Keeler Construction apparent low bidder at $997,851

This photo from Sept. 12, 2022 shows Albion town highway employees blocking off traffic on the Phipps Road bridge, which was closed that day. Construction should start on a new bridge this spring. This bridge is on the west end of Phipps Road near Eagle Harbor Road.

ALBION – Four contractors bid on the Phipps Road bridge replacement over Otter Creek, and Keeler Construction is the apparent low bidder by more than $200,000.

Contractors were asked to submit proposals for a replacing the existing 19.5-foot-long bridge and replacing it with one that is 25 feet long.

The project includes the removal of the existing concrete culvert, and replacement with a 3-sided single span precast concrete span unit. The structure will be supported by micro-piles on spread footings, and associated highway approach work and stream work, according to a description seeking bids.

Keeler, a local company based in Barre, proposed to do the project for $992,851.75. That is less than the bids submitted by C.P. Ward of Scottsville at $1,221,503.75; Nardozzi Paving and Construction of Geneva at $1,207,593; and Mark Cerrone Inc. of Niagara Falls at $1,279,443.75. (The bids were opened today at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall.)

The town has been awarded a $1.038 million state grant for the project from the Bridge NY program.

Albion has been working with Ravi Engineering and Land Surveying in Rochester for design and bid specifications, as well as securing easements.

Rick Papaj, an engineer with Ravi, said the bid from Keeler is a “good price” for the town. The Town Board will review the bids and is expected to accept the low bid during its meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 8.

Papaj said construction should start in the spring.

The project also gave contractors the option for alternative cast-in-place system for the bridge onsite, rather than a precast structure. The alternates for that, however, were much more than the precast concrete bridge.

Keeler’s bid, for example, would have been nearly $300,000 higher with the cast-in-place unit.

Photo courtesy of Jada Burgess

MEDINA – Downtown Medina is getting decked out for the holidays. This morning the Department of Public Works was out putting decorations on Main Street.

This photo shows Foreman Ben Lacy, in bucket truck, and Foreman Brad Freeman getting garland hung across Main Street near the Park Avenue intersection.

Medina will celebrate Olde Tyme Christmas this Saturday, an event that includes the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m.

Photos and information courtesy of Zach Busch, Holley band teacher: (Left) Aurora Avery, left, and Sara Corser performed at Area All-State, representing Lyndonville. (Right) Two Albion students, Gideon Pask and Phoebe Allen, were part of the festival.

CHURCHVILLE – This weekend 7 students from Orleans County participated in the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Zone 2 Sr. High Area All-State festival at Churchville-Chili High School.

NYSSMA Zone 2 encompasses schools from Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, and Wayne counties. To be selected for Area All-State, students must first prepare a solo on their instrument or voice for adjudication at Solo Festival.

Then, based on their score and a teacher recommendation, an application is sent to a committee of music teachers from the NYSSMA Zone 2 area who select that year’s student participants in the Area All-State ensembles. Students performing at Area All-State are among the best of the best in the Zone 2 region.

These students include Aidan Kelley of Holley, River Jones of Medina and Elise Olsen of Medina.

Participating students from Orleans County include:

Albion: Gideon Pask, 12th grade – Mixed Choir; and Phoebe Allen, 11th grade – Mixed Choir.

Holley: Aidan Kelley, 11th grade  – Symphonic Band.

Lyndonville: Sara Corser, 11th grade – Mixed Choir; and Aurora Avery, 10th grade – Treble Choir.

Medina: River Jones, 11th grade – Symphonic Band; and Elise Olsen, 10th grade  – Symphonic Band.

Conducting the Symphonic Band was Dr. Jared Chase of Nazareth University, where he directs the Wind Ensemble. Dr. Chase also conducts the Penfield Symphony. The band performed “Galop” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “Rising Light” by Kevin Charoensrir, and movements from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”.

Conducting the Treble Choir was Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle of Eastman School of Music where she is the Inaugural Dean of Equity and Inclusion as well as the Director of the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music. The treble choir performed works including “Colorful” by Philip E. Silvey, “Keep Your Lamps!” a spiritual arranged by Andre Thomas, and “Shine the Light” by Raymond Wise.

Conducting the Mixed Choir was Mr. Holden Maiorana who serves as the Director of Choirs at Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie, NY. Mr. Maiorana and his choirs have performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, as well as in Europe. The mixed choir performed works including “Does the World Say?” by Pederson, “Wisdom of the Moon” by LaBarr – which featured Lyndonville soloist Sarah Corser, and a world premier of “Songs for the People” by Lloyd.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jim Nudd, left, and Nik Mroz, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, hand out free turkeys to veterans on Friday. Here, Albion American Legion commander Brad Rouse gets his free turkey.

ALBION – Orleans County veterans received 125 free turkeys for Thanksgiving this year, thanks to support from the Pfc. Joseph Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program.

