Artists urged to be part of the show that opens July 18

File photo by Tom Rivers: Kim Martillotta Muscarella, owner of the Marti’s on Main art gallery in Albion, poses in April 2022 with two of her paintings, of an acorn woodpecker and red-headed woodpecker, both acrylics on Masonite.

ALBION – Kim Martillotta Muscarella is working on the schedule of art shows for 2025 at the Marti’s on Main art gallery.

She wants one of the shows to highlight Orleans County and the Erie Canal, which are both celebrating their 200^th anniversaries this year.

Muscarella welcomes artists to display paintings, photographs, sculptures, quilts and other art forms for the bicentennial show. The opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 18.

Artists can submit photos of complete art or their ideas for new art for the show by April 4. For more information, contact Muscarella at (585) 590-9211.

Muscarella will display up to two works from artists in the juried show which is not limited to people who live in Orleans County. She is excited to see the art and the different ways artists express themselves in highlighting Orleans County and the Erie Canal.

Muscarella also is planning an environmental show after the bicentennial display. The environmental show will open on Aug. 15. Artists can submit photos of their work or ideas for the show by May 1 by texting Muscarella.

Marti’s is located at 20 South Main St., a prominent historic building that used to be the offices for the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

ALBION – Applications are now being accepted for a new class offering 10 weeks of instruction for small business owners or people looking to start a new business in Orleans County.

The Orleans Microenterprise Assistance Program can accommodate 15 students each class. A new class will run on Thursday evenings from April 3 to June 5 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Route 31 in Knowlesville.

The most recent class from the fall 2024 included 14 graduates, which brings the total to 558 people who have completed MAP since it started in 2002. More than 200 have started a variety of businesses in the county.

The 10-week program covers topics such as legal requirements for starting a business, forms of ownership, business plan development, taxation for sole proprietors, marketing and advertising strategies, bookkeeping and record keeping, banking essentials, pricing goods and services, and cost analysis.

To see the application to be in the program, click here. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on March 14.

Prospective entrepreneurs aged 18 and older, who maintain a permanent residence or business physically located in Orleans County, are encouraged to apply.

The course fee is $300. However, financial aid is available for qualifying applicants based on financial need. Interested individuals can complete the application online in under 10 minutes or contact OEDA with further program questions at (585) 589-7060 ext. 1 or MHolland@orleansdevelopment.org.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Snow blows cross Gaines Basin Road in a field near the Orleans Correctional Facility today at about noon.

The driving conditions have been difficult today. A travel advisory remains in effect until 1 p.m. on Wednesday. A lake-effect snow warning also remains in effect until that time.

Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director, urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

“If you must travel, use extreme caution,” he said in a post on social media. “Things may be perfectly fine in one spot and a complete white out in another.  Snowfall is forecasted to increase this evening, making the blowing snow conditions and visibility even worse. There have been multiple accidents and cars off the roads as a result of the current conditions.”

Hawley says COs strike in response to dangerous working conditions

File photo by Tom Rivers: Albion Correctional Facility looms large at the end of Washington Street in Albion. The site is the largest women’s prison in the state.

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said he supports corrections officers in their demands for an end to HALT Act and increased staffing in prisons.

Corrections officers are on strike at many prisons today in the state, saying they are on the verge of leaving the profession due to mandatory overtime and dangerous conditions from the HALT Act, which puts limits on solitary confinement. Without solitary confinement, COs say incarcerated people can be violent and break prison rules without fear of punishment.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is preparing to send in the National Guard to help staff prisons if the strike doesn’t end by Wednesday.

“Sending the National Guard into our subways to do the job of the NYPD, and prisons to do the job of our correction officers is not the best use of these brave New Yorkers and is the result of the failed leadership of Governor Hochul and Senate and Assembly Democrats,” Ortt said in a statement this afternoon.

“The Governor should be focused on getting our correction officers back in prisons by ending HALT, and a commitment to increasing staffing,” he said. “Deploying our National Guard makes this situation even more dangerous. As a former member of the New York National Guard, I have the highest regard for these soldiers. However this is not what they are trained for.”

Ortt said the Senate Republican Conference has been vocal about the dangerous working conditions in the state’s prisons.

“The HALT Act and other reckless Democrat policies have empowered violent inmates, stripped officers of necessary tools to maintain order, and created an untenable crisis in our correctional facilities,” Ortt said.

