Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – High school boys and girls basketball players cheer after Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. and Bounce for Bullard leader Susan Oschmann cut the ribbon for two new full-size basketball courts on Thursday.

Oschmann led a fundraising effort and the push the past two years for the new courts. The previous court was back further in the park and the surface wasn’t level with asphalt heaving in sports. The hoops were missing nets and were seldom used.

Oschmann pushed for the project not long after moving to Albion from Kendall. She wanted kids, including her grandchildren, to have a place to shoot basketballs with friends.

She recruited her friend since childhood, Roosevelt Bouie, to help raise money and build support for the project. Bouie was a big star at Syracuse University and he helped secure $40,000 in funding from the James and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

The village and Bounce for Bullard so far have raised $98,000 for the project with another $10,000 in in-kind services.

The Albion school players were thrilled to try out the new courts on Thursday afternoon before a ribbon-cutting celebration at 5 p.m.

Nyla Gaylord, executive director for the Orleans County United Way, holds a photo of Roosevelt Bouie with the old courts.

Bouie credited Bullard Park for hosting many competitive basketball tournaments when he was a kid, helping to turn him into a formidable player.

Bouie is in the Syracuse University Hall of Fame and his number 50 has been retired by the Orange. He led the team to a record of 100-18 from 1977 to 1980. Bouie was a first-team All-BIG EAST Conference selection in 1979-80. He was picked in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Bouie instead chose to play professionally in Europe for 13 seasons.

He has moved back to Kendall. The school retired his jersey in June 2012, the first one picked by Kendall with the recognition.

Bouie was a force for Kendall in the mid-1970s when the school won five straight sectional titles. Kendall had a record of 65-1 during his sophomore, junior and senior years, including 55 straight wins during one stretch.

Bouie said he traces his basketball origins to playing at Bullard.

“That’s where it all started for me,” he said in a previous interview.

He was part of several fundraisers for the new courts a Bullard with 3-on-3 tournaments and free throw shooting contests through portable hoops.

The Albion basketball players played for more than an hour on the courts on Thursday. The players helped raise money for the project through 3-on-3 tournaments the past two years.

Nyla Gaylord, the United Way executive director, said many in the community contributed to making the courts a success.

The United Way worked with village officials to support a new non-profit entity, the Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events Committee, to pursue grants and donations.

“If we as a community work together, look at what we can do,” Gaylord said. “But one person needs to be that spark.”

She credited Oschmann with being that spark to get the project started and for a continued push to get it done.

Oschmann said there is still more to do – about $50,000 is needed for more fencing as well as benches for spectators in a shaded area and working outdoor lights. But she said she is thrilled to see the courts in place and so many kids having fun playing on them.

Some key supporters for the project and recent improvements at Bullard Park include, from left: Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church, Kim Remley, Terry Wilbert, Recreation director John Grillo, mayor Angel Javier Jr., Bernie Baldwin, Susan Oschmann, Chuck Nesbitt from Wendel, Nyla Gaylord, Zack Burgess, Jill Albertson and Ron Albertson.

Judge Church donated money to pay for two of the basketball hoops. Wilbert is part of the Albion United Methodist Church which donated $45,000 towards the project. The Wendel engineering firm did designs and renderings for the basketball courts that helped Albion pursue grant funding.

The Albion recreation committee and a Rebuild Bullard committee have been working for about a decade to upgrade the park. The new basketball courts follow a spray park, new amphitheater, pavilion with bathrooms, walking trail and disc golf course at Bullard.

Javier thanked the many volunteers who have been working to improve Bullard over the years.

“This is a very big investment in our community,” Javier said. “It’s amazing where we’re at with all the improvements at Bullard. I want to thank everyone involved. Every year we’re trying to make Bullard Park a little bit better.”

Grillo, the recreation director, said the courts will be used for clinics, leagues and camps.

“I think this is awesome,” Grillo said. “It is a good opportunity for the village recreation program moving forward.”

MEDINA – A second cruise boat will be coming to Medina’s Canal Basin next year and this one will be double the size as the pontoon boat that debuted this year.

