ALBION – Village residents elected Greg Bennett and William Gabalski to the Village Board today.

Bennett received the most votes with 87 for a four-year term as a village trustee. He was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Party for the election. He works as a locksmith at the Albion Correctional Facility. He also has been a long-time youth baseball coach.

Jeff Holler was backed by the Republicans, but he was edged for a seat on the board by William Gabalski who ran as a write-in candidate.

Gabalski received 44 votes, with Holler at 38. Faith Smith also ran as a write-in and received 36 votes. (Kevin Doherty received a vote, too, as a write-in.)

Bennett and Gabalski will take the spots of Chris Barry and Dave Buczek, who didn’t seek election this time.

Gabalski ran a campaign saying Albion is becoming increasingly unaffordable due to rising taxes.

Bennett wants to build a strong Albion team, pushing people to put aside differences and animosity for the good of the community.

The new four-year terms start on April 1 with the most pressing task to have the village budget adopted by the end of April.

LYNDONVILLE – John Belson will be back for another term as Lyndonville mayor after being elected today with 66 write-in votes.

John Belson

No candidate for mayor appeared on the ballot with the election determined by write-in votes. After Belson’s 66 votes, Danny Woodward Jr. received 33, with Steve Vann at 10, and Patrick Whipple and Larry Wolfe at 1 each.

Belson had the signatures needed to file a petition to be on the ballot but he thought the deadline was Feb. 13, not Feb. 12. He was a day late in filing the petition.

Ann Marie Holland, a current trustee, also made a mistake in filing the petition a day late. She was elected as a write-in with 62 votes.

Danny Woodward Jr., a current trustee was on the ballot, and received the most votes with 94.

There were two trustees up for election.

Steve Colon was on the ballot and received 38 votes. Justin Edwards received 26 write-in votes, with Roy Holland and Steve Grabowski each receiving 1.

The new terms start April 1.

Belson, in an interview last month, said the village has made big strides recently, with investments on Main Street, from a new Dollar General to Robert Smith’s transformation of three buildings in the downtown which are used for a hotel, the Webber Kitchen Collaborative and additional office space. Belson also said the village has upgraded its sewer system, and now should look to replace some of the 100-year-old water mains.

Belson is a Kodak retiree who has a part-time job delivering auto parts for Carquest in Medina. He previously was the Yates town supervisor.

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HOLLEY – School officials are putting together the budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the spending plan is expected to be well under the district’s authorized tax cap.

Sharon Zacher, the assistant superintendent, said the budget is currently projected at a 1.99 percent tax increase. Holley’s tax cap cushion allows for up to a 3.972 percent tax increase, with the district’s carrying over some tax cap room from prior years, Zacher told the Board of Education on Monday.

While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520.

However, Zacher said an on-time state budget seems unlikely by April 1, with some disagreements to be resolved among the State Legislature and governor.

Zacher feels comfortable forecasting a budget at $29,115,000, which represents a 2.4 percent spending increase, or up $695,000 from $28,420,000 in 2023-24.

Holley’s preliminary budget would maintain its existing programs and add one full-time elementary teacher, a 0.4 part-time Spanish teacher, and 0.2 part-time science teacher.

The budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase would raise the tax levy by $155,926 – from $7,835,466 to $7,991,392.

Zacher said the budget will be finalized next month by the board of education and then go for a public vote on May 21.

Press Release, Community Coalition for Justice

ALBION – On Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. the Community Coalition for Justice is bringing Sister Barbara Lum to the Hoag Library.

Sister Barbara is a nurse practitioner and belongs to the Sisters of St. Joseph order. Included in the communities that Sr. Barbara has served the underserved are Selma, Alabama, and for 59 years, Elmira and Rochester, New York.

During Sister Barbara’s nine-year stint in Selma, the infamous march that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday” racked the city. Sister Barbara was a participant in events that led up to, and surrounded, the march and will talk about her experiences.