Nik Mroz, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, and retired veteran Jim Nudd handed out the turkeys on Friday.

One of the first to get his free turkey was Brad Rouse, commander of the Albion American Legion, who praised the give-away program, funded by the Pfc. Joseph Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program.

“This is an excellent program,” Rouse said. “I also picked up one for my vice commander, Bob Gilsinan. We will probably cook both of them for veterans in the Legion.”

Mroz said in total they handed out 1,000 pounds of turkeys. They also do a ham give-away at Easter, passing out 100 hams to veterans.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Allen and Rose Phillips opened Rosenal Hardware today at 29 South Main St. They ran a hardware store in Albion the past two years next to Save-A-Lot before moving the store to Lyndonville.

LYNDONVILLE – Allen Phillips tried to stay retired from the hardware business but he finds he likes to share his knowledge with the public.

He started working with a hardware distributor 50 years ago when he was in high school. He worked as a sales rep for many years, visiting hardware stores all over the region.

He finally retired, but when a new hardware store opened four years ago in Albion, Phillips decided to take a part-time job at Pro Hardware. Not longer after he became the store’s manager and then two years ago, the owner.

He renamed the store, Rosenal Hardware, which is a combination of his wife’s first name and his, Al.

The couple lives in Lyndonville and they decided to move the hardware store closer to their home.

Allen and Rose Phillips chose the name, Rosenal Hardware, as a combination of their first names, Rose and Al. Rosenal Hardware is located a building that saw a major renovation. Lyndonville native Robert Smith owns that site as well as others on Main Street that have been significantly refurbished.

Today was an unofficial opening day at 29 South Main St. They are still settling into the space. Only half of their hardware inventory is currently available at the site.

Phillips said Rosenal has a full array of hardware products, from a paint department to plumbing, electrical, nuts, bolts, rakes, shovels, rock salt, fasteners and many other products. Rosenal sells DeWalt power tools.

Rose and Allen are happy to have the store in Lyndonville, where the couple raised their four daughters: Amanda, Alicia, Rachael and Dana.

Rosenal will be open Monday through Saturday. Call (585) 765-1144 for more information.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Annabella Dusharm stars as Junie B. Jones in the Albion Middle School’s production of Junie B. Jones, The Musical. Junie B. is a first grader with friendly and bright personality.

She is shown in the opening number: “Top Secret Personal Beeswax.”

Friday was opening night. There also are shows at noon today with the finale at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Samiyah Sanders plays the role of Mrs. Gutzman, who is loved by the class for baking the best brownies and other treats. Samiyah and the cast are singing, “Gladys Gutzman Queen of Snacks.”

Sutton Sanders plays Lucille, center, who was Junie’s best friend but has ditched her for two new friends, Kinzie Rickner as Camille and Nadalee Ryan as Chenille. The three have rhyming names and Junie bemoans no other names rhyme with hers. This trio is singing, “Lucille, Camille, Chenille.”

Kenya N. Bennett plays the role of Miss Scary, the teacher. She instructs the class to choose a word from the list and draw a picture of it.

Junie tries on her glasses. Her teacher suggested she might need them when Junie struggled to see the chalkboard. Junie worries the kids at school will make fun of her because of her glasses, but they tell her she looks good in them.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – It’s been over five years that Community Action of Orleans & Genesee has been organizing a food distribution with Foodlink in Albion. These events have always been in the morning – until Friday when there was one beginning at 4:30 p.m. The top photo was taken about 5 p.m. when the distribution was halfway over.

Foodlink gave Albion an extra distribution due to the delays with getting SNAP benefits caused by the federal government shutdown.

Volunteers in one hour filled 200 boxes with food and placed them in the trunks of vehicles that were at the large Albion municipal lot at 165 South Platt St.

Community Action was grateful for the extra distribution on Friday but the agency wondered about having volunteers to help pack the food into boxes and deliver it to a parking lot full of vehicles.

Community Action had a big group of volunteers on Friday, with a group of 14 cheerleaders providing the most manpower.

Jami Allport is the Albion cheerleading coach and also executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. The cheerleaders also will be ringing the bell for the Red Kettle Drive to raise money for local residents in need.

There were people who haven’t been to a food distribution before due to the time later in the afternoon. The morning start time prevents many from those food distributions.

Ryan Lasal, director of community programming for Community Action, said the agency will reach out to Foodlink about alternating the times in the future, with a morning distribution one month and then the afternoon time the following month.

Jackie Dunham, chief operating officer at Community Action, was among the volunteers helping with the food distribution on Friday evening.