He called on Hochul and the Legislature to reverse HALT which he said has resulted in “skyrocketing assaults” on staff.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia faulted the Hochul administration for a failure to provide a safe working environment for correctional officers across the state.

In recent years, Hawley said correctional officers have faced unprecedented violence from inmates. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision reported a record 1,760 assaults on prison staff last year, Hawley said.

“It should be completely clear now to this administration that our correctional officers have had enough,” Hawley said. “Gov. Hochul seems to be hellbent on stripping prison staff of vital protections while putting the concerns of criminals first. Policies like the HALT Act have taken control away from our correctional officers and given the power to inmates.

“Demonstrations like this should not come as a surprise to Gov. Hochul and her friends in the Majority,” Hawley said. “These are the kinds of drastic measures that happen when you push these law enforcement officers to their limits. I will continue to fight in Albany to make sure our correctional officers’ voices are heard and these radical reforms are reversed.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is preparing to deploy the National Guard to staff prisons if a strike by corrections officers does not end by Wednesday.

Hochul blasted the corrections officers for going on strike at many prisons in the state today, including the Orleans Correctional (men’s medium security prison in Albion) and Albion Correctional (a women’s prison). About 100 corrections officers have been out in the freezing cold in a demonstration along Gaines Basin Road by Orleans Correctional.

The first strikes were on Monday at Collins Correctional in Erie County and Elmira Correctional in Chemung County.

“The illegal and unlawful actions being taken by a number of correction officers must end immediately,” Governor Hochul said in a news release this afternoon. “We will not allow these individuals to jeopardize the safety of their colleagues, incarcerated people, and the residents of communities surrounding our correctional facilities.

“I have directed my Administration to meet with union leadership to resolve this situation and have also ordered the National Guard be mobilized to secure our correctional facilities in the event it is not resolved by tomorrow. Correction officers do difficult work under challenging circumstances, and I have consistently fought for them to have better pay and working conditions and will continue to do so.”

Corrections officers went on strike to protest staffing shortages and unsafe conditions in the prisons – an influx of drugs and ramifications from the HALT Act which limits how incarcerated people can be put into solitary confinement.

Hochul said she directed Daniel Martuscello, commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and senior Administration officials to meet with leaders from the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. Hochul wants an end to the work stoppage that she said is causing significant public safety concerns across New York.

Hochul said she has worked with NYSCOPBA to improve salaries, benefits and working conditions for corrections officers. In March 2024, the union agreed to a collective bargaining agreement to improve working conditions for corrections officers:

• Increased salaries and starting pay for new employees by $6,500.
• Increased Correction Officer location-based pay by $500 to $1,000 per Officer for downstate assignments.
• Increased Correction Officer hazardous duty pay from $200 to $1,075.
• Provides 12 weeks of fully-paid parental leave.

Hochul said she also succeeded in passing new laws and implemented administrative changes to protect corrections officers. That includes use of body scanners in correctional facilities. She also backed DOCCS implementation of a vendor package program that resulted in large reductions in contraband entering the correctional facilities.

Martuscello, commissioners of DOCCS, met with Chris Summers, president of the union for the correction officers, New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.

The news release from Hochul included this quote from Martuscello: “Earlier today we met with NYSCOPBA President Summers and his Executive Board to discuss a path forward to returning all facilities to normal operations and ending this illegal strike.

“The safety and security of the staff and incarcerated population is paramount to me. I value the hard work and commitment of the men and women at DOCCS who have had to sacrifice time with their families due to the current staffing shortage.

“However, this illegal job action involving NYSCOPBA members is causing irreparable harm to the operations of the department and jeopardizing the safety and security of their co-workers within these facilities. We will continue to develop strategies to reduce assaults and to bring more staff on board with NYSCOPBA, the recognized bargaining agency for correction officers and sergeants.

“There is always room for progress and for disagreements and we welcome continued dialogue with the union at the table. At this time, I am urging all those on strike to end this job action.”

ALBION – The Albion Village Board say it will look at how some communities are using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as incentives to bring investment in a downtown business district and other targeted areas.

Village trustee Joyce Riley learned about TIFs at a recent municipal conference. She spoke about them during last week’s Village Board meeting.

“We have to find a way to make dormant buildings be vibrant,” Riley said.

