. 27 and could have ended tragically. He asked for incarceration for the teen.

Judge Sanford Church said some jail time was warranted.

“I want you to think about showing respect to other people,” the judge said at sentencing today.

In other cases at County Court:

• An Albion man was congratulated for completing a diversion program and staying drug-free for nearly 2 years.

Jacob Marks also had a felony charge dismissed and was sentenced for misdemeanor petit larceny, and won’t have to go to jail. He thanked the district attorney and Judge Charles Zambito for giving him a chance in the diversion program.

“He’s really come a long way,” said Joanne Best, the public defender. “He is an example of what we want to do with this program.”

• An Albion woman who was in the diversion program was terminated from diversion after using drugs and missing appointments. Virginia Rivera, 38, nearly had graduated from the program but relapsed recently with drug use.

She will instead be sentenced on a felony drug charge and could get up to 6 months in the county jail when she is sentenced on May 23.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature issued several proclamations on Wednesday including celebrating “Older Americans Month” in May. Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging in the county, accepts the proclamation from legislators Bill Eick, left, and Fred Miller.

May is also “Motorcycle Awareness and Safety Month.” Legislator Don Allport presents a proclamation to Chuck Persons, a leader with the Orleans County Chapter of ABATE of New York. There will be a motorcycle safety and awareness rally at 1 p.m. on May 5 at the courthouse steps. Motorcyclists will then go on a ride throughout the county.

Legislators also issued a proclamation for “Western New York Armed Forces Days” from May 5 to May 18. Earl Schmidt, center, is director of the Veterans Service Agency in the county. He accepts the proclamation from Legislator Fred Miller. David Kusmierczak, a veteran from Medina, is at left. Many veterans in Orleans County are spending May 18 at the Buffalo Naval Harbor as part of the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Program.

Legislators also celebrated “National Public Safety Telecommunicators Appreciation.” Don Allport, left, is picture with Allen Turner, 911 communications coordinator; Undersheriff Chris Bourke; and Mike Mele, chief deputy.

The county has 9 full-time and 4 part-time dispatchers, with two on duty 24-7. Last year they handled 35,343 calls.

Holley-Kendall wrestling coach also honored for record-setting career

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature presents a  special recognition award to Penelope Mosier on Wednesday in appreciation for her 42 years of service to the county in the accounting department for the Department of Social Services.

Mosier, who retired on March 30, is congratulated by county legislators Bill Eick, left, and Fred Miller.

She started her career with the county on March 25, 1977 when she was appointed as a temporary account clerk typist under then DSS Commissioner Jerim Klapper. Mosier worked with three other DSS commissioners in her career, including Patricia Hardenbrook, Carri Blake Ludwig and Tom Kuryla, the current commissioner.

The Legislature presented the recognition to Mosier to “honor her dedicated and outstanding service to the County of Orleans for her long serving commitment to the County and to our Department of Social Services.”

Mosier of Clarendon said she enjoyed working for the department, doing payroll and accounting for child and family services.

“I love the people,” she said about her co-workers. “It’s like a big family.”

County Legislator Don Allport presents a “Special Recognition” award to John Grillo, who is retiring as the wrestling coach for the combined Holley-Kendall team. Grillo, in a 44-year career that started in Pavilion, set a state record with 795 team wins.

“High quality scholastic sports programs are important tools to teach young people teamwork, leadership, confidence, character and grit,” according to the citation from the Legislature. “Coach Grillo spent his entire career committed to driving young athletes to success, winning 13 Section V Team Championships and being named Section V Coach of the Year a jaw-dropping six times.”

The Legislature said it wanted to recognize Grillo for “his extraordinary and unprecedented achievements.”

“Coach Grillo has served as a mentor and role model, giving so much of himself as an educator and a father figure for the benefit of so many young people by teaching work ethic, preparation, character and mental toughness,” the Legislature said.