“Bloody Sunday” occurred on March 7, 1965. An estimated 525 to 600 civil rights marchers left Selma and headed on a 54-mile journey to the state capital in Montgomery, Alabama. The march was organized by the Selma Voting Rights Campaign (in Selma, voting rolls were 99% White and 1% African American) and led by John Lewis (who later became an esteemed member of the U.S. House of Representatives) and the Reverend Hosea Williams.

The peaceful protest went according to plan until the marchers tried to cross Montgomery’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. There they were confronted by a cadre of state troopers and posse of white men who were deputized that morning in anticipation of the march.

State troopers began shoving the unarmed demonstrators, knocking many to the ground and beating them with batons. Another detachment of troopers fired tear gas and mounted troopers charged the crowd on horseback. Many of the demonstrators sustained injuries – one of the injured was John Lewis, who suffered lacerations as well as a skull fracture. He later credited the nurses who tended to him, including Sister Barbara, for saving his life. There were 17 marchers hospitalized and 50 marchers were treated for lesser injuries.

The televised images of the attack reached American and international audiences and roused support for the Selma Voting Rights Campaign. The persistence of the protesters and the public support associated with the marches (including “Bloody Sunday”) led Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.

Sister Barbara remembers a young friend and patient by the name of Jimmie Jackson. He was admitted to the hospital February 18, 1965 after being beaten and shot by police while he was defending his mother at a lunch counter. “Each day he’d say, ‘Sister, don’t you think this is a high price to pay for freedom?’”

He died a few days later, in part, sparking the march of March 7, 1965. “I think that the high price for freedom (that Jimmie Jackson spoke of 59 years ago) isn’t finished (being paid) yet,” said Sister Barbara.

She has two local connections. She had grandparents who lived in Waterport.  And, she was in the Nazareth College Class of ’58 with Margaret Furino Golden, past member and president of the Swan (now the Hoag Library) Library Board.

There will be a questions and answer period after the presentation. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Community Coalition for Justice includes the Albion Betterment Committee, Pullman Universalist Church, Hoag Library, People Embracing Diversity and the Social Justice Committee.

Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities

HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.

Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.

“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”

It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.

Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.

The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.

The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.

Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.

“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.

In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.

“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.

Voters will choose Village Board members in Albion, Lyndonville and Medina

Photo by Tom Rivers: Candidates for Medina Village Board speak at forum last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. The candidates include from left: Marguerite Sherman and Mike Maak for mayor; and Austin “Mat” Mosher, Tim Elliott, Debbie Padoleski, Jeff Pasnik and Mark Prawel for trustee.

Voters in three Orleans County villages today will elect members to the Village Board.

Medina has the most candidates, with seven seeking three positions, including mayor.

In Albion, two candidates will appear on the ballot, but two others are mounting write-in campaigns.

In Lyndonville, only two candidates will be on the ballot for three positions. The mayor’s post won’t have a candidate on the ballot, but incumbent John Belson is running again – as a write-in. Two others also have announced write-in campaigns for trustee.

Holley, the other village in Orleans County, has its election in June.

MEDINA – In Medina voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.

Recent elections in the village have been quiet, with candidates typically unopposed.

But this time there are a lineup of seven candidates for three positions.

Medina will have a new mayor on April 1 because Mike Sidari isn’t seeking re-election after 8 years. He was elected in 2016, running with Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott.

This time, Sherman is running for mayor with Elliott again seeking trustee. Sherman is recently retired as a special education teacher and Elliott is an entrepreneur who currently works for LynOaken Farms.

They are joined on “The Village Party” by Debbie Padoleski for a trustee position. Padoleski retired in June 2021 after 41 years in Medina’s clerk’s office, including the final eight years as clerk/treasurer.

Three other candidates are running as a team with “Roots of the Past, Eyes on the Future Party.” Michael Maak, a retired captain in the Medina Fire Department, is running for mayor. He works as a paramedic for the Gates Ambulance.

He is joined by Austin “Mat” Mosher and Jeffrey Pasnik who want to be trustees. Pasnik is a council rep for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters in Cheektowaga. Mosher is a former Medina firefighter who now works as regional safety manager for United Refining Company and Kwik Fill as safety and compliance officer.