A TIF would give a property owner a discount on taxes for their investment in a project. Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said a drawback could be a loss of tax revenue. He wants to see the potential impact on the village tax revenue as part of a TIF district.

The TIF would be similar to a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) where there is a gradual sliding scale for a property owner, where a small amount is paid in the beginning and a percentage is added each following year until it is at full value. A PILOT typically is 10, 15, 20 or 25 years. Locally, the PILOTs are done through the Orleans Economic Development Agency on behalf of the taxing jurisdictions.

Riley said there could be a loss of revenue in the beginning of a TIF, but ultimately there would be more revenue for the village later in the PILOT and the village and community would have the benefit of more buildings being put to use.

“We have to look at it at the long haul, not the short haul,” she said. “In the long haul we’ll make more money.”

Village officials said they would do more research on Tax Increment Financing. Riley said it would be another way to facilitate business and housing investment in Albion in a way that is less reliant on state grants.

COs want more staffing in prisons, end to HALT Act

Photos by Tom Rivers: This group is out in the bitter cold across from the Orleans Correctional Facility on Gaines Basin Road for a strike. About 100 correction officers gathered outside the prison to demand more staffing and an end to the Halt Act which limits solitary confinement among incarcerated people. The HALT Act has made the prisons less safe for both inmates and staff, officers said.

ALBION – Corrections officers are on an historic strike at prisons around the state today, including the two in Orleans County: Orleans and Albion correctional facilities.

The staff were supposed to show up to work at 6:45 a.m. for a shift change. But instead about 100 corrections officers gathered outside the facilities for a strike.

 Officers are demanding the HALT Act be rescinded. That state law has limited how inmates can be put in solitary confinement. It has taken punishment and deterrents away from officers in trying to keep the facility safe for both staff and other incarcerated people, COs said at the strike today.

“It is absolutely horribly unsafe,” one striking corrections officer said outside Orleans Correctional, a medium security men’s prison.

Corrections officers say the HALT Act keeps many violent inmates in the general population, putting the facility at risk for both staff and incarcerated people.

About 100 staff were outside Orleans Correctional on Gaines Basin Road, standing in bitter cold temperatures. It was about 10 degrees out with blowing snow, and a wind chill below zero.

Another group was outside on strike at Albion Correctional, a women’s prison at the end of Washington Street.

Orleans Correctional is down about 60 COs. It should have 281 but currently only has 220, one corrections officer said. That was required lots of mandatory overtime. One CO said many new hires quit because of the long hours and safety inside the prison walls. COs also said drugs regularly enter the prison, adding to the unsafe conditions. Drugs are often sent in packages and the understaffed facility can’t fully check all of the packages and mail, COs said.

“This is as serious as it’s got in my 40 years,” said retired Sgt. Arnold Jonathan of Orleans Correctional. “I thank God every day I’m retired.”

He drove from Niagara County to be at the strike in a show of solidarity. He said the last strike was in 1979.

The officers are on strike knowing they could lose their jobs as part of the Taylor Law which prevents a strike from public employees. The strike at Albion and Orleans follows a strike on Monday at Elmira and Collins correctional facilities. COs interviewed at Orleans said those strikes prompted a much larger response across the state today. More than 20 prisons out of the 44 total are expected to have striking COs today.

COs also oppose mandatory overtime. One officer drives an hour to work at Orleans, He said he has regularly been working 80 hours a week and seldom gets to spend time with his family.

The union representing the corrections officers, the New York State Correction Officers Police Benevolent Association, is not sanctioning the strikes.

This sign blames Gov. Kathy Hochul and Daniel F. Martuscello III, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, for unsafe conditions in the prisons that prompted the strike.

ALBION – The Orleans County offices will be closed on Tuesday due to the anticipated hazardous travel conditions.

“While we strive not to reduce the availability of county services, we felt it was imperative in this situation for the safety of the public and employees,” said Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director. “Essential employees still need to report to work at their scheduled times.”

The lake effect snow warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect until 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke also has issued a travel advisory until 1 p.m. Wednesday. He recommends against non-essential travel.

“Motorists are urged to use extreme caution, as reduced visibility or zero visibility at times and snow-covered roads pose significant travel risks,” Niederhofer said. “Road and weather conditions will be monitored, and the travel advisory will be updated accordingly.”

