Law enforcement will have stepped up enforcement for driving while intoxicated over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, from today through Monday.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and other agencies will have an increased law enforcement presence.
Drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, underage drinking and sales to minors details during the campaign, the State Police said, adding that troopers will also be ticketing distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices.
“State Troopers will be out in force and highly visible this weekend, and as always, will have zero tolerance for drinking and driving,” said State Police Acting Superintendent Keith M. Corlett. “Make safety your number one priority, plan ahead now for a sober ride home, and don’t be a risk to yourself or others who are out on the roads.”
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays due to the number of drunk drivers on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period from 2013 to 2017 saw the loss of 234 lives due to drunk-driving crashes.
In 2017 alone, 59 people (37% of all crash fatalities) were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period. Between midnight and 5:59 a.m. March 18, 2017, three-fourths (75%) of crash fatalities nationwide involved a drunk driver.
State Police also urge the following:
• Before the festivities begin, plan a way to safely get home at the end of the night.
• Before you start drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi or ridesharing service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.
BATAVIA – The Board of Trustees of Genesee Community College were delighted to learn on Monday night that Dr. Lesli Myers-Small will be keynote speaker at the College’s 51st Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19, at 1 p.m.
Commencement will be held in the Richard C. Call Arena. Dr. Shelitha Williams, GCC’s vice president of Student and Enrollment Services, reported that Dr. Myers-Small is a well-known member of the educational community even beyond her current role as superintendent for the Brockport Central School District.
“She is the author of the book ‘Life’s Leadership Lessons,’ has given Tedx Rochester talks, and uses good humor to engage and build a rapport with students.,” Dr. Williams said. “At the start of each school year, she gets on a school bus and rides to school with some of the youngest new students in her district.”
Myers-Small also was one of the school superintendents to create a fun and motivating video announcing a school closing. With music and a little dancing, “Too Cold, Brockport, Too Cold” encourages students to stay home, read and be safe.
Myers-Small earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Development from the University of Rochester, a second Master’s degree in Urban Educational Administration and a Doctorate of Education in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College.
Throughout her career, Myers-Small has designed and conducted workshops and presentations for students of all ages encouraging each of them to use their creative abilities and talents to succeed. She has also received many prestigious honors that reflect her dedication to education and the community, including the Rochester Business Journal 40 Under 40, St. John Fisher Distinguished Alumni Award and Urban League of Rochester Educator Award. Additionally, she was named a 2016 Athena Award finalist.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2019 at 9:19 am
ALBION – Three people either pleaded guilty or admitted to probation violations In Orleans County Court on Thursday. They will soon likely be sentenced to jail.
William Shelhorse Jr., 53, of Albion pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Shelhorse was charged on Nov. 7 after being stopped on East Avenue in Albion.
He admitted in County Court on Thursday to drinking a six-pack of beer before driving that day. He registered a BAC of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit. He also was driving without a license. His license was revoked in 1998.
He could face up to six months in jail and five years probation when he is sentenced on May 16.
Miranda Rose, formerly of Orleans County, admitted to using drugs and not paying enough of the restitution she owes. She pleaded guilty last month to fifth-degree welfare fraud and was sentenced to two years probation in May. She admitted to collecting $3,577 in welfare benefits when she was living out of the county in Baltimore.
She will be sentenced on April 11 for the probation violations and could spend up to six months in jail.
Jimmie Priestley of Holley admitted to probation violations, including drug use, missing probation appointments and withdrawing from a drug treatment program.
Priestley has been on probation for falsifying business records. He faces up to nine months in jail when he is sentence don May. Judge Sanford Church sent bail for Priestley at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond.
In another case, a Medina man was to be sentenced on a felony drug charge. Collen Poole faces up to 3 years in state prison for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.
However, he wants to withdraw a guilty plea from Nov. 29. He entered that guilty plea just before he was to go to trial on Dec. 3.
He was charged on March 1, 2018 after police and state parole officers found cocaine, marijuana and pills identified as Hydrocodone and Ecstasy, following a search of his residence.
Judge Church adjourned the sentencing until next Thursday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2019 at 8:16 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Morgan Marcello, a Kendall social studies and special education teacher, reacts after scoring 2 points during Thursday night’s basketball game at Kendall, with teachers playing local law enforcement officers.