Brian Hellner will be captain of both boats for the North Star Cruises. He srtated offering boat rides on a 20-foot-long pontoon boat in July. He did 30 trips in the first year with customers from 10 states, and a family from Paris, France.

His bigger boat will be a 40-foot-long cabin cruiser that can do longer rides with a bathroom on the boat.

The Village Board on Monday agreed to give him a dedicated spot at the basin at $125 a month, the same rate he pays for the smaller boat. His pontoon boat is at one of the finger docks. The bigger boat will be tied up along the basin wall behind the former NAPA building.

Hellner is a licensed charter captain the past 12 years and an avid boater the past 50 years. He also is a former vice president of the Buffalo Maritime Center. He lives in Newfane but has been to Medina frequently to see his son, Rollin, who lives in Medina and is a real estate developer.

Hellner said he is looking to partner with local businesses to promote the boat rides and services and products at other sites in Medina.

He expects to have both boats in the canal in May when the navigational season gets started on the historic waterway.

“I learned a lot in the first year,” Hellner said. “This other boat will give a different experience. We’ll be able to go for longer boat rides.”

Mayor says Save-A-Lot plaza, Hamilton Street are possibilities; Downtown seems off limits due to dispensaries not allowed near churches

ALBION – The Village of Albion Planning Board will take public comments during a hearing at 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 about potential locations for cannabis dispensaries. The hearing village be at the Village Hall, 35 East Bank St.

The Village Board voted on Oct. 21, 2021 to opt in and allow legal marijuana dispensaries. Albion officials at the time said allowing the marijuana sites will make it easier for local residents to get the product in town, instead of driving to other communities and possibly putting others at risk on the roadways.

Village Board members also cited the potential tax benefits for the village. The state will have a 13-cent excise tax per $1 on the marijuana sales, and the village will gets 3 of those cents per dollar.

The state at the time didn’t have regulations in place for those dispensaries. The regulations that have since been approved include buffer zones for the cannabis dispensaries. That keeps a cannabis business no closer than 500 feet of a school, or within 200 feet of a church or house of worship.

Albion Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said there are five churches in the downtown area and that may keep the downtown from having a licensed cannabis dispensary.

Javier said the Save-A-Lot plaza on Route 31 and a site on Hamilton Street could be locations for licensed dispensaries. He said there will be several opportunities for  the community to weigh in on where a licensed cannabis retailer could be located in the village.

ALBION – An Albion man was sentenced to four months of weekends in the Orleans County jail for a road rage on Feb. 28 in Clarendon.

James Duggan, 59, of Albion allegedly became angry when he was passed by another driver. Duggan then tailgated that person who pulled over. Duggan then allegedly had a knife while he approached the other driver.

The other driver tried to grab Duggan’s hand that was holding the knife and the other person’s hand was cut, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Duggan was facing a charge of second-degree assault. That was reduced to third-degree assault as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to four months of weekends in jail and three years probation on Wednesday by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church.

In other cases in County Court:

• Jennifer Sportsman, 48, of Clarendon pleaded guilty criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and faces up to two years on probation.

Sportsman admitted to having a travel trailer that she knew belonged to someone else and that she didn’t have a right to keep it. The trailer is valued at more than $3,000.

• Khyrel Ware, 26, a former inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility, pleaded guilty to attempted assault in the second degree for striking a corrections officer and causing that officer jaw pain and dizziness. The CO was out of work for five weeks. Ware faces an additional 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison. He is now incarcerated at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy near Utica.

Erin Dionne and Author’s Note also will be at Rochester Reads Festival

Erin Dionne has written two children’s books in a new series, Shiver-by-the-Sea.

Press Release, Author’s Note in Medina

MEDINA – Boston children’s author Erin Dionne will visit Author’s Note at 6 p.m. today to discuss and sign the first two books in her new spooky-fun chapter book series, Shiver-by-the-Sea.

The illustrated series, published by Pixel + Ink, an imprint of Holiday House, is geared towards early readers aged 7-9, and begins with two hardcover novels, Bella and the Vampire, and The Were-Woof. With illustrations throughout by children’s illustrator and toy designer Jenn Harney, the novels release just in time for Halloween read-aloud fun.