The County Legislature meeting for Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. has been pushed back two days to Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Modern Disposal is planning to do trash pickup on Tuesday. If there is a change, it will be announced, Niederhofer said.

“Emergency services and essential personnel will remain operational during this time,” he said. “Residents are encouraged to stay informed through official county social media pages, county website and local media updates.”

• Due to the extreme weather, the Orleans County Offices will be closed on Tuesday.

• The Village of Medina Clerk’s Office is closed on Tuesday.

• The Shelby Town Hall will be closed on Tuesday due to the hazardous weather conditions. Court appearances are rescheduled to the next week on Tuesday.

• The Carlton town offices will be closed on Tuesday.

• The Yates Town Hall will be closed on Tuesday.

• The Town of Ridgeway offices will be closed on Tuesday. The Town Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening will be postponed until Thursday at 7 p.m.

• Community Action of Orleans and Genesee will be closed on Tuesday due to dangerous weather conditions. The closings include the Holley Community Center, Albion and Batavia locations as well as all Head Start classrooms.

• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina will be closed on Tuesday.

• Orleans Community Health’s Albion Healthcare Center will be closed on Tuesday.

• The Orleans County Legislature meeting scheduled for Tuesday is postponed to Thursday, Feb. 20, at 4:30 p.m.

• Town of Gaines offices will be closed on Tuesday.

• The Town of Gaines Court will be closed on Tuesday. Those with scheduled appearances will be notified by mail of their new return date.

• The Kendall Town Board also moved its meeting back a day from Tuesday to Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Kendall Town Hall.

• The Medina Emergency Food Pantry at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Medina will be closed on Tuesday.

• Tuesday Night Ladies Merchant League at Oak Orchard Bowl is cancelled Feb. 18. Regular league bowling will resume next week on Feb. 25.

• Bloom’s Flower Shop will be closed for walk-ins on Tuesday. You can still place an order online or by phone at (585) 589-5119.

• The Orleans Association of Municipalities scheduled for Tuesday is cancelled. The meeting will not be rescheduled for February.

• Lyndonville Food Pantry is closed on Tuesday.

• Town of Albion Court is cancelled for Tuesday. Those with scheduled appearances will be notified by mail of their new court date.

Cancellations or postponements can be sent to news@orleanshub.com.

Sheriff recommends no unnecessary travel until 1 p.m. Wednesday

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke has issued a travel advisory, recommending no unnecessary travel until 1 p.m. on Wednesday when a lake-effect snow warning expires.

Bourke said he consulted with local highway superintendents, the county Department of Public Works, county officials and the Emergency Management Office to issue the travel advisory.

“Currently, we have snow and blowing snow producing low visibility, white-outs and extremely dangerous conditions in some areas,” Bourke said. “We are also expecting very high winds with dangerously low wind chill factors during this storm.”

As conditions change, the advisory will be reassessed, Bourke said.

The county could get another 10 to 18 inches of snow in a lake-effect storm. The low tonight is 10, followed by a high of 17 on Tuesday and an overnight low of 10. On Wednesday, the high is forecast for 18 degrees with an overnight low of 12.

EDA changes from PILOT to lease-leaseback arrangement with Falls Road Railroad

File photos by Tom Rivers: A Genesee Valley Transportation train travels through Albion in this photo from March. Some Albion students were doing a cleanup day near the railroad tracks.

ALBION – The Falls Road Railroad, which runs from Lockport through Orleans County to Brockport, has been approved for a $1,652,330 state grant from Department of Transportation.

The funding will go towards new turnout lines and replacing some rail lines along the 41-mile railroad, Orleans Economic Development Agency officials said during the board meeting on Friday.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Sept. 9, 2015 shows the Falls Road Railroad in Albion. The railroad runs through Orleans County near Route 31, and stretches from Lockport to Brockport.

The Orleans EDA board approved ending PILOT agreements and instead having a lease-leaseback arrangement for the railroad in the county. The EDA is conveying the deed of the property to Falls Road, which is owned by the Genesee Valley Transportation company in Batavia.

The EDA helped Falls Road secure a previous grant of $480,000 from the Northern Border Regional Commission in 2019. NBRC has informed GVT and the Orleans EDA that the EDA doesn’t need title ownership for the railroad to receive grant funding. A leasehold agreement is sufficient, the Orleans EDA stated in a resolution adopted by the board on Friday.