The teachers fell behind early, made the game close, but the law enforcement came away with the victory. Proceeds from the game go to the Kendall Class of 2022.
The teams joined for a group picture in the Kendall gym at halftime. Local law enforcement earlier this school year also played a charity volleyball game against Lyndonville faculty.
Brandon Annable, a sergeant with the Albion Police Department, passes the ball during the game. Mark Driesel, left, and Mike Yaskulski are on defense for Kendall.
Justin Ryan, a junior at Kendall (wearing the Lakers jersey), cheers on the Kendall team. He was on his feet after one of the teachers made a 3-pointer.
Mike Yaskulski, supervisor of the Buildings and Grounds for Kendall, applies the defense in the game versus local law enforcement.
Sheriff Randy Bower coached the law enforcement team. Bower used to be the coach of the Holley girls varsity team.
Jeff Cole, a Kendall graduate, is now a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. He played with the law enforcement team.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 March 2019 at 7:33 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: Tammy Yaskulski, branch manager for Five Star Bank in Medina, paints the dining hall at Christ Church in Albion during the United Way Day of Caring on Sept. 11, 2014.
United Way of Orleans County has announced the 2019 Day of Caring.
The day, May 9, will connect workplace teams with community organizations, enabling them to work together and take action on a volunteer project, said United Way director Kaitlyn Delamarter.
Workplace volunteers have the chance to donate their time, skills and efforts to help a community organization and practice a wonderful team-building experience, while these organizations gain the enthusiastic help of volunteers for a special project and the opportunity to share their stories about what they do and why it’s important, Delamarter said.
Volunteer opportunities are varied and fulfilling – from helping out with a special event, painting or cleaning up from the winter, beautifying a park, planting a new garden, providing professional business services and much more.
The Day of Caring will start at 9 a.m., with projects completed no later than 3 p.m.
Beginning location will be at the 4-H Fairgrounds with a short breakfast briefing. Teams will then travel via their own transportation to designated project sites.
Once a project assigned by the local agency is completed to satisfaction, the volunteers are finished for the day, Delamarter said.
Day of Caring benefits the elderly, disabled and non-profit organizations. Projects may include sorting donated food, delivering meals to the elderly, landscaping and much more.
Volunteers are encouraged to select a team of up to eight members and choose a team leader. Volunteer forms are available on United Way’s website or contact Delamarter at Director@OrleansUnitedWay.org, or phone (585) 283-4224.
Sponsorships are also available for $300 which include a table for four at the kickoff breakfast, name or logo on Day of Caring signage, recognition at the kickoff breakfast and Day of Caring tee shirts with name or logo.
Completed volunteer forms must be returned to United Way by April 15.
Volunteer projects are needed to make the day a success, and Delamarter urges anyone who knows of any non-profit organizations or individuals who need help to contact United Way for a project description form.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2019 at 8:48 pm
BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is seeking nominations to recognize artists and others who promote cultural activities in Genesee and Orleans counties.
GO Art! last year created the Genean award for GENesee and OrlEANs Counties, which “recognize a few of the amazing people and organizations we have within our counties,” GO Art! said.
The nomination deadline is March 29. GO Art! Wants to recognize the following:
Organization of the Year – This award honors a not-for-profit or for-profit arts organization for its achievements in 2018.
Individual Artist of the Year – This award honors an individual artist in any discipline for their achievements in 2018 or career-long body of work.
Supporter (of the cultural sector) of the Year – The award honors an individual or an organization outside of the arts and cultural sector for their work directly aiding in the arts and/or cultural sector.
Last year, the inaugural Genean awards went to Lisa Roeseler, a music teacher and director of Medina High School’s A’Cappella Choir, who was recognzied with the individual artist award.
Bryan DeGraw received the Supporter of the Year for his efforts to boost the local cultural scene. DeGraw is co-owner of 810 Meadworks with his wife LaRissa.
The Genesee Chorale also was honored as the “Organization of the Year.”
To nominate someone or an organization for the Genean Awards, click here.
Today, Senator Rob Ortt (R,C,I,Ref-North Tonawanda) and his colleagues in the State Senate called for multiple public forums to be held in various rural communities so that residents may properly ask questions and voice their opinions regarding the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.