Mark Prawel, a retired Medina police officer and owner of an auto repair business, is running as a trustee under the “United Party.”

Click here to see a nearly two-hour candidate forum last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

LYNDONVILLE – Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the village office, 2 South Main St.

There are three positions on the ballot and all are for four-year terms.

No names appear for mayor, but Belson is running a write-in campaign. Belson, the mayor the past eight years, missed the deadline to file petitions by one day. He is retired from Kodak and also served as Yates town supervisor.

Anne Marie Holland, a current trustee, also missed the petition deadline and is running as a write-in. She is retired from Lyndonville as a special education teacher and director of special education.

Justin Edwards, a Marine Corps veteran and highway worker for the Town of Yates, is also running as a write-in for trustee.

Two candidates turned in petitions in will appear on the ballot.

Steve Colon of North Main Street is running under the “Tax Payers Party” and Danny Woodward Jr. is running under “The Voice of the People Party.”

Woodward has been on the Village Board the past 12 years. He has been an active firefighter for 31 years, including as fire chief.

Colon is active in the Conservative Party and has run for the Yates Town Board.

ALBION – Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the village office, 35 East Bank St.

There are two trustee positions up for election and two candidates will be on the ballot, although two others are running write-in campaigns. The positions have four-year terms.

The write-in candidates include Faith Smith, director of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, and William Gabalski, who said steep tax increases in the Albion community are making the community less affordable.

Greg Bennett has been endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Party for the election. He works as a locksmith at the Albion Correctional Facility. He has been there nearly five years. Previously, he worked a decade for Baxter Healthcare in Medina. He also has been a long-time youth baseball coach.

Jeff Holler is running with the Republican line. Holler worked as an executive chef for 25 years, and then head cook for 13 years at the Orleans Correctional Facility. Since he retired in 2014, he has been a very active member at the Masonic Lodge.

There are several letters to editor about the election on the Orleans Hub. Click here to be directed to the letters to the editor.

Press Release, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After helping successfully deliver the long-desired visa waiver program for physicians last year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday announced the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will expand its new J-1 Visa Waiver Program to include physicians practicing specialty medicine, helping bring doctors in critically needed medical fields to Upstate New York.

Schumer said the new and expanded program can help address the healthcare worker in critically needed specialty fields for Upstate NY communities like anesthesiologists, cardiologists and cancer specialists by easing the visa requirements for these doctors, who are trained in the U.S. and agree to practice in underserved areas of the Northern Border region like Upstate NY.

“The new and expanded visa-waiver program for specialty physicians, like anesthesiologists and cancer specialists, is a major shot in the arm for recruiting doctors to address the national healthcare worker shortage in rural communities across Upstate NY,” Schumer said. “I am proud we secured these vital visas to help tackle the healthcare worker shortage in Upstate NY head on, and to ensure New York rural communities have access to the quality medical care they need.”

Schumer explained that currently NBRC’s waiver program is only open to physicians offered primary care positions in the Northern Border region. However, as of April 1, 2024, with this new expansion waiver requests for physicians practicing specialty medicine will also be begin being accepted. The program is modeled, in part, after the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) successful J-1 Visa waiver program.

Schumer is currently leading the charge in the Senate to renew the Northern Border Regional Commission’s economic development programs. Established in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership focused on the economic revitalization of communities across the Northern Border region, which includes New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

The Commission is composed of the governors of the four Northern Border states and a federal co-chair, and provides financial and technical assistance to communities in the region to support entrepreneurs, improve water, broadband, and transportation infrastructure, and promote other initiatives to improve the region’s economy.

The northern border region of New York State includes 28 counties: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Sullivan, Washington, Warren, Wayne and Yates.

Site has expanded services to promote healthy lifestyles

HOLLEY – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is excited to announce several new programs to serve people in need locally.

One of the most important things is a “Prevention Pays” campaign launched this spring through their Axis of Care.

Axis of Care was executive director Renee Hungerford’s much acclaimed pilot program she started after becoming director nearly two years ago.

The program was designed to help overcome barriers which prevent people from living a healthy, active life, said Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting.