The new grant from the DOT for $1,652,330 is an Industrial Access Improvements Grant and can include an agreement directly between the railroad owner and the DOT, the Orleans EDA said.

The EDA will instead have a lease-leaseback transaction to facilitate construction and operation of the railroad improvement project, the EDA board stated in the resolution.

The improvements to the railroad are expected to go through a bidding process.

The railroad is a key resource in the county for economic development, EDA officials said.

They praised GVT for recent upgrades along the railroad, which is seeing increased use. The EDA said additional siding could be added to serve Stockham Lumber in Holley and the former Bernzomatic plant in Medina.

“This is an important artery for our county,” said Craig Tuohey, an EDA board member.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This miniature clay model of a reindeer was created by Brian Porter of Pendleton. He would like to make the reindeer as a bronze statue that would be 6 feet high and 6 feet long to add to Albion’s embrace of its heritage as home to a school for Santas.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board wants to hear from the community whether it should devote any village funds towards a sculpture of a reindeer.

The board will have a 6 p.m. public hearing on Feb. 26 in the village office about spending money towards a full-size clay model of a reindeer. Sculptor Brian Porter of Pendleton in Niagara County has created a miniature model of a reindeer. It’s the first step towards creating a full-size bronze statue. Porter envisions a reindeer with big antlers that would be six feet in height and six feet in length.

He also created the bronze statue of Santa on Main Street. That project was led by the Albion betterment Committee and funded with donations.

Village Trustee Joyce Riley said adding reindeer sculptures around Albion would be another way to celebrate the community’s Santa heritage and boost local tourism.

Porter said a full-size clay model of the reindeer would cost $12,500. To make a statue out of bronze would be another $65,000.

Riley would like to give Porter the go-ahead to work on the large clay model so it could be ready in time to be displayed during the Sept. 26-28 Erie Canal Arts & Craft Festival led by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council. The three-day festival is planned for Albion, Holley and Kendall.

Riley suggested the village fund the large clay model, and then pursue grants and donations for the bronze statue.

Once there is a mold for the bronze statue, Riley said duplicates could be made at the lower-cost metal and material so all of Santa’s nine reindeer are displayed around the community.

She would like to see $15,000 total set aside from the village with $12,500 towards the larger clay model and another $2,500 towards and advertising and fundraising campaign.

Mayor Angel Javier said the $15,000 “is a lot of money” and he wants to hear from taxpayers.

Riley said the reindeer ultimately could be part of encouraging more people to live in Albion, set up businesses and visit. She thinks it would have a larger economic impact on the community.

Albion is home to a Santa School from 1937 until the death of the school’s founder, Charles W. Howard in 1966. Howard also led the Christmas Park attraction in Albion.

Besides the bronze statue of Howard, there are two Christmas-themed murals in Albion as well as “Believe” signs. The state Department of Transportation also has dedicated a section of Route 31 in Albion as the Charles W. Howard Memorial Highway.

The price for an average gallon of regular unleaded gas didn’t change much in the past week, remaining at $3.18 state-wide and $3.25 in Orleans County, according to AAA.

Nationally, the price is up slightly by 2 cents to $3.16 a gallon.

“As spring approaches, refineries are beginning their transition to summer blend fuel, which often results in higher prices this time of year,” AAA said in a news release. “This week, gas prices rose by a few cents, bringing the national average to $3.16 per gallon. Routine seasonal maintenance and an offline refinery in Northern California are putting additional strain on supply. These factors are pushing gas prices up, which means consumers may see higher prices at the pump as warmer months approach, though other regions will likely see these changes before New York does.”

Here are the average prices in counties around Western New York:

• Orleans, $3.245
• Genesee, $3.176
• Wyoming, $3.185
• Livingston, $3.204
• Monroe, $3.169
• Niagara, $3.125
• Erie, $3.123
• Chautauqua, $3.345
• Cattaraugus, $3.198
• Allegany, $3.227

The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect snow warning for Orleans and Monroe counties, with 10 to 18 inches of snow expected in the most persistent snow bands through 1 a.m. on Wednesday.

The Weather Service said there will be heavy lake-effect snow and blowing snow.

“Travel will be very difficult to impossible, especially this afternoon and evening,” the Weather Service said. “Areas of blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility, with near whiteout conditions at times.”