The Act, which was proposed by Sen. Jessica Ramos of Queens, would make sweeping changes to the state’s agriculture industry and allow seasonal, part-time workers to unionize, leading to higher labor costs for family farms.
Also joining Sen. Rob Ortt in calling for multiple public forums was Sen. Fred Akshar, Sen. Daphne Jordan, Sen. James L. Seward, Sen. Robert E. Antonacci, Sen. Patty Ritchie, Sen. Patrick M. Gallivan, Sen. Pam Helming, Sen. George A. Amedore, Jr., Sen. Chris Jacobs, Sen. Sue Serino, Sen. Thomas F. O’Mara, and Sen. Betty Little.
“Owning and running a successful farm in New York has become more difficult than ever before,” said Sen. Ortt. “In the last five years, approximately 20 percent of New York’s dairy farms have been forced to close their doors, and legislation like this bill could be the final nail in the coffin for countless more family-owned farms across our state. It is paramount that a thorough round of public forums is held from Niagara County to Suffolk so that those communities that will be impacted most by this legislation have their opportunity to let legislators know that they think.”
In a study conducted by Farm Credit East, it is estimated that the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act would add at least $299 million of costs on the backs of New York’s farming community, which would reduce net farm income by a staggering 23 percent.
Senator Pam Helming (R,C,I-Canandaigua) said, “Agriculture is the leading industry in the Wayne-Finger Lakes region. With the Farm Fair Labor Practices Act, farms simply will not be able to afford to operate and will eventually close their doors. After meeting with various farmers and agri-business owners, it is clear that this legislation not only significantly impacts our farmers, farm workers, and their families but also businesses, tourism, and consumers in our region and across New York State.”
Senator Daphne Jordan (R,C,I,Ref-Halfmoon) said, “No farms, no food. It’s not just a saying; it’s a reality. The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act should be renamed the Farm Foreclosure Act because it would put more of our hard-working family farmers out of business. At a time when so many family farms are struggling – especially our dairy farmers – we should be lowering their costs of doing business, not further burdening them with an Albany mandate increasing their expenses by $299 million. This bill is bad for our economy, bad for consumers, bad for New York and bad for an important way of life and heritage that must be preserved and protected. Taxpayers across our state should have an opportunity to be heard on this issue and learn more about how the Senate Democratic Majority’s bill could drive up food prices and drive away more of the family farms that feed New York’s families.”
Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) said, “The misguided and misrepresented Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act poses an extreme action at a time of already severe economic struggle for New York State farmers. Worse, the Act’s consequences would produce a nightmare of a ripple effect across local communities in every region of this state and profoundly diminish the future of high quality, local food production.”
Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R,C,I-Elma) said, “Farmers across New York have legitimate concerns about this proposed legislation and the negative impact it will have on their small businesses. They deserve an opportunity to ask questions and to share their thoughts with their representatives. Many family farms are already struggling economically. We need to listen to their concerns and make sure we support them and the entire agriculture industry which is so vital to New York’s economy.”
Senator Fred Akshar (R,C,I-Endwell) said, “Before government goes charging ahead to implement more misguided policy with unintended, yet disastrous consequences, we need to listen to the people this proposal will hurt. I challenge our colleague from Queens to visit Upstate, visit our rural communities and listen to our struggling farmers and the agricultural workers they employ. Through regulation, taxes and lack of affordability, New York continues to drive farmers and their families out of business and out of our state. Let’s do our due diligence beforehand and listen to the people this legislation will affect before piling yet another onerous burden on those struggling to survive in New York.”
‘We are much better today thanks to this exercise and the hard work of many involved with it.’ – Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
Provided photos: Law enforcement officers and firefighters check the hallways and classrooms during a drill Tuesday at the Albion Middle School.
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – The Albion Police Department conducted a full-scale exercise at the Albion Middle School on Tueday, beginning at 9 a.m. The exercise was conducted to evaluate the preparedness, response, and tactical and decision-making abilities of law enforcement, fire and EMS responders. The exercise was designed to simulate high-stress conditions and to incorporate as much realism as possible.
A committee of top-level responders and commanders was formed to organize the drill. The U.S. Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) was utilized in the drill planning. Through the use of HSEEP, exercise program managers were able to develop, execute, and evaluate the exercise that addressed the priorities established by the committee.