From left, Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting, volunteer Rachel Escovar and Jeanette Worsley, lead case manager/health coach at Community Action enjoy camaraderie at the Eastern Orleans Community Center on Friday.

“Axis of Care focuses on helping people make changes that lead to good health and a better quality of life,” she said.

One person who can attest to the success of the program is volunteer Rachel Escovar.  She started with the nutrition program and lost weight.

“She is such an inspiration,” Chaffee said. “She had to have hip replacement in December, but first had to lose weight and quit smoking.”

Her goal is to lose another 40 pounds and to stay healthy, she said.

“This all falls in with Renee’s Axis of Care,” said Jeanette Worley, lead case manager/health coach for Community Action.

When Worsley began researching things Community Action could do to bring preventative medicine to Orleans County, she came up with several unique ideas, including offering food vouchers as an incentive for people to take part in health screenings.

The response to the food voucher incentive was overwhelming, but many recipients voiced concern that they were unable to get to farmers’ markets to use them.

“The big problem here is people don’t have transportation,” Worsley said.

Worsley happened to be at Navarra’s in Eagle Harbor, and knew they offered custom weekly produce boxes and accepted fresh food Rx vouchers. A conversation ensued and Navarra’s agreed to allow Community Action staff to accept orders from customers for produce boxes from Navarra’s.

Navarra’s has a list of 25 to 30 items customers can choose from, indicating whether they want a $10, $20 or $30 box. The list changes every week, Salvatore said.

On Friday’s Navarra’s delivers the weekly orders to the Eastern Orleans Community Center, where customers can pay in cash or with their vouchers.

James Salvatore, whose family owns Navarra’s, delivers the produce boxes to the Community Center. Demand has grown so much, he sets up a table with fresh produce, flowers, relishes, etc., which people can purchase.

“We wanted to help get produce to the community at a reasonable price,” Salvatore said. “We know prices in the stores are high. And we grow all of this produce.”

Debbie Rothmund is director of the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley.

Navarra’s also sells flowers from Wild Dahlia in Brockport and popcorn from Sweet Treats by Gertie in Albion.

Community Action is also exploring options to expand accessibility to fresh produce to those who lack transportation to traditional markets and stands. They are considering becoming a site where SNAP clients can purchase farm market tokens using their EBT benefits and SNAP Stretch, which doubles recipients’ SNAP value at farm markets.

Another program at the Community Center is the food giveaway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when volunteers pick up donated food from Wegmans and Walmart.

This past Friday’s free food included boxes and boxes of chicken thighs, vegetables, salad greens, lo mein meals, breads and baked goods.

Those who can get a ride come for the free food and stay for lunch. A typical day sees 40 to 50 individuals come in, said Debbie Rothmund, manager of the Eastern Orleans Community Center.

One who comes often is Billie Jo Van Hoy from Hamlin.

“An aide brings me three days a week,” Van Hoy said. “I come for the food and the friendliness. Food is so expensive in the stores, and I’m on a fixed income. Here, I can get fruits and vegetables, and sometimes hamburger or chicken. It really helps.”

Another lady who asked to just be called “Patti,” comes for lunch every day and for the friends she meets and the conversations.

“I get the free food on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, because I’m retired and I couldn’t spend the money on the things I get here.”

A gentleman named Rick also comes often, and sometimes brings his brother, who has special needs, for socialization. Rick sometimes plays guitar for the crowd. He appreciates the food distribution, but really enjoys having fun and making conversation with the others.

Community members fill the room at the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley most days. Here, they wait for lunch on Friday, after choosing from a large assortment of free food provided by Wegman’s and Walmart.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse dome is illuminated in blue this evening in honor of Genesee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello, who died in the line of duty at age 54 on March 10, responding to an incident at Batavia Downs.

Sanfratello’s funeral service was Saturday at the Call Arena at Genesee Community College in Batavia. A contingent of law enforcement officers from Orleans County attended the service.

The dome will be lighted in blue for a week, beginning on March 14.