Dionne will present Shiver-by-the-Sea this afternoon to students at Wise Intermediate School in Medina, and at Sodoma Elementary School in Albion. On Friday morning, she will visit Royalton-Hartland Elementary School.

On Saturday, Dionne will join the Author’s Note booth at the first annual Rochester Reads Book Festival sponsored by Writers & Books, to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at SUNY Brockport Downtown (Rochester), 161 Chestnut Street, Rochester, NY.

Erin will read at 11:45 a.m. Tickets to the festival are free with a suggested donation option. Rochester Reads has a long history of promoting reading in the Rochester area, but this is its first in-person festival. Buffalo author Dee Romito and Medina author Julie Berry will also read and sign books at the Author’s Note table throughout the day.

Erin Dionne writes middle grade novels, picture books, chapter books and nonfiction. Her new spooky chapter book series Shiver-by-the-Sea (Pixel + Ink) released in August 2023. Her latest novel for tweens is Secrets of a Fangirl (Scholastic 2019). Her most recent picture book is Balletball (Charlesbridge, 2020). When not writing, Dionne is a professor at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA.

Tonight’s activity at Author’s Note will include a reading, signing, Q&A, and treats and giveaways for kids in attendance. The event is free and open to the public. For those unable to attend, signed books can be ordered at authorsnote.com. Contact Author’s Note for more information at (585) 798-3642.

For more information about Rochester Reads Book Festival and a full schedule of presenting authors and exhibitors, click here.

Retired NFL kicker Mike Vanderjagt spoke at club’s meeting on Wednesday

Photos by Tom Rivers: Some of the Medina Rotary Club members are shown Wednesday outside The Walsh in Medina where the group meets for lunch meetings at noon on the second and fourth Wednesdays each month. Pictured from left, first row: Skip Helfirch, President Peter Bartula, Stephanie Mason and Ben McPherson. Second row: Edee Hoffmeister and Gloria Brent. Third row: Barb Jantzi, Gary Lawton, Dan Doctor and Jennifer Hill-Young. Back row: Dawn Meland, J.T. Thomas, Carl Tuohey and Joel Payne. There are at least 10 other members in the club who aren’t pictured.

MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club is on an upswing with a big increase in members and more projects to benefit the community.

In the past four years the club has grown from 8 to 25 members. It was recently notified by Rotary that Medina is in the top 4 percent of all Rotary Clubs in North America for growth in the past five years.

The club used to meet weekly and would fine people for missed meetings and happy events in their lives, whether getting a new car, celebrating an anniversary, being featured in the news or other life milestones.

But Medina Rotary now meets twice a month, the second and fourth Wednesdays for lunch at The Walsh. The club doesn’t fine members if they can’t make a meeting.

“You got to be realistic with folks whose lives are so busy,” said Ben McPherson, who was the club’s president during a big growth period from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023.

McPherson praised the club’s long-time members for keeping Rotary alive in Edina during some lean years. The club maintains a friendly atmosphere among members with several community service projects in the works.

The club on Wednesday discussed several fundraisers including a $5,000 corn hole tournament on Jan. 6 at Dubby’s in Albion, a meat raffle on March 9 at the Ridgeway Fire Hall and a plan to add Buddy benches at Medina parks. Those benches would be made by students at the Iroquois Job Corps Center.

The club hosts a pickleball tournament, picks up trash along the canal, gives out scholarships and helps in other ways throughout the year.

“I saw that they were trying to better the community and that really spoke to me,” McPherson said about when he joined in 2019.

Mike Vanderjagt, center, is pictured with Medina Rotarians Carl Tuohey, left, and President Peter Bartula.

Vanderjagt recently moved to Lyndonville. A native of Canada, he wanted to be close to Lake Ontario and a short drive from Canada. He has been a volunteer kicking coach for the Medina football team and coaches other kickers in the region. One of his players, Medina’s Cole Callard, has emerged as a Division I kicking prospect as well as a soccer standout.