Objectives were established to evaluate the response and mitigation to an active shooter at the Albion Middle School by law enforcement, Fire/EMS, command, dispatch and school staff. Several exercise controllers and evaluators were utilized to record the exercise and evaluate the response.
The controllers and evaluators used were from agencies inside and outside of Orleans County with advanced specialties in the areas they were assigned to evaluate.
The responders and school staff role players were given no previous direction or instruction to make the exercise as real as possible. In an effort to simulate realism, police, fire and EMS units were staged and were not allowed to respond to the school until they were dispatched and then held until the appropriate times had passed to simulate actual real times.
The exercise began when role players, acting as suspicious persons, were observed inside the school causing school staff to alert the 911 center which initiated a police response. As law enforcement arrived on scene, gunfire occurred inside the school prompting a full multi agency law enforcement response. (Editor’s Note: The gunfire was actually firecrackers.)
Command was established and additional police, fire and EMS resources were called to the scene to deal with multiple suspects and 18 injured persons with high and low levels of injuries.
The exercise plan called for over 24 objectives to be evaluated using the HSEEP Exercise Evaluation Guide. These evaluations along with the Feedback Forms completed by over 400 exercise participants ranging from commanders, responders, role players, controllers, facilitators and evaluators will be compiled and an Exercise After Action Report will be produced.
The After Action Report will help responders build on the skills they tested during this exercise to make an effective and efficient response even better in the future.
No matter how good we do during an exercise, there is always a need to evaluate and perform at a higher level, regardless of what discipline you are in during an incident of this magnitude. We are much better today thanks to this exercise and the hard work of many involved with it.
This exercise would not have been possible without the assistance of many individuals from many agencies. Below is a list of agencies involved in the exercise as both responders and exercise support staff that assisted as controllers, facilitators, evaluators and technical advisers.
Responding Agencies:
Albion Police Department, Albion Fire Department, Barre Fire Department, Carlton Fire Department, COVA Ambulance, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Department, Hamlin Ambulance, Holley Fire Department, Holley Police Department, Kendall Fire Department Ambulance, Medina Police Department, Medina Fire Department, Mercy Flight Ambulance, Monroe Ambulance, Orleans County Emergency Management, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Probation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Police, US Customs and Border Protection, and Village of Albion DPW.
Exercise Support:
Albion Central School District, Albion Police, Batavia Police Department, COVA Ambulance, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Greece Volunteer Ambulance, Medina Police, Medina Fire Department, Orleans County Emergency Management, Orleans County Major Felony Crimes Task Force, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, US Customs and Border Protection
The Albion Police Department would like to thank all the agencies involved, as this exercise would not have been possible without the support and assistance from everyone. A special thank you to Albion School District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell, Board of Education and the school staff for allowing such a beneficial exercise to take place.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2019 at 11:47 am
Provided photo: Sarah Brower took this photo of about 10 deer together this morning at about 7:45 on Roseland Avenue in Medina.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a wind advisory from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday for Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, northern Erie, Genesee and Wyoming counties.
There will be southwest winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph.
“Winds of this magnitude may bring down a few tree limbs and result in isolated power outages, the National Weather Service said. “Travel in high-profile vehicles may be difficult at times.”
Press Release, Alex Feig, Medina Skate Park president
MEDINA – The Village of Medina has been awarded a Built-To-Play Skatepark Grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation & Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation for a new concrete skatepark, which could be ready in spring 2021.
The matching grant provides between $50,000 and $250,000 towards the construction of a new public skatepark.
A skateboarder enjoys the Skate Jam on Sept. 15 in Medina.
The grant provides a large funding opportunity for the construction of new professional-quality skateparks and is specifically available to only 16 underserved counties in the Eastern Michigan and Western New York areas. During this particular grant round Medina was the only municipality to be awarded a grant in New York.
Members of the local skatepark advocate group, the Medina Skate Society, have pursued the grant on behalf of the Village of Medina and will be the integral fundraising entity in charge of raising the majority of the funds.
The Orleans Renaissance Group is acting as the pass-through agency for the skatepark funds and currently is holding $12,000 of donations for the skatepark project.
The grant deadline for fundraising is in March 2020 and the Tony Hawk Foundation wants to see construction of the final skatepark completed by March 2021.