Other upcoming distributions in Orleans County include:

• Orleans Cornell Cooperative Extension, 12690 State Route 31, on Monday, December 1 beginning at 10 a.m. Pre-registration is strongly suggested. Those who pre-register will be assigned timeslots for pickup (12-12:30, 12:30-1, 1-1:30. 1:30-2 p.m.) Pre-register at 585-798-4265. Walk-ins may start at 2 p.m.
• Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, 107 North Main St., on Friday, Dec. 5, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (No registration required.)
• Community Action at Albion municipal lot at 165 South Platt St. on Monday, Dec. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. (No preregistration required.) Community Action also has the schedule for the first six months of 2026: Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13, May 11 and June 8.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Village of Albion unveiled a new sign today on the eastern side of the village on Route 31 that highlights the community’s ties to Santa. The sign also spells out “ALBION” and local landmarks are painted within the letters.

Albion eighth-grade chorus students sang “Jingle Bells” and joined in a group photo with Village Trustee Joyce Riley, third from right, Village Historian Susan Starkweather Miller, second from right, and Mary Jo Whitman, the artist who created the sign.

The students from left include Ryalee Moyer, Zyann Pore, Kinzie Rickner, Nadalee Ryan, Kyalee Moyer and Kennedy Roberts.

Joyce Riley spearheaded the project for the village, securing a $5,000 grant administered through the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

The sign gives Santa Claus a prominent role. Albion was home of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School form 1937 until Howard’s death in 1966. The school continues in his name in Midland, Mich.

Susan Starkweather Miller shares about Howard, who continues to shape the way thousands of people portray Santa.

She noted the Route 31 in Albion has signs declaring it as the Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway. There is a bronze statue in downtown Albion of Santa, two murals celebrating Howard and the Sana School, and other efforts to promote the community’s heritage with the school and Christmas Park, which Howard operated in Albion bringing 80,000 visitors at its peak.

Howard urged people to give of their time and talents, and not be so focused on possessions.

The “ALBION” sign features the a boat on the Erie Canal with the lift bridge in back, the Civil War memorial tower at Mount Albion and the Orleans County Courthouse.

This shows, from left, Joyce Riley, a village trustee; Susan Starkweather Miller, the village historian, and Mary Jo Whitman, an artist from Batavia.

Whitman said the Santa was intended to be set lower on the back of the sign. If it can’t be adjusted, she said she would make some modifications and touch-ups.

She also is planning a mural in Holley for next year, but is waiting to see if the project will be funded by GO Art!

Provided photos

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke announced that Julie Vendetti, a long-time dispatcher, is the new communications coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office.

She succeeds Allen Turner who retired in October after a 33-year career with the Sheriff’s Office. Vendetti’s appointment is effective Oct. 28.

“I am confident that all members of our agency will work with Julie Vendetti to ensure that she has a smooth transition into his new role,” Sheriff Bourke said.

The Sheriff’s Office has 10 full-time dispatchers and four part-timers that receive about 40,000 calls for service each year. The dispatch center handles calls for fire, EMS, ambulance, police/law enforcement, animal control, and the coroner’s office.

Dispatchers also handle other non-emergency calls that brings the total call volume to about 61,000, Bourke said.

“The communications coordinator is responsible for assisting the sheriff with the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the many operating platforms that make the 911 center work,” Bourke said.

The center is currently doing a $1.1 million mandated upgrade to the Motorola/Vesta/Frontier 911 phone equipment as well as the computer-aided dispatch. The upgrade includes a new report management system (RMS), the sheriff said.

“The 911 center is an extremely important component to public safety and is the lifeline to our residents in Orleans County,” he said.

Allen Turner was celebrated by many of his co-workers, retired sheriffs and other law enforcement personnel during a retirement party last month.

Photo and information courtesy of VFW Post 4635

ALBION – VFW Post 4635 recently installed a United States Flag Retirement Drop Box at the Vets Club on 38 North Platt St.

DK Auto Body painted the box with support from DJ Button of Digital Ink who provided the lettering.

Shown from left to right are Bryan Hazel, manager of DK Auto Body; Dave Mogle, owner of DK Auto Body; and Mike Donahue, VFW Post Commander.

Photo and information courtesy of Fidelis Care

BROCKPORT –  Fidelis Care presented a $20,000 rural health grant on Thursday to Oak Orchard Health. The grant was presented at Oak Orchard’s community health center in Brockport.

Fidelis Care gave the “Here for Your Health” rural health grant in observance of National Rural Health Day. This grant is one of seven totaling $130,000 awarded to providers and community-based organizations that support innovative preventive care programs in rural communities across New York State, Fidelis Care said.

Fidelis Care is a statewide health plan with more than 2.4 million members in New York State. Fidelis Care offers coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life.

Oak Orchard Community Health Center, Inc. is a Federally Qualified Health Center and Patient-Centered Medical Home with 10 locations and two mobile units serving Orleans, Monroe, Genesee, Wyoming, and Steuben counties.

Oak Orchard serves a large population of low-to-moderate-income individuals who face significant obstacles to accessing preventive and other care. It plans to use the Fidelis Care Here for Your Health rural health grant to enable its team to personally contact low-income patients, ensuring they have the resources they need to visit the health centers and receive the care they deserve.