Vanderjagt scored 1,067 points in a nine-year career during the regular season, including a league high 145 for the Colts in 1999. He was first team, all pro in 2003 when he scored 157 points and made all of his kicks – 37 of 37 field goals and 46 of 46 extra points.

He scored 54 more points in nine playoff games. He played for the Colts for eight seasons and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006.

Vanderjagt said he enjoys living in Lyndonville and Orleans County.

“It’s a beautiful part of the country,” he said.

He also shared with Rotary about some of his business ventures.

Mike Vanderjagt, in red shirt, speaks with the Medina Rotary Club on Wednesday at The Walsh. The club often has speakers from the community share a program. The meetings are also a chance for members to provide updates on projects.

The group shares a meal together and strives to maintain camaraderie with no politics.

Gary Lawton has been a member for over 20 years. He said he is thrilled to see the club grow and do more work for the community.

At one point, the club was down to three active members. Now it is adding local business leaders, professionals from the school and hospital, retired residents and others.

“I’m so excited it’s growing again,” Lawton said.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that $483 million in assistance to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts will soon be available to local governments across New York in the latest installment of the State’s popular BRIDGE NY initiative.

The State Department of Transportation will work through local planning organizations to allocate the funding to towns, villages and other governmental entities in every region of the state to help them harden their existing infrastructure and improve resiliency against severe weather events.

The state’s BRIDGE NY initiative supports projects that combat climate change by reducing the risk of flooding, improves the resiliency of structures, facilitates regional economic competitiveness and prioritizes projects that benefit environmental justice communities.

“New York is already feeling the effects of climate change with ever-more frequent severe weather events that just this year have washed out several key bridges and roadways in our state,” Governor Hochul said. “The investments we are making through the ‘BRIDGE NY’ program will help local governments enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability, and reliability of their infrastructure, increasing the ability of our bridges to withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers on the move.”

The announcement builds upon the approximately $1.2 billion that has previously been provided to local governments under the BRIDGE NY initiative over the past several years. As part of the state’s historic $32.8 billion capital plan adopted last year, an additional $1 billion was committed to BRIDGE NY, effectively doubling the size of the program.

The latest round of investments under the program will be made in the coming months as NYSDOT works through the local planning process with Regional and Metropolitan Planning Organizations. This funding will support all phases of project delivery, including design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney  

WASHINGTON, DC– Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today made the following statement on the recent election of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04).

“Congratulations to my dear friend, Speaker Mike Johnson, on being elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Mike Johnson is an inspirational conservative who will restore faith in our government and bring strong, principled leadership to America.

“Speaker Johnson is committed to restoring transparency to Congress, reining in runaway spending, holding our adversaries accountable, and strengthening oversight of federal bureaucrats. Though 70% of appropriation priorities have already been passed in the House, the remaining appropriations bills will be considered expeditiously.

“Speaker Johnson’s first action was to immediately open the People’s House in order to bring a bipartisan resolution to the floor in support of the nation of Israel, our most important ally in the Middle East. He is immediately addressing issues critically important to the American people. This starts with direct action on the border crisis, prioritizing legislation to address runaway inflation due to far-left spending under Pelosi and Biden.

“Speaker Johnson will renew our commitment to backing our courageous officers in blue, empowering parents’ rights against the hostile agenda imposed by the Biden Administration and its weaponized law enforcement agencies, unleash American energy production which will lead to greater freedom, prosperity, and security for all Americans.

“House Republicans understand this historic moment for America and are laser-focused on providing leadership, restoring transparency and responsible government, and achieving real results for the American people.”

Press Release, Sheriff Chris Bourke     

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will again participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The authorized collection site for this event will be located at the Orleans County Public Safety Building, 13925 State Route 31. We will be collecting unused medications, sharps, pet medications, and e-cigarette / vape devices (The batteries must be removed).

This is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Administration and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

This is a great opportunity for the public to surrender unwanted and/or expired medications and sharps for safe and proper disposal. Events such as these have dramatically reduced the risk of prescription drug diversion, abuse, as well as increasing awareness of this critical public health issue.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature agreed to spend $1,475,000 to acquire the former building used for Genesee Community College in Albion and 25.7 vacant acres adjacent to the property.