“We send our deepest condolences to his family and to all his fellow law enforcement officials, especially those in the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, who are devastated by the loss of their colleague,” said Lynne Johnson, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature.

The flag at the courthouse lawn is also lowered in honor of Sanfratello.

GameTime design: The proposal for Medina from GameTime includes sensory wave spinning seats. “The high back molded sensory seat with handles and front pommel design helps children maintain a neutral body position while spinning,” the company states. A RoxAll SeeSaw also has high backs and side rails. “Each of the four seats on this innovative see-saw are designed to accommodate users of all abilities as they enjoy the rocking motion with their friends. The center saucer is designed for users to transfer easily to and from a mobility device and the durable, heavy-duty springs are made to last!” GameTime states.

MEDINA – The village is in the early stages to bring an inclusive playground to State Street Park, the Village Board announced last week.

The playground would be accessible to children with disabilities and mobility issues. The village is looking to partner with the Rochester Community Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson Foundation to have the new playground in Medina, Deputy Mayor Marguerite Sherman said.

The project from GameTime would be $492,321 with Medina’s only commitment to perhaps be some site work, with no direct financial contributions, Sherman said.

Mayor Mike Sidari’s term as mayor ends March 31, but he is willing to help work on the project when he retires, Sherman said.

“Right now we’re just laying the groundwork,” she said.

The proposal for an inclusive playground at State Street Park State includes PowerScape playgrounds with large decks and uprights to provide strength and capacity.

Other features include sensory wave seats, RoxAll See Saw, inclusive whirl, Bunny Spring Rider, four-bay swing frame, including two with a belt, two with enclosed tot, two with Zero G, one expression swing and one expression swing with a universal seat.

There would also be a freestanding sensory wave arch climber with sensors, four benches, geotextile rolls and wood fibers.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The water tower by the Albion Correctional Facility on Route 31 is part of Albion’s water infrastructure. The correctional facilities are charged $4.35 per 1,000 gallons of water.

ALBION – The Village Board said an significant increase is needed in what it bills for water, but the board hasn’t determined just how the higher cost will be spread among village residential users and wholesale customers in the towns and correctional facilities.

The Village Board said a hike in the water rates and base charges will be necessary to pay the debt for more than $10 million in financing for upgrades to the water plant and distribution system.

“We need to do something and we need to do something something relatively soon,” Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said about the higher water rates.

The village is looking at more than $16 million in water plant and system improvements. The village has been approved for two grants at over $6 million towards the projects.

One project, Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) 1, has a total cost of $5,241,440 with grants paying $1,949,00 with the village to potentially borrow $3,292,000.

The second WIIA has a total cost of $11,418,000 with grants covering $4,250,000 and borrowing for the other $7,168,500.

The village doesn’t start paying the debt for the first project until next year, and then faces another debt payment increase with the second project.

The first project is expected to result in annual debt payment of over $300,000, with the second project even more.

“We’re trying to beef up our water plant to make it more sustainable for the next 20-30 years,” Village Trustee David Buczek said at last week’s board meeting.

The water fund operates on a current $1.9 million budget.

The Village Board in 2022 changed its water charges for residential customers in the village. The rate was actually lowered from $3.61 to $3.39 per 1,000 gallons for the village residents and commercial customers. And the village eliminated a $5 quarterly administrative fee.

The big changes were the addition of a new base charge at $21 per quarter for residents with ¾” meter and how the village does a minimum charge. That was $28.16 for residents and most small businesses and included the first 5,100 gallons of water.

The new system put the minimum at $21.00 per quarter (the base charge) but doesn’t include any water usage. The village starts billing at zero gallons. The change resulted in lower water bills for customers that use less than average water each quarter.

The village is working with a consultant on calculating the new charges and rates. WaterWorth representatives last week presented a plan to raise the base charge by 60 percent in 2025 to $33.60, and then another 40 percent to $47.04 in 2026, and 15 percent more in 2027 to $54.10, with 3 percent increases to follow after 2027.

The water rates would go up 15 percent from $3.39 to $3.90 in 2025, and then 6.9 percent to $4.17 in 2026, another 4.6 percent in 2027 to $4.38 and then 3.0 percent increases to follow, according to the proposal.

