Owners pushed for site to draw more people to Main Street

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Adam and Tina Johnson are pictured behind the new bar that opened today at 39 Problems on North Main Street. The Johnsons also opened a new restaurant at the location.

The couple purchased the building, which includes three storefronts, in 2015. They have been working diligently to renovate the site, while preserving its historic charm. Last June they opened 39 Problems, selling pizza, grilled foods and “chill desserts.” The site didn’t have a dine-in option.

Now 39 Problems has a dine-in restaurant. The Johnsons have two of three storefronts done, and they would eventually like to expand the dining area to the remaining storefront.

Today is a more than opening day for the bar and restaurant. It felt like a celebration with many residents and village officials stopping by to congratulate the Johnsons on the ambitious work they have completed at the site, which includes a new kitchen, two new bathrooms, wiring, gas lines, structural and roof repairs, masonry work and lots of other attention.

“There isn’t anything that hasn’t been touched,” Johnson said.

The storefront has been changed. The windows are now aluminum framed with insulated glass. Johnson kept the cast iron columns and removed paint on the Medina sandstone at the storefronts. Some of the wood from the storefront he has repurposed above the bar.

Angie Dickinson is one of the bartenders.

“Albion needs a place like this, without a doubt,” she said. “It’s got everything you want for a night out. It’s beautiful in here and the food is delicious.”

Dickinson is one of 15 employees at 39 Problems. Johnson named the business 39 Problems because of the challenges in renovating the site at 39 North Main St. That is the unfinished storefront and the largest of the three.

Johnson had to gut the sites. When he knocked plaster off the walls, it exposed the original brick.

“The brick was buried in the plaster,” he said.

Johnson wanted to keep the scene as a “simple industrial” look, with drop-down lights, ceiling fans with belt drives, unadorned bricks and clean lines.

He used maple he salvaged from the hardwood floors for the bar top, and chestnut from the old wainscoting for part of the bar. He did put down new vinyl planks for the floor to better endure the demands of the foot traffic in a restaurant and bar.

Johnson was pleased with the positive reaction from the first customers who stepped when the dining room and bar opened for the first time at 4 p.m.

“We’re hoping it will get Main Street alive, and lots of people to the downtown,” he said.

39 Problems opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at 11 p.m. The hours may be tinkered with, Johnson said. The business will be closed on Mondays.

Waitresses at 39 Problems include, left to right: Elizabeth Spies-Hunt, Kristin Grose, Amber Mesita and Melissa Stornelli.

The state has announced $225.5 million in broadband grants today, including $36,699 to serve 154 addresses in Orleans County.

The NY Broadband Program Round III grants will fund broadband infrastructure and support connections for nearly 129,000 locations statewide, according to an announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In Orleans, the grants include $12,758 for 51 addresses in Barre, $6,773 for 29 addresses in Yates, $5,670 for 21 addresses in Shelby, $4,568 for 15 addresses in the Town of Albion, $2,678 for 15 spots in Ridgeway, $2,363 for 15 addresses in Gaines, $12,600 for six sites in Clarendon, and $630 for two addresses in Carlton. Hughes Network Systems LLC will be the contractor for the work in Orleans.

The Orleans numbers pale compared to other rural GLOW counties.

In Genesee County, the state is providing $118,603 in grants for 519 addresses in Alabama, Alexander, Bethany, Elba and Le Roy.

In Livingston County, the state grants total $274,203 for 881 addresses in Groveland, Ossian, Portage, Springwater and York.

Wyoming County is the biggest recipient of the four rural counties for the grants with $727,528 for 1,031 addresses in Arcade, Castile, Eagle, Middlebury and Wethersfield.

Niagara County also was approved for $173,487 for 955 addresses in Niagara Falls, Wilson, Lockport, Somerset, Hartland and Royalton.

Niagara and Orleans officials have been working together for several years to extend rural broadband.

“Access to high-speed internet has never been more important for New York residents and businesses,” Governor Cuomo said. “By leveraging state investments with private and federal funding, we are building a stronger, smarter and more competitive New York poised to lead the nation as the first state to achieve total connectivity.”