GCC hasn’t had classes at 456 West Ave. for several years. The county will buy the site from Herring Enterprises of Holley for $975,000.

The Legislature also agreed to pay James Herring Sr. $500,000 for 25.7 acres of vacant land adjacent to the site with a lot off Allen Road.

The county will move the Probation Department and District Attorney’s office out of the Public Safety Building and into the former GCC site.

“This purchase allows us to correct some deficiencies at the current PSB that we will be able to complete without bonding for a brand-new facility,” said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The Public Safety Building has been the home for Probation, the DA’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and the 911 dispatch center for the past 25 years. But that building has challenges, especially with a big flat roof. It will soon get a new HVAC system to help with heating issues in the building.

Once Probation and the DA’s Office move to the former GCC site, the building will be reconfigured for the Sheriff’s Office to allow for a more efficient operation, Welch said

The county had a consultant study the Public Safety Building, and the conclusion was the county should move its operations out of the site, which was once a building for furniture sales.

Welch said the vacant land gives the county’s additional options for the future, with no project planned right away.

“Vacant land is not guaranteed to be around forever,” he said.

The is the second straight month the county has purchased a building in Albion. Last month the Legislature approved spending $250,000 for the former Bank of America site at 156 S. Main St. It will become the treasurer’s office in 2024. That building has a drive-through and is more easily accessible than the current office on East Park Street, county officials said.

Demarques Underwood and Erica Davis

MEDINA – Two people from Medina have been charged with allegedly selling crack cocaine in the Medina area, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force is reporting today.

The Task Force along with the Medina Police Department and Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at 388 Erie St. in Medina, which also included a Toyota Rav 4 rental vehicle.

Police seized over 40 baggies of crack cocaine, $3,400 in cash, scales, numerous packaging material and other drug paraphernalia.

Demarques “Dutch” Underwood, 34, and Erica Davis, 35, both of 388 Erie St. in Medina, are facing criminal charges.

Underwood was charged with 3 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (B felonies), 4 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (B felonies) and a count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree (a C felony).

He was arraigned in CAP Court by Barre Town Justice Richard Root and was committed without bail to the Orleans County Jail due to his previous criminal history, the Task Force reported today.

Davis was charged with a count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree. She was issued an appearance ticket and released on her own recognizance.

Both are scheduled to appear in Ridgeway Town Court at 9 a.m. on Oct. 30.

Additional charges are pending in this case, the Task Force said.

LYNDONVILLE – Ambulances have been faster to respond to priority one calls in 2023, even with the Main Street lift bridge closed in Albion which has adding 2 minutes to some of the calls in central Orleans County.

The average response time in the county in 2022 was 12 minutes, 18 seconds for priority one calls. For the first six months of 2023, the response time was 11:47. In 2021, it was 11:42.

Scott Buffin, deputy director of the Emergency Management Office in Orleans County, went over the data on Tuesday during the meeting for the Orleans County Association of Municipalities at the White Birch in Lyndonville.

He also highlighted the number of dropped calls is down significantly from 323 in 2022 to a projected 160 this year. It was 80 for the first six month of 2023.

“It is huge to see that,” Buffin said about the reduction in dropped calls.

The report on the ambulance calls and response time also was shared during last week’s EMS Task Force meeting. But only representatives from the villages of Lyndonville and Holley attended that session, with no officials from Albion and Medina or any of the 10 towns. The fire companies in the county all had representation at that meeting last week for the task force.

Ambulance coverage has been a hot topic in the county the past two years with the decline in volunteer ambulance corps and the struggles of non-profit providers such as COVA in Albion.

This is the first year Monroe Ambulance has the contract to be the primary ambulance provider for four towns in central Orleans – Albion, Barre, Gaines and Carlton. Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance shut down late last year. Mercy Flight EMS has taken over COVA operations, but Mercy doesn’t have a contract for service in Orleans County.

Mercy, however, has been dispatched for 168 EMS calls in the first six months of 2023. Monroe has received 1,449 calls and the Medina Fire Department, 1,147.