Essentially the Medina Skatepark Society and Village of Medina have a year to raise the matching amount between $50,000 and $250,000 and then another year to build the park using professional skatepark design and construction firms.
There will be many opportunities to donate and every dollar spent will be doubled now that Medina has been awarded this amazing grant opportunity!
For starters the M.S.S. has set up a GoFundMe account to raise the initial amount to receive the match and encourage anyone wishing to donate a large amount over $100 to contact the Orleans Renaissance Group or Medina Skate Society directly.
Medina Skate Society was established in March 2018 and is a growing community organization of volunteers based in Medina. They are focused on improving the Medina Skatepark. This is currently an unregistered association. An unregistered association does not have legal capacity, it cannot acquire property in its name and be a member of another association.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2019 at 9:05 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Maia Pate stars as The Cat in the Hat in the Albion Middle School production of Seussical the Musical. The show will be performed at the Middle School Auditorium at 7 p.m. Friday, and noon and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are available at the door.
There are 110 middle school students involved in the show, which features some of the favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, the Grinch, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Dallas Ecker plays Horton, an elephant who gets talked into caring for an egg, which eventually hatches. Horton spends most of the show clutching a clover, which holds the microscopic planet populated by the Whos. He needs to take care of the clover to save the Whos from doom.
Corleone Plain plays the mayor of Whoville. Horton can hear the mayor’s calls for help. Horton is mocked mercilessly by the other animals of the jungle, who do not believe him.
Gertrude McFuzz, played by Lucy Rivers, is one of Horton’s bird neighbors. She tries desperately to get Horton to notice her, even growing a long feathered tail. Horton is too preoccupied looking at the clovers, trying to find the one with the Whos.
Marli Thrash is Mayzie LaBird, Horton’s vivacious yet lazy and self-centered bird neighbor.
Emilie Sitzer, center, is one of the leaders of the Wickersham Brothers, a gang of delinquent monkeys. They take the clover from Horton.
Nick Andrews plays General Genghis Khan Schmitz, who is preparing to go to war with those who eat their bread with the butter side down. The soldiers are in military school and include Jojo, the son of the mayor of Whoville. Jojo, back left, is sent to military school after getting into trouble due to The Cat in the Hat’s mischief. Jojo becomes close friends with Horton the elephant.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2019 at 10:09 pm
ALBION – Hoag Library’s board of trustees voted tonight to sell a Civil War flag from a Colored Troops regiment.
The board said preserving the flag would be an estimated $8,000 to $10,000, and properly displaying it would have added more expense.
“Is it the library’s job to pay the money to have it restored?” asked trustee Linda Weller.
The trustees said the library’s mission isn’t to be a museum. It voted, 5-0, to work with Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas to sell the flag. Heritage will receive a 5 percent commission for the sale. Hoag also has to spend up to $750 to have the flag, which is in a frame, crated and shipped to the Heritage Auctions. That expense will include insurance.
The library trustees didn’t want to delay in its vote. The flag can still be featured in the upcoming summer auction that features Civil War artifacts. Waiting another month would have meant the flag would miss the auction. Heritage Auctions needs time to have the flag included in a catalogue of items for the sale.
The library board looks over the flag. Board President Kevin Doherty is in back.
Last month the trustees discussed the issue and decided to wait a month. The possible sale was featured in the local media and only two community members, besides the board, attended the meeting. Weller took that as a sign of little interest from the community.
(Editor’s Note: I was the lone speaker in favor of keeping the flag, of preserving it and displaying it properly. I think the flag could be a draw, and could be part of a larger heritage trail in the Albion community.)
Tom Taber of Albion is a Civil War enthusiast. He spent 15 years researching a book about Orleans County men who fought in the Civil War. Taber’s book, The “Orleans Battery” – A History of the 17th New York Light Artillery in the War of Rebellion, details the service of 240 men from Orleans County who served in the war.
Taber has known about the flag the past decade and has pushed the library the past two years to not just leave it in a back room. Either preserve it or sell it, Taber said.
“It should not sit there and rot away forever,” Taber told the board.
Taber said the flag for the 26th Regiment United States Colored Troops isn’t for a local unit. Those troops were based out of New York City, although County Historian Matt Ballard said in an email to the Orleans Hub they were led by a local white soldier, Charles H. Mattison of Barre.