When the New NY Broadband Program was launched in 2015, 30 percent of New Yorkers – approximately 2.42 million locations – lacked access to broadband, Cuomo said. This was most acute in the eight Upstate Regional Economic Development Council regions, where only 35 percent of New Yorkers had access.

As a result of the Program’s Round I awards and additional state-secured upgrades, broadband access was expanded by more than 2.2 million locations to 97 percent of New Yorkers. Round II awards then extended coverage to more than 80,000 locations to 98 percent of New Yorkers.

Today, with the announcement of Round III awards, the Program accomplishes its mission of statewide broadband availability, providing the last mile funding to ensure all New Yorkers have access to high-speed internet by the end of 2018, Cuomo said.

The program’s goal was to achieve statewide access to internet download speeds of at least 100 Megabits per second and 25 Megabits per second in the most rural and remote areas. After full implementation of the commitments announced, 99.9 percent of New Yorkers will have access to high-speed broadband – with almost 99 percent at speeds of 100 Megabits per second or greater. Consistent with the program’s prioritization of unserved areas, of the broadband funds deployed, nearly 90 percent of all funding was awarded to projects that will address unserved areas of the state, connecting these locations for the first time, Cuomo said in a news release.

(Editor’s note: This article was updated from an earlier version that said 131 addresses would receive broadband in Orleans County.)

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Judith Villavisanis, an artist, spent more than a month creating this mural on the south wall in the children’s section of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. She finished the “Worlds of Wonder” mural on Monday.

Villavisanis is a former Albion resident who now lives in Florida. Villavisanis in 2014 created the new entrance leading to the children’s section. That entrance resembles a giant book and features many characters from children’s books, such as Wilbur, the pig from Charlotte’s Web.

Her latest project is a tribute to two people who each served the library for over 20 years: Maryellen Dale as President of the Board of Trustees and Elaine Jamele as Children’s Librarian.

Villavisanis is shown working on the mural on Feb. 7. She is painting Pegasus, the mythical winged devine stallion, one of most recognized creatures in Greek mythology.

The boy in the lower right is The Little Prince.

Peter Rabbit appears in this cutout hanging from the ceiling near the mural.

The library has books by the mural that are the inspiration for many of the characters featured in the large painting.

Peter Pan and Tinker Bell appear in the mural above the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

The cow jumped over the moon from the popular nursery rhyme, “Hey, diddle, diddle,” by Mother Goose.

Villavisanis included characters for younger children through teens, and also drew from different eras. This character is of Mary Poppins, who became popular after a 1964 Disney film. She first appeared in a series of children’s books starting in 1934.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A mailbox that looks like a classic Chevrolet belongs to a resident on Lockport Olcott Road in Olcott. The picture was taken on Sunday during the Polar Bear 5K that is organized by the Lockport Volunteer Fire Company. A fire truck followed the runners.

A winter storm could bring 8-14 inches of snow to Orleans County and Western New York.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm warning for Orleans County and WNY from 7 p.m. today until 1 p.m. on Friday. The widespread accumulating snow will create dangerous travel conditions.

“Travel will be very difficult to impossible, including during the morning commute on Friday,” the Weather Service said. “Gusty winds and wet heavy snow could cause tree branches to fall. Significant reductions in visibility are possible.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Today is the last day for Alicia Hogan as owner of O’Brien’s Tavern on Main Street in Medina. Hogan, left, is pictured with her daughter Allie Hogan at O’Brien’s just before an open mic night. When Hogan started as owner 6 ½ years ago, there was an open mic the first night.

Many musicians are expected to be part of the celebration tonight.

The Irish pub has a long tradition in Medina, with Hogan saying the site has been a bar for more than a century.

Hogan said she looks forward to a new chapter in her life, but will miss the O’Brien’s customers.

“The bar business is a hard business,” she said. “I love this place, and I love the people. I pretty much know everyone by first name.”

BATAVIA – State funding will pay for a new detox facility in Batavia to be run by the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

GCASA currently offers supported living facilities. The new detox site will provide around-the-clock care to people who are under the influence of alcohol, opioids, or other substances, or who are suffering from withdrawal, and help stabilize them and connect them to long-term treatment services.