The Kendall Fire Department’s ambulance ceased operations at the end of 2022, the last fire department with a volunteer ambulance in Orleans County. Clarendon, Holley, Carlton, Shelby and Albion all have discontinued the ambulance service, citing the time demands on volunteers for training and responding to calls.

There also was very little revenue for the volunteer fire departments for the service. And the non-profit organizations said they didn’t get enough in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates for the service.

Monroe also is the main ambulance provider for Clarendon and Murray, and now in Kendall.

The company is seeking a $300,000 contract from the seven towns in eastern and central Orleans to continue coverage in 2023, with an ambulance based in Albion and another one in either Holley or Brockport.

Mercy Flight EMS also wants the contract for 2023 with two dedicated advanced life support ambulances in the county as part of a $180,000 contract agreement with the seven towns.

The town boards are working to approve a contract next month, with Monroe expected to again be the provider.

Tony Cammarata, the Kendall town supervisor, said he wants one more year with Monroe to study the response times and level of service. He wants to put the service out to an RFP (request for proposals) for the year 2025.

County Legislator John Fitzak said he would prefer to see a contract from the towns with both ambulance providers so there would be more dedicated ambulances eastern and central Orleans. Monroe and Mercy Flight could coordinate among the two how they would respond to calls.

“Work with both of them,” he said. “Don’t pit them against each other. If you work with both we’d have four ambulances instead of two.”

One concerning piece in the data, Buffin said, is there are often times when there isn’t an ambulance available, especially in the Albion area. If an ambulance is on a call or transporting someone, Buffin said there are then times with no immediate coverage. He noted the data shows the average amount of time per call for ambulance to be in service is 1 hour, 36 minutes.

The number of calls is way up in the county in the past two decades, from 2,876 in 2004 to a projected 5,300 this year. There were 5,620 calls in 2022 and 5,685 in 2021.

“The calls have gone up and the providers have gone down,” Fitzak said.

County officials were asked if they see the county taking the lead for a county-wide service in the future. Barre Town Supervisor Sean Pogue and Cammarata from Kendall said that may make the most sense.

“We’d much rather have the county take the lead on this,” Cammarata said.

County Legislator Ed Morgan said he doesn’t see that happening anytime soon. He noted the Medina Fire Department does a great job handling calls in western Orleans – the villages of Medina and Lyndonville and towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates.

Other counties, such as Livingston, have a county-wide ambulance service. Wyoming County is going to start one, too.

Matt Jackson, the Medina fire chief, was asked if Medina would consider expanding to service more of the county. Jackson said not this time because staffing is one of the biggest challenges in providing EMS service, with paramedics and EMTs in demand. Those professionals suffer a high burnout rate of about 5 years in the profession.

“One of the biggest issues is manpower,” Jackson said.

Press Release, Albion Police Chief David Mogle

ALBION – The Albion Police Department was recently awarded two separate grants from the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to participate in the “Police Traffic Services Program” and the “Child Passenger Safety Program.” The statewide initiatives run from Oct. 1, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2024.

The first grant awarded to the Albion Police Department totals $3,016 and will allow the department to participate in the statewide “Police Traffic Services Program” for traffic details, check points and saturated patrols in areas where speeding and aggressive driving have been observed.

This grant also allows for the Albion Police Department to participate in the Buckle Up New York initiative in May-June of 2024. The goal of the Buckle Up New York campaign is to increase the usage of seatbelts and to educate the public on the importance of wearing your seatbelt.

The second grant awarded to the Albion Police Department totals $1,500 for the “Child Passenger Safety Program.” This grant will not only allow the Albion Police Department to educate citizens on the proper use and installation of child safety seats in New York State, but it will also allow the department to provide limited child safety seats to families in need that could not afford to purchase a proper child safety seat otherwise.

Through these two grants, the Albion Police Department seeks to educate the public on safe driving techniques and proper safety procedures while operating a motor vehicle. With the cooperation and assistance of the community, the Albion Police Department hopes to further reduce traffic crashes and injuries related to those crashes.