The village pumps about 1.45 million gallons a day on average from its plant on Wilson Road in Carlton. The towns and prisons account for about 60 percent of that usage.

The village last year raised its wholesale rates to the towns of Carlton, Gaines, Barre and Albion by 40 cents to $3.34 per 1,000 gallons. (Most of the Town of Albion’s water comes through Barre’s water system and Barre bills most of the Town of Albion. Village water also goes to portions of Ridgeway and Murray, going through the Town of Albion system, with Gaines sending some village water to Murray.)

The correctional facilities, which are outside the village, are billed at $4.35 per 1,000 gallons.

With the towns and prison recently getting the rates increased, the WaterWorth proposal doesn’t show big increases for them.

Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said he would prefer to see the increases spread out among all users – wholesale in the towns and residential and commercial in the village.

Riley, the deputy mayor, agreed that she doesn’t want most of the new debt payments to fall on village residential users. She believes the towns and prisons should also see significantly higher rates to lessen the impact on the village and to spread out the higher costs.

Adam Rush, chief operator of the water plant for the village, said higher wholesale rates for the towns could lead to the local towns switching to the Monroe County Water Authority, where the out-of-county wholesale rates are $2.63. The MCWA is close to Albion’s water system, supplying Kendall and parts of Murray and Clarendon.

If some of the towns switch water districts to the MCWA that will shift more of the operational and debt costs to the village residential and commercial users, Rush said.

Riley believes the towns will stay loyal to the village, which she said offers prompt service if there are water leaks or other issues.

She compared the MCWA and Niagara County Water District to “big box stores” that may be cheaper but don’t provide the care and service to the Village of Albion.

“When the big chains come in, people say it’s going to be the death of the mom and pop stores,” Riley said. “We are the mom and pop store. We provide excellent service. ”

The village’s quick response should be valued by the wholesale users, Riley said.

“We’re in their backyard,” Riley said about the local town customers. “We’re available for service. When people call us, off we go. That is value you don’t get from the bigger counties.”

The board said it will work to finalize a plan on the water rates and base charges, and will have a public hearing soon on the new structure. It also wants a public meeting to go over the planned upgrades at the water plant and the distribution system.

Buczek said the village is in a difficult position where an increase is needed to pay for what he said are long overdue upgrades to the water plant.

He said the village has been living “paycheck to paycheck” with its water system, trying to keep the rates down and not take on big expenses.

“We need to think long-term and about resiliency,” he said.

He believes the public will support the increases in costs when they understand the value of the Albion water and plan to upgrade the water plant for the future.

“We need to change the perception of Albion water and make people aware of the services we provide,” he said.

Rush, the water plant chief operator, said Albion’s water rates are among the lowest in the region.

The Village of Fredonia in Chautauqua County, for example, just raised its rates by $2 from $4.95 to $6.95 per 1,000 gallons.

The city of Dunkirk next to Fredonia also raised the rate on water it sells to the North County Water District from $3.84 to $5.16 per 1,000 gallons.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 4, No. 11

This commemorative plate was issued for the centenary of the East Shelby Methodist Church in 1954.

EAST SHELBY – The “white church on the hill” has been a landmark in rural East Shelby since its construction in 1854.

According to Helen E. Allen, who compiled a history of Orleans County churches, a small group of people in the East Shelby area decided to form a Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1839, even though churches of that denomination had already been formed in Millville and West Barre. They assembled at a local schoolhouse for fifteen years.

They incorporated as the First Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church on April 3, 1854, their petition to incorporate was signed by Seth Trowbridge and Cornelius V. Posson. A contract for the construction of the church was drawn up on May 24, 1854, and awarded to Israel Sanborn.

The site, at the intersection of Posson Road and Barber Road, one mile south of East Shelby, was deeded to the trustees by Lorenzo and Nancy Gardner. The church was built in 1854 for a cost of $3,500 and was dedicated by the presiding Elder, Rev. Ryan Smith.