The closest sites currently residents in Orleans County are in Rochester or Buffalo, and there is often a waiting list.

GCASA was awarded a $1.9 million grant to open the facility that will have 16 beds. It will serve residents in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

Mark O’Brien, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department, told county legislators today the detox facility, which is planned to open in mid 2019, is great news for Orleans County and residents struggling with addiction.

The GCASA grant is one of five approved by the state, which making $10 million in capital funding available for five providers for the development of 84 new community-based Medically Supervised Withdrawal and Stabilization Services beds.

“Communities across the country have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic and New York will continue to combat this scourge until this crisis has been eradicated once and for all,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in announcing the grants. “This funding will bring desperately needed resources to communities across state, allowing us to reach more people and get them the help they need.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bob Dexter, right, of the Holy Family Parish enjoys lunch and conversation today with other local church goers during a Lenten Luncheon at the fellowship hall at Christ Church in Albion.

The church for many years has hosted the luncheons during Lent. Churches in the Albion area take turns preparing meals and messages every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.

“You get to meet people from different churches,” said Dexter, a Catholic. “For five weeks everyone gets together and talks with each other. It’s one of the things about Albion, there are a lot of nice things in the community that get people together.”

The Rev. Aleka Schmidt, pastor of the First Baptist Church, shared the message and also led the group in singing hymns.

Marie Follett of the United Methodist Church in Albion plays the piano. Some of the hymns sung today included, “Standing in the need of prayer,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” and “Bind us together.”

Schmidt had a 10-minute message for the group today. The luncheons are open to the community each Wednesday during Lent.

A Medina man was killed Saturday in a tragic accident in Rochester, when he was walking on the sidewalk and was struck by a drunk driver.

Jordan Askew, 26, was standing on the sidewalk on Lyell Avenue near Child Street when he was hit by a car that jumped the curb at about 2:49 a.m. Saturday, according to news reports.

Askew died at the scene. He was with Alex Krunz, 21, who was also hit by the car and is critically injured and remains hospitalized.

The Rochester Police Department has charged Chermasia Collins, 29, of Rochester, with aggravated vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving and many traffic tickets.

Askew has many family members in Medina, Albion and Orleans County. He was also known as “Shug.” He is survived by his mother, Stephanie Askew, and his fathers, Greg Griffin and William Coley.

Calling hours are scheduled from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Glad Tidings Baptist Church in Medina, where his funeral service will follow.

Janice Jovanelly has been steady presence while district had changes in superintendents

MEDINA – Janice Jovanelly is the “voice of the school district” and often the first face people see when they stop by the district office.

Jovanelly is the district clerk and secretary to the school superintendent. Her voice is also on the district’s phone system.

She has worked in her current job since 2001. Since then the school district has had five superintendents with Judith Staples, Richard Galante, Neil Miller, Jeff Evoy and Mark Kruzynski, as well as several interim school leaders.

Jovanelly has been a steadying influence in the district office, and also been a key resource for the superintendents, helping them to connect with staff, community leaders and other school officials in Orleans and Niagara counties. She knows all of the district’s 330-340 employees.

Jovanelly will retire on June 30.

Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s district superintendent, said Jovanelly has been an important asset for the school district.

“Janice is irreplaceable, and her knowledge of the district and how things operate has been invaluable to me and every other superintendent,” he said. “I am especially going to miss her kindness and her sense of humor.”

The Board of Education on Tuesday named Julie Kuhn, the current middle school principal’s secretary, to succeed Jovanelly. Kuhn will get to work alongside Jovanelly for three months before taking over July 1.

That will give her a chance to go through a school election. As district clerk, Jovanelly has to line up the election inspectors, have the ballots ready and the the voting machines. She also has to post the legal notices.

Jovanelly joined the school district after working 10 years at the Orleans County Mental Health Department, first as a receptionist for two years and then as secretary to the director for eight years.

She is looking forward to having summers off, and expects to be active in her garden.