The flag will only be sold if fetches a minimum bid of $10,000. Heritage Auctions is estimating it will sell for about $20,000.
If the flag doesn’t sell for at least $10,000, it could come back in Albion. Heritage Auctions could also try to sell it online or through a catalogue.
Taber believes it will be a hot item because it is connected to black history in the Civil War.
“I don’t see it not selling,” Taber told the board. “These kind of things don’t come up.”
Kevin Doherty, the board president, said the flag could be sold and end up anywhere. The library can’t limit where it goes.
Hoag officials reached out to African-American museums as well as the Smithsonian to see if they were interested in the flag. The African-American museums said they would accept it, but only if it was restored. The Smithsonian would accept it and put it in storage. It might be decades before it was worked on or displayed.
The board has nine trustee positions. One is currently vacant and three trustees couldn’t make tonight’s meeting. Doherty, Weller, Terry Wilbert, Gloria Nauden and Anitrice Bennett voted to move forward with the sale.
They said they worried the flag would further deteriorate at the library.
“If we keep it, it’s our job to protect it,” Wilbert said. “If we don’t pass this resolution (to sell the flag), we need to preserve, protect and display this. My concern is we would do more damage to it.”
Proceeds from the sale may go to the library’s local history collection, including scanning old newspapers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2019 at 3:00 pm
ALBION – Hoag Library doesn’t want to be a museum. Library leaders say that isn’t the mission for the organization.
The library has an interesting situation. It owns a Civil War flag for a Colored Troops regiment. It was in the attic of the former Swan Library for probably a century. It was unearthed when the library moved to a new building, which opened in July 2012.
Swan functioned as a caretaker of community artifacts. An impressive collection of World War I posters, nearly 100 in near-mint condition, were stashed away in the attic. Some of those are on loan and on display at the Cobblestone Museum.
The Mount Albion tower is a Civil War memorial to 463 Orleans County residents who died in the Civil War.
For decades it has displayed a collection of bird eggs and nests from Stuart John Flintham. He collected them in 1896 to 1899. They are in two displays as you enter the library.
Hoag has been going through some of items that were put in a back room of the new building.
Library leaders aren’t positive how the Civil War flag ended up at the former Swan Library. Without a certain local connection, the board of trustees is leaning towards selling the flag. An auction house from Texas estimates it will fetch $20,000.
The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at the library, and selling the flag is on the agenda.
I urge the library to keep it. Hoag is a good home for the flag. It is a well-maintained building and well-trafficked so people can enjoy seeing the flag. Yes, there will be some costs to have it properly preserved and protected. It’s amazing it has endured so long. Someone, decades ago, was smart to have the sense to put it in a frame. That has extended the flag’s life.
The library doesn’t need the money. Just last year, Maurice and Courtenay Hoag, the namesakes for the library, sent another $250,000 to the library. It was an unexpected gift. They have now donated $700,000 to Hoag.
I saw the flag for the first time about two weeks ago. I generally don’t feel an emotional stirring from objects, but the flag fired up feelings in me. Right away, it casts a spell. It looks different with the 35 stars. That’s how many states we had near the end of the Civil War.
The emblem for the 26th Regiment United States Colored Troops also is sewn into the flag. When you know the back story, that this was carried by one of three Colored Troop regiments from New York, you get goosebumps.
County Historian Matt Ballard believes it has a strong local connection. Ballard said the flag likely was in possession of a Barre man, who was a commissioned officer with the 26th USCT.
Charles H. Mattison of Barre was a 1st Lt. and adjutant for the regiment. He enlisted with the 151st NY Infantry to start, but turned down a commission with the 151st. He instead took a commission in 1864 with the 26th USCT. The Colored Troop regiments were led by officers who were white.
The GAR marker for Christopher Drake was recently repainted, along with about 160 others that were rusty.
“It would make sense that a commissioned officer and adjutant would have a regimental flag,” Ballard said.
Mattison is buried at Mt. Albion and his wife died in 1910. Ballard thinks Mattison’s wife left the flag to the library, which was becoming “a defacto repository for local historical artifacts.” Swan opened in 1900.
This bit of history could be shared as part of a display about the flag.