A vestibule and steeple were added in 1882 and a furnace was also installed.

According to an account in the May 6, 1992, Journal-Register,

“The steeple was built on the floor of the front foyer and then lifted up into place through the ceiling of the foyer by ropes drawn by horses and a long pole. A sea captain, possibly Israel Sanborn, was on hand to oversee the tying of the knots, the lifting and hoisting of the steeple into place. The original bell was then placed in the steeple.”

In 1908, under the pastorate of Rev. G. Hares, a twelve-foot addition was added on the west to provide a kitchen and upstairs dining room. The interior was redecorated in 1919, new art glass windows were installed, and also a tin ceiling. The church was shingled and painted in 1942. New front steps and a front lawn wall were built in 1948 and a new oil furnace was installed.

Members undertook an ambitious remodeling for the centennial celebration. Rev. Karl R. Harris was pastor. The walls were painted a soft green, the woodwork was painted white. The pews were white with mahogany trim while the accompanying cushions and pulpit chairs were green. The steeple was re-shingled.

The distinctive front doors were donated in memory of the family of Nelson and Carrie Posson. A hymn board was donated in memory of Mrs. Belle Maxwell.

A new pulpit was given by the R.T. Smith family, while a pulpit Bible was given by H. Justin Roberts in memory of his parents Mr. & Mrs. Bert Roberts and his aunt Mrs. Anna Beckett. These items were dedicated at a special centennial program held on Nov. 17, 1954, which was attended by ministers who had formerly preached at the church.

Due to declining membership, the Methodist Conference declared the closure of the church in 1964. It sat forlorn and deteriorating until it was purchased in August 1989 as the future home of the East Shelby Community Bible Church and Pastor Erik Olsen. Following eight months of renovation, the church was reopened on Palm Sunday, 1990.

The East Shelby Church as it appeared in 1989.

The congregation has since flourished. It honors the area’s nineteenth century heritage and traditions at the popular Old Tyme celebrations held in the recreated West Jackson Corners in July and December.

The Community Bible congregation celebrated the church’s 150th anniversary at their Old Tyme Days in 2004. They also compiled and published the West Jackson Corners Cookbook which includes a reprint of the cookbook printed in 1901 by the ladies’ aid group, the Crescent Circle.

One hundred and seventy years following its construction, “the white church on the hill” is still a landmark in East Shelby, its signature red door heralds its continued vibrance.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A farmer plants seeds in May 2019 in Carlton on Waterport-Carlton Road. That sunny day gave farmers a chance to get their big equipment out in the fields during a soggy spring that year.

ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Planning and Development will have a session from 3 to 7 p.m. on April 15 where property owners can learn about the Orleans County Agricultural District No. 1.

The county has one consolidated agricultural district and property owners this year have their once-every-8-year chance to remove land from the district. Property owners every year have an opportunity to add land to the district.

County officials will be at Hoag Library on April 15 to answer questions about the ag district. There will be a map of the current district for people to look up their land to see if it’s in or out of the district.

The Orleans County Agricultural District No. 1 covers over 118,000 acres or approximately 48% of the land mass of the county. All currently included landowners will receive notification of the ag district review and the forms should be returned by March 31.

The recent Agricultural Census showed sales for farm products in 2022 totaled $233.6 million in Orleans County, up 50.4 percent from the $155.3 million in 2017, a growth of $78.3 million. That includes sales of fruit, vegetables, milk, livestock and other farm products.

A snapshot of Orleans County’s ag economy in 2022 includes:

• 444 farms (498 in 2017)
• 130,055 land in agriculture (129,573 in 2017)
• average size of farm – 293 acres (260 in 2017)
• estimated value of land and buildings – $1.416 billion
• 33 farms at more than 1,000 acres, but 140 are 10 to 49 acres, and 131 are 50 to 179 acres.
• 132 farms sold less than $2,500, while 126 sold $100,000 or more.

For more information about agricultural districts or the ongoing review of the Orleans County Agricultural District No. 1, contact Corey Winters (Planner, Orleans County Department of Planning & Development) at (585) 589-3197.