A news station in Buffalo has published a piece on the state’s inequitable AIM program, which grossly favors cities over villages and towns. Click here to see “Short Changed: How a State Aid Program is Generous to Cities, Stingy to Towns and Villages.”

WGRZ on Tuesday focused an investigative report on Aid and Incentives for Municipalities, and how the $714 million in state revenues for municipalities are not distributed on a per capita basis among cities, villages and towns.

WGRZ highlighted the disparity between two neighboring communities in Chautauqua County. In Fredonia, the state gives $89,000 in AIM funding for the 11,000 village residents. Dunkirk, only a few miles away, has 12,000 residents but gets $1.6 million in AIM. Dunkirk happens to be a city.

In Orleans Hub’s nearly five years of existence we have frequently written about the state’s unfair AIM program and how it offers crumbs to villages and towns, while propping up cities. The lack of AIM is one of the main culprits in why the villages in Orleans County have among the highest tax rates in the region.

We don’t begrudge the cities their money. The densely populated areas deserve more AIM because those municipalities bear the brunt of providing so many public services with police, water, sewer, fire protection, streets and other many programs. The villages and cities also have a higher concentration of poor residents, aging housing stock and century-old infrastructure. The cities and villages are centers for civic life with government buildings, schools, churches and other tax-exempt properties.

Villages function as mini-cities but only get a tiny fraction of what a city gets per capita in AIM. Cities get an average of $277 per capita from the state while the towns and villages only get $7 per capita. (Most of the smaller cities get about $100 to $150 per capita with bigger cities getting much more.)

The Village of Albion and its 6,056 residents receives $38,811 in AIM funding. Salamanca in Cattaraugus County is nearly the same size with 5,815 people. Salamanca gets $928,131 in AIM funding. The difference: Salamanca is a city.

The lack of AIM is particularly painful for a county like Orleans, where there are no cities. We don’t get at least one municipality with the resources to offer the park upgrades, well-maintained streets and sidewalks, and other “curb appeal” that attracts residents and businesses. We do what we can on a shoe string, and still have crushing taxes because almost the entire village and town budgets are on the backs of the local taxpayers. In cities, residents only cover a fraction of the budgets because the state aid pays for so many services and programs.

It’s disappointing this clear inequity and structural discrimination against village and town residents doesn’t get mentioned much in the media or by state legislators. It should be a top priority and a frequent call for reform.

We are glad to see WGRZ shined a light on the issue.

We’ve published the following chart many times in recent years. Here it is again. You should feel your blood boil if you live in Orleans County. Equitable AIM is the transformative change we need to help stop the population losses, the shrinking tax assessments and other decline we see in our communities.

Source: New York State Division of Budget for state aid. Population is from U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 population count. Orleans Hub calculated the per capita numbers.

Jodi Shaffer took this photo of the sunrise this morning on Presbyterian and Long Bridge roads in Knowlesville. “I love living in Western New York!” she said in an email. “It is a wonderful place. I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and we didn’t have the opportunity to see sunrises and sunsets like here. There were too many mountains in the way!”

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter storm watch from Thursday evening to Friday evening, when 5 to 10 inches of snow could fall in Orleans and other Western New York counties.

The Weather Service said difficult travel conditions are possible, including during the morning commute on Friday.

“Gusty winds and wet heavy snow could cause tree branches to fall,” the Weather Service said. “Significant reductions in visibility are possible. Forecast confidence is lower than normal as temperatures will be near the freezing mark and a wide range of snowfall totals remains possible.”

Last fall long time football rivals Albion and Medina met as non league opponents as the Purple Eagles were in the B2 Division and the Mustangs in the B3 Division.

However, the teams will resume meeting as division foes this coming season as the proposed Section VI Football Federation Aligment has Albion and Medina both in the six team B2 Division along with Depew, Lackawanna, Springville and Olean.

The upcoming season also looks to have the Mustangs fielding a tri-school Medina/Lyndonville/Barker squad pending the expected approval by the Medina and Barker Boards of Education.