The flag could be part of a bigger Civil War Heritage Trail in Albion. The community is home to the county’s Civil War memorial, located at Mount Albion Cemetery. That memorial at the Mount Albion tower has a spiral staircase where people can climb up about 70 feet through a tower made of local Medina sandstone.
The bottom of the tower holds marble slabs with the names of 463 county residents who died in the Civil War. This is a powerful display and an unusual one. Most of the counties erected bronze statues that celebrated the highest-ranking officer to serve from the community. In Orleans County, every life that was lost in the Civil War is given equal treatment.
The cemetery is the final resting place for about 250 Civil War veterans and about 160 GAR markers remain on those plots. You can feel the sense of sacrifice and loss just by taking a stroll around the cemetery.
The local Civil War vets joined the Grand Army of the Republican, a fraternal organization for the vets. They met at a GAR Hall on Main Street, at the top floor of the Day building at 116 North Main St.
The building’s owners, Michael Bonafede and his wife Judith Koehler, discovered the GAR emblem remains on the wall. It had been covered with wall paper.
Mattison, the regiment leader, very likely was part of the GAR in Albion. It doesn’t seem farfetched to think of him bringing the flag to the GAR Hall on Main Street.
The Civil War flag would offer another stop on a Civil War Trail, if Albion was interested in promoting this history. (It could be extended to Medina with the Bent’s Opera House which opened in 1865. Kendall also has a cannon from the Civil War at Greenwood Cemetery on Route 18.)
The Civil War flag could be tied into a bigger story in Albion with other sites that are on either on the National Register of Historic Places or deemed National Historic Landmarks. They include the Courthouse Square, downtown Albion, the Erie Canal, Cobblestone Museum and Mount Albion Cemetery. Having five nationally recognized historic districts in a small community is highly unusual. There are also several local homes on the National Register.
The new Hoag Library, while not “historic,” can be a focal point of telling the community’s story.
The cannon in Civil War section of Mount Albion is pictured Nov. 5, 2016. About 250 Civil War veterans are buried at Mount Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2019 at 12:18 pm
Michael Alexander, a fourth-grader, talks about the coding project with Harold Suhr, a member of the Board of Education. The Coding Club emphasizes skills with STEM,
LYNDONVILLE – The school district has put together a $14,214,793 budget that would increase taxes by 2 percent. The budget isn’t final. It can still be tweaked before it is formally adopted by the Board of Education in April. It goes before district voters on May 21.
The overall spending would be up $207,811 or 1.5 percent from the $14,006,982 in 2018-19.
Joe DiPassio Jr., the district’s business administrator, urged the board to approve the 2 percent tax increase, saying it would be “prudent.” The district last year approved a 1 percent increase, following a year where taxes weren’t increased.
The 2 percent increase is under the state-imposed tax cap. Lyndonville has a tax cap allowance of $157,000, but is looking at a $86,190 increase. The district was able to carry over some of the tax cap cushion from the previous years.
DiPassio went over the budget during Monday’s Board of Education meeting. Some highlights include:
• The district is proposing to budget a $258,064 increase in transportation (36.8 percent increase); $326,456 more in instructional (4.6 percent); a $149,233 hike in employee benefits (4.9 percent). Lyndonville is seeing a $566,300 decrease in debt service payments which will help offset the increases.
• The district would add three full-time employees, including two special education teachers. Lyndonville also wants to add a technology integration specialist who would be 0.2 full-time. That person would help the district as it works to include more technology in the classroom.
• Four teachers are retiring, which will save the district about $193,000 for the lower-cost replacements, whose salary and benefits will be at a lower price.
• Health insurance is projected to increase by $87,000 but pension costs for teachers will be down $62,000, DiPassio said.
The May 21 vote will likely include the following propositions:
• School budget
• 3 board seats
• Transportation purchases, not to exceed $260,000. That includes one new 64-seat passenger bus, not to exceed $125,000 (which will replace a 2007 bus with 137,000 miles); two new passenger vans, not to exceed $46,000 each (replacing one from 2010 with 167,000 miles and one from 2014 with 150,000 miles); a new vehicle with room for four or five people to transport staff and students, at a cost not to exceed $43,000.
•Allowing one student to serve as ex-officio, not-voting member of the Board of Education.
• $103,750 for Yates Community Library, up from $2,832 or 2.8 percent which is within the library’s allowable tax cap.