In all there are 20 Class B teams in Section VI for the upcoming season. The seven team B1 Division will include Lake Shore, East Aurora/Holland, Pioneer, Iroquois, Cheektowaga, Maryvale and Lew-Port. The seven team B3 Division will include Dunkirk, Fredonia/Brocton, Tonawanda, Newfane, Alden, Burgard and Eden/North Collins.

Roy-Hart, which ended its merger agreement with Barker after this past season, has dropped into Class C. The Rams will be in the C North Division along with Akron, Wilson, Cleve Hill, Gowanda/Pine Valley and Silver Creek/Forestville.

Provided photo

MEDINA – A local resident turned 100 on Feb. 13. Four days after her birthday, Ruth Harold was joined by her family and friends at a party in the North Wing and Medina Memorial Hospital.

Ruth Harold is shown with her children at the celebration. Betty Sargent, left, and Karen Matusak are joined by their brother, Kent.

Ruth was born in Wolcottsville and moved to Middleport. She and her husband raised three children – Kent, Betty and Karen. The two daughters both worked at Orleans Community Health.

Ruth’s three children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren attended her party on Feb. 17.

She attributes her longevity to her mother’s German cooking and her German recipes.

Provided photos

LYNDONVILLE – New banners celebrating Lyndonville Tiger pride were installed on Main Street today.

The 20 banners were paid for by the Lyndonville Sports Boosters.

“Our teams bring our community together in such a positive way,” said Amy Lewis, one of the Boosters. “After months of hard work, we are happy to share that today 20 canvas flags were mounted along Main Street to display our Tiger pride and appreciation.”

The village Department of Public Works installed the new banners, which are expected to stay up just before Memorial Day, when American flags are mounted on the utility poles.

ALBION – An Albion man who was intoxicated and drove into a garage with a stolen car about a year ago was sentenced on Monday to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison.

Joshua Biaselli, 33, pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated on Nov. 27.

Biaselli’s attorney Brian Degnan asked for time served for Biaselli with no additional incarceration. Degnan said Biaselli has been in jail since his arrest on Feb. 10, 2017.

Biaselli has been “locked up” on and off for 25 years, his attorney said. He was allegedly driving drunk and high from using cocaine and marijuana on Feb. 10, 2017. Biaselli had been released from state prison in Elmira in January 2017 after serving more than five years in prison for felony DWI, bail jumping and drug convictions. About a month later, he was arrested again.

Now, for first time, Degnan said Biaselli is taking his mental health and substance abuse issues seriously.

“I am no longer the person I was,” Biaselli told Judge Sheldon. “I am capable of much more.”

Biaselli caused $3,531 in damage when he crashed into a garage on Gulf Road in Murray, Assistant District Attorney Susan Howard said.

However, Biaselli won’t have to pay restitution because it wasn’t mentioned during his plea on Nov. 27. Judge Sara Sheldon asked Biaselli if he would be willing to pay restitution, but he declined.

“The prospects of him paying it off are slim to none,” Degnan said.

Sheldon said she couldn’t order restitution. She gave Biaselli prison time and urged him to take advantage of drug treatment, educational and other programs.

Judge Sheldon urged him to take advantage of education and drug counseling programs while he is in jail until his sentencing.

• In another case, Jeremy R. Johnson, 33, of Albion was sentenced to 5 years of probation and 2 months of weekends in jail after getting his third DWI. His previous convictions were in 2007 and 2009.

Johnson works full-time and is “actively engaged” in programs at GCASA.

Judge Sheldon said a report from Johnson’s counselor was among the most positive she has ever seen in her career as a judge. Johnson could have faced six months in jail as part of a plea agreement. Sheldon gave him a reduced sentence.

• Frank Ranallo, 47, of Medina was sentenced to a year in jail for violating his probation by not attending substance abuse and mental health counseling appointments. He also was using drugs, and committed another crime of attempted burglary.

He already has been in jail for about six months and that will count towards his sentence.

“I regret everything I’ve done,” Ranallo said. “The past three years have been terrible.”

(Editor’s Note: This story was updated from an earlier version that stated Biaselli was given a 2-year prison sentence.)